AN: Hi everyone – here's the next chapter! Finally romance (although only a bit. From here one out, though, there should be more :P)

Xxx

~Fen

PS: WE'RE AT 30 REVIEWS! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! It makes me so happy! xxx

Chapter Fourteen:

Athaya slept for a few fitful hours before her headache woke her.

She sat bolt upright as the same feeling from before encroached on her mind, and before she knew it, she was in another waking-premonition. This time, though, she knew what it was.

Athaya blinked in confusion as she found herself standing in Bobby's study. After a few seconds, she realised she must be having another dream. Like with Chelsea. She glanced around to see what was happening, and her gaze slid to a stop at a figure in the middle of the room.

Tied to a chair, in the middle of a devil's trap, sat Crowley.

Athaya froze as she saw the cuts and bruises that covered his body. Definitely some broken bones, at least. She blanched at the sight of the table next to him, covered in various knives and a few things Athaya didn't recognise, but could certainly guess the purpose of. She ran over to Crowley and knelt beside him. He looked slightly ruffled, but aside from that, not greatly in pain.

'Oh…I wish you could hear me. I'm so sorry for what I said.' Athaya tried to brush her hand over his cheekbone, but found it went straight through. It was more than a little disconcerting. She spun around when she heard footsteps and saw a familiar person walk around the corner, wiping a serrated blade with a cloth.

Dean.

'You know, this would be a lot easier if you just told me where she is,' Dean said, putting the weapon down on the table. Crowley looked unimpressed.

'Please. I do much worse than this on my days off. But do continue, if it will make you feel better about losing her.' Crowley smiled, as if some secret joke was being shared.

'Don't gloat, you bastard. He just wants to help,' Athaya scolded. She looked up at Dean and paled when he dipped a knife in holy water. As he handled the blade, Dean talked.

'The thing is – I don't feel bad, because I know I'm going to find her. You on the other hand…I hope you realise what a piece of scum you are. Why even take her? What is she to you? Athaya sure as hell didn't summon you, so if you don't mind explaining, that would be a real help.'

'Why would I help you?' Crowley asked. 'You haven't even bought me a drink yet,' he smirked.

Smack.

Dean's fist hit Crowley's face with enough force to make the demon wince. He rolled his jaw and grinned tightly, spitting out mouthful of blood.

'Nice right hook,' Crowley nodded his head in approval. Athaya's breath caught as Dean re-dipped his knife in holy water, re-wetting it and held it up to Crowley's face.

'One more time. Tell me where she is.' Dean demanded coldly.

'No chance, mate. She's mine,' Crowley said simply and Dean's eyes flashed.

He stabbed the knife down into Crowley's arm, pinning it to the chair arm. Crowley howled in pain and Athaya screamed in shock, falling backwards. She hadn't been expecting that.

She looked up at Dean with wide eyes. 'Please, stop,' she whispered quietly, knowing he couldn't hear her. She cried out again as Dean grabbed another knife and plunged it through Crowley's other arm, his roar of pain drowning out Athaya's one of fear.

Crowley's head fell to his chest after the second knife and Dean took a step back, unblinking and unsympathetic. 'Well? Are you feeling slightly more cooperative?'

Athaya felt tears spring to her eyes. Why wouldn't Crowley just tell Dean where she was? 'Dean. Stop this! I'm fine. I'm safe…' her words faded away as he remained impassive to her pleas, unable to hear them.

After a moment, Crowley's form started shaking, his head still resting against his chest. Dean paused in the middle of dousing another blade to stare at the demon.

'What? What is it?' Dean asked brusquely.

Athaya realised Crowley was laughing. He raised his head and a grim smile twitched into existence on his face. 'Oh, nothing. It's just…I know something you don't know – if you'll forgive the cliché.' Crowley laughed once again and Athaya frowned. What was he talking about?

'What are you talking about?' Dean asked, his voice dangerously low.

'I'm talking about something that is going to come to light very soon. That is…since she's been awake for several minutes now. That girl just doesn't know when to listen…' Crowley continued and Dean frowned.

'Who? Who's been awake?' Dean held a bottle of holy water over Crowley's head, ready to pour. Crowley just narrowed his eyes in a wicked smile and Dean's hand tilted, the edge of the bottle threatening to spill its contents over Crowley's face.

'No!' Athaya heard herself cry just as she opened her mouth to speak.

Hold on. What?

Athaya froze in shock as she saw herself materialise on the floor behind Crowley, dressed in a plain black dress shirt and silk shorts, her hand reaching towards Crowley as tears streamed down her face.

'Don't do it, Dean. Please.' The Athaya on the other side of the room croaked, her voice desperate.

Dean too had frozen. '…Athaya?' he asked in quiet disbelief. 'How did you…No. Why are you telling me to stop?' He started towards her and the Athaya on the ground opened her mouth to speak.

As it turned out, Athaya didn't get to hear any more of the conversation as a fierce pain tore through her skull, bringing her to her knees, blood dripping from her nose and ears. She cried out as she was ripped back to the present.

Athaya gasped into the bed sheets and rolled over, choking on the air. If there hadn't been enough last time, now it was as if there was too much. She felt someone's hand on her back help sit her up. She managed to swing her legs over the side of the bed and sat up, bending down to put her head between her knees as she breathed through her nose.

