I do not own Supernatural or related creations made by the SP Crew.

I am not sure how long I was unconscious, but when I awoke the man in a trench coat had a hand on my chest. I did what any reasonable woman waking up to being groped would do, I slapped him as hard as I could manage.

I heard Crowley roar with laughter from somewhere in the room. The man looked annoyed but unaffected. I was temporarily distracted by the fact that his hand was glowing with light. It felt pure and warm.

I tried out my voice, "Who are you?"

He did not waver in his concentration on whatever he was doing as he flatly answered, "I am Castiel."

When he did not speak further I asked, "What are you doing?"

He glanced at me for a second, "I am healing you, your body is damaged."

It occurred to me that this guy was not a talker. I glanced around the room noting that it was empty except for a very amused looking Crowley. I decided, it was definitely too quiet.

"So…..you are not a demon?" He stared at me searchingly for a long moment before turning his head to Crowley. I could not tell what look Crowley had received but the king seemed to be delighted.

He turned back to me, "I am an Angel." I blinked, I had in theory realized that angels and heaven must be real. Facing it was different, suddenly I was struck by the thought that my mom probably made it to heaven.

I have always disliked how emotions and memories could just sneak up on you and yet you find yourself to never be prepared. I instantly tried to stamp down the wave of sadness that hit me. After a few deep breaths I felt calm again. Castiel was looking at me strangely, it felt awkward.

"So, Castiel, what is wrong with me?" I looked at his face while waiting for him to answer.

He frowned and seemed hesitant to answer. "I am not sure. Your body appears to have been bruised and beaten on the cellular level." He shot a glare at Crowley, making it very clear who he thought was responsible.

I reached over and put a hand on his shoulder, startling him a bit, "It wasn't Crowley, he hates losing too much." I heard Crowley huff as Castiel seemed to finally finish whatever he was healing. Castiel stared at me, plainly stating, "You have a contract."

I held his gaze refusing to feel ashamed, "Yes, however, my soul stays mine."

Castiel looked to Crowley for confirmation, "She is correct, I only get her soul under certain conditions, a bit of a wager."

I wanted to attempt to change the subject, "What are you an Angel of anyway?" I was sitting up now testing my limbs and muscles to see if they were in working order.

He gave me a look that told me he felt this question was asked way too often, "I am the Angel of Thursday."

I stood up feeling shockingly stable on my feet. In fact I felt great, giddy even. I grinned widely, probably looking like an idiot. "You know, I was born on a Thursday."

The Angel's look of absolute befuddlement and Crowley's loud laughter sobered me a bit. I stepped back from him while asking, "Why do I feel giddy?"

Castiel frowned, "You should not be feeling…..giddy."

Crowley was suddenly next to me looking composed, "It's possible that your employment has made you sensitive to various energies."

I opened my mouth to respond when I heard Castiel speak, "What exactly does she do during her employment?"

Crowley smoothly doves the question, "I was in the process of changing the nature of her job when she fell ill."

I rolled my eyes, "I am still here." Turning to Castiel, I held my hand out, "My name is Riley Marsh."

He glanced at my hand looking momentarily lost before shaking hands with me.

I let go of his hand, "The hazard of working for Crowley is that I am surrounded by demons and they really hate everything, violently."

Castiel's face shifted from neutral to frowning, "You seem comfortable." He had chosen his words carefully but the questioning tone lingered.

I shrugged, "You seem a bit too angelic to be an associate of Crowley's."

The neutral expression was back and he remained silent while shooting Crowley a hard look. He then stated, "I want to speak to her alone."

Crowley's face turned from amused to serious in a second, before relaxing a bit. "After thinking about it, a conversation with you could win our little wager."

After that not so subtle reminder of my contract, he left the room leaving Castiel and I alone.

There was an awkward silence as I waited for the angel to speak. I took a close look at his face, he seemed to be thinking about something with great intensity. I was so busy studying him that I was startled when he spoke.

"I cannot read your mind." He stared at me intently, as if gauging my reaction.

I stiffened a bit, "Reading people's minds without permission is rude."

He blinked at me before slowly saying, "Sorry." It sounded like a question.

The angel who had seemed resolute and focused moments ago, looked confused and a bit insecure. I felt a little bad about it.

"I don't know how it is for angels, but humans value their privacy. Sharing thoughts is typically something done purposely and with free will." I honestly didn't know what to expect from an angel. My catholic upbringing gave me some basics but there was no way to know how accurate that was.

He responded flatly, "Humans are complicated."

I found myself nodding in complete agreement, "They can be. Societal rules tend to add another layer of complexity, but that is not what you wanted to talk about, is it?"

He stared at me again, "You are human, why am I unable to read your mind?"

It was a very good question, "I don't know why, I imagine it is the same reason Crowley kept me alive. He can't read my mind either. We have not found a demon that can, even when possessed."

Castiel's face hardened, "You have been possessed?"

I shrugged, "Several times, it doesn't stick. That's why Crowley pays me. He wanted to figure out why."

I wasn't lying either, the more experience I gained with subduing my inner demons, the harder it became for Crowley to read my mind or torture me. I would just send the pain to the demon inside. It was beginning to frustrate him, it would have been funny if it had not resulted in more torture.

Castiel had stayed quiet for a long few minutes before speaking again, startling me out of my thoughts.

"I know people who can help you, friends." He seemed uncertain in a way, like he wasn't sure how to go about offering me a rescue. It was sweet in a rather awkward way.

