Hey ppl, this is my second fic. It's a crossover of Supernatural, Smallville and Veronica Mars. I got this idea when I thought about how Chloe and Veronica would be good friends if they knew each other. Anyways I don't own anything or anyone from Supernatural, Smallville or Veronica Mars even though owning the Winchester boys would be my dream. Lol. Hope you like it, and plz plz review.
Danger Brings Us Closer
Chapter Nine
Dean pulled up in front of the mall and Sam looked at him expectantly. Dean jerked his head towards the building and said, "Let's go already." Sam got out quickly and asked, "Wait, this is where we're going to find Maya?" he was beginning to doubt this idea. Maya sold real mystical amulets and stuff in a mall attacked by the new seasonal colours-neon oranges and pink? Dean turned back to look at him. "Hey don't underestimate her, she told us all that stuff about the amulet…and she thinks I'm hot." He added. Sam rolled his eyes but followed Dean reluctantly-they didn't have much time, the YED could find a way to get through to Veronica if they weren't fast enough and he didn't want any dead ends right now.
As they walked through the floors quickly and silently, Dean glanced at Sam. He'd only seen his brother look this determined when he'd joined hunting again after Jessica's murder and that freaked Dean out. He knew what was going to happen if they didn't end up saving Veronica. Sam always ranted on about how Dean bottled up his emotions but Dean knew Sam wasn't much different-it's just that he had his own way of keeping it all in. The mall was almost empty; all the shops were closing and the only people around were tired shoppers and teens meeting up to use the empty mall parking as a skate ramp.
As they neared the shop Sam suddenly asked, "Dean what if she's closed?" But Dean didn't look too bothered as he replied, "She won't be…but if she is we'll just have to take a look around ourselves, she'll understand." But of course, surrounded by all the closed shops with the shutters pulled down was Maya's shop, the pink walls standing out and the doors wide open. Dean found it weird that Maya was sitting right behind the counter, staring at them knowingly-in fact he was finding that a bit freaky.
He shared a quick look with Sam and they both walked over to her. She nodded and said, "It is good to see you back Dean…and Maya sees you have brought your brother as well." Maya stood up and beckoned them over to the back room, which was more crowded with amulets, ancient books and other mysterious objects than the actual shop. It was much darker here and they barely had enough space to move around. Dean nodded and quickly said, "Yeah this is Sam. Maya we need your help."
Maya, who had been watching Sam's slightly wary face carefully, nodded understandingly and replied, "Yes…Maya knew from the day you entered the shop that you would be back very soon, in need of help." Sam asked quickly, "Dou you know why we need your help?" Maya turned to him and looked at him deeply for a few seconds before saying quietly.
"The stars warn Maya of trouble Sam, but they do not display what the danger is. You should know, that the messages we get are often so confusing that we cannot decipher it without obvious signs." Sam's eyes snapped to hers as she said this and he nodded. Maya turned back to Dean, "Maya has been trying to find ways to help you…her messages are often connected to amulets. Maya guesses that your problem includes an amulet?"
Dean nodded in agreement while Sam looked on with faint amazement. "Yeah…we need to find an amulet that can protect Veronica, our friend from a demon. She's, well…she's different and…" Dean looked at his brother for help. Sam turned to Maya and answered, "Veronica is an easy target for the demon…her mind is really vulnerable right now and he's attacking it every chance he gets." His voice was firm as he said all of this and Dean looked on with a mixed look of concern and approval.
Maya turned to a wall covered with all sorts of amulets and said quietly as she ran her fingers along the shiny and dull stones, "Yes, angels and their descendants can often become very frail when the dogs of hell are released to hunt them. Dean frowned, "How did you know she was an angel?" he asked, he didn't like it when strangers knew too much about something he hadn't even told them about-even if they were psychic. She turned back to them and said almost wearily, "Maya has found that Winchesters can be the slightest bit arrogant about their hunting information. Maya has also read up on the many historical supernatural events and creatures of the world. Maya believes in staying alert of dark forces." She watched with interest as Sam gave Dean a pointed amused look and Dean scowl back at him.
"Your friend Veronica, has all the symptoms of an angel descendant and if the demon has already begun to attack her sensitive mind, then we must not waste any time…Maya will give you an amulet she think is best for your friend's mind and if put on under the right instructions, she will be safe. But…" here Maya looked at them sharply. "Be sure to put it on today before the sun sets…you will wait outside while Maya chooses and prepares the right amulet." She turned her back on them and started walking past the wall of amulets slowly. Sam gathered this was their cue to leave the back room and he pulled Dean outside with him.
Dean watched on as Sam checked his watch and looked out across the mall's windows at the low sun. He sighed and said, "Don't worry Sam…we'll get that amulet on her and she'll be fine. And then we're going to get out there and kill that fucking demon." Sam looked over at Dean and nodded. When he spoke Dean could hear the fear in voice. "You know, if this was about keeping her safe physically, it would be easy. At least we'd be able to do it. But keeping her from killing herself is like trying to trap water in your hands…there's always some crack that that YED finds and he gets in her head, making her think twisted things." Sam looked away in anger and Dean placed a hand on his shoulder.
Dean cleared his throat, "Sam, Veronica's strong…you know she wouldn't give in to the YED." Sam looked back at Dean and shook his head, "Not when he shows her twisted reality. Like today, the YED told Veronica the truth about what I am, and he made her hate me while I tried to bring her back…the only reason she trusts me right now is because she thinks it was just the YED lying about me. When she finds out about the truth…" he trailed off here.
"When she finds out the truth? What truth are you talking about Sam? That a demon told you the same lies he told her today? Why would you believe anything he says Sam? Look…you and I both know that you'd die rather than join the bastard who killed mom and dad. And the girl you love can see that, otherwise she would've trusted everything that came out of the YED's mouth and taken the first chance to kill you. So don't go thinking we're going to run for it as soon as you tell us you think you're a demon, because we know better than that." Dean said loudly and quickly.
Sam looked annoyed, no doubt he'd be thinking he didn't understand, Dean thought and Sam opened his mouth to argue about what Dean had just said. But the macramé beads leading into the back room chimed as Maya stepped out and both brothers gave each other a frustrated look before turning to her. If she had heard or sensed their argument, she was wise enough to ignore it and instead she smiled at them with her hand raised lightly.
She pressed the brown leather stringed amulet into Sam's hand and said, "Maya has locked this sapphire amulet with protective seals for the safety of your friend's mind…like Maya has said before, you must put this around her neck before the sun sets today or else it will lose its enchantment. Now you must go, Maya bids you well…goodbye Dean." She added to Dean who flashed a grin. The boys looked down at the amulet and then up to say thanks to Maya but they glimpsed her moving back into the backroom and decided to leave.
They were walking outside through the empty car park and Dean looked sideways at his brother. He knew Sam cared about her…he'd seen the way he was around Veronica and he could see she felt the same way about Sam. Dean cleared his throat as he opened the car door and got in while Sam did the same. After a few more seconds of awkward silence, Dean started the engine and asked casually, "So, did you guys kiss yet?" He could hear his brother mutter swearing under his breath and Sam looked at him sharply, "Dean." He warned. Dean just rolled his eyes and started driving.
Sam meanwhile got out his phone and called Chloe's number. She picked up almost straight away and greeted him eagerly. "Hey, we've got an amulet…we're on our way there. How's Veronica?" he asked more gently. Chloe who'd been thanking god in reply to the news he had just given her, now said in a relieved tone, "She's much better, she's sleeping because she feels really tired…I gave her some stuff to eat and yeah. Just get back quickly…the house feels freaky when its just us." She admitted. Sam smiled grimly and said, "Yeah, we're on our way don't worry. Bye." Chloe said bye as well and they both hung up.
While Dean and Sam drove home, Chloe paced the lounge room floor anxiously. She hated waiting while time ran out; she hated not being able to do something while everyone else did. But there wasn't anything she could do, Chloe realized. The only way to protect her friend right now was to find her an amulet and the boys were doing that already…she could just sit an pray that they got her the amulet in time. Just sit and…Chloe's eyes snapped as her eyes fell upon Sam's laptop case. She didn't have to sit around waiting for answers; she could make herself useful by finding out more about this.
Chloe quickly headed upstairs, taking a quick look at Veronica on the way to make sure she was alright. Veronica was still fast asleep and Chloe quickly made her way back to where she kept her laptop. They'd all been so caught up in shock and fear when they had found out what was happening to Veronica, that they'd stopped researching what happened further on to angels and their descendants.
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Dean pulled up into the Sullivan's driveway and gave Sam a quick glance as he got out. He hoped the girls had been fine while they were away for that brief time. He knew Chloe was a tough chick, it was an attractive trait he admired, and he knew that Veronica was also a smart and strong girl. But with all that was happening right now, he was afraid that they'd end up breaking down under the continuous attacks and fear that the YED kept sending their way. And since both of these girls meant something to both him and his brother he knew this was a way of killing two birds with one stone for the YED. But he wasn't going to let him have that satisfaction.
