How to Save a Life (9-10/?)
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 |
Michael woke up to the next morning to the smell of bacon. Frowning, he sat up and looked around and noticed that he was in his mom's room. Scooting off the bed, he slowly made his way to the kitchen, where he saw Chloe standing over a frying pan, her eyes and nose red. "Mommy, what's wrong?"
It took every ounce of strength she had not to start crying again in front of her son. "Oh, I've got a little cold, Sweetie. Breakfast is almost ready. You hungry?"
His stomach growled loudly before he could respond.
"Guess that's a yes," she said with a faint smile. She turned around and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Then she set about placing scrambled eggs and bacon on a plate for him. "Do you want milk or orange juice?" she asked as she carried the plate to the table and set it down.
He bounced up and down as he looked down at the plate, "Milk!"
"Okay." She pulled the milk from the fridge and poured him a glass, setting it down by his plate and watching him scarf down the food like he hadn't eaten in weeks.
A few minutes later had Matthew padding down the hallway, eyes wide and frightened.
Chloe turned at the sound of his footsteps and quickly stood up at the look on his face. "Did you have another bad dream?" She knelt down in front of him worriedly.
He shook his head, "I waked up...and I was alone."
She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, kissing his cheek. "You hungry? You want some eggs and bacon?"
Sniffing, he nodded, "Yes please."
She picked him up and gently set him in a chair across the table from Michael before moving to the stove and getting him a plate of food and a glass of milk. "There you go."
"Thank you Mommy."
"You're welcome," she whispered, gazing at him for a moment before watching Michael finish up his food. "Hey, Michael, can you do me a favor?"
Michael looked towards her and nodded, swallowing the last bits of his breakfast.
She smiled at him faintly, though her eyes were sad. "Uncle Sam's outside somewhere. If I fix him a plate, can you take it out to him?"
He frowned, "Why is Uncle Sammy outside?"
"I don't know," she said with another forced smile. "Working, I guess." She stood up and moved to the stove, putting the remainder of food on a large plate and pouring Sam a glass of juice. She set some silverware on the plate and handed it to Michael, who still looked confused.
"Okay..." Taking the plate, he carefully made his way out the door to find his uncle.
She watched him go, leaning against the door for a moment before returning to the kitchen to be with Matthew.
Matthew was picking at his eggs when she walked in, lost in thought.
"Any good?" she asked softly, rubbing the back of her neck tiredly.
He looked up, slightly startled, "Yeah, it's good Mommy."
"You okay, Mathew?" She reached out and touched his arm.
"I'm sad."
"Because of your dream?"
He nodded, "And you were gone..."
Guilt swept over her. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. But I'm right here. I'm not gonna leave you."
Getting up from the chair, he climbed up on her lap and hugged her, "I'm glad Mommy."
She hugged him tightly, closing her eyes. She just hoped she could keep that promise.
* * *
Michael wandered around the yard until he found Sam out by the Impala, laying on a rolling board underneath the hood. "Uncle Sammy?"
Sam jumped slightly at the voice, "Yeah, Michael?"
"I brought you breakfast!" He smiled.
Pushing himself out from under the car, he sat up, "Thanks bud."
He handed Sam the plate of bacon and eggs and sat down on the driveway. "It's really yummy."
Smiling and taking the plate, he nodded, "I bet it is."
"Mommy's a good cook."
He took a bite, "Yep. She is."
Michael was silent for a moment, watching him. "Mommy's sad."
"Yeah, I know she is."
"How come?" he asked, frowning.
"Because she's seen your daddy a lot lately. She really misses him."
Michael's frown deepened. "But she wasn't so sad yesterday," he said in confusion.
Sam shrugged, "It's just some grown up stuff bud. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sad, too?"
"No bud, I'm fine."
Michael nodded slightly and looked at the car. "Is she broke?"
Turning around, Sam put a hand on the car, "Nah, she just needs a little work."
"That's good." He propped his head up on one hand. "Can we go to the park later?"
"I don't know. Go talk to your mom about it."
"Are you mad at Mommy?"
Finishing the last bite of his breakfast, he gave the plate back to his nephew, "Why don't you go take this inside to her?"
"Come with me?" He held his hand out.
"Nah, I gotta work on the car."
He frowned, his hazel eyes sad. "Okay." His voice was sad. He slowly turned and headed back toward the house with his head down.
Sighing, Sam stood up and caught up to Michael, "Come on bud, don't be sad."
He didn't look up. "Are you leaving?" he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.
He frowned, "What do you mean?"
"Are you going to leave us?"
What could he say to that? Biting his lip, he responded, "Why you asking?"
"Because you're mad at Mommy."
"I'm not mad at your mom. And I'm not leaving." He didn't add on the yet.
"Promise?" He sniffled.
Sam put a hand on his shoulder, "Yeah."
He put the plate down on the ground and wrapped his arms around Sam's waist.
He hugged Michael back, "Love ya bud."
"Love you too, Uncle Sam." He hugged him tightly.
"Think you better take that plate inside, then maybe you can help me work on the car. How's that sound?"
"Good." He beamed, pulling away from Sam and grabbing the plate once more, heading toward the house.
Sam watched him race into the house, then walked back toward the car. As he slid back under, he blinked back the sudden tears, "They'll be better off with their dad...they will." He whispered, picking up his wrench and going back to work on the car.
* * *
Chloe stood at the front door, watching Matthew and Michael run out toward Sam where he was working on the Impala. She leaned against the doorframe, her eyes sad as she saw Sam glance toward her and then quickly look away. She shut her eyes, stepped back inside and closed the door quietly. She drew in a breath and slowly headed down the hall to her bedroom, pausing when she caught sight of a silky red nightgown lying on her bed.