I sighed, "You know, I should be dead already, way before meeting any demon." I sat on a nearby chair and continued, "Honestly, I have never had stability or safety. The contract I have offers me stability, that contract keeps me alive. That is enough for me."

Castiel looked positively flummoxed. "Most humans want more." He looked like he was going to say more but stopped.

"You should visit me from time to time if you are concerned, I could always use more friends and you seem like the type who could use a place to be for a minute and just…..I don't know….just be." I paused before adding, "I phrased that badly, didn't I?"

Before he had a chance to respond, Crowley strolled into the room, "You have had plenty of time to proposition my human. She needs to get to work."

Castiel looked like he wanted to growl but settled for glaring at my boss.

I turned to my employer, "So what is the job?"

Crowley continued as if he had never stopped talking in the first place. "Some human associates of mine dislike dealing with demons regularly, I would like for you to be their contact."

I raised an eyebrow, "What exactly would I be doing for them?"

Crowley smiled, which was never a good sign. "Not just them, some of my demons may call, maybe a few angels as well."

I glanced at Castiel to spy an annoyed look on his face briefly, then looked back at Crowley, "Good to know, answer my question please?"

Crowley huffed, "You will get them supplies and arrange pick up of goods. As well as any research necessary. And anything else they ask for. You will be set up with a very nice home with everything you could possibly need, a team of human couriers who don't ask questions and security."

He grew rather pleased with himself as he spoke. Then he added, "In Nebraska."

I blinked. "Nebraska? Why Nebraska? I have grown very fond of New York."

He nodded, "It is important that you be as central as possible."

I shook my head, "I want high speed internet, a separate spending account for what these people need, a car of my choosing, and the condition that I only take shit from you."

Crowley waved dismissively at me, "Yes, yes, I will pop by once a week for your more specialized duties."

I sighed, Crowley did enjoy his experiments on my unique demon related gifts. I rolled my eyes as he winked, once again giving a lewd meaning to the interaction.

I saw Castiel studying me, before suddenly saying "I will speak with you again." Before literally disappearing.

Crowley looked curiously at the spot the angel was standing before motioning for me to follow him. "I will introduce you to your main contact."

I nodded once before following him out of the room. Yet I couldn't help but wonder about that super weird angel and his promise to see me again. Maybe it had been a threat, maybe concern, tones are hard to read sometimes, especially when someone was as stoic as that one.

He teleported us outside of an empty warehouse. I stepped towards the door when Crowley stopped me. "Riley, this is an order. Do not make me look weak."

I felt something heavy and tangible settle into me. I felt the compulsion to obey and narrowed my eyes at him. "What did you do?!"

Crowley rolled his eyes, "There is always fine print love, you can always quit. Of course then I will kill you. I would love for you to refuse, you can, but then I get your soul. Up to you really."

I took a deep breath trying not to let rage cloud my judgement. I really should have known better, the King of Hell would always be playing with loaded dice.

"I really hate you sometimes." I sighed, I had always figured that this would be a no win situation for me anyway. At least I got to decide when I lost.

He opened the door and stepped through leaving me to trail a step behind him.

There were two men waiting for us. An older bald man who was very unhappy to be here and a younger looking man who looked like he was hoping to get violent with something.

Crowley gestured grandly, "Samuel, you should be happy to see me, after all, I brought a gift." Crowley put his hand on the back of my neck.

Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes I stood still and waited for whatever cue Crowley wanted to give. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long.

"Go on, introduce yourself." Crowley gave me a light shove forward, almost causing me to stumble.

"My name is Oracle, I will be your contact for everything from here on out." Crowley raised an eyebrow at my introduction, but I ignored him in favor of studying the men in front of me. They were studying me as well.

Crowley continued, "You said you were tired of dealing with demons, so I brought you a human. Aren't you going to say thank you?"

Crowley had come up beside me putting his arm around my waist and bringing his other hand to hold my chin, "I even made sure she was easy on the eyes."

This time I didn't quite stop my eyes from rolling, but I did not pull away. Crowley wanted to put on a show, so I would let him.

The younger man did indeed have a temper and a foul mouth, "Like dealing with your whore would be an improvement."

I could almost hear the control of my temper snap. Before I knew it I had stepped towards the man slowly. "What did you just call me?"

The younger man smirked, sizing me up. I was not surprised when he pegged me as not a threat. I have always been tiny. I barely reached 5'2" and was rather thin with no pronounced muscle to speak of. So, even when I was within arm's reach he crossed his arms, put his chin up and clarified, "I called you Crowley's Whore, which is worse than just being a…"

He didn't finish the sentence because I kneed him in the crotch, then pulled his face into my other knee. I lacked muscles, but more than made up for it with knees and elbows, a fact I learned as a child with an inability to shut up. I took a quick look at my handy work, the younger man angrily trying to prioritize holding his crotch or his nose. Then I backed up to stand next to Crowley again.

Crowley smiled, "Of course, the kitten has claws."

I glared at the young man who got up and glared right back at me. The man called Samuel, sighed and spoke up. "Crowley, no offense to you miss….. Oracle." He looked in my general direction cordially and continued, "but how will this girl handle anything."

Crowley frowned, "Are you doubting me Samuel? I am insulted, don't worry though. If she fails and makes me look bad, she dies or worse."

Samuel turned to me, "What did you sell your soul for, Miss?"

I looked at Crowley for permission and he nodded. Looking back at Samuel, l answered his question, "I didn't sell my soul. Crowley pays me ridiculous amounts of money. He gave me dental."

They were both staring at me with their mouths hanging open.

For a long while the only sound in the building was Crowley's laughter.