So I should be adding at least 2 more chapters this weekend. Hope you all enjoy them, please review! I love them!
Brett stood there staring at the door that had just been slammed in his face. He didn't know what to do, so he rang the bell again. This time Christine answered.
" Hey," she said as she stepped out onto the porch and pulled the door behind her. " I didn't know you'd be stopping by."
" Yeah, I just wanted to see if you were okay. You seemed a little off when you left. Who's here with you?" he said gesturing to the motorcycle on the curb.
Christine looked over his shoulder and saw it sitting there like a big black beast, chrome glittering in the sun. ' Of course he'd ride something like that, couldn't have driven a car or even just appeared.' " A friend just dropped by." she told him.
" Well your friend is rude, and he slammed the door in my face!" Brett said getting angry. Something was going on, and he knew she wasn't being honest with him. He hated liars.
" I'm sorry he did that, I think he's having a bit of a personal crisis."
" So do I get to meet him or is he just going to hide in the house?"
Before Christine could say anything Crowley yanked open the door. He had been listening from the other side. " I don't like your tone." He said menacingly to Brett. He didn't know how, but he could read the man so quickly. He could see the blackness around his soul, could see it tainting the space around him with a sickly hue. Crowley had always been able to read people, but not like this. Must be some sort of ability he had gained, but that wasn't important right now. What was important was putting a stop to this whole interaction before it began to spiral out of control.
" And I don't like the door being slammed in my face when I come to check on my girlfriend." Brett shot back.
Crowley started to say something but Christine stopped him by placing her hand on his chest. He waited for her to speak.
" Brett this is Crowley." She said gesturing to him, " Crowley this is Brett." she introduced them.
Brett stuck out his hand and Crowley looked down at it and then back up at Brett, " Well as you can see we're just fine, run along now." He said, purposely trying to be rude.
" Chris, who is this guy!?" He asked, he was getting angrier by the minute.
Christine just sighed, " He's my ex boyfriend." she said closing her eyes waiting for the inevitable explosion.
Brett took a moment before he spoke. " So, let me see if I understand. You decide you're tired and want to home. That's fine. Then suddenly your ex just happens to show up? "
" I didn't even know he was around! I haven't seen him in over a year," she tried to tell him.
" Well that's not exactly true love. You remember that night about 4 months ago, I know I do." He said.
Christine just looked at him in shock, " Are you serious right now?" she asked looking at him like she could kill him. " How about we all go inside and talk like civilized adults." she suggested.
" I think we need to talk, but why don't you send loverboy on his way. Oh I'm sorry, ex-loverboy." Brett said stepping up to Crowley.
Crowley just laughed at Brett's attempt to intimidate him. True the man was taller than him by a good five or 6 inches, but Crowley didn't care. " I know, why don't we all go inside and have a drink." He suggested, and walked back inside to his glass he had left on the table in the living room.
" Get him out of here Christine," Brett said lowly.
" He's just having a drink and then he's going. Why don't you come in?" She offered.
" I don't like him." Brett said as he pushed past her into the house.
"Well, this should be fun." she mumbled to herself and walked inside and closed the door.
To say there was tension in the room was an understatement, but they all seemed to be ignoring it.
" Would you like a drink?" she asked Brett.
" Sure." he said curtly as he sat down on the couch.
Christine glanced at him and then looked over at Crowley who was sitting in the armchair with his legs crossed, looking as relaxed as he could be. How he did that dressed in a three piece suit always baffled her. Brett by contrast was dressed in what he wore to the carnival, shorts and a t-shirt. He sat stiffly on the edge of the couch, refusing to relax. She finished pouring the drink and handed it to him and sat down next to him, it was then that he finally sat back, and he hurriedly draped his arm around her.
" So what brings you to town?" Brett asked Crowley, his words were short.
Crowley smiled at him, " Just a bit of unfinished business."
" He deals in artefacts and ancient text's. That's why he was here last year, looking for some sort of relic. Was there something else that you were looking for?" Christine tried to be a barrier between them.
He took a drink. " No, nothing like that." He was tired of this. " I came back for you." He finished his drink and set the glass down on the table and stood up. " Look Brad," Crowley started, purposely getting his name wrong.
