A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying this. As always, let me know what you think. You can find me on tumblr at asirensrage where I post random edits, videos for this fic and answer questions.

Chapter 42: Surprise, Crowley

"Those who can imagine anything can create the impossible."
― Alan Turing?

Sam and I switched places in Nebraska. We commented about things we saw like some of the signs we passed, including some weirdly named towns like Lebanon and Sargent. There was also a Miller, this one in Nebraska. I was lucky I had only reached the one in South Dakota. Sam also told stories if we passed a place that he had been to or if it reminded him of a hunt.

He was dozing against the window as I drove. I kept the music low, singing under my breath so that I didn't wake him. It was dark and I still felt bad for nearly injuring him when I woke up. I didn't know what to do about that. The dream had felt real. My nieces had hugged me and it felt like I could still smell the burning. I was trying to ignore it. It was easier when someone was awake with me. I had barely been alone since the others started arriving.

The Impala suddenly swerved in front of me.

"Sam!" I called out, stopping the car behind the Impala. I watched a man appear at the passenger side, leaning down to knock on the window.

"Shit," Sam muttered. "Stay here." He got out. I watched as Kelly and Dean both got out of the car in front of me. The man turned and looked slightly surprised as Sam walked up to them. Whatever this was, it wasn't good. The only things that I knew that could teleport were angels and demons. Damn it. I couldn't leave Kelly out there.

I got out and walked up behind Sam. I left the car door open in case we needed to run back in. I wasn't sure what good it would do, but I had to keep the options open.

"-come from anyway?" The man asked, looking between Sam and the Impala. He looked like he belonged on wall street. Not the side of a road.

"You can't see the car?" Kelly asked. Was that possible? The sigils were for protection but I hadn't considered just how they protected it. As long as they worked, I didn't really care at the time.

The man shook his head. "All I see is the black beast these two drive around in."

I stepped out from behind Sam, curiosity getting the better of me. "You can't see our car?"

He jumped and looked at me in surprise. "Where the bloody hell did you come from?"

"Ha!" I grinned at Kelly. "My warding worked!" I couldn't believe it. I had managed to hide us from whatever he was. That had to be good. That meant there were way more possibilities for what I could do with that.

"Wait, Crowley, how the hell did you find us in the Impala?" Dean asked. I looked at the man. The name sounded familiar.

"Boys boys boys. Is that really the important question for me right now? I just want to talk."

"You want to talk?" Sam strode towards him. "After what you did to us?"

Crowley looked stunned and backed up. "After what I...what I did to you? I gave you the colt!"

"Yeah, and you knew it wouldn't work against the devil!" Sam stopped walking. He looked furious. It was interesting to know that the colt didn't work and that they tried. I wondered why. It was supposed to be able to kill anything.

"I never!" Crowley said, looking a little insulted. I looked over at Kelly who was still standing with Dean. Her gun was in her hand. I felt naked without a weapon, even something small like a knife. I made a mental note to correct that. I should have brought the machete with me.

"We lost people on that suicide run. Good people!" Sam motioned with the knife. It was interesting to see the anger not directed at me. He was weirdly more attractive when he was angry. I tried not to think about what that meant.

"Who you take on the ride is your own business!" Crowley looked at Dean. "Look, everything is still the same. We're all still in this together." He motioned to all of us.

Sam adjusted his posture. He was going to strike. "Sure we are," he said. He lunged and swiped up with the knife.

I felt something appear behind me and struck back instantly with my elbow. I turned, fist raised. I heard the shot before I saw it hit Crowley in the chest. He disappeared before I could hit him.

"I am trying to help you!" He shouted, reappearing behind Dean. Kelly was aiming her gun.

"You are a good shot," I said to her. She grinned back at me.

"I know, right?"

"Call your dogs off, please," Crowley said to Dean. I made a face at that.

"Give me one good reason," Dean said.

"I can give you Pestilence," Crowley said quickly, before walking around Dean. My eyebrows rose. Pestilence? I had forgotten about the horsemen. I remembered Sam after Famine, locked in the room and calling for help as he detoxed. My jaw clenched. Going after another wasn't going to end well.

"Dean…" Kelly said softly.

"Are you fucking nuts?" Sam asked, looking at his brother incredulously.

"Shut up for a second," Dean snapped. He looked like he was thinking through the possibilities and not liking the outcome.

