Chapter One

The Beginning Of…

Author's Note: Welcome to the final installment of the Kingmaker Universe. This project has been my heart and soul for a long time, and as I start drafting the final chapters to this saga I'm left with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. For me, it's almost like the show is ending all over again. As always, I do not own Supernatural. (See bottom for update schedule)

April 5, 2010

Crowley shifted his arm trying to regain feeling in the trapped appendage. Azrial was curled into his side and somehow she'd ended up directly on his arm when she fell asleep. He'd drifted off for a while but Azrial was still out cold. Her body carried more scars than he remembered. The massive wound Meg had caused, while healed, had left a scar on the archangel's side. Then there was the scar from Lucifer. He hadn't had the chance to really see it before...well before everything happened. Then there was the star-shaped scar on her back, directly between her ribs.

His thumb ran over that one and he pulled Azrial closer. She let out a tiny huff but readjusted easily despite being asleep. It was proof of her story, not that he doubted her. An angel blade through the back at that angle would spell death for a normal angel, and an archangel blade would do the same to her. It was a clear shot to the heart if you could get close enough. This was expertly done though. He could feel the contour of her ribs and the scar sat right between them. That meant the blade had slipped between ribs rather than shattering one to reach its target.

To him, that confirmed the killer had been Michael. Lucifer was too sloppy and Raphael didn't have a reason to kill her. Yet, there was something that seemed off about it all. Hopefully finding Gabriel would shed some light on the whole debacle.

His phone ringing broke his thoughts and Azrial gave a soft groan as she rolled away from him. He snorted and grabbed his phone, smirking slightly when he saw the caller.

"Miss me already?" Crowley greeted as he picked up the call. The huff that greeted him amused him to no end.

"You're so full of yourself." Bobby's annoyance was ruined by the mild amusement in his voice.

"What do you need, pet? I'm currently trapped by a comatose archangel."

"She's still asleep? Even the boys have hit the road already."

Crowley hummed at the quiet concern. He'd worried at first too, but despite the long nap, Azrial seemed otherwise fine. Just worn out emotionally and physically.

"I'm up."

The half-hearted mumble had him glancing down at the archangel who'd rolled over again to look at him. She was looking up at him through half-lidded eyes and he reached out dragging a hand through her messy hair.

"I stand corrected," Crowley said. "She just woke up."

"Is she okay to travel?"

Crowley relayed the question to Azrial who nodded.

"Do you need us there now?"

Bobby sighed and there was a long pause before he responded. "Yeah. I need to talk to ya both."

"Oh?" Crowley frowned slightly trying to figure out what was going on. "We can be there in an hour."

"Okay, see you then."

The phone call ended and Crowley set the device down. Azrial was watching his reactions curiously, but he didn't care much.

"What did you do wrong?"

Her question made him snort. "What makes you think I did something wrong, darling?"

"He sounded upset and I haven't been alive long enough to cause it."

"It could be unrelated." It was a half-hearted defense. Crowley was positive it had something to do with the current situation, if not him personally.

"Hmm. You're lucky I like him too or else I may be jealous."

The words hit Crowley like a freight train as he watched Azrial pull herself out of bed. "What do you mean?"

"Really, Crowley?" She smiled and dug through some of the clothing he collected for her. "I've never seen you so comfortable with anyone, not even me at times."

"And you're jealous of that?"

"No," she said and finally settled on a pair of dress slacks and a sweater. "I was dead. I'm just glad you had standards. Bobby is a good influence on you."

"Perish the thought," Crowley muttered. He wasn't blind though. He knew the hunter had helped him mourn and eased his temper somewhat. At least when he was at the man's house.

"So," her voice went from tired to teasing in a moment. "How was he in bed?"

Crowley coughed as he swallowed wrong, not ready for her blunt question or honest curiosity. Azrial laughed and he realized even if he had, she wouldn't be mad. There was a flash of desire in her eyes even and oh, wasn't that just an interesting development? He set it aside, knowing if he denied it, she'd just insist it had happened.

"I don't kiss and tell, darling."

"Since when? Was I really dead that long?" Her faux surprise made him snort, but his lips twitched slightly as he moved to get dressed.

Line Break

Bobby paced in front of his desk, his mind reeling. Rowen sat in one of the chairs, watching his progress across the floor over a book.

"It's not that bad." Rowen's voice, while gentle, did nothing to ease Bobby's tension.

"You say that, but this is a huge deal."

"Is it though? What does it really change, Bobby?"

"It paints a huge ass-!"

Bobby was cut off as Crowley appeared with Azrial at his side. The archangel stumbled slightly, but shook her head and smiled.

