A/N: Hey guys! I'd like to say a special thank you to suburbantimewaster, angeljetfire, and M.T. Linshaw for reviewing, and to those of you who have followed/favorited this story. You guys are awesome! :)

Chapter Two

"You need to concentrate, Dean."

Crowley watched as Dean screwed up his face, focusing all his will power on levitating the beat-up truck in front of him. It hovered a few feet above the ground.

"Good, good…" Crowley walked around so he was standing on the other side of the truck from Dean. "Now move it so you can see me."

Dean growled. Actually growled. Then, with a yell, he threw the truck through the air, where it smashed through the wall of the warehouse they were next to. Crowley stared at the damage for a moment, then turned slowly to Dean. "Very good, squirrel."

Dean blinked, turning his pitch black eyes back to their normal green. He shook himself. "That felt…"

"Good, right?" Crowley interjected. "Powerful?"

Dean didn't reply. He turned, took a few steps forward, then swiveled so he was facing Crowley again. "It feels wrong, Crowley."

"You keep telling yourself that, Dean." Crowley took several steps closer. "Because you're only lying. You're angry. Upset. But hey, being a demon isn't that bad. And you… you may be the most powerful demon in history, aside from Cain, of course."

Dean shook his head, his face hardening. "I don't want it."

Crowley shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "You're the one who took on the mark. You knew there would be a price to pay."

"Not this." Dean flexed his hands, shaking his head. "Not this."

Crowley watched him. Just stood and watched him. The man—er, demon—was tearing himself up from the inside out. It took Crowley a week just to get him to try out any of his powers. Standing in front of him was a creature who had so much potential… and he didn't even want it.

Honestly, Crowley thought Dean would be a lot less… human at this point. But although Dean had definitely changed, he still had a few ounces of his humanity left in him. But Crowley was confident that wouldn't linger around long.

He knew he was working with a ticking time bomb. Dean would only fall deeper into this pit he'd crawled in, and Crowley sure as hell wasn't going to be on his bad side when the storm hit.

Dean was scowling at him now. "What?" he snapped rather impatiently.

Crowley pulled himself out of his thoughts, and gave Dean one of his slyest smiles. "You, Dean Winchester, will become one of the greats. You'll see."

Dean snorted. "Yeah, one of the greatest ironies." He shook his head, turning around to storm back into the warehouse.

That first week was tough. Dean insisted he had to tell his brother, that he had to see him. Crowley did his best to convince Dean that that simply was not an option right now. Who knew what Moose would do when he found out? And that angel (or lack thereof) would throw a hissy fit. And, of course, they would both blame it all on him.

Soon Dean began to see things his way. Then he felt incredibly ashamed. Crowley didn't know if Dean would ever be able to face his little brother again.

In that same first week, Dean was in self-denial. Big time. He insisted it was just a side effect of the mark, that it would fade away… he didn't seem to realize that a demon was simply what he had become. And once that settled in, he insisted that he could be "cured," as if he could simply reverse the transformation. What he (again) didn't seem to realize at the time was that he wasn't just any demon. He had replaced bloody Cain. He was the demon. A powerful one. And no matter how hard he tried, he would not be able to escape the mark without giving it to someone else, and that wasn't happening.

Now, while they were well into Dean's second week of demon-dom, Dean was finally letting Crowley teach him a few things. Helping him harness his enormous power. And showing him how to unleash that power full force.

Crowley again examined the truck that was embedded in the wall. Yes, he was balancing on a tight rope. But if he could make it across, it would benefit him to no end. His problems would be solved. He and Dean—they'd be the new duo. Moose had nothing on this one. He'd die off soon enough. And Castiel, with his dwindling grace… he was as good as dead.

He would once again be the King. The King of everything.

He just had to get Dean to understand that they could work together on this. So, he'd give him a few weeks. He'd train him. He'd show him what he was capable of.

Show him how to be a proper demon.

"Sam, you realize Cupid'll probably need to use his bow for this to work."

Castiel had led Sam into the next room, where Cupid couldn't hear them. Sam grimaced. He knew how upset Dean had been when he learned that their parents had been set up by the likes of Cupid. As if becoming a demon wasn't bad enough, now he had to get the love juice to the heart as well.

Sam couldn't wrap his mind around it. Dean, a demon. Not possible. Dean would rather die. He had been staring at the wall behind Castiel, but now he met the angel's bright blue eyes. "Cas… do you think Dean is still… Dean?"

