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Saving Grace

Chapter Twenty-Five: Making Deals With The Dark Side

Police Station — Kearney, Nebraska — 05:45 am.

Haley didn't even bother to lift her face from where it was buried in the space of her own arms, crossed beneath her on the cool table, as she heard the door open towards the side of the small interview room. The room was cold and dimly lit, bringing a chill to her bare arms and legs. All she wanted to do at that point was sleep off the alcohol, or eat something, or use the bathroom, but nothing. She had been alone for almost an hour, locked away as though they had forgotten she was there. They had seemed interested at first, asking her the same routine questions—her name, where she was from, where she lived, what had started the fighting in the bar—but eventually they seemed to have gotten bored with her. No one had been back since, and something about that didn't quite sit right with her.

Considering an escape attempt had long since disappeared from her mind, because she knew, that would only make things ten times worse for both her and her brothers. There was a good chance both she and Castiel would get out of there by morning, she knew that, and a break out attempt gone wrong would only bring down more severe trouble with the law. But it was as she thought more about it, knowing the time was moving forwards, that she thought about her brothers. There was a good chance that Dean wouldn't be back yet, still with his girlfriend of the night, but Sam, that was different. It only took a couple of phone calls unanswered and she just knew they would be right back to their defense, thinking the past week was repeating itself for them.

Haley still refused to move, perhaps thinking that if whoever was standing in the doorway thought she was sleeping they would leave her alone, because she couldn't face telling anymore lies to them, but she knew that it wouldn't happen that way. She could feel them watching her, waiting, but she wouldn't sit up and look. She couldn't find the energy.

When she made absolutely no reaction to knowing they were there she heard the door close, and, for a moment, everything was silent again. She contemplated whether or not they were still there, hesitant to look up, wondering. But then she heard the shuffling of papers, and something was dropped down onto the table in front of her. Whoever it was, they weren't going anywhere. And, reluctantly, she pushed herself to sit up, clearly anything but happy with her current situation.

Before her stood a man, not looking to be too much older than her, dressed smartly in a suit. His short brown hair was parted and gelled aside neatly, and his face held a small frown. "Roxanne Coleman," he said, moving to sit down in the chair opposite hers. His arms rested on the table in front of him, and he handed her a badge, almost identical to the ones both she and her brothers owned. "I'm special agent Alex Johnson, FBI."

If she didn't feel sick before, she sure as hell did now. If the feds were there, there was no chance anything about to be said was going to be good. For anyone involved. But she made no reaction and remained completely stoic as she handed back the badge. "Good for you." she muttered, all patience and sense of reason slipped from her mind. She no longer cared who it was she was provoking, she didn't care that it was the FBI anymore than she would have cared had it been another officer. She just wanted to leave, and she was fast becoming impatient. "I don't want to sound rude, agent, but I've been sitting here for hours. When do I get to leave?"

The man, Alex, narrowed his eyes at her, as though trying to figure her out. If anything, he appeared amused. Somewhere in the back of her mind it all clicked. That was why she had been kept waiting so long, they had been called especially to speak to her. Something was going on, more than she knew. More than she could anticipate. But he didn't appear to be in a rush to get anything done, and he opened the pale yellow file he had dropped down on the table when he had walked in. He pulled out a photocopy of the driver's license they had taken off her when she had been brought in, and he raised his eyebrows skeptically. "So, according to your driver's license, your name is Grace Scott?" She didn't speak, only stared at him, as though she had nothing to say. "What made you choose Grace?"

But Haley only looked at him, refusing to bite into whatever he was trying to trap her with. "No comment."

"Well, no matter, I suppose." he went on, as though her response couldn't have bothered him less. "Because that's not your real name, is it? No, your real name is Roxanne Coleman."

Haley smiled. "So, you know who I am?" She leaned back in her seat and sighed. There was no getting over the fact that they could prove her to be Roxy. She had lived that life for twelve years, there was far too much proof there. "What's your point?"

Alex placed the missing poster down in front of her and smiled. "You've been missing for weeks."

