Making the Deal

AN: So if anyone is interested, I've kind of created a playlist of music that I feel fits the story, or the characters. I listen to these while working on each chapter:

Adam Lambert – For Your Entertainment
Rihanna – S&M
H.I.M. - Wicked Game
Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie (Part II)
Evanescence – Haunted
Breaking Benjamin – Dance With the Devil
Three Days Grace – Animal I Have Become
Bruno Mars – Grenade
H.I.M. - Gone With the Sin
Within Temptation – What Have You Done (Ft. Keith Caputo)
Blink 182 – I Miss You
September – Cry For You
Within Temptation – Faster
Apocalyptica – I Don't Care
Apocalyptica – Bittersweet (Ft. Lauri Ylönen & Ville Valo)
Within Temptation - Iron

CHAPTER TEN

Once her bike was safely stowed away in the trunk (how on earth did it fit in there anyway?), she was offered the front seat by Dean. Going by the eye roll Sam did at the gesture, she realized he still wasn't giving up. With a grin and dramatic flourish she claimed the seat as hers. Shaking his head, Sam crawled into the back seat and they were on their way.

"Got any tunes?" Pandora questioned, after a brief silence.

"Of course," scoffed Dean, reaching over and pulling out his box of cassettes.

"Wow, old school," she commented.

"I've got all the classics," he boasted.

"Awesome!" she grinned, flipping through Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, and Journey before settling on Kansas. Smiling faintly at her choice, he put the tape in the player and the sweet sound of "Carry On My Wayward Son" swept over them.

"What happened to 'driver picks the music and passenger shuts their pie-hole?" Sam asked, sitting back in his seat.

"He's just sucking up because I beat his ass today," Pandora chuckled.

"You wish!" Dean countered. She stuck her tongue out at him in response again. Sam sighed to himself as he observed their behaviour from the cramped back seat. The drive was quite short, less that fifteen minutes from the time they left.

"Geez, I should get a ride more often," she commented upon their arrival and parking, "I'd save so much-" Before she could even finish her sentence there was a bright flash and the sound of wings beating.

"Sonovabitch!" Dean swore, jumping out of the car and popping the trunk in search for something to defend themselves with.

"Dean, Sam, this way!" Pandora called out, quickly making her way into her apartment. Without hesitation they bolted after her, only stopping once they were within the 'safety' of the apartment. Dean sliced his hand with the knife he had grabbed from the trunk hand had quickly scribbled the angel banishment sigil on her wall, hand posed at the ready for when they would appear. Sam on the other hand, had gotten an angel blade at some point and was holding it at the ready.

"Relax boys," Pandora began, "they can't get in here."

"How?" Dean asked sharply, not lowering his hand.

"Enochian writing all over my apartment. I found someone who could write it for me." At his incredulous look she said, "I've been building connections." Pandora shrugged it off, trying to make it seem unimportant. She got the feeling that if they actually knew who had done this for her, they would be a lot less willing to be there. Or try to get her to tell them where Crowley was. 'Yeah, cause he tells me where he goes when he's not here,' she though, suppressing a chuckle. They didn't really seem to believe her, but thankfully dropped the subject.

"So what should we do?" she asked, "Is it safe? Do you think they have left? Or are they just waiting for us to eventually leave the apartment?"

"I don't know," Dean answered tersely, "only one way to find out." Looking around, he grabbed the small mirror Pandora had sitting on the side table by the door and redrew the sigil on the surface. Slowly he opened the door and inched his way outside. Holding her breath, she gripped Sam's arm in terror as they followed after Dean.

"It's clear," he called, relaxing his shoulders and turning back to them. Sighing in relief, Pandora nearly collapsed, her grip on Sam the only thing keeping her steady.

"Woah," he said, "You alright?" Dean hurried over and helped support her from the other side.

"Yeah," she answered, "It's just been a stressful day. I really need to rest." Standing on her own again, Pandora shook off both of their hands and walked back over to Dean's car. Tapping on the trunk, she looked at them expectantly. "I still need my bike."

"And we are technically on a job," Sam told her, "so we'll get out of your hair now."

"We've got a Rugaru to catch," Dean added, looking not too pleased at the prospect. Once her bike had been removed, and re-assembled, she waved them off and returned to the comfort of her flat.

Only when she was inside with the door firmly locked did she finally let herself relax. With a sigh she put her bike away and collapsed on her bed, not even bothering to have a shower or change her clothes.

"What a day," she groaned into her pillow.

"A good one, I hope," Crowley said from the doorway. Rolling over onto her back, Pandora just looked at him.

"You're kidding me, right? After the attack this morning, I went to Bobby's where I found out that he was off hunting some demon, looking for information on you. Not only that, but then I had to sit there and worry about him all afternoon until he finally came back. The only positive was that I finally got to meet Sam and Dean," she explained.

"Oh goody. And what do you think of the Moron Brothers?" he asked, moving closer to the bed.

"I like them," Pandora answered, saying that not only because it was true, but because she knew it would annoy him. She wasn't disappointed when he scowled at her. "They seem a little... off with each other right now. I think they have some issues going on between them, but all in all, they aren't bad guys. Oh, and they gave me a ride home, but when we got here, I was once again attacked by angels. Bloody bastards won't even give me a moment of peace!" she paused, and gave him a once over. He looked tired, worn, and grim.

"Oh," she said quietly. Looking at him tenderly, she opened her arms in invitation which he gladly accepted.

oooo

The Next Morning

Wrapped up in a cocoon of warmth, Pandora slowly woke from dozing off. Snuggling up to the heat source, she looked up at Crowley with a small smile, pleasantly surprised that he was still there.