" My name is Brett."
" Sorry, Brett. Look, I'm here for her. I won't leave. I won't stop. She belongs to me. Now before we were interrupted, Christine and I were having a discussion. If you wouldn't mind, could you see yourself out so we can finish?"
Christine just gaped at him, she didn't know what to say, she was speechless. Brett threw his glass on the ground and stood up quickly, and before she knew it he and Crowley were standing chest to chest. To someone looking in from the outside it appeared that Crowley was about to be pummeled. Christine knew that wasn't true, she knew what he was capable of. She got up quickly and tried to get between them, but Brett shoved her back down.
" Sit down!" he turned and yelled at her, then he turned back and punched Crowley in the face. Brett caught him by surprise and knocked him back, then he hit him again and he actually fell. " Stay down old man!"
Crowley looked over to Christine to see that she was okay, just in a bit of shock. She made eye contact with him and shook her head slowly. Brett stood over him. Hate was pouring off of him in waves, Crowley could feel it washing over him like water. " What's wrong mate? Can't take a little competition?" He said, sitting up and wiping blood from his lip. He stood up, " Look, it doesn't have to be this way. You go on your merry way, and leave us be. She's mine. Nothing you can do to change that. I understand getting attached, she's amazing. Wildcat in the bed, nothing like hearing her calling your name. Oh but wait, you haven't. Making you wait, until she's ready. Got to respect that about a woman.."
Brett reached out and punched him again, this time in the eye. A cut appeared just under his right eye, he reached up to touch it and his fingers came away bloody.
" That's about enough of that." Crowley said calmly and kicked him hard in his right knee, Brett dropped like a rock. Crowley kicked him hard in the ribs, then walked over to Christine. " Are you okay?" He asked. She nodded. " Okay then." He walked back over to where Brett was on the floor, he had managed to get into a sitting position. " Now, are we done with this? Because honestly I'm too old for this." He said and he sat back down in the chair.
" Christine? Love? May I have some ice?" Crowley asked.
" Of course," she said and got up to go to the kitchen, as she walked by Brett grabbed her foot and pulled causing her to fall striking her head on a small bookcase that was against the wall. Brett crawled quickly to her and punched her hard in the back of the head.
" Stupid bitch! Fucking Whore!" He yelled punching her again.
Crowley leapt from the chair and grabbed him by the back of the shirt and tossed him across the floor. He knelt down next to her and turned her gently over, she had a cut on her forehead and from what he could feel a lump on the back of her head. " Are you alright?"
" I'm fine." she said.
Crowley helped her stand and walk to the couch. He sat her down gently, " I'll be a moment, wait here." He caught Brett trying to limp to the door. " Now, where do you think you're going?" He asked as he pushed him to the floor. Brett turned onto his back and Crowley immediately placed his foot on his throat. Brett immediately began to struggle against the pressure, but there was no moving it. His foot felt like an anvil crushing his windpipe. " Now, this can happen one of two ways. One, I move my foot, you leave and never so much as look in her direction again. Two, I crush your windpipe and make your disappear from the world. Either one you choose, I win. So what will it be?" He asked pressing harder into the young mans throat. " Better hurry or I'll choose for you." Brett held up one finger. " Good choice," Crowley reached down and pulled him up off of the floor like he was a doll. Holding him by the scruff of his shirt he escorted him outside. " I'll see you again one day, I promise you that." Crowley told him softly, and walked him out to his car. " Now, go away." he said, and went back inside.
He found Christine sitting at the kitchen table holding a towel to her forehead trying to open a first aid kit with one hand. Crowley sat down next to her and took the towel away to find a cut on her forehead. He placed his hand over it and with no effort at all, healed it. He did the same for the lump on the back of her head. " Are you okay love?" He asked.
She nodded, " Yeah, I'm fine."
Crowley looked at her, " You're angry," he stated.
" Yes I'm angry. There was no need for any of that, if you had just left and let me talk to him, none of it would have happened." She looked at his already healed face, " Just go."
" Just go," he said back to her, " just go. Go where? The only place I want to be is with you." He told her gently. " If I had left here, he would have hurt you."
" You don't know that," she countered.
