Summary: Slight AU. Crowley suddenly finds himself in a situation he never thought he'd ever be in; sat in a ring of salt, talking to the girl he tortured and constantly abused in Hell. He discovers a few truths about both himself and her. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters. I only own my Emily Carter.

A/N: Dark, angsty Crowley/OC with no real tenderness until the end, if my plot goes the way I want it to. Themes involve violence, torture, rape and hurt/comfort.

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Inside the Fire

~One~

Crowley opened his eyes and found himself in the study of his mansion, the fire ablaze while a familiar face was before him. He couldn't believe he was looking at the same girl he'd spent one-hundred-and-twenty Hell years torturing and abusing, and that she looked so damn beautiful. That was one of the reasons that he'd chosen her. Her utter beauty had drawn him to her straight away, with her dark auburn curls and her gentle blue eyes, her soft, full lips and pale skin. She'd looked positively delicious laying bare and broken waiting for him.

But what hit Crowley the most was how young she looked and that was when he remembered. She was merely nineteen years old, and had been eighteen when she'd gone downstairs. She was a child when he'd taken her innocence away and tortured her; when he'd made her his whore and his slave. She'd been rescued by Archangel Gabriel who wasn't anywhere to be seen, thank God. He was the last person that Crowley wanted to see.

He saw it was night time, the moon full and stars twinkling in the dark blue sky. He watched as the young girl got up and drew the curtains, sitting back before him a good distance away before she bit her lip, licking her lips nervously and swallowing.

"Look down." She said, voice soft with hidden strength present in its tone.

The demon did and found that he was kneeling in a ring of salt. He closed his eyes and looked back at her, the girl looking at him through her eyelashes before speaking again.

"Look up."

Crowley did, only to find a demon trap above him too.

"How'd you reach that ceiling, Emily?" He asked, the teenager looking back to her hands.

"I have a guardian angel remember?" She whispered, Crowley nodding and humming in response.

"I remember." He said softly, watching as she looked back at him with those stunning eyes, "What's all this for?"

Emily sighed, getting up and grabbing a bottle from the desk before unscrewing the lid and throwing the water over Crowley, the demon gritting his teeth and growling in pain as the water burned his skin. His black eyes came through and he looked up, watching as Emily knelt before him and cupped his face.

"Gabriel told me I had to conquer my demons, so to speak." She said, pouring some of the water onto her fingers and drawing the Holy Cross on the demon's forehead, watching as his brow furrowed with the burning.

She sat back in the place she'd been before and looked at him as he gained control over the black eyes and rolled them back to normal, desperately wanting to tell him how she felt.

"Emily...?" He breathed, "Emily, why are you here?"

"I want to talk to you." She said, "Without you hurting me or leaving when you think you've had enough."

Crowley looked at her and watched as she shuffled a little closer, her legs crossed as she rested her hands in her lap, the bottle still held in them as she screwed the lid back on.

"There's more where that came from." She said, "Gabriel's got me plenty of bottles of the stuff."

"Get to the point." Crowley spat, Emily growling at him.

"I'll take my time, you vicious, heartless bastard."

The demon sighed and looked at her with annoyance, Emily looking to her hands before speaking.

"Why did you hurt me?" She asked, "Why me, Crowley? I didn't make a deal, I just had cancer..."

She sighed and felt the beginnings of tears in her eyes, rubbing them to stop herself crying. She'd once been such a happy girl, full of hope, love and laughter, but now, she could barely smile, let alone love and laugh. She'd been reduced to being a mess; an emotional, frightened mess. But Gabriel had been right when he said she had to conquer her demons somehow.

"I want the truth." She said, looking up at the demon, "Why did I go to Hell? I visited church every Sunday. I prayed every day. I was baptised. I was a virgin...I died of an illness beyond my control...why did I go to Hell?"

Crowley sighed and looked to his hands, biting his lip before speaking.

"Lucifer saw you as an easy target...and before Gabriel could get you to Heaven, Lucifer got you into Hell..." He began, "You were stripped bare and tied up, and you were left there for the highest ranking demons to choose from...and I chose you because..."

"Why, Crowley?" Emily asked, anger beginning to flood through her system, "Why? I have the right to know!"

"I..."

"BE HONEST WITH ME!" Emily yelled, Crowley glaring at her before raising a hand.

"Let me speak, you insolent bitch."

Emily shut up immediately, the memories of her time in Hell reminding her that she should do as he said. Crowley felt something twinge inside him at that, but he took a deep breath and looked at Emily who still sat with her head bowed, deciding to speak in a much softer tone this time so she didn't feel as threatened. Two people who feel threatened, both getting angry and fearful against each other could prove dangerous so he knew he had to keep calm and keep Emily calm too.

"I chose you because you looked so..." He bit his lip, "You looked bare and innocent...and pure. You looked pure and I knew that I could turn you into anything I wanted because of how innocent you were. You were like a blank canvas, Emily..."

One Year Ago

"Crowley." Lucifer called from the Cage in which he rested, "You get first choice."

Alistair who stood close to the front hissed and spat because he wasn't getting the first choice, and Lilith scowled as she stood by his side. Crowley had been watching one soul the entire time and he knew exactly who he wanted. The girl with the auburn hair, Emily Carter, lay naked and curled up in a cage with roses engraved into the bars and around the edges of it. He walked towards it and knelt down, her stunning blue eyes meeting his black ones which caused her to flinch. He smirked and looked towards the Cage where Lucifer was and grinned which earned him a whimper from the girl in the cage next to him.

"I'll take this one, my Lord." He said, hearing a chuckle from Lucifer.

"Good choice, Crowley. Emily Carter. Eighteen year old virgin...church goer it seems." He laughed, clicking his fingers, "Take her."

The girl was chained up, the chain that linked to the collar around her neck gripped in Crowley's fist as he dragged her away to his chamber, which she could barely protest against.

He pulled her through the door and straight to the room where she'd rest (which would come when he decided she should), throwing her onto the small bed that was in the corner of the room before locking the iron door, hearing her cries as he walked away.

Emily looked around the dark room with one light that rested in the opposite corner by the door. She sobbed and looked around her, grabbing the sheets and covering herself up straight away before covering her face with her hands, crying so heavily she thought she'd be sick. This was the beginning of her afterlife...the one she'd spent her whole life trying to avoid.

Crowley sat in his study, taking a drink of whiskey as he watched the flames in the fireplace crackling and burning which coated the room in a dim glow. He had Emily now, Emily to form into his own creation, who he could turn into anything he wished...anything he dreamed up. He wanted her, her gorgeous bare body beneath his own and if he wanted her, he'd have her. He got up, walking towards the room with the iron door and opening it, just standing there and pointing to a spot just in front of him. Emily gazed at him, biting her lip before standing up, trying to cover herself up with the sheets.

"You won't need the sheets, Emily." He told her, "Leave them there."

She turned and put them back, knowing Crowley was watching her as she moved closer. She knelt before him and he grabbed the chain that rested around her neck, pulling her into his room and locking the doors.

Emily watched in horror as Crowley clicked his fingers, removing the chains from her body and climbing onto the bed, smirking as he leaned in to kiss her.

-TBC-

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