Disclaimer: I don't own anything 3
Theia smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in her floral blue dress. She pulled at the necklace around her neck, nervously, as she zipped up her bag. Her bag was filled with all of her clothes and certain books she had picked up over the months Theia had been in hiding with Crowley. She couldn't believe she was actually going home, there wasn't a day that she didn't miss her family but at the apartment she felt happy. Sure, the last house Crowley had stuck her at was miserable but since he had brought her here everything seemed better. Maybe she was going crazy, shouldn't she want to go home? Theia didn't know anymore. She wanted her life, she wanted to own a bakery and have a life. Now, though she wasn't sure who she wanted in that life.
"Your nervousness is starting to be annoying" drew Crowley, standing in the doorway.
Theia turned to him. "I can't help it. I haven't seen my family in months. What am I supposed to tell them?"
"Tell them you ran away with a dashingly handsome man who drives you mad" he said teasingly, watching her start to pace around the room with a serious look on her face.
She ignored what he said, appearing to not even process it. "I don't even know what to tell them about why I disappeared" she said pulling a hand through her hair. "What am I supposed to say to them 'Hey sorry I've been gone I can't exactly tell you why but hey I'm back now'" she said getting a little more frantic and panicked as she went on.
"Theia" he said approaching the girl.
"And what if they think I just ran away or had a breakdown and-"
"Stop" he said, putting a hand on each of her shoulders. She looked up at him, panic still obvious in her amber coloured eyes. "Calm down, you're worrying your pretty little head too much"
Theia shook her head, looking down. "I'm sorry. I just…I'm nervous" she said honestly.
Crowley rolled her eyes at the silly girl in front of him. "You'll be fine, love. Come on grab your bag."
Theia grabbed the bag she had packed, pulling it over her shoulder before turning to Crowley again. With the snap of his fingers they were both at the front door of Theia's parents' house. It was a sunny day, only around 10 in the morning. The neighborhood kids were playing outside on their bikes and scooters under the trees of the neighborhood.
"I'll leave you to it then" said Crowley snapping his fingers and disappearing. He hadn't really disappeared completely, he was just hidden from Theia's view.
A small smile rose to his lip unconsciously as he saw Theia huff in irritation that he had just left her there. He saw her press the door bell, hesitantly a contemplative expression playing on her delicate features. Crowley heard noise coming from the house and a female voice from inside say they were going to get the door. Then a woman opened the door, she had wavy hair, not quite the curls that Theia had but they were wavy, there were soft lines on her face signifying that she was in her early 40s. She wasn't a bad looking woman, she would have been quite a beauty in her prime, even now she was still pleasing to look at, with the soft curves of her body that Theia had inherited along with the brown eyes and auburn coloured hair.
"Theia" said the women, a shocked expression pulling her features back.
"Hey" said Theia giving her mother a slight wave and an awkward smile.
"Don't 'Hey' me. You disappear for nearly three and a half months and you just come here and say 'Hey'" exclaimed the women, the shock bringing out a harsh tone causing Theia to retreat into herself.
Her shoulders hunched over visibly and she wrapped her arms around her body as she cringed. She didn't have a good excuse, not one she could tell her mother at least. Theia was fully prepared to take the berating she would get from her mother when she felt a hand come on her shoulder.
"There you are. I thought I told you to wait for me." Said Crowley, walking up next to Theia. "She never listens does she. Nice to meet you" he said taking the older woman's hand to shake. She shot him an odd look that meant 'who the hell are you'
It was nothing compared to the string of looks Theia was giving him, but, hey, he was only helping her. She obviously hadn't thought of a lie to tell her mother of why she was gone and he couldn't help but intervene.
"Uh…Who are you? Theia never mentioned you" said the older woman.
"Oh, really" he said looking over at Theia who opened her mouth to say something but when nothing came out she closed it again. "My name's Crowley, I was Theia's advisor on the quarter 4 cooking program in Michigan"
"Michigan?! Is that where you've been all this time?" she said the question being directed at Theia this time. Theia didn't know what to say so she simply nodded, confirming Crowley's statement.
Theia's mother looked over at Crowley, apologetically this time. "I'm sorry for being rude about asking who you were earlier it's just that my daughter didn't tell me she was going anywhere"
Crowley gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand." He said nodding. He took a quick glance out of the corner of his eye at Theia who remain stiff as a board, unable to say anything.
"Why don't you two come inside and explain everything" said the older woman, opening the door further for them to come in.
The older women made her way to the living room and Theia and Crowley followed behind her. When they arrived, she gestured for them to take a seat while she still stood.
"I'm going to call my husband from his study" she said going out of the room.
As soon as she left Theia quickly turned to Crowley. "What are you doing?" she said in a whisper.
"Saving your arse" he replied smirking at her. She was about to reply when her mother returned, her father in tow.
Her father was about 5'10". He looked to be in his late 50s or early 60s but was still in good shape for his age, there was a mischievous gleam in his eyes that Crowley had often seen pass through Theia's. Theia clearly took after her mother in most aspects concerning looks—like, height—but she had inherited her father's curly hair, noticed Crowley.