It was hers, but she hadn't pulled it out of her dresser and laid it on the bed. She glanced at the dresser, saw that the drawer was partially open, and then felt her stomach tighten as she moved toward the bed, picking it up. A small piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Feeling ill, she leaned down and picked it up, the breath catching in her throat as she read the words.
I love the way you look in this.
Dropping the note onto her bed, she whirled toward the window, horrified to see that it was partially open.
He had been inside her house. In her bedroom. Where her boys had been asleep not an hour before. Nausea washed over her and she made a dash for the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet.
"Chloe?" Dean's panicked voice came from beside her as he put a hand on her back.
It took her a few moments to recover enough to look at him. "He's been here," she whispered.
"Damn it." He got up and looked towards the bedroom, "I'll go look for him."
She sat at the base of the toilet, tears pooling in her eyes.
Disappearing, Dean looked around the house, then searched the perimeter before coming back to Chloe's side, "I...don't see him." he whispered sadly.
"We have to get the boys out of here," she whispered.
"Have to get all of you out."
She leaned against him, closing her eyes. "What'd you find out from your mom?"
He wrapped his arms around her and sighed, "She said she had weird dreams that would sometimes come true, but they weren't exactly violent or anything, just random stuff."
"So it does run in your family," she murmured.
"Seems that way." He said quietly, "But I can't see why I didn't have it...and why Michael doesn't have it. I mean, what? It only affects the youngest?"
"Dean, there's a chance that...because I'm meteor infected," she began.
He shook his head, "Don't go there. This is not on you."
"It could be that the power was mutated because of me," she whispered. "Which would explain why it's different for Matthew than it was for your mom or Sam."
"It's not mutated." He said firmly, "It could just be how the gene works...I mean, Sam had waking visions, mom had dreams. Could be a combination of both those things."
Chloe swallowed hard, shutting her eyes tightly once more. "Sam hates me," she whispered.
"And that's not true either."
"We had a fight." Her voice was barely audible.
He looked down at her, "What happened."
She winced. "I was horrible to him, Dean." Her face crumpled.
He rubbed her back soothingly, "Tell me what happened."
She began to tell him about the fight she and Sam had the night before, guilt washing over her. "Great way to help him," she whispered.
Sighing, Dean kissed the top of her head, "But it wasn't all you. Sam's partly to blame for this fight..." He paused, thinking, "Look, I'll go talk to him, alright?"
"I don't think it's gonna help." Her voice was sad.
"I bet it will."
Chloe bit her lip and watched as he headed for the door, pulling her knees up to her chest.
A few seconds later, Matthew ran into the room and hugged his mom.
"Matthew? You okay?" She wrapped her arms around him.
He nodded, "But I had to make you un-sad."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You always make me unsad," she whispered.
He smiled and looked up at her, "Really Mommy?"
"How could I be sad with you around?" She smiled at him and kissed his nose.
Giggling, he threw his arms around her once more, "I love you Mommy."
"I love you too."
"Can we go to the park?"
She hesitated. "I don't know, Sweetie. We'll see, okay?"
He nodded and kissed her on the cheek, "Okay Mommy."
* * *
Sam cursed under his breath as a drop of oil dripped down and stained his shirt.
"You know, it's not nice to curse at my baby, dude."
He nearly whacked his head on the car, groaning. "Man, I'm gonna put a bell on you."
"Don't know how it'd stay, I mean, I disappear too much." Dean said, coming down on the ground beside his brother.
Sam sighed heavily. "She sent you out here?" He didn’t look at Dean.
"Hell no, I came out here myself."
Nodding a little, he was silent for a long moment.
"I heard about the fight." He said quietly.
Sam shut his eyes. "Yeah."
"She feels guilty as hell."
"Me too," he admitted in a whisper.
"But what really gets me here, is how you think they don't need you." His tone changed to disbelieving.
"Dean." *
Dean held up a hand, "No. Sam, hear me out." He paused to make sure he had his brother's full attention, "The only father figure Matthew and Michael have known is you. And if you left them, they'd never get over that. Besides, did you ever even stop to think about the switch going completely wrong?"
"It won't go wrong," he whispered.
"Can you tell me that for sure? And, what makes you think I *want* to come back?"
"Because you love Chloe. And you need to be with your family."
"But I am with family." He said, "And yeah, I do love Chloe. But I know she's in damn good hands."
He was silent for a long moment. "Not really."
"Oh don't go all self-pity-emo-Sam on me now. It's true." Dean's voice grew very firm, "Hell, I've watched you with the boys and with Chloe. You can't leave them. You can't."
"And they need *you*, Dean!" He shook his head and looked at his brother.
"They don't *know* me!"
He flinched at the anger in Dean's tone. "But they could."
"They won't want to." He said quietly, "They'll only blame me for taking their Uncle Sam away."
Sam stared at him, feeling those words like a punch to the gut. He looked away, staring blankly into the distance.
"Come on man, look at me."
Tears stinging his eyes, he slowly turned his head to look at Dean once more.
"You know I'm right." He said, voice still quiet.
"Man, I miss you." Sam's voice was strained and he shook his head a little. "I don't know what to do for her. I'm not you, Dean."
"What you've been doing now, it's what I would have done." He paused, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder, "You're actually doing better than me."
"I really doubt that."
"Well, I don't."
He leaned back against the car and rubbed the back of his neck. "Dean, do you have any idea who's after her?"
"There's this guy at her work..." He made a face, "I didn't trust him."
Sam stared at him in surprise. "It's someone she knows?"
"I don't know man, it could be."
He raked a hand through his hair.
"Just...can you go to work with her tomorrow?"
