I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. I make no monetary profit off of this story.
Mariana Su: so glad you like this story. Who wouldn't be hot for the King of Hell? I mean, come on...he's perfect. Trying to be quick with updates, life does tend to get in the way, though. Thank you for your review, I look forward to your next.
AtomicRevolver: I'm astounded you liked this this much to get through it in just a few hours. So glad to have another reader who's enjoying it. Thank you very much for your review, I look forward to your next.
Twilight Zone
Chapter 9: 9 Crimes
Spell done, smoke flashed and everyone but Crowley stared at the female demon who appeared in the devil's trap, her vessel Dean's idea of a playboy model dressed as a naughty secretary. The demon looked at everyone in confusion for a brief moment before she noticed Crowley.
"Sire…" she greeted with a somewhat suggestive tone, a smile splitting her features. Jade scowled without realizing it and Crowley noticed, grinning himself now.
"Elise. Darling, how are things?..." he replied, brows raised slightly. Knowing exactly what Crowley was doing, Jade took a step closer to Dean.
"Back home? A tiny bit chaotic currently. Many of us were up here when that odd surge happened. They're all unsure of what to do, waiting for you to show and give orders. Some Lucifer loyalists are starting to plot ways to release him, they believe you were hit with this too and can't stop them. I've sent hounds after all the ones I know of. They fled Hell, probably hiding up here, now." She explained then looked down at the devil's trap she was caught in, giving her king a questioning look.
"Hm…Well, you can take back my orders when we're done here. Do not let it be known to anyone where I am or any real details of what has happened. All they need to know is that I'm dealing with it and they shall continue their jobs as usual. Tormenting, keeping things in order, all that good stuff." He replied, feeling everyone watching them.
"Yes, Sire. Wow….Sam and Dean Winchester…legends in the flesh." She said, eyes traveling back to those two, looking Dean up and down appreciatively.
"Legends?" asked Sam, brows furrowed.
"Oh, yes. Those in Hell that aren't allowed to leave actually believe you two don't even exist, that you're just scary stories to tell in the dark. Earth's mightiest heroes, Hell's biggest pain in the ass, and Heaven's rebels…" she stated, almost in awe of them, rarely ever getting to leave Hell herself due to taking care of things for Crowley when he was busy.
"Well, always nice to sound like superheroes." Retorted Dean, partly in sarcasm. She moved her gaze right past Jade, as though she wasn't there, and to Cas. Only interested in those she'd heard stories about.
"And you are Castiel. The rebellious angel. Even played God once…that time that you betrayed my king." She added, almost threateningly.
"Now, now, play nice, darling, or they won't let me release you from that trap." Said Crowley, smiling at her.
"What else do you need me to do for you, Sire?" she asked, giving him her entire attention again, as though no one else was there.
"Firstly, I want my dog. I'd feel a lot better plotting right now with Growley shadowing outside, guarding." He stated, earning himself a sigh from Dean and Sam, who absolutely did not want a Hellhound outside or even within the same damn state as them.
"Of course. I'll bring him." She replied.
"Secondly…I want you to speak to informants upstairs, find out what's going on, who's fighting who, and, if possible, find out who's working with that damn warlock. Update me, often. Twice a day at least. As soon as you know anything, anything at all, no matter how trivial it seems, you come here and you tell me. Secretly. Be sure no one is tracking or following you here. Anyone upstairs asks, you say you're answering to someone else in Hell, that someone else has taken charge and I am missing. Again." He explained, wheels spinning in his head as he walked over and leaned down with a knife, breaking part of the devil's trap, freeing her from its confines.
"Absolutely." She replied with a nod and a flirtatious smile as he freed her from the trap.
"Thirdly…" he began, stepping close to her and setting a hand on her shoulder to lead her away from everyone else.
"Wow, wow, hey, no secret shit, Crowley!" exclaimed Dean, causing them to turn and look at him.
"You really wanna know about the sexual favors I'm planning?..." he asked the Winchester, earning himself a brief look of disgust from Dean.
"…nevermind. Please go out of earshot…Jesus…" replied Dean, shaking his head and going to see if any beer had thawed as his brother sighed and looked at Cas, Jade glaring momentarily before following Dean.
"What is it?" asked Elise as Crowley led her away from everyone, his hand still on her shoulder.
