Slumber – Thirtieth Chapter
Highway outside Smallville somewhere
"It all started with my mother's death," Sam began. "See, she didn't just die in a house fire. My father said that he came into my nursery that night, came because he heard my mother scream after she came in to check on me, and he saw some blood drip onto my forehead.

So he looked up.

What else would he have done? He looked up, and saw my mother, attached to the ceiling somehow, bleeding across her stomach. Before his eyes, she burst into flames and they began to lick down the walls, towards us.

He grabbed me out of the crib and gave me to Dean, telling Dean to get me outside and take care of me. He tried to save our mother, then, but it was far too late for her. Dean was only four, but he did his best. He got us both out of the house, then apparently Dad caught up and ran us away faster.

Dad never forgot what he saw that night. He knew that someone or something had killed his wife. From what he'd seen, he assumed it was a something. So somehow – Dean and I aren't exactly sure – somehow, someone got him into hunting."

"Hunting?" Rory asked. "Hunting what?"

Sam refused to look at her. "Hunting things that go 'bump' in the night."

"And what goes bump in the night?" Rory asked playfully.

The playful mood disappeared when Sam told her, though.

"All kinds of things. Wendigos. Werewolves – we haven't seen one of them since we were kids. Spirits, mostly. Spirits are big. Demons, every now and again – they're rare though. Shapeshifters, sometimes. Anything you can think of," Sam said darkly.

Rory considered this for a moment. "Vampires?"

Sam snorted. "Vampires aren't real."

Rory laughed, and kept laughing. Sam finally looked at her and couldn't help the frown spreading over his face. "What?"

"You... just, told me," she gasped out between gales of laughter, "that werewolves, and demons," she choked a little, "and ghosts all exist, and then you go and say, all patronizing, 'vampires aren't real'!"

She continued to laugh so hard she could barely breath. Sam started to grin against his will, before starting to laugh as well. "You're right, that's kind of funny."

"Why'd you wanna know about vampires?" Sam asked after she'd finished laughing, curious.

"Promise not to tell anyone?" Rory said, her face trusting.

Sam snorted.

"Point taken. Promise not to laugh?"

"Just tell me, Rory."

Rory sighed deeply. "I'm afraid of bats."

Sam stared at her.

Rory shook her head and grinned. "Vampires," she muttered, and that set her off again.

About five minutes later, when she'd stopped giggling, Sam asked her, "Seriously though, that doesn't freak you out?"

Rory shrugged. "Sure it freaks me out. But I figure, I can protect myself."

Sam shook his head and said seriously, "These things take some serious training to kill, Rory. Almost anything you've ever heard of in any story will be real."

"Except vampires," Rory giggled.

Sam sighed.

"Sorry, sorry," Rory said, regaining her composure somewhat. "I'll try not to do that again."

Something occurred to her and she asked, "Have you ever encountered aliens before?"

Sam shook his head slowly. "I don't think so. But, you look just like the average human – well, not like the average human, but you look human. And you haven't been on any killing sprees, have you?"

"Why would I want to kill humans?" Rory asked sardonically. "My best friends are all human; my mother and father are human."

"So we wouldn't have any need to encounter aliens," Sam confirmed.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, then Sam asked, "How much further?"

"I could run there and back and tell you," Rory offered.

"Or, since we've finished story time, you could run us both there," Sam suggested.

Rory grinned at him. "Hold on tight and lift your feet up."

Without any warning, she grabbed him, swung him onto her back and was running.

Sam had never gone this fast before, ever. Never even gone close to this fast. He was glad Rory had warned him to hold his feet up – they'd be gone by now if he hadn't. How the hell is she so strong?

Seconds later, she was putting him down, supporting him as he stumbled up what seemed to be a driveway.

"How the hell do you stand that?" he gasped.

"It's part of who I am," Rory replied, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Sam shook his head a little and said, "Yeah, I'm good."

They walked up the driveway, Rory's arm around Sam's waist and his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey look," Sam mumbled. "Sun's rising."

"Hey, Clark!" Rory called. Nobody answered her, and she tried, "Mom! Dad!"

