Dan and Chloe Who: Dan and Chloe What: Dan is now in normal MV Where: Chloe’s house When: right after the mirrorverse plot ends Warnings: possible mentions of violence
The last thing Dan thought before closing his eyes consisted of him craving Italian. He rarely thought about food these days, as he perceived thinking of food like a different sort of torture. Mostly, he wondered how much longer he and the current version of Dean could keep up their ruse. James started sniffing around and Dan’s exhaustion overtook him. Dean just got him in line, and Dan didn’t relish the thought they needed to begin again.
When he woke up, confusion overtook him. He saw...a normal living room? With...a couch? How did that happen? When did that happen? No way would this furniture appear in Dean’s place, since the pieces screamed domesticity.
Steps sounded on the stairs. Fuck. Okay. He wore clothes. People might think him strange, but at least most wouldn’t question Dean’s right hand man. He hoped.
And then he saw Chloe, the mother of his daughter, his best friend. “Ch...Chloe?” Shit. No. She didn’t belong in this hell.
Chloe had been worried about Dan from the moment she was informed that he was in another version of Madison Valley that was less than ideal. Given that he was supposedly good friends with this other Dean, who was apparently a cold blooded killer, she wondered what Dan was doing with him. Dan was a good man who deserved better than to be stuck in some kind of dystopian reality.
While Dean had promised that no harm would come to any of them, she still thought it was best if the girls stayed elsewhere. She decided to remain at the house, hoping it would all be over soon. She wished that Dan had been one of the few that switched over, but he had never shown up, unfortunately. When she went to bed that night, she had no idea that would suddenly come true.
She had just got out of bed and was making her way down the stairs when she realized someone was in the house. With a slight trepidation, she moved more slowly on the stairs. Chloe moved just enough so that she could see who it was, while still having time to run upstairs for her gun. "Dan?" She blinked in awe and began to run down the stairs and over to him. She tossed her arms around him and held him tight. "It's so good to see you, Dan. Are you okay? I know you were at another Madison Valley, and I was worried.'
He returned the hug, albeit a bit awkwardly. He hadn’t hugged another human since before his death. The hug told him how touch starved Dan became. “Wait. Is this the other Madison Valley full of kittens and rainbows? A different version of Dean told me about it and that you and Trixie lived here, along with Lucifer, Maze, and Linda.” Okay, he breathed a little easier. He would fight tooth and nail to keep Chloe safe, but maybe he didn’t need to do that here.
“Yeah, that place? Literal hell on Earth. It almost put actual Hell to shame. Almost. Did...did you meet a less nice Dean?” Shit. What the fuck trouble did his boss cause here? Whatever damage caused...maybe Dan should go on an apology tour?
***
Chloe parted from him, noticing how stiff he felt, which was a far cry from the Dan she knew. “Yeah, this is the nicer version of Madison Valley. Things happen here and there but we’ve never been in too much danger.” She motioned for him to follow her to the kitchen so she could make some coffee for them.
“Lucifer was here for a while, but he left not that long ago.” She replied casually, trying to move on from his departure. “Do you want-” Chloe stopped herself mid sentence and turned to face Dan. “How would you know it puts actual hell to shame?”
“I...haven’t hugged anyone in quite some time.” He noticed she could tell his stiffness and didn’t want to think Chloe did anything wrong. Dan followed to the kitchen and stared in wonder. How long since he stood in a kitchen not only this clean but with evidence of actual food?
“Oh Chloe. I’m sorry he’s gone.” Yeah, Lucifer and Dan didn’t always get along, but before his death things seemed to be moving in a better direction for the two of them. Shit. SHIT. How far ahead in the timeline was Dan? “I died Chloe, and apparently with a guilty conscience.”
***
"No, it's okay. I know that place wasn't all that ideal. How long were you there for?" Dean had told her a few details, but nothing too specific either way. "Oh, it's fine, we never really were that close or anything."
