Title: Needing an Angel
Fandom: Smallville/Supernatural
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairing: Chloe/Dean
Rating: R
Spoilers: Possible Season 4/5 Supernatural, possible Season 9 Smallville
Summary: Final instalment of 'Numb' series. Sequel to Interludes
Warnings: Some non-con, sexual references, violence
Author Note: All comments and reviews are appreciated. They are my addiction, so please feed it!
The JLA meeting about to be held within the Watchtower was a welcome distraction for Chloe. She had been busying herself for the past four hours at work, trying to keep her mind occupied.
Dean and Sam were still working their case, and for a change she was finding it hard to occupy her time while they weren't around.
It was a rare occurrence, but almost every member was physically there. Only Dinah was in a different location, so she was participating via satellite on a monitor displayed for everyone to see.
As Chloe moved around the room, she avoided eye contact with the woman. She had counted Dinah as a friend once, but now she could barely look at her. Betrayal of trust always left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"As most of you will have heard by now, I have been working closely with the Winchesters for a crash course in the Supernatural." She began as she handed out files and USB stick drives to the team members present.
AC picked up the papers and flicked through, barely focusing on the contents. "What's the rush?"
Chloe took her place at her desk, sitting on top of the polished wood. "Lois was recently possessed. The intention was on hurting her and discovering your identities."
Bart let out a whistle. "That sucks."
"It was the reason that all of you were given protection charms. I'm looking for a more permanent solution in the form of tattoos, and I'll let you know when I have the details of a discreet artist."
"Protective charm? Do you mind telling me why I haven't received one?" The angry voice exploded from the nearby monitor.
Dinah's anger was clear to see; she had never been good at schooling her features. To be honest, Chloe didn't think she had ever even tried.
"Yeah, I really can't see why…" Bart muttered as he idly flipped through his dossier.
"You have something to say to me Impulse?"
"You know, you're right Canary; we should send a necklace over. A dog really should have a collar." Bart said while smirking.
Chloe was impressed that the normally mild mannered hero had come up with such a biting comeback so quickly, but she could see the tension rising with their voices.
Dinah was shouting through the screen at Bart and AC, while Oliver and Victor were shouting at each other. Only Clark sat there watching the arguments around him.
"Hey, hey, hey! Guys! Quit it!" Chloe shouted over the din.
No one paid attention to the blonde, carrying on with their own private disputes. She looked over at Clark who shrugged his shoulders.
"A little help here?"
Clark got to his feet and bellowed as loudly as he could. "QUIET!"
Five pairs of eyes turned towards him, silence finally descending upon the room.
"Thank you, Clark." Chloe said with a smile. She jumped down from the desk and undid the clasp of her necklace. She walked over to Bart and placed it in his palm.
He looked up at her questioningly.
Chloe closed his fingers around the charm. "Take this to Dinah, with my apologies for her being overlooked."
A small part of her had wanted to single Dinah out, but that streak of bitterness was stupid and ignorant. Her pettiness had left Dinah vulnerable, and a perfect target for Meg. At least she still had the opportunity to right it.
Victor shook his head. "I'm not sure about this, Chloe. You might not have powers, but you have access to all of the knowledge within Watchtower's database. It's just as important that you're protected."
His view that she was just as important a team member made her smile affectionately at him. The truth was, she thought very differently. Perhaps if he had seen the damage a demon did in just Lois' body he wouldn't be second guessing her decision.
"It's fine; really. I promise to get a protective tattoo tomorrow. Dean has already given me the design, and if it works then I will strongly advise all of you to consider them too."
"Are you sure about this?" Bart whispered to her.
She smiled softly at him and nodded. "It's ok, I promise."
"I'm sure that she will be fine." Clark piped up.
"I just want everyone to study the drive I've given you. It's a condensed version of the Winchester's hunting journal. I have put it into an encyclopaedia format for easy reference. Study it and know it, because this kind of evil is never going to go away. You are all prime targets if hell is looking towards metas for meat suits."
"I swear this job keeps on getting weirder." AC muttered.
"Ok. I trust you 'licious." Bart gave her a wink before speeding from the room, Dinah's face was one of triumph and she swiftly disconnected.
Slowly the other members dispersed, leaving Chloe and Oliver alone.
"I'm with Victor on this; I'm not happy with you walking around without protection." He began to remove his necklace, intending on handing it over.
Chloe raised her hand to take his from his neck. "There is no need to take it off, Ollie. My home and Watchtower are like a fortress. There are enough protective symbols painted on the walls and floors to make any demon dizzy."
"What's going to protect you when you head for coffee, or take the bus home?"
"I have Dean and Sam too, and the team will be looking out for me. It's only for a day, and that will be more than enough until I get my tattoo."
"The Winchesters. Right. " He took a breath and straightened his back. "Okay, I trust you on this."
"Thank you." She smiled at him. It was a nice change to mention Dean's name without some kind of snide remark.
"So…I was wondering…would you mind meeting up with me tomorrow? I have drawings and prototypes of some new arrows that I would like your opinion on."
"New arrows?"
"I've been working on something new just in case I come across Casper and his friends."
It was nice that he was being proactive and taking her seriously. It gave her a hopeful feeling that they might be able to salvage their friendship after all.
"Sure. Tomorrow at five, here?"
He finally smiled at her, "Sounds good to me. I'll see you then."
As Oliver turned and left, Chloe realised that it was the first time in a long while that they had been able to have a pleasant conversation, without bad feelings. It was nice.
The subway was no busier than any other late weekday morning, but Dean could feel the boredom kicking in. He was cold, hungry, and tired of waiting for this damn ghost to show up and pick its next victim.