Haley scoffed, dubious. There had to be more to it than what she could see. "Well, obviously I'm not missing." she rebuked. "I'm sitting right here."

"I've been looking for you for a while now." he said calmly. "There are a lot of people in Wisconsin wondering where you are. Did you know that?"

"Well, all due respect, but it's not really their problem where I am." she said, folding her arms over her chest, defensive. "I left town, that's all there is to it. Last time I checked, that isn't breaking the law."

But Alex simply pulled another sheet of paper out of the file and let his eyes scan the text. "According to your former roommate, Rachel Keller, you left town with two men who you claimed had pulled a gun on you."

"Whoa," Haley shook her head. "That's out of context."

"Your boss, a Mr. Holden, claimed that you never showed up for work again after that night." he continued, as though she hadn't interrupted. "You haven't been home, you haven't paid any of your bills, you've had no contact with anyone close to you. Traces of blood were found on the street outside of your apartment building." He looked up at her, curious, and frowned. "Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry," Haley held up a hand to stop him before he could say more. "I'm a little confused here, what exactly does this have to do with the FBI? Like I said, I skipped town, people do it every single day, what's the problem?"

"There's a missing person's report out on you, Roxanne." he countered. "That's the problem. You go missing, we're paid to find out what happened to you."

"Well, like I said, I'm not missing, so—" She pushed herself up from the chair and shrugged.

"Sit down, Miss Coleman." he stopped her, not even looking up as he spoke. She stared at him, as if weighing up her options, and saw no other move but to sit and listen to him. "I want you to think very carefully before you answer my next question, and I want you to remember that withholding information from a federal agent is a criminal offense." Haley frowned at him, not sure what he could have to ask her that seemed so important. "The two men that you left with, who were they? What were their names?"

"Does it matter?" she replied, almost immediately, but there was evident confusion in her voice. It was a question she hadn't been expecting, and they both knew it. "They were just friends, I haven't seen them since."

"Really?" He appeared dubious. "You don't seem to realise just how serious this is, Roxanne." He opened up the file again and pulled out a printed image, one taken on a survelance camera. It was of Sam, Dean, and herself, taken in the back room of the club the night they had found her. She looked down at it, trying not to acknowledge just how incriminating it was to them. In the frame, she stood with her arms folded over her chest, standing right before Dean, who had a gun pointed at her. "These men," He gestured to them. "The ones you left with that night, have been identified as Sam and Dean Winchester." But all Haley did was stare at him, that was all she could do at that point, because she sure as hell didn't know what to say to him. "Did you know that?"

"No comment." she muttered, and the calmness held in her voice.

"You know, up until I took on your case, I thought Sam and Dean Winchester to be dead. I mean, supposedly they died in Colorado, when that police station blew up. Almost a little too conveniently wiping them off the map. But you wouldn't know anything about that now would you?" Haley rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head. "Well, I gotta tell you," He handed her the picture. "They look pretty damn healthy to me. These men have evaded justice for far too long. They're dangerous men, Roxanne, and until I know for sure that you aren't working with them, you aren't going anywhere. We'll find them, trust me, with or without your help."

Haley thought over what he was saying for a moment, and slowly looked up to face him. "I want my phonecall."

The statement seemed to take him by surprise. "What?"

"You arrested me, right?" She quirked a brow at him. "I'm in custardy, I get a phonecall. I watch CSI, dude, I know my rights."

Alex narrowed his eyes at her, as though skeptical, and then nodded slowly. "Fine." he replied, giving a small shrug. "What the hell, I'll give you your phonecall." He pushed himself up from his seat and gestured for her to do the same. He motioned for her to go first, and she moved around the table to the door, giving a short sigh as it opened. She didn't even know which one of her brothers she was supposed to call. Sam would more than likely be asleep, and Dean would probably still be drunk, probably doing something she didn't really want to think too much into. She had to think, who would be most liable to answer their phone. Alex roughly pulled out a seat at one of the officer's desks and nodded for her to sit as he pulled the phone closer for her. "You have two minutes. Try anything, you're locked up."