Still there was nothing, and Rory frowned. "This doesn't make sense," she murmured. "This time of day, Dad at the very least should be up. Plus, I've been out all night – last time I talked to Clark was around midday yesterday."

A faint blush coloured her cheeks. The last time she'd seen him was another matter entirely.

"They should be worried sick," Rory said quickly, worried herself.

She glanced at Sam. "Do you mind?"

"No, no. Go check it out," Sam said. "I'm fine, really. Look."

He let go of her and walked, a little slowly, but steadily.

Rory didn't need any more encouragement than that. She supersped into the house.

"Clark! Mom! Dad! Clark!" she yelled, hoping that her fears were unfounded. Still no one answered her and she spun, running back outside. Sam had reached the gate and was coming through it.

"I can't find them, Sam. They're not answering me," Rory said, trying not to panic. She reached out with her mind for Clark and couldn't find him anywhere.

Sam caught her by the arms and forced her to face him. "Listen to me, Rory. I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they're out looking for you, yeah? You did say they'd be worried sick," he reassured her.

Rory relaxed as she realised the truth in his words. "You're right," she muttered. "I'm probably just over reacting."

They smiled at one another.

"You don't really think this is a dream, do you?" Sam said, absorbed in the mystery this girl presented to him.

"What are you talking about?" Rory asked, puzzled. "Of course I think it's a dream. It has to be a dream. I mean, one second I'm running through a forest near Crater Lake, next thing I know-"

Sam put his hand over her mouth.

"Then why are you so worried?" he pointed out to her. He then removed his hand from her mouth.

Rory thought over his statement for a moment. "I spose it's cause... this dream, it's just so... vivid. I'm not used to dreams being so lifelike. Normally, I can tell my dreams apart from real life instantly. But this..."

"I know what you mean," Sam nodded. "Alright. So, are you gonna ask me in or not?" he grinned.

Rory grabbed his hand and pulled him inside, ready to show him the house.

"Shouldn't you call them or something?" Sam asked.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps. Someone was coming down the stairs.

"It's Clark!" Rory cried. Sam didn't bother to ask how she knew.

(A/N If you want good atmosphere, start playing City of Delusion by Muse just here. It amps the mood right up.)

A boy whose facial features were similar to Rory's came down the stairs. His hair was long and black, his eyes blue-green. He was handsome, tall (not as tall as Sam though) and about 17.

"Clark," Rory said in a tone that indicated a babble, "Clark, I'm so sorry I've been gone so long, it's just I got lost, and I think I'm dreaming, so I shouldn't really care, but this is Sam Winchester, and he's been helping, and – Clark?"

Clark had walked straight past the two of them to the fridge, opening it and pulling out some juice, drinking straight from the container.

"Clark?" Rory said again, her voice strangled.

Clark still didn't turn and look at her.

"Clark!" Rory shouted, getting louder as she continued to scream his name.

"Rory!" Sam yelled.

Rory turned to look at him, her eyes wide with fear. "Sam... he can't, he can't... he can't hear me."

Sam crossed the room in two strides and grabbed her by the upper arms, forcing her to look at him. "Listen to me, Rory," he said in his most calming voice. "This is just a dream. It doesn't matter if your brother can't hear or see you."

Rory still stared at him in panic. "Rory, take a deep breath," Sam ordered, and Rory obeyed slowly.

"Now, here's what we're going to do. We're going to stick with your brother, because otherwise I think you'd have a panic attack," Sam told her firmly. "We're going to stay with him, okay? Eventually I'm sure we'll find a way to contact him."

Rory nodded, again slowly.

More footsteps came down the stairs. Clark and Rory turned automatically. Jonathan and Martha entered the kitchen, smiling at Clark.

"Morning, son," Jonathan greeted him.

"Hey, Clark," Martha said with a smile.

"Hey, guys," Clark replied. "Shouldn't Rory be up by now?"

Rory stiffened. Jonathan and Martha exchanged puzzled glances.

"Sorry?" Martha said, still smiling.

"Rory," Clark repeated. "You know, Rory. Blonde, loud, loyal, trusting?"

Jonathan and Martha looked at each other again. "Clark, you haven't mentioned Rory since you were six," Jonathan said, confused.

