AN: Hope everyone's still interested, and here's the next chapter – as promised! J Happy reading!

Xxx

~Fen~

Chapter Six:

When Athaya had been talking on the phone, it hadn't been to her literal mother. Her real mother was dead – as she'd said to Crowley earlier. The woman on the phone had been her stepmother.

Her stepmother – Rachel – had been Athaya's mother for nearly sixteen years, so there wasn't any distinction. Athaya had hardly known her biological mother when she died – and that didn't make it hurt any less – but compared to the memories of a month-year-old baby…The only stories Athaya had of her real mum came from her dad. Her step-mum had been her mother for her entire life. She was the one who had brought her up. Rachel was her brother's mother, had loved the two of them unconditionally as her children…and that was more than good enough for Athaya. She'd never thought of Rachel as anything other than her mum.

Athaya turned to Crowley sadly and tried to remember that she could still fix this. 'I'm…' The words got caught in her throat and she struggled through, wiping some of the tears from her face. 'I'm going…to need to use your pen now.'

Crowley shook his head slightly. 'What happened?'

'Nothing…just a minor issue that I can fix as soon as I sign the deal.' Athaya could feel herself starting to hyperventilate, despite her attempts to calm down.

'Darling, it's evident from your expression that it's more than just a minor issue. Tell me what's wrong.' Crowley took a step towards her just as she fell to a kneeling position, trying to breathe.

'Breathe, Athaya,' Crowley said calmly and knelt beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder gently and repeated himself. 'Just breathe.'

Athaya gasped for breaths of air and closed her eyes tightly, trying to regain control.

It's okay. You can fix this. It will be okay. Just calm down.

She thought of her little brother smiling, playing with their kelpie Felix, on the beach. Max's sandy, blonde hair shining gold in the sun as he splashed through the waves. Her mother – Rachel – and father lying on towels as they watched him have fun, smiling at their little boy.

Athaya would save him. She had to.

'I just…' She took a deep breath, regaining some control. 'It's my little brother. Max. He…must have tried to follow me when I went outside down to find you…and he went too close to the edge of one of the rock outcrops…and he…' She looked up at Crowley and stifled a sob. 'And he fell and drowned.'

'Jesus, Athaya, I'm sorry.' Athaya could tell he was genuinely sorry for her sadness, and he tried to make her feel better. 'But remember…we can still make this okay.'

She nodded, 'I know…I know…it's just…he was eight, you know? And he died because I was too busy trying to figure out a way to stop him from dying. If I'd just let go of the feeling I got…' She shrugged hopelessly, 'Ignored it…Then it wouldn't have happened.'

Crowley's tone softened. 'It wasn't your fault, Athaya. You couldn't have known he would have died. And just because you left…doesn't make it your fault. You were trying to do the right thing.'

She let out a shaky breath and pulled a tissue out of her pocket, rubbing her eyes and dabbing her nose gently. 'I still should have felt something. Anything. Even just when I saw him last. I should have been able to tell he was in danger. What's the use in having a power when it fails you when you need it most?'

'It didn't fail you. If it had failed you, you wouldn't be here now. You'd be grieving a dead brother back home, with no hope of saving him. Just because he died while you went to find me doesn't mean something else wouldn't have happened. Things have a way of going wrong, no matter what you do. Something else would have happened to him. Then you'd really be lost.'

Athaya frowned uncertainly, not wanting to think about it too much. 'Are you sure?'

'Of course I'm not sure,' he said honestly. 'But I am the king of the crossroads. So let's make this deal and save your brother, shall we?' Crowley gestured to the parchment on his desk and Athaya accepted his hand as he helped her back up. She wiped away the last of her tears and sat back down in her chair. Throwing the tissue in a bin, she looked at Crowley, her strength and passion returning somewhat.

'So…you'll save my brother Max, if I give my soul to you?'

'Yes. And whenever Azazel comes for you, I'll find you and keep your soul safe.'

'If you can,' Athaya interjected and Crowley nodded slowly.

'If I can.'

'Well alright then.' Athaya picked up the pen and then stopped, the point frozen a few inches away from the paper. 'Wait.' She looked at Crowley confusedly. 'Won't people notice if my brother just gets up again? After being pronounced drowned? Dead without a doubt? Even if they buy it, he'll be studied as a freak for the rest of his life.'

Crowley frowned. 'Hmm. Fair point. I can fix that for you, if you like.'

'How?'

He held his hand out for the pen and Athaya gave it to him without hesitation. She trusted him to do what was right.

He scanned the document until he found what he was looking for. 'Since the outcome of suspicion and overreaction are inevitable, the memories of all persons associated with the death of one Max…?' He looked at Athaya and she nodded in understanding.

'Max Lowry. Son of Rachel and Carter Lowry.'

'Is that…?'

'Scottish? Yes. On my Dad's side.'

Crowley smiled. 'A girl after my own heart,' he said before writing her brother's name on the deal. He grew silent and Athaya sat patiently, waiting for him to tell her the details of his plan.

'So…what's your great idea?' Athaya said after a minute of silence, in which Crowley had been intently writing something down. He looked up suddenly, as if he'd forgotten about her presence.

'Yes. You should probably know the specifics.'

'I thought I made it clear that I wouldn't be doing business with you unless I did.' She said with a raised eyebrow and he laughed.

'Right. You certainly are quite the businesswoman.' He picked up the script and scanned over it once more before explaining. 'Basically, anyone who knew about your brother's death, who looked into it, who even heard about it….will forget. Nobody has to know it ever happened. Your brother himself won't remember a thing, nor will your parents. Nobody who was ever linked with it will remember that he died.'

'What about me?' Athaya asked curiously. 'I want to be able to remember.'