When he and Sam entered the house they found it dead quiet. He cast his eyes around the empty room and looked at Sam who had the same look of suspicion on his face. They'd become wary of empty draughty rooms thanks to the numerous times they'd been jumped on by various demons and other supernatural beings in empty rooms similar to this. Dean put a hand to his back pocket where he kept his gun and he called out, "Chloe?"
A few moments later, as Dean held his breath without realizing it, Chloe's feet appeared on the stairs and she came striding down quickly. When she saw it was them she smiled in visible relief and Dean was able to breathe properly. He gave her a firm but worried look, "I was starting to freak out." He mumbled. Chloe grinned weakly, "Why? I was just upstairs…" she looked into his tensed face and understood why he had freaked out. It was hard not to when the four of them were vulnerable, especially Veronica.
She pressed herself into Dean's arms, not really caring about Sam standing there (she didn't think he really cared right now anyways) and smiled at Dean's strong hold on her. Sometimes he couldn't tell her what he wanted to say with words and that's when he used his body language…and right now his body language was telling her how scared he was of losing her. Chloe moved her face upwards so she could see him clearly and she said, "Hey don't worry, I'm fine…I'm safe." She looked into his tender eyes to see him take a deep breath and give her a quick kiss on the top of her head.
She moved away from him slowly and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, I know…it's just, I didn't know how things were here." He replied, quickly going back to the Dean who was hardly ever emotional. Chloe grinned and turned to Sam. "I think you should put the amulet on her now, we don't want to be the least bit late." Her eyes had glanced quickly at the sun, which was starting to glow orange and Sam nodded. "Yeah, I'll go do that now. Is she asleep?" he asked. Chloe nodded but told him, "I don't think we should let her take long naps…I'm scared the YED will try taking advantage of that, so you should wake her up." Dean asked if Sam wanted them to come but he already knew the answer, Sam wanted to do this alone.
Sam walked upstairs quickly and quietly opened the door. Veronica was sleeping peacefully and he was painstakingly reminded of Jessica. But he sat on the edge of her bed and leaned over her. "Veronica? Wake up…I've got something for you." He said shaking her gently. She frowned in her sleep and mumbled something but after a few more little shakes, she opened her eyes and looked at him from under her eyelids. When she realized who it was, she sat up quickly and smiled at him sleepily.
"Hey." She said in an almost whisper. Sam grinned at her and held out his hand. Veronica looked down and saw the amulet. "Another amulet?" she asked rubbing her eyes gently. Sam nodded and said, "Yeah , we went and paid Maya a visit and when she realized we were talking about you being a part angel, she gave us this….it's going to help protect your mind from the YED's attacks" Veronica looked at the small sapphire and the black leather stringing through it. She couldn't help but give a small bitter laugh and Sam looked up at her in surprise.
She stopped when she saw Sam and bit her lip, "Sorry, its just that it feels like I'm so twisted right now that I have to wear amulets that stop me from going insane….like pills at a crazy house." She said gravely. Veronica let her eyes fall back to her lap and she felt a rush of anger towards her helplessness. Her friends were going through crap to see her sane and protected while she was taking a nap! When she felt Sam's hand upon her shoulder, she felt her throat clog up and she bit back tears.
"You're not crazy Veronica….he's doing this to you. It's his sick way of luring you. We know that you'd never hurt us intentionally." Sam's voice told her gently as he rubbed her shoulder gently. At this Veronica's tears spilled down her cheeks and she turned to Sam. "But I'm still hurting you guys! Every freaking time he makes me hallucinate, I have no self control! I can't see myself almost killing my best friends like this….I don't get why you guys don't just let him get to me and then kill him, it would be so much easier; for all of us." She added as she looked away.
Sam moved forward to hold her arms but she shrugged away, tears still dripping. She'd always been an independent person, who did what she wanted and got up when she fell down. But now, she was lying in a deep trench and she kept getting pushed back down every time she found a way to get out. Sam turned her around to him again firmly and held her there, his eyes looking fierce and filled with authority.
"If you think we'd abandon you, then maybe you don't know me as well as I thought you did. If you think any one of us is going to be able to spend one moment in peace if we let him kill you, then he's broken you completely and he'll have a much easier job getting to you Veronica." Veronica shrank at this and Sam's suddenly fiery eyes and he dropped his head down, rubbing his head in frustration. She gulped and berated herself for going on selfishly about how she couldn't cope. He was right, she knew he'd never leave her for the demon; neither would Dean or Chloe. In fact they would die rather than let the demon kill her.
Veronica moved closer to Sam timidly and moved her hand over his, clasping it loosely. Sam looked up slightly, watching their hands intently. He didn't know how to get it across to her, without being harsh, that he'd never leave her side. He didn't know how to tell her that he loved her without having to put her life in danger. And then he couldn't stay by her side without telling her how he felt either.
Sam looked up at her glistening face and wiped the tears away with his free hand. "Veronica, we'd never leave you, no matter how bad things get….because we love you." Here Sam paused and glanced back at their hands, entwined and still. He looked back at her, into her eyes and added breathlessly, "Because I love you. And there's nothing I wouldn't do to se you happy." He could tell he had shocked her because her eyes widened slowly. But a look of uncertainty crossed her pale face and she said, "But, I thought I was dangerous for you….the other day you said that we couldn't…." she trailed off here and glanced at their hands and then to his face.
He nodded but held on, "There's something about me….that you don't know, and that I might not tell you right now. Not because I don't trust you, because I don't trust myself. What I said the other day was true, that we can't be together because there's a risk…but I definitely didn't mean you Veronica. I don't think there'd be anything you'd do that would make me step back from being with you, but the issue I have with myself makes it hard for me to be with you." He knew it didn't make complete sense but he said it anyway, hoping she wouldn't ask him too much.
Veronica had been taking all this in, it wasn't her kiss or the fact that she was an angel descendant…it was because of issues he was dealing with. Even though she wouldn't have taken the 'its-not-you-its-me' line normally, this was different. She could tell by his tone of voice and the fact that he'd just told her that he loved her. He wouldn't lie to her, she knew it and there was some good reason for him not being with her and she'd accept that.
He was watching her face carefully and she brought his hand up to her lips. She smiled as she pressed it against her cheek and then let go. "I love you too….and it makes it a different sort of friendship but if we can't be together for whatever reasons, we can still be friends. I don't want you to tell me what's making it hard for us to be with each other because I want you to tell me when you feel ready for it. But I just want you to know that my feelings for you won't change with what you tell me…and I'm imagining the worst but I'm still feeling no different." She told him gently.
He smiled at her and stroked her jaw. "I know but I don't know if I can tell you without pulling myself away from you so I think I'll wait for the right time….but trust me when that right time comes, I won't hide anything from you I swear." He said getting up slowly. Veronica got up as well and she nodded understandingly.
Sam looked at the amulet in his clenched hands and quickly glanced out the window where it signaled that the sun was about to set soon. He quickly walked over to Veronica and turned her around while he untied the amulet. "Remember to never take this off okay? No matter where you are, or what you're doing, keep it around you always." He said, his fingers brushing against the back of her neck as he did. Veronica closed her eyes as she felt goose bumps arise where his fingers had touched her skin and she nodded quickly.
She could feel the amulet's effect as soon as she touched the sapphire bit. Its lightness was spreading through her body and she likened it to Chloe's amulet. But this time her mind felt like it was going through a cleansing; the good memories she had of her loved ones and herself playing in her mind and a new feeling of hope and courage running through her like a hot wire. It was weird, feeling so light after such a harrowing time. It had been short lived, but it had been depressing enough to live with her for a lifetime. She could feel herself brighten up and felt warmer than she had before.
Sam stepped away from her and looked at her curiously, trying to gather any evidence of a new Veronica. He smiled back widely when she did, thankful and happy that she was feeling different-it meant the amulet had worked. "Can you feel the change?" he asked. Veronica nodded and replied, "It feels like someone's pulled a plug in my head….there's no bad feeling in there, no fearful thoughts…nothing." She added smiling again. He grinned, wanting to laugh out in happiness that something had worked but instead he nodded and asked if she wanted to go back downstairs.
Veronica nodded and Sam told her, "Yeah, Chloe and Dean have been pretty worried about you." She grinned at this because she had seen how supportive they'd been and both Sam and she walked back downstairs. Dean and Chloe had been sitting on the lounge quietly and when they heard footsteps, they looked up expectantly. Chloe smiled gently when she saw her and quickly walked up to her. "Hey, how are you feeling? Did you put it on?" her questions were filled with concern and Veronica could see her eyes searching hers.
She glanced over at Dean who had joined their little huddle and he seemed to be just as nervous. Veronica smiled widely as an answer and they both let out sighs of relief. "Thank-freaking-god," Dean said loudly slapping Veronica on the back like she'd just scored at a football game. She laughed even while she winced slightly (Dean was a solid guy and she wasn't used to back-slaps) and he quickly apologized after receiving a sharp "Dean!" from both Sam and Chloe. They were all laughing however, because things just seemed a step better now.
