Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: Okay, here's the next update. Sorry for the long delay. It was tough writing this, the characters from the two shows are so complex and I often have to make sure that one character isn't overlooked in favor of another (although I won't deny my clear favoritism of Chloe Sullivan). Anyway, here it is. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. And I do have to mention that in terms of the pairing, I am leaning towards two guys in particular for Chloe. It's obvious in this chapter. So you guys try and decide if you want either one to come out as a clear winner. I'll be 'taking care' of the Jimmy Olsen factor soon and Chloe would basically be free to...associate with whoever she wants. Tell me what you guys think. Now, on with the story...
No Exit
Chapter 4
Planning and Failing...or not
"So it really is ectoplasm?" Chloe asked her professor excitedly.
"You know Sullivan; I've never had an interesting life until I met you. You bring me the darnest things." Professor Johnson replied warmly.
She laughed lightly at his words. "I'll take that as a compliment, sir. But thank you for the help, Professor."
"No problem. I'll expect a report on this in two weeks." He responded in a blunt tone.
"B-but…school's out." She stammered out in disbelief.
Her professor laughed jovially. "Come on Sullivan, don't you want to earn some credit while the rest of the university is on sabbatical. You really should take my advice already and change your major. I could really use you as my research assistant." He added.
"I don't think anthropology is my forte. But I will write a report if you're serious about the credit." She was looking forward to writing about their new case, she was sure that she could be creative in terms of protecting the identities of their new allies, besides Professor Johnson was really interested in her work, he was constantly nagging her about switching majors. He said she could really succeed in cultural anthropology.
Professor Peter Johnson, a man in his late fifties, was a guest lecturer in her Intro to Anthropology class during her freshman year. The man was a brilliant speaker and he made a solid impression on her. She approached him once, on a case she was working on, it had plenty to do with folklores, since then he became sort of her mentor. He advised her constantly on what she could do during her college career; he was constantly trying to lure her into his anthropological world.
"Two weeks then. I'm not giving up on you yet Sullivan. I don't care if Kahn keeps threatening me." He said laughingly.
Chloe shook her head in exasperation. The man constantly dropped Pauline Kahn's name in their conversations. She was not in the least bit convinced that her editor was threatened by Professor's desire to bring her into his team. "Thank you for the help, Professor."
"Anytime, Sully. Be careful now." He ordered as he hung up.
She smiled slightly when she flipped her phone close.
"Ectoplasm?" Clark looked at her in bewilderment.
Three of them were in the living room; Chloe was busy fiddling with her laptop, while Clark was sitting beside her. Dean was checking the items in his bag, to make sure that in the event of another abduction they would be fully prepared.
"I told you so." Dean interjected smoothly.
Chloe made a face at him. "I was just confirming with my source." She said tiredly.
"Whatever." Dean grunted as he cleaned his gun.
"Do you really have to do that?" Clark eyed his weapon warily.
"You guys, we really should familiarize ourselves with the case." Sam walked out of the bedroom and looked at them impatiently.
Clark nodded in agreement. "Come on Chlo'." Clark got up and held out a hand to her.
They had been poring over the articles on the wall. It was agreed that H.H. Holmes was the guy behind the attacks. They were still unsure on what they would do next upon discovering that the man's body was buried under a massive amount of concrete. The murderer obviously took the necessary precautions so no one would mutilate his body, which was what he did to most of his victims.
Sam and Jo were the last two who were still intent on going over the research.
Chloe smiled up at Clark. "You go on ahead, Clark."
Clark looked at her uncertainly.
"I'm all read out." She told him by way of explanation. "But you should go ahead, a fresh perspective would help us, I'm sure." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Okay." Clark still looked uncertain but he headed for the room anyway.
"Dean?" Sam looked at his brother expectantly.
"I already got the Cliff notes version from blondie there." He nodded in Chloe's direction as he loaded his gun.
Chloe grinned at his words. "Blondie? Couldn't come up with a more imaginative name?" She gave him a sardonic look.