Sam drew in a breath. "If she's okay with that, yeah." He looked at his brother. "Dean, what aren't you saying?"
He bit his lip, "I'm just worried."
"Did something happen?"
He shook his head, "Not yet. But that doesn't mean something *won't* happen."
"Especially with Matthew's dreams," he murmured, glancing worriedly toward the house.
"Exactly."
Sam let out a breath and slowly rose to his feet. "So how do we keep her safe?"
"Need to get her out of the house." Dean said quickly, rising as well.
He frowned and looked at Dean. "Why do you--"
"He's been inside the house."
"What?" Sam stared at him. "When?"
He shook his head, "I don't know. Couldn't have been too long ago."
"You mean since this morning? Did Chloe see him?" He quickly headed toward the house.
"I don't think she did. But man, she's really scared."
Nodding, he moved to the front door, pulling it open quickly.
"Take care of her Sammy." He whispered, fading.
He paused, turning to see his brother had vanished once more. "I will," he whispered.
Part Ten
Chloe kept a close eye on the boys as they watched Aladdin in the living room while she paced the kitchen floor, still feeling sick. She wondered if the guy was watching her right then, if he was smiling at how nervous and upset she was. Her breathing was a little ragged as she paced, her mind spinning as she tried to figure out what to do.
Closing the front door quietly, Sam walked into the living room where he saw Chloe pacing. Clearing his throat, he walked over to her, "Dean...told me what happened."
She didn't stop pacing. "We have to get the boys out of here."
"We have to get you out too."
"He's been in here," she whispered.
He walked up to her and stopped her pacing, "I know. Which is why you need to pack, and I'll pack things for the boys."
She swallowed hard, looking up at him with frightened eyes. "This guy's been watching me for a long time, Sam."
"But you forget, master of hiding." He said, giving her a small smile.
Chloe bit down hard on her lower lip, blinking back tears. "Sam..."
"Can you at least give me a chance?" He whispered, desperate to get her to agree.
Wordlessly she wound her arms around his waist. "Please don't hate me," she whispered.
He put his own arms around her, "I don't. I can't hate you."
"I'm sorry about last night. I..." Her voice broke.
Pulling her closer, he kissed the top of her head, "It's my fault...I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I was...I was mean. I didn't mean to hurt you, Sam, I just...I'm scared. I don't wanna lose you." She looked up at him, a tear streaking down her cheek.
He wiped her tears away, "I know."
She turned her head and pressed a kiss against the palm of his hand, closing her eyes.
"I..." He paused and swallowed, "I love you."
Chloe slowly opened her eyes and turned to gaze at him again. "I love you too."
He smiled slightly at her words, "I'm glad."
She hesitated a moment before standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him softly on the lips.
Her kiss caught him off guard. He could feel her love behind the kiss, and the walls around his heart began to melt away. Arms slowly coming up her back, he pressed her closer to him and kissed her back.
There was giggling from the entrance of the kitchen and a small smile tugged against Chloe's lips at the sound. "We just got caught," she whispered, resting a hand over his heart.
He smiled and looked toward the door, where Matthew and Michael's heads disappeared quickly, "Yeah, we did."
She touched his cheek. "Let's get outta here," she whispered.
Nodding, he released her, "I'll go pack things for the boys."
She bit her lower lip and followed him down the hall, hesitating at the door of her bedroom.
At her hesitation, Sam turned to her, "Do you want me to come in and wait until you're all packed?"
"Would you mind?" she whispered, afraid to open the door for what she might see on the other side.
"No. I'll even go in first."
Chloe managed a small, faint smile as he opened the door and looked around cautiously. She slowly followed him inside, not looking at the nightgown and the sick note still lying beside it on her bed. She moved to her closet, grabbing some of her clothes out quickly.
Sitting down on the bed, Sam propped himself up on his elbows and watched her.
She yanked her suitcase from the bottom of the closet and hurriedly stuffed her things inside. "You're coming, too, right?" She glanced at him over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Can't just leave you guys alone." He said, smiling slightly.
She relaxed a little at his words. "Thanks," she whispered.
"Welcome."
She finished quickly, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Sam, do you think...should we call the cops?" she asked uncertainly, shuddering as her gaze fell upon the dress and the note.
"As soon as we know who this sick bastard is, I'm going to drag his ass to the police station." If I don't kill him first. He added silently.
Chloe nodded a little, heading for the door.
Getting up, he followed her out of the door, and went into the boys room, and smirked when he saw the two of them still giggling. "Alright you two...you gotta help me pack."
"Pack? Are we going on a trip?" Matthew asked with wide eyes.
"Something like that."
"Yay! Are we going to Disneyland?" he asked excitedly.
He chuckled and ruffled Matthew's hair, "No, not quite."
"Aw, man...can Jasmine come with us?" He picked the puppy up off the floor and cuddled her against his chest.
"Of course she can. She's gotta. She'd miss you two too much." Sam said, going over to their drawers.
Chloe set her bag outside the boys' door and stepped into the room to help Sam, their hands brushing against each other as they both reached for the same shirt of Michael's. A small smile touched her lips and she glanced up at him.
He quickly looked away as he caught her eye. Blushing, he went to a different drawer and pulled out pants for the boys.
She bit her lower lip, her own cheeks coloring a little as she tucked some clothes into a bag for Michael. "Why don't you guys bring your top five travel toys with you each, okay?" She turned to look at the boys.
Both boys nodded and ran off to get their toys.
Sam laughed as he watched them, "Gosh, look at them go."
Chloe smiled, as well. "Even Clark would be impressed with that exit," she said lightly.
"Seriously." He paused, "Speaking of Clark...you talked to him lately?"
