As dark as the previous chapter was, I decided to add some comedic relief to this one in a few places. There's also a surprisingly wholesome scene at the end of this one that I think most of you will enjoy.

Chapter 8

A Long Way to the Top

When the boys finally arrived at the campground, most of the snow had already melted after the temperatures went above freezing earlier in the day. Dean pulled up next to a round fire pit rimmed with rusty steel in one of the empty lots, and when he stopped the car, he got out and pulled the locket out of his jacket pocket. Clark and Sam got out as well and met up with him at a nearby picnic table.

"We should probably get some firewood," Clark suggested. "I'll go look for some fallen branches."

Dean glanced at Sam, who said, "I'll come help."

The two of them left and Dean sat down at the picnic table. He opened the locket and looked at the picture of Victoria and Harriet again. Seeing the way they embraced each other and smiled for the camera suddenly made him feel bad for burning up their memories. Unfortunately, he knew that any happy memories either of them had, were destroyed by Harry Hardwick a long time ago, and this was something that had to be done.

A few minutes later, Clark and Sam returned to the fire pit with armfuls of twigs and broken branches they'd collected, and set them down next to it. Dean put the locket back in his jacket, got up, and went back to the car so he could open the trunk and get into the weapons case that was inside.

Clark took a look at the stuff they had when Dean propped the lid open with one of the shotguns. "Holy crap! You guys have a more impressive armory than Lex!"

Dean glanced up at him and smirked. "We have everything we need to take down every evil son of a bitch there is. We could even exorcize demons if we had to."

Clark raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Demons are real too?"

"Unfortunately," Sam said as he went to the trunk for a hatchet to chop up some of the longer and thicker branches he grabbed. "We don't have as much experience as our dad does, but all I can say is they are way worse than ghosts."

Then Dean added, "Demons are one of the few things that even you couldn't handle, without proper training. When it comes to those guys, it ain't as simple as shrugging off a direct hit from a flail."

Clark smirked at Dean. "You say that like shrugging off a flail is a simple thing."

Dean grabbed a hatchet and handed it to Sam, so he could get to work, and then he grabbed a shotgun out of the weapons case while his brother stood there, listening to the conversation. "It's a figure of speech. All I'm saying is, it's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll."

Amused by the reference, Clark grinned at him. "Thanks for the warning, Bon Scott."

Dean gave him a funny look. "How do you even know who that is?"

Sam laughed at his brother while he stood there with the hatchet in his hands. "He lives on a farm, Dean! Not in a cave!"

Clark laughed too and Dean shook his head at them. "Shut up, both of you! We've got a job to do, so let's get to it."

Then they went back to the fire pit and got to work. Clark placed a bunch of sticks and chopped up branches inside, and Dean handed Sam the shotgun, so he could get the locket out of his pocket again and set it down on top of the kindling. Clark grabbed a small can of fuel out of the trunk and Dean went back for a can of salt. While Sam kept watch, with the shotgun at the ready, the other guys poured the salt and the lighter fluid onto the locket and the firewood that was piled up underneath it.

When they were done, Dean brought out a box of matches and lit one up as he looked down into the fire pit. "Rest in peace, kid."

Then the ghost suddenly appeared behind him, without even caring that it was broad daylight, and she grabbed him before he could drop the match into the pit. Harriet threw him against the side of the Impala, cracking one of the windows, and he dropped the match onto the wet grass, where it went out.

"Dean!" Sam cried as he took aim with the shotgun, but Harriet teleported out of the way, just as he squeezed the trigger and blasted rock salt through the open air.

The ghost grabbed Clark from behind and she threw him across the park. He flew through the air until he crashed through the wooden top of another picnic table and became tangled up in the metal frame underneath. When the ghost went for Sam, he dropped the shotgun, so Dean grabbed the shovel they kept in the trunk and swung it at her, sending her away with the iron blade.

"Thanks!" Sam cried.