"Thirdly…find a few winged pricks that owe us favors. I need you to get someone out of Heaven, a soul. He's marked by Hell, me in particular, I made a deal with him once. His body was burned, a hunter's burial, so you'll need to do some real magic to get him down here as himself. Find a way." He explained, giving her a look that said she knew who this was, comprehension dawned on her face.
"Of course. I assume all these things are same level of priority?"
"Yes. I want you to return as soon as you've done any of these things and update me. I'm fighting rather deaf and blind right now." He stated, comfortable with her knowing how vulnerable he was at the moment, knowing it would spur her to action more swiftly and more forcefully than anything else would.
"I will. No worries. I'm good at this." She replied, smirking at him and giving him a wink.
"You're good at lots of things….now, be careful. Can't lose my favorite, naughty demon…." He replied, giving her his own smirk and wink, taking hand off her shoulder to slide a fingertip along her jawline briefly.
"I'll be back soon, Sire. If that…powerless stress is getting to you, I'm sure I can assist at some point." She added.
"We shall see. Now go get my puppy and pass on my orders, darling." He demanded, she gave a final nod and disappeared. Stuffing hands in his pockets, wishing they were trousers instead of jeans, he walked back over to the kitchen area.
"Dumb…" grumbled Dean, staring longingly at the frozen bottle of beer. Jade gave him a sympathetic smile, thinking something else going on was very dumb as well as she sat down next to him again and set a hand on his forearm.
"Deep breaths. Keep it by the fire and it'll thaw soon." She said, giving his hand a pat. His brows furrowed and he turned his head to look at her, giving a questioning look of what exactly are you doing?
"So, that's it? You're just gonna trust that she will bring back all those answers and not get caught or get us caught at the same time?" asked Sam, arms folded as he eyed Crowley with a suspicious gaze.
"She's very reliable, very good at what she does, and very loyal to me. So, yes, Moose, I trust all of that. Do you have a better source? If so, do tell…." Retorted Crowley, a bit snappily. Sam sighed, giving him a dirty look but going quiet.
"You have informants in Heaven…" stated Cas, tone rather disappointed.
"Yes, I do. Don't worry, it's not by their own choice, they hate me and are in my debt." Answered Crowley, who then smiled as they all heard a distant howl through the wind outside.
"Great, the mutt is here." Grumbled Dean, really not fond of having a hellhound outside.
"Oi, Growley is not a mutt, he's a very good dog." Retorted Crowley, almost offended.
"To you, maybe. Not to me."
"Excuse me, but I remember sicking him on that hound that was about to make you a chew toy, Squirrel...and now he's here to keep you, me, and the rest of you lot safe from anything that comes lookin for us while we wait for information." Argued Crowley, walking over and resting hands on the back of an empty chair, leaning on it. Dean bit the inside of his cheek for a moment then sighed, realizing that he had a point but not willing to admit it openly.
"For the record, I'm uncomfortable with all of this." Stated Sam.
"Oh, get off your high horse, Moose. You're no better than any of us downstairs. Not only are you still Lucifer's true vessel, but I know of your little shag sessions not so long ago with Ruby…who got you good and addicted to blood. Demon blood." Retorted Crowley, giving him a dirty look.
"And didn't you just join the club, Mr. Addicted To Human Blood Like A Heroin Addict?" snapped Sam back at him, earning himself a fairly frightening glare.
"Your fault, isn't it, prat?" growled Crowley, having not had any human blood in a while now but still craving it more than he'd like to admit.
"I didn't make you addicted to blood, jackass."
"No, but I didn't fucking ask for you to try and use me as the third trial, you arrogant little thug. You think I wanted that? Really? Did you ever stop to consider what the consequences would be had you not finished the job? No, of course you didn't. But who gives a fuck about Crowley, right? He's an enemy this week and an ally last week, he's disposable. Let's ignore how he's helped…" ranted Crowley, tone clearly angry, furious brownish-greenish eyes on Sam as he snapped. Sam went to reply then was cut off.
"Enough. Everyone. This is ridiculous. Both of you sit down. It's clearly time we all talked and came to an understanding." Said Cas, voice oddly commanding, causing Sam and Crowley to blink at him before both hesitantly took a seat at the table. Of course, Crowley refused to sit first and had a short stare-down against Sam until the Winchester sat first.
"What is this, then? Group therapy session?" asked Crowley.
