Sweet Paradise
Crowley couldn't take watching television with Gadreel anymore. It had been a whole day if not more. Rowan was still in a deep slumber, recuperating after spending all her power on finishing Helheim. He wanted to be there when she woke up, but he also knew he couldn't be away from Hell for too long. And, not to forget, the house he was building Rowan wasn't anywhere near finished.
Rowan's Draugar walked into Gadreel's penthouse with iPads.
"She's still asleep?" Bjarni asked and Gadreel nodded. "Well, we got her program up and running on these iPads. She'll have profiles of all the souls and we figured you should have one." She added, handing one to Gadreel and quickly showing him how it worked.
"And there's one for you too." Agmundr said to Crowley, handing an iPad. He took it and looked at it with curiosity. There was an app clearly named Underworld Sorting with a little image of a skull, the background half black and half white. "We don't suppose Rowan had a chance to discuss with you who sorts the souls destined for Hell." He added and Crowley looked up at him with a difficult to read expression.
"No." he simply replied. "I imagine she's figured out a way to sort the souls." He added, remembering how she was a little stressed about that. He did want to help her out with that, but she had been so busy, not that he blamed her.
"Yes. She became more confident after seeing you." Raganhar said which sort of surprised Crowley. That sounded like a compliment, too nice to come from demons. As Crowley continued to stare at him, Raganhar stepped away, feeling unsettled.
"We hope Death's reapers can be helpful in compiling the profiles of the souls or it's going to be Rowan's responsibility." Agmundr said and Crowley lifted his eyes up to the demon, not really interested in anything he said, except for the fact that everything was on Rowan's back once again.
"And what will you be doing?" Crowley asked him, maintaining that difficult expression as Agmundr frowned in response.
"What Rowan asks of me." he replied with fervor. They stared at each other until the Agmundr stood closer to Raganhar, as if he agreed that they needed to put more space between themselves and Crowley.
He looked at the app that Rowan had created, impressed with all the work she had put into the Underworld. He didn't have her ability to judge, but the idea of all responsibilities being on her shoulders agitated him. If she was going to sort the souls in the entrance of the Underworld alone, than he'd be there to help, sorting out those that belong to Hell.
After all, they were partners.
At that moment, they heard a door creak open and as they all looked at Gadreel's bedroom, they were silent, but glad, to see Rowan emerging, walking out quietly, and leaving the door open. She still seemed tired, but definitely reenergized.
Crowley got up and walked over to her where she extended her hands, welcoming his embrace. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"How are you feeling, Love?" he spoke softly into her ear, nearly in a whisper.
"I think I overslept." She replied with a slight laugh, but as she relaxed her chin on his shoulder, he knew she was still tired. Her entire body just relaxed against him, as if asking to sleep in his embrace.
"Come to the sofa." He said, guiding her to the sofa, still with an arm wrapped around her waist. Gadreel got up, surrendering it to her, looking a little worried. Crowley sat on the sofa with Rowan, who remained relaxed against him, closing her eyes, resting her head on his shoulder. She had her hand on his chest, but as it began to slip down, he held her hand, bringing it to his lips. It appeared as if Rowan had fallen asleep in his embrace.
Her Draugar and Gadreel watched with curiosity and when Crowley narrowed his eyes at them, only Bjarni had the courage to ask.
"Is she sleeping?" she asked and Crowley's expression remained the same. She frowned at him, not appreciating how he acted like he was the only one allowed to care for her. "Hey, just asking. No one here is going to deprive her of sleep." She said and relaxed her facial expression. "It's sweet she wants to curl up with you, although none of us can really fathom why." she added with a little grin that made Crowley arch an eyebrow in response. They all knew that Rowan had affections for Crowley and they weren't going to argue. "We'll leave you two to cuddle." She concluded, gesturing for the others to follow her lead.
Once Rowan's Draugar and Gadreel left the apartment, Crowley was quite glad that he stayed; it was just the two of them on the sofa. And yes, quite sweet that Rowan got up, searching for his loving touch, and fell asleep next to him in a second. Crowley placed a tender kiss on her head and looked at the television screen, watching some stupid cooking show on how to create the ultimate sexy meal.
Not particularly useful, since all Rowan wanted to devour was him and, apparently, some souls.
"We're alone?" Rowan asked in a soft voice. Crowley grinned as he continued to look at the television.
"We are, Chickadee." He replied, glancing down at her with his grin. She remained relaxed with her head on his shoulder. She wasn't sleeping, simply curled up with the only one she wanted. "You could have told them you wanted a moment alone with me." he said and heard a slight soft laugh in response.
"I don't want to worry them. I know they'll let me rest for as long as I want, but they know how badly I want to work on getting the souls, sorting them out, finding a way to open Heaven, getting the souls, sorting them out." Rowan replied, shifting her head so she could look into his dark glimmering eyes. "I must have looked like a frazzled twit." She said and he gave her a slight frown and a little smirk. She could guess that he would deny it, but his expression said that she indeed looked as stressed as she had felt.
"A stunning Goddess looking for a handsome devil to relieve her gorgeous body of stressful tension." He replied and she grinned, inching closer so their lips brushed teasingly in a light kiss.
"And relieve my tension you did." She replied, kissing him softly, but it soon kicked into hyper drive, as Rowan straddled him, her hands going to his neck, stroking his hair as she twisted in his arms, getting the most of their kiss. His hands traveled down her waist to her hips, following the curve of her body, then muscles in her thighs, the firmness of her ass.
Rowan pulled away from Crowley, looking into his eyes as she stroked his cheek, a smile on her lips.