" Yes love, I do. I could see it in him, and around him. It was shouting at me from his mind."
" I don't believe that. Brett's a good man."
Crowley was reaching his limit of patience, God this woman was frustrating! " Fine then, why don't you call up the woman he put in the hospital in New Mexico? I believe her name was Jennifer. Or how about the woman from Boulder whose arm he broke six months ago? Her name was very clear in his mind, right up front, Melanie Richards. He's been doing this for years, and you would have been next."
" You're lying." she said coldly.
" No. I'm a lot of things Christine, but I've never lied to you. Not once. Look it up. Find her and ask her. I'll go get her and bring her here so she can tell you to your face." Crowley said angrily, he was hurt she didn't believe him.
Deep down she knew he wasn't lying. Brett had mentioned that he had just moved from Boulder not too long ago. He never really went in to much detail. Actually he never really talked about his life before he came to Castle Rock, just that he had lived a few different places.
Crowley just sat there with her. Quietly watching her. She was hurting, and he wanted to find that man and kill him slowly for even laying a finger on her, but his time would come. " Christine. " He said softly. When she didn't answer he called to her again " Christine."
She turned to look at him, she reached out to cup his cheek, " Is this what happens when you love a demon?"
Crowley smiled sadly and covered her hand on his cheek with his own, " I don't know. I don't think it's ever happened. I'm not just a demon anymore you know. When I took the angels grace, something changed. I don't know why or how, but I'm different than before." He took her hand from his face and held it in his." Before there was nothing that would have stopped me from killing him for hurting you, or even looking at you for that matter. I told you I've been researching with Sam, neither of us can find anything close to what I am, there's no record of a demon with an angels grace. Even the book I found the ritual in says that it usually kills the host. I'm unique in the world, so please don't be angry with me for things I can't control. Loving you is one of them." He smiled at her, " Now , did you just say you love a demon?"
" I did, but I need some time. Can you give me that? Just some time, a few days? I need to wrap my head around things."
" Of course," he told her. " Is there anything I can do for you now?"
" No. I'm just going to reheat this food and watch a movie. I need to unwind."
" Don't eat that. I'll send you something else." He looked at his watch, " It'll be here in about 30 minutes. Don't worry I know what you like."
" Thank you." she said and kissed his cheek.
" Call me soon, I'll be here."
Christine walked him to the door, " I like your bike." she said gesturing toward the Harley.
" New me love," he said. " I'll take you for a ride if you like."
" Some other time."
Crowley leaned in and kissed her softly. " I'll talk to you soon love." and he left.
Christine went inside to wait for her food, and sat on the couch and turned on the tv to find something to watch. Crowley took a few minutes to order her Chinese food before getting on his bike. The engine roared loudly and he took off down the street. He drove to his home that he had purchased last year. He pulled the bike up into the drive and got off. When he went inside the home. It was clean, keeping the maid service had been a good idea. As soon as he walked into his bedroom he felt the familiar pull of being summoned. ' Well this day isn't turning out half bad.' He thought, and disappeared.
Christine sat on her couch eating her fresh takeout that had just arrived. The tv was on and she was attempting to watch a movie but not succeeding. There were so many thoughts running through her mind. On one hand she was glad Crowley had come back, and on the other she didn't know what to do about Brett. If the things Crowley had told her were true, then she needed to get away from him and fast. If they weren't then she needed to decide if she really wanted to be with Brett. Things had gotten out of hand today, and if his reaction was anything to go by, Crowley was probably telling the truth about him. She finished her food and shut off the television. Brett's actions today told her everything she needed to know. She was going to break it off with him, but was she going to go back to Crowley? Chaos seemed to follow him, but it's not like he could help it. It was too much to think about and she just wanted to sleep. It was still early in the evening but she didn't care. She put on her pajamas and crawled into bed, she would try to figure things out in the morning.
It had been three days since she had heard from Crowley. Of course she had asked for space, and time to think, but she was surprised that he was actually giving it to her. At least she thought he was, never could tell if he was lurking nearby and she just couldn't see him. Christine had tried to call Brett yesterday but he never picked up. She couldn't really blame him, but she did want to make sure he was okay. She decided to try one more time. It was 4:15 on a Wednesday afternoon, so he should be off work. Chris dialed his number and waited. Surprisingly he answered on the third ring.