"No," she admitted, feeling guilty about that. "Not for awhile."
"How long is a while?" He asked quietly.
She looked down at the floor. "A couple of months."
"Oh."
"You think I should call him?" she asked uncertainly.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea." He shrugged.
Chloe drew in a breath and nodded slightly. "I will whenever we get...wherever we're going."
"We could go to one of the nicer hotels in Palo Alto..."
There was a scoff from behind, "You only wanna go there so you can look back on your geek boy school."
She shot Dean a look and shook her head before looking back at Sam. "That's fine with me."
Sticking his tongue out at his brother, he smiled at Chloe, "Great."
She smiled back at him in amusement, finishing packing up Michael's bag and zipping it shut.
"So, if I were to randomly appear in the hotel...I wouldn't be...you know, interrupting anything ever?" Dean asked, smirking.
Chloe's cheeks flushed with heat. "Dean!"
His eyebrows shot up innocently, "What? What'd I say?"
She tossed one of Matthew's stuffed animals at him.
He laughed as the toy made contact, "So this means I shouldn't go into your room."
"You are incorrigible," she said, shaking her head and looking at Sam.
Sam nodded and laughed, "Yeah, Dean, she's so right."
"Oh whatever, you just don't wanna admit it.."
She stuck her tongue out at Dean as she stood up, dropping the bag on Matthew's bed.
"Geeze, you two are *no* fun." He pouted.
She grinned involuntarily. "We're lots of fun."
"Right. You guys just keep thinking that..."
"You know we are."
Getting up, he walked towards the door and smirked, "Maybe...maybe not."
"Go help the boys pack their toys," she said, returning his smirk.
"Ima goin..." And he left the room.
She shook her head slightly and looked toward Sam, her eyes filled with warmth.
Sam shook his head as well, "Wow...now *that* was awkward."
"Coulda been worse."
He snorted, "Now how could that have been worse?"
A mischevious look appeared on her face. "He could've actually walked in on us while we were..."
A blush formed on his cheeks, "Yeah. True."
She grinned, her eyes twinkling. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."
Running a hand through his hair he grinned shyly.
Her smile widened at the sight of his dimples and she ducked her head, her own cheeks flushing a little.
"So...ah...I guess we should go make sure Dean's actually helping the boys pack the right things," he said awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, that's..." She nodded a little, tucking some hair behind her ear.
"Do you wanna...?" He motioned out the door.
Chloe glanced up at him and smiled a bit, then led the way out of the room.
As Chloe pushed the door leading to the boys' room open, it was almost utter chaos as the two young ones ran around the room with Dean leaning against the wall.
She shook her head a little, glancing back at Sam with raised eyebrows.
"Oh boy..." he muttered, running a hand down his face. "Dean!"
He glanced at his brother and smiled. "That's me.'
"So much for helping them pack," she said with a smirk, glancing at him with amusement.
"They *were* packing...and then...that got boring," he said, shrugging.
Chloe chuckled softly, then knelt down on the floor. "Come on guys. We need to get ready to go!" A shudder worked its way down her spine though she tried to repress it.
Matthew was the first to stop and put down his toys, a small frown on his face. "Do we has to?"
"Yeah, Sweetie. Remember, we're going on a little trip?" She tried her best to sound excited rather than freaked out.
"Oh yeah...does daddy get to come?" He asked, walking over to where Dean still leaned against the wall.
She nodded a little. "Yeah."
He grinned and looked up at Dean. "You is coming with us!"
Dean smiled down at him. "Yeah, I am."
"So we should get going. Where's Jasmine?" she asked, glancing around.
Michael appeared next to his mom a moment later clutching the struggling puppy. "Right here."
She smiled a bit, reaching out and taking Jasmine from him. "Thanks, Michael," she whispered, kissing his forehead and then rising to her feet.
"You're welcome, Mommy."
Drawing in a breath, she glanced around. "You guys got everything you need?"
Both boys nodded. "Yeah, I made sure they got the essentials," Dean spoke up.
"Thanks," she said softly, looking over at him.
He pulled away from the wall and winked. "No problem. I'll be watching you guys all the way to Palo Alto, okay?"
Nodding a little, she turned to look at Sam.
Bending down, he picked up the duffle bags that contained the boys' clothes and toys. "Thanks man," he nodded to Dean then turned his gaze to Chloe. "Okay, lets head."
Chloe reached out and took Matthew's hand, making sure Michael was following closely as she followed Sam down the hall and out the front door, her body tense with anxiety.
"Everything's gonna be okay," Dean's voice whispered in her ear.
Swallowing hard, she nodded very slightly to let him know she'd heard him.
"Love you."
"I love you," she whispered almost inaudibly.
When they got out to the Impala, Matthew and Michael hopped into the back and proceeded to argue about whose lap Jasmine was going to sit on.
Chloe shivered against the cool autumn wind that swept across her like a block of ice. She looked up at Sam as he held the passenger door open for her.
"I'm gonna make sure nothing happens to us," he said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.
She hesitantly reached up and touched his face. "I know," she whispered.
After she got in, he shut the door and walked over to the other side, sliding into the driver's seat. Looking back at the boys, he put on a smile. "Who's ready to have fun?"
"I am!" Michael said excitedly.
"Not more than me!" Matthew shouted, bouncing a little.
Chloe glanced at Sam sideways. "Were the two of you as competitive as they are?"
He chuckled. "Yeah...we were."
Somehow, she wasn't too surprised. She reached over and rested her hand on his arm.
He looked down at it briefly and the smile stayed on his face as they drove out of the city limits and toward Palo Alto.