"Everyone say all they need to say about each other. We cannot survive in this cabin so long while all being at each other's throats. I read that it is therapeutic to let it all out to whoever you have a problem with." Explained Cas, looking at everyone.
"Like…we do this for everyone here? All of us?" asked Dean, not entirely liking this idea.
"Yes. We all go around, say whatever bad things about a person is on our mind then end with a good thing." Nodded Cas, earning himself a this is dumb look from Dean.
"Okay, then you start, Dr. Phil." Said Crowley, raising brows at the angel.
"Okay. Sam. I find you extremely difficult to deal with oftentimes because you hold grudges and let things fester inside until you lash out. However, I find you a very good friend regardless." Said Cas, looking at the younger Winchester and smiling.
"Um…thanks." Blinked Sam.
"Jade. I don't know you very well but I find the tension between you and Crowley extremely uncomfortable and I don't like it. On the other hand, you're very nice to me and I like that." Said Cas.
"….Okay." replied Jade, blinking at Cas, not entirely sure how to respond to that.
"Crowley. I actually somewhat hate you on a particular level because I find you manipulative, selfish, rude, arrogant, and fairly annoying. However, you can be helpful and I sincerely believe that you have reached a point where you will no longer screw us over." Was Cas's next comments.
"Thanks for that. Really. I'm enlightened, a heavy weight has been lifted off my blackened heart." Was the snarky reply from the King. Cas ignored him and turned to Dean.
"Dean. You tend to be very risky, unreasonable at times, frustratingly stubborn, and resort to violence as a way to solve problems far too much. However, you are the dearest friend I have ever had and you have put up with more of my mistakes than anyone else ever would. Your friendship may be the most important thing to me in my whole existence because it's all I can count on." Explained Cas, looking right at Dean who stared at him for a few moments.
"Thank you, Cas…" he said quietly, unable to hide how moved he was by that, struck with an urge to pull the angel into a hug but resisting it.
"Your turn, Sam." Said Cas, looking at the younger Winchester. Sam heaved a sigh and decided looked at the angel.
"Okay. Cas…you've done a lot of things in the past that I have trouble letting go of, trouble forgiving. Things that have made it hard to trust you many times. But…in the end, you've always come through for us, for Dean, and I'm grateful for that and consider you a friend." He explained.
"I appreciate that, Sam." Replied Cas, smiling at him.
"Jade, same with Cas, I guess, I don't know you all that well. Only downside I see of you is that I don't know how well I can trust you. Other than that, you're alright." Said Sam, looking at the woman.
"Oh..okay." she replied.
"Crowley. You've screwed us over more times than I can count, tried to kill us, trapped Bobby into selling you his soul and trapped him in Hell, you're a liar, a schemer, and a jackass. But…now that I'm forced to think about it…I remember watching you break down in that church, I'll never forget it. And you have been helpful lately, you do seem to legitimately consider us allies. So…I guess that's an upside." Said Sam, angry at first with his speech then calming down as he went into the good parts.
"Thanks, Moose, I'm so deeply touched that I'm almost turned on." Retorted Crowley, not liking this little therapy game Cas had started. Sam ignored him and turned to his brother.
"Dean…I..I still feel like all I do is let you down. Like you can't trust me. I also still think you're selfish, that you make too many of the same dumb mistakes Dad made, and maybe that you're little bit too bossy. But, at the end of the day, you're still my brother, and that's all that really matters." Explained Sam, conveying even more than his words through the look he was giving Dean.
"I know, Sammy…I know." Replied Dean. They all looked around the table for who'd go next when Jade cleared her throat.
"Sam. I don't know you all that well but I think you might get a little too wound up sometimes. Really, you're a great person. And you've got pretty great hair." She said, laughing with her last comment. Earning herself a few chuckles from the brothers.
"Thanks. It's almost effortless." Replied Sam, actually smiling.
"Cas, I don't have any bad words for you. I've never met an angel before but if they're all like you, then I'd imagine Heaven is doing pretty well. You're kind, funny even though you don't mean to be, and very caring." She said, looking at the angel, now.
"Thank you, Jade." He replied, smiling, glad to see his therapy idea was doing well as the mood around the table had already improved.
"Dean. You kinda freaked me out when we first got here, and you do have a temper and tendency to lean towards violence but I still don't see those things as entirely bad. I think you're handsome and your heart's in the right place." Said Jade, looking at him, feeling everyone else's eyes on her.
