Chapter Eighteen

The Long Ride

Author Note: A *furo* is a traditional type of Japanese bath, and the Aman hotel suites all feature one.

JFK Airport: July 12, 2010

Rowen huffed as he made his way toward the terminal. Even with his clearance, it took forever to get through TSA, and now he was running late. Thankfully he still had at least an hour before the gate opened, but he hated cutting an international flight this close. Bobby had let him know he and Azrial arrived in NYC the day before, so they were likely already waiting at the terminal. He should have followed their example, but the temptation to stay home with his family had been too much. Even having to run through part of the busy airport didn't make him regret his choice. He sighed in relief once the terminal came into sight. He started to look for Azrial and Bobby but didn't see them at first. It took three tries to pin them down, and he stopped walking when he finally noticed them. Part of it was how nicely the two were dressed, but the bigger issue was how close they were sitting to each other.

Bobby had an arm draped around the archangel's shoulders, and looked to be talking quietly to her. Azrial was practically cuddled into his side, her eyes shut as she nodded along with whatever was being said. Their hands were loosely tangled together on Bobby's knee, and they seemed extremely comfortable with the arrangement. Rowen felt a shiver of fear creep up his spine and hoped to God Crowley never saw the two like this. The demon may care for both of them, but if he thought Bobby was stepping in on his lover…well Rowen didn't want to think about what Crowley would do.

Rowen moved forward, calling out to the two. "Good to see you both!"

This startled them, and Azrial sat up fully and removed her hand from Bobby's knee. Bobby gave him an annoyed look, though Rowen wasn't sure why. The hunter inclined his head in greeting once he sat across from them.

"Glad to see you made it."

Bobby's dry tone made Rowen raise an eyebrow. "Did you think I wouldn't?"

"It was a close call," Azrial admitted. "They are opening the gate in the next few minutes since the plane was early."

"Oh," he signed. "Well, thankfully I made it."

An awkward silence fell over the three, and Azrial shifted uncomfortably before standing up. "I'm going to grab a coffee," she said and headed away from the gate.

Bobby sighed, watching her go with a sad look. Rowen coughed, drawing his friend's attention.

"What?"

"Something I need to know about?" Rowen pointedly asked.

"No," the man growled softly with a warning look. "Kinda like how you didn't wanna talk about your past, I don't wanna talk about this."

Rowen narrowed his eyes, but let the subject die for now. Bobby could be a stubborn bastard if backed into a corner, and he didn't need the man doubling down on his choices out of spite.

"What's the plan when we land?" he asked instead. Bobby eyed him carefully before allowing the tension in his shoulders to ease.

"Well, Azrial and Crowley chose the hotel. They booked an extra room for you, well she did; Crowley said you should be left on your own. Azrial wasn't sure if the Vatican had set ya up or not."

"They did, but depending on how far away it is, it may be better to have us in the same hotel."

"That was my thinking," Bobby admitted. "Cheapasses probably have you in a capsule hotel. Not that they are bad, but it wouldn't really work for what we have planned."

Rowen snorted, nodding in agreement. "I honestly wouldn't put it past them. They're still a bit annoyed with me, and didn't think any of this was a good idea."

"Their priorities are a mess," Bobby sighed. "Where are you seated?"

Rowen glanced at his ticket. "Stuck in economy," he sighed. "Like always. What about you?" Bobby looked uncomfortable at the question, and Rowen raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"We're in first class," Bobby said quietly. "I didn't exactly get a choice in the matter, but if I'd known you'd be stuck in economy I would've asked Azrial to upgrade ya."

Rowen felt a twinge of annoyance at that but quickly brushed it away. It didn't really matter in the long run anyway. His legs were going to hate him by the end of the flight though.

"I'm back," Azrial said. She took the seat next to Bobby again but seemed to be putting some distance between them now that he was here. She handed Bobby a coffee before sipping her own. "I wasn't sure if you'd want anything. I can go back if you like?"

Rowen shook his head. "Don't bother, I'd like to sleep a majority of the flight."