Rory clutched at Sam and Clark stared at his parents.

"What?" Clark asked, disbelieving. "Are you sure this is the same Rory?"

"Sure, Clark," Martha said. "Your imaginary friend."

"What?!" Rory shrieked. Of course, no one but Sam heard her.

"What?" Clark echoed Rory, incredulous. "But – Rory's my sister. She's not my imaginary anything!"

"You must have just been dreaming, Clark," Martha shrugged innocently.

"No," Rory whispered. "Clark, she's lying. Clark, this is the dream! I'm real! I swear!"

"Rory, relax," Sam said quickly, tugging her into his arms, trying to soothe her.

"No!" Rory shouted.

The window shattered.

Clark turned to stare at it. A grin spread across his face.

"Clark, are you feeling alright?" Jonathan asked in concern.

"Oh, I'd better clean that up," Martha said with a frown. She went to get a dustpan and brush.

"Clark?" Jonathan asked again.

"What?" Clark said distractedly. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Great."

"Any news on that girl yet?" he asked.

"What girl?" Sam murmured.

"No idea," Rory muttered back.

"No," Clark said in frustration. "I mean, I dug holes, I used my x-ray vision, but it's like she just vanished!"

"You?" Sam suggested.

"It can't be," Rory said quietly. "Clark was nowhere near me when I vanished."

"Was anybody else out there with you?" Jonathan asked.

"No," Clark said quickly. "Just me."

"You were skinny dipping alone?" Jonathan said, his eyebrows raised.

Martha returned with the dustpan and brush just as Rory cracked up laughing.

"I take it he's lying?" Sam said softly.

Between giggles, Rory managed to get out, "Yeah. That means I must have started dreaming before that, though."

Martha started to clean up the mess as Clark said embarrassedly, "Well, it was kind of a spur of the moment thing."

"All right, I better give the sheriff a call," Jonathan said.

"Maybe I should skip school and go look for her," Clark suggested, his eyes lighting up a little.

"Clark, it's not your responsibility to save everybody," Martha told him firmly.

"Besides," Jonathan said warmly, "right now I have a surprise for you."

The three of them went outside, followed by Sam and Rory.

Outside was a brand new blue truck.

"Wow, I didn't know you got a new truck," Clark said in surprise.

"It's not mine, Clark," Jonathan said, grinning. "It's yours."

"What?" Clark said, a huge grin spreading over his face.

Jonathan and Martha both laughed excitedly as Clark said, "Wait til I tell Pete!"

Taking a closer look, he turned to them and said, "I don't know what to say."

"Say," Jonathan held up the keys, "that you will take good care of her?"

Clark grabbed them and said happily, "I'll take good care of her."

He jumped into the truck cabin and, after a wave to his parents, put the keys in the ignition.

"Quick!" Sam ran towards the truck, hoisting himself into the back. Rory ran after him, but the truck had already started.

Rory caught it effortlessly and jumped in, sustaining absolutely no harm.

"Show off," Sam grumbled and Rory laughed.

The truck drove down the road. Clark began to play some music, which Sam and Rory paid no attention to.

"So," Sam said, "tell me about your friends."

Rory glanced at him, smiling. "Why?"

"Well, I figure I'm about to meet them, even if they're not gonna meet me," Sam grinned at her. "So you could at least give me names."

Rory tossed her hair back and said, still smiling with happiness, "Well, there's my best friend – aside from Clark. Her name's Lana." Leaning towards Sam conspiratorially, she stage whispered, "Clark's been in love with her since forever."

"Ah," Sam nodded and tapped the side of his nose.

"They actually went out for about a week, about-" Rory faltered, before continuing with, "about three months ago."

"Then what happened?" Sam asked.

Rory looked down at her hands. "Well, Clark and I did something really bad."

"Which was?" Sam probed for more information.

Rory hesitated, then decided that seeing as he already knew so much, she might as well throw caution completely to the wind.

"Different types of kryptonite – that's meteor rock, in case you forgot – affect us in different ways," Rory explained. "Green meteor rock – well, it hurts like all freaking hell. Everything you have ever felt ever, all the good and the bad, jammed into one loooooooong moment until you can't take it anymore."