"Seems I'm still a bit out of it. Hopefully, that will wear off quickly."

Bobby didn't miss the concerned look Crowley shot at Azrial, but he quickly schooled his features when he noticed Rowen.

"Great, you're still here?"

"Oh, you're stuck with me." Rowen grinned as he set the book aside. "Seems we will be working together quite a bit during all this, partner."

Crowley growled low in his throat but didn't lash out. Bobby took the opportunity to turn toward the demon.

"I have a bone to pick with you," he growled. Crowley looked surprised and tilted his head.

"About?"

"Oh, I don't know," Bobby sarcastically replied. "How about the fact you stamped my fucking forehead with 'property of Crowley' for one."

Crowley blinked, staring at him in confusion. Azrial let out a choked laugh as she looked between them.

"How serious did things get between you both while I was gone?"

Bobby stared at the archangel, surprised at her response. Why wasn't she mad? Crowley had, in a mildly drunk state, told him she was rather territorial. That didn't match her reaction. What she said hadn't fully proceeded and he scowled at her as he realized what she was implying.

"Nothin' happened," he snapped.

Azrial snorted. "It's okay, Bobby. I'm not mad."

"That doesn't change the fact nothing happened!"

"Don't argue with her," Crowley sighed. "She'll just insist we're denying it."

"But nothin' happened,'' Bobby stressed. Azrial smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay," she soothed. "I'm not mad."

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Bobby snarled and threw his hands up. Rowen chuckled quietly but didn't cut into the conversation. Azrial tilted her head and looked at him with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

"How was the sex?" Bobby stared at her, his mouth open slightly. How had this gone so off the rails?

"Ah," she said sagely. "It must have been amazing. Sad I couldn't have watched, better yet participated."

The wink she directed at him and the choked laugh from Rowen had him looking over at Crowley.

"Deal with your damn woman."

"I said don't deny it," Crowley pointed out and his lips twitched slightly. "And if you think I have any control over her actions, I remind you of the past four months."

That comment seemed to bring some gravity back to the room. Azrial looked away, her face falling at the reminder. Bobby though was just happy the joking had stopped. He could barely handle Crowley flirting, he didn't need Azrial joining in. Especially with that rather heated look she'd shot at him after saying she would have liked to watch. Crowley looked a bit pained after pointing it out, but it seemed he'd done it to bring the conversation to an end, so Bobby nodded in thanks.

"Anyway, what was up with the demonic tramp stamp you left on me?"

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Don't make it sound so civilian, pet. It's simply insurance so no one tries to off you."

"Except you're public enemy number one."

"I won't always be."

Bobby sighed. This was a hopeless argument so he decided just to double-check on the important bit of all this.

"I still own my soul?"

Crowley snorted at the pointed question. "Of course, pet. I like living after all, and if I absconded with your precious soul I think you'd actually manage to kill me."

"Damn right," Rowen muttered.

"Anyway," Bobby said quickly to avoid the two fighting. "There is another issue."

He looked down at Azrial who stared back at him in confusion. "What?"

Bobby sighed and decided to treat this like a band-aid and rip it the hell off.

"When were you going to tell me that I was your perfect vessel?"

The hard question sucked the air out of the room. Crowley looked as shocked as he'd felt when Rowen had told him. It wasn't a guarantee, but more an assumption based on all the evidence that Rowen had collected. Azrial didn't look away from his questioning gaze and remained silent.

"Well?" Bobby prompted and she sighed.

"How did you find out?" Azrial asked.

"Wait, why didn't you tell me about this?" Crowley demanded. Azrial shot the demon a quelling look and Crowley fell silent, but Bobby could tell just by the look in his eyes this conversation wasn't over.

"Put a few things together," he said. "So when were you going to tell me?"

"Never."

The blunt reply surprised him. Rowen frowned looking at the archangel with a touch of distrust.

"Why not?" Bobby demanded. "I had a right-"

"If I ever planned to use you, I'd agree." Azrial's voice was placating and it took some of the anger at her dismissal away. "I've had this vessel since the day I left Heaven. I don't plan to need another anytime soon."

"Wouldn't you be more powerful with me? If that's not the case, why were Michael and Lucifer gunning for Sam and Dean?"

Azrial sighed and leaned against the desk with a dark look. "My brothers wanted to end things as they were prophesied. That meant using Sam and Dean. Honestly, if I were them I'd rip open a hole to Purgatory and fight it out in my true form."

"That doesn't answer my question," Bobby growled. The archangel looked at him in confusion.

"Doesn't it?"

"No!"

