Hey guys! So this is the second to last chapter, just the epilogue next week! I'll probably say it again, but I want to thank you all for making my first experience with this a wonderful one! Please review, rate, like, whatever you want this chapter or the story as a whole. Again, thanks so much!

And on a more important note….who's excited for the Supernatural premiere tonight? I know I am! Only four more hours where I am, should be soooo awesome!

Anyway, enjoy guys!

Chapter 9

Dean stepped out of the TARDIS, blinking to adjust to the light. Lawrence, Kansas. He'd hoped never to be back here. Not since...And then Dean had to come back, along with Sam to investigate a ghost in their old house. That was several years ago, and Dean was sure he'd seen the last of his hometown. Now he was back, once again because of hunting. Back to where it all began.
Sam stepped next to him, taking in the sight. Sam hadn't been in the town as long as Dean, but it still affected him. The others didn't understand, but this marked the beginning of everything. How their lives would lead to killing the Yellow-Eyed Demon, to eventually releasing Lucifer and then putting him back in the pit. To releasing the Leviathans from Purgatory. Not everything had been bad. They had met friends; Ellen, Jo, Ash, Pamela, Charlie, Garth, and especially Castiel. Though the thought of their lost friends and even those who were still alive didn't comfort Dean.
It was early in the morning, so no one was out in this small town. That was a relief to Dean. He was worried of who he might see. There was a small chance anyone would recognize him or his brother, but just in case. For a moment Dean wondered if Missouri was still here, but there was no time for a visit. This was the same as a case, and the case always came first.
"Where in town is the actual activity?" John spoke up.
"It's at the old house, isn't it?" Sam asked when the Doctor didn't speak for a minute.
"Makes sense, why stop just at Lawrence? Crowley would go the whole nine yards," Dean said bitterly.
The Doctor laid a hand on their shoulders. "You don't have to do this," he said softly.
Dean laughed slightly. "Of course we should. You idiots would get yourselves killed within five minutes without us."
Even Sherlock smiled slightly at that. Then there was nothing else to be said. The group started to walk down the road, Dean leading the way. Despite all the years he'd spent away, he still seemed to remember the way to the house. "So, what's the plan?" Rory asked.
"Go in guns a-blazing?" Dean suggested hopefully. When the Doctor glared at him, Dean held up his hands. "It's just an expression, Doc," he said defensively. However, when the Doctor turned away Dean shared a look with Sam.
There is no way this is going down without a fight, Dean thought. Though Dean respected the Doctor and his attempt for non-violence, it was a bit foolish in this situation. Perhaps it worked with whatever the Doctor normally dealt with, but not with demons. There was just too much evil in them for a peaceful option to be even considered. Dean shifted slightly, his hand brushing his gun hidden in his pocket. The demon knife was in his other pocket, and both he and Sam had salt rounds with them. Hopefully this wouldn't be as bloody as it could be. Dean almost chuckled; of course it would be. When wasn't it?
It didn't take them long to get to the house. On the outside it seemed peaceful. There was a For Sale sign in the front yard. Clearly the lady and her children who had lived their back in the day had moved out. Dean hoped it was for innocent reasons and nothing had happened to them. Perhaps they'd simply been spooked. All the lights in the house were on, which made it easier and more difficult to sneak in. Easier outside, but once you got into the house, there were barely any shadows to hide in...
The house was a relatively simple layout, so there wasn't much planning that needed to go into breaking in. The only planning that was needed was how they were going to investigate what was going on. The plan that was decided on was that Dean and John would go forward first and clear the way. Sam, Sherlock, and Rory would be behind them with Amy following close behind them with the Doctor. Before they left the TARDIS, Sam and Dean had given everyone anti-possession charms, warning to never let them out of their own possession. There was nothing else they could prepare for.
This time waiting for the cover of darkness, Dean and John walked forward slowly. John took the back door while Dean took the front. To his expectation, the front door was unlocked. His gun out, Dean walked in slowly. Years of military training and experience meant that he knew how to enter a house carefully. After checking the corners and determining there was no one there, Dean signaled to the rest of the group. Keeping his weapon up, Dean checked the rest of the rooms. A feeling of uneasiness settled in his stomach when there was no one there at all.