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 |
Michael woke up to the next morning to the smell of bacon. Frowning, he sat up and looked around and noticed that he was in his mom's room. Scooting off the bed, he slowly made his way to the kitchen, where he saw Chloe standing over a frying pan, her eyes and nose red. "Mommy, what's wrong?"
It took every ounce of strength she had not to start crying again in front of her son. "Oh, I've got a little cold, Sweetie. Breakfast is almost ready. You hungry?"
His stomach growled loudly before he could respond.
"Guess that's a yes," she said with a faint smile. She turned around and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. Then she set about placing scrambled eggs and bacon on a plate for him. "Do you want milk or orange juice?" she asked as she carried the plate to the table and set it down.
He bounced up and down as he looked down at the plate, "Milk!"
"Okay." She pulled the milk from the fridge and poured him a glass, setting it down by his plate and watching him scarf down the food like he hadn't eaten in weeks.
A few minutes later had Matthew padding down the hallway, eyes wide and frightened.
Chloe turned at the sound of his footsteps and quickly stood up at the look on his face. "Did you have another bad dream?" She knelt down in front of him worriedly.
He shook his head, "I waked up...and I was alone."
She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, kissing his cheek. "You hungry? You want some eggs and bacon?"
Sniffing, he nodded, "Yes please."
She picked him up and gently set him in a chair across the table from Michael before moving to the stove and getting him a plate of food and a glass of milk. "There you go."
"Thank you Mommy."
"You're welcome," she whispered, gazing at him for a moment before watching Michael finish up his food. "Hey, Michael, can you do me a favor?"
Michael looked towards her and nodded, swallowing the last bits of his breakfast.
She smiled at him faintly, though her eyes were sad. "Uncle Sam's outside somewhere. If I fix him a plate, can you take it out to him?"
He frowned, "Why is Uncle Sammy outside?"
"I don't know," she said with another forced smile. "Working, I guess." She stood up and moved to the stove, putting the remainder of food on a large plate and pouring Sam a glass of juice. She set some silverware on the plate and handed it to Michael, who still looked confused.
"Okay..." Taking the plate, he carefully made his way out the door to find his uncle.
She watched him go, leaning against the door for a moment before returning to the kitchen to be with Matthew.
Matthew was picking at his eggs when she walked in, lost in thought.
"Any good?" she asked softly, rubbing the back of her neck tiredly.
He looked up, slightly startled, "Yeah, it's good Mommy."
"You okay, Mathew?" She reached out and touched his arm.
"I'm sad."
"Because of your dream?"
He nodded, "And you were gone..."
Guilt swept over her. "I'm sorry, Sweetheart. But I'm right here. I'm not gonna leave you."
Getting up from the chair, he climbed up on her lap and hugged her, "I'm glad Mommy."
She hugged him tightly, closing her eyes. She just hoped she could keep that promise.
* * *
Michael wandered around the yard until he found Sam out by the Impala, laying on a rolling board underneath the hood. "Uncle Sammy?"
Sam jumped slightly at the voice, "Yeah, Michael?"
"I brought you breakfast!" He smiled.
Pushing himself out from under the car, he sat up, "Thanks bud."
He handed Sam the plate of bacon and eggs and sat down on the driveway. "It's really yummy."
Smiling and taking the plate, he nodded, "I bet it is."
"Mommy's a good cook."
He took a bite, "Yep. She is."
Michael was silent for a moment, watching him. "Mommy's sad."
"Yeah, I know she is."
"How come?" he asked, frowning.
"Because she's seen your daddy a lot lately. She really misses him."
Michael's frown deepened. "But she wasn't so sad yesterday," he said in confusion.
Sam shrugged, "It's just some grown up stuff bud. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sad, too?"
"No bud, I'm fine."
Michael nodded slightly and looked at the car. "Is she broke?"
Turning around, Sam put a hand on the car, "Nah, she just needs a little work."
"That's good." He propped his head up on one hand. "Can we go to the park later?"
"I don't know. Go talk to your mom about it."
"Are you mad at Mommy?"
Finishing the last bite of his breakfast, he gave the plate back to his nephew, "Why don't you go take this inside to her?"
"Come with me?" He held his hand out.
"Nah, I gotta work on the car."
He frowned, his hazel eyes sad. "Okay." His voice was sad. He slowly turned and headed back toward the house with his head down.
Sighing, Sam stood up and caught up to Michael, "Come on bud, don't be sad."
He didn't look up. "Are you leaving?" he whispered, tears forming in his eyes.
He frowned, "What do you mean?"
"Are you going to leave us?"
What could he say to that? Biting his lip, he responded, "Why you asking?"
"Because you're mad at Mommy."
"I'm not mad at your mom. And I'm not leaving." He didn't add on the yet.
"Promise?" He sniffled.
Sam put a hand on his shoulder, "Yeah."
He put the plate down on the ground and wrapped his arms around Sam's waist.
He hugged Michael back, "Love ya bud."
"Love you too, Uncle Sam." He hugged him tightly.
"Think you better take that plate inside, then maybe you can help me work on the car. How's that sound?"
"Good." He beamed, pulling away from Sam and grabbing the plate once more, heading toward the house.
Sam watched him race into the house, then walked back toward the car. As he slid back under, he blinked back the sudden tears, "They'll be better off with their dad...they will." He whispered, picking up his wrench and going back to work on the car.
* * *
Chloe stood at the front door, watching Matthew and Michael run out toward Sam where he was working on the Impala. She leaned against the doorframe, her eyes sad as she saw Sam glance toward her and then quickly look away. She shut her eyes, stepped back inside and closed the door quietly. She drew in a breath and slowly headed down the hall to her bedroom, pausing when she caught sight of a silky red nightgown lying on her bed.
