Welcome to Paradise
Rowan walked back into the Underworld and the reapers were indeed escorting Heaven's souls to her. As she walked in, she saw that the entrance was full of souls needing a good sorting. Crowley had just walked in from Hell, his dark eyes gleaming as he looked at her. Was he that happy to see her or was he was proud of her accomplishment?
Probably proud that she struck a deal with the angels. Or had he sensed the Demon tablet like how she had sensed the Angel tablet? Maybe that's why he was so damn happy.
However, it didn't matter at the moment. Rowan had souls to sort or she'd be swamped. Yes, she did want some alone time with Crowley, but he had to agree that there were just too many souls to leave on vacation at that very second.
She turned to Gadreel so Crowley wouldn't be able to see her lips, just in case he could read them.
"Put the tablet in my desk in the office, please." She said and Gadreel nodded, quickly going to the office before helping her escort some souls to the first level of Helheim.
Rowan turned to her Draugar who waited for her. When Bjarni handed her iPad back to her, she was surprised to see they had made some notes of some souls in her absence. How helpful! All she needed was to approve which level where they thought the souls belonged. Once she did, they were able to escort them away.
She took her place at the front, just beneath the large screen of numbers that had restarted back to one. Since she left when there were no souls to sort, her power must have restarted the count. In a way, it was good; if the numbers had continued, it would have been depressing. Sorting that many souls nearly single-handedly? Depressing.
Crowley stepped up to her in a way that would hide his hand resting tenderly in the small of her back. Rowan kept her eyes on her iPad screen, but her little smile said that she had missed his affectionate touches.
"I hope you don't mind working a little before we take that vacation." She spoke softly, holding up her hand, telling the other souls to wait while her Draugar are escorting all the souls they had entered into her app during her absence. In a way, first come first serve was the policy in the Underworld.
"Of course not, Chickadee." He spoke just as softly, making her smile brighten.
"Any souls you'd like in Hell?" she asked him, preparing to help the souls waiting for her. Bjarni, Agmundr and Raganhar weren't even back yet.
"If you're offering, I'll take half the lot. Will that work for you?" he asked and she let out a slight laugh, meeting his eyes whether the souls waiting were growing impatient. Crowley's eyes were still gleaming as he stared at her. He might have been alright with working a little longer, but those eyes said he was ready to take her on vacation to have some fun.
"Don't get greedy." Rowan replied, smiling at that grin on his face. "I'll rephrase that: are there any souls that should go to Hell?" she asked and he scanned the crowd that was quickly filling in the seats as well as their mouths with coffee and pastries, happy that they could eat in the Underworld.
"A few." Crowley replied and pointed them out to her. Once there were some names to those faces, Crowley called them out, gathering them before him, selling them on the idea that going to the left was much better than going to the right.
With that done, Rowan began helping the souls that waited for her. She began filling out their profiles, placing them in the appropriate level and getting her Draugar to escort them down. With a couple thousands out of the way, she was now getting to the souls that Heaven had delivered.
And they were still being delivered to the Underworld. Naturally, the angels housed all the souls that had passed away throughout the centuries that she was living incognito, so that vacation was probably going to get delayed.
And poor Crowley was going to get delaid as well.
Quite a few souls were getting sorted rapidly, until Rowan came upon someone interesting. She looked at the woman and saw a connection with the Winchesters. The woman kept glancing over her shoulder, trying to find someone and Rowan soon learnt that she was trying to locate her daughter in this crowd; the daughter that had died in her arms just before her own death.
A hunter's sacrifice.
"Would you like to wait for your daughter, Ellen?" Rowan asked and smiled warmly as Ellen Harvelle turned with a stunned expression.
"Where is she?" Ellen asked with concern in her eyes.
"She'll be here soon and I could explain everything to the both of you." Rowan replied and when Ellen gave a slight nod, gestured to her left. Ellen stepped beside her and Rowan continued sorting the souls, entering their information into profiles. There were the odd ones that tried asking questions, but the only response they'd get is that those escorting them down the escalator would answer their questions.
She would have kindly explained if it wasn't for the thousand of souls behind them. How typical of humans to think that the world revolved around them, even after they're dead.
Rowan glanced up and saw a female reaper bringing in a young blond and she knew that to be Ellen's daughter, Jo Harvelle.
"Jo just arrived." Rowan said to Ellen as she went back to the profile of Jacob Brown who was rather very patient and easy going. Rowan smiled at him and gestured to her left, telling him that he would now be escorted to his final destination. He smiled and left. Ellen had waved to Jo, hugging her once she made her way through the souls.
"Why do they get to cut?" the soul in front of Rowan asked. She looked up and saw a teenage boy with a good features, but a horrible attitude.
"Mrs. Harvelle was here before you. I simply let her wait for her daughter." Rowan replied and before he could ask specifically why Jo was allowed to cut in front of him, she lifted up her hand, narrowing her eyes. He shut his mouth and looked away from her dark eyes.
