Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or Supernatural.
Wanna thank CamFan4Ever, skauble, summergirlforever, ChamberlinofMusic, Kit Merlot and violent-smurf for reviewing the previous chapter.
This is the last chapter. Hope you like.
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John Winchester was tired.
The hunt had taken a lot out of him, but he'd forced himself to finish what should have taken three days into a couple of hours and had driven home to have a huge confrontation with his two elder sons about his having lived a secret life, and then another from Lois for having broken his promise and gone on a hunt alone.
Both fights had taken a lot out of him, but he was glad for the first. Yes, there'd been a lot of shouting an angry words thrown back and forth, especially between him and Sammy, but in the end they'd finally been able to bury a lot of resentment and misunderstandings and while his footing with his two eldest was still fragile, they were working their way towards something better.
He was amazingly proud of them.
Not only had they killed the demon, but they'd stopped him from using the Colt to open a gate to hell. That was a big deal, and while a big piece of him wished he could have been there for that confrontation John knew that he'd done the right thing by backing out of the hunt for Azazel and protecting the kids and Lois and Chloe.
He, Sam and Dean, had had a long conversation late into the night, as to what this now meant. Their goal had been accomplished. They'd killed Azazel.
"Now what?" Seemed to be the question of the night.
John had told them his decision to mostly dedicate himself to running Winchester, his garage, and taking care of the house, which they were more than welcomed to living in. He would hunt if there was anything close to home, but he didn't want to miss out on Max and Adam's lives as he had Dean and Sam's, and he knew that his eldest sons understood.
Sam had decided a long time ago that when they killed Azazel he'd return to Stanford to pick up where he'd left off, and that still seemed to be the plan. The only difference was this time John didn't let his pride get in his way and he finally admitted to his son that he was proud of him for getting into that college and that if he ever needed anything, be it financial help or otherwise, John would be there for him.
That had obviously shocked Sam, but the smile the brunette gave him warmed John's heart. He hadn't seen his sons smile much, especially Sam, so the fact that he was smiling at him was amazing.
Dean had decided to take up John's offer of sticking around and living with them while working at the garage. He was as good as John when it came to cars, and loved them maybe even a little bit more, so John couldn't think of a better partner.
They'd gone to sleep on amicable terms, and now all the Winchester males were all located in the living room, drinking beers (or in Max and Adam's case Pepsi) as they watched the game. It was Sunday, and John couldn't help but smile as he saw his four sons congregated together, smiling, watching the game like a family.
A real family.
All he had to do now was make the peace with Lois once she came back from taking her article to Perry. She hadn't broken breath to him after their argument, and she'd even locked the door to their bedroom last night, but it was her passion that John liked.
Living with her was never boring.
They fought like this all the time and made up even more violently.
As Chloe said, it was surprising they didn't have another child.
Then again Chloe had threatened to boycott them or at least go on strike if they even thought of spawning another Winchester-Lane, since he had to admit, Chloe was usually the one left taking care of his two youngest.
She'd be a good mother.
Smiling and taking a swing from his beer, John thought about Chloe. He really needed to find a good man for that girl, otherwise he wasn't going to get a moment's peace. She reminded him too much of Mary, and he saw her as the daughter he knew he would have had if he and Mary had had another child, and that made him very possessive of her.
She was an excellent girl, intelligent, spunky, caring and beautiful to boot. Why she didn't have good taste in men was beyond his understanding.
She always seemed to go for the charity cases, the ones who needed her help.
John made up his face in distaste.
Chloe was so used to taking care of everyone else, even at home, that every guy she accepted a date from were losers who they were leeching off of her good heart and kind nature.
And sometimes even her bank account.
John's grip tightened on his beer.
Chloe was just as much a Winchester as everyone else in this house, and more than once since he'd met the feisty sixteen year old had he thought what a perfect match she'd be for one of his sons.
His brown gaze tore form the television set and surveyed the men his elder sons had become. He looked from Dean, who'd do good to have a firm hand in his life, to Sam, who'd do so wonderfully to have her loving heart.