Anyone that knew him would be asking if he was deliberately stringing out his case to stay closer to Chloe. The fact was, it was kicking their asses. Neither he nor Sam had yet to identify who was picking off commuters one by one; driving them crazy until they leapt in front of the rush hour train.
A large city with an extensive railway network; there had been a crazy number of suicide statistics to go through, with little way to confirm any suspects without sitting it out at a station that smelt of old tobacco and urine.
At least they had another pair of eyes and a supercomputer on their side this time to help with the research.
Picking out his phone from his jacket he dialled her number from memory, and waited for her to pick up.
"Hello, Dean."
He could hear the smile in her words as she answered him.
"Hey…just thought I'd call. See what's up."
"Well, I'm going to get my tattoo tomorrow, maybe this afternoon if I can find an artist in time. Does that qualify as news?"
He had been pestering her since her cousin's possession to get inked, but she had always held off.
"Any reason for the sudden change of heart?"
"There's no change of heart. I've always told you that I would have it done, and I've decided that today is as good as any."
"Want me to come with you?"
"No, I'll be fine; your hunt is more important. I can face down a needle or two on my own."
"Okay. Well, I'll see you tonight, right?"
"Sure. Oh! That reminds me, I have a name for you. Eugene Wells. This guy was homeless, and lived mainly in the subway. He was pushed to his death exactly one year before the first suicide."
"Great. I'll get Sam onto it."
Normally, catching a break with a hunt brought a surge of adrenaline and satisfaction. Right that moment, it was noticeably absent.
"I'll run it through the computers again, see if I can save you guys some time."
Saving time meant leaving Metropolis a whole lot sooner than he wanted to. He couldn't stay there forever, he knew his life was on the road, but it was nice having a slice of a normal life. Even if it was just for a moment.
"Great." Even to his own ears he sounded less than enthusiastic.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw movement. It looked like the spook had decided to show after all.
"I gotta go!" Dean disconnected the call, and ran towards the apparition.
Chloe smiled down at the phone in her hands. It seemed as though Dean's slow day had finally picked up. Unfortunately for her, her busy day began hours ago, and already she was starting to feel the need for a 'pick me up'.
She looked at her watch – it had been a good three hours since her last cup of coffee.
It took all of two seconds for her to make her decision, and ten minutes before she was strolling through the doors of a new local coffee shop.
Three precious minutes were spent deciding between the novelty flavours of syrups before she made her choice. If it was good, there would always be time to sample the others.
As she left the shop, she sipped on the hot beverage. Roasted hazelnut mocha was a safe choice, but it was a very, very good one. If she still felt this good by the bottom of the cup, she would definitely be returning in the afternoon.
"Excuse me, Miss! Miss!"
As she was about to cross the street, the yelling caught her attention, and she turned to see one of the baristas running towards her. There were very few people around, so she could only assume he was talking to her.
She slowed down until he caught up with her, but discreetly kept hold of her pepper spray in her coat pocket.
"You left without taking your change."
She frowned at the young man. She had handed over the exact five dollars and twenty cents the coffee cost; there wasn't anything to give back.
"I'm sorry; I think you've mistaken me for another customer."
"No, you are exactly the person I was looking for."
His eyes turned black, and before Chloe could let out so much as a whisper, he pulled her into the alley and covered her mouth with his hand.
She bit him, hoping to loosen his grip, but he only smiled. "Harder baby, I like it rough."
Chloe tried to fight the demon that attacked her, but she was losing badly. He soon had her pinned to the front of his body with arm across her throat. Her air supply was slowly leaving her, and she could feel herself becoming light headed.
As she tried hopelessly to loosen his grip on her with one hand, she tried to fumble in her pocket for her cell phone. She needed help, and she needed it now.
"Keep struggling, babycakes. There's no one around to save you this time."
Chloe looked into the black eyes of her attacker before she saw the black smoke heading in her direction.
Sam sat back with a satisfied grin on his face. "Chloe was right. I've got a hit on a homeless guy who jumped onto that track two years ago during rush hour. Guy had lost everything – his job, his house, the wife and kids. Eugene Wells."
Dean pulled his brother's laptop across the table and turned the screen to see for himself. "Chloe said the guy was pushed."
"There are conflicting stories – there were no solid witnesses."
"In rush hour?"
"Do you pay much attention to the homeless?"
Shrugging off an uncomfortable feeling, Dean took a bite of his burger. "So say he was pushed; why the random victims? Bitter that they make it onto the train?"
"I talked to Chloe last night about this, trying to figure out a motive. All the victims seem pretty random, right?"
Dean tried to mentally shrug off the thought that Chloe and Sam had been up late last night talking, while he was asleep.
Dean Winchester did not do jealousy.
"Young, old, male, female, all had different jobs. No pattern."
"Except one. Chloe had a hunch and was going to run a check for me today."
"What hunch?"
Sam leaned forward and began talking enthusiastically. "What if this guy was jealous? I'm betting that if we look further into the lives of the victims we would find loving families, nice houses, successful jobs…"
Dean could feel the puzzle pieces falling into place as he wiped the ketchup from his chin. "Everything that he lost."
"Think Chloe would speed up that check for us? Her computers could do in seconds what would take us a whole day." Sam hinted.
"On it dude," Dean pulled his phone from his pocket and hit her speed dial number with a smile "That woman can never say no to me."
The smug smile began to fade as the phone continued to ring, before finally switching to voicemail.
"She's probably dealing with a super-nerd emergency." He sniffed before putting his phone away. "I'll try again later."
It took a lot of restraint to swipe that amused smirk from his brother's face.