When Dan informed her that he had died, Chloe stared at him in disbelief. "What? No, you can't- Trixie needs-" unable to help herself the tears began to spill and she stepped forward once again to hug him. "What happened? Was it on the job?"
*** “About 9 months? Give or take. I showed up on Dean’s doorstep and, instead of killing me, he became my boss...He’s not nice. And...I don’t know that I am anymore. But, I want to try so I can be a good father to Trixie.” He knew if he dug deep enough, embers of the old Dan resided. And maybe in this place he had a shot at returning to his old self. Not entirely, but with help?
Dan wondered about Chloe and Lucifer not being close, given their relationship when he died.
At the second hug, Dan relaxed into it, at least a bit more. “Don’t cry, Chloe, please. That might break my heart.” Dan heard the words and realized, with a start, how genuine he was being with his friend.
“I...yeah, on the job.” Dan knew that Chloe shouldn’t find out how he died, at least not from him. How could he burden her with that guilt? Best to think something random on the job happened. “Trixie still remains the best thing to happen to me. And, I’m here now.”
***
"I heard a lot about him, and I'm sorry you had to go through all of that." Chloe was confident that Dan could change, and she was sure that he wasn't all that bad. With a little time and support, he would be back to himself in no time. She stepped back again and reached up to wipe away her tears.
"Let's not tell Trixie about you dying. She doesn't need to know that." She had been already having a difficult time with the loss of Lucifer, and there was no reason to add to it. "Linda and Maze are still here, though." Even though they were no longer married, he was still very much a part of Chloe's life and she cared deeply for him. With all he had been through it was entirely unfair. "Why couldn't Lucifer save you from hell?"
*** Dan again worried what Dean got up to in this version of Madison Valley. What chaos did Dean cause? And, of course, Chole showed more faith in Dan than he allowed for himself. Of course, he missed his old self and perhaps that was step one.
“I will never tell Trixie.” He obviously agreed with Chloe when it came to Trixie. And he didn’t want his daughter to learn about his death if he could help it. “How are Linda and Maze? Is...Charlie here too?” Hopefully Chloe knew of Charlie’s existence.
Why hadn’t Lucifer saved him… “I...honestly am unsure if Lucifer knows yet that I ended up in Hell. I believe he would try if he knew.” For some reason, Dan’s certainty about Lucifer saving him remained strong.
***
It seemed like a lot had occurred in her absence, and it was a little overwhelming to take in. Especially after all they had been going through. "Yes, Charlie is here with Linda. Last time I checked, both Maze and Linda were fine." Coffee. They need coffee. Or maybe something stronger. "Trixie and Mare have been staying with Castiel and Balthazar. They are both angels and have been protecting them from any potential harm."
Chloe turned away and moved over to the kitchen counter, grabbing two mugs from the cabinet and turning the machine on. "You'll stay here, with us, for a while." While she didn't want to take over Dan's life, she wanted to make sure he would be okay. "There's an extra room, so it's not a problem. Do you want me to make you some breakfast?"
*** “Mare?” Dan didn’t recognize the name, and he knew his mind functioned well enough. He continued, “I...that seems wise, given Dean.” Dan refused to speak his truth, that he missed Dean. Dean ensured Dan’s life, while tough, remained bearable in a place mostly considered unbearable.
At the mention of breakfast, Dan’s stomach rumbled. His embarrassment showed, but he mentioned, “Yeah, Chloe, breakfast sounds great, thanks. Are you sure? An extra room sounds great, especially if I can see Trixie.” He welcomed the feel of a warm mug in his hands, and inhaled the bitter scent of coffee; God he missed real coffee.
***
"Oh, she's a minor who arrived with no parents, so I was assigned to take care of her. Her and Trixie had a rocky start, but things have been getting better." She wondered what he wanted to say about Dean, but she let it slide.
Chloe had already started to take out a pan to make Dan some eggs, more than happy to do so. "Yes, Dan, I am absolutely sure that I want you to stay with us." She nodded her head before turning to look at him with a smile. "It will be nice to have you around."