Sam thought about it for a second, and couldn't imagine that.

"Then the red variety, well," Rory grinned at some of the good memories, of letting go and being free and having no worries, "it takes away our inhibitions."

"You with no inhibitions?" Sam said in mock horror. "I for one can't picture it."

"Anyway," Rory returned to her tale. "We destroyed the spaceship, because our supposedly 'dead' biological father was using it to communicate with us, and he wanted us to leave. So we destroyed it, and there was a big shockwave...

It killed Mom's baby. She was pregnant. They were in an accident, and she miscarried. So Clark and I found some red k, put it on and found freedom." There was a wistful tone in her voice.

"You miss it." Sam didn't ask, but state.

"Some bits," Rory admitted. "The power, the freedom, the sense of being untouchable... not being afraid. That was great. But once it was off... everything came back. It's like a drug: so long as you're on it, you're fine. But once you get off, nothing in the world can put you back on, cause getting off just isn't worth it."

Sam nodded and stared off into space. Neither of them spoke for a while.

"Isn't it funny how even though we've known each other for probably less than an hour, and we've met in the most unlikely way possible – or impossible, actually – and yet we're talking and confessing secrets like we've known each other forever?" Sam asked suddenly.

Rory glanced at him. "I guess. It's just, I feel kinda free with you. Cause you've got your own secrets, so you'd never tell mine, and it won't worry you if I tell you what I'm really thinking."

Sam grinned and said teasingly, "You make me sound like a diary."

Rory smacked him on the arm and they both laughed.

"Anyway," Sam shook his head as if shaking off a daydream, "you didn't finish telling me about your friends."

"Oh yeah," Rory remembered. "Well, my next best friend is Chloe. Chloe's amazing. She's funny and smart and spunky. Editor of the school newspaper. She's also had a crush on Clark since forever."

"So basically every girl in town loves your brother?" Sam summed up.

Rory laughed and agreed, "Exactly."

"So, moving on."

"Clark's best friend is Pete, and he's pretty cool. He's African American, confident and has had a crush on Chloe since forever. But," Rory stopped Sam's comment, "apart from him, every other guy likes Lana."

Sam stared at her for a second, then said, "I find that hard to believe."

Rory blushed, before continuing hastily, "Then there's Lex."

"Ah, yes," Sam recalled. "Your billionaire buddy."

"Yeah," Rory said laughingly. "Have you heard of him before?"

"I've heard of LuthorCorp."

"Lex's father owns that. Lex runs the Smallville branch," Rory explained. "His defining physical trait... just warning you... is that he's bald. He was caught in the meteor shower. Every follicle of hair on his head, gone."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

They continued in silence a little longer, before Rory said quickly, "This is nice."

"Yeah," Sam agreed.

The song from the cabin changed. (It's Imitation of Life by REM, in case you were wondering. This song plays when Lana and Clark skinny dip.)

"I love this song!" exclaimed Rory. She began to sing along.

"What's it called?" Sam asked her. She held up a finger as she continued to sing, waiting for a pause.

A pause finally came up and she said quickly, "Imitation-of-Life-by-REM."

The solo came up and the two of them lay back, staring up at the blue sky and the clouds in it.

"I think this is what most people call a perfect moment," Rory commented softly.

They lay in silence until the slow bit of the song came up and Rory sang quietly,

That sugarcane,
This lemonade,
This hurricane, I'm,
not afraid.
Come on, come on,
no one can see me cry-eh-ay-eh-ay-eh-ay-ay.

She sat up on her elbow, looking down at him with a smile.

This lightning storm,
This tidal wave,
This avalanche, I'm,
not afraid.
Come on, come on,
no one can see me cry-eh-ay-eh-ay-eh-ay-ay...

She leaned just a little closer to him when the song and the truck stopped abruptly, lurching her onto him.

They both sat up quickly, Sam pushing her away gently, looking flustered. She seemed the same as he jumped down from the truck and held his hands up to her. As soon as she was down, he let go.

They followed Clark inside to start what turned out to be a long day. Sam of course had already done high school, and Rory had been reading ahead in her textbooks.

