Magic Moment

Rowan did just that; astral project and duplicate her iPad. She was able to do twice the work, speeding things up. The souls were a little frightened of her ghostly self, but accepted it if it meant getting out of the waiting room faster. Gadreel and her Draugar were definitely put to the test, escorting souls by groups and going back up for more.

There was one more soul that Rowan personally escorted and that was Mary Winchester; Sam and Dean's mother. Once Mary began to follow her down to Helheim, she reassured her about her sons.

"It's quite the pleasure to meet you, Mary Winchester." Rowan said and smiled as the woman seemed a little astounded. "I know your sons." She quickly added so that Mary wouldn't be so surprised at how she knew her.

"Sam and Dean?" she asked and Rowan nodded with a warm smile, pushing the button to go down.

"They helped me." she said, not sure how else to really say it. Her sons helped this Goddess with amnesia survive a giant snake that only wanted to reunite with her. "They helped a lot of people." She added and Mary beamed like a proud mother, however there was a hint of sadness in her eyes as they stepped into the elevator.

"It wasn't the life I wanted for them." Mary said and Rowan knew with just one look. Mary came from a hunting family and her death only drove her husband and her sons into the path she wanted to avoid for them.

"But, with all due respect, I'd say they were destined for it." Rowan said and said no more on the subject, as Mary's family wasn't the only one into hunting. So was the Winchesters, which is why Sam and Dean were legacies to the Men of Letters. Rowan knew only that much from looking at Sam and Dean.

"Thank you." Mary said with a smile and her expression turned to shock as they stepped out onto the first level of Helheim. Rowan had explained everything to her about the first level of Helheim and that Gadreel was there if she wanted anything. "I just want my boys to be safe." Mary said and Rowan gave her a warm smile.

"You have my promise that they will." She replied and watched Mary walk into her glowing archway. It was somewhat surprising that she didn't ask about her husband, John Winchester, but it was possible that she didn't know he had passed away.

That was something she was going to have to inquire about. If John was dead and wasn't in Heaven, as far as she knew, then there was only one other place where he could be.

Hell. Sadly.

Within a couple of hours, all of Heaven's souls and some newcomers had been placed. The entrance of the Underworld was empty, except for the resting Hellhounds and the exhausted helpers. Even Gadreel seemed a little tired. By now, Rowan's Draugar were all slowly reverting back to human, Bjarni more than the other two. It was odd how their demon essence was changing. Was it her? Was it Helheim?

"Alright, good work." Rowan said, smiling at them all. "Take a break. Maybe compile a list of souls that might be interested in being draugr." She concluded, about to call it a day and go see Crowley.

"What?" Bjarni asked, making Rowan stop, smiling as she turned around.

"Well, I need more hands on deck. You three, and Gadreel of course, are fabulous, but it's too much work, especially when I'm gone." Rowan said and her Draugar continued to look at her in disbelief.

"And you'll take just anyone?" she asked and Rowan tilted her head with a slight grin.

"They'd have to prove their worth before I'd make them a draugr." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest with a broadening grin. At that moment, a couple of souls came in, proving that humans died very often all over the world. There truly were no vacations in the Underworld, but she and Crowley were taking it anyway. "So, when souls come in, gather the information into their profiles and I'll review which level where you think they should go." She concluded and went down Hell's escalator before something could stop her.

She walked down the stupid confusing hallways, surprised that she found her way to the long tunnel to the house Crowley was building. She could hear construction type noises and when she walked into the cavern, smiled as he got the house's foundation and frame done. He turned, obviously having felt her presence, and gave her a tired grin. His hands were bloody, as if had used his blood for sigils to shape the dirt of Hell into her dream home.

She closed the gap and placed her hands on his cheeks, smiling softly at him.

"You poor Devil, working so hard." She said, kissing his lips tenderly, her hands stroking his neck, down to his collar bone, over his shoulders that seemed to relax under her touch. He pushed her lips apart, his lips feeling dry, searching her tongue in a tired effort to kiss her passionately. When he broke away first, breathing in her scent, she rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Why don't we take that vacation now?" she asked, giving the back of his neck a gentle rub.

"About time, Chickadee." He replied, the fatigue evident in his voice. "Wherever you want." He added, making her smile, but she mostly felt bad for him. Crowley was a demon. Yes, he was the King of Hell, but building a house for them by himself? He didn't have Godly powers to conjure it up. She would have offered to help him, but she knew that ego would be offended. He had said that he would build her that house and, as much as it made her heart ache to see him this exhausted, she knew he'd never accept her help.

Then, she thought about the Demon tablet. Would that help him?

Maybe she should let him rest first.

Rowan closed her eyes, picturing Prague in the Czech Republic, the Charles Bridge with the beautiful scenery of the river flowing underneath, the beautiful dark architecture of the city. She then pictured a beautiful hotel room that overlooked the beautiful city.

When she opened her eyes, the cavern in Hell was gone, replaced by a luxurious hotel room, indeed overlooking the beautiful city of Prague. There was a king size bed, covered by beautiful golden sheets and a white comforter and plush pillows. The entire format of the room was rich and glorious with a splash of white and gold everywhere.

Rowan stepped away from Crowley, but took his hand and guided him to the bed, gently pushing him down onto it. He collapsed, leaving Rowan to lift his legs onto the bed. She sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his head, looking down as he closed his eyes to rest. She wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep or if demons could even do that, but she wouldn't be surprised if he was in fact asleep; he spent so much of his energy for her.

She stroked the stubble on his cheek, ran her fingers along the side of his face, and gently pressed the back of her fingers to his forehead, feeling such heat like as if he had a fever.

