Chapter Eight

Don't Lose Your Head

December 11, 2009

Rowen frowned at the sound of a door opening above him. He turned to Bobby and asked, "Would the boys be back already?"

Bobby frowned and shook his head as he set the box down in the panic room.

"Knowing Dean's liver and Castiel's tolerance they won't be back for hours."

Rowen frowned as he stared up at the ceiling in thought. After a few moments, a soft, barely-there, smell of sulfur hit his nose. If it weren't for his years in the field he wouldn't have noticed it at all and given that Bobby still seemed calm the hunter hadn't noticed either.

"I think our mysterious allies just arrived."

"Think so?"

Rowen taped his nose and Bobby's frown deepened as he looked up at the ceiling with a glare. Rowen doubted the man appreciated anyone, let alone a demon, sauntering into his house as if they owned it. Now that he was focusing on it, Rowen could only pick up on one set of footsteps above them. Had the archangel not arrived alongside her demonic ally? That was interesting and threw up a lot of questions.

"I'll head upstairs. Back me up if it sounds like something went wrong?"

"When doesn't shit go wrong around you?"

The muttered question made Rowen chuckle as he slowly walked up the stairs from the basement. Bobby hung out near the landing and the exorcist could feel the wary gaze at his back. Rowen pushed open the door to the basement, leaving it slightly cracked as he gazed around the kitchen. He didn't see anyone, and he found himself focusing on every sound in the old house. It had taken years, and more than a little blood and warding, to become this attuned to the demons he fought against. The lack of overt presence was putting him on edge as he quietly made his way toward the living room. Rowen found himself staring at the well dressed back of a being he knew was demonic, but still couldn't sense more than a trickle of energy from. The scent of sulfur was stronger, but nowhere near what he expected and Rowen had to shove aside the traitorous thought that perhaps this demon wasn't overly powerful.

Thinking like that would get him killed, and he very much enjoyed living.

"You know, most people knock before entering a home."

Rowen kept his voice level and didn't let any of the hostility he felt bleed through. The demon's shoulders tensed slightly but he didn't rush to turn around from where he was reading the titles of some of Bobby's shelved books.

"I did knock, and I received no response. I don't like to be kept waiting so I showed myself in."

Alarm bells flared to life at the soft but deadly accent that rolled over the room. It may have been a decade ago but he knew that damn voice. He cursed himself for not recognizing the name when it was first mentioned by the Winchesters, but he'd always been better at recognizing faces and voices than names. As the well-dressed demon turned toward him Rowen couldn't help but smirk at the shock that flashed through dark eyes.

"Let you out of Hell early on good behavior, Crowley?"

The words were out of his mouth before Rowen could think better of it and he couldn't help the slight snarl as he said the demon's name. Dark eyes flashed to murderous red and before Rowen could fully process what was happening Crowley's hand snapped forward with a yell.

"You fucking Vatican dog!"

It was only years of dealing with demons, and warding courtesy of the Vatican library, that kept Rowen alive as he was thrown painfully into the adjacent wall. Suddenly he could feel Crowley's power, and it was a suffocating force as the demon kept him pinned against the wall. Furious red eyes flashed with surprise, and despite feeling winded Rowen ground out, "You really think I wouldn't be shielded from some of the worst demonic nastiness?"

The question was snarled despite the immense effort it took to speak, and the fury in Crowley's eyes seemed to grow. His hand tightened and Rowen gasped for breath as he felt his throat constrict. The warding tattooed onto his body wasn't made to stand up to a demon of Crowley's caliber, and it was being sorely tested as the furious demon did his damnedest to slowly suffocate him. Rowen caught a movement behind Crowley and a moment later a shotgun blast sounded. It caused the demon to lose his concentration and sent Rowen tumbling to the ground. The exorcist took a needy gulp of air as Crowley turned on his friend with a downright murderous look. Without thinking, Rowen pulled his Magnum and aimed it at Crowley's back with an audible click as he pulled the hammer back to ready his shot.

Truce or not, he wasn't going to let the demon lift a damn finger against Bobby.

Crowley turned his attention back to him at the click and narrowed his once more dark eyes at him, "And what do you expect to do with that, dog?"

"You know damn well what this gun can do to your kind, demon."