"Better than Chlo'." He looked at her pointedly.
"Dean?" Sam glared at him.
"Run along Sammy, let the grown ups talk." He smirked at Sam.
"Chloe, are you sure you want to stay with my jackass of a brother?" Sam's glare at Dean intensified.
Chloe nodded. "I think I can handle him." She smiled at Sam.
Sam looked at her uncertainly; Chloe couldn't help but notice that he pretty much had the same expression that Clark had earlier. He then looked at Dean and shook his head in exasperation before walking away.
Dean shook his head in amusement at the way that Sam practically stomped into the bedroom. "So, you wanted to be alone with me?" Dean leered at Chloe.
She laughed dryly. "Now I get the upstairs, downstairs brain that Sam is constantly mumbling about."
He rolled his eyes.
"I actually wanted to know more about your world." Chloe closed her laptop and walked over to the kitchen counter.
"What about my world?" Dean looked at her critically.
"Oh, I don't know. How do we get rid of that thing?" She leaned her elbows on the counter and gave him a small smile.
"Typically, we salt the bones and fry the bastard but since that option is out we have to be creative with this one." Dean put the safety on his gun before picking up another one.
Chloe nodded thoughtfully. "Thus, the number of grave desecrations in your record."
"Yep." Dean answered after a beat. "Why are so curious anyway?" He frowned slightly.
"Maybe I should show you my press badge." She commented offhandedly. "So how are we going to deal with this ghost?"
"No idea." He shrugged indifferently.
"That's comforting." She said sardonically.
"Look we do whatever gets the job done." Dean retorted coolly.
She rolled her eyes at him. "And all I'm saying is that it's better if you have a plan."
"Once we find where the asshat takes his victim I'll get back to you. Geez, you sound like Sam." Dean shook his head in exasperation.
Chloe brow rose at his comment. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"You would." Dean muttered to himself.
She laughed softly. "You sound all grouchy now." She said teasingly.
"Do you always nag Clark?" He countered snidely.
Chloe giggled at his question. "I probably do, but Clark never complains."
"Maybe not to your face." Dean grinned at her.
Before Chloe could reply her phone rang, playing the annoying song that he heard at the superstore. She looked annoyed as she once again ignored the call. Her phone had been ringing at least once every hour. And every time she sent it directly to voicemail.
"You really should just turn that thing off. That song's annoying the hell out of me." Dean remarked dryly.
Chloe glared at him. "I didn't pick it." She informed him haughtily but did as he said.
"So that Jimmy dude, how come he's not the one here with you?" Dean looked at her with such interest.
Her eyes narrowed at the direction of the conversation. "And you're curious because?"
"You ask your questions, I ask mine." Dean gave her a charming smile.
"So your questions are more in the realms of my love life?" She eyed him archly.
"I find you completely fascinating." Dean deadpanned.
"I'm sure." Chloe rolled her eyes, not believing a word that he said.
"So, are you going to answer my question about Jimmy?" He steered them back to the original topic.
She stared at him for a full minute. "Quid pro quo."
"That's like a recurring theme with you." Dean retorted dryly.
"I don't exactly believe in disclosing any personal information unless the favor is returned." Chloe replied tartly. "Besides, it's a great way to get to know you." She gave him a megawatt smile.
Dean had to blink a couple of times before he could muster a response. "Does that always work?"
Chloe's brows furrowed at his question. "Does what always work?" She was sincerely confused.
"That smile of yours, do you get guys to do whatever you want just by flashing them the brightest smile?" He looked at her warily; he almost fell for the smile again.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Chloe murmured as she tried to stifle her laughter. This was the first time that she was accused of using her feminine wiles to get what she wanted. She was always thought of as the friend not the girlfriend. Jimmy was actually the first guy to ever decide to be truly with her. The thought was enough to stop her laughter. She glanced at her phone idly; maybe she should answer his calls.