They all sat down and Veronica couldn't help smiling as Chloe and Sam offered to make dinner and Dean offered to play a congratulatory game of Bullshit with the deck of cards he had. "She just found a barrier to put up between the YED and you want to celebrate that by playing a game about the best liar?" Chloe asked scoffing from the kitchen. Sam grinned to himself as he found vegetables to make a salad. Dean defended himself by exclaiming, "Well it's either that or you want me to buy some good booze to help celebrate…and you need to know how to lie properly to get out of trouble. It's helped us loads of times."
Veronica laughed as Chloe quietly muttered that she'd rather let him play Bullshit than go crazy on the alcohol, while Dean handled the cards. For a while, (well while Dean's cards were disappearing) they talked about small things like what they would use to kill the YED (Dean kept saying they'd find something and that Veronica wasn't supposed to start worrying so soon) and about how Sam and Dean would probably try teaching the girls how to use weapons real soon. Veronica raised her eyebrows at that while she cheated Dean into believing she had thrown down an ace, while she really thrown down a seven.
"I know how to use a gun." She told him quickly. He looked up at her and grinned, "Yeah but that probably won't work most of the time…you'll need to know how to use a shotgun filled with rock salt, how to use crossbows, where to get a vamp with a stake….you know that sort of stuff. But you'll both learn in no time. I mean you girls are probably the toughest." He said smiling as he told before telling her he'd put down a five. She half glanced at the card, "Bullshit." She replied quickly. Dean scowled but picked up the pile.
Veronica grinned at this and looked over pointedly at Chloe who was going on about the data systems of the MetU campus with Sam who looked very interested. Veronica looked back at Dean with a smirk and said casually, "Yeah, Chloe won't have much trouble learning how to fight, she's good already." She saw Dean's lips twitch into a smile here and her smirk grew. He nodded as he put down a card again and he shook his head lightly. "Yeah, she's a fighter….and she's smart. And she's always got a good comeback, its fun annoying her sometimes." He said fondly.
At this point Veronica was down to her last two cards and she conned her way into her last. She kept her tone casual, "Yeah, you know you both make a great couple Dean. And I think you already know that….she's everything you need-someone to keep you in line." Dean had put down a card again and he looked up in faint surprise. "Right…nah we just flirt around but you know it's nothing serious, we fight all the time." He said looking down at his three cards in his hand. She looked at him calmly and said, "Bullshit." He looked up sharply, "What? Okay how do you know that we're together? We haven't even had time to tell any of you? Does this come with the angel thing because that's a breach of privacy….I think?" Dean asked quickly.
Veronica laughed loudly and pointed at his card, "I wasn't talking about you and Chloe I was talking about the cards Dean….But thanks for telling me anyways, not that we didn't know. It was so obvious." She said still giggling at his outburst. He looked around sheepishly and groaned when she threw her cards down, winning the game. "Okay that was a trick….making me spill personal secrets, sidetracking me from the game." Dean grumbled as he shuffled his cards back into the original pile. Veronica still grinned lightly and gave Chloe a wide knowing smile as she came into the lounge room with a tray of food.
Chloe gave her a puzzled glance but sat down anyway, Sam walking behind her with the salad. Dean gave Veronica a warning glance as he moved over to Chloe and Sam but this didn't go unnoticed by Chloe. "What?" she asked the two when Veronica scooted over. Dean who hadn't wasted any time in stuffing a handful of fries in his mouth shook his head. This made Veronica grin widely and she shrugged, "Oh, nothing." She answered sharing a mischievous smile with Sam. Chloe frowned slightly but then sighed, "Okay then…dig in everyone apart from Dean who doesn't need to be told." They grinned at this and started piling food onto their plates.
When they'd finished they cleared up, Dean volunteering (to Sam's utter amazement) to wash the dishes. Chloe quickly pulled out her laptop while Sam casually flicked the TV on. For some reason it felt weird to watch TV after such a long time and for a second even Chloe looked up in daze. The news was coming on and the newsreader was talking about a possible kidnapping case. Veronica tried to speak but Sam quieted her quickly, his eyes fixed with a concentrating look. She looked back at the TV and after a few moments her mouth formed an 'O'.
"Tina Moreton was said to be in an unstable state mentally prior to her disappearance from the Smithsonian Asylum last week. While her family pleas for her return they also warn that Tina has hallucinating tendencies and that she is an insomniac. While Kansas police are on a detailed search for her, they urge viewers to contact the missing person's unit if they her anywhere." A picture of a petite blonde with a doleful expression came up on the screen before the news reader switched to other news. Her voice was muted as Sam turned to look at Veronica and Chloe while Dean stood in the doorway of the kitchen. He'd come out as soon as he had heard that the girl had escaped from an asylum.
Veronica took a deep breath and Chloe momentarily stared at the TV screen. Finally Sam spoke, "Do you guys think she's……" he trailed off here, he wasn't sure if he was jumping to conclusions or not (although by this point in this hunt he was sure he wasn't). Veronica looked back at him closely and finished his question, "If she's a descendant?" He nodded and Dean walked into the lounge room. He sat down next to Chloe and started to say, "Hey maybe we should check this out-" but Chloe was already nodding and she replied with her eyes glued to the screen. "I'm on it. But I think I know what we're going to get." She said seriously.
Veronica was sure as well. All the hints went together like a jigsaw puzzle; the girl's insomnia, her hallucinations, her appearance and her location. Maybe the YED had found another descendant while looking for Veronica in Smallville? She quickly glanced back at Sam and saw that he was looking at her with a knowing look. But when he opened his mouth to speak, Chloe started reading out loud from what she had gathered on the net. "Guys I think Tina Moreton is an angel descendant….she's had an almost perfect record in Smallville High, where she goes and she's been in that asylum for almost two months now…." Chloe's eyebrows slanted downwards as she fell silent and Dean read on for her.
"It says here the girl had a 'rapid deteriorating mind'….they were thinking about sending her to a higher institution, to Belle Reve or something for further treatment. Man, she had the same symptoms; hallucinations-it won't say what of exactly but they mention 'monsters' so I'm guessing that's the demon. And she was becoming suicidal, becoming harmful to others. They had no idea what was wrong because she was perfectly healthy both physically and mentally before the symptoms." Dean stopped here and looked up expectantly at Sam and Veronica. Chloe busily started typing away at the keyboard.
Veronica raised her eyebrows and nodded, "Yeah, she's a descendant….god, what has he done with her? Where would she be?" she asked worriedly, a mix of emotions going through her. She knew what it was like, the hallucinations, the suicidal thoughts going through your mind every time you came this close to hurting the people around you. She must have hated herself, Veronica thought sadly. Sam placed a hand on her shoulder and she grinned quickly at him, not wanting to make a scene right now.
Chloe looked up at them again and said quickly, "I looked into her family background and her mother was a school teacher and her father was a construction worker. Her mom died when Tina was seven and it was most gruesome scene in the neighborhood….she died the same way the angels did. And apparently in Tina's yearbook, she say's she was brought up by her grandma since she was six because of her parent's insistence. I think they wanted to keep her away from her mom's hallucinations." Chloe finished off. The other three looked at each other gravely before Veronica added to this. "And because her mother had the same thing, the doctors and her father probably thought it was some hereditary mental condition. So he admitted her into an asylum quickly."
"We can still find her and the YED." Chloe said quickly closing her laptop. Dean looked at her and asked, "How? All the police files probably have is that she was last seen at school or at a friend's house or something. And the YED probably took her god knows where." They were surprised to see Chloe give him a grave smile. "Yeah but once we know where she was last seen, we could check out the surrounding security cameras….there has to be something. People don't just disappear without a trace." She said more to herself.
Sam nodded but then glanced sideways at Veronica. "Maybe Dean and I should go check out what her father remembers about this and take a look at the security videos…." He was hoping the girls would agree but there was an almost immediate answer to this. Chloe and Veronica both stared at him sharply and if they hadn't been in such a serious situation, Dean would have laughed out loud at the way his brother was cringing back. "I don't think so. What are we supposed to do sitting at home?" Chloe said (her voice firm). Veronica nodded and added, "And we're going to end up wasting time if you guys have to do both…we need to find her fast."
Dean understood why they were both so determined to go but he knew why Sam was so resistant. He decided to help his brother out just this once. "Look, maybe you should stay at home Veronica…the YED's after you especially and if you're out in the open he could come after you easily. We can get this done-we've done it before." He tried, with failing success as he saw the girls look at each other. He didn't get a response; just a hard stare from them both and it unnerved him faintly. Dean held back a frustrated growl and threw his hands up.
"Fine! Why do I even bother?" he asked, turning to look at Sam. The girls both broke into a smile. Veronica glanced quickly at Sam, "Because you love us….and you can't win." She added getting up. Chloe gave a short laugh and they all got up. She glanced at Chloe and asked, "You want to check the cameras tomorrow?" Chloe nodded and the boys glanced at each other in defeat.