Crowley laughed darkly as he waved his hand dismissively. "Even if that gun can do what the Vatican claims, you wouldn't dare use it against me. Not with the lives of your precious friends and countless innocents at stake."

"Try me, you two-bit salesman."

Crowley opened his mouth to respond just as a powerful voice cut across the tense room, "Enough, Crowley."

Something flashed through the demon's eyes that Rowen couldn't place at the stern feminine voice. The steady fall of boots had Rowen looking toward the kitchen where Crowley was facing with a raised eyebrow.

"Always ruining my fun, darling."

"Get your rocks off when the world isn't in danger of imploding, Crowley."

There was no room for argument in the cool tone and Rowen watched as the woman walked into the room completely ignoring the mess. Her sharp cobalt eyes landed on him, and for a moment he found himself wanting to hide from the soul-piercing gaze. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders. If not for the inhumanly powerful aura she was emanating she could have passed as a hunter, decked in ragged blue jeans and a long-sleeve black top. The only strange part of her get-up was the two thick slits in the back of the top that Rowen caught sight of as she walked up to Crowley.

"He started it. You know how Vatican exorcists are."

The easy comment from Crowley made Rowen growl softly as he took his finger off the hammer and holstered his gun. The woman's eyes flashed with annoyance and much to Rowen's shock her hand connected with the side of Crowley's head despite her shorter stature. The demon scowled down at her and his eyes flashed red for a moment. Rowen carefully watched the interaction as she didn't give an inch, glaring up at the demon.

"I doubt he started it, given his position. I'm in no mood to deal with some petty revenge, Crowley. Kill him when the world is saved if you want, but not a moment before."

Her snarled order made Rowen wince as he pushed himself off the floor. He shot a look at Bobby who seemed furious at the comment but seemed to quash his anger at the realization she had still called off the demon despite her lack of care for their lives later.

"Azrial, I'm guessin'?"

Bobby's snapped question had the woman pulling her cool gaze from Crowley who huffed slightly but seemed to agree with her. She tilted her head at Bobby's question and spoke with relative politeness.

"I am, and you are? I was simply informed to come here, not who owned the house."

Her voice was relatively neutral, but Azrial seemed to be eyeing Bobby with a mildly interested look. It was like the hunter was something shiny and new that the archangel had never seen before and wanted to examine closer. Rowen wasn't sure how he felt about it, but hopefully, it would prove harmless for his friend. Bobby seemed inclined to brush off the look, or perhaps the hunter hadn't noticed it as he responded.

"Bobby Singer. I was told you would be helpin' us with our apocalypse problem."

There was no question to be found in Bobby's blunt statement, and the archangel hummed softly. Azrial shot Crowley a look, and Rowen watched as a whole conversation seemed to pass between the two in just a few seconds. This was an interesting turn of events. He hadn't expected there to be a substantial relationship between the beings, but it was clear they were close enough to pick up on the subtle cues the other would give off.

Rowen couldn't help but think that took credibility away from the archangel despite the line he'd fed Castiel earlier.

"That's the plan."

Azrial's easy response was accented by a slight toss of her head to get her long hair out of her face. It didn't help much and the archangel sighed in aggravation but didn't say anything else. Crowley seemed inclined to stay near her now that the archangel was present, and Rowen leveled a distrustful look at the demon. Before anything could be said Bobby waved the two in.

"Well, ya better sit down. Maybe start explainin' why you seem so keen to help us all of a sudden."

Azrial took the offered seat and sat on the arm of the chair. It was strange, but then Rowen caught the questioning look the archangel sent to Crowley. The demon rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall, clearly not wanting to sit amongst them. Azrial frowned for a moment but quickly fell from the arm of the chair into the seat without hesitation. Rowen scrunched his brow at the action as he sat in the chair in front of Bobby's desk. Bobby sat behind his desk, and Rowen knew it was partially because he kept a gun strapped to the underside of the heavy piece of furniture. Being close to a weapon after what Crowley just pulled seemed to ease some of the man's tension.

"This is the first time I could help. Sorry if it wasn't soon enough for your liking."

Azrial kept her voice polite but there was a hint of sarcasm in her apology that seemed to be asking for a confrontation. Rowen met her gaze with an annoyed look but the archangel raised an eyebrow in response. It was clear Azrial felt she was the one in control, and maybe she was right. Rowen wasn't willing to give her the acknowledgment without a fight. Crowley's cool voice quickly cut through the room.