" Hello?"
" Brett, hi. I just wanted to check on you, make sure you're okay." She told him.
" Why?" He shot back.
" Well I know things got a little out of hand the other day, and I just wanted to make sure,"
Brett interrupted her, " Spare me your pathetic apologies. If you cared about my feelings at all you wouldn't have even had him in your house. You sat there and let him say those things about being here for you, and you belong to him. You didn't even try to contradict him, you just sat there. How do you thing that makes me feel? I thought we had something together, but I guess I was wrong."
Christine was silent. Nothing he had said was wrong. She did sit there and let him say those things, not once did she try to deny it or tell him she was with Brett. " You're right, but that doesn't give you the right to do what you did."
" You're right. I was angry, and I ," he started, " I don't even have words to say how sorry I am."
" Well, I just wanted to see if you were okay." She said trying to change the subject.
" I'm alright. My ribs are still pretty sore but my knee is okay. What about you?"
" I'm fine." she said, and the silence stretched out between them.
Brett finally broke it and asked, " So what are we gonna do?"
" What do you mean?"
" Did you tell him to leave? Are you going back to him? Where do we stand Chris?"
Christine thought for a moment, " Right now I don't know. After what you did Sunday, I just don't know if I can forgive that. As far as Crowley goes, he's got his own issues that come with him. I asked him to give me a few days to figure things out. "
" I can give you time too. I know I messed up, but I'm so, so sorry." He offered.
" I don't know."
" Look, things were great before he showed up. They can be again, we can get past this. The ball's in your court."
" I'll think about it."
" Just let me know." He told her. " I won't pressure you or anything, just think it over. Okay?"
" Yeah, I will. I have to go, take care." and she hung up.
Christine was in the kitchen cooking dinner when she heard voices in her living room, she walked in to find Crowley there covered in blood carrying Dean draped over his shoulders. Sam was with him, blood was running down his face from a wound on his head she couldn't see. " Oh my God! What happened?"
" Bit heavy this one, where can I put him?" Crowley asked.
" Of course, sorry. There on the couch." Christine went to her room and got her emergency bag out of the closet. She came back to find Dean on the couch unconscious, and bleeding onto her couch from various cuts on his chest and neck. She went immediately to him and took her trauma shears from her bag and began cutting his shirt off. The cuts were deep, but they didn't worry her like the ones on his neck. Chris grabbed bandages from her bag and began trying to stop the bleeding. She handed some to Sam and told him to hold them directly to the worst one on his neck. " What in the hell happened?" she asked while she worked.
" Vampires." Sam told her. " Is he gonna be okay?"
" He needs to get to a hospital, he's lost a lot of blood. Crowley can you call 911?" she asked, as she finished the last of the bandages and began to set up to start an IV.
Crowley pulled out his phone and dialed the number. Once she was finished with Dean she started to bandage up Sam's head. The cut there was deep and would need several stitches. While she worked she asked, " Did you say vampires? Like real vampires? Suck your blood and all that?"
Sam smiled, " Yeah. Not exactly the same as what you see in the movies, but still, vampires."
" Ambulance on the way." Crowley told them.
Christine glanced up at him. Gone was his usual suit and tie. He was wearing jeans and a button up shirt, the jacket he was wearing was soaked with Deans blood. " So, just out hunting with the boys?"
" Something like that," Crowley said and looked away from her. He hadn't seen her or spoken to her since he left her three days ago. Sam and Dean had summoned him as soon as he set foot in his home, they needed help with a nest of vampires in Indiana.
" Are you gonna tell me what happened?" she asked as finished with the bandage on Sam's head.
" We were tracking this nest, seems they had set up right outside of this small town. Killed about 10 people so far by the time we got there. Biggest bunch of them we'd ever seen so we asked Crowley to help. Things went bad, we got split up. Dean got the worst of it, luckily Crowley found us and pulled us out. He took out at least four of them before we got out of there. Pretty sure he got the leader. When Dean's up to it we'll head back and finish it off." Sam told her.
Christine looked to Crowley, " You alright?"