She nodded and fell silent. Her gaze was pinned on the windows, watching the planes pull away from the terminals and take off.

"How is Sue?"

Bobby's question broke the silence, and Rowen was happy for the safe topic of conversation. At least they'd be on the plane soon, and then they'd have their mission to focus on.

Line Break

Bobby glanced over at Azrial, but the archangel was still staring thoughtfully out the window. They'd taken off without any issues, and he was a bit blown away by the accommodation. They basically had their own little closed-off space when the curtain was pulled closed. He noticed several other first-class passengers had already done so, and he decided to do the same. It also allowed him to finally question Azrial.

"Why'd ya pull away earlier?"

She looked toward him, her brows furrowed. "I figured you didn't want him to know what's going on."

Bobby frowned. "I ain't ashamed of ya, ya know that right?" Her eyes softened at the question, and she pushed the armrest up between them, shifting closer so she could grab his hand.

"I never thought you were. I just…understand the position you're in. A hunter being seen cozying up to a supernatural creature wouldn't be good. It's similar to how angels and demons view Crowley and me."

"I don't give a crap about that," he growled softly. "If I did, I wouldn't have said yes to you and Crowley. Besides, Rowen ain't in a position to say jack about that."

"Then…should I have stayed put?" she asked, a bit of confusion in her voice. He sighed, realizing that she truly wasn't sure what to do in that situation.

"Ya don't have to change how you act to accommodate onlookers," he said. "Just be yourself, okay?"

Instead of responding, she took advantage of the fact he already had the chair reclined into a sleeping position and curled into his side again with her head resting against his shoulder. Their fingers laced together, and Azrial lost some of her tension.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry, I guess I was overthinking things."

"Happens. I'm sure you've had to do that a lot over the past few years."

"More than I like to admit," she sighed. "Thank you for the reassurance, nonetheless."

"No worries, princess. Why don't you get some rest before they bring dinner around."

She snorted, glancing up at him. "You're starting to sound like Crowley."

"Don't insult me," he huffed, causing her to laugh.

"Didn't seem too insulted when his tongue was down your throat," she teased.

He snorted and dropped the blanket he'd been given on her face. "That's enough out of you." He smiled at her annoyed huff as she tried to get the blanket off, and relaxed in the chair. Maybe this flight wouldn't drag on too long after all.

Line Break

Aman Tokyo: July 13, 2010

Bobby wanted to fall into bed as soon as he and Azrial entered their suite. Rowen had received a call when they landed and had been ordered by the Vatican to go stay at St. Mary's cathedral despite the free room here. The man had been annoyed, especially after finding out it was a 35-minute commute from the hotel but hadn't tried to argue. They'd parted ways at the airport with plans to meet up after resting today.

"Crowley's sense of humor sucks," Azrial huffed from further in the room.

Bobby walked into the room, glancing at the massive window that overlooked the city before turning his attention to Azrial.

"What did he," he paused. "Oh."

The bastard had booked them the suite with a single king-size bed instead of two twins, because of course he fucking did.

"Welp, looks like I'm sleeping on the window seat. Remind me to smack Crowley when we get home." Azrial snagged a pillow off the bed, tossing it on the long seat that sat below the window. She dropped her bag on the floor and sat down with a sigh.

"What, the bed too good for you?" he asked as he set his carry-on down and walked toward the closest. He opened the door and scowled. Crowley had kept his word to stock the closest so they didn't need to check in a bag, but then proceeded to buy him a whole new wardrobe and ignored his request to send jeans. "Ass."

"Get used to it," Azrial snorted. "He's a diva."

"This why you told me to pack jeans?" he asked as he sat on the bed.

"Yeah. I learned the hard way. As for the bed," she shrugged. "I don't like to assume anything."

"So what was the plane?"

She met his eyes, smiling slightly. "You offered."

"Yeah, well I'm offering now too. We can bite Crowley's head off about it later."

She laughed, tossing the pillow back on the bed. "Fair enough. I'd like to go stretch my legs, and I heard there was a pool. You going to sleep a bit?"