Crowley looked at her strangely. 'You sure? It's not the healthiest memory to have, remembering your brother's death.'

'Well…I want to be able to remember why I'm going to do…what I'm going to do.'

Something in her voice told Crowley she wasn't talking about the deal.

'What are you going to do?' he asked cautiously.

'I'm going to run away.'

'What?' Whatever Crowley had been expecting, it wasn't that. 'You're going to do what?'

Athaya nodded slightly, 'I'm going to run away. You said it yourself: Azazel will find me. I can't risk him killing any more of the people I love. He already killed my mum. I didn't even know her, and it still kills me. But this family that I have now…they're my family. I won't let him touch any of them just to get to me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing they were hurt because of me.'

Crowley weighed her evenly for a moment. 'You're serious about this, aren't you?' Once again, the girl had surprised him. Most people her age would break and run scared. He'd seen people run and tell others everything supernatural that had happened in the hopes of saving themselves, and then get sent to the loony bin for being delusional.

'Of course I'm serious. It might break their hearts, but I have to do it. No one else is dying because of me.' Athaya stared at Crowley severely.

After a moment, he shrugged. 'Fine. They'll never understand though.'

'But I could never tell them, anyway. They'd think I was crazy…So that isn't really a problem.'

'Well…you could always fake your death,' Crowley suggested quietly.

Athaya frowned. The thought had never occurred to her.

'Then if Azazel came looking for you though them…he'd end up with nothing because you would be dead. They couldn't give him anything. He wouldn't need them. And if it makes it to the newspapers – which is easy enough – we can make sure he knows you're dead too. Buy you some time to get the hell out of dodge.' Crowley continued.

'I…could do that.' Athaya looked happy for the first time since the phone call. 'How do you suggest I – '

'We already have a perfectly good story,' the demon said with a sly smile. 'Perhaps we won't remove the memories of the people involved with your brother's death…more alter.'

Athaya's frown cleared when she realised what he was suggesting. 'Make them think it was me who drowned and not Max?'

Crowley grinned. 'There you go, darling. I said you were smart.'

Athaya smiled at his compliment briefly before frowning once again. She looked at the deal between herself and the demon and nodded after several minutes of deep thought.

'Do it. I die, they live.'

'Good girl. That's the option I would have gone with.'

Crowley quickly amended his previous notes on the contract and then stopped. 'All done. As well as the resurrection of Max Lowry, any recollection of Max Lowry dying shall be replaced by the faked death of Athaya Lowr – ' Athaya cut him short, stopping him before he continued.

'My last name's Woolfe. I took my mum's maiden name. Something to remember her by at least.' The teenager said quietly as she stared at the paper, not looking up.

Crowley raised an eyebrow slightly. What an interesting girl. 'Alright. Replaced by the faked death of Athaya Woolfe from the current date onwards.' He shrugged. 'Essentially, that's what I've written.'

Athaya smiled in gratitude. 'Thanks.'

'Not at all. So…are you ready to make this happen?'

'Of course I am. Give me the pen and I'll sign away.'

'You know, usually most people aren't so quick to sell their soul to the devil.'

'Well I'm not selling my soul to the devil. Not if everything works out. I'm selling it to you.'

Crowley leant back in his chair and gave her a devious smile. 'But what do you really know about me, love? Not a whole lot, I'd venture to say.'

Athaya focused on him intently. 'Well. You're a demon who doesn't usually deal with children, you believe in promises, deals and doing anything to benefit yourself. You'll go to great lengths to acquire an object you deem useful or an asset, and you're quite impressed by me. I wouldn't say I know a lot…but certainly enough for me to make a deal with you.' By the time she had finished, Crowley was staring at her strangely. After a moment, his mouth twitched up into a smile, which then evolved into a roaring laugh.

Athaya looked at him with an expression of puzzlement and amusement. 'What? I'm just telling the truth.'

Crowley eventually stopped laughing long enough to speak. 'That you are. Quite brilliantly, too. You're definitely not wrong. That's me, alright. Self-absorbed to the last.'

'Well then, why are you laughing?'

'Because of your deliverance. You make me sound like some kind of…human.'

'And you find that funny?'

'Well, yes. Because I'm not.' Crowley sobered slightly. 'Nobody's even suggested I was anything other than a demon for at least a century. I'm not a human, Athaya, don't forget that…Or I think you'll find yourself at a disadvantage in our dealings together.' He continued at Athaya's enquiring look. 'Listen, it's not that I'm not flattered – I am – but don't paint me to be a saint. I'm far from it, alright?'

Her expression didn't change. 'Of course I understand. I never assumed anything. I know you're a demon. I'm not an idiot. I just happen to think you're one of the different ones.' She relaxed slightly and picked up the pen from the table.

'Different?' Crowley said, outraged, some of his old humour returning.

'Doesn't matter,' Athaya said with a shake of her head. She pointed at the contract in front of her, 'Shall we? I need to go and get my things before my parents get home from the police station.'

'Of course.' Crowley was amazed at how calmly Athaya contemplated faking her own death. The girl scanned over the document one final time before signing her name neatly at the bottom of the page. She sat up and slumped back into her chair with a sigh of relief as Crowley signed his name too.

'So…That's it?' Athaya asked hopefully.

'That's it. As of now, your parents are grieving the death of their daughter Athaya Woolfe after her brother Max went for a walk and she went to find him. She slipped on the rocks and fell to drown in the sea. The brother was walking along the beach with the dog when the police found him. They probably won't be home for another few hours, and tomorrow morning, your story will be head news. Congratulations.'

'Congratulations for what?'

'You, Athaya Woolfe, are legally dead.'