"Hello, Darling."

What could he say? He was possibly a sap.

"Dad."

If he was being honest, there was nothing quite like being embraced by your daughter. His father had told him to have girls. Girls would crawl in your lap at all ages and give you kisses at any time. But he'd wanted a boy. Kevin had clearly been a mistake.

"Let's go home."

He'd been playing the sales game for a very long time. He'd always done his work and he had more than enough time to play around in after that. He was, after all, a climber of the social ladder, no matter what. Being Jim Sterling had been a fun idea, especially when you got smart companions and smart opponents.

Nathan Ford had been his best surprise ever. Sometimes he'd just watch the man work and smile. It's not that he didn't like winning, Sterling always won after all, but he liked how close Nate Ford got, how much her won even when he lost and how much Nate Ford enjoyed it. It was even more fun when the righteous man was the thief and the demon was the law.

And he was fun, so much more fun than the Winchesters who really were barely functioning in their stupidity sometimes, or Castiel who was uncomfortable dull, until his little back stab maneuver. For all that people talk about the power of a righteous man, he knew very well that the most deceitful, vicious people were those doing something they believed to be the will of God.

Which was why he was here.

"I just wanted to know why you wouldn't tell me."

"Would you come to Dubai if I had?"

And yet he thought Nate Ford would have anyway. The others might not, but Nathan Ford was a sucker for a father trying to protect his child. He'd have come, but the others were questionable, and he needed the best.

"No, Jim, no. I'm talking about before that, when we were friends. You had a wife and a daughter and I didn't know know. Why?"

It was touching really. Nathan Ford might well pave his own way to hell, or to heaven, he'd probably be tipped by one small deed one way or the other in the other. But he did care. And he would have protected the Sterling family if he'd known. He would have been someone to talk to. In fact, Crowley imagined if he told Nathan Ford everything that he'd still listen. But that would be stupid.

"It was my fault that they left, and I knew it"

Sterling was a game after all. Sometimes demons lived an entire human's life, like the ones who spent time around Sam Winchester. Crowley had been wearing his meat suit for a very long time, but Sterling was a part he played when he wanted a break from hell. He still got his deadlines met, but for a while he'd simply played Sterling, as friend and counter to Nathan Ford. And then Nathan Ford's son got sick and the man started to get boring.

But it took Crowley too long to understand what Nathan Ford knew from the beginning. That had been a very bad mistake on his part.

"He didn't have a choice. It's not safe here. I was in danger and he's my dad. What wouldn't you do to save your kid?"

There it was. Olivia was his, a technical antichrist, a child of demon and human blood. There was only one powerful like that little boy Adam who'd been around in the apocalypse, but Olivia had her own abilities as well, not that she knew about them.

"Where are we going?"

"Home, Olivia, my home."

"I thought you lived in Boston."

"I do have a house there, but that's not where I'm taking you."

"Then where are we going?"

"Someplace safe."

Olivia smiled at him, twisting a bit of hair around her finger. She really was astounding, his daughter. Brilliant and crafty and wonderfully defiant of any authority that didn't matter. And she trusted him. Well, she might not for much longer, but that was a price he'd pay.

"I'm afraid I've been lying to you, darling."

"About what?"

He glanced at her, seeing her face fall. Did she think he would send her back or away from him? Of no, never again. Olivia was 17 and almost an adult and he wasn't going to have her wander off where she might be snatched up.

"I'm not what I told you I was."

"Is this a speech about how you're not perfect and you're always going to be working, because I kind of knew that already, dad."

There was such humor in her voice. She slipped a bit closer to him, leaning against him. Crowley put his arm around her. She was safe here. There was no Castiel who could harm her, and no demon who could touch her, and he could keep her away with the Leviathans. She was safe.

"Well, there is that, but I really am not what I said I was."

"Then what are you?"

She snuggled closer. She was happy, content. She didn't care what he was. He smiled.

"The King of Hell, darling."

"I thought that was Satan."

"Lucifer. He was until the apocalypse aborted, and then it fell to me. I do a much better job of it, if I do say so myself."

"Really?"

Crowley had looked away but now he looked back at Olivia. She was asking him if he was telling the truth. She was willing to believe him so fast. It must have shown on his face.

"Three years ago I suddenly was able to do things, things I hadn't been able to before. I thought I was a mutant or something. I'd get things I'd really want, and sometimes people got hurt… okay, a lot, but I figured out how to control it. It's how I got so good at Chess. It wasn't just practice. I willed it that way. Because I wanted you to be proud. And then like a year ago it was just… gone, and it was like I had to relearn it all again. Except I remembered the rules and the moves I just had to learn to think faster again."

Well, that wasn't what he'd expected.