She started coughing and saw through tear-blurred eyes that a few droplets of blood hit the clean cream carpet. After another second of gasping, Athaya's lungs finally cleared and so did her vision, allowing her to see a worried looking Crowley crouched beside her, one hand on her back.

'Princess, are you alright?' His voice was wary, slightly guarded.

Athaya shook her head and let out a choked sob, wanting to throw her arms around his neck for the second time that day. She didn't. He was still angry, she could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice. 'I saw you…Dean…he…I couldn't stop it, Crowley,' she whispered and Crowley sat on the edge of the bed next to her. She looked down at her hands and cursed herself for crying. It was stupid. The event hadn't even happened yet.

'It's alright. You're here now. It was just a dream,' Crowley offered.

'No it wasn't,' Athaya dabbed at a trickle of blood from her nose. 'It was another premonition.'

Crowley nodded. 'I know, but that doesn't mean it wasn't also dream. It hasn't happened yet,' he said, reading Athaya's mind.

'But it will.' Athaya whispered. 'Soon.'

'Tell me what happened,' Crowley coaxed, his voice softening as he stared at her intently. He snapped his fingers and the blood on her face and the floor vanished. He touched her temple gently, and Athaya felt her headache subside slightly. 'Better?' he inquired and Athaya nodded.

'I…saw you…It was Dean. For some reason you were at Bobby's house.' Athaya began.

'Well I haven't made any plans of stopping by. The alcohol there's horrible,' Crowley smiled slightly, but Athaya didn't return it.

'He…tortured you, Crowley. He pinned your arms to the table.' Athaya said, trying to get him to see that it wasn't a joke. 'You wouldn't tell him where I was. All you had to do was tell him. It wasn't like it was that hard.'

'Why do you say that?' Crowley inquired, shifting to face her more.

'Because I was right there. I was invisible or something. On the ground. Behind you the whole time,' Athaya shook her head in disbelief. 'You said I was asleep. Then I became visible somehow and the dream ended.' She let out a shaky sigh. 'You just took it though,' she said, thinking about the torture. 'How did you do that?'

Crowley's dark eyes glinted. 'I know how torture works, Princess. You just don't let it get to you. Eventually, if it happens to you enough, you don't feel it anymore.'

Athaya looked at him sadly. 'I'm sorry.'

His expression became guarded again. 'What for?'

'For earlier. I shouldn't have said that. It's not true.'

'Which "it" are you referring to, exactly?' Crowley asked and Athaya couldn't ignore the twinge of sarcasm in his voice

She flinched, 'All of it. I can't say I didn't mean it, because I did – at the time. But it wasn't true – especially what I said about you not having a mind of your own. Of course you do. If you didn't, you never would have helped me in the first place, when I was little,' Athaya reasoned. 'The fact that you did…and that you're still helping me, despite how obviously useless I am…I don't understand it. I'm not worth the trouble. I'm sorry. I'm…not so great at apologising,' Athaya muttered as she realised she was beginning to ramble. She stole a glance at Crowley to see that he was staring at her very pensively, his eyes dark as he listened. He closed them for a few seconds, murmured something quietly and then reopened them, refocussing on Athaya.

She frowned slightly, but didn't hear what he'd said. She took his silence as a cue to continue, despite the fact that she was definitely on her way to a full blown ramble. '…And I realise you just wanted to keep our deal intact. I guess you haven't broken many deals, and I certainly don't want to be your first, but I just wanted to make sure Chelsea was okay. I feel as though I'm the only one who can do it. Keep her safe, I mean. Does that sound stupid? It sounds stupid, doesn't it?' Athaya looked at Crowley once again and saw something shift behind his eyes.

He tilted his head to the side. 'Princess. It's alright. That's not stupid at all,' he said softly.

'I'm really sorry,' Athaya apologised again. 'I'm so bad at apologising,' she repeated.

'Well then stop apologising.' Crowley said, his voice rougher than before.

'What do you suggest I do instead?' Athaya asked flippantly. What she didn't expect was Crowley's hand under her chin.

'I can think of a few things,' he said before bringing her mouth to meet his. Athaya stiffened in shock and then relaxed into the kiss, allowing herself to be swept up in the sudden rush of heat that flowed throughout her body. At first the kiss was urgent, like he needed to tell her something. Athaya leant into him and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss and earning a low growl from Crowley's throat in response. She felt his arms slide up her back to tangle with her already knotted hair, before one of them travelled down to her shoulder to slide the thin strap of her silk camisole down her arm.

He moved his mouth from hers to trail kisses down her neck, moving to her shoulder and then back up again. Athaya leant back and gasped as his mouth travelled lower and she pulled back to stare into his dark eyes, which were somehow even blacker than usual.

'Why – ?' She was cut off by another kiss, this time more gentle, but still as meaningful, and she forgot about talking. She forgot about Chelsea, about Sam and Dean. She forgot about everything except for the man in front of her.

At least for the next few hours.

AN: Gah. I'm pretty sure I suck at writing romance scenes :/ Sorry if it's horrible! Is this acceptable? There will be more cuteness in the next chapter – I promise.

Now tell me truthfully…How many of you thought she was going to get with Dean?

Hell no. They're just friends, you silly muffins! (not that Dean knows that yet)

I say all this ^^^ with love, though, and applaud you if you knew all along that Athaya would end up with Crowley :P It was never going to be any other way!

See you in the next chapter!

Xxx

~Fen~