The next morning, after a peaceful sleep (for once since this whole thing had started) Veronica, Sam, Chloe and Dean were up early and they had a hasty breakfast much to Dean's chagrin. "One more pie?" he tried to reason to Sam who half was pushing him out of his seat. "You just had two plates of eggs and bacon, how much more can you eat?" he asked knowing the answer. Dean grinned and replied, "Well if you let me, I can show you." Sam snorted, "Yeah I don't think so, we've got to go Dean." Dean got up reluctantly and asked as he grabbed his things, "Why? The guy's not running anywhere." The girls grinned at each other and let Sam push Dean out to the hallway.
As the four of them made their way out of the door, Chloe pulled Dean back for a few seconds. Dean smirked, "Oh so you're in the mood for a risky quickie?" he asked. Chloe rolled her eyes and slapped his arm lightly. "No, I was going to ask you about Sam and Veronica." She replied grinning slightly at the way Dean's eyebrows rose. "Sam and Veronica?" he repeated. Chloe nodded and said casually, "You know I think you've lost Dean, Sam and Veronica aren't together yet." He groaned, and then gave her a mocked surprised look. "Chloe, betting on your friend's love life? How could you? I think if we leave this where it is right now, no one will find out."
Chloe whacked him on his arm harder and he rubbed it quickly. "Don't you dare make up excuses Dean; just because you've lost you can't back out of it." She reminded him as she closed the door behind him. They both glanced at Sam and Veronica who were standing near Chloe's car, talking quietly. Dean looked back at her and replied happily, "Yeah but we've still got three days to go until mid week so technically you haven't won either…which means no manhandling my car for you." She grinned wickedly, "Yeah but we've got a few more days to go and I'm certain that they'll get together by then. And when they do Dean, I'm going to have a lot of fun with your car."
Dean opened his mouth to reply but Veronica's impatient voice called out to them, "Will you two stop flirting so we can get going already?" They laughed and quickly walked over to the other two. Sam glanced at his watch and asked, "So when do you guys want to meet up again? I don't think you two should stay there for too long. If you can't find anything then don't stay in one place for too long. It could be dangerous." Dean quickly added, "And if anything goes wrong, anything, then call us. I mean it." He hadn't missed the look crossing Chloe's face. Veronica grinned at both of the guys and then said, "Don't worry…we're not going to go running after the YED, we're just checking some security tapes." Chloe nodded. "Yeah but still…" Sam mumbled.
They said bye after confirming they'd meet back at Chloe's house in the afternoon around four and the girls got into Chloe's car, while Dean and Sam got into the Impala. Sam had pulled out the Moreton's address out of the internet and they hoped he was at home. The girls however were stopped a few minutes through the road when surprisingly Clark's car pulled up near Chloe's.
Clark smiled and said 'hi' to Veronica in the passenger's seat. Chloe smiled back at him as well but was slightly puzzled at his being there. "Hey Clark, what's up?" she asked getting out of her car. Clark got out and walked over to her, glancing around him as he did. Chloe could sense something was wrong. "Hey what's wrong?" she asked. He lowered his voice slightly so that Veronica couldn't hear and said, "Well, there was something on the news yesterday that's helping me on the whole Lex thing. But it doesn't look too good." He added solemnly.
She looked back at him slowly, wondering if he was looking for the same person they were out looking for. "What did you see Clark?" she asked. He sighed, "Yesterday a girl went missing from an asylum not too far from here…and she'd been attending Smallville High. I didn't think too much of it because a lot of people go there but then they mentioned that she was being transferred to Belle Reve, and that's really suspicious. I heard Lex talking about a girl with the principle there and now a girl's gone missing. I think she's the one they were talking about." He stopped here.
Chloe's eyes widened here and she glanced back at the car where Veronica was peering out at them confusingly. Her mind worked quickly thinking about how she could help Clark help them without blowing his secret and without exposing what she and the others were really doing. Finally she glanced up at Clark and let out a relived sigh. "You couldn't have mentioned this at a better time Clark. We really need your help."
His eyes snapped to hers, "Why what happened?" She glanced back at Veronica and said quickly, "The girl that went missing yesterday, she's Veronica's family friend. When she saw what had happened to her yesterday on the news, Veronica was really worried. That's why we were on our way to try and find her. Now that you've told me about who you think is behind her disappearance, I think you should come with us…we need some help on this." Clark looked back at her in surprise, "She's her friend? You should've called me for help before. Is your friend alright?" he asked looking back at Veronica as well.
Chloe glanced back and saw that Veronica was looking pretty confused now. "Yeah, she's worried and really determined to find her. We're going over to check some security tapes, you should come with us." She said quietly. Clark nodded, "Yeah…I'll follow you guys in my car. Tell her not to worry." He added, his superhero side kicking in. Chloe hid her smile, "Yeah okay." She got back in the car, while he did as well and turned to Veronica. Veronica asked, "What was that about? You guys looked serious."
Her friend looked at her with a slight smile and said quickly, "Okay, as of now, you are a family friend of Tina Moreton and you're really freaked out over her disappearance. I think Clark can help us with the security tapes and stuff." Veronica opened her mouth to ask something and Chloe already knew what it was. "Oh, Clark's like the town's detective….he thinks a guy named Lex is behind all this but we know that it's the YED," Chloe answered quickly as she steered the car into mainstream traffic.
Veronica nodded but then asked, "Wait, so does Clark know that it's the YED?" she had a feeling Clark didn't know the full story here. Chloe glanced back at her and grinned grimly, "Well, if I told him our theory behind this, I'd probably end up in Belle Reve as well…And let's just put it this way-I've been there before and I never want to go back again." She smirked at her scary memories and saw Veronica raise her eyebrows.
Veronica sighed quickly and changed her tone to a professional one. "Okay, so we're going to obviously check her school security tapes and ask around there….then we're going to go follow up on some leads we get from her friends and stuff?" Chloe nodded, "Yeah…I guess we can't go investigating in her house seeing as how Dean and Sam are probably interviewing her dad just about now," she said thoughtfully. She glanced back at Veronica to see her roll her eyes and say sarcastically, "Yeah that just might be the slightest bit weird." The two laughed at this and continued driving, Clark driving nearby his thoughts filled with Tina Moreton, Belle Reve and Lex Luthor.
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Dean cleared his throat carefully and Sam responded with a glare. He threw his arms up and mouthed the word, 'what?' They were sitting in Tina Moreton's living room and seated opposite them was Gary Moreton, her father. Sam's heart reached out to the man as soon as he saw him and what state he was in. It was obvious that he had been struggling in grief. The man's clothes looked like he'd been sleeping in them for a few days and his face was unshaven, the thick stubble giving him a slightly daunting look. His eyes were bloodshot and his house was covered in strewn papers and empty cans and boxes of food.
They had entered the house like always, and the same sorts of questions had followed, "Why do you need more details?" and "I've already answered all these questions." But then, once they had revealed they were thinking about asking the public around specific locations about Tina's disappearance, Gary Moreton had immediately let them in.
"So what was her routine like?" Sam asked. Gary shrugged his shoulder gently, "Like what every teenager's routine is like…she went to school, had sleepovers at her friend's house, came home and looked after me and this place. She had a normal life." His eyes started misting over. Dean narrowed his eyes, "She had a normal life? Why? What happened?" He almost yelped in pain when Sam kicked his shins. Gary looked at Dean with slight doubtfulness. "Oh, yeah, the asylum." Dean said more to himself than the other two. 'When did her state of mind start deteriorating? When did things get hard?" Sam asked, in that gentle tone that seemed to cover up Den's bluntness.
Gary coughed and then said, "Well, she started having trouble sleeping, said there were angels in her dreams….once she told me she saw her mother all bruised and scarred. We went to specialists and all that….at first they said it was just exam stress, petty things teenagers worry about. But no, it just got worse and worse. She started seeing things that weren't there. Started seeing things that don't exist-and that's when I realized what was happening." He stopped here and looked up at them.
Dean nodded and asked, "The condition that your wife had?" Gary nodded silently. 'Yeah…I saw my wife go through hell and back. She ended up dying…" his voice quavered here, "Ended up dying in a way no one would dream of…and then Tina starts running away from me, screaming that I was some monster. It was like the whole thing happening all over again. I took her to some doctors, and when they heard that her mother had it too, and then they ran some tests and told us she had it as well."
Sam nodded and noticed sympathetically that the older man was trying to hide his obvious pain in his bloodshot eyes. "Did they tell you what she had?" he asked carefully. Gary sighed slowly and as Dean studied his tired face he realized, painfully. He shrugged, "Yeah, they diagnosed her with Guillain Barre Syndrome; it's what they diagnosed my wife with as well…and now she's missing." He added, looking across the mantelpiece of in his living room where a photo of Tina was sitting. Sam glanced over at Dean who was looking across at Gary with a serious expression. When their eyes met, Dean coughed lightly and stood up. "Um, do you mind if I use your bathroom?" Sam's eyebrows narrowed faintly as he tried to think of what Dean was up to.
