A/N: I'm writing this in response to the last episode in which AM got like three minutes of camera time. Why Smallville, why? Well, this is my version of why she wasn't around so much.

Philadelphia

"It's been too long." He said this as he approached her lean form that was resting against her ridiculous car. She appraised him with a critical eye. His perpetually unruly hair was longer since they had last seen each other, his eyes had the same twinkle without as much spark but the badass leather jacket was still the same.

As for her, he could see that life had been a bit rough on her, hell it had been rough on all of them. But there was no denying it, she still made his heart beat a little faster, not that he liked to acknowledge that he even had one, let alone that it reacted erratically when she was around.

"It's good to see you too." She replied giving him a sardonic grin. She hopped off her car and crossed her arms as she faced him. That was new, she usually greeted him with a hug, she was the hugging type and he could admit only to the most secret part of him that he enjoyed those hugs.

"Where's Sam?" She asked as she looked around the practically empty parking lot. She said Sam, not Sammie like she used to.

"He's coming." He rapped his knuckles lightly on the hood of her bright red vehicle that she called a car.

"So when are you going to let me help you upgrade this baby to a real car." She rolled her eyes at him.

"No making fun of my baby, it hasn't failed me yet."

A tall figure's legs were quickly eating up pavement approaching them.

"Hey." Sam called out softly to Chloe. They had always had a soft spot for each other, kindred research spirits or whatever.

He went in for their usual hug but she had already turned around to grab a bag from her car. So no hug for Sammie either Dean mused to himself.

"So, where are you guys camped out at?"

"Not far." Sam replied, running his hand through his hair, which he did whenever he felt unsure of something.

"Lead the way." She asked giving them a smile.

Sam and Dean started walking and she fell in step behind them. Dean kept an eye on her from his peripheral and Sam kept darting glances at her. She kept her head down when she wasn't texting on her phone. Sometimes Dean wondered if her friends at home could ever survive a few hours without her help. Then again, he had called her for help as well.

She didn't look up, she didn't make eye contact and she didn't even attempt conversation. Yeah, life had definitely been rough.

Sam opened the door to their motel room and Chloe slipped quietly in, going directly to the only table that had Sam's laptop set up.

Out of her bag, she pulled out her own laptop and started connecting gadgets that Dean didn't recognize to Sam's.

"New tech?" Sam asked sitting down next to her.

"It'll give you a boost." She acknowledged with a swing of her hair.

"So who's going to give me a full briefing?" Chloe asked after a few moments of silence as she was madly typed on her keyboard.

"Wasn't sure you needed one princess, you seem to be going full steam a head with something." Dean knew she hated it when he called her princess, but he was trying to get a bit of a reaction out of her.

"I'm pulling up everything that I think will be relevant with the little information you have given me so far. But it would be really helpful if you told me more so I could narrow my search."

"Well, we don't have much." Sam admitted.

"There's been a series of disappearances which isn't too unusual, but always near where the missing people were last seen, there's a mysterious pile of ashes."

"Let me guess, all girls?" Chloe asked.

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." Chloe said with a sigh. Her mad finger dash on the keyboard stopped suddenly.

"Are the girls all high school age?"

"Yeah." Dean said clenching his jaw, why did evil always like them young?

"Well my convergence program points to one school, St. Augustine's, Catholic high school of course."

"Your conver-what?"

"It's just a statistical program to help us find a possible starting point."

"Wait, we haven't even told you where the disappearances occurred? How could you know where they converge?"

"What do you think I was looking up while you were talking, super cool cars for super cool people?" She retorted, giving Dean a little dig for insulting her car.

"This is a private school, so a little forged appointment letter for a tour of the school and sit in on a few classes and we are in business to snoop around tomorrow."

A few minutes later, the printer hummed to life spitting out three copies allowing them access into the school.

"Wow, this looks pretty legit." Sam praised.

"Well they did make it really easy. Putting a picture of their letterhead on the website is not the brightest idea, but I'm not going to complain."

"Any analysis on the ashes?"