Access to Chloe Sullivan's little club house had been harder than expected. It took more than the knowledge and codes contained in her pretty blonde head. There was more than one way to get her hands on a super powered body or two. The fact that she could cause a little bit of emotional turmoil and chaos along the lines just made things a little bit sweeter.
The Winchesters would be her bitch-puppets on a string.
Oliver had been running on the treadmill for twenty minutes now, and was about to increase the incline and speed of the machine when he heard the sound of the elevator.
Precious few people had the codes to get it moving to his penthouse apartment, and he could only assume that the lack of forewarning meant the visitor's business was urgent.
Allowing the machine to come to a gradual stop, he picked up a nearby towel and wiped the sweat from his brow and chest before making his way to the main room.
It was surprise enough to have an unannounced visit from any member of the JLA, but for it to have been Chloe, he was stunned into silence. She hadn't stepped foot into his apartment since the day they broke up.
"Chloe?" He glanced at the clock behind him and saw the time. "I'm sorry, I thought we were meeting at five tomorrow."
She met his gaze with a smile and cocked her head to the side, taking in the sight of his hard, sweaty body.
Making her way towards him, she made a show of checking him out. No matter how popular the man, an ego could never be fed enough.
"Oh. I didn't think you would mind if I dropped by early. I've nothing better to do."
"I thought you would be busy helping Winchester."
It was a rare thing, but Oliver felt nervous. She approached him with a sway of her hips as she casually discarded her jacket on a chair.
"Dean-o is fine. It's you who I'm more concerned about." She ran her hand along his bare arm, feeling the contours of the muscle there.
"Me?"
"How about you show me what you've got?" She whispered as her hand continued its path to his shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Your plans? For the arrows?"
"Oh! Right." Snapping himself back to reality after being distracted by her touch, he turned and headed for his desk.
With his back turned, she pulled out her phone and quickly typed out a message, before following Oliver.
He didn't see her eyes flash black.
Small hands pushed Oliver firmly against the large clock face that took up a wall of his apartment. Chloe's lips took his in a hard kiss as her hands found their way under his shirt.
"Chloe...are you sure you want this?"
"Oh, I really do." She said smiling before kissing him once again.
Oliver's hands slid from her hips to her ass, giving it a slight squeeze before grabbing the back of her thighs and lifting her up. Her legs automatically locked around his waist, and he turned them to press her into the wall.
"I do love you, Chloe. You know that, right?"
Ignoring his words she kissed him as her hands went for the waistband of his workout trousers, pushing them past his hips.
Fingers slipped under her skirt, pulling her panties to the side.
"No foreplay, just hurry." She whispered into his ear as she took his hard cock in her hands ,and guided it to her entrance.
Oliver pitched his hips forward and entered her with one swift thrust.
"Harder, Ollie!"
He picked up speed, slamming into her repeatedly, taking the smile on her face as one of pleasure. He was blissfully unaware of the screams of protest raging war inside the little blonde's head.
When his phone had beeped, Dean had snatched it up immediately. He'd been waiting for Chloe to get back to him for the past two hours, and according to his brother his mood had progressively worsened.
After reading the short message, he'd jumped to his feet, grabbed his jacket and shouted at Sam to follow.
Dean had used the security number Chloe had sent to gain access to the private elevator. He resisted the urge to pace, instead he let the feel of the gun in his hand comfort him.
"Come on." He said, punching the penthouse button again.
It didn't make the trip any faster, but it only took five seconds longer for the them to reach its destination.
The sound of a couple in the throes of passion didn't reach his ears as he fought to open the gate in front of the elevator.
The sight they were about to see became apparent to Sam before his brother. Dean sprinted into the room, gun ready, but Sam was too slow to grab his brother's jacket in time.
Oliver thrust into Chloe for the final time, blissfully unaware of the company they had as he came. Chloe, however, had her head turned towards the elevator, and was making eye contact with Dean as she smiled.
She kissed Oliver's cheek before patting his shoulder,and pointing towards their guests.
Dean stood there momentarily dazed.
He had been sure that things were over with these two, and yet here they were. Dean knew that what he and Chloe had wasn't serious, but seeing them joined intimately still hurt. At least Queen had the decency to slip out from her quickly and pull up his pants.
"How the hell did you get in here!?" Oliver shouted.
Ignoring the supposedly outraged blonde, Dean continued to look Chloe in the eyes. "So this is the trouble you need saving from, huh?"
She smoothed down her skirt and slowly fixed her shirt. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Things are just about perfect here."
"I think you need to leave." Said Oliver, stepping in front of Chloe blocking her from Dean's view.
Sam put his hand on Dean's shoulder, trying to steer him away. "Come on, let's go."
"We'll be finished in Metropolis tonight. We're gone by morning." Dean knew he didn't owe her an explanation, but he needed her to know that this was final. He'd be walking away and never coming back.
He should have known better than to try for something even halfway normal. Apparently even having a fuck-buddy was out of the question these days.
"Whatever you say, Dean-o." She said giving him a little wave.
Sam guided him back towards the elevator with Oliver following behind.
'Dean-o'. It was as if something was itching inside his brain. There was something about the way she had said that...
"Chloe, can you reset the codes for me?" Oliver called behind him, pointing to his desk. "The laptop's over there."
Chloe pulled away from the clock face and headed towards his desk, smiling at the Winchester brothers as they reached the elevator. And then she stopped in her tracks.
Sam was about to pull the elevator gate closed until he saw Chloe. She was no longer walking, and that's when his eyes looked to the ceiling above her. There in a paint slightly lighter then the colour of the ceiling was a devil's trap. Hard to detect, but it was there.
Chloe had told him she'd put them in places to protect things and people that were important.
"You've gotta be kidding me." She sighed.