Gary looked up at Dean in surprise; it looked like he'd been jolted into the present. "Um, yeah sure you can…the bathroom is up the stairs third room down." Dean nodded and quickly thudded up the stairs leaving Sam to question Gary further. While he walked up the stairs, Dean pulled his demon detector and aimed it in front of him while he looked around the empty landing.
He got what he was expecting as the device started showing him high levels of activity. He followed the strong beeping levels until it took him to a shut room. Dean made sure no one had followed him upstairs before he opened the door. He could tell instantly that this was Tina's room; the levels of demonic activity were reaching its highest and the room was decorated to a teenage girl's liking.
As Dean closed the door behind him, his eyes swept around the room, looking for anything out of place. The room was clean and tidy, the walls covered in posters and photos of Tina and her friends, everything looked normal. But behind closed doors….Dean thought as he eyed the closet door. He reached out and pulled the door back to find that the closet was a mess. Clothes were heaped on the floor, a lot of the coat hangers had nothing on them and when Dean peered into the walls closely, he found long scratch marks on the wooden walls. "What the hell happened to her in here?" Dean thought out loud.
Taking a deep breath he lifted the clothes away from the floor, shoving shoes and school papers out of the way. But then something caught his eye- a purple thick diary, bound shut by a blue ribbon. Dean stood back up satisfactorily, as twisted as this was, at least they'd be able to find some first hand information from this find.
Sam sighed inwardly as he waited for Dean. He was taking too long…if Gary wasn't in such a depressed state he would have realized that Dean had been gone for a few minutes too long. But he didn't seem to care much about anyone else apart from his daughter. "She was the best kid a father could have….she never went out after dark, never tried anything stupid like drugs and whatnot. She took care of everyone that mattered and always wanted her friends and family to be happy." Gary said sighing as he zoned out again. Sam nodded thoughtfully and eyed Dean's feet as they started down the stairs.
When his brother appeared, Sam got up slowly. The movement made Gary look up quickly. "Leaving?" he asked as Dean joined Sam. Sam nodded and replied, "Yes sir, we've got enough information now, this should help us reach more people to find Tina. Thank you for your time." Gary nodded and led them out to the porch. "Just find my girl…just find her please." He said emotionally before shaking his head and closing the door. Dean sighed and turned to Sam, "I've got something." He said simply before walking towards the car. Sam caught up to him in no time, "What is it?" he asked. He looked at the diary Dean held up and he nodded. "Her diary…" he said to himself as they got into the car.
Once Dean started the engine he asked his brother where they were going next. Sam jerked his head towards the house and told Dean, "Gary told me that they were transferring her to Belle Reve from the Asylum she was in…let's go see what the asylum has to say." Dean nodded but said, "Yeah, asylum's give me the creeps now. Remember the last time we went snooping around in one?" Sam turned to him with a laugh. "We're in graveyards all the time, they don't give you the freaks?" he asked. His brother gave him a look, "That's different okay." Sam rolled his eyes, "Yeah okay."
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Veronica gave Clark a small smile, she was trying to be friendly and look sad at the same time. Chloe meanwhile was hustling past the students in the corridors leading the way for her two friends. Clark stepped up to her, Veronica following the two as fast as she could. "Clark, you should try talking to the principle, ask him where Tina last was, and whether Lex had any interest in her….Veronica and I will go and talk to some of her friends, we'll see what we can find out." Chloe said her tone professional. Veronica was instantly reminded of a cop and she grinned faintly.
Clark nodded and seemed to disappear into the swarming groups of students. Veronica stepped in line with Chloe and asked, "So where are we getting the tapes from?" Chloe led her up a flight of stairs, the students lessening as they proceeded higher. Finally they stopped in front of a dusty looking door. Veronica checked around them to see if anyone was coming their way. "Here, I'll unlock it." She offered as Chloe tried opening the locked door. Chloe moved out of the way and let Veronica crouch down in front of the lock. She pulled a bobby pin out of her hair and twisted and rattled it around in the key hole. A few seconds later, the door issued a click and she smiled back at Chloe.
They pushed the door open and looked around inside the small, dark and dinghy room. It looked like it used to be a storage room but was now fitted with six small monitors on a wall and a couple of chairs in front of a control panel. As Veronica glanced around her surroundings, she saw the opposite walls filled with shelved videotapes. Chloe had also been eyeing the same thing. "Let's start searching." She muttered before she pulled out stacks of tapes.
Veronica did the same and said quickly, "Tina started hallucinating around 4 maybe 5 months ago, let's go through the records of back then." She flicked past some old tapes and kept running her fingers along the dated titles. Chloe was going through a box of unmarked tapes, pulling them out of the box and sliding them into the old fashioned VRC recorders. As soon as the video started playing, Chloe gasped. Veronica spun around, "What happened?" she asked, her eyes darting between the black and white students on the screen.
Then she saw what Chloe was gasping about. One of the students was moving really fast, and he seemed to be following Tina, who looked nervous. As Chloe hit the zoom button on the control panel, Veronica glimpsed the guy's eyes glaze black. She stared at the screen rigidly, watching the guy follow Tina out of the screen. Tina's last image was scared and Veronica could read the far in her eyes. Chloe looked over at Veronica and took out the tape. She pulled a random tape out of the box and slid it in.
This time the video was of the school's cafeteria. Crowded and noisy, Chloe and Veronica spotted Tina sitting by herself near the back of the room a few minutes into the video. Her eyes darted around her and she hunched over her food. Chloe and Veronica shared a look, "She's starting to look deluded already." Veronica said quietly. Chloe nodded, watching a girl with a pony tail come up to her table. They zoomed into the image and saw the girl sit down, a kind expression on her face. Veronica bit her lip as she saw Tina jump back from the girl, walking back into the wall.
As the girl grinned at her and started walking away, the girls noticed her pitch black eyes. Tina sat there dumbfounded and shaking, Veronica realized as she squinted into the screen. Chloe pushed the power off and turned to Veronica, "If she was already freaking out by now, then she must have been in a terrible condition when she was being transferred…" Veronica nodded quietly. Her eyes drifted towards the box they'd been pulling the tapes out of and she said quickly, "There's a reason all these tapes have been put in this one box, they're all of Tina and her hallucinations."
Chloe's eyes went towards the box as well, "Yeah, wait. She was being moved to Belle Reve wasn't she? I know for a fact that Belle Reve doesn't have too many good connections. And I'm betting anything that they wanted all evidence of her mental state in their hands….that includes video tapes of her running away from supposedly made up demons." She saw Veronica give her a slightly confused look. "Why would Belle Reve want Tina's tapes?" Chloe sighed, "You know those connections I'm talking about?" she asked her friend who had pulled the box up into her arms. "Yeah..." Chloe's eyes darkened enough for Veronica to realize who she was going to mention. "Two words, Lex Luthor." Veronica's eyebrows rose, great, so that creep was after Tina as well?
Veronica and Chloe pulled an empty box out from under the control panel and started piling in random stacks of tapes they saw on the floor. They had to cover their tracks, if they didn't want to get caught. Veronica paused for a few seconds, "But what would make Lex want Tina in his twisted experiments when she was just another mental patient in some institution? Isn't he obsessed with meteor freaks?" she asked. Chloe smiled at her grimly, "Exactly, he's so obsessed with meteor freaks that when he hears about someone slightly out of your crazy list he thinks they're trying to hide their meteor powers…I told you he was twisted." Veronica nodded thoughtfully and looked as though she was thinking about herself in the same situation. Chloe put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm glad he hasn't found out about you…and he won't." Veronica smiled at this and nodded gently.
Before they left the room, Chloe and Veronica managed to erase the footage of them sneaking around the room's corridor. They left as fast as their feet would take them, the box of video tapes hidden lamely under Veronica's thick jacket. The halls were empty and the students were all in their classes. "So what do we do now?" Chloe asked looking around. Veronica thought for a few moments, "Hey, we should go and ask about Tina at the institute she was being kept in. She disappeared when they were transferring her so they should have some important information on her." She had a feeling they were going to get some gruesome but vital information from there.
"That's a good idea, look there's Clark…Veronica, you should put the box in my car quickly or Clark's going to start with questions." Chloe said quickly but calmly as she spotted Clark walking with the school principle, talking swiftly and gesturing slowly with his hands. He hadn't seen the girls up ahead. Veronica glanced at him and flashed Chloe a small grin before rushing out of the high school's entrance to the car park where Chloe's car was. She was out of sight just as Clark looked up to see Chloe standing there looking at him expectantly.
She heard him ask the principle to brief him on anything he would find out about Tina and the principle answered politely and curtly that he would if he actually found anything. The principle turned the corner without a farewell and Chloe smirked at Clark amusingly. "I'm guessing Mr. Principle wasn't very happy with you?" she asked after he said hi. He shook his head, embarrassed a bit that he hadn't proved himself the smooth talker he'd admired Chloe to have been. "No he thinks I'm sticking my nose into something that's not of my business even if I am her first cousin and that everything's up to the police so if I'm that worried I should go there." He looked like he was in disbelief and Chloe grinned.
