Disclaimer: Don't own Smallville/Supernatural

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"I don't know what Chloe's done to them, but she's definitely done something, that much is obvious." Bobby eyed the goings-on outside and relayed everything to Pamela, his eyes narrowed as Dean and Sam worked like pack-mules to get the stable and fenced off section ready for the unicorns… without complaint. He could get Sam doing all of this without saying something, but Dean? Nah. "Something's up."

"Being so suspicious all the time is not good for you," Pamela tutted in his ear. "It'll give you heartburn."

"I already have heartburn." His voice was a grumble. "All thanks to Lois' cooking-or what she calls cooking, at least. I don't know what part of the aftermath is worse, the heartburn or the runs." He gave a dark snort. "We could use it as a torture device. We'd win the war against the denizens of hell in two seconds, flat."

"I heard that!"

He looked up, eyes wide in horror as he gazed around him. Just where the devil was that harpy?

Pamela cackled in laughter in his ear. "Busted, mister!"

Lois Lane, Chloe's scary adopted cousin, entered the room, eyes narrowed on him, hand clutched tightly onto a tray upon which were glasses on water and plate of cookies. "Just for that, you're going to have to take three of these and pay the consequences later, whenever they arrive, whichever they be-heartburn or runs-or both."

Bobby gulped, terror welling up in his stomach as he gazed at the cookies. He hadn't smelt Lois cooking them, but then again, if Lois had been the one cooking no wonder he hadn't smelt them! It'd probably smelt like ashes and oil or something. But he was more terrified of the smile that'd turned up on her lips than of whatever might befall his poor stomach later on, so Bobby merely picked up three cookies dutifully and took a bite out of one, his eyes widening when he realized that it tasted good. But that would be an even graver insult to say, and probably get him into more trouble, so he merely continued to eat until his three were gone.

"Good boy." Lois fixed him with the smile of a shark before she walked away and took the tray of cookies and water outside to the unsuspecting, unfortunate souls there.

Pamela, who'd been silent on the other end of the line, burst out into unholy cackling. "I love that girl!"

Bobby, terrified for his life considering that he'd eaten three of those things, hung up on the woman.

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Sam and Dean froze in horror the second they saw Lois approaching with food.

Oh dear god, why were people still letting that woman near the kitchen?

Chloe had yet to see her cousin's approach, she had her back to her and was conversing with Dax (the firelizard in its favorite spot curled around her throat), the girl putting down markers on the outside of every couple of posts that Sam and Dean had put down so far for the unicorns' fenced inclosure, indicating where she would later be planting shade and fruit bearing trees. Normally she wouldn't be able to splurge the way she was, but unicorns had specific needs and The Powers That Be (as she was calling it-and it was only because she'd forced them to continue watching Buffy-and now Angel as well-that they got the reference) were financing everything. Apparently she was providing some sort of rare, extremely important service and anything she needed to make her life, and her charges' lives easier, she was being sent. Kinda like how they'd sent Lois. Though considering her cooking it could've been an attempt at murder.

And talking about her cooking…

Lois reached Chloe and held out her tray.

Sam and Dean both tensed in horror when Chloe smiled and grabbed a cookie without hesitation, biting into it and chewing, swallowing happily before taking two more and a glass of water.

The sun and heat must be getting to her. There was no other way to explain wanting more of Lois' cooking.

Not exactly sure what three of Lois' cookies might do to Chloe, the guys moved forwards to somehow put a stop to this as carefully and nicely as possible, and caught the tailwind of the conversation between the cousins.

"-think I made these." Lois was the picture of evil delight as she grabbed a cookie and bit into it. "And it serves him right too! He said he could use my cooking as a torture device!"

Chloe snorted into her cup of water. "I'm so sorry Lois!"

The brunette thought about it. "Well, he's kinda right, but that's why I let him stew in it and be there thinking he's going to be sick." She turned to Dean and Sam and held out the tray to them. "No one tell Bobby that these are store-bought cookies! You hear me? He has a lesson that needs to be learnt about a girl's delicate ego."

At the "store-bought" the brothers nodded and surged forth, no longer wary but hungry as they grabbed some as well as a cup of water, thanking her.

"You're welcome." Lois beam at them before she turned to look at the job so far. "It's looking great. You guys are ahead of schedule by what? A couple of days?"

A couple of the Golden Morning fairies were checking out the posts, jumping from one to the other, apparently making a chasing game out of it.