It was hers, but she hadn't pulled it out of her dresser and laid it on the bed. She glanced at the dresser, saw that the drawer was partially open, and then felt her stomach tighten as she moved toward the bed, picking it up. A small piece of paper fluttered to the floor. Feeling ill, she leaned down and picked it up, the breath catching in her throat as she read the words.
I love the way you look in this.
Dropping the note onto her bed, she whirled toward the window, horrified to see that it was partially open.
He had been inside her house. In her bedroom. Where her boys had been asleep not an hour before. Nausea washed over her and she made a dash for the bathroom, dry heaving into the toilet.
"Chloe?" Dean's panicked voice came from beside her as he put a hand on her back.
It took her a few moments to recover enough to look at him. "He's been here," she whispered.
"Damn it." He got up and looked towards the bedroom, "I'll go look for him."
She sat at the base of the toilet, tears pooling in her eyes.
Disappearing, Dean looked around the house, then searched the perimeter before coming back to Chloe's side, "I...don't see him." he whispered sadly.
"We have to get the boys out of here," she whispered.
"Have to get all of you out."
She leaned against him, closing her eyes. "What'd you find out from your mom?"
He wrapped his arms around her and sighed, "She said she had weird dreams that would sometimes come true, but they weren't exactly violent or anything, just random stuff."
"So it does run in your family," she murmured.
"Seems that way." He said quietly, "But I can't see why I didn't have it...and why Michael doesn't have it. I mean, what? It only affects the youngest?"
"Dean, there's a chance that...because I'm meteor infected," she began.
He shook his head, "Don't go there. This is not on you."
"It could be that the power was mutated because of me," she whispered. "Which would explain why it's different for Matthew than it was for your mom or Sam."
"It's not mutated." He said firmly, "It could just be how the gene works...I mean, Sam had waking visions, mom had dreams. Could be a combination of both those things."
Chloe swallowed hard, shutting her eyes tightly once more. "Sam hates me," she whispered.
"And that's not true either."
"We had a fight." Her voice was barely audible.
He looked down at her, "What happened."
She winced. "I was horrible to him, Dean." Her face crumpled.
He rubbed her back soothingly, "Tell me what happened."
She began to tell him about the fight she and Sam had the night before, guilt washing over her. "Great way to help him," she whispered.
Sighing, Dean kissed the top of her head, "But it wasn't all you. Sam's partly to blame for this fight..." He paused, thinking, "Look, I'll go talk to him, alright?"
"I don't think it's gonna help." Her voice was sad.
"I bet it will."
Chloe bit her lip and watched as he headed for the door, pulling her knees up to her chest.
A few seconds later, Matthew ran into the room and hugged his mom.
"Matthew? You okay?" She wrapped her arms around him.
He nodded, "But I had to make you un-sad."
She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "You always make me unsad," she whispered.
He smiled and looked up at her, "Really Mommy?"
"How could I be sad with you around?" She smiled at him and kissed his nose.
Giggling, he threw his arms around her once more, "I love you Mommy."
"I love you too."
"Can we go to the park?"
She hesitated. "I don't know, Sweetie. We'll see, okay?"
He nodded and kissed her on the cheek, "Okay Mommy."
* * *
Sam cursed under his breath as a drop of oil dripped down and stained his shirt.
"You know, it's not nice to curse at my baby, dude."
He nearly whacked his head on the car, groaning. "Man, I'm gonna put a bell on you."
"Don't know how it'd stay, I mean, I disappear too much." Dean said, coming down on the ground beside his brother.
Sam sighed heavily. "She sent you out here?" He didn’t look at Dean.
"Hell no, I came out here myself."
Nodding a little, he was silent for a long moment.
"I heard about the fight." He said quietly.
Sam shut his eyes. "Yeah."
"She feels guilty as hell."
"Me too," he admitted in a whisper.
"But what really gets me here, is how you think they don't need you." His tone changed to disbelieving.
"Dean." *
Dean held up a hand, "No. Sam, hear me out." He paused to make sure he had his brother's full attention, "The only father figure Matthew and Michael have known is you. And if you left them, they'd never get over that. Besides, did you ever even stop to think about the switch going completely wrong?"
"It won't go wrong," he whispered.
"Can you tell me that for sure? And, what makes you think I *want* to come back?"
"Because you love Chloe. And you need to be with your family."
"But I am with family." He said, "And yeah, I do love Chloe. But I know she's in damn good hands."
He was silent for a long moment. "Not really."
"Oh don't go all self-pity-emo-Sam on me now. It's true." Dean's voice grew very firm, "Hell, I've watched you with the boys and with Chloe. You can't leave them. You can't."
"And they need *you*, Dean!" He shook his head and looked at his brother.
"They don't *know* me!"
He flinched at the anger in Dean's tone. "But they could."
"They won't want to." He said quietly, "They'll only blame me for taking their Uncle Sam away."
Sam stared at him, feeling those words like a punch to the gut. He looked away, staring blankly into the distance.
"Come on man, look at me."
Tears stinging his eyes, he slowly turned his head to look at Dean once more.
"You know I'm right." He said, voice still quiet.
"Man, I miss you." Sam's voice was strained and he shook his head a little. "I don't know what to do for her. I'm not you, Dean."
"What you've been doing now, it's what I would have done." He paused, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder, "You're actually doing better than me."
"I really doubt that."
"Well, I don't."
He leaned back against the car and rubbed the back of his neck. "Dean, do you have any idea who's after her?"
"There's this guy at her work..." He made a face, "I didn't trust him."
Sam stared at him in surprise. "It's someone she knows?"
"I don't know man, it could be."
He raked a hand through his hair.
"Just...can you go to work with her tomorrow?"