"Well, you should never expect someone to tell you the truth…but it definitely sounds fishy, I think the principle had some part in Tina's transfer to Belle Reve." She added seriously at which point Veronica appeared. Clark smiled at her, "Where were you?" Veronica pointed back, "Uh, I had to use the bathroom, sort of got lost." She grinned gently hoping she wasn't looking like a complete idiot. Clark nodded wondering how Veronica must have been taking everything. He knew what it was like having a family member or a loved one missing and in danger-god he'd been there so many times. "Don't worry about your friend, we'll end up finding her." He said firmly. Veronica smiled weakly, yeah, her family friend…she sort of felt bad lying to Clark who seemed like a nice guy.
Chloe grinned to herself and then looked up at the two. "So you didn't find out anything about Tina?" she asked Clark. He looked towards her and said, "Not anything that useful, except that her mental condition started and worsened rapidly, like she was hurting herself within three months into it…. the principle apparently referred her to Belle Reve later when the school counselors and the psychologists she was seeing started labeling her as out of control." He shook his head sadly and Chloe took this chance to share a look with Veronica who had been listening intently as well.
Clark looked up suddenly, his eyes looking towards Chloe and Veronica. "So what are we doing now?" he asked expectantly. Chloe glanced at Veronica again with a pitying and sad expression. "Um, Clark if you don't mind, I think Veronica and I should go back home…she has to call her mom. They're really worried about her." Veronica looked down at her shoes at once, hoping her bowed head was making her look as though she was hanging in depression. She was relieved to see it work when Clark nodded understandingly and answered, "Oh yeah of course…you shouldn't be going through this anyway, the more you talk to family about it the better." Veronica looked up at him slowly and thanked him.
As the girls started to walk away, Chloe turned her head and called, "I'll get back to you when I think I've got something." Clark nodded, "Yeah, same here…be careful." Chloe almost rolled her eyes at this. Why were guys always worried about her getting into trouble again? She almost laughed out loud when she remembered, Oh, right.
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Sam sighed as he pulled out his ringing phone. One glance told him it was Veronica on the other end and he answered it quickly. "Hey, you girls okay?" he asked after nodding at Dean who was driving the Impala into the Sullivan's driveway. His brother glanced at him knowingly. He knew Veronica was probably rolling her eyes on the other end but he couldn't help the concerned tone in his voice. He was almost certain the YED would try to get into her head somehow once he'd realize she wasn't in the safety of the Winchester boys.
"Yeah I'm fine, so is Chloe. We've found some tapes we want to show you, and our trip to the Smithsonian Asylum was pretty interesting." Veronica informed him. Sam frowned at this, wait that hadn't been part of the plan. "Wait, why'd you guys go there? You should have called us, we would have come with you." He added quickly so that he didn't send off possessive vibes. He heard her chuckle lightly and she replied, "Don't worry, I was fine. And we knew you were with Tina's dad…we needed more information and the best place to get it was where Tina disappeared."
Sam saw Dean look at him questioningly. "Okay, so where are you now?" he asked. He was relieved to hear Veronica reveal that Chloe was driving them back home. "Good, we're on our way too. I'll see you and Chloe there." He concluded. Veronica said bye and he hung up feeling a bit lighter now that he knew she and Chloe were going back home. Dean shrugged and asked, "So what's happening? The girls finished with their private investigating? Are they safe?" Sam knew his brother was also slightly anxious even while trying to look like he wasn't bothered at his girlfriend's vulnerability. Sam could tell because the whole while back, Dean had kept glancing down at his own phone and had tightened his grip on the steering wheel every time he did.
Sam nodded, "Yeah…. they've found something from the school and from Smithsonian's." Dean's eyes moved to Sam's sharply, "They didn't tell us they were going to Smithsonian's." he said in an agitated tone. Sam shrugged, "They acted on instinct. But they're fine…. they're driving home." Dean nodded, as much as he didn't like the idea of Chloe being somewhere potentially dangerous without his knowing, he had to admit she was being efficient and intuitive-that wasn't a bad thing as he'd realized over the years.
After a while, the boys reached Chloe's place, Dean's eyes spotting her car first. They knocked and the door and we're pleased to see Chloe open it, and Dean was proud to see that there was a thick line of newly laid rock salt lining the door. "My baby's growing up…" he noted playfully, wrapping his arm around her. She grinned and nodded, "Yeah, and the first thing she's learnt is to not trust shifty guys with a one track mind." He mocked a hurt expression as she took his arm off around her and sauntered off into the lounge room. During this Sam and Veronica exchanged a quieter and distanced greeting as they stood at opposite ends of the room.
Sam would've loved to be able to greet her like Dean greeted Chloe-with shameless hidden affection (okay maybe not as shameless, he noted as he saw his brother's exaggerated pained expression) but they were just close friends, who had deep feelings for each other but couldn't act on them because of the serious problem they were in. Instead he smiled at her (hoping the relief flooding through him wasn't showing) and asked her how their investigating had gone.
"Very productive, we've got heaps to show you guys." She said making her light and cheerful tone very convincing. He raised his eyebrows and watched as Chloe and Veronica pulled out a box filled to the brim with videotapes and papers of all sorts. He exchanged amazed looks with Dean who breathed out a, "No kidding." The girls smirked at each other. Chloe started telling the guys all about their visit to Smallville High and their snoop session in the security room. Veronica played the videos, seeing the guys faces grow grim as they watched Tina being stalked by the YED.
Then she pulled out the reports they'd managed to steal from The Smithsonian Institute. They were detailed in Tina's mental state and their observations on a daily basis made it clear that Tina's state had been getting worse by the days. Chloe glanced at the guys pointedly when she read out the many accounts of Tina causing self-inflicting wounds and claiming them to be the work of demons and monsters. Dean swallowed carefully; he was starting to really worry about what was probably happening to her now.
"And listen to this, Tina had become increasingly religious during her last few days at the institute…. according to the wards she would sit in a corner of her padded room and pray to god to save her. She'd also have hallucinations of her mother during the night…. Then they transferred her and that's when she disappeared." She added heavily.
The guys nodded but Dean asked, "How'd she disappear? What do they think happened?" Chloe answered this time, "Well, according to the report from the driver of the van she was being transported by, he had made sure all the locks on the van had been locked…. and when they inspected the van, the locks had been unlocked like they'd been opened with a key. The only key the driver had. He got fired instantly." There was a moment's silence as they all realized the obvious truth that it had probably been the YED who's unlocked the van and pulled Tina out of it.
Veronica broke the silence by stating, "We've got to find her fast, he could've done anything to her by now…. I mean she could even be dead." She shuddered at this and Sam replied sharply, "No, we're going to find her before anything happens. All we have to do now is find the YED, if we find him, we'll find Tina." He said determinedly. "How are we going to find him? We can't use a summoning spell, he'll take that chance to attack Veronica." Dean reminded his brother.
Chloe glazed out for a few moments and then said quickly, "But I think I know where he's residing. Remember when he first trapped me? When I escaped from the cave?" The other three nodded but Sam asked, "Yeah, but don't you think he would've stopped staying there once he realized you'd seen where he was?" Chloe's face showed the slight disappointment, "Yeah…. that's a good point." She admitted. They were quiet for a further few seconds before Veronica's eyes brightened and she moved forward. "Maybe he hasn't changed his location on purpose."
Chloe frowned at this, "But why would he want to stay in one place when he'd know he'd be a sitting duck if he did?" she asked because by now she was sure the YED had already proved he was no idiot. The boys looked at Veronica closely as well and she continued, her voice quiet but eager. "We know how sly he is, he wants me and my power…. and we want to find him and kill him. And now he has Tina as well so there's more of a reason for us to go after him. Maybe that's what he's wanted all along, for us to find him. And that's why he mightn't have changed his location, so that it's easier for us to find him." She ended taking a look at their expressions.
Chloe, Dean and Sam thought about what Veronica had just said. Sam nodded and turned to the other two, "Actually that makes sense…. he knows we're after his blood. He's baiting us over to him. And he's probably got a plan for when we get there." He added darkly. Dean was mirroring Sam's dark features and he looked up as well, "So what are we going to do? Follow his plan? Because I don't think any of us want to follow up on the getting killed part of his plan…." He saw his brother give him a look but he didn't care, he was being honest- even if it was blunt.
To their surprise, Veronica smiled here and said simply, "We're just going to have to make him believe we're being caught up in his trap…." Sam looked at her quickly, he didn't like what he was hearing right now, because he was sure it was going to lead up to Veronica being stuck in a dangerous position. "What are you saying?" he asked calmly. Her eyes met his and she went on, "Well we'll go to the cave, pretend to hand me over in exchange for Tina and then kill him when he thinks I'm at a weak point." She could already tell there was going to be opposition to this solution.