Something moved in the grass towards Chloe and Dean noticed it before the others, his hunter instincts reacting as he raised the shovel he'd been using to dig the holes for the posts.

Chloe noticed his movement and then looked down and her eyes widened as she raised her hand immediately. "Stop!"

Dean froze.

The creature, having noticed Dean, had stopped its movement and had already started hurrying away.

Chloe bent to her knees and put down her glass of water. "Lois, go get me a small bowl of milk please."

"Milk?" Lois blinked and yet hurried to do as told. "Milk."

Chloe held her hand out towards the obviously scared creature, which had stopped moving away and yet which wasn't coming any closer. "Dax?"

The firelizard around her neck gave a little chirping sound that seemed encouraging to the creature.

"I get that you're trying to protect me, Dean," Chloe didn't take her gaze off of the creature. "But I don't have to be protected from anything that comes through the Circle that surrounds this whole property. On the contrary." She smiled softly as the creature began to slither slowly towards her. "That's it. I'm sorry you were scared. He's just one of my Guardians and it's in his nature to react like that-you scared him. I'm sorry you had such an abrupt welcome like that though."

Dean scoffed. "It's a snake, Chloe. It's not one of your charges."

Sam eyed them in silence as his eyes narrowed. "Zaltys?"

Dean turned to Sam in confusion. "Gesundheit?"

Chloe looked up at Sam and smiled. "Exactly."

"How can you be sure?" Sam wanted to know as he bent on his knees and watched the apparently common grass snake move closer towards Chloe, the creature still sending Dean wary little looks but drawn towards the girl.

"I just am." The girl's gaze lowered to the snake and she smiled as its forked tongue flicked against her outstretched fingertips.

"Way to leave a guy out of a conversation." Dean looked between them, an odd expression on his face.

"I'm back!" Lois returned with a small bowl filled with milk and lowered it do the grass next to Chloe, the brunette eyeing the snake with interest. "So I'm guessing this is a newcomer, huh?"

Chloe nodded and smiled as she moved the bowl over to the snake and waited, watched as it eyed the bowl offered before beginning to lap at the milk.

Lois blinked. "I have seen everything now. I can die feeling accomplished and vaguely superior."

Chloe rolled her eyes and turned her head to face her cousin. "You're-." The blonde turned back to face the snake when she felt it curl around her wrist, the snake slowly stopping once it'd wrapped itself around her arm.

"I'm guessing that means something?" Dean raised an eyebrow. "Will someone explain anything to me?"

"It's a Zaltys, a household spirit in Lithuanian mythology which guards the home and is a symbol of fertility." Sam declared as he eyed the snake intently.

Dean froze as his gaze went to the snake and then to the girl who it was curled around.

Sam continued on with his explanation. "They are supposed to bring you good harvest and wealth, unless you kill it, which brings great misfortune on the household."

"And if you meet a Zaltys you offer it milk?" Lois guessed and blinked when Chloe and Sam both nodded. "I need to seriously start brushing up on this stuff!"

Chloe rubbed the head of the snake, a smile on her face. "Do you have a name?" When the Zaltys merely eyed her oddly she smiled. "I'll call you Zilvinas then, after the king of the snakes."

The Zaltys seemed happy about that one.

"Come on, let's go inside. We've got to create a nice little home for you by the stove, that's where your place is supposed to be, right?" Chloe smiled at her newest arrival as she turned and walked back towards the house.

Dax chirped petulantly and bucked her head into Chloe's cheek, apparently jealous of the attention the newest reptile was receiving.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Lois hurried after her, clearly intrigued as to the direction this was going in.

Dean and Sam stayed where they were and gazed at the windows to the kitchen, the curtains pulled back and allowed them to glance inside as Chloe and Lois talked and worked at the same time readying a place for their newest arrival.

The brothers were silent, tense.

Chloe laughed inside and turned to Lois before she brought Zilvinas up to her face and said something to the snake, who merely flicked his tongue out at her.

Dax chirped once more, apparently still unhappy with the attention the snake was getting.

"Fertility." Dean finally broke the silence.

Sam let out a hard sigh as he averted his gaze.

"It's the damn symbol of fertility." Dean turned his gaze from the window to look at his brother. "You realize what this means, don't you?"

"It doesn't mean anything, Dean." Sam picked up his shovel. "She's the Lighthouse, she was bound to attract-."