Sam drew in a breath. "If she's okay with that, yeah." He looked at his brother. "Dean, what aren't you saying?"
He bit his lip, "I'm just worried."
"Did something happen?"
He shook his head, "Not yet. But that doesn't mean something *won't* happen."
"Especially with Matthew's dreams," he murmured, glancing worriedly toward the house.
"Exactly."
Sam let out a breath and slowly rose to his feet. "So how do we keep her safe?"
"Need to get her out of the house." Dean said quickly, rising as well.
He frowned and looked at Dean. "Why do you--"
"He's been inside the house."
"What?" Sam stared at him. "When?"
He shook his head, "I don't know. Couldn't have been too long ago."
"You mean since this morning? Did Chloe see him?" He quickly headed toward the house.
"I don't think she did. But man, she's really scared."
Nodding, he moved to the front door, pulling it open quickly.
"Take care of her Sammy." He whispered, fading.
He paused, turning to see his brother had vanished once more. "I will," he whispered.
Part Ten
Chloe kept a close eye on the boys as they watched Aladdin in the living room while she paced the kitchen floor, still feeling sick. She wondered if the guy was watching her right then, if he was smiling at how nervous and upset she was. Her breathing was a little ragged as she paced, her mind spinning as she tried to figure out what to do.
Closing the front door quietly, Sam walked into the living room where he saw Chloe pacing. Clearing his throat, he walked over to her, "Dean...told me what happened."
She didn't stop pacing. "We have to get the boys out of here."
"We have to get you out too."
"He's been in here," she whispered.
He walked up to her and stopped her pacing, "I know. Which is why you need to pack, and I'll pack things for the boys."
She swallowed hard, looking up at him with frightened eyes. "This guy's been watching me for a long time, Sam."
"But you forget, master of hiding." He said, giving her a small smile.
Chloe bit down hard on her lower lip, blinking back tears. "Sam..."
"Can you at least give me a chance?" He whispered, desperate to get her to agree.
Wordlessly she wound her arms around his waist. "Please don't hate me," she whispered.
He put his own arms around her, "I don't. I can't hate you."
"I'm sorry about last night. I..." Her voice broke.
Pulling her closer, he kissed the top of her head, "It's my fault...I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, I was...I was mean. I didn't mean to hurt you, Sam, I just...I'm scared. I don't wanna lose you." She looked up at him, a tear streaking down her cheek.
He wiped her tears away, "I know."
She turned her head and pressed a kiss against the palm of his hand, closing her eyes.
"I..." He paused and swallowed, "I love you."
Chloe slowly opened her eyes and turned to gaze at him again. "I love you too."
He smiled slightly at her words, "I'm glad."
She hesitated a moment before standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him softly on the lips.
Her kiss caught him off guard. He could feel her love behind the kiss, and the walls around his heart began to melt away. Arms slowly coming up her back, he pressed her closer to him and kissed her back.
There was giggling from the entrance of the kitchen and a small smile tugged against Chloe's lips at the sound. "We just got caught," she whispered, resting a hand over his heart.
He smiled and looked toward the door, where Matthew and Michael's heads disappeared quickly, "Yeah, we did."
She touched his cheek. "Let's get outta here," she whispered.
Nodding, he released her, "I'll go pack things for the boys."
She bit her lower lip and followed him down the hall, hesitating at the door of her bedroom.
At her hesitation, Sam turned to her, "Do you want me to come in and wait until you're all packed?"
"Would you mind?" she whispered, afraid to open the door for what she might see on the other side.
"No. I'll even go in first."
Chloe managed a small, faint smile as he opened the door and looked around cautiously. She slowly followed him inside, not looking at the nightgown and the sick note still lying beside it on her bed. She moved to her closet, grabbing some of her clothes out quickly.
Sitting down on the bed, Sam propped himself up on his elbows and watched her.
She yanked her suitcase from the bottom of the closet and hurriedly stuffed her things inside. "You're coming, too, right?" She glanced at him over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm coming. Can't just leave you guys alone." He said, smiling slightly.
She relaxed a little at his words. "Thanks," she whispered.
"Welcome."
She finished quickly, tucking some hair behind her ear. "Sam, do you think...should we call the cops?" she asked uncertainly, shuddering as her gaze fell upon the dress and the note.
"As soon as we know who this sick bastard is, I'm going to drag his ass to the police station." If I don't kill him first. He added silently.
Chloe nodded a little, heading for the door.
Getting up, he followed her out of the door, and went into the boys room, and smirked when he saw the two of them still giggling. "Alright you two...you gotta help me pack."
"Pack? Are we going on a trip?" Matthew asked with wide eyes.
"Something like that."
"Yay! Are we going to Disneyland?" he asked excitedly.
He chuckled and ruffled Matthew's hair, "No, not quite."
"Aw, man...can Jasmine come with us?" He picked the puppy up off the floor and cuddled her against his chest.
"Of course she can. She's gotta. She'd miss you two too much." Sam said, going over to their drawers.
Chloe set her bag outside the boys' door and stepped into the room to help Sam, their hands brushing against each other as they both reached for the same shirt of Michael's. A small smile touched her lips and she glanced up at him.
He quickly looked away as he caught her eye. Blushing, he went to a different drawer and pulled out pants for the boys.
She bit her lower lip, her own cheeks coloring a little as she tucked some clothes into a bag for Michael. "Why don't you guys bring your top five travel toys with you each, okay?" She turned to look at the boys.
Both boys nodded and ran off to get their toys.
Sam laughed as he watched them, "Gosh, look at them go."
Chloe smiled, as well. "Even Clark would be impressed with that exit," she said lightly.
"Seriously." He paused, "Speaking of Clark...you talked to him lately?"