"Well..I…thank you." Stammered Dean, a bit caught off guard. Jade sighed and turned her gaze to the other one at the table, not having been looking forward to this, hence why she waited on him til last.
"Crowley. You kidnapped me, insulted me, threatened me, made dirty jokes the all the while, pretend like you own me, and don't know when to shut up or how to keep your hands to yourself. I think a large part of me legitimately hates you or at least would like the chance to beat the shit out of you…." She rambled off, giving him a partial glare, not focusing on any positive points.
"Jade…the point of this is to do both sides. Good and bad…" said Cas, quietly.
"If we could do it, trust me, you can, too." Said Sam, kinda wanting her to continue on the tirade of why you piss me off comments. Crowley said nothing, only rested his face on his hand and gave her an amused look. Jade heaved a sigh, hesitating before continuing.
"Fine. However…I guess this is the most exciting thing to ever happen in my life and it wouldn't be happening had you not barged into my house. You could've seriously harmed me and you didn't, so I'm thankful for that. It's…marginally entertaining to argue with you. You can be funny, I suppose….and you might…kinda…maybe be good in bed." She grumbled the last part, making a soured, annoyed face as she downplayed what she really thought. Dean awkwardly cleared his throat and Sam blinked then looked away from the table for a moment, Cas wasn't phased at all, and Crowley merely smirked at her. Knowing how much of a bad taste it put in her mouth to have to admit these things.
"Would you mind putting that on a card for me to frame in my office, darling?" he asked, smirking at her still, mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Eat shit." She snapped back, making Dean actually laugh.
"Your turn, Crowley." Said Sam, looking at him, hardly able to wait to watch him have to come up with good things to say about them all. The king gave the younger Winchester a look that clearly said get bent, then sighed softly.
"Fine, Samantha, I'll start with you. You're inhumanly sized, makes me think you're compensating for something, I don't like your face, I don't like your voice, you need a haircut, I get sick of your woe me tirades…Oh, and being the smart one out of the two Winchester brothers isn't that much of an impressive feat, you're just the slightly brighter moron. I don't like that you still haven't said sorry about kidnapping and tormenting me and I hope that nearly dying for the trials hurt like a bitch." He rambled off, gaze evenly on Sam, hoping they were all starting to regret agreeing to do this, which they partially were now that they saw Crowley wasn't going to hold back at all. Sam just blinked at him, not having expected Crowley to take any of this that seriously.
"Good parts, too." Said Cas, sure to keep them all reminded about the positive side.
"You make me feel even smarter than I already am, how's that?...You want something honest? Fine. I'll be honest with the positive part. You weren't as ruthless as you could've been in that church. I don't know why but I still appreciate it. You also untied me when I got here, I appreciate that, too. The one thing that still frustrates me about you is that you accept guilt so easily for things that aren't remotely your fault. Kevin was not your fault, so let it go. Every time Dean has died is not your fault. Even when you majorly fuck up, you make up for it by saving the day somehow in the end. I get it, you don't like me, I'm not very fond of you either. But there's my truth." Explained Crowley, leaning back in his chair. Everyone stared at him for a few moments, Sam a little dumbstruck.
"Are you…being serious for once?..." he asked, blinking at him.
"Yes, Moose. And your turn is over so shut your trap." Retorted Crowley, turning to look at Cas, whose eyes widened momentarily.
"Oh…my turn…." He stated quietly, not entirely sure he wanted to hear whatever the first part would be.
"Castiel. You stupid, pain in the arse, high horsed, blind-sided prat. No, I have not forgiven you for fucking me over with the souls, you dink. When you make a deal with someone, particularly the King of Hell, you bloody well keep it! I was more than happy to work business with you, honorably, without pulling any tricks, and you had to screw me over. Then you wonder why demons treat angels the way they do…moron. I don't trust you, I may never trust you again. The only good words I have about you are that you seem to genuinely care about these two morons and want to help. Other than that, if I were to be granted a few weeks with you chained up in my dungeon, I would be a very happy king." Said Crowley, eyeing Cas.
"Well…I wasn't aware you felt so strongly about that." Replied the angel, a little taken aback. Crowley rolled his eyes at the angel then turned to Dean.