He frowned, not exactly sure which he saw with her more. John really didn't care which of his sons got smart and realized the type of woman Chloe was, he just hoped one of them would, and that they'd convince Chloe that she was Winchester through and through---and only needed the name.
He'd told this to Lois once, and she'd laughed, saying that he was 'keeping Chloe in the family', and now that he thought of it more, John realized it was true. He did want Chloe to stay in the family. He'd gone over every single guy in her life and had tried to find one who was worth her love and attention, and he hadn't found anyone that met his standards for his Chloe.
Well, he had thought maybe once that the Luthor boy might have been a good match. He was strong, independent (both financially and emotionally), intelligent and cunning. John had also sensed that darkness that lay within Lex Luthor, and he hadn't held it against him. Everyone had darkness within, some more than others.
It was only when he realized that Luthor had stopped fighting the darkness within that he'd started to reevaluate him for Chloe.
Chloe was all light, she was spring and sunshine, and John didn't want Lex corrupting that.
He was withholding judgment because he knew that despite how much darker Lex was getting he was still basically a good person, but the moment the young Luthor finally took the dive into the abysm he'd never be able to come back from John was going to grab Chloe and pull her back from that edge.
He'd lost Mary to the darkness.
He wasn't about to lose Chloe to it as well.
Sure, this was a different sort of darkness, but it was just as threatening as the one that'd taken his wife from him. He wouldn't allow it to have his 'daughter' as well.
The sound of a car driving up caused John to raise an eyebrow, wondering who it was.
Chloe appeared from the kitchen, where she'd been reading something, and opened the front door, grinning. "Lex, what brings you to the slums of Smallville?"
John frowned at the smile on her face.
He noticed Sam turning his head slightly towards the front door.
He wondered if it was out of pure curiosity or if there was something else there.
"Hello Miss Sullivan." Lex smiled as he came up the steps to the door. "Long time no see."
"I know. Wasn't it heaven?" She teased, stepping out of the doorway and letting him inside.
He smirked at her before smiling at everyone in the house. "Hello."
"Lex." John nodded, smiling at the boy. Like Jonathan had once upon a time, he was reserving judgment for the boy when he truly did something worth condemning, but he was wary, sensing within that it was brewing.
He just hoped when everything exploded Chloe wouldn't get caught in the crossfire.
Adam smiled at Lex but Max just kept his gaze on the television, not acknowledging his presence.
John grinned.
Max was just as possessive as John when it came to Chloe and didn't like Lex much.
"Lex, you've never met John's older sons." Chloe smiled, motioning to Sam and Dean, who'd both turned to eye the newcomer with curiosity. "These are Sam and Dean. Dean will be staying with us from now on and Sam will make sure he's a frequent visitor. Right?" She'd sent that in Sam's direction.
The dimple in Sam's cheek appeared as he nodded.
"Nice to meet you two." Lex's smile was polite before he dismissed them and turned to Chloe. "I need to talk to you." His face was all business.
Chloe's face frowned slightly. "What is it Lex?" Her hand went to his arm.
He sighed. "Come to my car."
She didn't even ask why. She nodded and followed him out, closing the door behind her.
Max got up as soon as the door closed, frowning, before hurrying to the window and peering out.
John stood and leisurely followed his son to the window, placing a hand on his shoulder, peering out as well, sensing Dean and Sam watching them questioningly.
But John ignored their inquiring glances, watching through the thin curtains as Chloe entered Lex's car, and then Lex drove away.
He frowned.
They hadn't said anything about leaving.
"Dad?" Dean asked. "You want to give the girl some privacy?"
"No." John responded, turning his back on the window and frowning, going back to his chair.
Max was still looking out of the window, head tilted away from the window, gaze oddly distant, before his eyes widened and he dashed out of the room towards the telephone in the kitchen.
They could soon hear his voice. "Aunt Chloe? Where are you going? Come back."
John wondered why Max sounded so extremely worried.
"Please!" Max pleaded.
"He doesn't like baldy much, does he?" Dean asked, gaze towards the kitchen, obviously having listened to Max before the boy slammed the phone down and ran upstairs angrily.