Dean glanced at her suspiciously. But then her reaction suggested that she was completely serious. She really had no idea, maybe she missed the fact that she had the apartment manager eating from the palm of her hand earlier, or that her best friend looked like such an eager beaver whenever it came to her requests. Even Sam did not seem to be impervious to her charms.
"Damn." He uttered quietly. Chloe was an attractive young woman; there was no doubt about that. But the fact that she was completely oblivious to her effect on men, well that just made her damn hotter.
"What now?" Chloe shot him an annoyed look.
"Nothing." He replied eagerly. "So are you ever going to answer my question?" Dean pretended to be exasperated.
"Do you agree to my terms?" She countered tightly.
He nodded imperceptibly, but apparently Chloe was watching him closely enough to notice.
"Clark and I have been partners in…well investigating for so long. And Jimmy, well he's a photographer." She answered shrugged indifferently.
Dean nodded. "I get you. It's hard to break in new people." He took out a knife from his bag.
"So is it my turn now?" She rubbed her eyes tiredly. She had every intention of going back to research mode. Maybe Clark would find something interesting and then they would finally get their case going.
He smiled slightly. "Go ahead."
"What's up with you and Jo?" She returned his smile.
Dean slammed the knife back into its place. His brows furrowed as he looked at her. "What about us?"
"Well, if you ask me it looks like you two are doing your own version of the mating dance." Her eyes sparkled mischievously.
He shook his head in denial. "There's nothing between us. I mean, there could have been, this is me we're talking about after all." He smirked at her suggestively. "But no. I don't see Jo like that."
Chloe did not look like she believed him at all.
"Did you and Clark ever date?" He blurted out unthinkingly. There was something about their dynamic that suggested an intimate connection. He did not think that they were just friends.
She was taken aback by his question. But she did ask him about his relationship with Jo. "Nope, we never dated." She answered tersely.
Dean grinned at her response. Maybe Clark was a sore subject with her. She had no difficulty answering his question about her boyfriend. But the moment the subject of her relationship with Clark was brought up, well clearly the history between them was not so peachy keen.
"Okay, I have to know. What's with the expression?" She looked at him through narrowed eyes.
"What expression?" He gave her his most innocent look.
"That expression." She pointed to his face. "You have a bordering on evil smile there."
"I was just thinking." Dean replied lightly.
"I don't think I want to know." Chloe mumbled to herself.
"So whose turn is it now?" He ignored her words and handed her the knife.
"What's this for?" She inspected the knife that she was given.
"In case the spook comes back you won't be completely helpless." Dean looked at her pointedly.
Chloe glared at him. "Gee, thanks." She said sarcastically.
Dean rolled his eyes. "We already established that this ghost has a thing for blondes, you might be next."
"You really are doing wonders to my self-esteem. I shall go to the nearest restaurant and load up on packets of salt." She said sarcastically. "What's this made of anyway?" She held up the knife.
"Iron, good way to defend yourself from those things." He uttered with the slightest tinge of exasperation.
"Can you be more cryptic? Is it too much to ask for more details? How exactly do ghosts react to iron? Is there a particular reason why iron of all things? Geez, it's like pulling teeth." She shook her head in annoyance.
"Look, if you want a lesson in hunting you should talk to Sam. He's the book boy. I'm more of the hands on type of guy." Dean retorted dryly.
"I'm sure." She muttered to herself as she kneeled down to strap the knife on her leg. It was practical to take the necessary precautions. She tugged at her jeans so she could hide the knife under her clothes.
"What are you doing?" Dean snapped at her when she disappeared from his view. He leaned over the counter to see where she was.
"What does it look like?" Chloe looked at him strangely. "I'm not going to run around holding this knife. There is such a thing called subterfuge." She said pointedly.
"Well, that's not going to work." Dean peered inside the bag until he found what he was looking for. "Since I didn't give you a strap." He chuckled as he walked around the counter and kneeled in front of her.
"I was going to slip it inside my socks." Chloe huffed ineffectually, since her socks barely reached her ankles. "I could use tape. I'm sure I have some in my bag." She placed the knife on the carpeted floor and moved to get up and get said tape.