"Dean!" Sam slammed his hand at the sliding elevator door, preventing it from closing.
"What?" he snapped in reply.
Looking at Chloe, Sam shouted out to her. "Christo!"
They saw the flinch; she was unable to hide her distaste.
"Shit!" Dean said, as he ran out of the elevator and forced his way past Oliver. He knew that nickname had been familiar, and it didn't take an idiot to guess who was riding Chloe.
Oliver called out behind them, but their attention was squarely on the demon in front of them.
"Get out of her now, Meg!" Dean barked.
The pout she gave in return looked nothing like the Chloe he knew."You guys really do know how to ruin a girl's fun."
"You have about ten seconds before I throw you out of here myself."
Dean ignored the man behind him, resisting the urge to turn around and shoot the guy.
"She's possessed." Sam tried to calmly explain, although he still kept his gun in his hand.
"She's..." The truth seemed to sink in as Oliver looked at Chloe, and then towards the trap above the secret door to his Green Arrow equipment.
Dean looked back briefly to see Oliver kick a chair across the room.
"She gave her charm to a member of our team this morning. She told me she was going to get a protective tattoo."
"You let her walk around unprotected?" Dean asked in a low voice.
He could feel a cold anger fill him, heavy like a rock in his gut. It was the calm place he went to when he had to kill, despite his conscience yelling otherwise. It was a quiet rage that balanced on a knife's edge.
"Who did she give it to?"
"Dinah."
"Your girlfriend?"
"She's not my-"
Dean's fist connected with Oliver's jaw, but it took very little time for the blonde to recover and he responded by throwing his own.
Chloe laughed at the fight taking place in front of her, throwing words of encouragement Oliver's way.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus," Sam began to recite from memory, stopping the laughter dead.
"OLIVER!" She screamed, falling to her knees. "They're hurting me! Stop them!"
Dean was pinned by his shoulders to the ground, Chloe's scream enough to distract the men and have them take notice.
"Don't listen to her. That's not Chloe." Dean grit out, pushing Oliver off of him.
"Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii," Sam continued.
"They're going to kill me, Ollie! Don't let them do this to us. We belong together!" She crumpled to the floor, tears freely flowing, "Please, hero."
"That's all Meg in there. She uses your past, your secrets, and she twists them. She will tell you nothing but lies!" Dean shout at Oliver, seeing the conflict in the other man's face.
"Omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica." Sam said, concentrating on the woman in front of him.
"I can't take this." Oliver snapped, and strode away into one of the rooms off of the main living area.
"Dick." Dean said with disgust as he watched him walk off. "Some 'hero'."
"Ergo, draco maledicte..."
"Hold on, Blondie." Dean whispered.
"Ecclesiam tuam securi tibi facias liber-"
The arrow that landed in front of them released a gas which knocked the two brothers unconscious within a couple of seconds. Oliver stood behind them with his crossbow in hand.
Chloe looked up with a small smile on her face. "Oliver?"
He cautiously approached her, not dropping the weapon. "Are you alright?"
"I...I think she's gone." She made a small show of touching her face and running a hand through her hair.
Her gaze drifted upwards, seeing that the gas emitted from the arrow had drifted upwards and stained the ceiling. The trap was broken.
Gingerly getting to her feet, Chloe walked towards Oliver and threw her arms around him.
"See, all gone."
Strong arms wrapped around her as the crossbow fell to the floor."Don't worry me like that again, Sidekick."
Lifting her head to look at him, she gave him a look of concern. "I need to get out of here, Ollie. Take me somewhere safe...please."
He scooped her up in his arms and headed towards the elevator.
"I'll take you to Watchtower. We can call Bart and ask him to round these clowns up. They'll be out of state before they can think of leaving the building."
"Thank you." She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled. Things were looking up, and it was all improved by the voice at the back of her mind screaming in anguish.
Dean groaned as he came too. His head was pounding and he still felt light headed.
"Son of a bitch." He grumbled as he rolled onto his stomach and got up onto his knees .
Looking to his right he could see his brother was already awake, sitting on the floor and pinching the bridge of his nose.
"He broke the lines, Dean. She's out and Queen's not around. Looks like she hasn't killed him yet."
"Good, because I want to kill that dick myself." he said as he picked up his gun and slowly got to his feet.
Sam picked up the arrow that was wedged into the floor in front of him. "At least we have a few more answers about exactly who Chloe works for. Question is where would he take her now?"
"Like Chloe told me, she's hero technical support. Meg wants suped up meatsuits, and now she can have access to them all. She won't go far."
"So her workplace?"
"It's gonna be a bitch to get in. Breaking into the Pentagon would be easier." Dean offered a hand out to Sam and helped him up off of the floor. "We're not getting in unless she wants us to."
Sam stood quietly for a moment, appearing deep in thought. "What about Cas?"
"To what? Zap us in?"
"Sure. He might be able to save Chloe too. I don't think Meg's going to be caught for a third time, her guard is up." Sam passed him his phone "Make the call."
Chloe paused at the elevator to watchtower, looking closely at the roof of the small space. Getting into the building was going to be a pain in the ass.
Oliver saw her hesitation and tried to follow her eyes. "What's the matter?"
"The last thing i remember clearly is walking through one of those drawings. What if Dean got it wrong and it let that demon into me?"
"Then we'll get rid of them all. Just watch your step until then." Oliver replied without hesitation.
He again pulled out his crossbow and removed an arrow. Using the sharp end he reached up high into the elevator and began to scratch through the paint there.
She smiled sweetly at him to show her appreciation. Oliver Queen's hero complex and need to be redeemed in Chloe Sullivan's eyes would make this all a walk in the park.