"No," she admitted, feeling guilty about that. "Not for awhile."
"How long is a while?" He asked quietly.
She looked down at the floor. "A couple of months."
"Oh."
"You think I should call him?" she asked uncertainly.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea." He shrugged.
Chloe drew in a breath and nodded slightly. "I will whenever we get...wherever we're going."
"We could go to one of the nicer hotels in Palo Alto..."
There was a scoff from behind, "You only wanna go there so you can look back on your geek boy school."
She shot Dean a look and shook her head before looking back at Sam. "That's fine with me."
Sticking his tongue out at his brother, he smiled at Chloe, "Great."
She smiled back at him in amusement, finishing packing up Michael's bag and zipping it shut.
"So, if I were to randomly appear in the hotel...I wouldn't be...you know, interrupting anything ever?" Dean asked, smirking.
Chloe's cheeks flushed with heat. "Dean!"
His eyebrows shot up innocently, "What? What'd I say?"
She tossed one of Matthew's stuffed animals at him.
He laughed as the toy made contact, "So this means I shouldn't go into your room."
"You are incorrigible," she said, shaking her head and looking at Sam.
Sam nodded and laughed, "Yeah, Dean, she's so right."
"Oh whatever, you just don't wanna admit it.."
She stuck her tongue out at Dean as she stood up, dropping the bag on Matthew's bed.
"Geeze, you two are *no* fun." He pouted.
She grinned involuntarily. "We're lots of fun."
"Right. You guys just keep thinking that..."
"You know we are."
Getting up, he walked towards the door and smirked, "Maybe...maybe not."
"Go help the boys pack their toys," she said, returning his smirk.
"Ima goin..." And he left the room.
She shook her head slightly and looked toward Sam, her eyes filled with warmth.
Sam shook his head as well, "Wow...now *that* was awkward."
"Coulda been worse."
He snorted, "Now how could that have been worse?"
A mischevious look appeared on her face. "He could've actually walked in on us while we were..."
A blush formed on his cheeks, "Yeah. True."
She grinned, her eyes twinkling. "You're cute when you're embarrassed."
Running a hand through his hair he grinned shyly.
Her smile widened at the sight of his dimples and she ducked her head, her own cheeks flushing a little.
"So...ah...I guess we should go make sure Dean's actually helping the boys pack the right things," he said awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, that's..." She nodded a little, tucking some hair behind her ear.
"Do you wanna...?" He motioned out the door.
Chloe glanced up at him and smiled a bit, then led the way out of the room.
As Chloe pushed the door leading to the boys' room open, it was almost utter chaos as the two young ones ran around the room with Dean leaning against the wall.
She shook her head a little, glancing back at Sam with raised eyebrows.
"Oh boy..." he muttered, running a hand down his face. "Dean!"
He glanced at his brother and smiled. "That's me.'
"So much for helping them pack," she said with a smirk, glancing at him with amusement.
"They *were* packing...and then...that got boring," he said, shrugging.
Chloe chuckled softly, then knelt down on the floor. "Come on guys. We need to get ready to go!" A shudder worked its way down her spine though she tried to repress it.
Matthew was the first to stop and put down his toys, a small frown on his face. "Do we has to?"
"Yeah, Sweetie. Remember, we're going on a little trip?" She tried her best to sound excited rather than freaked out.
"Oh yeah...does daddy get to come?" He asked, walking over to where Dean still leaned against the wall.
She nodded a little. "Yeah."
He grinned and looked up at Dean. "You is coming with us!"
Dean smiled down at him. "Yeah, I am."
"So we should get going. Where's Jasmine?" she asked, glancing around.
Michael appeared next to his mom a moment later clutching the struggling puppy. "Right here."
She smiled a bit, reaching out and taking Jasmine from him. "Thanks, Michael," she whispered, kissing his forehead and then rising to her feet.
"You're welcome, Mommy."
Drawing in a breath, she glanced around. "You guys got everything you need?"
Both boys nodded. "Yeah, I made sure they got the essentials," Dean spoke up.
"Thanks," she said softly, looking over at him.
He pulled away from the wall and winked. "No problem. I'll be watching you guys all the way to Palo Alto, okay?"
Nodding a little, she turned to look at Sam.
Bending down, he picked up the duffle bags that contained the boys' clothes and toys. "Thanks man," he nodded to Dean then turned his gaze to Chloe. "Okay, lets head."
Chloe reached out and took Matthew's hand, making sure Michael was following closely as she followed Sam down the hall and out the front door, her body tense with anxiety.
"Everything's gonna be okay," Dean's voice whispered in her ear.
Swallowing hard, she nodded very slightly to let him know she'd heard him.
"Love you."
"I love you," she whispered almost inaudibly.
When they got out to the Impala, Matthew and Michael hopped into the back and proceeded to argue about whose lap Jasmine was going to sit on.
Chloe shivered against the cool autumn wind that swept across her like a block of ice. She looked up at Sam as he held the passenger door open for her.
"I'm gonna make sure nothing happens to us," he said quietly, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a gentle squeeze.
She hesitantly reached up and touched his face. "I know," she whispered.
After she got in, he shut the door and walked over to the other side, sliding into the driver's seat. Looking back at the boys, he put on a smile. "Who's ready to have fun?"
"I am!" Michael said excitedly.
"Not more than me!" Matthew shouted, bouncing a little.
Chloe glanced at Sam sideways. "Were the two of you as competitive as they are?"
He chuckled. "Yeah...we were."
Somehow, she wasn't too surprised. She reached over and rested her hand on his arm.
He looked down at it briefly and the smile stayed on his face as they drove out of the city limits and toward Palo Alto.