The only sign that anyone had been there at all was that some of the furniture had been moved to the side, with the exception of a table in the kitchen that had two glasses and a bottle of very fine wine next to them. Dean startled when Sam tapped him on the shoulder. "Where is everyone?" he whispered.
"No idea, the house is just empty," Dean whispered back.
Sam sighed. "Trap," they both whispered.
Sam took out his own gun as they started to move upstairs. Sherlock and Rory continued to search the downstairs. Upstairs led to a single hallway with a couple doors on each side. Swiftly checking each room, Dean and Sam made their way down each hallway. The doors led into a small room, completely bare. The last door, however, was locked. Dean knelt and took out his lock-picking kit. Taking only a few moments, the door was open. Sam went first, carefully checking the corners as Dean went in next to him. The room was bare, the same as the others before them, with the exception of two windows on the opposite wall.
"What the hell," Dean whispered.
"Maybe we were wrong the whole time," Sam suggested softly.
"Not necessarily, boys," came the voice.
Dean and Sam whirled, instinctively raising their guns. Almost in the same instant they were yanked backwards and hit the wall, the guns dropping out of their hands. "Son of a-" Dean started to say.
Crowley cut him off. "Now, now, are we really resorting to name-calling now? I think we've known each other for too long for that," he said, smirking slightly.
"Screw you," Sam growled, straining uselessly against the invisible force.
Crowley sighed. "Fine, if you want to play that way," he said, walking over to the center of the room. He clapped his hands, and another demon walked in, carrying a bottle of wine. Crowley took it, looked the bottle over, and then nodded approvingly. "Perfect," he said, waving a dismissive hand. The demon turned and left, glaring with completely black eyes at the Winchesters.
"I thought there was no drinking on the job," Dean said.
"That's funny, coming from you," Crowley said, pouring some into a glass. He took a sip and placed in on the windowsill. "Just so happens this is a special occasion and I wanted to celebrate the moment."
Suddenly, Crowley turned swiftly. He whipped his hand, and Sherlock came flying to join the rest of them on the wall. Rory was next, then John. Apparently they had heard the crash. Crowley chuckled, looking at them all. "You all are so predictable," he laughed to himself. Dean sighed inwardly, thinking about their options.
"So, Crowley," he said. "Now that we're all here, what's going to happen?"
Crowley held up a finger. "Not true. Not all of you are here. Where are the pretty redhead and that other man, the one with that crazy look about him?"
Rory spoke up. "They left," he said, meeting Crowley's eyes. Dean sent him a glare, trying to make him understand to stay silent.
"Is that so," Crowley muttered.
"They were killed, a couple of your demons a bit back," Sam said.
"Which doesn't put you any closer to being in our good graces," Dean added.
"I'm heartbroken," Crowley sneered.
A faint sound reached Dean's ears. He could have sworn he heard the door being open, front or back he couldn't tell. Hoping no one else noticed it, he turned to look at Sam. There was an identical look of annoyance, frustration, and worry in his eyes.
"What's the point to all this?" Sherlock asked, his scanning the room, Crowley, everything. Dean could only guess at what he was reading on the King of Hell.
"What's the fun?" Crowley considered the question for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Bored. Running Hell takes its toll after a while, and doesn't everyone deserve a little vacation? And what better vacation could I have than spending time with my favorite humans?"
Then Crowley turned back to Dean, his eyes as black as coal. "Now that we're all here, however, what shall we do...?"

Amy shifted on her feet, feeling the chill of the night. Waiting was never her strong suit. She'd been doing a lot of waiting lately, and she wasn't happy about it. The Doctor was leaning against the TARDIS, watching the Winchester's old house with a worried look on his face. Amy knew he was thinking of all the possible ways that the plan could go wrong. She wandered over to him, leaning against the TARDIS at his side.
"This is going to turn out all right," Amy said, hopefully more reassuringly than she herself felt.