"No problem!" Dean went back to where he dropped the box of matches, but when he tried to light another one, the ghost reappeared in front of him and grabbed him.

"Sam!" Dean cried, when she pinned him against the side of the car.

Sam bent down to grab the shotgun, but Harriet glanced at him with a scowl and sent him flying against a massive tree nearby, so that his back slammed into it. The impact knocked the wind out of him and when he fell to the ground, he gasped for air and slumped over onto his side. Then her attention returned to Dean as she wrapped her hands around his throat and prepared to kill him. He tried slapping at her arms and wrists, but his hands went through them, making it impossible to resist her.

After Clark destroyed what was left of the picnic table and escaped from its metal frame, he ran over to the Impala at full speed and called out to her when he came to a stop. "Harriet! You don't have to do this!"

Harriet glanced back at him angrily, as he approached her with his hands up. "We know you want justice for what happened to you, but this isn't the way to do it!"

Harriet's expression softened and she released her grip on Dean's throat, allowing him to breathe again, while Sam lay gasping for air beside the tree. "Justice…"

Dean stared back at her in surprise, confused by the sudden change that had come over her. Then Harriet let him go and teleported over to Clark, without attacking him. "I want justice."

"We can help you if you let us," Clark said. "But you can't keep going after Victoria."

Then Harriet became angry again. "If you know who I am, then you know what my family did to me!"

"We don't know the whole story," Clark admitted. "But we know how you died, and I'm sure it was a hard life for you."

"Victoria betrayed me," Harriet told him. "I needed her to be there for me… She told me to go away, so it's her fault this happened!"

"But Harriet, she feels terrible about what happened," Clark explained. "She knows she shouldn't have pushed you away and she'd do anything to take it all back."

Harriet glanced at Dean when she saw him run over to his brother's side. He helped Sam get back on his feet and then they just stared at Clark and the ghost, mesmerized by the scene that was unfolding before them.

Once she realized they weren't trying to hurt her, Harriet turned her attention back to Clark. "Is that true?"

"Yes," was Clark's answer. "She knows what she did was wrong and now she's making up for it. I promise."

"Then I'll kill my father instead," Harriet said, suddenly looking angry again.

"Well, we can't let you do that either," Clark started to say, but then she grabbed him and threw him across the park again. This time, he crashed against another large tree and brought a couple branches down with him as he fell.

"Screw this!" Dean cried as he grabbed the shovel he dropped and swung it at Harriet again.

After she disappeared, Dean threw down the shovel and retrieved the box of matches he dropped beside the fire pit. Harriet reappeared next to the tree that Sam was thrown against, just as he lit one of the matches and dropped it on top of the kindling, and then she screamed up at the sky, burst into flames, and disappeared, causing Sam to shield his eyes with his arm. Once Harriet was gone, everything went quiet again and Clark came jogging back over to the Impala, while Sam put his hand on his sore back and waited for his breathing to improve.

Dean looked at Clark with a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Clark. You tried to help her, but it didn't work."

Sam glanced at Clark, looking concerned, and grabbed his shoulder, but their attempt to console him didn't help. The three of them stood there for a bit, watching the locket burn until it had melted into a puddle of goo and ashes, before putting the fire out with handfuls of half-melted snow, and going on their way.

Victoria was still waiting in the medical center's emergency room in a hospital gown when Sir Harry finally came to see her. He looked concerned, but she had a feeling that he was more worried about getting the files on Cadmus Labs, than he was about making sure his own daughter was okay.

"Victoria," he said as he entered the room and sat down next to her hospital bed. "I am so sorry that I put you through this. If I had known that Lex Luthor would-"

"None of this is his fault," Victoria said. "It's yours!"

Harry's face started to turn red, but he held his anger back. "Alright, it was all my fault. I had you sneaking around the Luthor mansion without realizing they'd drive you mad."