"Police tried, but it was a thorough burning. They are not even sure what could burn so hot that it doesn't even leave trace evidence of what it was before."

Chloe pursed her lips, she had an idea of what could burn that hot, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Her phone buzzed again and she read another message.

"I gotta get back."

"What!? You just got here, you're going all the way back to Metropolis?"

"I'll meet up with you guys tomorrow. It's important."

Sam looked at her with concern, Dean was just pissed off. They were used to her having to run back and forth a lot, someone back home had a vice like grip on her and she came running whenever he called. But it was already late, she'd be on the road going there and coming back and definitely wouldn't think to squeeze in sleep.

"Don't worry about it, Sam and I will handle the school thing." Chloe gave him a cool look.

"I'll be at the school with or without you. And you know your social skills aren't really what they should be, let alone trying to talk to a bunch of high schoolers." Chloe responded firmly with a slight roll of her eyes.

"Anything we can help you with?" Sam asked, ever the Boy Scout.

Another message buzzed in and she scanned it quickly. This one got her to her feet and on the move. Grabbing her laptop, she headed to the door.

"No thanks Sam. It doesn't seem supernaturally related. I'll leave my overnight bag here, I have a feeling this case might take a few days." She went to open the door only to have herself be stopped by Sam as he pulled her into a tight hug.

She stayed stiff for a few seconds before relaxing and returning his embrace. Finally he let her go.

"It was good to see you. Be safe." He said softly against her ear. She smiled genuinely for the first time and gave him a swift peck on the cheek for good measure and was out the door.

"You're such a wuss." Dean immediately antagonized him.

"Hey, I'm the one who got a hug and a kiss, what'd you get loser." Sammie teased back as he sat down on his computer to test out the new toys Chloe had left for him.

Metropolis

"Chloe, I think your work has taken over your life."

Of course he would say that after he got the info he wanted, Chloe fumed silently to herself.

"I'm fine Clark."

"You're not fine. Why do you always say that when you're obviously not?"

"Because I am!"

"Chloe?!" Clark insisted.

"What's the point? Tell me what is the point getting a life when I've only got a few months to live it?"

Clark got real quiet; surprised that this is what she had been grappling with.

"You know, there used to be a time when you had such utter faith in me, that when I said I would stop something, you believed me no question." Clark accused her.

"There used to be a time in which I loved you too Clark but things change." She immediately regretted it the moment it was out of her mouth. There it comes, the hurt puppy dog eyes, he was damn good at that.

"You don't love me anymore?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just…there's a lot going on right now Clark. Just let it go. I'll get a life when I can. Okay?" She pleaded with him to drop this subject. Frankly talking about her future gave her a feeling of utter panic.

"Okay." He agreed, having little choice.

He turned to leave and hesitated at the door.

"No matter what we've been through, I've never stopped loving you." He said this so softly she thought maybe she imagined it, but he pinned her with the full force of his gaze, making sure she heard him.

She gave a slight nod of her head in acknowledgement and Clark went swiftly out the door.

Philadelphia

Man, high school still sucks, Dean thought to himself as he headed back toward his Impala waiting faithfully in the school parking lot. Sam was already there waiting for him.

"Did you get lucky?"

"I really hope you talking about lucky with information and not lucky with underage high schoolers." Sam scolded him.

"Of course that's what I meant." Dean responded indignantly.

"Nothing stood out to me."

"Me either, I hope Chlo got something."

"Possibly." Chloe responded as she approached from behind them.

"Some kid named Sabile really freaked me out and asked me to meet him at Rittenhouse park."

"Like he was the only kid brave enough to ask you out." Dean smirked at her.

"No he wasn't, however, no one else asked me to go out with them to a secluded park at the dead of night and no one's else's name in an anagram for Belias as in Satan." Chloe informed them smugly as she climbed into the backseat.

Back at the motel

"I'm going to try to catch a nap before our rendezvous."

"Chlo, use the bed." Dean ordered through clenched teeth when he saw her grab a pillow and head to the floor.

"What if you guys want to sleep?"