The Doctor smiled at her. "Yeah, I know," he said. "But I can't help worrying you all, you humans seem to have a habit of getting hurt," he added sadly.
Amy nudged him, trying to drag his thoughts away from whoever he was thinking about. "Well, we won't if we're careful. And there is no one more careful then the people inside that house, trying to save the world," she said brightly.
The Doctor straightened abruptly. "Did you see that?" he said urgently.
Amy turned towards the house, following his pointed finger. "No," she said slowly.
The Doctor started to walk forward. "Wait, Doctor! What did you see?" Amy called quietly.
"There was someone at the window," the Doctor explained softly.
"So? It was probably Sam or Dean," Amy said.
"No, too short for them, too tall for John," the Doctor said.
The two of them walked quickly behind the house. "Doctor! We're supposed to wait for Sherlock's signal!" Amy hissed.
The Doctor waved his hand dismissively. "Someone is very wrong; we're not going to sit around for a signal that might not come!"
The door wasn't locked, so they got inside the house easily. Amy followed the Doctor as quietly as possible, so as to not alert anyone to their presence. The bare rooms unnerved her, but she tried not to show it. The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, quickly walking through the rooms. Amy followed him, knowing that he wouldn't find anything. The Doctor followed his screwdriver to the stairs. It glowed brightly, shining when he pointed at the stairs. "They're up there," he whispered.
The two of them crept quietly, flinching when Amy stepped on a squeaky board. There was a long moment, Amy's heartbeat in her ears. Nothing happened; the voices upstairs continued. They both breathed a sigh of relief. Then the Doctor continued forward, carefully. They crept down the hallway at the top, eventually getting to the last door. The Doctor peered inside, Amy directly under him. What she saw made her breath catch.
All of their friends were pinned up on the wall by some unseen force. There was a man standing in the center of room, dressed in a fancy suit. Amy recognized him as the man from the forest. "Crowley," she whispered softly into the Doctor's ear.
The Doctor nodded, his eyes darkening by the minute. Suddenly the Doctor stood up and strode into the room. Amy's eyes widened; she made a move to grab his coat but he darted out of reach. Amy took a step forward, but the Doctor nonchalantly turned around and shook his head. Amy hesitated, wanting to go forward but trusting his instinct. Instead, she darted to the other side, getting a better view and hearing.
"Doctor! What the hell?" She heard Dean exclaim, a hint of anger in his voice.
The Doctor walked over to Dean, looking up at him. "Ah, hello, Dean. Well, it seems you're in a predicament, so I came by to see if I can assist you."
Sam laughed despite himself, shaking his head. "Doc, of all the crazy things you do, this is the craziest."
Crowley looked at the both of them as if they were insane. "Well, this has been an interesting turn of events. Even your friends return from the dead."
The Doctor whirled to face him. "Ah, Crowley, yes, I have a bone to pick with you," he said, shaking his finger at him. "One: I don't know where you got the idea that I'm dead, because I'm not, and two: You have harmed my friends. Release them, now."
Crowley sneered. "And why would I do that?"
The Doctor looked him straight in the eyes. "Because I asked once, and I don't ask twice," he said quietly.
Crowley narrowed his eyes. "That worked the first time, you're not going to intimidate me that easily this time," he said.
"I'm not trying to intimidate you; I'm giving you fair warning," the Doctor said.
Crowley said nothing, keeping the Doctor's gaze locked with his own. The rest of them held their breath, none of them daring to disturb the two powers in front of them. Amy glanced away, distracted by a flash in her eye. Wondering what flashed, Amy turned to take a closer look at the hallway. Then her eyes fell on something that was indeed a welcome sight.
The demon knife. It must have fallen out of Dean's pocket at some point. Or perhaps it had purposefully fallen out. Amy picked it up, holding it carefully in her hands. Perhaps Dean had let it fall out on purpose, surely he suspected a trap. The Doctor and Crowley had begun talking again, but Amy tuned them out, thinking her own plan out. Sam and Dean began to argue as well, joining in the conversation.