"You know, this is a really boring dream," Rory muttered, putting her head down on her arm. They'd quickly discovered that people didn't go through them, just found some way to unconsciously avoid them.

"Tell me about it," Sam sighed. The two of them sat on some desks away from the rest of the students currently studying in the library.

"Okay," Rory said, an idea occurring to her. "Let's ask questions."

"What kind of questions?" Sam asked suspiciously.

"The kind of questions you ask someone you want to know more about," Rory said innocently, sitting up.

"Like...?" Sam probed.

"Like favourite colour, food, movie, song, band, singer, etc," Rory elaborated. Smiling at him, she asked, "Wanna try?"

Sam grinned back, and they spent the rest of the day trading information on all different aspects of their lives.

Just between two classes, however, something interesting happened.

"Okay, gimme a top ten worst singers ever," Rory said to Sam.

Sam was looking at a pretty girl with tinted skin, brown eyes, pretty features and long dark hair when she said this, and so wasn't listening.

"Hmm?" he said absently.

"Sam?" Rory waved her hand in front of his face, then saw who he was looking at.

"Lana!" she cried happily, even knowing the girl couldn't hear her.

"That's the famous Lana?" Sam asked.

Lana caught up to them quickly, bypassing the two and grabbing Clark.

"Hey, Clark," she said with a sweet smile.

Rory grinned in anticipation and said, "Ohh, this is great."

"Lana," Clark said, sounding surprised. "Look, about yesterday..."

Sam and Rory both laughed, almost missing Lana's, "Oh, it's okay."

"You're not mad?" Clark said, sounding even more surprised.

"About you running off?" Lana asked, still smiling. Rory shushed Sam needlessly; they both guessed this had something to do with the girl.

Lana's next comment completely derailed their focus, however: "No, I had a good view when you left."

The look on Clark's face had both of them howling with laughter.

They managed to recover in time for Lana's, "So who was screaming?"

"Some girl," Clark shrugged, far more casual then he'd seemed this morning.

"Is she okay?" Lana asked, her eyes wide with concern.

"I don't know," Clark sighed. "She just kind of disappeared."

Rory shook her head in frustration. "I wish I could know what really happened."

"I'm really sorry I just left you," Clark said sincerely. "Again."

"It's not like we had a date or anything," Lana laughed. "But I had fun."

"So did I," Clark smiled happily.

"Our relationship's always been about pain and angst," Lana said, smiling ironically. "I guess a little levity is refreshing."

Clark's face became more solemn as she said wistfully, "Maybe after a while, you'll stop torturing yourself and realise that there's no reason why we shouldn't be together."

Clark looked down and opened his mouth, ready to argue, until Lana stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Clark," she said understandingly. "I'm willing to wait as long as you want."

Lana turned and walked away as a familiar expression came over Clark's face; one of longing.

He turned and saw a girl who had been standing there for some time now. She had red hair, and looked bewildered. She was watching Clark.

Clark seemed very interested in her. "Hey," he said to her, looking a little confused.

She started to walk away and he followed her, saying as he went, "Hey, wait. Hey, who are you?"

"What's going on?" Sam asked Rory.

"If I had to take a wild guess, I'd say that's this mysterious girl we keep hearing about," Rory replied.

The girl stopped in front of a glass trophy case set into the wall.

"What happened?" Clark asked in concern, finally catching her. "I saw you get pulled into the ground."

When no information seemed to be forthcoming, Clark said, slightly desperate, "At least tell me your name."

The girl seemed to come to her senses at little at this, and said shakily, "Uh, Sara. Sara Conroy."

"Okay, Sara," Clark said, happy to be getting somewhere, "what's going on?"

"He's after me," Sara replied, distressed.

"Who?" Rory murmured, agitated.

"Who?" Clark echoed her without knowing.

"He's always after me," Sara reiterated, obviously unhappy.

Sara looked past Clark and her features tensed in fear.

At the same time, Rory's head exploded in pain.

She shrieked and bent over, clutching at her head.

She couldn't see, or breath, or think, or feel. It hurt just as badly as the meteor rocks, maybe more, because all of the pain was concentrated in the one place of her body.