John nodded an answer to Dean's question.
He always wondered why Max was so against Lex.
"I'll go talk to him." Sam surprised them by saying as he got up from the sofa and went up the stairs.
John sighed, taking another swing from his beer.
What exactly was Lex Luthor up to?
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"You okay?" Sam asked, entering Max's bedroom, feeling a little out of his element and not sure why he'd volunteered to do this.
Max was sitting on his bed, holding his pillow to his chest, furious. He looked up at Sam and shook his head. "No."
"You want to tell me what just happened down there?" Sam asked, edging towards the bed and sitting down. He wasn't used to being the older brother, and wondered if Dean had felt this awkward need to help him when they'd been younger.
"Yeah, but I can't." Max whispered.
"Why not?" Sam tilted his head to the right, curious.
"Because it's Aunt Chloe's secret, not mine." Max frowned, looking up at Sam, obviously worried and pissed. "It's all that damned Luthor's fault. I wish he'd just go away."
"Language." And yet Sam wasn't as reproachful as he was worried. "What is Luthor's fault? Is something wrong?"
Max opened his mouth but then closed it tightly and looked away, obviously wanting to say whatever it was but refusing to do so out of loyalty to Chloe.
Sam smiled sadly. It reminded him so much of him when he was younger and keeping Dean's secrets. "Look, why don't you just trust your aunt's decisions? She's a smart woman, and I doubt she'd do anything stupid."
Max snorted darkly at that, but then sighed and nodded. "Okay."
Sam reached out his hand to Max. "Lets go finish the game?"
Max looked at that hand before smiling and putting his in his, nodding.
Sam smiled back and they walked out of the room, and while he was glad at the progress he was making with his younger brother, Sam couldn't help but worry, wondering what exactly it was that Lex Luthor had gotten Chloe involved in that had Max so worked up about.
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"What going on?" Chloe asked, worried as she fastened her seat belt and turned to Lex. "You never come out of the blue without a warning so I can have an excuse to get out and meet you there. What happened?"
Lex reached for a folder on the dashboard and placed it on her lap, never taking his hardened eyes off of the road as he pressed down even further on the gas of the Lamborghini. "It's happening again."
Eyes wide, Chloe looked down at the folder in her lap and opening it, seeing the horrifying pictures, going through them and the graphic yet necessary reports. She trembled slightly at the gruesomeness of what was in her hands. "When were these pictures taken?"
"Early this morning." Lex replied, giving her a sideways glance. "I couldn't wait for the time subterfuge with your family usually takes. I need you right now. We need to stop this thing before it disappears again like last time. We don't know when it's going to return again."
Chloe nodded. "No, no, I understand now. It's a good thing you came to find me."
She bit down on her bottom lip as Max's desperate phone call to her earlier now made sense. Somehow, somehow he'd known, somehow that boy had known all along, and it explained a lot about his behavior and dislike when it came to Lex Luthor.
Chloe shook her head with a smile.
Like she was keeping Max's secret safe from John, Max was keeping hers.
I'm going to have to talk to him when I get back.
Sighing, Chloe leaned her forehead against the cold glass, bringing her close hand to her heart. Closing her eyes she saw flashes of those taunting yellow eyes, but she shook it away.
He's dead.
Dead.
"I'm sorry Chloe, for having to bring you into this." Lex sighed.
"No. This isn't your fault Lex. And I'm glad to help, I am."
"I just wish you didn't have to."
"Lex, just, just---I'm a part of this already, okay? I can't get out of this, I'm just as deep into it as you are." She turned to look at the man who was quickly becoming one of her closest friends, even if they couldn't let their friendship be known because of the secrets they were forced to keep.
No wonder their relationship looked so suspicious to outsiders.
No one knew the truth.
And it's better that way.
Breathing in and out, Chloe remained silent the rest of the drive, mentally preparing herself for what she was going to have to do.
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Yes, I know, that was a sucky way to end the story. But I'll do a follow-up story that explain the whole Chloe/Lex partnership, I promise.
Review?
