"It's gonna scar for sure" her mother kept mumbling. She covered the burn in aloe as best she could before wrapping it in fresh gauze. "That truck is a death trap, you know" she continued as fastened it tightly. CJ stared intently at the tile floor, trying to ignore the dull ache that had returned to her hand. "One day that old rig is gonna catch fire and there ain't a damn thing you can do about it.

"Well I can't very well walk your crates into town, now can I?" she snapped. Her mother threw a threatening look over her shoulder, but didn't respond. Suddenly exhausted, CJ rested her forehead on the cool wooden table. "I'm sorry mama. I didn't mean to yell." She heard the sound of a chair scrap across the floor and flinched when a hand was placed on her shoulder. CJ looked up, a bit startled, to her mother's sudden maternal expression. Her normally harsh, judging face seemed sweet, almost caring.

"I just worry about you sometimes, sweetheart. I know I haven't always been the kindest to you. I just.." she sighed heavily as her eyes welled up. "…I want more for you then this", she motioned around their tiny kitchen. "You're a good girl. I know that more then you probably do. I just want you to be better then I was." CJ felt her chest tightened and she fought to keep her breathing steady. Her mother had always been so harsh. Nothing CJ ever did seemed good enough in her mothers eyes. Seeing her now, looking kinder but more tired then ever before nearly broke her heart. She opened her mouth to respond, but her mother shook her head, clearly not wanting her sympathy.

Stars had begun to come out by the time they spoke again. CJ sat cross-legged on the floor of their small living room. Lily had one of her favorite rope toys in her mouth and pushed it into her hands, asking her to pull.

"Will you take her out before you go to bed? She ain't been out since before dinner." She kissed her daughter on the head lightly before disappearing into the dark hallway. CJ rubbed her eyes, very aware of how utterly exhausted she was. Lily shook her head rapidly, whipping herself in the face with the trick rope.

"Come on, you dope. Time to go potty!" The giant dog bounded to the back door, skidding to a stop on the tile. As soon as CJ cracked the door open, Lily barreled outside and ran into the dark yard. CJ sat on the steps and watched her walk around the yard, inspecting to make sure nothing was different. On most nights, the temperature would have dropped some by now. But not this night. A rush of hot air hit CJ when the wind blew. The humidity was the same it had been mid day, and she could feel herself start to sweat. Staring up at the millions of stars, CJ thought back on her day. The man on the road appeared clearly in her mind. Had she seen him walking up when the car died? "You just didn't notice him", she said to herself. People don't just appear out of nowhere. That would be crazy.

Something about him stuck in her mind, though. The way he had carried himself, confident and strong, yet somehow soft. It was like no harm could ever come to him, and he knew it. She though of the way he had looked at her made her blood run hot, even now as she sat alone.

"He was a handsome devil, I'll give him that" she announced to Lily, who looked up from the hole she was digging. "Darlin' you should have seen him, I could ride that for.." Lily's suddenly let out a deep growl and took off into the woods. "Shit!" CJ yelled and tore off after her. The dog must have heard a deer or something, CJ decided. If she hit the road, there would be no catching her. Running in the woods this late at night was never a good idea. One wrong step and you would break a leg, or worse. Beau had told her stories when she was younger about wild mutant people living in these woods. It had scared her enough that she refused to go near them until high school. CJ pushed that thought as far away as possible. Branches scratched her as she ran, catching her hair. Lily howled close by and CJ sprinted towards the noise. "LILY! COME BACK! PLEASE LILY!" She stopped in a small clearing, straining her ears to try to hear even the faintest sound. But the woods were nothing but silent, besides the sound of her own heavy breathing. She turned in all directions and whistled. Nothing responded. Fear began to creep into her mind. What if it was a mountain lion? Lily was strong, but a mountain lion would be able to best her with ease. Don't panic yet, she told herself and whistled again.

The small pop behind her startled her nearly to death. CJ turned quickly, positive her stupid dog had come back in one piece. Instead, a man in a black suit stood only feet away from her, a crooked smile plastered across his face. She gasped and jumped back. The stranger only shook his head and pushed his hands into his pockets.

"Didn't mean ta scare ya, love." His thick cockney accent took her by surprise. He rocked back on his heels and stole a quick, but noticeable glance up and down. Watching him carefully, CJ became aware of how little she was wearing. Her pajamas were more then a little old and worn out.

"Been hearing that a lot today" she answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see for myself."

"See what?" Her hand stared to ache and she felt how stiff she had become. There was no way this was going to end well. In her head, CJ tried to figure out what would do the most damage if she threw it at him.

"Well" he took a step closer, "You, of course". His matter of fact tone disturbed her. Like she should already know what he was talking about. He didn't seem familiar, and that definitely wasn't an accent you forget. He clapped his hands and shook his head, like he just remembered something important. "Oh, how rude of me! Forgive me, pet. The name's Crowley. Nice to meet ya." He held a hand out and looked expectantly at her. CJ stood where she was. "No? Okay then. That's a bit rude, but you are incredibly striking, so I'll forgive it. I see exactly why he likes you so much. A little lacking in manners but that can be taught." He seemed to be talking more to himself then her now. "So CJ, do you mind if I call you CJ? I heard that's what you like."

"How do you know my name?" She yelled, and he flinched back slightly. Crowley frowned at her.

"That's your questions? Not how I got here or why? How old are you, girly? A little young for my liking, but hey, don't question the boss right?"

Confused, CJ took another step back and felt a rather large rock behind her foot. Big enough to do a lot of damage if she managed to hit him.

"You are rare, I'll give you that much. Very rare indeed. I can see it, you know. The fire in you. Oh yes, it burns bright and hot inside you. It's, dare I say, perfect." CJ was just about to grab for her weapon when he spoke again. "Wouldn't do that, love." He looked down at the rock and smiled. "Not a bad plan, but it won't do any good." Her mouth hung open as he went on. How had he known? Even in the daylight, it would have been hard for him to see the dark rock. "Besides, I ain't here to hurt you." Crowley suddenly appeared inches away from her face. Her whole body tensed, waiting for a blow that never came. " 'cause if I was, that little thing wouldn't even leave a scratch." The air around them seemed to burn as he spoke. CJ was unable to look away from him. "I'll be off then. I think it's past your bed time, little one." When she didn't speak, Crowley smiled again. When he blinked, his entire eyes turned black. CJ felt as though she was looking into a deep black hole. The air in her lungs burned, and she barely felt her knees give out before her whole world went dark.

The bight yellow of her room made her eyes sting. The sun looked like it was high in the sky already. It must be late. Her mother came in with an overfilled laundry basket and set it on the end of the bed. "Welcome back to the land of the living" she joked with a smile. "Sleep well?"

"Not really", she shook her head. "I had the strangest dream. I could have sworn it was real!" Everything was so vivid in her mind. Usually dreams would fade as you woke up, but not this one.

"That's nice, dear" he mother answered. It was obvious she was no longer really listening. "I'm headed into Allentown today, and I probably won't be back until late tonight. That damn farmer's market messed up my bale orders again." CJ nodded, excited to have the day off. She followed her out into the living room and sunk down on to the couch while her mother opened the front door. "Oh yea, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. "I can't find Lily. Did you leave her outside last night?"

"Uhhh.." Her mind raced as she thought of her dream. "I don't…. She has to be.." Her mother was already half way out the door.

"Just try to find her, will ya? I have to admit, I've grown found of that over sized flea bag." The door slammed behind her, and CJ fought the urge to be sick.