Chapter 10: The Company You Keep

Kevin was better by the next morning and the Winchester's decided to take him with them. I couldn't believe my luck and it took all of my willpower not do a little dance, now I could help Crowley in peace. It also took great inner strength not to seem standoffish to the two men who I had trusted with my life. Every time I saw them laugh or smile, an image of Crowley chained up downstairs flashed in front of my eyes.

That made me feel guilty, I mean Crowley was the King of Hell. And he had done terrible things, killed hundreds and condemned thousands. Maybe I was trusting him too much? Or maybe it was because ever since that warehouse, I had a soft spot for captured, hopeless and broken things. As soon as they left I ran down to 7B and flung the doors open to reveal a cowering Crowley. His hands were covering his face; he was hiding from something in the far corner.

"Leave me alone!" He yelled desperately as he tried to hide himself in his seat.

"Crowley." I said gently, pulling his hands away from his face. "Hey, it's just me, Bethany." His eyes found mine in relief. He straightened himself up, but his eyes continuously flashed back to the corner in terror. "Look at me, look at me!" I demanded until I had his unwavering gaze. "It's not real, they're not real. Focus on what is, focus on me."

"Thank you." He said as he finally relaxed. I began slowly undoing his chains. "What are you doing?!" He demanded and shoved my hand away. I stepped back, my hands raised in a gesture of peace. He clicked the metal collar around his neck back into place, "I would have been free to leave if you undid that!" He cried indignantly.

I went back to undoing the rest of his chains; I pulled out a blindfold and tied it gently around his head. "For your safety." He commented, nodding. "Glad to see you're not a complete imbecile." I was beginning to wonder if he was experiencing some Stockholm syndrome.

I led him to the laundry which had a shower in the corner. I gave him a towel, other manly cleaning stuff and some soap; I took his filthy clothes and shoved them in the washing machine. It was a suit and probably should have been dry cleaned, but it was better than them remaining soaked in blood. It was a token of how weird my life now was that I was washing the King of Hell's underwear.

Thirty minutes later, Crowley was dressed in his suit (the bunker's washing machine/dryer was amazing) with clean hair, no beard and a slightly cleaner metal collar around his neck. Even his cough wasn't that bad, which solidified my belief that a decent shower makes everything better. I blindfolded him again and led him to the kitchen where I sat him down before heading to the fridge.

"You can take it off now." I told him conversationally as I laid in front of him a stack of sandwiches. "I hope you like chicken, tomato and avocado."

Crowley dug into the meal ravenously, moaning as he swallowed. "You're a good cook, I'll give you that." He told me as he started on his third sandwich. "Despite the company you keep." he gestured Dean's jacket, which was hanging on the back of one of the chairs.

"The company I keep is none of your business." I replied shortly. "Eat your food."

"Why are you helping me?" He asked, not for the first time.

"'But who prays for Satan? Who, in centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?'" I quoted as I poured him a glass of Craig, which he took gladly and drained in one gulp. I poured him another.

"It is nice to see you're well-educated, but I am hardly Satan. I've met him and out of the two of us, I am told he is more agreeable." Crowley laughed without humor.

"Don't sell yourself short." A voice said behind us. I spun around to see Dean and Sam fill the doorway.

"Crowley," I said calmly. "Get behind me. Now." He obeyed instantly, getting off his chair at lightning speed and allowing me to step between him and the Winchester brothers. "Hello Sam, Dean. Back so soon? I thought the haunting was in Dodge City."

"What are you doing with him?" Dean spat, a vein in his forehead throbbing and his face flushed with anger.

"Can't you tell Dean?" I said lightly and gesturing to the kitchen. "We're having lunch."

Dean started towards me but Sam held him back. However that wasn't very reassuring because Sam looked ready to attack me himself. "Bethany, explain." Sam said tightly.

"Well let's see…" I mused mockingly. "I go to look a file and find a chained man in a secret dungeon, dying of thirst and hunger and looking like he had been hung, drawn and quartered." My voice rising.

"HE'S HALF DEMON!" Dean shouted.

"AND HE'S HALF HUMAN TOO!" I yelled back. "And you wouldn't treat a rabid dog the way you treated him!"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HE HAS KILLED?" Dean thundered. "INNOCENTS, OUR FRIENDS!" Castiel and Kevin entered the room; Castiel's eyes went wide at the sight of Crowley cowering behind me. Kevin's face filled with hatred as he spotted the demon.

"And how many people have you killed Dean? How many innocents when you were soulless Sam? Or how about you Castiel, all those Leviathans swimming around in there, how many Angels' wings did you clip?" I asked furious.

"I live with what I have done every day of my life. You think Cas doesn't have nightmares? Sam didn't have a soul when he did those things!" Dean argued.

I thrusted my hand behind me, pointing at Crowley, "Neither did he!"

Dean was fuming, "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm on the side of humanity! I'm on the side of those who treat people with some respect, no matter how small!" I replied.

"He doesn't deserve any respect!" Dean roared.

I stalked towards him; with no awareness for my own safety I shoved an accusing finger in his chest. "You just want to blame someone for all the bad things that have happened to you! Azazel isn't here, neither is Ruby or Lucifer or Zachariah or Dick or Michael or Lilith!" With each name I stabbed my finger into his chest. "Metatron isn't here Dean! But Crowley is, so your pour all your hatred, your angry and your malice into hurting him, forgetting one important thing! He isn't that monster anymore Dean. He isn't the unfeeling, soulless demon that you hate. He's half human, he can feel, he can hurt, he has a soul! If you want someone to blame, blame yourself, because you're the one who made him that way."

Dean stood there, breathing heavily. I grabbed the blindfold off the table and wrapped it around Crowley's head before gently shoving him past the other four men and back to 7B. Dean stepped in our path.