"Three years ago the apocalypse got started, and it was all very dangerous and very messy. And then it ended over a year ago. The abilities of the demon and human born, the antichrist, were turned on only when Lucifer was around."

"So, there are more like me?"

"Well, there's the actual Antichrist, but his powers are specifically from Lucifer and now that the big boy's back in his cage that boy's abilities are gone. Now you… you're different. You will have abilities and I can teach you to use them."

"Will you?"

Crowley looked down at Olivia. She'd tucked he legs up in the chair and pressed herself completely against him. Her cheek was on his shoulder. If they didn't both have to be buckled in he imagined she'd have crawled into his lap like all the other hundreds of times she'd done so as a little girl.

"Of course I will, darling."

"Dad, if you were so powerful, why didn't you come for me before?"

And there was the one question he'd rather been hoping to avoid.

"Well, it's rather complicated, darling. Just because I was King of Hell, didn't mean there weren't competitors. I had to do something to ensure my base of power."

"Did you?"

"Well, I did, but it didn't really work, except to cause a civil war in Heaven, so I suppose it didn't necessarily not work out."

"So, since it didn't work, why isn't it dangerous now?"

"Well, it still is."

"But you came and got me."

Crowley tightened his grip on Olivia. It was like he thought she'd disappear if he didn't.

"Something more dangerous came up, darling. It's more unsafe to not have you nearby than to have you near."

"So, where are we going?"

"One of my houses and then hell."

"Will I like hell."

"You will, no one else will though."

"You like it?"

Crowley couldn't help but smirk.

"I will admit that it can be quiet fun."

Olivia laughed and grinned.

"Dad, you're so twisted."

"Hm, yes, I suppose so. Do you think I should have business card drawn up?"

"I think so, but you should just have your name and title, much more impressive."

"I'll tell you, you're taking this awful well."

"Well, I mean… when there was the accident, you're why I survived, right?"

"Well, yes. I am. I am sorry about your mother… well, I'm not that sorry about losing her. I'm sorry for you."

"I know."

"I just was a bit on the run at the time and I couldn't have gotten you both and kept a low profile."

"Dad, I know."

Olivia strained against her seatbelt so she could kiss her father's cheek. Crowley bent down a bit to accept it and smiled. He felt a touch sad and nostalgic.

"So, is Jim Sterling your real name?"

"Just and alias for a bit of sport with the humans. I have to dumb myself down a bit of course, but it's always proved amusing."

"Will you tell me your real name?"

"Crowley."

"Crowley… I like it, has a very regal sound to it."

"Well of course, I think so."

Olivia giggled and smiled and Crowley found himself smiled back. He leaned over and kissed the top of Olivia's head.

"So, does that mean I'll be the princess of hell?"

"Yes."

"Excellent."

"Nice to see you so enthused."

"Well, it's either that or terrified."

"Oh darling, don't be."

It was amazing how quickly she could go from being so thoroughly happy looking to so thoroughly panicked. He actually felt better about the panic. The panic was normal and the fact that she could show him that panic meant she trusted him not to smite her… not that he ever would.

"It's just… a lot." He knew she'd think it sounded lame, but it was a lot.

Crowley unbuckled their seatbelts to he could hug her closer. She didn't climb into his lap like he'd have wanted, but she did lie on his chest, hiding her face in his shirt. Crowley stroked her hair, letting her tremble in his arms.

"You are very, very brave Olivia. I don't think I've actually ever been prouder of you before now."

"I'm scared, dad."

"I know. You should be. There are very scary things in this world, and right now they aren't even in hell. If they were in hell I could deal with them. But they aren't and I can't. I couldn't risk leaving you topside. In hell, you'll be safe because you'll be under my protection and my word is law."

"I hell awful."

"Yes, but then that's half the fun… not for most people, but for me."

"How long will I be there?"

"It depends on a couple of meatheads in the States I'm afraid. For now, just try and trust me, can you do that."

"You left me alone."

"I know, darling, I know. I am sorry. I hated leaving you, but it was much safer during the apocalypse. They ate mare tailor. I couldn't let that be you. No matter what I will always protect you and I will always find you."

Olivia moved her eyes from his shirt to meet his gaze.

"Dad, do you promise?"

She crawled into his lap and curled up tighter. He didn't even really need to say a word, just wrap his arms around her and squeeze her tight until she could feel safe. He found words anyway.

"It'll be okay, darling. I promise you that it will be okay. You're safe now. You're with me."

A/N:

So… I'm not sure if I should write more chapters to this… like I'm really not sure at all. I'd like to write more Sterling/Crowley stuff if I could. I think they really are the same person. I actually believe that Sterling is a character Crowley plays when he's bored/in –hiding.