Haley took her time dialing Sam's number, buying her time until she was sure the agent was out of ear shot of her. It rang, and rang, until she was sure that no one was going to pick up. That really would sink her. "Come on, Sammy." she muttered, tapping the heels of her shoes against the tiled floor as she waited, anxious.

Just as she was about to hang up and dial Dean's number without being seen making another call, but she heard the line crackle, and she breathed a sigh of relief as someone answered. "Someone better be dead or in prison, Haley, because I swear to god unless you have a damn good reason for staying out until this time without calling, so help me god, I will kick your ass so hard—"

"Dean?" she frowned a little. "What are you doing with Sam's phone?"

"Oh, don't you Dean me, kid." he snapped. "And don't change the subject. Sam's out looking for you right now. Do you have any idea what time it is? Where the hell have you been?"

"You know what, maybe if you'd shut the hell up and listen to me for a second," She paused, and Dean said nothing. "Look, things got a little out of hand after you left, Cas and I got arrested—"

"You what?" She cringed, because he sounded anything but happy with her.

"Wasn't me being in prison on your conditions for me not getting my ass kicked just a minute ago?" she asked lightly, hoping he'd see the funny side, but she could almost feel his annoyance coming through the line to her.

"Out of hand, how?" he pressed. "Has someone hurt you? Haley, I swear—"

"I'm fine, alright? We're both fine." She sighed. "But you need to listen to me."

"Just, let me get changed, okay? I'll come get you." he said, ready to hang up the phone.

"Wait!" She almost shouted, and she saw the agent glance over at her from the corner of her eye. "Dean, you can't. That's what I'm trying to tell you. The cops here know who I am, Dean. They know I'm Roxy, and apparently she's still a missing persons case back in Wisconsin. Sam and Dean Winchester are top suspects. They're looking for both of you, trust me, if you come here, you won't walk back out again, not unless you're in chains."

Dean muttered something under his breath, she didn't catch it but she heard the swearing that followed it. "Alright, don't panic, okay? Let me find Sammy and we'll think of something. Leave it with me." And with that, he hung up the phone, and she had no choice but to do the same.

Haley sighed and rested her head in her hands, they were screwed. Beyond screwed. In fact, they were past being beyond screwed. She glanced over towards the doors, and wondered if she could run fast enough to get out before they caught her. She thought about it, she had no car, she didn't know where they were, or where Sam and Dean were. She knew she wouldn't get far, and she couldn't bail on Castiel, that was, if he was even there anymore. For all she knew, he could have been released by then. "Are you done?" A voice came from behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Alex looking down at her with a small smile. "Time to go."

She pushed herself up and followed him back to the interview room without a word. She didn't have the energy to even try and argue with him, or anyone for that matter. Maybe if she complied he'd take pity on her and let her go. He nodded at her to return to the seat she had been in before, and he did the same.

"So," He placed a cup of coffee down in front of her and offered a smile. "Who'd you call? Mom? Dad? Your lawyer? Brother, maybe?"

Haley narrowed her eyes at him. "What's this, you done with the bad cop routine and now you're playing good cop?"

But Alex only smiled at her. "How about you tell me how you know Sam and Dean Winchester? Hm?" But she didn't speak, she just stared at him. "Still no comment? That's fine. How about I tell you a little about them, see if that jogs your memory?" He moved two pieces of paper towards her, two wanted posters, one for Dean and one for Sam. "I'm sure you saw it on the news, Sam and Dean Winchester were wanted serial killers. They had quite a colourful list of charges to their names; mail fraud, credit card fraud, grave desecration, assault, armed robbery, kidnapping, and then all those counts for first degree murder. Would you like me to go on?"

"Are you going somewhere with this?" she asked, clearly becoming impatient.