Before he could answer they heard sirens outside. Christine went and opened up the door to see the crew coming up the walk. " Hey guys."
" Chris, are you okay?" One of them asked.
" Yeah I'm fine. Patients are in here." she led them to her living room.
Once the got a look at Dean they immediately took him out and Sam followed behind them. " I'll check on you guys in just a bit. If you need anything just call." She told him as he got into the ambulance." Sam nodded and the doors shut behind him, them ambulance drove off toward the hospital.
Christine went back inside to find Crowley sitting at the kitchen table, waiting for her. " You okay? " she asked him as she sat next to him. " You've been unusually quiet."
" Bit of a scratch on my back, but nothing I can't take care of. It'll mend itself."
" Why didn't you just fix Dean?" she asked. She knew he could.
" I was a bit busy fighting off vampires, as soon as I could I grabbed him and got us out. Sorry about just dropping in."
" No it's fine. I always have my bag, I guess I just need to make sure I have more supplies on hand if I'm going to be your little groups personal paramedic."
" I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be a good idea to just appear out of nowhere at a hospital. I know you asked for space and I really have been trying to respect that." He told her sincerely.
She reached out and put her hand over his, " It's okay, really. I don't mind at all. I love what I do, and if I can help you or Sam and Dean, then I'm all for it."
He gave her a small smile. " Thank you. Now," he said as he stood, " I'll be going. Have to finish the job up."
" You can't go back there by yourself, what if something happens to you?"
" So you do care?" he asked her. " I knew it."
" Of course I care. Why would you think I didn't?"
" I don't know. I just thought maybe you had decided you don't want me."
Christine laughed just a little, " Don't tell me the big, bad, King of Hell is insecure?"
Crowley glared at her, " I'm not insecure." he told her and crossed his arms over his chest.
" I think just a little." she said teasing him. He glanced at her sideways, " I know I asked for space, and I really appreciate that you've given me that. I was actually going to call you tonight, thought you might like to talk."
" Talk? About what?"
" About everything you said Sunday."
" Everything I said," he said," why? Did you want me to say it again? It won't change. I'm back for you, you belong to me, and I'll not leave you again." He told her a bit emphatically. " Nothing else to say. Now what did you want to talk about?"
" Don't you have vampires to kill? Should I call you Buffy now?" she said teasing him again as she stood.
Crowley stood and pulled her against him. Her back was pressed to her chest and his arms circled her shoulders and her waist. He whispered in her ear, " Would you like to play vampire and slayer with me love?" He brought the arm from her waist to move the hair away from her neck and lowered his lips to it. Kissing it softly and biting gently. Her head fell back against his shoulder and she closed her eyes, loving the way he touched her. " Would you drive a stake through my heart Christine?" he asked licking the side of her neck. " That's what you're doing love, driving a stake into my heart each day you make me wait." He began kissing her behind her ear. Christine turned in his arms and draped her arms around his neck. His went around her and pulled her closer to him. " Tell me what you want Christine. Tell me that you want me." he said to her as he dipped his head and began kissing her neck again.
" I," she started to say, but Crowley chose that moment to kiss her lips. His kiss always made her feel worshiped, like a goddess. She had to fight for rational thought. It took everything she had to pull away from him, " I think you should go for now." she told him, trying to calm her breathing. " It's not that I don't want you here,"
Crowley let her go and stepped back, " Right."
She could see the hurt in his eyes, and she reached out and took his hand, " Look at you, you're covered in blood and so is most of my living room. Go finish the job and come back, let me get cleaned up. Come back when you're finished."
Crowley smiled at her and stepped back and snapped his fingers, the house was spotless and so was he. " How's that?"
" Now you're just showing off."
" I'll be back soon." he told her and vanished.
Christine smiled and glanced around her kitchen and living room. It was completely spotless. Just then her phone rang, it was Sam. Dean was going to be okay thanks to her. " It was no problem Sam, anytime you guys need me just let me know. I'll start stocking on extra supplies to keep here." A few minutes later she hung up the phone and made herself a sandwich for dinner. Christine wanted to eat quickly so she could take a shower and get cleaned up before Crowley got back. She had a feeling it was going to be a long night.