"Theia" said the older man, walking over to his daughter.
Theia quickly jumped out of her seat, embracing the man before her firmly. She was clearly a daddy's girl. They pulled apart and the man shook Crowley's hand firmly before sitting down. Theia sat back down next to Crowley and her father sat next to her mother across from them. The coffee table sat between the pairs.
"So, Mr. Crowley" started Theia's mother
"Just Crowley is fine" he interrupted, giving her a grin.
Theia's mother nodded respectfully "So, you said that Theia went to Michigan for a cooking program?"
"One of our best students really" he said looking over at Theia, who had a light blush across her cheeks. "She qualified for the program after applying and they assign an advisor to each of the students in the program."
"Why didn't you tell us?" asked Theia's mother, looking directly at Theia.
Theia opened her mouth to answer, unsure what she was supposed to say. Luckily, Crowley jumped in after seeing her deer caught in the headlights expression. "No phones allowed in the program. It's really an immersive program and we really want the students to focus."
"Can you tell me more about this program?" asked Theia's mother.
Theia simply sat back while Crowley did all of the explaining to her parents. Her father didn't ask any question, he knew his wife would ask more than enough for the both of them. Theia didn't know how Crowley could lie so smoothly as he explained in depth about a fake cooking program that Theia had never been to. He made up stories, adding personal details here and there about Theia to make it more believable and her mother looked pretty convinced by the end of Crowley's long winded in-depth explanation.
"So, this program won't affect Theia's grades in school at all?" drew her mother, tilting her head slightly.
"I assure you, your daughter is getting perfect grades" he said, causing Theia to look at him. He never said anything about her grades before, she assumed that he didn't care about them. Now, he was claiming that she had perfect grades, her parents would want to see them later and what was Theia supposed to show them. Unless he could somehow change her grades, but how was that possible since she had missed so much of the final quarter of school.
"Well, that's fantastic" said her mother, happily. She was now in a completely better mood after hearing and believing the fake story Crowley had spun to her. "Why don't you stay for lunch, the boys will be back from practice soon" suggested Theia's mother.
Theia thought Crowley would politely deny her and leave but to her surprise he gave her a smile that Theia recognized as his 'up to something' smile. "I'd love to" he said taking a gander at Theia to his right, who was giving him a look of suspicion.
"I'll go set the table" said Theia's father, giving them both smiles before getting up out of his chair.
Theia's mother was the next to stand up and got to the kitchen.
"What are you playing at?" questioned Theia in a hushed voice so neither of her parents could hear.
Crowley gave her an innocent look. "Simply making their acquaintance"
"Theia, dear, can you come help me carry these dishes out to the table" said the voice of Theia's mother from the kitchen. Crowley smirked at her as he watched her walk away, not before turning back to look at him and shoot him a 'you better not do anything bad' look.
Crowley stood up from where he was sitting, going over to where pictures where hanging on the wall. There was an array adorning the wall, pictures of everyone in Theia's family. He saw one that caught his attention. Theia looked to be around five in the image and had drawn all over her face in what looked to be marker and was smiling happily at the camera.
"She liked drawing as a child" said Theia's father coming up next to Crowley.
"She's a very talented girl" Crowley said, giving the man a fake smile that he used on Theia's mother.
"Always has been" said Theia's father. "Though she's never been good at making up stories" he said with a twinkle in his eye.
Crowley turned to the other man, not quite understanding what he was trying to say. "What do you mean?"
Theia's father didn't answer, simply gave him a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "Come on, I think everything is laid out for lunch"
At the table, Theia's mother and father sat at each end of the rectangular table and Theia took a seat next to Crowley as they saved the spots across from them for her brothers. They didn't have to wait long, almost as soon as everyone sat down everyone heard the front door close and two pairs of footsteps come running into the dining room.
The boys looked nothing a like despite being twins. One of them was a little shorter than the other and had short hair with the defined features of their father. Whereas the taller one had a bit of softness in his features from his mother and had grown his hair down to his shoulders. They were both wearing white and green soccer uniforms with a few dirt marks on it. Both of their brown eyes widened when they saw Theia.
"Theia, we thought you died and fell off a cliff" joked the taller one.
The shorter one hit his brother on the arm. "Don't say that she might be traumatized."
Theia laughed heartily, gazing at the two boys with affection. "I'm not traumatized"
"Come on boys, sit down" said Theia's mother. The skin around her brown eyes crinkling with a smile that played on her lips.
The twins took the two seats opposite of Theia and Crowley.
"Who are you?" asked Henry giving Crowley a funny look.
"Henry" said Theia's mother, giving him a 'hold on a moment' look. "This is Mr. Crowley, Theia's advisor in her cooking program"
"Just Crowley" he corrected.
"So, that's where you were?" asked Evan, looking at his sister.
Theia nodded, still not trusting herself to successfully lie. The two twins nodded in sync with understanding.