Amy crept back to the door. Somehow Dean and Sam were no longer pinned against the wall, but something still held them back. Amy slipped silently into the room, standing next to Sherlock. He looked at her, and she quickly put her fingers on her lips. Sherlock said nothing, just looked at her knowingly. Crowley had gone to the window, looking outside as he spoke to the Doctor.
"I've heard about you, Doctor," Crowley was saying. "A lot of the poor souls that I've...dealt with down in the Pit, a lot of them were there because of you. Some of them aren't as...forgiving as you might like. Some of them hold quite the grudge."
The Doctor straightened, adjusting his bow tie out of habit. "Some aspects of the past can't be helped," he said briskly. "Sometimes...sometimes bad things happen to good people."
"I'm sure they'd love to hear that," Crowley said. "Sadly, they're not in a state in which to listen to attempted reason."
"Doc, don't listen to him," Dean said earnestly. "Demons lie all the time, they twist anything they can."
"Aw, Dean, now that's just hurting my feelings," Crowley said. "I'm an honest business man."
While Crowley was looking at Dean, Amy took the opportunity to slip past Sherlock and next to John, then Rory. Glancing up only a brief moment, Amy smiled at her husband before turning her attention back to the moment at hand. She was almost behind Crowley now. The others had gleaned an idea of her plan and were attempting to draw Crowley in. Sam began talking about something known as Purgatory, a failed mission, while Dean chimed in every once in a while.
"Enough!" Crowley suddenly roared. "I came here to enjoy myself; I'm not here to be mocked byyou!" His hand whipped dramatically, and the brothers were back on the wall again. This time something was digging into them as well, Amy could see the pain in their expressions.
The Doctor took one look before advancing furiously on Crowley. "Put them down," he growled.
"You know what," Crowley said. "I'm getting really tired of you and your demands." He waved his hand again, and this time the Doctor was on the wall.
Amy strode forward, whisking the knife out and putting it against Crowley's throat. "Let him down now," she hissed in his ear.
"Well, well, well, what a twist of events," Crowley said, clapping his hands together.
Amy dug the knife into his neck, drawing blood slightly. "Amy..." the Doctor said worryingly.
"Don't worry, Doctor, I know what I'm doing; I marred a nurse after all," she called to him.
Crowley's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the force against Rory tightened and he cried out in pain. Amy whirled, dragging Crowley with her. He exclaimed softly as the knife dug into his neck. "Watch it, nothing good will happen if you slice off my vocal cords," he exclaimed, rubbing his neck.
Amy didn't retreat an inch. "Do not even think about touching him," she whispered furiously yet also calmly into his ear.
Crowley chucked. "I wouldn't dream of it, love," he said, waving his hand. Rory dropped to the ground, coughing.
"The rest of them," Amy demanded.
Dean and Sam were watching Crowley with anticipation, as if expecting him to do something that no one else knew about. John was looking at Rory, trying to figure out how badly he was injured. The Doctor and Sherlock were watching Amy with varying degrees of horror, surprise, and reluctant pride.
"Now, now, so soon? Why don't we have a little talk first," Crowley said, straightening.
Amy's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" she asked carefully.
"Well, I'm not just going to let everyone go, where's the intrigue in that?" Crowley said simply. "However, if we were to negotiate..."
"No." This time the Winchesters spoke at the same time. "Don't even think about making a deal," Sam added. "It will never work out," Dean echoed their thoughts.
"Why are you trying to make a deal? You're the one with a knife to your throat," Amy asked.
Crowley chucked. "That doesn't make me the weakest person in the room," he said knowingly. In a blink of an eye, Crowley had vanished from where he had been standing and moved to be directly in front of Amy. She jumped, holding the knife up defensively. "Oh, jumpy aren't we," Crowley smirked, enjoying her discomfort and surprise. "Yes, love, I've got a few of my own tricks up my sleeve."
"No matter, I can still beat you," Amy said.
"Beat me? I doubt that," Crowley laughed. "Not entirely anyway. However, there is a way to get out of our current problem. You see, you and your friends have already helped me a good deal these past days, so I'm in a generous mood. A very rare thing, mind you," he added, sparing a glare at the Winchesters.