Castiel's eyes flickered away from his and lowered to the ground. "The mark had its roots in him long before he was killed. It was already changing him."

In other words, no. Castiel did not believe Dean was now the same Dean they had always known. The next thought came to Sam unbidden. "Do you think… don't you think it would just be best to…" He trailed off, and Castiel watched him, waiting for his next words. Sam shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I mean, if this doesn't work… We may have no other choice but to…"

"Kill him?" Castiel looked surprised Sam would ever suggest it.

Sam couldn't believe it either. "I'm just saying that… This isn't what Dean would have wanted. He would have wanted us to… to end him."

Castiel's eyes bored into Sam's until he had to look away. "I've thought of that," Castiel admitted. "But…. If there's one thing Dean's taught me… it's that you never stop fighting."

Sam nodded, clenching his jaw to keep from letting his emotions show. Then he faced Castiel again, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's do this, then."

Castiel followed Sam back to the room where Cupid was still waiting. Sam looked to Castiel for support, then back at Cupid. He took a deep breath. "Okay. We'll let you do what you do best, and then figure out what to do from there."

Cupid grinned until his eyes could barely be seen. "I'll need a few things."

No one knew he was watching. But he was there, observing every move, every word.

Gabriel looked over Cupid's shoulder as the cherub added some ingredients to a bowl and began chanting in Enochian. Supposedly, he would be able to see Dean's destined lover in the glistening liquid. Glimpses, anyway.

Castiel and Sam were so intent on what Cupid was doing, it was almost comical. As if this were really going to get them anywhere. It wouldn't fix much. Dean would still be a demon. There wasn't much they could do about that.

The liquid inside the bowl began to swirl, and Cupid started humming as he studied whatever he saw in there. "He'll find what he needs in Maine," he said softly. His voice had lost its bright edge. He sounded very much like he was under some hypnotic trance. "Camden, Maine." He was pensive for a few moments. "She's got dark hair. Blue eyes. And her name… I think I can see it. It starts with… It starts with a… a C."

Gabriel couldn't help rolling his eyes. There could be any number of dark haired girls in Maine whose name started with a C.

"…Followed by an… A. The rest is too blurry. Oh, my." He peered deeper into the liquid. "She and her family are under a curse." He stared deeply in the liquid for a few more moments, then looked up, his pensive face broken. "That's all I can say."

The moment shattered and he stood, scraping the chair back and shaking his head. Sam and Castiel glanced at each other, and Sam leaned forward. "That's it?"

Cupid grinned. "Good news, fellas. You don't have to wait centuries until she's born. She's waiting for you in Maine right now."

Sam's eyebrows were nearly disappearing into his hair. "That's… it?"

Cupid frowned. "Um… yes?"

Sam drew a hand down his face. "That's all we have to go on? Cupid, there could be any number of girls like that in Maine."

"Well, Camden is a relatively small town. I'm sure you won't have much trouble."

Sam nodded, then relaxed his face. "Thanks for your help. We'll head over there now, see if we can find this girl."

Cupid smiled, then pulled Sam into a bone-crushing hug. "No problem, pal. Now here's the challenge—getting her and Dean together so we can shoot the arrow." He winked.

Sam's face faltered a bit. "Yeah. Yeah, that might be rather difficult saying as we have no idea where Dean is at." He looked over at Castiel. "Maybe we should split up."

Castiel nodded. "I'll keep looking for Dean. You find the girl."

Sam nodded, was about to turn to Cupid, then spun to face Castiel again. His face creased in confusion for a moment. Castiel tilted his head. "What is it, Sam?"

Sam stared at him a moment longer, then shook his head. "N-Nothing. Um. Wow." Sam visibly shook himself, then turned to Cupid. "Thanks again."

Cupid nodded. "Just give me a holler when you get the two together. Until then…"

The angel was gone, and Sam still looked slightly confused. Castiel frowned. "You can tell me what's going on, Sam."

Gabriel almost laughed. Even he was astounded by the similarities of this mystery girl and a certain someone else in the room…

"It's nothing, Cas." Sam patted him on the back. "I'd better get going."

The two separated, and Gabriel hovered over the liquid still sitting in the bowl for a moment. Perhaps he should pay this girl a visit sometime.

The girl who was apparently Dean Winchester's salvation.