Once he had broken the lines, they entered and closed the door. Using Chloe's memories they easily negotiated the security protocols and quickly began their ascent.
Once they reached their floor, Oliver once again began methodically breaking the lines of any traps they came across, eventually enabling them to reach the sofas in the large room.
He helped her to sit down before bringing her over a cold, bottled water from the small kitchen area.
"Are you okay?" He asked, taking a seat beside her.
"I will be. Thank you." She leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.
"I...I should apologise for earlier. I know you better than that, and I should have realised that you weren't yourself. After everything that's happened, you wouldn't just jump me... I'm sorry, Chloe."
"Don't feel so guilty, Ollie. I never fell out of love with you, I was only hurt. I've hoped that I'd be able to push past what you did with Dinah and maybe one day...what I'm trying to say is that that demon didn't make me do anything I wouldn't have been willing to do myself."
"Really? Because i was really starting to believe you were moving on. Especially with Dean being on the -"
She placed a finger on his lips to stop him. "Dean knows that we've been through so much together, and that he'll never be able to come between us. Maybe that's why he's done this."
"You really think that Dean and his brother did this to you?"
"Did we have many posession problems before they came into our lives?" She looked up to his face to see him thinking things over.
It would be a mistake to underestimate this man's intelligence. Hormones and guilt would only blind him for so long. She took his hand in hers and gave it a light squeeze. "Trust me."
"I'll call in the team."
"Thank you." Leaning forward she pressed a kiss to his chin.
Meg had already decided which body she wanted for her host the moment she accessed Chloe's memories. A man with the gift of flight, the ability to shoot fire from his eyes, and impenetrable to knife and bullet? What more could a demon want? The second she had her chance she would take the body and find a way to lock in.
With so much power at her disposal, it would be easy to scorch the earth and terrorise every living being on the planet. However, Meg had a plan and she would stick to it. She would cause chaos, that was pretty much a given, but she would select her first kills carefully.
Revenge would be oh so sweet. She planned to deliver a slow, painful death to every person the Winchesters had ever loved or befriended, then finally to the brothers themselves. The real challenge would be how to do it; a specimen such as Clark Kent offered so many choices...
If Oliver Queen had put down carpets in his apartment, Dean's pacing would have worn them through already. He had been calling out for Castiel for the past ten minutes, without a peep from the trenchcoat wearing angel.
"CAS!"
"Calm down, Dean. It's only been ten minutes, he's probably caught up with something." Sam said, while trying to ring the angel on his cell phone.
"I AM CALM!" Dean turned to being pacing the room again, only to walk into a hard body causing him to stumble backwards.
Cas looked at him with a slight frown.
"What the hell took you so long?"
"Believe it or not, I do not spend all of my time waiting for your call. I have much work to do."
Dean held his hands up in front of Cas, stopping the conversation. "There's no time for this. Meg is here, but the place she's hiding out in is wired like a fortress."
"Not to mention she's possessing Dean's girlfriend." Sam added from his seat on the couch.
"Dude, she's not my girlfriend! She's a...she's just not okay?"
"She's possessed Chloe Sullivan?" Cas asked
Sam's head snapped in the angel's direction."Wait, you know Chloe?"
Dean knew that he had never mentioned Chloe in Castiel's absence before, and a gross thought entered his head. "What, have you been spying on me? Dude, that's sick!"
"Chloe Sullivan's fate is entwined with that of the Earth's. She has been named in prophecy."
"My Chloe?"Dean demanded. Sam's eyebrows raised at his response, but he decided to ignore him.
"If we fail, she will be humankind's last hope for surviving the apocalypse."Castiel explained.
"How?" Dean asked, wondering how the hell his crazy little blonde would leave behind her kind of crazy and swap it for his. He just hoped that it had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with her ability to just find trouble.
"Her part has always been unclear."
"Because of her friends?"Sam asked.
"Perhaps. There-"
"Hey!" Dean yelled, grabbing their attention, "None of that means squat if we can't get to her and zap that demon bitch out."
Castiel stood in silence for a few seconds, but to Dean it felt like weeks."Where is she?"
Dean put his hands to a nearby wall to steady himself as he tried to get his bearings. He hated travelling by angel; if it wasn't the week long constipation that followed, it was the motion sickness the experience gave him that really got to him the most.
"Are we there?" Sam asked in a quiet voice.
Dean looked around the small space and saw that they were standing in a small room filled with cleaners, mops and brooms.
"We're in the cleaning cupboard?"
"There are Enochian symbols preventing me from accessing the main rooms. Unless you can destroy them, I will have to wait outside."
Without waiting for their reply, he vanished into thin air.
Dean shook his head."Fricking angels..."
Meg happily threw Chloe's phone into the air and caught it. Five minutes ago she had sent Oliver out to find her some comfort food. She had told him that she was still shaken, and that nothing would make her feel more settled than some fancy coffee concoction followed by a decadent dessert Not wanting to disappoint her, he left immediately. If she didn't have higher plans, she could have gotten used to having someone at her beck and call.
Oliver's absence had given her the idea opportunity to call Clark Kent. Unfortunately he hadn't picked up, but after leaving a panicked message on his answerphone, she was sure of swift results.
Walking past the desk surrounded by monitors, she picked up the large marker pen she had left there after she'd drawn Enochian symbols on the walls. She headed towards the main doors, intending to write on them too when a strong gust of air took her by surprise, the wake almost knocking her from her feet.
"Hola mamacita! Bossman called, said I had to get here lickety split."
Meg smiled, recognising the red clad surprise in front of her as Bart Allen, the fastest man alive.