Dean glared back at him while Sam simply met his gaze without expression. "What do you mean we've helped you?" John spoke up, drawing their attention to him.
"What? You expect me to reveal my master plan? Who do you think I am, every other villain in the movies?" Crowley rolled his eyes. "Please. Don't insult my intelligence."
"Well, it's not that hard, now is it," Dean said, smirking.
Crowley turned to him. "I'd keep that mouth of yours in check; otherwise I might lose my good mood and become angry. And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry," he said snidely.
Sam snorted, muttering something under his breath. "Shut it, moose," Crowley said, not bothering to look over.
Crowley turned back to Amy. "All right, let's get back to business. Final offer: I let you and your friends go and you owe me a favor. Simple."
"A favor?" Amy repeated.
"Yes, a favor," Crowley said impatiently. "An IOU, if you will. Except you owe me, and I'll collect...just not now."
Amy hesitated. "Why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't. But if you don't accept the deal, I'm going to kill every one of your friends, especially your loving husband," Crowley growled.
"Amy, don't do it!" Rory said quickly, with the rest chiming in.
Amy couldn't help it; her gaze flickered to Rory a moment. That moment was enough. "Deal," she said, turning to Crowley.
A grin danced across Crowley's features for a moment, then was gone. "Perfect. Now, shall we seal the deal?" He stepped toward her.
The Doctor was between instantly. "She's not selling her soul, there's no need," he said, clearly unhappy with the current events taking place.
Crowley glared at him for a moment. "Fine," he said, sticking out his hand instead. Amy shook it warily. There was a sudden darkening around the room. "Until next time, boys," Crowley said. They said nothing, simply glared at him. "See you around, Amy Pond." Then he was gone.
All those held up against the wall dropped abruptly. Dean and Sam remained balanced, as they were used to this. Sherlock had an easy time as well, though Rory and John both grabbed onto the wall for support. Rory instantly walked over to his wife. "Amy, what were you think?" he whispered into her ear, hugging her tightly.
"I couldn't let him kill you. I don't want to see you die again," she whispered back, fighting back tears. In response, Rory kissed the side of her head and held her tighter than before.
The Doctor gave them a moment before coming over to hug Amy as well. "You did what you could, I'm proud of you," he whispered.
Dean and Sam clapped her on the shoulder. Sherlock and John gave her thanks as well. "Do you need anything?" Rory asked her.
Amy shook her head. "Let's just go home," she said, leaning against his shoulder.
Rory turned to the rest of the group. "Is there anything else we need to do?" he asked.
Dean shook his head. "There isn't any more demon creating areas," he said, referring to the scan the Doctor had just done. "There's nothing else happening. We're all good, right?"
The Doctor nodded, while Sherlock and John agreed. "The only thing that bothers me is what Crowley meant when he said we helped him," Sam said thoughtfully.
"Probably just meant getting rid of those rebel demon areas," Dean shrugged, though there was an uneasy look in his eyes as well.
Sherlock was silent, though Amy could tell that he was thinking about something that the rest of them wouldn't have been able to understand, at least not right away. "We should head back," the Doctor said. The rest nodded, and they all headed outside the house to the waiting TARDIS.
Before they left the house, Sam and Dean did a check of the house, making sure nothing was left behind. There wasn't much in the house to begin with, therefore there wasn't much left over. Dean took out his knife and quickly carved a demon trap inside all the doors. "Just in case," he muttered, pocketing the knife. Amy shared his sentiment; if something evil had come into her home, she'd want to make sure it couldn't again, even if she wasn't there. Sherlock went on his own for a moment, gathering anything he still required. The rest of them headed outside, the sudden weariness and fatigue coming on them in a blink of an eye. Then it was time to head back to the TARDIS for the trip home.
Before they entered, Dean and Sam turned back to observe their childhood-what there was of it-home one last time. John went to stand by them, and they all looked at the house for what felt like a long time but were merely several moments. Then John put his hands on their shoulders and they all turned and went inside the TARDIS. Their journey was finally at an end.