"I don't know if you know this or not, because not many people do, in fact I've only known a couple of weeks myself, but Sam and Dean Winchester have a sister. And her name's Haley." Her stance noticeably dropped at those words. "You see, no one working their case ever seemed to go back far enough to find out, but I did. And there she was, the middle child, never mentioned in any of their paperwork before, almost as if she'd just...disappeared." He looked up at her and smiled as he placed a picture down in front of her. It was one that had been taken when she had been sixteen, the first time she and Dean had ever been in real trouble with the police. "Now, call me crazy here, Roxanne, but I think she looks a little bit like you."

Haley shook her head at him. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

"You sure about that?" he pressed. "Because, I did some digging, and there's no record of anyone called Roxanne Coleman being born in Madison, Wisconsin. In fact, there's no record of anyone named Roxanne Coleman being born anywhere in Wisconsin, not to match your age. So, either you've somehow managed to slip through the cracks," he smirked. "Or that isn't your real name."

"Have you ever thought about writing, Agent Johnson?" she asked lightly, and he frowned at her. "Because that's quite a story you've put together there."

"Oh, I'm not done yet." He pulled out another picture from the file, the one she had used to make her first ID when she had been Roxy. He placed it next to her mugshot and smirked a little, smug. They had been taken within weeks of each other, and there wasn't much of a difference between them. "It can't just be me seeing that resemblance." he said. "And you know the kicker? This name Grace, the one you seem to be going by now, just happens to be Haley Winchester's middle name. How's that for a coincidence?" he chucked and leaned forwards in his seat. "So, tell me, Haley, where are your brothers?"

She forced a laugh, refusing to look at him, she couldn't. "You've got this all wrong."

Alex huffed a laugh himself. "Look, I'm not in a rush, Haley. I have all the time in the world to question you." he smiled. "Hey, maybe I'll go and ask your friend out there a few questions, see if he's a little more helpful." But Haley said nothing, she knew, if they spoke to Castiel, she was screwed. All he had to do was call her Haley, and that would sink her.

"Alright," She sighed. "I—"

But before she could get anything more to pass her lips, the door to the room was blown forcefully open, as if someone had forced it from its hinges. It banged from the wall and almost closed again, before a hand stopped it. The two of them looked on as a man stepped inside, throwing a slight smirk between them. He looked to be around forty, dressed in a black suit. There was something about him, the way he entered so sure of himself, the confidence he held, he knew exactly what he wanted there.

Alex stood up and frowned at him. "Who are you?" he asked, but the other man simply smirked at him. He didn't speak a single word, only raised a hand and, with a simple click of his fingers, the agent crumpled to the ground.

Haley jumped up at the sight, eyes wide, fists clenched at her sides. "Ah, ah, ah," The man held up a hand to stop her before she could do anything more than stand. "Sit down, sweetheart. We need to have a chat."

The man had a British accent, and, after seeing that, she was more than sure he wasn't with the police there. She had no weapons, no contact to her brothers, no idea where Castiel was, and no source of help from anyone else. If he tried something, she was screwed. Her eyes moved towards the body on the floor, and she suddenly became so much more defensive. "Did you just kill him?" she asked, her voice was calm and steady, as though him being there didn't bother her in the slightest.

"Wouldn't that be awful of me?" he rebuked. "I've heard you Winchesters don't like that kind of thing."

Haley stood and stared at him, and she felt the hairs on her arms stand on end just being in the same room with him. Something about him made her uneasy, yet she couldn't work out what it was. "You know what, no." She shook her head. "No, I've had enough of dicks in suits pushing me around lately. Just, cut to the chase. Are you here to kill me, arrest me, or hand me over to an arch angel for torture practice?"

He chuckled, like her defensive stance genuinely amused him to see. "None of the above, darling. As much as I love to torture, you wouldn't be my first choice of Winchester to take a knife to."

"Huh." She looked him up and down slowly, cautiously, not sure that sure bought it. "So, what are you?"

The man took another step closer to her and came to a stop at the other side of the table. "And, what makes you assume that I'm anything?" he pressed, his voice low. "Ah, I know, you're looking at me and thinking no mere mortal could be so handsome."