"Bobby, I simply have no use for you. Would I be more powerful? Maybe. It's hard to tell without a trial run. Why bother when I've become accustomed to this form?"

Bobby was surprised that the rejection stung a bit. Before he could think of a rebuttal though, Rowen cut in.

"Wouldn't you have an advantage using Bobby?"

"I don't know," Aziral admitted. "I've had thousands of years to hone this body. It would probably be like trying to break in a new pair of shoes. Besides," she turned back to him with a sad smile. "For a while there, I actually thought you were someone else's vessel."

The melancholy tone threw Bobby for a loop. The silence that followed her response dragged on for almost a minute before Crowley cleared his throat. Azrial shook her head and a chipper smile filled her face once more.

"Think about it this way, I have far too much respect to even ask your permission for such a thing. I'm quite happy with my set up and I'm sure you're happy without me bouncing around that handsome body of yours."

Bobby rolled his eyes at her flirting but didn't miss the genuine look on her face. "All right, I'll let it go."

"Thank you," she said. "As I said, it took me a while to realize that you were my vessel. I doubt anyone else has, so you should be safe. Just in case though, I don't think we should tell anyone else about this. Archangel vessels are few and far between, and in a pinch...well I hate to say it but you'd be rather attractive to any angel."

That was a sobering thought, Bobby thought with a sigh. "Sounds fair."

"Wait, vessels are interchangeable?" Rowen questioned in surprise.

"Not completely," Azrial began. "For example, a normal angel could use an archangel vessel, but Castiel's vessel wouldn't have been able to take in an archangel*."

"Could another archangel use Bobby?" Crowley's quiet question had him exchanging a look with Azrial. There was a loaded conversation in that one look before Azrial nodded.

"Yes, they could. Which is why this can't become common knowledge," she stressed. Bobby felt his mouth go dry at the thought of being dragged into this fight by one of the other archangels.

"It won't be," Rowen said. "As it is, most of this was guessing."

Azrial stared at them in disbelief. "You confronted me based on a guess?"

"It was an educated one," Bobby defended. "Besides, we were right."

She shook her head and chuckled. "I have no words."

There was an awkward silence that dragged on while Bobby tried to ignore the slight annoyance at Azrial's dismissal. Did she doubt he could handle her? Better yet, why the hell did this bother him?

"We should get the others on the phone and finalize a plan for the coming weeks." Azrial's suggestion broke the thoughtful silence that had fallen over the room and Bobby grunted in agreement. At least it seemed that they were on the same page. That and he wanted to make sure there were plenty of witnesses for the topic he had to cover next since he knew it would go over like a lead balloon.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Sam's number before throwing it on speaker. Azrial pushed herself fully onto the desk so she had a place to sit and Crowley took the chair farthest from Rowen. It left Bobby to lean against the desk near where the archangel was sitting and holding out the phone.

"Bobby, what's up?" Sam's voice echoed into the room

"Got Crowley, Azrial, and Rowen here. Wanted to call to finalize planning."

"Great timing then," Sam said. "I've got a possible Trickster lead."

"That quickly?" Azrial asked, surprise clear in her voice. "You don't think it's actually Gabriel, do you?"

"No, but it could be Loki and I'll take what I can get on this front." Sam's admission made Azrial hum.

"Fair. Good luck, and call me if you need me."

Oh boy, Bobby sighed. Time for band-aid number two of the day.

"Yeah, about that Princess. I don't think that's such a good idea."

Bobby's statement drew looks from everyone in the room. He didn't doubt Sam was just as confused.

"What are you talking about, pet?" Crowley didn't sound upset at least. He actually had a thoughtful look on his face and Bobby practically begged with his eyes for the demon to understand. He didn't think Crowley would disagree, but it would be hard enough to get Azrial to agree to his plan without Crowley siding with her.

"The world thinks Azrial is dead, and we have to keep it that way." Bobby pointed out, getting a nod from the archangel at his side.

"Yeah, but that's just a case of keeping a low profile," she said.

"Yeah, a low profile," Bobby stressed. "Azrial, I think you need to live mostly as a human for the foreseeable future. No grace, no flying, and no miracles. It's too much of a risk to use your powers right now."

Her jaw dropped slightly, and she mouthed wordlessly at his declaration. There was a sharp exhale from the phone.

"That's...a really good point," Sam cautiously agreed. "I mean, look what happened to Anna."

"I'm not some regular angel!" Azrial snapped. "I can keep a low profile, damnit. You can't just bench me."

"It's more like grounding," Bobby tried to soothe. The murderous look he received in response made him wince. "Come on, Azrial. You're supposed to be a tactician. You have to see the logic in this."