"No, there are too many things that could go wrong." Sam said loudly. For the first time since they'd met, Sam received a strong glare from her. "You guys are constantly facing things that could go wrong when you hunt normally. This shouldn't be any different." She said hotly. Dean bit back a grin; Sam was scratching his ear nervously. She turned to Dean and Chloe and this time Dean said quickly, "Yeah but the YED's not stupid. He knows we'd rather die than give a friend over to him just because he's threatening to kill us. We don't do that; he'd be able to tell something was up straight away."
Veronica didn't let this deter her. "If we act it out well we could fool him. Or Chloe and I could pretend to be lost near the cave while we're trying to find him and he'd think it was just coincidence." Chloe nodded slowly, "Yeah, but how are we going to kill him? How are we going to get Tina and ourselves out of there before he kills us?" she asked looking at Veronica questioningly. Dean leaned closer into the circle, "We still have that one bullet left in the Colt, its been saved for that fucking bastard since we got that gun," he replied bitterly.
The girls nodded but almost flinched when Sam's voice snarled out angrily, "What the hell is wrong with you guys?! Are you even listening to yourselves…No! No one's doing anything to lure out the YED. You're not putting yourself in any more danger!" he shot back at Veronica, glaring at her. She matched his expression and replied loudly, "And I'm not going to sit here and let that demon rip that girl's body to bits." They glared at each other for a few moments after which Sam turned to his brother looking for some sort of support. Dean let his eyes fall onto the interesting carpet texture underneath him.
"This is dangerous and stupid and I'm just going to wait until you guys let this idea out of your heads. Because I'm not going to take part in it or let you do it either." He replied angrily when he realized his brother agreed with Veronica's proposal. He got up quickly and threw the other three a final glare before thudding up the stairs loudly. He heard Dean call after him, "Sam! Wait a sec-" but he was in no mood to listen to his brother and his excuses. Veronica stared firmly at Sam's feet moving up the stairs and she almost sighed out in annoyance.
"I think this may be one of those few times Sam gets-" A loud bang sounded down the stairs as Sam shut the bedroom door. "Really pissed" Dean finished off his statement, his eyes glancing up the stairs in what Chloe interpreted as half amusement and half seriousness. Chloe nodded and turned to Veronica, "Um do you want us to go and-" she started but when Veronica shook her head Chloe nodded. "I need to talk to Sam." She replied getting up and walking towards the stairs, her mind whizzing with questions.
Why did he have to let his feelings for her get in the way of doing things logically? Why couldn't he forget what they had sometimes, to let her test herself, to let him show how much he trusted her? She knew that behind all of his protectiveness, he knew that she wanted to be a factor in the YED's death; she knew that he was trying to keep her at arms length and at the same time trying to save her from being snatched away. She kept herself calm as she walked up to the boys' room and waited patiently after knocking.
She was surprised to see the door open up in a few moments with Sam on the other side looking slightly less angry than he had a few seconds before. When he saw it was her he turned around wordlessly and stalked over to the bed. Veronica shut the door behind her and ventured over to where he was seated. He was staring down at the ground pointedly and she sighed tiredly. "Sam…"
He turned to her in response to his name and after staring at her eyes for a few moments, he pulled her into a needy hug. She was surprised to say the least, at this but pulled her arms around him too. "Why can't we be together again?" she asked, her voice muffled in the fabric of his shirt. She felt him tense up and she squeezed him again encouragingly. "You know, after trying to be just friends for a few hours, I think we suck at it. If I love you and you love me, what's holding us back?" she asked as they slowly moved out of their embrace.
She saw Sam's eyes cast another shadow but instead of letting the topic go, she kept eye contact, hoping he'd realized she really wanted to know. Sam breathed out carefully; she'd been right about the first bit. It was hard just being friends even for a few hours. It was hard watching her place herself in the danger zone and knowing he was supposed to suggest otherwise but support her decision. If they were more than friends he could stop her from leading her death, he could hold her in his arms until she forgot about throwing herself in front of the YED. But they couldn't be more than friends; no matter how much he wanted them to, no matter how much she thought they should.
Of course she couldn't see what the problem was, and Sam could tell it was starting to get to her. So he decided now was the time to tell her what he really was. He knew it was jeopardizing any chance of persuading her to stay out of luring the YED from his hiding-hole but Sam wanted to come clean about why he couldn't be with her. Sam took a quick breath, knowing and fearing that Veronica would run screaming from the room once he told her that he was part demon. She probably wouldn't want to stand anywhere near him or talk to him, which was going to hurt of course. But Sam knew that the truth was important not just for him but for her too.
"Sam you're starting to freak me out, say something." Veronica nudged him gently with her foot. He turned his face towards her again and said slowly, "Veronica there's something you don't know about me….the reason we can't be together, it's because…." He paused here, wondering if this was the right time but realized he was just going to make more excuses for not telling her if he didn't say it now. "Sam, tell me…." Veronica said her eyes clouding with fear.
"When I was a baby, that night the YED came to our house and killed my mom, he did something to me….I don't know what it was but he managed to change me from that moment." He glanced at her to see her reaction and noticed absently that her fingers were pressing into his sleeve. He didn't mind, it was a sign she wasn't running away just yet. "What do you mean changed you? How did he change you Sam?" she asked, her tone the slightest bit timid.
"Veronica, these psychic powers I get, the premonitions and stuff, it's all because I'm part demon. The YED turned me into one of them and its been rising up in me slowly ever since we started chasing it….that's what I've been hiding from you." Sam's eyes hadn't dared look up to her until now but when he felt her hand slide off his own swiftly, his eyes snapped up to hers.
There was clear disbelief etched in them and she almost smiled as she shook her head incredulously. "Sam, stop it. Stop trying to scare me. If you don't want to be with me then fine don't, but don't go making up bullshit like this because you think I'm going to believe you and run….and if this is a joke, then it's not funny. Not a bit." She whispered although her eyes were unsure and held the hope that it was some twisted joke Sam was playing.
His voice was heavy and sounded strained as he said quietly, "This isn't a joke Veronica….and I'm not saying this to scare you away from me, that's the last thing I wanted to do. That's why I didn't tell you before; I didn't want you getting hurt." He saw her hands curl up in her lap and he winced. She was staring at him in shock and doubt. Her thoughts flew back to when she had had her first hallucination. The YED's voice came back to her, gloating that he'd been right. Sam was a demon, just like him and he had been sent to kill her. He'd been sent to hold her down while the YED slit her abdomen open and pulled out the power in her. That's what he was here for; didn't she listen to his warning?
Sam's hand moved towards her and hurt and rejection hit him when she scrambled to her feet. Her eyes never left him as she backed to the door and he felt as though his heart was crushed when she threw him the look he had feared the most-terror. "Veronica." He called as she spun around and wrenched the door open. But she was gone in the time he blinked and he could hear Chloe's bedroom door slamming shut.
There had never been a time when he had hated himself so much. It felt as though the demon blood in his was burning his veins, like he was contaminated so deep there was no way out of it. He'd lost his parents, he'd lost Jessica and he'd lost Veronica….his brother was the only one left to lose. Sam snarled and grabbed his hair in his hands. Frustration coursed through him and he could only stop himself from screaming. A voice in his mind echoed what he'd known all along; 'you knew this was going to happen, what did you expect her to do? Smile and hug you, and tell you she didn't mind?' Sam realized shamefully that he had wanted that to be the case.
Meanwhile downstairs, Chloe and Dean had been outlining the pros and cons of this plan if they went through with it. Of course, the cons were much heavier than the pros because they were mainly the outcome that either Veronica or/and Tina would die and neither Dean nor Chloe would stand for that. They had been discussing what Sam would decide when they heard another door slam and they glanced at each other in discomfort. While Chloe thought Veronica and Sam had taken their fight to another level (although violence was out ruled considering both their natures) and she stood up to see if they were alright, Dean felt he knew what had happened.
When the two reached the landing, Dean touched Chloe's shoulder and said, "Hey, I'm going to check out on Sam." She nodded and entered her own. When Dean opened the door to the room his brother and he were sharing, he saw Sam slumped over his knees in his sitting position on the edge of his bed and he understood immediately what had happened. "Sam?" he asked tentatively as he closed the door behind him.
Sam's head rose slowly and his dark eyes locked onto his brother's. "She knows….I told her." His voice was flat and almost dead and Dean breathed in slowly. He made his way over to his brother and he tried salvaging the situation. "Look, we all know what you're like. She's not the type of girl who'll believe any trash you throw at her….don't worry about it Sam." He was more than taken aback when Sam almost yelled, "I didn't throw trash at her Dean- I told her the truth! And she hates me for it now! I could see it in her eyes." He ended with a whisper.
Dean, having gotten over Sam's yelling spree, glared at his brother and said roughly (dropping his understanding big brother attitude) "What the hell made you spill the 'truth' when you knew how she feels about all this demon crap? Couldn't you have just waited until we killed the YED to tell her what you think you are? What reaction were you expecting from a chick who has been through hell thanks to the YED. What else were you expecting when the YED's already tried filling her brain with shit about you being evil?"