"It's not like we never shared a bed before. And some of us got sleep last night and don't need a nap, can you say the same?"

Chloe gave him a sheepish grin and gave up the fight. She was so damn tired and her arm was burning like it was on fire. It was just a damn scratch of an arrow.

Dean and Sam tried to inconspicuously watch her sleep. She was not having an easy time of it. She was tossing and turning and cried out softly every time she rolled onto her left arm. He had thought he had seen her favoring it throughout the day.

Sam moved over closer to her and tried to comfort her by brushing her hair off her forehead.

"Jesus, Dean she's burning up." Sam whipped the covers off her to try to cool her down and saw the bed was soaked from blood seeping from her arm.

Dean grabbed her in his arms and took her to the bathtub.

"We gotta cool her down."

"Why isn't she healing herself?" Sam asked in a desperate tone.

"I don't know." Dean turned on the water and plugged the tub. She immediately convulsed in protest, making weak attempts to get away from the water.

"C-co-cold." She shivered out.

"I know babe, I'm sorry, but you gotta stay." Dean held her down as she ineffectually struggled against him.

"That's no way to treat a lady." A stranger admonished them from the door of the bathroom. Sam and Dean immediately whipped out their pistols they kept tucked in their waistbands and aimed at the intruder.

"Well, here I thought you were on our side."

"Who's side would that be?" Dean interrogated as the lanky figure clad in light grey suit leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. He lifted his head and pointed his index finger skyward but Sam was already spouting his Latin verses.

"Good, good, your pronunciation is getting better. But I suppose it's hard to get it exact when you're using a dead language." The man commended, unfazed with Sam's attempts to ward him off.

"Who the hell are you." Dean demanded.

"I told you, I'm not on that side. Name's Raphael, The boss man sent me to help with the missus."

"I'm not letting you near her!" Sam threatened.

"She's poisoned, you want her to die? Besides, there's no need, I've already done what I came to do." They both looked at Chloe to find she had stopped shaking and was coming out of her semi delirious state.

"What did you do to her?"

"Me, I didn't do anything. Just gave her back something that was wrongly taken away. Listen up pups, you guys have been doing a bang up job so far, but things are about to get a lot hairier. And this little blond angel has a damn important role to play. I know you don't know much about the things she's involved in, but you guys need to make it your business to find out."

"Why can't you guys ever say clearly what needs to be done?" Dean asked. The man smirked at him.

"Guess it's the boss man's way of knowing your worthy. Figure it out, keep her safe, but let her do what she has to. That's all I'm allowed to say." And with a wink of his eye and a snap of his fingers, Raphael disappeared.

"Why am I sitting in cold water and why are you guys in here?" Chloe asked sharply. Guess she was better Dean thought, not looking forward to explaining the situation.

Later after Chloe had taken a warm shower and changed into dry clothes, the boys sat down with her and told her everything that happened.

"I don't remember anything after falling asleep." Chloe said, puzzled at the strange events the guys had just filled her in on.

"Now it's your turn to spill, how the hell did you get sliced like that with poison and not even tell us about it."

"Well, it's not like I knew the arrow was poisonous!" She defended.

"The arrow!" Sam and Dean both repeated at the same time.

"Look you know that I deal with people like you guys. People that go around trying to do good things. They have a different mission than you but the same goals ultimately. And I got snagged up; it's not the first time or the last time. Nor is it a big deal."

"Chlo, you gotta give us something more than that."

"I can't and you know it. It'd be like telling them about you. Would you guys want me to spill all of your secrets to them just because of a little scrape."

"Chloe, you had an angel interfering on behalf of the big man upstairs. I'd hardly say it's not a big deal." Sam insisted.

"It's almost time to go, I have a date remember?"

"You sure you up to it?" Dean asked, knowing they weren't going to get any further with her right now.

"Yes, I feel fine. If I didn't know you guys I'd say you dreamed up the whole scenario, that's how fine I feel." Dean gave her a long appraising look.

"Alright, let's head out." Sam pulled two shotguns from under the bed and Dean grabbed extra rounds as they headed out the door.