AN: The next two chapters don't have so much happening in them, but some interesting obstacle arise and are resolved(ish). Hope everyone enjoys where the story is heading! Thanks to everyone for your reviews and just for taking the time to read!

Xxx

~Fen~

Chapter Seven:

'Why is that strangely reassuring?' Athaya asked jokingly as she leant back in her chair.

'Because you know your family is safe.' Crowley said honestly. 'Your brother is alive, and if Azazel does come looking for you – even though you're dead – all he'll find is a family with a missing daughter.'

'That really is reassuring…' Athaya stretched her arms above her head and yawned loudly.

'I'm sorry. Do you have somewhere important to be? Am I keeping you from something?' Crowley asked sarcastically as he glanced her over.

Athaya resettled in the chair and closed her eyes. 'No. I'm just really tired. And I'm trying to delay going back home. I don't want to go and pack my bags for a final time. I don't want to leave my family forever, but hey. That's life, I guess.'

'Them's the breaks, darling. Unfortunately, you're signed into this forever. Imagine what would happen if you did reveal yourself to your parents. They'd think they were seeing a ghost.'

'I can never go back,' Athaya summarised dully. She sighed and was just starting to drift off when a strange gurgling sound filled the room.

'Blimey. What the bloody hell was that?' Crowley asked, looking around for the culprit.

Athaya blushed slightly and pulled a face. 'That…was my stomach. I'm hungry, apparently.'

'Well, you did mention you didn't have much time for eating before you summoned me,' Crowley said fairly.

'It seems like I've regained my appetite. And my want for sleep. Just when I don't have the time…' Athaya said wistfully.

'Yes. I do think it's time to go. It'll take you a while to get your affairs in order, won't it?'

Athaya stared off into nothing, 'You'd be surprised, actually. It'll probably take me ten minutes, tops. I can't take anything that they'd notice. A change of clothes. A couple of favourite things, maybe…food.' Her voice was devoid of emotion as she accepted that she had to leave everything she'd ever known. All the things she'd ever loved. Her dog. Her family.

Athaya felt a tear slip down her cheek and she brushed it away quickly, not wanting Crowley to see. She was tough. Tough enough to survive this and move on with her life.

At least she hoped so.

Athaya stood up and Crowley followed. 'You ready to go, then?'

She stared thoughtfully around the vast office and then smiled. 'Let's get this over with.'

'I'll drop you off home, and then if there's anywhere else you want to go, let me know.'

Athaya thought for a moment and then said. 'Yeah. I might think of someplace. Maybe Hawaii…'

'It's not that great, trust me.'

'Okay. Not Hawaii then.'

Crowley paused. 'You trust me that much? You'll just take my word for it?'

Athaya shrugged. 'What reason would you have to lie? It's not like there's some kind of apocalyptic plan taking place in Hawaii that you don't want me to know about, right?'

'Uh, no. Not that I'm aware of.'

'Then, yes. I trust your judgement. To a certain extent.'

'Careful there, darling. You're on the verge of trusting a demon; not something I would recommend. Demons are liars.'

'Huh. And then there's you. The semi-honest, slightly trustworthy, promise-keeping king of the crossroads.'

'And then there's me. What can I say? Somebody's got to be the black sheep of the family.'

'That's an understatement,' Athaya grinned. 'But anyway. We should get going.'

'Yes. We should.' Crowley reached out to put his hand on Athaya's elbow and they were suddenly back at the crossroads.

'Which one's your house?' Crowley asked as Athaya only stumbled slightly this time. Once she'd regained her balance, she looked around, observing her surroundings and taking in the dirt road and ocean. It was just after dawn now, the sun peeking its head above the horizon, painting the sky a canvas of pinks and oranges.

'It's…uh, the one up on the hill. Up there.' She pointed inland, and up at one of the rising land formations. It was a brick house with a wide backyard facing the sea sat in a small alcove, and that's where Athaya found herself two seconds later.