"Squirrel…the punching me in the face every chance you get is getting very old. I'm starting to think you hit like a girl. If I were granted this chance to bitch you out a few years ago, I'd have more complaints. Currently, my only main one is that you need to just stop threatening to kill me. You won't do it and it hurts my feelings. On the other hand, enough with the bloody self-loathing. You're not the bad guy, you never were. For the positive side of things…you're the only one at this table that has ever sincerely trusted me. No matter the reason, you've done it. We've even worked together before, and we work well together. I suppose…what I'm trying to say…is that you might be the only real friend I've ever had. In all my years of existence. So…thank you for lending me that luxury, even if it's only temporary." Said Crowley, being entirely sincere the whole way through, voice quieting almost as though he was embarrassed towards the end of his little speech to Dean.
"I…um…alright." Stammered Dean, not having the faintest idea of how to respond to that, shocked and not entirely believing those words just left Crowley's mouth. The look on his face mirrored everyone else's, causing Crowley to sigh before turning his gaze to Jade.
"You…you pain in the ass, mouthy, annoying, stubborn, inhumanly frustrating whore. When the King of Hell kidnaps you, you bloody well do as you're told. What you don't do is try and have a fucking fistfight with him outside a car on the ice or let a hunter tie him up in some run down cabin in the middle of nowhere! What part of this game do you not understand? I am in charge. I say jump, you say how high? And on the topic of owning you, you're damn well right I own you. I've owned you since the second you agreed to get in that car with me. If not then, then I certainly owned you as soon as we started to fuck in the shower that first night here. You can try and deny it all you want but I've been around a very long time. The noises you made were certainly not noises of defiance, they were noises of submission and a tone of please, daddy, can I have some more? I –" he began to rant, Sam and Dean's eyes widening more and more with every sentence until Dean stepped in, seeing Jade was about to throw her coffee mug at him, her own expression having gotten angrier and angrier the more Crowley spoke.
"Okay, okay, wow! Easy, man. Way too much information, okay? Take a deep breath and maybe move to the positive parts, alright? Holy shit…" replied Dean in a shocked yet exasperated tone before rubbing his face, annoyed that he now had an extremely uncomfortable image in his head.
"You-" began Jade until Dean clamped his hand over her mouth, earning himself a shocked and angry look.
"No. Everyone gets their turn, let him get to the good parts then you two can go into the next room and argue til kingdom come if that's what you wanna do." Said Dean, feeling like he was babysitting two angry toddlers. Crowley sighed, not wanting to do the next part, feeling like it took the upper hand away from him.
"The positive parts?...I suppose I appreciate someone who won't entirely take my shit. Maybe, just maybe, you're a good fuck. Perhaps, if I'm being delusional to a degree, I enjoy your company. The arguing we do is one way to pass the time, I guess. The way you look-" he began then stopped himself, nearly about to say the way you look at me. Thinking of the tenderness she'd shown him when they were alone. However, it was the last thing in the world he'd admit in front of everyone else right now, he already felt vulnerable and knocked off his high horse quite enough, he wasn't about to talk about feelings any longer.
"…what?" she asked, brows furrowed. She wondered if he was doing what she had done, downplaying what he really thought of her, then was confused when he suddenly stopped speaking.
"The way you look naked and wet. Delicious. Can't get it outta my head." He retorted, smirking, officially done with the touchy feely talking, though he was being completely honest with this statement as well. She scowled at him and folded her arms.
"Was that what you were looking for, Cas?" asked Sam with a sigh, not entirely sure if that had been a success or a defeat. Though he was leaning towards success, feeling less animosity towards everyone else, understanding everyone else a little better.
"I believe so, yes. The tone of the room seems quite different now. We all know what's on each other's minds." Replied Cas, smiling soon after speaking, proud of himself.
"Alright, then. I think I'll find a deck of cards, we can play poker. Somethin to pass the time, anyway." Said Dean, getting up and going to his bag to look for the cards. Sam raised his eyebrows but then somewhat shrugged, not against the idea.
"Yeah, you have fun with that." Said Crowley, eyes on Jade for a little longer before he stood up.
"You're too good to play poker with us? Even after that?" asked Sam, calmly this time.
"Obviously. I'll be lounging in that chair, waiting for my assistant to return. Like I said, have fun." He replied, walking away from them all and back to the recliner he'd spent the night in.
**( welp, that chapter went way off into left field compared to what I had originally planned for it. I like it, though. Therapeutic Cas. XD I think it fits him. Hope you guys enjoyed it, now everyone's thoughts have been spilled. For now. Leave me a review on your way out, please. )**