"Our initial plans relied on me being able to fly," she hissed in annoyance. "You may as well just cut off my wings"

"That's a touch dramatic," Rowen tried to argue but Azrial turned on him with a furious glare.

"Stay out of this," she growled.

Rowen raised his hands and shot Bobby a sympathetic look. "Staying out of it."

She turned back to him but before she could say anything Dean's voice filled the room.

"She's got a point, Bobby. If we take away her wings, that will slow things down."

"At least one of you sees reason," Azrial grumbled. Bobby would have been more annoyed if he didn't see her already beginning to crack. She was angry, but it seemed she did see his point.

"Crowley can take you where you need to go," Bobby pointed out. "You're almost always together anyway."

"Or I could just take my damn self," she huffed. Bobby rubbed his temples and prayed for patience.

"Praying for patience isn't going to help you!" Azrial snapped and Bobby winced. Right, don't pray around angels. Especially angels who were ticked off at you.

"Azrial," Castiel's strong voice cut over the arguing and Azrial turned her annoyed glare toward the phone.

"What?"

"Bobby is right," the angel said. "If you fly, you'll be visible to anyone looking. They may not be looking for you, but I guarantee Lucifer has people looking for angels."

"Then I'll just appear as another angel," Azrial huffed. "I can suppress my grace as I always have."

"You know it's not that simple," Castiel argued. "At best, you'll appear as a Serph. That is extremely suspicious considering Heaven is closed."

"Yet you can fly around all you want?"

"Lucifer already knows exactly where I'll be," Castiel said. "Even then, I'm still not using my grace without cause. Passing as a human is our best choice for now."

Azrial looked ready to argue, but Crowley cleared his throat. "Robert is right, darling."

The stunned silence at Crowley's agreement lasted only a few seconds. Bobby shot the demon a grateful look just as Azrial's face pinched in resignation.

"Et Tu, Brute?" Bobby blinked at the slight accent that filled the archangel's voice but ignored that in favor of Crowley.

"We can't risk you, darling."

Bobby knew there was a lot more behind the demon's words than he'd ever feel comfortable admitting. Azrial knew that too, and instead of arguing she let out a frustrated growl and stormed out of the room. The house door slammed shut, but Bobby had a feeling she wouldn't go far.

"Well," Rowen sighed. "Guess I'll have to find another way home."

"I can take you home twice a month," Castiel offered. "I can't afford to leave Sam and Dean alone more than that with everything going on."

"I'll let you know," Rowen said. "As it is, I have to go call my wife. If you'll excuse me."

Rowen exited the room, going toward the back door to avoid the aggravated archangel.

"We have to head out too, Bobby," Sam said. "We'll keep you updated."

"Sounds good," Bobby sighed. "Stay safe, boys."

"You know it," came Dean's grinning response before the phone cut.

A comfortable silence fell over the room as Crowley relaxed further into the chair.

"Why'd you do it?" Bobby asked the demon.

"Do what?"

"Side with me. She's going to be spitting nails, even if she understands why and would have done it herself sooner or later."

Crowley frowned his eyes darting toward where Rowen went.

"I have no desire to suffer more than I already have, Robert. You were right, so I took your side."

Bobby knew he wouldn't get more than that from the prideful demon.

"You'd lock her away if you could get away with it," Bobby whispered.

Crowley rolled his eyes, but his silence was telling. Bobby was about to respond when the door opened back up, admitting a still annoyed Azrial.

"You can ground me all you like, but one of you idiots will fix my feathers. They're a mess from being dead and that stupid bar fight." There was no room for argument and Crowley let out a quiet chuckle.

"Of course, darling. I'll never leave your feathers ruffled."

She rolled her eyes but the joke seemed to soothe her anger. She didn't retake her seat at the desk, opting to sit on the arm of Crowley's chair. Rowen entered the room and looked between the three of them with a look Bobby couldn't call anything but calculating.

"So, who's going to Boston with me?"

* in reference to us finding out way down the line that Castiel's vessel can actually hold an archangel. Nobody has tried at this point, so the crew doesn't know.

Author's Note 2: The update schedule for this story is a bit different. I'll be starting with every other week updates on Saturdays, and move to weekly once my backlog is further done. Once the story is fully drafted and edited, I'll switch to a twice-a-week schedule. The next update will always be mentioned in the bottom notes section, along with any reader notes. Thank you all so much for coming on this ride with me, and a special thanks to Geethr75 who helped me get through some of the craziest writer's block I've ever had.

The next update is Saturday, June 5, 2021