"I thought priests were supposed to be virtuous? Stop eye-fucking the archangel, Father Anderson."

Rowen turned a vicious glare on the demon and snapped back ignoring the small snort of amusement from the archangel.

"You're very mouthy considering the last two times we've met, I exorcised you, demon."

Rowen caught Azrial sitting up a bit straighter, and there was a heavy amusement in the archangel's voice as she asked, "Twice? I thought he only got you once back in '98, Crowley?"

The demon growled low in his throat and shot Azrial a warning look before turning back to him. Rowen could feel the furious glare and knew if Azrial wasn't there, and the world wasn't ending, Crowley would have ripped his heart out already.

"Oh, he never told you?"

Rowen shot the question at Azrial who simply tilted her head with the barest of smiles on her lips. It seemed she was fine with Crowley getting his ego bruised. Rowen wondered how far he could push and decided now was a good time to test it.

"No, he didn't."

"Azrial."

Crowley growled her name in warning, but the archangel didn't seem at all bothered by the silent threat. Rowen pushed on not bothering to stem his amusement at the situation. Looking back at the first time he had been lucky, and Crowley likely knew that which only irritated the powerful demon.

"It was one of my first jobs alone. Shortly after my seventeenth birthday."

The sound Azrial made could only be a swolled laugh. Her hand covered her mouth and she turned away clearly not wanting to burst out laughing. The furious growl from Crowley didn't seem to help the archangel's condition in the slightest, though she did shoot Crowley a sympathetic look. Rowen's eyes narrowed at the slightest shift in Crowley's eyes at the look Azrial gave him. There wasn't the pure hostility and hate that Crowley had directed at him. For a moment the demon's gaze held a begrudging acceptance at the archangel's laughter but it was gone the moment Crowley felt Rowen's gaze. The demon leveled a glare that would see lesser men fleeing, and Bobby sighed in annoyance.

"Am I gonna have to shoot you again?"

The warning in Bobby's dry question was palpable and Rowen watched as the amusement melted off Azrial's face. It was like flicking a light switch. The moment Crowley was in physical danger the archangel seemed to draw the line. Crowley huffed and gave Bobby a mocking smile.

"You wouldn't manage a second time, Robert."

Bobby frowned, but before he could say anything Rowen cut him off.

"I'm running 2 - 0. Keep it up and I'll just exorcise your sleazy demonic ass back to Hell."

Now there was no denying it. Azrial's gaze had become almost as furious as Crowley's. Her's was simply more controlled than the demon's who shot back without missing a beat.

"Cute threat, doggy, but you need us. You won't lift a hand against me so long as Lucifer walks free. Even after that, I'm protected because the big bad Vatican exorcist couldn't nut up and handle the apocalypse to spare his friends from working with a demon."

Crowley's tone dripped with condescension and confidence. Bobby let out a low hiss of annoyance at the demon's comment, and even Rowen found himself coming up short. For a moment he considered Crowley's words but quickly shoved them aside. Even if the demon was right, now wasn't the time to think about it. He wouldn't give Crowley the pleasure of getting the last word. Rowen ignored the growing irritation from the silent archangel as he snapped back.

"You call me a dog, yet you circle the skirt of a being who'd rather see you dead like an obedient little bitch."

His comment seemed to have a profound effect on both creatures, and Rowen realized a moment too late that he'd pushed the tempered archangel to far. Azrial looked at him with disgust and for a moment Rowen wondered if he should have left the archangel out of the barrage. Crowley raised his hand and it was clear what the demon's next move was going to be. Azrial was on her feet, a hand around Crowley's wrist, just as Bobby pulled his pistol and aimed it at the demon.

The archangel hissed, "We're leaving."

There was a heavy finality to her statement, and Crowley yanked his wrist free of her grip. Bobby looked a mixed between relieved and worried at the announcement and softly asked, "Is our deal off?"

Azrial looked over at Bobby and there was none of the curiosity that had existed in her deep blue eyes before. Her gaze was cold and for a moment there was a flash of wings behind her and Rowen swallowed at the confirmation that the being in front of them was at least an angel.

"No. You can thank Sam and Dean for that. They were much more well behaved. I didn't expect three grown men to act like catty bitches at a tea party."