The screaming began inside Chloe's mind again, and Meg knew that she was onto a potential winner here. Bart Allen would be a vast improvement to the body she currently occupied, and the chaos it could cause would be moderate at least. If she was unable to gain access to Kent, then she would take the body in front of her now.
"Bart! I'm so happy to see you!" She put her arms around him for a brief hug, only to find herself whisked to the sofa with him sat down beside her.
Fast indeed.
"You know me, call for me and I'll come running." He plucked the marker from her fingers and began to twirl it with his own. "So what's the arts and crafts time for?"
Reaching forward, she snatched the pen playfully from his hand. "I've been doing some research of my own. These new symbols are designed to keep evil out."
"Ollie's the one who called me over. He said that he wanted me to watch over you because your boyfriends had turned to the dark side. Is that true, or is he playing the bitter ex?"
Going for drama, she let out a deep sigh. "Unfortunately, it's all true. The Winchesters were using me to get closer to you guys."
Bart's face was one of confusion."Really? I thought you had looked into them?"
These men had such faith in this little blonde it was irritating. Considering some of the memories she had access to, it was also nothing short of a miracle.
"It wouldn't be the first time I've been a bad judge of character. But don't worry, I'll make sure they stay far, far away from us and our secrets."
Bart was still giving her an odd look of confusion. "So what were they after? Our names and faces?"
"They're guns for hire, working for someone who's looking for a way to tap into your powers."
"How did you find this all out?"
Meg was beginning to feel frustrated by all the questions. Where was the blind faith that she was relying on? She had to resist the temptation to snap his neck and stay 'in character'.
Giving him a look of confusion to match his own, she touched his hand.
"Have I given you a reason to doubt me?"
Bart held up his hands up in the air. "Woah, woah, woah. Just curious, 'licious. The Winchester one-eighty's just got me a little spooked, y'know?"
"Just trust me Bart!" The surprise on his face let her know she had been too harsh. She softened her features and gave him a small smile. "The Winchesters are bad news. I just don't want anything to happen to you."
"Hey, it's alright. If you say these guys are trouble, I believe you."
She gave him a small, relieved smile. "Thank you."
A small glint from around his neck caught her eye. "Is that the necklace I gave you?"
Bart picked up the chain between his thumb and forefinger, pulling the charm out from underneath his shirt. "Yeah."
"I'd drop it off in the ocean somewhere if I were you. I found a tracking chip in Oliver's."
Bart unclipped the chain before dropping it onto the nearby coffee table. "I'll run it out of here once Olive's back. If I leave you alone I'll be a dead man, no matter how fast I run."
"So...how about you put that speed to use and give a girl a hand?" She asked him as she threw her marker pen into his lap.
Smiling, he jumped to his feet and flicked the lid to her feet."Your wish is my command."
Sam edged closer to the door, having opened it just a fraction. He scanned the room as much as he could with such little space. Chloe was sat at a computer while Bart was racing around with a paintbrush, erasing all signs of the traps Choe and Dean had spent an afternoon painting.
"Just her and the speedy kid. He'll take us out in seconds."
"Then we'll have to be quick and quiet." Dean pulled out his own gun, ready to get moving.
"It's about twenty feet to the door." Sam said doubtfully
"Be quick." Dean motioned with his gun for his brother to head out the door.
Sam rolled his eyes and looked out of the door again.
"Hang on." He whispered. "Speedy is heading to the bathroom. He's spilt paint on himself."
Five seconds later, Sam fully opened the door and quietly made his way out, keeping to the wall. Quickly and silently, Dean headed towards Chloe, successfully making it to three feet away from her before he was noticed. She spun around to face him and gave him a big, bright smile.
"Dean! Oh goodie, I'm so glad you're here! Now we can play."
Reaching into her desk drawer she pulled out a knife and waved it playfully in Dean's direction.
Dean held his hands up in the air, dangling his gun from his trigger finger. "Don't."
"Now where's the fun in that?" She taunted before thrusting the knife into her stomach.
"NO!"
"BART! HELP!" She shouted towards the bathroom.
Not even a second passed before there was the rush of wind and a blur of red crossing the room. Sam and Dean had no opportunity to defend themselves before they were knocked unconscious and left where they fell.
"Chloe!" Bart cradled her in his arms, his hand hesitating over the bloody knife that remained in her gut. "Oh God, we need to get you to a hospital."
She gave him a small smile as she slipped her arms around his neck.
"No. You're all I need."
He frowned in confusion, but her smile only brightened before she tugged his head closer to her own with a strength she shouldn't possess.
Bart had no time to react as black smoke left Chloe's mouth and entered his own.
Within seconds, his eyes were completely black, and Chloe's were closed, seemingly unconscious.
Meg got to her feet, allowing the blonde body she had occupied to fall to the ground, and gave her new body and experimental stretch before speeding around the room.
"Nice."
Her mind was racing with the possibilities this body had; the sheer chaos she could cause within minutes would be substantial.
Any excitement and plans she held were paused as she saw the two brothers begin to regain consciousness. It would be so easy to simply snap their necks, they would never even see it coming. That in itself was good reason to hold off - she wanted them to suffer and see her eyes as she stole their last breath.
Dean was the first to fully rouse, and began crawling towards the bleeding woman by her feet.
They would watch their annoying little friend bleed out, knowing there was nothing they could do. As she had occupied the body, she had felt the heart slowing and heard the pained internal screams of her host.
Dean was placing his hands around the knife, trying to stem the flow of blood. "Come on, Chlo. Not like this."
Meg laughed, enjoying the new masculine tone of her voice. "Catch me if you can, boys."
She sped out of the room, and through the double doors, only to be thrown back by the force of hitting an invisible wall at speed.