"I have a strap right her." Dean showed her what he was holding. "Now sit back down and let me strap this thing on you." He ordered in a no-nonsense tone as he picked up the knife and placed it on the strap. He then grabbed her leg and placed it on his thigh. Dean had to roll up her jeans again and he adjusted her foot so he could strap the knife on her the right way.
"Would you quit manhandling me?" She hissed impatiently. "I'm fully capable of doing that myself."
"Would you just let a professional do this?" He countered sheepishly. His actions were done unconsciously. His fingers grazed her leg lightly as he waited for her answer.
Chloe took a deep breath and nodded. It didn't take long before the knife was fastened to her leg securely. Dean made no move to let her leg go when he was done.
"Walls." A booming voice interrupted them. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Sam looked at Dean and then at Chloe.
Chloe shook her head as she rolled down her pant leg and tried to get up from her precarious position, Dean was still holding onto her leg.
"Chloe, walls!" Clark said excitedly as he walked into the room. His brows furrowed as he saw Chloe and Dean sitting on the floor, Dean had his hand on Chloe's leg.
Dean released his grip on her and got up. He held up a hand to help her up, which she accepted tentatively. "So what about those walls?" He looked at Sam expectantly.
Clark practically stomped over to where the two were and he glared at Dean. "Walls, Jo said that the thing was trying to pull her somewhere and it was towards the walls." He answered shortly as he stared at Chloe, as though he was trying to figure her out.
"So he hides them in the walls?" Dean looked at the two men skeptically.
"Well…we think that he probably brings them somewhere else. Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. They called it The Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory. They had trapdoors, acid vats, quicklime pits. He built these secret chambers…inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death." Sam concluded uneasily.
"So there is a distinct possibility that we could find an outlet to the chamber in these walls." Clark knocked on a wall panel lightly.
"That's great, we finally have a lead!" Chloe declared a little too brightly. "I'm going to go see the super; maybe he can give us the blueprints of the building." She headed towards the door but halfway there she stopped. "I'll see if Jo would like to come with me." She murmured more to herself and headed for the bedroom.
It didn't take long before the two women were out the door. An awkward silence settled over the three men.
"Jo said that we may have to break into teams so we could cover more ground, when we start investigating inside the walls." Sam spoke first.
"Did she?" Dean grinned at his brother. He was not sure what was wrong with Clark. The guy was acting like he just committed a major betrayal when he was just helping Chloe.
Clark nodded slowly. "So how are we going to do this?" He looked at the other two
"Well, we'll have to break into three teams. One of us will have to go alone." Sam said in a practical tone.
A long moment once again settled over them.
"I'm going with Chloe." All three of them declared with such finality.
There was an exchange of glares at each of their statements.
"Chloe's coming with me." Clark muttered with such conviction.
"Why?" Dean gave Clark a measured look.
"She just is." Clark replied stubbornly. "Look, I know you like Chloe. It's hard not to. But you won't be able to deal with her. What if she takes off on her own? You won't be able to stop her. No, you can't be the one she goes with." He concluded superiorly.
"If anything she would be the safest with me." Dean retorted arrogantly.
"Hey!" Sam glowered at his brother's jibe.
Dean simply ignored him. "You've never dealt with a ghost before, especially one as powerful as this one. And I'm sure I can handle Chloe. I'll carry around a pair of handcuffs, just in case."
Sam snorted at his statement.
Clark shook his head, he was adamant about keeping Chloe close. The others had no idea what he was capable of. No matter what Dean said, Chloe was safest with him. After all, he was super-powered.
"Maybe we should just compromise. Chloe can come with me." Sam interjected in the most non-threatening tone.
Clark and Dean looked at him as though he sprouted another head.
"You want her to come with you too, so that's not really a compromise." Clark pointed out quietly.
"Yeah Sammy, how can it be a compromise if you're getting what you want." Dean scowled at him.