She growled softly, and it took Rowen a moment to realize she was calling Crowley out just as much as she was he and Bobby.

"Should we contact you when the boys are back?"

Bobby's question was firm, but the man was clearly walking on eggshells to appease the furious archangel. Rowen looked away as he remembered the hope that had painted his friend's face when they heard an archangel was willing to help them. Bobby didn't trust Azrial, but he needed her on their side. Bobby would do just about anything for his boys, and Rowen realized if he had pushed a moment more, he may have ruined the truce for his friend.

"That's fine. You can call Crowley, Dean has his card."

With that final terse statement, she turned toward the clearly fuming demon who hadn't moved his murderous gaze from Rowen. Rowen glared back and wished he could take another shot at exorcising the bastard but Aziral snarled.

"We're leaving."

The repeated command had the demon turning toward him and growling softly,

"And why do I have to listen to you, darling? I'm-"

Azrial seemed to have enough and before Crowley could finish his statement Azrial grabbed his shoulder harshly and the two vanished with the soft sound of flapping wings. Rowen stared at the spot where the two beings had once stood for several moments before Bobby let out an exhausted sigh.

"That was a damn disaster."

"Not entirely."

Rowen whispered the comment but his friend snapped back, "Oh? You almost got killed three God damn times in that conversation that I could count. Do you have no self-preservation?"

Rowen met Bobby's furious, yet concerned, gaze, and did his best to justify his actions.

"We found out that this isn't a case of one of them being blackmailed to help. For whatever reason, both are genuine in their commitment to fighting this battle. Otherwise, I would be dead."

"That's all well and good but it wasn't worth gambling your damn life."

"Maybe not, but the other part was."

Bobby stared at him like he was the world's stupidest man but remained silent as he waited for an explanation. Rowen couldn't help the small smirk as he delivered his assessment.

"They're genuine business partners. Hell, I'd even call them friends, though I doubt they'd agree. You couldn't ask for better news."

Bobby was silent for several moments before letting out an exhausted sigh and he dropped his head into his hands. Rowen slowly walked up to his friend and placed a comforting hand on Bobby's shoulder.

The hunter didn't look up and asked softly, "You can't be suggesting we play them against each other when this is all over. They'd kill us."

"No. I'm saying that whatever deal those boys agreed to may actually be the truth. Once this is over, let them fade away. The four of you mean nothing to them."

"Even Castiel?"

There was a tremble of regret in Bobby's voice at the question and Rowen winced. He'd done exactly what he'd accused Bobby of earlier and forgotten that the other man was an angel for a moment. An angel who'd had a close relationship with the archangel who'd just proven she'd choose to protect a demon over humans.

"I don't know."

"But you think so."

Bobby's statement made Rowen remain silent. He knew his silence would cue Bobby in but he didn't have the heart to voice his thoughts to the hunter. Rowen tightened his grip on Bobby's shoulder in response to the sharp exhale from the exhausted hunter.

"She's volatile."

Bobby pointed out the obvious in a bid to get back to safer waters, and Rowen let go of his shoulder as he nodded in agreement,

"She is, but she clearly has a tight rein on her temper. Only started to lose her patience when I threatened to exorcise Crowley again."

"He looked murderous at your last comment."

The statement seemed to hold a subtle question, but Rowen didn't have the answer. It could simply be the insinuation that the demon was bowing and scraping to the archangel for protection but something told him it went deeper than that. Given the obvious - to him anyway - friendship between the two, maybe it was the insinuation that Azrial would ever treat him as anything less than her equal.

"We'll have to wait and see."

His answer was met by a soft hum before Bobby snapped, "Don't pull that shit again. You're giving me grey hair."

"You mean more than you already have?"

The joke seemed to push some much-needed life into the room and Bobby shoved him away with a slight smile.

"Fuck off, and start cleaning up this damn mess you caused. She may have thought it was Crowley, but I have a feeling it was your damn mouth that got you thrown into a wall."

"Guilty as charged."

Rowen couldn't keep the pleased tone out of his voice at Bobby's snort of laughter, and the man got up to start picking up the scattered books. Come their next meeting, Rowen would have gone through the events at least one more time. He'd also make sure to ignore Crowley and treat Azrial with respect. Hopefully, it would throw the two beings and also give him a chance to fish for more information.