"NOOOOOOO!" She screamed in frustration.
Looking up from her position on the floor, she saw the angel Castiel standing three feet away; a black marker held tight within his hand.
"LET ME OUT!" She was practically spitting with anger.
Springing to her feet, she walked the Devil's Trap like a caged animal. Not even her host's speed could help her here.
She knew she should have waited for the Kryptonian. His body would have been able to burn through the markings on the floor, and the angel too.
Sam scrambled to his feet, heading his way towards the trapped demon with his knife in hand.
"Fine! Exorcise me! But I'll come back - I always do; and I promise that I will kill every person you have ever met. They will die with the Winchester name on their lips, cursing you both to hell. And when I do return? I will make sure every demon alive knows of your precious super-powered friends. You will never have peace!"
Sam wiped blood from his lip as he stepped directly in front of her.
Meg expected the slash of a knife, not the hand of an angel resting on her head. "You talk too much."
She screamed as she was burned from her host, until there was nothing of her remaining.
Dean held Chloe tight in his arms, all the while trying to stop the bleeding. Even with the knife in place, it continued to flow freely from her body.
He watched as her eyes fluttered open to look up at him.
"Hold on Chloe, we're going to get you to a hospital."
"Bart?" She asked.
Dean looked up to see Sam helping the speedy kid into a chair before starting to wipe out the Enochian symbols on the walls.
"He's okay, and you will be too."
Chloe gave him a pained smirk, "Kinda poetic justice going out here like this..."
Dean knew she was talking about her husband. He couldn't have died too far from where they were right now.
"Don't talk like that, you are going to be fine!"
She placed her small hand over his, both slick with blood.
"This isn't my first rodeo...I'm in a bad way...Met Gen is twenty minutes from here..."
"Not for me."
Cas stood in front of them, having suddenly appeared in the room. Dean figured Sam must have got to all the symbols. He allowed the angel to lift his lover from his arms before they vanished from sight.
Standing up, he tried to ignore the blood that clung to his skin and clothing.
"I'm going to the hospital." He told Bart and Sam as he walked past them. If they wanted to join him, they had to follow, because he wasn't stopping for anyone.
"Welcome to Watchtower, Mister Queen."
Dean looked up to see Oliver walking into the room, and taking in the scene before him.
"What the hell happened here?" He demanded.
"Dude, your timing sucks." Bart said as he nursed his head with an ice pack.
His body tensed upon seeing the Winchesters and the blood, "What the hell are they doing here? Where's Chloe?"
"A demon was riding 'licious before it decided to give me a test drive. These guys rode in and saved the day, but Chloe was hurt."
Oliver stormed over to Dean, taking in the state of his clothing.
"What did you do to her?" His voice was tight with anger.
Dean's self-control finally snapped, and he threw a fist at the archer, feeling satisfaction as he saw the man's lip split.
Oliver responded with his own fist in no time, and blows were soon being exchanged by the two.
Both were experienced fighters used to having to fight for their lives, but now emotions and pride were thrown into the mix.
It didn't take long for Bart and Sam to interrupt them, with Bart restraining his teammate, as Sam tried to hold back his brother.
"This is your goddamn fault! If you knew how to protect your own, Chloe wouldn't have been left wide open!"
"I trusted Chloe! That's all she ever asks for, and I respect that!"
Dean threw his brother's arms off to try to get in the other man's face.
"If you knew her half as well as you say, then you should've known that wasn't her."
Oliver sneered and escaped Bart's grip. "It's so easy for you to judge. She hasn't been the same since she met you!"
"Good, because the woman I first met was a mess. If it wasn't for you dicking around on her, she'd never have met me. Remember that!"
"Come on, Dean. Let's go." Sam said, trying to ease his brother from another fight. Putting his hands on his older brother's shoulders, he marched him from the room and towards the elevator.
"Stairs, dude. Elevator's possessed." Dean motioned towards the secure stairwell.
Sam turned only to almost collide with Castiel.
"The doctors are with her now. I tried to heal her, but my powers are still limited."
"Is she okay?" Dean asked.
"She is in surgery, but I believe she will be fine. I will take you to her now."
Before Dean could protest, the angel transported them from the building with a touch.
Next Day
Dean walked quietly into Chloe's hospital room, two coffees in hand. The first thing he noticed was that her beautiful green eyes were open, watching him.
"Hey, heard you were awake."
"Mmm, I hope one of those cups are for me."
Dean nodded and placed one of the cups in front of her before removing the lid.
"That Bart guy just dropped them off. He wanted me to make sure you knew they were from him."
She smiled and shook her head. "This coffee came from Italy itself. Unless you've developed meteor powers, there would have been little doubt who they're from."
Taking in the room, she nodded towards the various bouquets of flowers that perfumed the room. "Did someone rob a florist?"
Dean sat next to her at the head of the bed, taking a sip of his coffee. "Your ex is on a guilt trip."
Her hand reached up to his face, her thumb gently caressing the large bruise blossoming across his cheek. "Is Oliver the reason for this too?"
"Believe me, he had it coming."
"So I take it he's looking a little worse for wear too?"
Dean shrugged, "Like I said, he had it coming."
Her hand dropped from his face to hold his free hand.
"Thank you for riding to my rescue. Although, you shouldn't blame too much of this on Oliver. With all the weird we've seen over the years, trusting your teammates' instincts have been the only thing we could rely on."
Dean fixed his eyes on hers with a seriousness she rarely saw. "He should have known it wasn't you."
"Yeah, he should have; but believe me, no one can self-hate like Oliver. The flowers are probably the first step of his apology. Just be thankful you won't be around to see the rest."