"Get out of the way Dean." I growled.

"We are not done." Dean said viciously.

"I said GET OUT OF THE WAY!" I yelled, shoving him aside. Dean stumbled back as he regained his footing he raised his arm and started towards me. I abandoned the blindfolded Crowley and began towards the oldest Winchester.

"Stop." Castiel said coolly standing between us.

"Cas get out of the way, this has nothing to do with you, this between Bethany and I." Dean said in a dangerously low voice. I moved around Castiel and aimed my fist for Dean's face.

"I SAID STOP." Castiel boomed in a commanding voice. His presence filled the room and if he had still been an Angel, the shadow of his wings would have spread across the walls. "Bethany, take Crowley downstairs. Now."

I fled the room quickly with the half-demon in tow. I led him to the storeroom and chained him up in silence. Finally I took off the blindfold and threw it in the direction of the corner. "You'll be fine; I won't let anything happen to you." I said, whether I was talking to Crowley or myself, I wasn't sure.

"You shouldn't have done that." Crowley said.

"As long as there is some part of you that seeks redemption, then there is some part of you that's worth defending." I replied shortly.

I closed the door on 7B and sat on the ground. I took a shaky breath and held my head in my hands. It had been stupid, aggravating Dean like that. It wasn't him I was mad at, not really. The way he had treated Crowley was appalling but what really had made me angry, was how I saw myself in him. I saw a poor human who had been captured and tormented. I guess I was the guardian Angel to Crowley that I never had, that I should have had. Castiel had been my savior and I would never forget it, but he hadn't been there soon enough, no one had.

I heard the raised voice of said Angel and he sounded like he was upset. I ran up the stairs and rounded the corner to see the kitchen in a mess. The chairs we turned over and broken glass was on the floor. Sam was helping Dean to stand; he had the makings of a black eye. Castiel was on the floor, blood dripping out of his mouth. I ran to his side and helped him up. "Are you ok?" I asked anxiously.

Castiel nodded grimly, "I believe the argument has been resolved."

I turned to Dean, "Dean, I'm sorry." I said softly as I handed him a packet of ice I fished out of the freezer. "I just don't think you should treat him that way, no matter what he has done in the past." I wringed my hands, "But I compromised the safety of the bunker; I should have asked you before I acted on my feelings." I hung my head. "Forgive me."

I was pulled suddenly into a hug, "I was worried about you more than the bunker," Dean said gruffly, "I thought he had found some way to control you." He wasn't good at apologies but I knew this was his way of saying sorry.

I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, "You hungry? I have some food we can eat."

The boys straightened up the kitchen while I threw together some lunch. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean give Castiel one of those manly, swing and clap on the shoulder hugs. I rolled my eyes; men were just so uncomfortable expressing their feelings. 'The emotionally constipated' was their anthem.

"So why did you come back early?" I asked curiously, "I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Turns out it wasn't a haunting after all," Sam grimaced. "It was Abaddon."

"Abaddon? Here in Kansas?" I asked my eyes wide. From what they had told me she was one crazy ass, bad-guy. "So what did you do?"

"Hightailed our asses out of there, that's what." Dean said through a mouthful of sandwich.

"We didn't want to be caught unprepared." Castiel added.

I put down the glass I had been drinking from. "That settles it." I said abruptly.

The four men looked up at me startled. "Settles what?" They asked in unison.

"You," I said pointing at Dean, "Are going to train me to become a hunter."

"Well…" Dean said quickly, "I have to teach Cas some stuff, so I won't really have time to-"

"Perfect," I replied cutting him off, "We can train together."

Castiel cleared his throat, "I don't think that would be a good idea."

I raise my eyebrows, "Why, you afraid I'd be a better Hunter then you?" I gave him a challenging grin.

"What I think Castiel is trying to say," Sam interrupted our staring match. "What all of us are trying to say, is that you don't have to have this life. You can get out."

"And teaching you would take you to a place you won't be able to leave." Dean added. "Sam and I, we don't feel comfortable forcing this on you."

"Are trying to say you won't teach me?" I asked incredulously.

"Essentially, yeah." Dean said avoiding my gaze.

I looked at the others, who were all gaze down at their sandwiches in silence. "Unbelievable!" I yelled, "Un-fucking-believable!" They flinched, Castiel opened his mouth to say something, but I road over the top of him. "You either teach me," I threatened, "Or I'll find myself a ghost and learn on the fly."

Dean raised his head and grinned at me, "Personally I'm kind of glad you passed the test. You'll make one heck of a Hunter."

I gaped at him, was he serious? They were testing me?

Sam smiled "Congratulations Bethany, we start first thing tomorrow."

A/N: Hello again! How are we all? Was the 'Thin Man.' All you hoped for? Not that I would know, since I haven't seen any of season nine... Maybe I should get Bethany to meet the Ghostfacers? Now that would be interesting. Next chapter exciting things will happen, I have great plans (*cackles madly*) and then the chapter after that, I feel a monster-of-the-week vibe coming on. Any particular nasty you want to come visiting?

As usual all my love to my followers, favorites, readers and reviewers. You guys are just amazing and I love each and every one of you. A special thanks to Jennifer for reviewing yet another chapter, Crowley is fun to write and I'm glad you liked it!

I send out my weekly invitation to review, good things bad things, things you like to ask. I take questions, and they don't even have to be related to this fic I'll answer random questions too. And also: You want to see something happen, want a guest appearance, or just don't want some stuff occur. Add it to your review or sent me a P.M. and I'll get back to you a soon as possible on where I'll put it in the story.

So all my best wishes for another week, my sister and my mother have a birthday this week. I'm weighing up whether I should get my sister a supernatural themed present, then again we are going to the Melbourne con together so... Until next time my friends! :)