She shook her head. "You're wrong. This is because of what happened to Harriet. If you hadn't covered it up, then-"

"Victoria!" Harry snapped. "I've already spoken with a specialist at Belle Reeve. This… nonsense about your sister's spirit coming back as a ghost, must stop at once!"

She gave up on trying to reason with him and looked away. With a sigh, Harry left his chair and went back to the doorway, but then he stopped before leaving.

He glanced back and said, "By the way, I've come to get your things from hospital security, so I can take them back to the vacation suite."

Then she glared at him. "At least then you'll have your precious files! Good luck taking over Luthor Corp, Father!"

Harry turned away and left the room. He exchanged a farewell with the security guard in the hallway and went down to the nurse's station, to discuss Victoria's transfer to Metropolis, where a male nurse handed him a bag containing some of her personal belongings.

"These are the things she had in her purse when the police brought her in," the nurse explained. "We already sent her clothes to Belle Reeve, so she'll have something comfortable to wear in their rehabilitation facility."

Harry thanked him with a smile. "I appreciate everything you've done for her. The last few years have been difficult, after losing her sister. They were very close."

The nurse frowned and nodded. "I am sorry for your loss, Mister Hardwick."

Then he held a clipboard out to him, so Harry could sign for the transfer to Belle Reeve, and he did so without giving it a second thought. "Thank you."

The nurse smiled at Harry and took the clipboard back from him. "Don't worry about Victoria. She's in very capable hands!"

Harry thanked him again and then he left the medical center with the bag in his hands. The limo driver was waiting out front as he got in the back and opened it up.

"Are you ready to head back to Metropolis?" the driver asked.

Harry reached into the bag and nodded. "Yes, take me back to the hotel. Soon, I will own everything that belongs to Luthor Corp."

He pulled out the flash drive that he had given Victoria and set the bag aside. Then he retrieved his laptop from its carrier bag and opened it up. Once he put the flash drive into the USB port, he opened the folder and found the files on Cadmus Labs.

"Well done, Victoria," he said with a smile. "Well done."

The limo driver pulled away from the hospital grounds and headed towards Metropolis. Even though his last surviving daughter was on her way to Belle Reeve, Harry still felt like he won. In his mind, Luthor Corp was about to be his and he would prove to Victoria that her struggles were not in vain.

It was almost sundown when the Impala pulled into the muddy driveway at the Kent Farm, and all the fallen snow was already gone by then. Jonathan and Martha came out to see them when they heard the rumbling of the engine outside. As soon as Dean parked it, he shut it off and the three of them got out.

"How did it go?" Jonathan asked.

When he and Martha saw the look on Clark's face, their hearts fell. Martha went over to her son to check on him. "Are you okay, Clark?"

He nodded and hugged her, but said nothing. After Martha let him go, he hurried back into the house without saying a word and disappeared inside. Martha went after him, but Jonathan remained in the driveway and the two brothers slowly walked up to him.

Jonathan looked at them and sighed. "What happened out there?"

"Clark tried to talk to Harriet," Sam explained. "It seemed like he was getting through to her, but then… She just went crazy."

"I threw the match in the fire pit and burned up the ghost," Dean added. "Clark wanted to help her so bad, but now… He can't let it go."

Jonathan shook his head and inhaled sharply. "I wouldn't be able to let it go either. Listen guys, I don't want you to take Clark on any more hunting trips, ever again. Am I clear?"

Sam nodded. "Crystal."

Then Jonathan said, "Unlike the Luthors, I have a lot of respect for the things you and your father do. Believe me, I do, but it's dangerous and Clark could get hurt out there."

Dean looked down at the ground and kicked a wet pebble with the tip of his steel-toe boot. "After tonight, I'm not so sure Clark even wants to hunt with us anymore."

Jonathan nodded. "Thanks for bringing him home. You boys are welcome to stay for dinner. It's probably been a hard day for all of you."

The boys nodded, but said nothing while they stood there. Then Jonathan made his way back up to the house and the brothers started chatting amongst themselves, when he was far enough out of ear shot.