She gingerly reached for her cup, and sipped on the drink with a happy sigh.
"I've been thinking. Me and Sammy...we've got some pretty serious crap heading our way."
"End-of-the-world serious, or spook of the week serious?"
He couldn't help but smirk at how easily she understood the crapbag that was his life.
"Trying to prevent the Apocalypse."
Chloe sat herself up straighter in the bed, wincing as she adjusted.
"Do you need my help?" She asked.
"No. Although, we might have to call on your crazy research skills at some point. If that's okay with you?"
"I wouldn't offer if I wasn't serious. End of the world scenarios are my specialty." She smiled.
"Good, because..." Dean fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, concentrating on the contents of his cup,"I was thinking...it might be nice to head this way more often."
He could see her mind already working. "I can get the information to you in the blink of an eye. That's a lot of unnecessary travel for something I could get to you at a minute's notice."
In Dean's opinion, for a smart chick, sometimes she could be so blind.
"I'm trying to say that I'd like to swing by more often - to see you."
He saw the information finally click into place in her mind.
"Oh! Well...sure. If you want."
"Neither of us are looking for anything heavy right now...but I don't want you to be more than just a roll in the sack."
Chloe let out a pained laugh, and held her stomach. "Never let it be said that Dean Winchester's not a romantic."
He hated all of this chick flick crap and wanted out of this conversation soon, but he needed her to know before he left the state.
"I'm serious, Chlo."
"If I'm honest Dean, I've done the friends with benefits thing. It seems a great idea at the time, but believe me, it leads to complications."
Dean leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. "I'm not looking for complicated, just to spend more time with you."
"So...not friends with benefits, and not a relationship...how about a 'let's see what happens' and you give me a call next time you're in town?"
He smirked and leaned forward to give her another kiss, this time not so chastely. "I could do that."
"Good."
"Now for the serious crap. You need to keep our cell numbers on your speed dial. Cas mentioned something about the apocalypse...and that it could involve you."
"Cas...is that the guy who brought me here?"
"Yeah. The angel in the dirty mac."
Chloe was silent in concentration for a few seconds before turning her face back towards him.
"I didn't start it did I?"
Dean's bark of laughter even caught himself by surprise. "No. Definitely not. But he did say that if we can't stop it, you were the best chance the world had."
She gave him a smile and shook her head, "The world almost ends every other week. If I start worrying about the things that could happen, I'd never sleep. I have faith in you and your brother. If you thought you couldn't handle this, you'd say so. You're not too proud to ask for help."
Chloe really was his kind of woman. Smart, fearless and honest. Her no nonsense attitude and realism was refreshing in the women he met.
"I knew I stuck around you for a reason."
"And there was me thinking it was for my mad skills."
"Which ones?"
She playfully slapped his wrist before settling back on her pillows. "So when are you leaving?"
The playful mood left him in an instant.
"Tonight. Cas has a lead for us to follow."
"I can help you, even from a hospital bed. Just give me a call once in awhile to let me know that you're both safe. Don't make me find you."
Dean smirked at her threat. "It'd be fun to see you try, Blondie."
Chloe raised her eyebrows, disbelieving his words.
"Is that a challenge? You know how easy it would be for me, right?"
"Researching my family in a day is one thing, sweetheart. But finding us on the road? It took the FBI two years - and they got lucky."
"I'll give you a week's head start. I won't even trace your phone calls. Is that fair?"
Dean noticed the sparkle had returned to her eyes. If a small, personal bet helped to get her back on her feet, then in his opinion it was worth it. Damn the consequences.
"If you're so confident, what you willing to put on the table?"
"If I fail to track you within twenty-four hours, I'll be on call for a one time only, speedy pie delivery service,"
"No sending your friends. You have to be there. Naked. With pie."
"Okay. I may grab a lift, but it will be me, with pie."
"Naked."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine. Deal. But only on one condition."
He was confident that there wasn't much she could come up with that he couldn't handle. Over the years he had learned to sacrifice some dignity to get what he needed.
"Name it."
"Sam told me a story the other day while you were sleeping...involving you and lederhosen..."
Sonofabitch.
Dean shot up from the bed, hands waving in front of him.
"No. Not a chance."
"But they say laughter helps the healing process."
"No way in hell."
With a smirk Chloe arched her eyebrow. "Chicken, Winchester?"
Dean had never been one to back down, and she knew it. The challenge in her eyes said as much.
"Fine. But you better be bringing me the best damn pie in the world for this. And I want homemade, not the store bought crap."
"If by some miracle you win, I'll dust off an old Mrs K. recipie. I promise."
He sat there with her for an hour, not saying much,. It was nice to be in the company of someone who appreciated silence, and didn't feel the need to fill the time talking about pointless crap.
Dean got up from the chair, intending to go on a coffee run, but he noticed that her eyes were heavy.
She was beginning to look tired, and it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him. If Cas hadn't got her to the hospital when he did, they would have lost her.
"I should probably let you rest."
"The pain meds have me kinda spacey. I haven't slept this much in years."
Leaning over, Dean kissed her softly. "I'll swing by tonight before we leave."
"If I'm sleeping, wake me."
"Sure."
He left her to sleep, knowing firsthand how some of the hospital's painkillers packed a punch.
It was weird knowing that he was leaving with the intention of returning in the near future. The closest he had to a home was Bobby's, so it was strange to think that there would be another place where he and his brother would be welcomed with open arms and a soft pillow for the night.
With a final look into her room, he put on his jacket and left the hospital. He finally had someone in his life who seem to accept all of the shit he carried with him, and it didn't scare her, not one bit.
He'd be back soon; not even hellhounds would keep him away from her.