"Shut up, the both of you! Look...I swear...I thought the colt would work. It's an honest mistake. It's all part of the learning process. But nothing's changed. I still want the devil dead. Well...one thing's changed. Now the devil knows that I want him dead. Which, by the way, makes me the most buggered son in all of creation."

"Why?" I couldn't stop myself from asking. Crowley turned to look at me. "Why do you want to kill him, not why does he want to kill you," I clarified.

"Because, princess, unlike most of the idiots running around declaring worship for the devil, I actually have a brain in my head. I know what he thinks of us demons."

I froze. I should have known. I tried not to think about that. We were well protected between the four of us. He made sense though. Lucifer had expressed a dislike of demons the first time he came to me in a dream.

"We don't care," Dean said.

"They burnt down my house!" Crowley snapped. "They ate my tailor! Two months under a rock, like a bloody salamander! Every demon on hell and earth's got his eyes out for me! And yet, here I am. Last place I should be. In the road, talking to Sam and Dean Winchester, under a friggin' spotlight!" He pointed at the street lamp above and it exploded. I ducked but the glass never hit any of us. "So come with me. Please. Do you want the horsemen rings or not?"

The boys looked at each other, trying to decide. I stepped over towards Kelly, keeping my eye on the British demon. He looked back at me.

"Where'd you get these two anyhow?" He asked, pointing at Kelly and me. "They're so...shiny."

"Shiny?" I made a face and glanced down quickly. Nothing was different.

"That's right, like new toys you want to break." Sam stepped forward at that. "I didn't say I wanted to, but there's something there. Draws you in."

I looked at Kelly. It was likely the same thing Castiel and Hermione mentioned. Something that clung to us. We needed to figure out a way to get rid of it. The demon couldn't see the car. I wondered if the protection sigils would work the same way on a person.

"Come a little closer," Kelly said. "See what happens."

"I've seen enough, thank you." He looked back at the men. "We're on a timeline boys. Apocalypse and all."

"Wait here," Dean said, pointing to Crowley. He raised his hands in surrender. The boys led us away from the Impala and to our car. "You guys need to go home. We need to figure this shit out and we need to know you're safe. Get in the car and don't stop until you're at the house, okay? Call us when you get there."

"We will," Kelly said. "For the love of God, please be safe."

He nodded. He looked at Sam and me before he grabbed Kelly's arm. "Come here," he led her away from us. I watched them talk quietly for a moment before I looked up at Sam.

"I don't trust him."

"I don't either," Sam said. "But we gotta see what he knows. If we can figure this out…" he trailed off.

I nodded. "I know, just be careful, okay?"

"I will. You too."

"I'm always careful," I said. He smiled at me.

"I know." He leaned down and kissed me softly. I smiled against his lips before pulling away. "Call me when you get home."

I nodded. He kissed me quickly again before leading me to the driver's side. He held the door for me and I got in. I instantly felt better in the car that the demon couldn't even see. I grabbed Sam's hand and squeezed it. He tightened his grip before letting go and closing the car door. Kelly got in on the passenger side.

"Straight home," Dean said. "No stopping if you don't need to."

"Don't worry," I said. "I got this." He nodded at me. He leaned in and kissed Kelly quickly before closing the door. The boys stood to the side, waiting until we drove off.

Kelly turned around to watch them as I headed in the direction we had originally been going in. I glanced in the rearview mirror. They were finally heading to the Impala and the demon waiting there.

"I don't like this," Kelly said, turning back to face the front. My hands tightened on the wheel.

"Me either. Nothing good comes from a demon, not without a cost. Like granting wishes...there's always a twist." I had read too many tales about people making wishes only to have them turn out wrong because they weren't specific or whatever granted the wish took advantage somehow.

Kelly sighed and looked out the window. I tried to think of something to draw her out of the worry.

"I can't believe you shot him."

"He was behind you! I didn't know what he was going to do." She turned to look at me. "Besides, you hit him as soon as he appeared! How did you know he was there?"

I shrugged, unsure of how to explain it. "I just felt him there."

"Maybe training with Five is working wonders for both of us."

I laughed slightly. "Yeah, though at least there's a flash with him."

"Didn't seem to matter. Are you going to tell the others how badass you are?"