Haley rolled her eyes at him, already clearly exasperated, and shot him an incredulous look, as though she couldn't believe what he had said. "Well," She gestured to the man on the floor and nodded. "Yeah, that must be it."

He gave a short laugh and moved to sit down, pulling his face in a slight grimace at the plastic chair, as if to say that the place was beneath him. "Name's Crowley. Perhaps you've heard of me." he said, holding out his hand to the chair across from him. "Please, sit. We have so much to catch up on."

Haley shook her head at him, and her eyes moved towards the open door at the other side of the room. But the second her eyes made contact with it, it slammed closed. She looked back to him, and saw the smug smile on his face. She wasn't getting out of that room, not without listening to him first. And so, tentative, she lowered herself back to the chair. "What, you want my soul to bust me out of jail, is that it?" she asked lightly, as though trying not to let on how intimidated she felt with him. "I'm not that desperate."

"So, you have heard of me." he smirked, but she only glared. "Not exactly. I'm here to make a deal. I have a job prospect for you."

Haley scoffed. "Well, you can forget it. I'm not interested."

Crowley narrowed his eyes at her. "Something tells me you might be." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, sliding them across the table towards her. "You've been in here a while, Haley, I imagine you're getting...irritable. So, I'll make you a deal, you have a smoke while you hear me out, if you're not interested by the time you're done, you're free to leave."

She stared at him, confused for a moment, and glanced back at the door. What choice did she have but to hear him out? Slowly, hesitant, she took one of the cigarettes from the box and held it to her lips, and with a simple smirk from him it was lit. "Alright," she pressed. "What do you want?"

Crowley seemed to think on it for a moment, contemplative. "I'll tell you what I don't want; the apocalypse." Haley frowned at him and exhaled the smoke between her lips. "Lucifer and Michael are angels, Haley. Despite how cuddly I might seem, angels don't see us that way. To them, we're the worst thing. And, if this fight happens, it's gonna be bad for all demons, and that means me. They're both jackasses. In the end, whichever one of them wins, me and my kind are toast."

But Haley still wasn't following. "So, what does this have to do with me?"

"Little birdie told me yourself and Zachariah spent some quality time together recently. I assume he isn't your favourite person right now." Haley said nothing, just stared at him. "That same little birdie also told me about your little predicament. You see, word travels fast. Dean says yes or Sam dies, right? Well, what if I told you I had a way for you to take Zachariah out of the picture, for good."

Haley put out the cigarette on the edge of the table and dropped the end to the floor beside her, before she looked back to him. His face seemed to fall a little at the action. She could see him trying to work out what she was thinking, not convinced she would stay, but she cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter. "I'm listening."

Crowley smiled at her. "Zachariah tortured you, he wants your brothers as angel vessels, hence, you have a motive. Despite the fact that your brothers are functioning morons, I know your reputation, Haley, I know you have means. So, what if I told you I could give you the opportunity, would you take it?"

"That depends." she pushed. "What are we talking about?"

"I want you to trap him for me." he said, and Haley scoffed, like she assumed him to be joking, but his expression didn't change. "I wouldn't get near, Zachariah would see a demon coming from a mile away. But you, you're hidden, you're protected, you could walk right up behind him and he'd never even know."

"Until he turns around and sees me, and I get my neck sliced." she retorted. "No chance."

"Not if you do things smartly." he corrected her. "Now, I can give you a summoning spell, I can get you the ingredients, and I can give you a trap ready for you to summon him into. He wouldn't get the chance to touch one hair on your pretty little head." He smiled. "And then, I'm free to walk in there and puncture his heart, the second I find myself an angel blade."

"You get that the apocalypse would still happen without him, right?" she asked, looking at him as though he were stupid.

And this time Crowley sighed, exasperated. "Killing Zachariah will more...halt things." he told her. "Until I can find a more permanent way to stop Lucifer from roasting me. I mean, I'm assuming your knucklehead brothers told you how they took the colt and didn't do the job?"