"You okay?" she spoke softly, nearly in a whisper.

"It's touching how deeply you care about me." he replied, keeping his eyes closed, but grinning just a little, enough to let her know that he wasn't falling asleep. She smiled and fought the urge to roll her eyes, sighing in a playful exasperation. Did he not think that she cared?

"Of course I care about you." I replied, stroking his cheek again. "As much as you care about me; there's no doubt because no one would work to their breaking point to build me my dream home." Rowan added, taking his hand into hers, feeling the dried blood and the cuts in his palm. Both hands would have to be washed.

"It seems I care about you more." He replied and she frowned playfully at him, giving his cheek a slight pinch, making his grin broaden.

"It's not just the things you give that shows just how much you care; it's the things you do and say. Yes, working your sexy ass off to build me a house shows just how much you care, but it's other things too; like when you place your hand in my back when you know I'm stressed, when you never take advantage of me, when you kiss me. I especially like when you kiss me." Rowan said with a smile, leaning over, whispering that last sentence in his ear.

"Have I ever said anything that showed how much I care?" he asked, pointing out that she only mentioned the things that he did. She smiled and stroked his head, leaning back.

"Yes, like calling me Chickadee, Love, Darling; that just gets me all frisky." She replied, smiling at the smirk on his face. "I would have thought that a demon wouldn't have such affections for someone, especially me, but –" she added, cutting her sentence short as he cut in.

"But you know what I nearly became before those Winchesters stuffed me in that dungeon." He replied, no smirk on his lips. He probably didn't like to talk about it and she wasn't sure if she should comment, but remaining silent wasn't any better.

A while back, she felt like telling him she loved him, but wasn't sure if he wanted to hear that. Now, she realized was a perfect time to see if those words would make or break their relationship; taking a risk out of the Underworld was a lot better than in it.

"Can I ask what it was like, almost human again?" she asked and he opened his eyes then, looking into hers. She wasn't able to see in his expression if that annoyed him or not, but she was about to know.

"Horrid, those wretched emotions; every dreadful hope and fear from my past coming back like a knife through the heart." He replied and she knew that it was just the fact that he relived it that annoyed him, not her asking about it. She nodded, not really aware that she had pulled her hand away. He gripped it quickly and brought her hand to his lips, closing his eyes.

Although he hated feeling those human emotions again, and even if he was now as demonic as ever, she knew those emotions were still clinging onto him. He cared a lot about her and probably wanted that reciprocity Why else would he have maintained his behavior towards her after getting what he wanted from her? He probably needed it to feel… loved.

"No one cared about you?" she asked and he opened his eyes again, staring into hers with a heavy sadness that made her regret asking.

"No one loved me, not even my own mother." Crowley replied and she wanted to chase away the sadness in his eyes and the heaviness in her heart. Rowan leaned over and kissed his temple, closing her eyes. There was so much pressure building up within her, making her feel like she was about to burst if those words didn't slip out of her lips and into his ear. It was now or never; she couldn't let her fear control what she knew he needed to hear.

"I love you." She whispered into his ear, taking a couple of seconds before leaning away to look into his dark eyes. When she did, she was surprised and overjoyed to see the small smile on his lips, but mostly the glistening darkness in his eyes. He raised his hand to her cheek, as if it was his turn to chase away the heaviness in her heart. She pressed his hand to her cheek and smiled down at him. She wasn't expecting to hear him repeat those words to her; being a demon, even if he came close to those familiar human emotions, she didn't think he'd say it and she was alright with that. She knew he cared about her.

"I love you, Chickadee." Crowley said, surprising her, as it was probably obvious in her eyes. She brought his hand to her lips and watched as he closed his eyes, resting once again. She kept his hand against her lips as she smiled, so he could feel it. Rowan lowered his hand and conjured a bowl of warm water on the table beside the bed to wash the blood away.

"Alright, my Devil Muffin; rest and I'll wash your hands." She said, squeezing the water out of the cloth that was soaking in the warm soothing water. She began washing his hands tenderly, looking at his face every so often to see that he might or might not be falling asleep.

"How did it go with Metatron?" he asked, still with his eyes closed, and she smiled. Apparently, sleeping was out of the question.

"I did as you suggested. I made it seem like we were in agreement, but I also put in my own flare, which by that I mean use what my father gave me. I tricked Metatron into thinking that Gadreel and Castiel were bound by my power, but they were actually getting ready to disable him just at the moment where he realized I wasn't a friend." Rowan said with a smirk, feeling so damned proud of herself. If her father was alive, he'd be pretty damned proud too.

"And the Angel tablet?" Crowley asked.

"Broken into two pieces, given to Castiel so it was out of Heaven. He probably gave it to Kevin." Rowan replied, washing away the blood, revealing a very nasty cut in his palm. That looked painful.

"The Demon tablet?" he asked and when she looked at him, looked into those dark eyes. He was eager to hear about it, judging by that intense glimmer in his eyes.

"In my desk." She replied with a soft smile. "I thought of getting it before coming here, but then thought you would appreciate the chance to rest first." She added and the intensity in his eyes began to fade.

"Do the Winchesters know you have it?" he asked with curiosity in his dark eyes as he stared at her.

"Just Gadreel. I know Sam and Dean would be in an uproar to know that I intend to give it to you." She replied, watching as a grin slowly appeared on his lips, making his eyes darker in a sinister manner. "That pleases you?" she asked with a smirk that turned into a smile as he reached for the back of her neck, bringing her down to kiss him. Judging by the heat of that kiss, she'd say he was more than pleased.