"Only if you do. They'll just push us harder."

"Ugh," she slumped back in the seat. I tried not to smile. She sat up suddenly and looked at me carefully. "So...how was the hotel?" I could see her start to smile out of the corner of my eye.

"Well," I said slowly, trying to see how much I could build her anticipation. "Sam shirtless from the shower was a great view."

She laughed at that. "Please tell me you climbed that mountain. That you took advantage of the fact that we were not in a house filled with others."

"Um…" I didn't know how to tell her that whatever she was hoping for didn't happen. She grinned wider at my hesitance. "No. We...we didn't even make out," I gave a small huff and sardonic smile at myself. "I had a nightmare. I spent part of the night throwing up, then talking about home. It was his idea to go for a run together."

"Oh."

"Yeah," I forced a smile at her. The feelings from that night, the fear and anguish, started to reemerge. I tried to shove them back down, ignoring the pressure growing in my chest. "What about you?"

"Um, well, complete opposite, I guess." She looked like she was trying not to be as happy as she wanted to show and I regretted telling her anything. I didn't want my problems to darken any joy she was finding. "Dean said he loved me."

"What?" I looked at her quickly. "Really?"

She blushed and grinned at me, "Yeah."

"Then what?"

She shrugged. "I said it back."

"Wow." I felt stunned. It didn't seem long enough to be saying they loved each other, especially since she said she wasn't taking it seriously the last time we talked about it. My opinion was skewed though. I had never been in love. I had no idea what was happening with Sam but love felt serious. It also felt like something else that could be used against you. She didn't feel that way though, I could see it on her face. I smiled. "Well, congrats?"

She hit me in the arm. "Shut up."

"What? I'm serious." I smiled slightly as she glared at me. "I'm glad you're happy. Honestly."

"Thank you." She looked over at me and I waited for her to continue whatever thought she had. "I want you to be happy too."

I sighed. "I know." I just wasn't entirely too sure if it was possible. Not anymore. But I was trying.

"You looked comfortable with Sam this morning. Holding hands," she nudged me. I glanced over to see the smile on her face. "You never look that comfortable in public with someone."

I tried not to grin at that. I knew what she meant. I wasn't big on public or physical affection with my friends. I rarely hugged after all. "He…" I tried to think of how to phrase it. "It's easy with him. He keeps asking if I'm okay, but he also...he doesn't let me pull away. That sounds bad," I muttered. "I just mean, he keeps trying." I stopped. I didn't feel like I was explaining it well. I got used to Sam because he kept touching me. It helped that he made me feel safer.

"Good," Kelly said. "You need that. Just let him in a little closer…." She waggled her eyebrows at me. I swatted her in the arm. "What? There's no harm in having some fun, plus the man could easily lift you. Enjoy it."

"You're not going to tell me your sexcapades with Dean, are you?"

"Why? Need tips?" She started laughing.

"Get out of my car."

"It's our car."

"Yeah, but who put up the protections?" I pointed at her.

"Yeah, about that, how'd you hide it from demons?"

"I have no idea," I admitted. "I was working off of memory. Maybe they formed together to mean something. I have to research it, see how they all correlate."

"Like they formed together to make a cloaking spell?"

"Maybe?" I shrugged. "Gives me a good starting point for seeing what else I can do with them. If I can hide the car, is the house just as hidden? Do I need to repeat it in the same pattern? And, more importantly, can we hide us with them?"

"What do you mean?" She turned in her seat to face me.

"Well, think about it. Whatever is...on us, the trace or spark or whatever, draws things in, right? That's what Crowley said, what Gabriel said...and it's how Castiel found us, right?" I waited for her to nod. "So, there should be a way to get rid of it. And how handy would it be to be able to walk around knowing that demons couldn't find you, without the hex bags." Considering how easily the hex bags could be taken from us, that was a plus in my book.

"That...could be very useful," she said. "Then you could get a job."

I made a face at that. It wasn't the idea of working, it was more being surrounded by people I didn't know. "Well, let's see if I can figure it out first. I don't even know how I did this," I motioned at the car roof. "So, let's not promise things I can't deliver."

"You'll figure it out. I'll help. I can research too, you know."

I grinned at her. Her faith in me was reassuring. I had every hope that with her we'd be able to figure out not only the warding but the weapons I wanted too.

[tbc]