Dean leaned against the side of the Impala and folded his arms over his chest. "It sucks, man. Clark almost got through to that kid, but she didn't want to listen."

Sam sighed. "I think his only mistake was trying to tell her she couldn't kill her dad. Whatever he did to her, it had to have been messed up, and it probably happened more often than Victoria knew."

Dean shook his head. "I don't get people, man. Monsters and demons, I understand, but people are just sick!"

Then Sam and Dean headed up the driveway, towards the gate in the fence, and followed Jonathan into the house. After everything they went through, they wanted to make sure Clark was okay.

While the setting sun shone through the barn window, Clark went out to the loft and sat down on his couch as he thought about everything that happened. He had been so close to being able to save Harriet from the pain of the fire, but he felt bad for screwing it all up, and he couldn't help wondering if he could have worded things differently, to avoid the situation ending the way it did. While he was up there, he heard the Impala start up and leave the driveway, so he assumed that Sam and Dean had decided not to stay for dinner after all.

He sat up there alone for a few more minutes, but then he heard footsteps coming up the stairs and when he turned, he saw Sam there. "Hey! I thought you and Dean left."

Sam put his hands in his pockets. "No, Dean took off for a little bit, but I'm still here. How's it going?"

Clark got up from the couch and went over to the barn window to look at the sunset. "Okay, I guess. I just wish I could've helped Harriet."

Sam went over to his side and looked out at the sunset with him. "The first time I helped my dad and my brother with a ghost, I tried to talk to them too, but my dad just used me as a distraction so he could burn the bones. Sometimes I wonder if I could've gotten through to them, but like you, I guess I'll never know."

Clark glanced at Sam. "I'm sorry."

Sam sighed. "It's just how things go for us. I've kinda gotten used to it over time, but it still sucks, ya know."

Clark nodded, but said nothing else, so Sam changed the subject and smiled. "You have a great life here in Smallville. I realize that you have to keep your abilities a secret, but I'd still give anything just to trade lives with you. I'd even be willing to let you keep your powers."

Clark smiled back. "You'd be welcome to stay, if you were willing to help out with the chores. Once my parents get to know you better, I'm sure they'd like having you around."

Sam chuckled. "But I've already made up my mind about what I wanna do. I'm gonna see if I can get into Stanford. I suppose I can give you a call if it doesn't work out."

"For what it's worth, I really hope you make it into law school," Clark said. "It would be cool."

Sam glanced at him. "Out of everyone I've ever known, you're the first person to say that."

Clark's smile became a grin. "It means a lot that you came up to check on me. It almost feels like we could be cousins for real, if you guys weren't out hunting things all the time."

Sam slapped Clark on the back. "It's funny that you say that. It almost feels like I have a younger brother now."

They turned away from the barn window and Clark gave Sam a worried look. "Are you okay?"

Sam nodded and placed both hands on the front of his jacket. "I'm alright. What happened at the campground sucked, but I'll live."

"Are you sure?" Clark asked. "I have x-ray vision too. I can double check, if you want."

Sam went over to the couch and plopped down onto it. "Ew, no! Thanks for the offer anyway."

Clark sat down on the other end of the couch and asked, "So where's Dean?"

Sam put his hands behind his head and leaned back on the couch. "He said he was going back to the mansion. He wants Lex to know that the case is closed and… 'Confirm that the castle is no longer haunted'."

Clark started wringing his hands and his smile faded. "Like my dad said, we don't know what kind of secrets are hidden in those halls. Maybe the Luthor mansion will always be haunted."

"Maybe you're right," Sam said. "Anyway, I kinda want to check out the farm."

Clark jumped up. "I might as well show you around. If college doesn't pan out, then you need to know what you'll be dealing with."

Sam got up and laughed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Clark."

Then they went down the stairs, into the barn, so Clark could give him a tour of the place. They hung out around the property together until it got dark, and Dean returned from the Luthor mansion just as they were heading into the house.