"Hi," she murmured, looking into his eyes, still feeling all fuzzy inside. Suddenly, reality set in and with a sharp intake of breath she sat up.

"You're still here," she stated the obvious, gazing down at him. He leaned forward and nuzzled the junction of her collarbone. He hummed deep in his chest as he peppered her skin with small bites.

"Hey, buddy," she complained half-heartedly, "don't try to distract me right now. We need to talk." Growling his displeasure, he gave her collarbone one final nip before shifting and pulling himself to a sitting position against the headboard.

"It's time, huh?" she questioned, burrowing her head into his side, "Come back safe okay?" She looked at him ruefully through her hair, "you still have a deal to convince me to make." Crowley smirked down at her, then disappeared from her side, only to appear at the foot at the bed fully dressed.

"One last thing," Crowley said, "I figured you're going to be stupid enough to go gallivanting across the country-side, 'ganking the baddies' as you'd say, so I've got a safety measure." Pandora started when she felt a weight settle on the end of her bed despite there being nothing there. Staring at the indent in the blanket owlishly she quickly sat up, attempting to pull the blanket up with her, only to be foiled when the blanket refused to budge from the invisible creature.

"Ummm," she said at a loss for words.

"My pup," Crowley said proudly, "you can't see her. Not yet anyway. The only ones who can see her are the ones who are about to make their payment." He didn't need to elaborate on that. She knew exactly what he was talking about. It made her shudder.

"But," he continued, "I'm taking a leave, and can't have you going off somewhere and getting yourself killed, so I've decided to leave her here, temporarily that is."

"I can't see her," she said, "how will that help me?" He moved closer and leaned on the bed, his face mere inches from hers.

"A contract," he breathed, "of course it will be temporary. You can see her, and she can keep your sorry arse alive while I'm away." When she nodded, he sealed the deal with a long heated kiss. When he finally moved away, she kept her eyes closed, breathing in his scent in what she hoped wouldn't be the last time. When she eventually did open her eyes, he was gone. Sighing, she glanced towards the end of her bed out the corner of her eye, almost afraid, no, scratch that, definitely afraid at what she was going to find there.

As she feared, the hell hound was lying there looking at her expectantly. The creature was huge, taking up a good chunk of the bed, had a wild black shaggy coat of fur, and blazing red eyes that glowed. She gasped when the creature opened it's mouth to reveal many long, sharp teeth that looked like they were definitely designed to tear apart a human. The hellhound was a fearsome sight for sure, but when all it did was lie there looking at Pandora, she let her breath out in a drawn out sigh to steady her nerves. It would do no good to constantly be terrified at the thing that was there to protect her. Cautiously she reached her hand out to the creature, silently willing it NOT to bite her hand off. The hellhound sniffed at her hand, blowing hot air over the extended appendage. Satisfied with whatever she found out, the creature turned from her and made herself comfortable on the bed, scrunching Pandora up more. For crying out loud, the creature took up nearly half the bed when trying.

Thrilled that her arm was intact, Pandora slid out of the bed and made her way to her closet in the interest of getting dressed.

"Well then," she said to the creature as she struggled into her clothing, "I don't suppose you have a name?" The hellhound just stared back at her. "Right. You can't talk, can you?" The hellhound huffed in annoyance.

"Of course not. That would be too convenient," she complained, pulling a sweater over her head. "Okay, I don't really feel like calling you dog, or 'pup', so how does do you feel about a name?" Blinking at her, the hound opened her mouth in a doggy grin, long pink tongue hanging out.

"How does Seth sound to you?" she asked, "Named after the Egyptian god of chaos." The hellhound snuffled her approval. Or, at least Pandora thought it might have been approval. She hoped it was anyway. As she tied her hair back into her usual messy ponytail, she observed the creature on the bed through the reflection in the mirror. Once you had a moment to actually look at the hound, she didn't seem quite as ferocious and terrifying as first assumed. Sure she was big, and yes she certainly looked like she could tear someone to pieces. Now Pandora knew she was crazy. After all, this was a creature from hell who's only purpose in life was to claim the souls of the people stupid enough to make a deal with a demon, and to drag it to hell. And here she was, thinking about how adorable it was. Turning to actually look at the hound, 'Seth,' she reminded herself, she tried to ignore the fact that Crowley was now gone, and she didn't know when, or if, he was coming back.

Blinking back tears, she busied herself getting ready to go about her normal, boring day, pretending as if nothing was wrong. She was surprised she still even had the job at the office with how many days she kept missing. Honestly, she would much rather head off to Bobby's for the day, maybe practice some more, at least when she was doing that it required all of her attention, not letting her think of the things that plagued her mind.

"Fuck work," she said out loud, "I need to be around people I like." With that, she turned to Seth, "you coming?" When the hound just stared at her she sighed. "Sorry, stupid question, I know. It's going to be hard pretending I can't see you when I'm out around people. Especially if I'm going to be making a habit of talking out loud to you." Turning to the bed one last time, she felt her chest compress, as if forcing the air out of her lungs. "Let's go," she said quietly, eyes stinging as she made her way to the door.

AN: Can it be? Another chapter so quickly? See, this is what happens when I get reviews. Even if it's only one! XD I'm still trying to settle into writing the characters of Sam and Dean, so if they seem off to you, certainly let me know. Other than that, I'm off to work on the next chapter. Reviews are like air to me, so don't hesitate to write one up! :D