"Just a suggestion." Sam grumbled, more to himself than anyone. The fact was he wanted to know more about the meteor-infected people that Chloe and Clark were talking about. And Chloe had expressed some interest in the supernatural. So really, his interest in Chloe was not merely because she was attractive, it was academic. It was going to be a learning experience for the both of them.
"I don't think Chloe would appreciate the fact that we're fighting over her. Maybe we should just let her pick." Clark suggested evenly. Maybe the guys wouldn't object when she picked him as her partner.
Before the brothers could respond, Jo and Chloe walked back into the apartment. Chloe waved the blueprint triumphantly. "We got it." She proclaimed proudly.
"Clearly." Dean remarked sardonically.
Chloe and Jo exchanged amused looks and then glared at him. "I bet you wouldn't have had the same success if you tried to get this from Eddie." Jo retorted dryly.
Chloe handed the blueprints to Sam. "You guys do something productive and assign which pair would go where. Jo and I have to verify some information." She ordered bossily as she hooked her arm through Jo's, well on their way to the bedroom.
"Actually, we want to know who's going with whom." Clark stated earnestly.
Once again Jo and Chloe looked at each other. "Sam and Chloe will be team one, Dean and I can be the other. Chloe said that you can go on your own." Jo smiled at Clark confidently.
Sam was smiling happily and Dean frowned slightly. Clark was simply befuddled upon hearing the pairings.
"Chlo' can I talk to you, privately?" Clark stammered out uncomfortably.
Chloe disentangled herself from Jo and gave Clark a confused smile. "Sure." And the two of them walked off to the side.
"So who came up with the arrangement?" Dean stared at Jo sharply.
Jo shrugged in response. "Chloe and I were talking about it on our way back; we figured you guys would have a hard time deciding."
"Yeah, you guys actually saved us." Sam replied cheerily.
"Chloe!" Clark hissed at her impatiently.
Chloe rolled her eyes at his tone. "Look, I know you were not going to like it. But you were better off going on your own. That way you can zoom in and out, no problem." She looked at him pointedly.
"But it's dangerous, for you." He settled his hands on her shoulders, trying to convince her of the gravity of the situation.
"Sam's capable, I'm sure." She replied confidently as she played with the edge of his shirt.
"But you'll be much safer with me." He insisted stubbornly.
"Of that I have no doubt. But Clark we need to kept in the loop. Those three might not be so willing to share if we consistently huddle together. Besides, Sam can probably tell me more about their world. Dean wasn't exactly…forthcoming with information." She gave him a small smile.
Clark's eyes narrowed as he remembered the scene that he and Sam stumbled into earlier. He took a deep breath and mentally thanked God that Chloe was not going to search the walls with Dean. Close quarters and Dean Winchester sounded just a little…tawdry.
He looked at Chloe searchingly. "Just be careful, okay? Don't go off on your own." He removed his hands from her shoulders.
"I will be an absolute angel." She grinned up at him.
Clark scoffed at her statement as he captured her hand that was still playing with his shirt. "Don't think I didn't see that. You had your fingers crossed." He said testily.
Chloe scowled at him. "I can't believe you x-rayed me." She said quietly.
"Try again." He uttered in a long suffering tone. "And say, I promise that I won't go off on my own." Clark looked at her expectantly.
Chloe sighed. "I promise that I won't go off on my own." She declared petulantly.
"That's my girl." Clark flashed her a wild smile.
Chloe just rolled her eyes as she led them back to the group. She squeezed his hand reassuringly before letting go. She joined Jo once again and the two left the men to their own devices.
"So?" Sam looked at Clark expectantly. He was sure that the younger man would be a pain about the assigned pairings.
"We should do what they said." Clark replied. "Those two seem to be a dangerous combination." He jerked his head towards the direction of the bedroom. "And from my years with Chloe, I don't think she would be pleased if we're not done by the time that they're done."
Dean grumbled to himself, Sam nodded as they prepared to follow the girls' orders.
"So, who decided who was going with whom?" Dean began conversationally as he and Jo began their search. He raised his flashlight and squinted in concentration as he surveyed their surroundings.