"You should have seen my dreams." She said and his grin revealed curiosity to hear all about them. "All the years I lived, all the people I killed; I have such a darkness deep down, you know?" she said, a dark glimmer shimmering in her eyes as she mentioned it. As Crowley looked into her eyes, he could see that she felt no shame.
"I noticed." He replied and her lips broadened.
"I can't tell you how often men had tried to rape me. It's disgusting." She said and Crowley's grin fell away, stroking the hair over her shoulder.
"The bastards." He said and as he looked into her eyes, there was a sinister grin on her face.
"They all died so horribly." She said and looked down at his lips as her hands slid under his tie, loosening it so she could undo the collar of his shirt and run her fingers along his collarbone. Her smile faded and he tilted his head, catching her attention. Her eyes seemed filled with confliction. "You think I can control this darkness?" she asked him and he stroked her cheek tenderly.
"You always have." He replied, lifting up her chin so she wouldn't look so guilty. Her lips twitched into a small smile.
"I tried to eat Bjarni." She said and he gave her a little grin as his thumb gently rubbed her soft lips.
"You were beyond exhausted, Love. You spent all of your power on building Helheim and you needed to recharge." He said and placed his hand behind her head, bringing her forward into a kiss that said he didn't want to talk about it anymore. He liked everything about her and he wanted her to know it. As she returned the kiss, not only did she acknowledge that; she felt the same way about him.
Their lips parted and they stared into each others' eyes. Rowan smiled and seemed really happy.
"It bothers me how easily I tried to eat her." she said, obviously too bothered to let the subject go.
"The only creatures I know to do that are Leviathans." Crowley replied, hoping to eventually put that subject to bed. She seemed confused by the term, like she had never heard of those creatures. "Last I checked Darling, you're not one of those. Ugly things." He added and she smiled, but she was still worried. Too worried to care that she didn't know what Leviathans were.
"How's our house coming along?" she asked him with excitement in her voice, like she too wanted to drop the subject. Maybe talking about Leviathans was where she drew the line.
Crowley didn't want to burst her bubble, but there was no way to avoid it.
"Slowly." He replied and she continued to smile.
"Well, I guess I'll have to stop distracting you." She said with a little grin. He stared at her with a slight grin, as though her visits weren't the problem. She tilted her head at him with a little smile. "As long as we're together, we're in paradise." She said, obviously sensing what troubled him. Although it was her dream home and she had this glow on her face when she imagined it, Crowley could see that same glow as she stared into his eyes. She was sincere when she said home would be wherever they are together.
He knew he cared about her because having Sam's blood running through his veins in that stupid attempt to cure the demon out of him was what drove his desire for love. He never admitted it to himself since he told Sam that he deserved to be love, but now, with Rowan on his lap and her kiss still lingering on his, he was admitting it now; he wanted to be loved and he was certain that she did. What was her reason to love him? She didn't have invasive blood threatening to chase away her darkness and bring out the humanity into her heart. Why did she love him?
Sadly, he had a feeling that he'd never know. She came close to thinking it, but there was a hesitation. Is it because she didn't want to say it or because she thought he didn't want to hear it?
Crowley wasn't even sure if he wanted to hear it. Maybe he did or maybe he wanted to get rid of those human feelings, but that would mean getting rid of Rowan. He'd never get rid of Rowan.
He stroked her cheek, giving her a slight smile.
"When this business with Heaven is done, you and I are taking a long deserved vacation." He said and then her smile faded as there was this odd expression in her eyes. He narrowed his eyes and she gave him an awkward grin.
"Well, I was actually going to try to get my family back." she replied which surprised Crowley. "My father, my mother and my brother. There has to be a way. You must know a way." She said and when he arched his eyebrow at her, he couldn't help but wonder if that's why she "loved" him; because he was beneficial to her. Yes, he had told her that, and it was true, but was she merely using him?
Crowley put it out of his mind and focused on what she was saying.
"There's no way to resurrect your parents." He bluntly said which sort of burst her bubble. "Angels, like demons, simply cease to exist once they're killed, as if they never existed. Your mother, I have no idea, and your brother, if I'm not incorrect, might be in Purgatory." He added and he watched as the hope faded, but returned with the mention that she might be able to get her brother back. "I highly suggest you not open Purgatory. It's exactly like Pandora's Box, only there's nothing good coming out of it." Crowley said and when she seemed confused, he knew he'd have to explain something that he'd rather not talk about.
"How do you open Purgatory?" she asked and he gave her a sinister grin.
"Can't say." He simply replied. "The last time Purgatory was opened, horrid creatures were unleashed, known as Leviathans; God's first beasts that eat everything, even demons." He added, finding themselves back on that topic. It seemed Rowan understood more now. "Their only desire is destruction. There are still some Leviathans in Purgatory and opening its doors runs the risk of releasing other monsters." Crowley added with seriousness.
"So my brother deserves to stay in Purgatory?" Rowan asked, losing all softness and happiness in her face.
"I said he might be in Purgatory." He replied which didn't make her very happy to hear. "Opening the doors of that place with barely a hunch would be unwise." Crowley concluded and Rowan really didn't seem happy.
He was starting to think that maybe her affections for him were simply a way to get what she wanted. Did he hate her for that? No, he didn't hate anyone. Did he feel a little twinge of hurt? Maybe. Or maybe that was just his bruised ego, feeling foolish for loving someone that might not love him in return.
The story of his life.
"If you're strongly considering opening Purgatory and going in to find your brother, which I don't recommend, than I suggest you talk to Dean." he said, getting her attention and a slight frown of confusion. "He was in there, fighting off monsters. It's worst than Hell." He added, certain that would deter her from this idea.
Rowan was silent for a minute or so and he knew their romantic moment was over.
There wouldn't be a long deserved vacation.