Rowan looked over and saw that Bjarni had just returned from escorting some souls. She waved her over and gestured to the young boy.
"Could you please fill out the profiles and suggest levels, please." She said, smiling as Bjarni beaming with delight, proud to have the responsibility placed on her shoulders. Rowan turned to Ellen and Jo, smiling and gesturing to the escalators were Gadreel met her eyes, frowning slightly as if he was trying to figure out what she was doing. "If you'll follow me, I'll personally escort you." She said, grinning as mother and daughter exchanged a glance of uncertainty.
Nonetheless, they followed her. Rowan waved Gadreel over as she began descending the escalator. Once they reached the lobby of elevators, Rowan pressed the down arrow and the doors opened rather quickly. She gestured for Ellen and Jo to board first, then Gadreel. Once inside, she pressed the number one button.
"What's going on?" Jo finally asked, making Rowan's smile widen.
"You'll see in a second." She replied just as the doors opened. She stepped out and turned to see their expressions. They looked up at the sunny sky above them and then at the corridors of glowing archways. "What you saw back there is the entrance to the Underworld and this is Helheim; more specifically, the first level of Helheim." Rowan added, glancing at them as they continued to stare in awe. However, being hunters, their attention focused on her at the word Underworld.
"What?" Ellen asked and Rowan thought of how she could best explain it.
"Long ago, back when I was Ruler of the dead, better known as Hel, but you can call me Rowan; Helheim was the place for all souls. With Lucifer falling from grace, it wasn't safe for me to stay and once my kingdom became Hell, the angels began placing good souls in Heaven." Rowan said, so far Ellen and Jo were following. "So, I've recreated Helheim and both my kingdom and Hell are, as I've said, the Underworld." She concluded and watched as mother and daughter let this information sink in.
Before they could ask questions, the corridors shifted and Ellen's archway appeared with her name etched into the plaque. She stared at it with a bit of puzzlement and when she looked back at Rowan, she quickly looked at Jo with concern in her eyes.
"Unlike Heaven, you are not confined to your space. As you can see, the archways have no doors. You can stay together in your space, you can go to Jo's space." Rowan said and the corridors shifted slightly, stopping at Jo's archway. "You can visit friends who are on this level, or the second and third levels if they are there. You might want to check with Gadreel first." Rowan added and gestured to him, getting Ellen and Jo to steer their attention to the angel. "He's in charge of this level and will help you with your questions or requests." She concluded with a warm smile.
Ellen and Jo looked back at the shimmering archway with uncertainty. Rowan approached and placed a gentle hand on Ellen's shoulder.
"It's safe to go in. It'll be anything you want and, believe me, the space is much bigger than you think, unlike those little boxes in Heaven." She said, watching as mother and daughter exchanged glances. Then, Ellen turned to Rowan with a question on her mind.
"Why did you personally escort us here?" she asked with a bit of confusion.
"Any friends of the Winchesters are friends to me." Rowan replied with a soft smile. They seemed a little stunned, but there was a little hint of gratitude in their expressions. "This level of Helheim is for selfless souls; those that have sacrificed their lives for others. As hunters, you deserved the best and I guarantee you'll be very happy here." She added and then Ellen's face sort of lit up. She didn't have to say; Rowan could see it like a flash in her own mind. "And as soon as your husband arrives, I'll have Gadreel escort him to you." She concluded, seeing that hunter's guard fall; Ellen and Jo were relieved and happy, their eyes glistening as tears threatened to well up with the surge of happiness that overwhelmed them.
"Thank you." Ellen said and Rowan watched as they entered Jo's archway. Just to know that they'd be together as a family made them so incredibly happy.
And it made Rowan happy.
She turned to Gadreel, about to say that she'd send Bill Harvelle to him as soon as he arrived to the Underworld, when she noticed a bright smile on his face.
"What?" she asked him with a slight grin.
"You're glowing." He replied, that smile as bright as the sun above their heads.
"It's just my aura." Rowan replied, knowing that she did glow whenever she was getting her Hel mojo on.
"No, you're happy." He said, surprising her a little. "Seeing how happy the souls are to be here makes you happy. You're radiating with joy." He added, getting her to smile and let out a little laugh of delight. She wasn't the only one to glow seeing the happiness of others; Gadreel seemed just as happy.
Rowan reached for his hand, giving it a light squeeze. She would have thrown her arms around him in a hug, but that might make him uncomfortable. She just wanted to express her gratitude for sticking by her side the entire time.
"Thank you for your help." She said, watching that bright smile as it remained on his gorgeous face. Her smile faded just slightly as she was about to thank him for something else. "And thank you for breaking the Angel tablet. That mustn't have been easy to do." she added and his smile faded a bit too, but not the glow in his beautiful eyes.
"It was the only way." He replied and she was about to specify her gratitude for his compliance, but he stunned her into silence and he hugged her. He was a little rigid, as if he wasn't comfortable with hugging, but couldn't resist the impulse. Rowan hugged him in return just before he stepped back.
It was time to get back to work.