Jo's brows furrowed. "What is the big deal?" She frowned as she redirected her flashlight at another direction.
"Just curious." He replied flippantly. He signaled for her to back away and kneeled next to an air vent. He grimaced when he touched something hairy. He pulled it out and scowled held up a clump of blonde hair, with a part of the scalp attached to it. "That damn ghost is…" Dean shook his head in disgust.
Jo nodded in agreement and she fiddled with her ponytail. "We need to find that bastard." She uttered with such conviction.
Dean dropped the hair and stared at his hand uselessly. He ended up brushing his hand on his jeans.
"Nothing?" She said to her phone. "Clark said he's almost done with the first floor." She told Dean. "Check back on us after you're done with the southeast wall." She went back to talking to Clark.
"That dude's fast." Dean commented offhandedly.
She just shrugged in return. The two of them kept going.
"Maybe you should call Sam now, check on how it's going in their end." Dean suggested nonchalantly.
Jo rolled her eyes. "Chloe said she'd call us once they were done with the third floor. One of them would call us if anything happened." She reminded him.
"Whatever." He replied shortly.
"Do you have a problem or something?" Jo asked impatiently. "Is it because you're stuck with me?" Jo stopped walking so she could face him fully.
Dean shook his head in denial. "This hunt is just getting to me." He retorted edgily.
"Look, I know you didn't want me to be here in the first place. And that Chloe and Clark, well they don't exactly run in our circles. But if it hadn't been for Clark, Teresa and I would have been captured." She pointed out reasonably.
"I just feel like something's off." Dean murmured distractedly as he gestured for her to keep going.
Jo looked at her feet nervously. "I'm sure once we locate this sucker you'll feel better."
He looked at her suspiciously. "You're not secretly going to try and get yourself in trouble are you?"
She shook her head vehemently. "No! Why would I do that? I was almost taken once already. Why would I want to be bait?" She scowled at him.
"I'm so regretting this." Dean muttered irritably.
"But if I were to be bait, it is the quickest way to draw it out." She said pointedly.
"What are you getting at? Are you planning something?" His eyes narrowed at her.
"I'm not. I was just saying." Jo glared at him.
"This isn't a game Jo." Dean uttered with such severity.
"You don't think I don't know that. I'm not an idiot, Dean." She retorted icily. "I'm really sick of your crap. I'm fully capable of taking care of myself."
"No you're not. If you were they you wouldn't have needed Clark to save you." Dean grunted out. "I don't know why you're so intent on doing this, you've got options. No one in their right mind chooses this life. My dad started me on this when I was so young; I wish I could do something else." He lashed out bitterly.
Jo looked at him resentfully but her phone went off before she could respond. Her hand was shaking as she flipped it open. "Oh, hey." She greeted the caller quietly.
Dean took a deep breath. "Who is it?" He looked at her expectantly.
"It's Chloe." She replied tiredly. "They're done with the third floor." She inched away from him. "I'm okay. Yes, really. He's just telling me not to do anything stupid, like using myself as bait. And he's giving me career advice." She said tartly. "He's telling me to go for normal." She rolled her eyes slightly.
It was obvious to Dean that she somehow felt better upon speaking with Chloe.
"Yeah, I'll tell him." She smiled good-naturedly. She hung up and then gave him a wry smile. "Chloe told me to tell you that normal is highly overrated." Jo informed him haughtily and went back to their previous occupation.
"I never said anything about being normal." Dean retorted to her retreating back. But he shook his head and smiled faintly. Overly emotional moment averted.
"What's wrong with your brother?" Chloe scowled at Sam as she asked the question.
"What did he do now?" Sam inquired in an exasperated tone.
"I didn't get the whole story, but I was pretty sure it had something to do with Jo being in your line of work." She remarked dryly.
"Thus, the normal comment." He nodded in understanding. "Dean's the last person I would expect to encourage someone to be normal." He smiled slightly.