"Can we eat now?" they said, satisfied with the simple explanation.
Theia and her mother laughed while her father had an amused smile on his face. Crowley observed her family, these were the people she had sold her soul for. They seemed normal, happy, and Theia looked happy here. She was practically glowing in happiness as she spoke with her family, he almost didn't hear the question that Theia's mother asked to him.
"Sorry. Can you repeat that?" he said shaking his head and looking over at Theia's mother.
"How did you get involved in the cooking program?"
"I knew certain people, made a few deals, and then got assigned Theia to advise." He explained simply. "She was a bit anxious for the first couple months." He said winking at Theia.
"Hey! That was only because my 'advisor' left me with no instruction for two months" she defended, shooting him a nasty glare.
"I was busy!" he shot back.
Only the two of them actually knew that they were referencing when Crowley left her by herself for two months with nothing to do in an abandoned house. So, the rest of the table just watched their interaction with amusement.
"You were not that busy" said Theia turning her head toward him.
"I had a lot of things to do as your advisor" he said smirking at her as she became more aggravated.
"Yeah, right. You barely explained anything to me at first" she said with the roll of her eyes.
"Were there other students to interact with?" interjected Theia's mother with curiosity. She hadn't asked many other questions about the program and she was curious to know more about it since her daughter had been gone for so long.
"Uhh…There were a few occasionally" said Theia hesitantly, remembering the hunters Crowley had brought her to. "Usually, it's more individualized"
Crowley looked over at Theia, surprised she was doing so well with lying to her mother. He could see her inner conflict with doing it as she sat there, her leg nervously shaking under the table cloth. It was only visible to him since he was sitting next to her.
"Oh, what were their names? Did you make any friends?"
Theia looked nervously at her mother; she hated lying. "I wouldn't call them friends per say but I met a few nice people" she said.
"That's good" said her mother, smiling at her before turning to Crowley. "She was always a bit anti-social"
Theia's face lit up in an embarrassed blush. "Mom" she said giving her a look that said 'please stop talking'.
"It's true, Theia." She said with a slight laugh. "She would be the one hiding in a corner reading at her friend's birthday parties"
Crowley laughed slightly as Theia lowered a bit in her seat with embarrassment. "That does sound like Theia, although she can be a bit of a firecracker sometimes."
Theia kicked him under the table and Crowley shot her an amused expression before returning to eating.
The rest of lunch was filled with different stories and questions exchanged. Any more questions about the 'cooking program', Theia, was able to direct over to Crowley to answer. When everyone was finished the boys helped clear the table while Theia and her mother went to wash out the dishes.
Crowley wandered into the hallway by the staircase; there were a different set of family pictures hanging on the wall.
"You know, Theia isn't one to bring guests over unless they really make an impression on her" said Theia's father, coming up next to Crowley.
Crowley looked over at the man, he hadn't said a word all throughout lunch but had simply watched in amusement at the interactions between Theia and Crowley. Despite not looking like her father, Theia had many of the same qualities that Crowley observed her father had—such as, their excellent observation skills.
"I don't think Theia expected me to come here" said Crowley to Theia's father.
"Still" he said, his blue eyes twinkling with mischievousness "Whatever you are to her, you're important"
"I told you, I'm her advisor" he said sticking to the original story.
Theia's father gave him a look. He was exceptionally perceptive.
"What gave the story away?" said Crowley, admitting to it's deception.
"Nothing much. Just the fact that Theia could never slip a lie past me with all of her nervous habits." He said shrugging slightly.
"Huh" said Crowley nodding.
"Don't worry about my wife. She's wonderful but she'll believe the story she wants to believe."
"And you won't tell her?" he questioned.
Theia's father shook his head casually. "She'll only worry. I do want to know that you won't hurt my little girl, though"
Crowley nodded his head in agreement, observing the man before him. He had underestimated him for sure; he suddenly realized where Theia had gotten some of her spark from.
"That's good" he said patting him on the shoulder before walking off into the other room. What a strange man, thought Crowley, shaking his head and walking into the living room.
He looked around the room again, taking in the green painted room with the beige furniture. It was very different from the home he grew up in as a child. Theia was good though, she didn't have much darkness in her life, she was an innocent soul, maybe that's why he felt drawn to it because his soul was so corrupted. The more time he spent around her the more his soul cleared and he felt lighter. The King of Hell can't have a weakness and right about now he knew what his weakness would be and she was just in the other room.
"Hey" said Theia, coming out from the kitchen doors.
"Well, family bonding was fun but I have hell to raise in, well, hell"
"Thank you for lying for me" she said, realizing how messed up that sounded. "Oh, god. Never thought I'd say that"
He gave her a grin but it lacked his normal air to it and almost seemed empty.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, wondering if she had done something.
"No, just have to get back to work." He said, not looking at her.
"Well, I guess this is-" but before she could finish, he was gone with the snap of his fingers. "Goodbye"
No clue where this chapter came from but here. Cheers