"Oh," Haley forced a dry laugh. "You mean the colt you convinced them would work on him but didn't?" she countered. "That colt?"

Crowley rolled his eyes at her. "Do you want the job, or not?" he asked her, a little firmer, but no less patient.

Haley bit back a sarcastic rebuke and thought through everything that he was saying to her carefully. Did she really have a choice in the matter? She couldn't let Dean say yes to Zachariah or heaven, and she couldn't let Zachariah murder Sam. Maybe Crowley really was her only option. Maybe he wasn't as bad as Dean had made him out to be. Or maybe he was sitting there and lying to her face. Could she really trust a demon? Perhaps agreeing to help him was, in a way, her signing her own death certificate. But, for the sake of her brothers, didn't she have an obligation to at least try? If it worked, Zachariah would be gone, he would be dead. And, at that point, she couldn't think of anything she wanted more than to see him out of the picture.

This was working with a demon. She didn't have much experience with them, but she knew from what Sam and Dean had told her, they weren't to be trusted. Hadn't she learned anything from Sam's mistakes with Ruby? He had trusted a demon and that had almost cost him his life, his relationship with Dean, and so much more. She still saw the guilt in his eyes when he thought back to it, and she still saw the hurt behind Dean's eyes when he did.

And then there was Dean. That was a whole other point. She hadn't even thought, what would he say if he were to find out she was working with a demon? He would never forgive her for that, and she knew that he wouldn't. But then, who was to say that he had to know? Who said that anyone had to know? Because they didn't. It was a negotiation, after all, not an order.

Haley looked up to him and nodded. "I have conditions."

Crowley huffed a laugh. "You're a Winchester, of course you do." he muttered, more to himself than to her. "Go ahead, deary."

"Sam and Dean never find out about this." she warned him seriously, her tone leaving him no room to argue. "Ever."

He smiled a little, as though he should have known, and nodded. "Done."

"And second, I need guarantee that you're telling the truth." That brought a frown to his face, and she could've sworn he looked insulted. "You're a demon, Crowley. How do I know you're telling the truth? For all I know, I summon Zachariah and this trap doesn't even work."

"A deal is a deal, Haley, even with hell." he said simply. "My word, the trap will work. The Hardy boys never find out. And you don't go to hell, not this time. You trap him, we're done. Deal finished." She regarded him for a long moment, clearly unsure. "Come on," he coaxed. "You and me, sweetheart, we could make a great team. Whaddaya say? Will you trap me a angel?"

She released a deep sigh, shaking her head slowly. "I say, I'll do you one better." He tilted his head to the side, curious, and furrowed his brow. "Same terms, but this time, I'll stab him through the heart myself." she told him darkly. "Take it or leave it."

Crowley chuckled and rose from seat. "I like you, Haley." he said, nodding to himself, impressed, as he walked slowly around the table to her. "I think this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship." He traced a hand up her arm and pulled her up to face him. "Now," he smirked and maneuvered himself so that she was pressed between him and the table without escape, his breath hot on her face. "Do we have a deal?"

Haley took a breath and nodded slowly. "Yeah," she whispered. "We have a deal."

And, with that, Crowley closed the small gap between them and pressed his lips to hers.

So here's a 4:30am Friday morning update from Australia! Because I've just finished it and could not wait until later on to post it! :)

You know what, I love Crowley. I love him so much I can't even put it into words. But, we all know how sneaky he can be, so is Haley being stupid making a deal to kill Zachariah for him? Or, are we going to finally see the back of heaven's most dickbag angel? And hell isn't on the cards for her, even if she fails, so, does Crowley have a soft spot after all? As well, just because it's in the deal that Crowley can't tell Sam and Dean, that doesn't mean that they can't find out from somebody else...;)

More demons coming up next chapter, not quite as cuddly as Crowley. And yes, Sam and Dean are back in the next chapter! Not nearly enough Winchester boys in this chapter for my liking.

As always, thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I love you all for your continued support. Next update will be Friday! Have a great week:-)