"Bound to attract my ass!" Dean snapped at him. "The timing is too damned coincidental! First your visions, then that spell, and now we have a goddamned magical snake arriving to tell us that one of us has knocked her up."

Sam still wouldn't look at him, and it pissed him off further.

"We need to talk to Bobby."

That made Sam look at him, and fast. "You can't be serious."

"We're living with him, Sammy, and he's a smart son of a gun." Dean ran his hand over his hair, seriously nervous of the thought of having this conversation with Bobby of all people. "If he hasn't figured out something is up he's gonna figure it out soon and I think it's better that he find out because we told him than because he finds her puking her breakfast."

"And what exactly do you plan on telling him, Dean?" Sam glared at him before he cleared his throat and tried to mimic Dean's voice. "Uh, yeah Bobby, you see, we got caught up in some ritualistic magic and gangbanged your daughter all night long, and, well, you see, Sam's a freak who can see the future, and in that future, well, one of us has gotten the apple of your eye pregnant. We'd thought that maybe, if we somehow managed to keep our hands to ourselves by staying busy it would at least hold off that prediction until she was older but now a magical, reptilian, Lithuanian household guardian that symbolizes fertility has arrived I'm certain that one of us managed to do a good job of it that night because, surprise, you're gonna be the grandaddy of twins! But, uh, we're not sure who the father is, so we'll have to get back to you on that."

Dean glared at Sam. "I wouldn't say it like that."

Sam fixed him with an identical glare. "There's no other way to put it."

"Yes there is." Dean cleared his throat. "Bobby, I have something to say, and before I say it I need you to step away from any weapons you might have around you."

Despite his annoyance, Sam snickered. "Ah, yes, I forgot that part."

"Fatal error," Dean assured him before continuing. "So, Bobby, you know how you said that one time you were drunk that you hated Moira because she kept you from seeing Chloe grow up? That you never heard the sound of her small feet running around the house or heard her laughter or anything like that? Well, problem solved, by default." Dean cleared his throat. "You're, uh, welcome."

Sam stared at Dean's in disbelief. "I don't know how, but I think that one was even worse than mine."

"You were telling him we gangbanged her all night long." Dean fixed him with a glare. "In no way or form was mine worse!"

"Okay, that was admittedly not my finest speech, but you basically told him she was pregnant, didn't give him any clue as to the circumstances, and then said: you're welcome." Sam stared at him. "If I was him I would've shot you."

Dean folded his arms over his chest.

"Plus, he would've assumed immediately that the kids are yours." Sam shook his head.

"Would that have been so bad?" Dean asked.

Sam froze before he turned to look at his brother. "What do you mean?"

Dean was now the one who couldn't look at his brother, clearly uncomfortable. "I'm just saying, it's going to be hard figuring out whose kids those are considering how much, uh, switching was done that night. And it's not like I really care, they'll be Winchester either way, and it's not like I have some amazing college or career or life waiting for me or anything like you do."

Sam's frown darkened. "Dean, what are you saying?"

Dean took in a deep breath. "I'm saying, to ease the blow, we just tell him they're mine. He'll take it easier than the whole idea of, and I'm using your words here, a ritualistic gangbang on the apple of his eye." Dean licked his lips, seriously uncomfortable. "I mean, you have to leave eventually, everyone here knows that and is expecting that, but I don't… have to leave, I mean."

Sam let out a soft scoff. "Is that so?"

Dean frowned and finally turned to his brother, having expected a little more relief and not the darkness he saw there. "Yeah, I mean, you only came here to find out what killed your roommate, you've always told everyone plainly that you're going to return to your old life-to Stanford-and I get that this whole situation has sidetracked us and that it'll keep us from figuring out what killed mom and your roommate but-."

"Dean, I drank from that cup too you know, not just you." Sam grabbed his empty glass and stormed towards the kitchen.

Dean watched him go, eyes narrowed. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

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Chloe looked up from the box with the comfy pillow they were using for now as a makeshift home for Zilvinas, she would go out later, maybe tomorrow, and get a proper place for him but for now he seemed contentedly laying on it next to the stove. Lois had gone to find Bobby and let him know about their newest guest so that he didn't "pull a Dean", and Chloe had asked Dax to inform the others of the newest arrival so the firelizard had blinked out of existence and was somewhere or the other.

The kitchen door opened and Sam entered, his gaze troubled as he closed it a little louder than necessary.

Chloe's green gaze went to him curiously. "Everything okay?"