'Whoa! A little warning would be appreciated, Crowley,' she growled and reached out to grab a wall next to her for support. They were in the kitchen.

'Sorry love, time is of the essence. I do think we spent a little too long talking about my personality. Not that it isn't a fascinating subject – I often spend hours thinking about it myself, bu – '

Athaya cut him off. 'Shh! I can hear someone.' She held a finger to her lips and stuck her head cautiously out from behind the door that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house.

It was her dog.

'Felix! Shh, boy. Don't bark. Hey, it's just me!' Athaya quickly glanced around, making sure no other family members were there, before she ran over to the family kelpie and knelt on the ground.

'Hey Schnooka. How're you doing? Someone must have dropped you off home. I'm sorry, but I gotta go.' She gave him a rub around his ears and his tail thumped against the ground softly. Athaya peeked out the window and saw that the family car was gone.

Good. That meant they must still have been at the police station.

Athaya beckoned Crowley with her hand and he walked over to her from the kitchen.

'What did you just call the creature? Schnooka?' he said in mild disgust, looking down at the puppy.

'It's a pet nickname. You wouldn't understand.'

'Oh, I understand perfectly, Princess.'

Athaya stopped petting her dog and looked up at him with a suspicious glare. 'Did you just call me princess? Really? I thought I was supposed to be the immature teenager.

'It's a pet nickname, darling.' He mimicked her tone and she scowled at him in irritation.

'Fine. I don't have time to argue. I need to pack.' She stood up and walked towards the back of the house until she came to her bedroom.

'Right you are, Princess,' Crowley said as he followed her, ignoring the second glare that Athaya sent his way.

'Give me five minutes, okay?' She said and closed the door to her bedroom in his face.

'That's charming. You really are a princess,' he murmured cynically.

'I heard that!' Came Athaya's slightly muffled response.

'Why can't I come it?' He asked slightly louder.

'Because I'm a teenager, and it's my bedroom. What do you want to come in?' She enquired worriedly.

'Ah. Fair point. I'll be fine out here, actually.'

'That's what I thought.'

He didn't last long. To say the king of the crossroads was impatient would be an understatement. 'How long are you going to be?' Crowley said after a few seconds.

'Why? Have you got somewhere important to be? Am I keeping you from something?' Athaya said, mirroring his questions to her from earlier.

'Oi, you better watch it, Princess. As it happens, I have very important business to attend to, business that doesn't concern annoying teenagers.'

'I thought you said I was brilliant?'

'Did I really? I can't recall.'

'Bollocks. That's bull.'

Crowley chuckled. 'Perhaps I should wait outside?'

'That sounds like a good idea. I'm about to leave my home forever. I need to concentrate on what I need to bring. You're making that difficult.'

'Why Princess…am I distracting you?' He asked coyly.

'No. You could never.' Athaya said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

'Alright, alright. I know when I'm not wanted. See you out the back.' Crowley vanished from outside her bedroom door and appeared on her back porch, where he sat down on one of the deck chairs.

Back in her room, Athaya was busy going through her things as neatly as possible – not wanting to make a suspicious mess. Every now and then she'd find something of small value that she'd toss into the bottom of her backpack. She packed a few changes of clothes, grabbed the contents of her piggy-bank – just under two-thousand – and her purse. She had a credit card, but her account was empty. She'd drained the account the other day when she got a feeling, transferring her money to her bedroom piggybank. Her parents would just think she'd gone on a shopping splurge. Her purse had a further $50 in it and some small change. Somehow she'd have get fake ID's to replace the ones portraying her as a dead girl.

Athaya had just finished packing all the essentials, going into the kitchen to grab food and water, when she heard something move outside. A car?

The familiar sound of tires on gravel rolling up the drive reached Athaya's ears and she froze.

Her parents were home.

AN: BUM BUM BUUMM. Another cliffie! Haha! Hope you all enjoyed.

xxx