Somehow, she managed to hear a hissing, terrible, horrible, indescribable voice.

You shall not interfere, outsider.

The pain disappeared.

Rory breathed heavily, trying to come back to her senses. She suddenly became aware that Sam was holding her up, asking urgently, "What's wrong? Rory? What's the matter?"

"What happened?" she gasped, breathless.

Sam told her quickly, "There was something, in a red hooded cape. I'd say we're dealing with a spirit."

"It's a dream, Sam," Rory panted. "Spirits aren't around. Besides, I'm guessing spirits can't inflict huge mental pain on their victims."

"Is that what happened?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Rory replied shakily. "I think the pain started as soon as this guy showed up."

"Any theories?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, actually," Rory said, her voice getting stronger. "I think – just a theory, remember, and a really farfetched one at that – but I think there might be two levels, or planes, to this dream. The first one is the one that they're on," she gestured to the students around them.

"The second one is the one that we're on, where we can watch and observe but not interact," Rory explained. "If I'm right, then that guy has somehow found a way to transcend the two planes-"

"And move between them," Sam said understandingly. "Certainly fits the bill."

"That it does," Rory agreed. She looked around.

"Where's Clark?" she asked, something almost like panic hitting her.

"What?" Sam looked up too. "Oh. Don't know."

Rory nodded, staying calm. "He's probably just gone to the Torch or something."

"The Torch?" Sam asked, relieved that she was all right. He took her hand and she subtly led him along a corridor.

"Yeah, the Torch. School newspaper. Chloe's –"

"Editor," Sam remembered.

Rory flashed him a grin. "You're good."

She tugged him gently into a room just off their corridor.

Clark had apparently only just beaten them there. He was talking to a pretty blonde girl with short hair, similar to Rory's.

"Chloe?" Sam asked.

Rory nodded, not letting go of his hand.

"...referring to the 'Blue Lagoon' moment with a certain former girlfriend, right?" Chloe asked Clark with a cynical smile on her face.

"You know about that?" Clark asked, momentarily distracted.

"Clark, this is high school," Chloe said, sarcastic disbelief throughout her tone. "Everybody knows."

"The only-" Clark was shocked. "Did Sara Conroy tell you?"

"Highly doubtful," Chloe said sardonically, "since I've never met anyone with that name."

"Does she always talk like that?" Sam asked Rory.

"Isn't it awesome?" Rory said by way of answering.

"Well, she's a new student, I think," Clark was saying. "I saw her in the woods, and I just saw her in the hallway. She's definitely a candidate for the Wall of Weird."

"The what?" Sam asked, bewildered.

"Oh, Chloe takes articles on the meteor infected, or weird happenings in Smallville and puts them up on..." Rory trailed off suddenly.

"...the Wall of Weird has been retired," Chloe was saying. Clark was staring at an empty wall in shock. Sam could clearly see where there had been things stuck to the wall: it was faded around their old outlines.

"Chloe, who did this?" Clark asked, astonished.

"I did," Chloe said solemnly. "It's time to start leaving childish pursuits behind. You're not the only one who grew up this summer. Besides, I think the Daily Planet was beginning to frown on my little obsession."

Clark spun to face her, his face suddenly alive with hope. "Rory," was all he said. Rory's eyes snapped to Chloe's face.

Chloe just looked confused, though. "Sorry?"

"Rory," Clark said again, the hope fading from his eyes. "You know, Rory."

Chloe smirked, a little wary. "She another imaginary friend, Clark?"

Without another word, Clark left.

A/N I know, such fast updates from a girl whose record til recently was three weeks! I tend to write about my current obsession, and I've now become re-obsessed with Smallville. So yeah! I was gonna stop this chapter quite a bit later, but I decided that it was long enough here.

With the whole 'Imitation-of-Life' part, Rory was just leaning up to him as a joke when Clark stopped and she fell onto him, making them both uncomfortable... haha.

Don't you just love the vampires line? Sam and Dean have done Dead in the Water, by the way, but were working a case between that and Phantom Traveller when this happened.

Question no. 9
What colour best represents Chloe?

All questions are welcome!