Sam let his head drop down as he muttered, "I am evil." To say he was shocked was an understatement when Dean grabbed Sam by the collar and brought his face near his so that his eyes were forced to look into his. "If you say anything like that again I'm going to sock your face in. Don't think even for a minute that I'm going to drop you at the YED's feet because he twisted your head in with all this shit. Stop making yourself look like a poor confused boy because I'm setting it right for you right here and now. You're not a demon; you'll never be a demon. You're my kid brother, you're a Winchester and you'll always stay a damn Winchester with pure hunter's blood. So get that into you're head."
Dean let go of Sam and he in return rubbed his neck consciously. His heart went out to his older brother as he realized how much Dean loved him and how far he'd go to keep him safe. He dared himself to speak his fears again, "But Dean….she still hates me." Dean rolled his eyes and replied, "Lot's of girls hate me- there'll be plenty of chicks in the sea who don't hate you." Even though he was thick at times, he was actually testing out where Sam and Veronica were at. Sam's eyes crept onto his brother disgustedly, "I don't care whether any other girl hates me or not, Veronica's different. Veronica and I-" he stopped here because he was going to finish off with a 'love each other' which he now realized didn't fit.
"Veronica and I?" Dean enquired to which Sam replied, "Nothing." He turned his head away so Dean wouldn't see the regret in his eyes. But Dean moved closer into view and stood in front of him wearing an incredulous expression. Sam felt irritated, "What?" he asked. Dean folded his arms and said, "You can tell a girl that you're a demon but you can't tell your brother that you're in love. Sam you're a pansy." Dean was grinning and although Sam thought he could strangle his brother at this moment, he almost smiled himself. But the image of Veronica's scared face floated in front of him and he sobered at once.
"Dean." He warned simply. His brother let his arms drop and he rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Sam, Veronica's freaked out right now….any girl would be. You did just drop a bombshell on her, she wasn't ready for this. But she knows who you really are, what you're really like. And I know that she's going to fight with you not against you when we kill the YED because she loves you…..i don't know why when it's pretty clear you're gay." Sam shot his brother a look and Dean grinned, "Just a joke man."
When Dean didn't see any improvement on Sam's face he added, "Look if it means something, Chloe already knows, and she doesn't care because she can see what you really are. And if that girl really loves you, she will see it too. I think it's clear she does love you." Sam stared carefully at his brother's face and Dean lifted his shoulders before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
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Chloe stared at Veronica's curled figure in alarm, realizing this was much bigger than a fight. She could tell she wasn't sleeping due to the shaking movements Veronica's shoulders were making. Chloe sat down on the bed and placed a hand on Veronica's shoulder, making the girl jump slightly. "Hey, it's just me….what happened Veronica?" she asked once Veronica had turned to see her.
Veronica had tried to stem her tears and she wiped away at them ferociously. "N-nothing." She stammered wanting to keep what had just happened a secret. But Chloe's sharp glare made her place her hands over her face and close her eyes. "Sweetie what's wrong, tell me." Chloe said, starting to really get worried. Veronica let Chloe put her arms around her shoulder and she took a deep breath. "Chloe, Sam, he's- he's a….Sam's a demon."
While she winced at the words herself, she found it odd that Chloe hadn't moved or gasped or made any notion that she'd heard what Veronica had just said. And while Veronica didn't feel it, Chloe froze for a few moments as the truth to Veronica's crying came before her. She felt Veronica move her face away to see Chloe's reaction and she found herself staring back at her with uncomfortable eyes.
She had known this of course for a long time, and hadn't told her friends because it wouldn't have been right for her to hear it from someone else. Chloe had decided Sam would tell Veronica when he thought the time was right. She was surprised that he'd chosen the worse time possible; when Veronica was at her peak of hatred towards demon of all sorts and vulnerable to attacks at emotional misbalances. But Chloe knew that it had probably been accidental, Veronica had gone upstairs to talk Sam into her plan and it had lead to him confessing what he was.
While her heart went out to Veronica's shock ridden form, she knew she had to defend Sam and make Veronica see what he really was. Right now however Veronica was staring at Chloe with suspicion. "You knew didn't you?" she asked wondering if this was the reason for her lack of reaction. Chloe bit her lip and Veronica's cheeks flashed pink with anger, "You knew that Sam was part demon, but you never told me?" Chloe was silent for the while and Veronica shook her head, feeling hurt and betrayed. "How long have you known?" she asked finally.
Chloe took a heavy breath and replied, "Since the first time we split into pairs to do research, remember when you first found out about angel descendants? Veronica, I promise I didn't keep this from you because I wanted to or because I wanted you to be left out or hurt. You're my best friend, and I'd do anything to keep you happy and safe." She said pleadingly as she grasped Veronica's hand. Veronica looked down at the hand, wanting to push it away but finding it hard to do so when she looked into Chloe's sad eyes.
Suddenly, she felt ashamed at herself for thinking of her friend as a traitor when the four of them had silently agreed to treat each other with the same respect and friendship. And for the sake of friendship, she could see why Chloe had kept this from her. She was Sam's friend as well, and she was Dean's girlfriend. She had to keep Sam's secret for the sake of both the Winchester boys.
Veronica's eyes met with Chloe's and she smiled pulling her into a hug. The girls stayed like that for a few moments before Veronica asked, "Did Dean tell you?" Chloe nodded against the fabric of Veronica's jacket and pulled away. "The only reason we kept it from you was because we knew you'd think Sam was evil and you'd freak out. That's the only reason we didn't tell you. And I think that's why Sam didn't tell you either." Chloe added as Veronica's eyes traveled to the bed's quilt and back to Chloe's face at the last few words.
She turned her face away for a second and felt Chloe's hand turn it back to her. "Veronica….do you really think Sam's evil? Can you really believe he'd hurt you or any of us?" The question made Veronica's lips quiver for the suggestion of it made her hate herself. She couldn't lie to Chloe, a person who had seen enough of Veronica to figure out when she was lying or not. Instead she whispered a, "No, no I don't think Sam's evil, and I can't bring myself to even think he'd hurt me….that's what's making this so hard."
Chloe squeezed her hand and asked, "Why is it hard Veronica? If we know that Sam isn't even a bit like a demon, when we know he'd rather die than hurt you or me or Dean, what's holding you back from loving him?" Veronica looked up at Chloe in wonder at the question because she didn't even know if her answer held any weight any more. "I can't stop myself from loving him Chloe, but when he told me….all I could hear was the YED telling me Sam was with him on this whole thing. That he'd used me to give me to the YED. And I got scared; I could feel it creeping back in. The words sounded like the truth."
Chloe felt sorry for Veronica just then, because she could tell how confusing this was for her. That crack of doubt had been enough for the YED to blow fear of her own loved ones into Veronica's mind and it left a mess of the whole situation. She smiled at Veronica and held her hand gently while she said, "But it isn't Veronica, and you know it inside. Sam loves you a lot, it's so obvious. He'd do anything for you, he'd probably kill for you, but he'd never hurt you….and he'd never let anyone else hurt you either. I think you hurt him; he's sitting there thinking you hate him right now."
Veronica's eyes snapped to hers at the words and she felt like the world's most shallow person ever. "Of course I don't hate him….no never." She trailed off, realizing how much damage her few actions would have caused. Chloe nodded, "I know, it's just he probably got the wrong message when you ran like that." Veronica closed her eyes as she thought about how hurt he must felt and she rested her head on her knees. "What have I done?" she murmured to herself. Her friend got off the bed and smiled at her again, her tone full of support and reassurance as she said, "Don't worry Veronica….there's no mistake you can't fix. Just talk to him, tell him how you feel and let him know how much you love him….he really needs it right now."
She lifted her head and nodded, hoping she'd be able to do just that without losing Sam because of her harshness earlier. But right now she needed just a few minutes to herself, to clear her mind and think about how she was going to mend this. Just saying sorry wouldn't work, well not for her at least. Even if Sam did turn around and tell her it was alright, she'd continue hating herself forever. No, she'd make sure Sam knew she didn't mean to hurt him, and that she loved him more than he could think.
"Chloe, I just need a few minutes." She mumbled apologetically. Chloe nodded quickly, "I know….just call me if you need me alright?" Veronica nodded and watched the door close after Chloe. If there was ever the right time to let him know how much he meant to her, than this was definitely it.
If anyone's still reading this then, thank you a million times and please don't stop. Feel free to curse me for my turtle speed updating process because I know how annoying it can be for you readers. I'm truly very sorry for the long wait but I blame it on my teachers who think the best way to support a writer is by throwing textbooks full of work at them (I don't mean this literally) and cutting off their time on the computer. Just to know I'm not talking up empty net space, please do review because it really is the only thing that keeps me from dropping the story at times. Going to work on my other story (last chapter YAY!) and then concentrate on this one. Love you all for your patience, keep reading and reviewing. Bye
Verina100.