He nodded and didn't look in the stove's direction as he went to the sink, putting his glass there before he turned to face her as he leaned against the sink. "How about you? How are you feeling? Have you been ill lately? Should you really be working so much out in the sun like you have? Maybe you should be wearing a hat at least?"

She eyed him in confusion at the suddenly intense questioning. "I'm fine Sam." She tilted her head to the side. "Do I look like I've been feeling ill lately?"

He opened his mouth and then cleared his throat. "I'm not a flake."

The girl was completely confused right now as she stared at him. "I never thought-."

"If I have a responsibility, I will not run away from it. I don't want to." He stared at her long, hard, and seemed to read the confusion on her face. "Dean just informed me that everyone thinks I'm dying to see the back of this place and get back to Stanford but-."

Her eyes widened as she suddenly got it. He was talking about his role as Guardian! "No one thinks that Sam." She moved towards him and was touched that he obviously took this role this seriously. "But we get that you had a whole life before you came here, and a seriously promising one at that! I mean, Stanford. How many hunters get to say that they saw Stanford much less actually went there? I'm surprised you're not hitting your head against the walls some days, missing it so much." Her smile dropped slightly when his expression remained stony yet she plowed on and came a little closer, trying to cheer him up and cheer him on. "But I get what you're saying, I understand that you take what you believe to be your duties seriously, and I appreciate that." She smiled softly at him. "But I wouldn't ever ask you to give up your future for that. This is my battle, Sam. Not yours. And I know that something happened, that, uh, night, and it's made you a Guardian but that doesn't mean that you can't have your own separate life as well."

Sam's grip on the sink tightened visibly.

Chloe's gaze lowered to his whitening knuckles before they raised to his face in confusion as she hurried to try and comfort him, reassure him, not sure what she was saying that was bothering him so visibly. "Plus, with how addicted Dean's become to my cooking I don't think I'm going to get rid of him, so you could kill two birds with one stone and go away knowing that I'm safe because he's taking care of me, and that in return I'm-."

She never got to tell Sam what she'd be doing in return before he hissed, reached out for her, and pulled the surprised girl into him. Her breath left her lungs as her body hit his but she didn't have time to react as Sam grabbed her by her waist and turned them, picked her up easily and plopped her down onto the sink as if she weighed nothing. And then he was standing between her parted thighs, his hands cupping her face and his mouth on hers as he kissed her.

Chloe's eyes widened as she reached behind her to grab the sink and steady herself, her heart racing and eyes closing as she cried out in shocked pleasure when Sam let go of his grip on her face to pull her hips more intimately against him.

"You two are ridiculous!" Lois hissed urgently. "Bobby's coming right behind me! He wants to see Zilvinas so he knows what he looks like!"

Sam and Chloe pulled away quickly from each other, Chloe sliding off of the sink and quickly turning on the water and beginning to wash two plates and Sam's glass, her back to the door. Her hands were shaky, her face flushed and her eyes wide in disbelief at what had just happened. Sam had kissed her. Sam… had kissed her! He'd kissed her!

Sam was across the room by the time Bobby entered.

Lois, well, she distracted Bobby as best she could, but it was probably her evil grin that did it more than what she was saying.

No one noticed Dean by the backdoor, a dark expression on his face.

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There was an odd tension in the house unlike the previous one.

Bobby looked at everyone over his newspaper curiously.

Dean and Sam hadn't said a word to each other all evening and he'd known them well enough to know that they'd had a fight, and from the looks of it, it was a serious one. Those idjits.

Chloe was fidgety, and Bobby was worried she might be coming down with a fever because she'd been flushed all evening and barely ate a thing.

Lois, well, the girl had started off darkly amused but then had received a phone call from her father, had taken the call outside in the salvage yard, and even then they could hear the screaming match that had gone on from her side of the phone at least. When she'd returned she'd been just as sombre as the others.

Bobby sighed and shook his head. He got what was eating the brunette girl, but what exactly was going on between Sam and Dean? They'd been fine a little while back.

Chloe lay on her stomach on the floor with Lois and Ben, the three of them trying to work silently on a 300 piece puzzle and getting nowhere fast, but where determined to finish it nonetheless.

Sam got a phone call from one of his friends from Stanford, it was one who called regularly to check up on him. He cleared his throat and excused himself to talk as he went up to his room.