"That's more up your alley, isn't it?" Chloe grinned at him.
Sam shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you attended Stanford, didn't you?" Chloe looked up at him. "I can understand the drive to go somewhere else." She murmured quietly.
The thing was Sam felt that she actually did. "I was going to Law School." He said just as quietly.
Chloe wrinkled her nose at his statement. "I guess you lucked out, huh? Lawyers have a notorious reputation of becoming soulless drones."
He shot her a slight smile. "Then Dean would eventually hunt me."
She shrugged carelessly. "I think being a hunter suits you better. So what were we talking about earlier?" She steered the subject back to their original topic.
"Where we got our intel?" He looked at her expectantly.
"Oh yeah, so how does that work? How do you know where to go for a case?" She asked eagerly.
Sam grinned at her. "Well we usually get it off the net or newspapers. Sometimes we just stumble into a case. There are times that our sources send us into the right direction." He replied simply.
"You have sources?" Chloe looked at him with such interest.
Sam laughed. "Yeah, we do."
"How about the research?" She shot off another question as they entered another wall panel.
"We use the internet and books, books are actually essential in our line of work. There is so much knowledge that can be found in that medium." Sam answered as he squeezed himself into the walls.
"That makes sense, since you guys deal with stuff that have been around for quite some time now." Chloe gave Sam a small smile as she saw the difficulty he was having. He had to crouch down a little since the ceiling was lower than they expected. She briefly wondered how Clark was doing.
"So what about you guys?" He blurted out as he grimaced at the dirt on the pipes around them. Their surroundings were dark and dank. He hoped that Dean and Jo were having better luck with their investigation.
"What about us?" Chloe directed her flashlight in front of her.
"I'd like to know more about the meteor infected community." He said eagerly.
"Sounds fair." She murmured as they walked onward.
"How do you get your intel?" He used the very question that she posed earlier.
"Simple, newspapers. So it helps that I work at the Planet." She replied easily.
"So do you have sources too?" Sam looked behind him to make sure that the ghost won't catch them off-guard.
Chloe looked back at him and gave him her trademark megawatt smile. "Of course."
Sam had to blink a couple of times. Her smile was certainly blinding, he understood what Dean was grumbling about.
"So if you do the research, is Clark the muscle?" He asked once he recovered.
A mysterious smile replaced her wide beam. "You can say that. Clark is really good with the saves." She answered dismissively as she continued forward.
There were pipes blocking their way. Sam placed a hand on her shoulder so she would stop. "I think we should try another entrance to get to the other side, it's too narrow." Sam suggested worriedly.
"I think I can fit." Chloe countered patiently.
"I don't think we should split up." Sam replied uneasily.
"Relax Sam. The sooner we get this done the better." She touched his arm lightly before leaving him behind. She managed to squeeze through the pipes and ended up on the other side.
"Chloe! Maybe we should keep the lines open between us. Call me on my cell." Sam spoke loudly so she could hear him.
"Sure." She responded absentmindedly. But before she could do as he asked her phone rang. "Hey, Clark!" She greeted her best friend cheerfully. Clark was sure to pop a nerve if he found out that she did the exact opposite of his request.
"Hey, Chloe. I'm done with the first floor and second. Where are you now, so I can meet up with you guys?" Clark said earnestly.
"Fourth floor. Just meet us outside." She murmured quietly. The passageway was becoming narrower each step she took. She hung up the phone before Clark could use his superhearing on her.
"Chloe!" Sam shouted at her.
Chloe rolled her eyes. It was becoming apparent that the men she associated with came with a rotten protective streak. She looked for Sam's number and finally did as he asked. "Sam, Clark just called. He's going to wait for us outside." She whispered in exasperation.
"Oh, okay. So how's it looking over there?" He directed his flashlight to where she disappeared to, hoping to catch a glimpse of her so he could at least breathe easier.
"Huh, there's an air duct here. It looks like it's going down." Chloe looked at the means of access curiously. "I'm going to see where it leads to." She informed Sam just before she flipped her phone off.