Bobby opened his mouth to ask Dean just what the devil was going on between him and his brother, but one of his own many phones rang, the one marked CIA, and he sighed and got up to help a fellow hunter in need.

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Chloe looked up when she saw Dante in the doorway, his eyes glowing through the screen door.

She turned to Lois and Ben and smiled. "I'll be right back." The girl pushed to her feet and brushed off her clothes as she moved to the front door and pushed the screen open, slipping outside. "What is it? Something come up during your patrols?"

Dante raised an eyebrow, as if telling her that that should be obvious, and motioned for her to follow him by tilting his head.

The girl sent the house one last look before she followed after the Hellhound, walking in silence under the moonlight through the long expanse of the terrain of the Singer property until she reached the boundary and that was when she sensed it, the burning scent. "What is that?"

Dante motioned with his head for her to come closer as he sat down next to the line of mushrooms.

Chloe bent on her knees next to him and noticed, on the outside of the line, what looked like burnt remains of something which was still in the process of becoming ash. Horror filled her. "Something tried to enter and got burnt by the barrier? Why would it do that? It's supposed to be protection!"

Dante sent her a look.

Her eyes widened in understanding. "Something bad tried to enter."

The Hellhound gave a little dip of his head.

Chloe turned her gaze back to the small burnt body. "Do you know what sort of creature it was?"

Dante appeared uncaring.

Chloe sighed. "At least we know the barrier works against the smaller things."

"Everything okay out here?"

Chloe jumped and gave a little cry at the unexpected voice as she stood and twirled around, a little dizzy and yet managing to keep on her feet as she faced Dean Winchester. "What are you doing here?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "I figured something had happened if Dante came for you." He came to stand next to her and eyed the burnt remains. "So I'm guessing this wasn't a friendly then?"

"Yep." Chloe nodded as she took in a deep breath. "Congratulations, we're the proud parents of a strong baby barrier."

Dean flinched as if hit before he turned to look at her. "How have you been feeling lately, by the way?"

Chloe blinked in surprise. "Do I really look ill? Because Sam asked me that earlier too."

Something dark crossed Dean's features before it was gone and he glanced away. "You've got a lot on your plate. It's got to be draining, and we still don't know a lot about what being the Lighthouse means or how it'll affect you."

That was true.

She gave him a small smile. "I'm fine, thanks. There's no reason why I shouldn't be."

Dean looked around him before he cleared his throat and ran his hand over his throat. "Look, I think we need to talk."

She tilted her head. "About what?"

"This is going to be awkward as hell, and I am usually not one to bring up these conversations, but, well, the snake came." Dean took in a deep breath.

"You have a problem with Zilvinas?" Chloe blinked in surprise.

"No." Dean shook his head. "Not really." He took in a deep breath. "Sammy should be here."

She was confused. "For the conversation about Zilvinas?"

"It's not really about the snake." Dean made a face before he took in a deep breath. "Look, thing is-."

Suddenly, the sound of an engine drawing closer brought their attention, and Dean's eyes widened as a black truck could be seen in the distance making its way towards the house. "What the hell is he doing here?"

Chloe frowned at the reaction that truck had gotten out of Dean. "What is it? Who is that?"

Dean turned to look at her. "That's my father."

Terror filled Chloe, both for herself and her charges, and she went pale as her world tilted on its axis. "No. He can't be here! No!"

"It's going to be okay." Dean assured her, even though he didn't look too sure himself.

"He can't be here!" Chloe could hardly breathe and turned to run to the house but Dean grabbed her and held her back. "Let me go! He can't be here! I-Ben-he can't-!"

"Calm down! If you meet my father in that state he's going to know something is up." Dean stared down into her face, his hands on her shoulders. "Just breathe, calm yourself, okay? I'm not going to let anything happen to you or the others."

"He's your father." She was trembling.

Dean's grip on her shoulders tightened. "I swear." His hazels met her greens. "But I need you to trust me."

Chloe looked up at him and then let out a stuttered breath as she visibly forced herself to calm down.

Dean smirked down at her before he swooped down and shocked the girl by kissing her, deeply, all tension leaving her body as she melted into his arms on instinct.

Chloe's eyes flew open in shocked confusion when Dean pulled away, the girl blushing. "What-? Why-?"

Now Dean had kissed her! First Sam-now Dean-and all in the same day!

"For good luck." Dean flashed her a grin before he cleared his throat. "Let's go see what the hell my dad is doing here."

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TBC