"Chloe! Chloe, no. Wait for me!" He screamed at her in panic. Sam squeezed through the passage and took the exit. There was another access point.
Chloe shook her head at Sam's reaction. She climbed down the air duct and she landed with a quiet thud. She raised her flashlight and she grimaced when she spotted the dark liquid hanging off one of the panels. "Of course." She muttered resignedly. "Okay, come on. Let's get this show on the road." She dropped to her knees and started crawling.
Sam was out of the walls and he was running towards the other entrance. He took out his phone and tried calling Chloe. Clearly, Clark knew Chloe way too well. He grunted in frustration when Chloe failed to answer.
"Hey!" A hand on his shoulder stopped him on his tracks. "Where's Chloe?" Clark looked at him and then behind him, as though he was hiding Chloe.
"She ran off." Sam uttered impatiently.
Clark ran a hand through his hair. "I knew it." He gritted his teeth in his anger. "Where is she now?" He barked out.
"She went through an air duct." Sam returned in the same tone.
"Clark!!!" The scream rang out just as Sam was opening the section that would lead them to where Chloe was.
Clark practically wrenched Sam out of the way and entered the narrow passageway. "Chloe!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "Chloe!!!" His concern almost made him forget his abilities. He narrowed his eyes and x-rayed the entire area.
"Is she here?" Sam blurted out once he finally caught up with him.
"She's gone." Clark murmured mournfully. He pushed Sam out of the way and walked out.
"Crap!" Sam cursed as he followed after the younger man.
"What happened?" Dean and Jo appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Dean walked towards his brother and Clark. The two had blank expressions on their faces. "Where's Chloe?" He looked at them searchingly.
Jo was stuck where she was.
Clark felt his world crumble. He knew this was going to happen. He should have insisted on going with her. He was losing his focus. It felt like the first time he got his superhearing. He couldn't distinguish one sound from another. A boiling rage was rising within him. Chloe was taken. When he finally looked up he saw Sam. The world disappeared for him and all he could see was red. "You! You let that thing take her away from me!" He grabbed Sam and slammed him against the wall.
"Hey! Let go of him!" Dean shouted at Clark as he tried to wrench the younger man's grip off his brother.
Sam grimaced in pain. Clark was displaying massive strength.
"You took her away from me!" Clark slammed Sam again on the wall; he was not even trying to control his strength.
"Clark! Snap out of it! We can rescue her." Dean gritted out furiously. It felt like he was trying to move a wall. He figured Clark was strong but this was more than he expected. He tried to push him away from Sam.
Clark suddenly felt deflated. His grip on Sam slackened. He took a step back and crumpled to the floor. "I've almost lost her too many times already." He whispered desolately.
Sam took a deep breath and looked at Dean. It was discomfiting to see a man Clark's size the way he was behaving.
Dean shook his head. Clark was acting like Chloe was lost for good. "Get up." He ordered quietly. "You're no use to us if you keep acting like this." He glared at him.
"How did this happen? You were supposed to take care of her." Clark looked up at Sam accusingly.
Sam was unable to meet his gaze.
"It wasn't his fault. You said it yourself; Chloe has a mind of her own." Dean bit out impatiently.
"Stop it." Jo murmured softly.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Are you okay, Sammy?" He eyed his brother searchingly.
Sam nodded in reply. His shoulders were slumped in defeat. He couldn't help but feel responsible. "I'm sorry." He couldn't even look at Clark. The man was in obvious despair. He said that he almost lost Chloe too many times already.
"Can you guys stop it already!" Jo snapped at all of them. "We expected this to happen; in fact we were counting on it."
The three guys finally looked at her. Clark frowned at her words; Sam looked at her in disbelief and Dean eyed her with such suspicion.
"What do you mean you expected this to happen?" Dean demanded.
Jo met their gaze full on. "It's all part of our plan." She answered plainly.
"Whose plan?" Dean glared at her.
"My plan…and Chloe's." Jo answered simply.
TBC