"Debating," he sighed. "Though that furo is calling my name. Despite the extra legroom of first-class, my body is still stiff as hell."

"Fourteen hours in a flying death contraption will do that," she whined. He rolled his eyes, knowing she wasn't serious.

"You'll have your wings back soon, princess. Stop being melodramatic."

"Speaking of extensions of ourselves," she teased. "The safe number is 18-26-45."

Bobby sighed in relief, glad the demon had followed through on that at least. "How the hell are we going to hide a handgun during the auction, anyway? If the cops even get a whiff we have that, we'll be thrown in jail. That's not even counting what monsters would do to get it."

"I'll carry it into the auction before giving it to you. Don't worry about it too much, despite the 'no weapons' stance Balthazar put out, he knows everyone will be packing at least one."

"Then why have the rule?"

She stood up, stretching and making her way toward the closet. "Well, it keeps the weapons to a minimum. Sneaking in one weapon is expected, but if it's obvious you have multiples, you'll never get past the guards. Kinda a…" she paused, scowling as she pulled out two pieces of red fabric. "Crowley sucks."

"I know," he snorted. "Do I want to know how skimpy that is?"

She huffed, tossing the bikini onto the bed. "I don't know why he even asks for a packing list. Anyway, what was I saying?" She lifted her foot to start uniting her boots. "Right, it's a bit of an honor amongst thieves thing. If everyone's doing it, we're all on the same page anyway so mission accomplished."

"Guess that makes some sense. Still seems dangerous though."

"What's life without a little danger?" she teased. "Don't worry, we've got this, hunter."

"If you say so."

Azrial placed her boots in the closet, grabbing the bikini as she went toward the bathroom. "I do. Look, have things gone wrong? Sure, I won't deny that. For the most part though, everyone there has the same goal."

"Somehow that ain't comforting," he huffed.

She shrugged, entering the bathroom without another word. He followed her lead and began taking off his jacket and boots. He'd just stood up when Azrial exited the bathroom with a robe thrown around her body.

"I'll be back. Why don't you take some time to yourself and relax? I know for a fact you haven't been left alone in months."

Her joking tone made his lips twitch, and he waved her off. The door clicking softly shut made him stand up, his back giving a satisfying pop.

Time to try out the furo.

Line Break

Bobby had just pulled on a pair of sweats from his carry-on when the door clicked open again. Azrial walked into the room, her long hair soaked and her shoulders surprisingly more relaxed than they'd been the past few days.

"Welcome back. Guessing the pool was good?"

"Amazing," she sighed happily. "I think I finally got that knot out of my back." She pulled the tie of the robe loose, pushing the fabric off as she walked further into the room. "Honestly, you should head there today. They have so many amazing hot baths."

Words caught in his throat, and as much as he wanted to be annoyed at Crowley for the single bed situation, he was currently thanking the demon for the view. As he'd said almost a year ago, he was old, not blind. Azrial was a beautiful woman, and any question of that was officially blown from his mind. The one thing he hadn't expected made his mouth open before he could think through the consequences.

"I didn't expect you to have so many scars."

Her back stiffened and she glanced over her shoulder. "What?"

"It's not a bad thing," he said firmly in an attempt to backtrack. "I'm just surprised since angels heal so easily."

This seemed to relax her again, and she turned around to look at him. "Scars tell stories," she said with a cocky smile. "I can see from here you have a few of your own."

"Well yeah, but I'm human. I don't think Castiel has a single scar at all."

She tilted her head, water dislodging itself from her tangled hair. "I'm a warrior. Scars are stories, lessons. Things I've done right, and things I've done wrong." Her fingers came to rest on the scar that dominated her chest and she looked away. "I'll cover back up. I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"Azrial, I'm not uncomfortable," he said. "I'm just curious." She still seemed hesitant, and he held out his hand. "Tell me about your scars and I'll tell you about mine."

The offer seemed to intrigue her, and she tossed a towel on the bed so she could sit next to him without soaking the comforter. He wasn't sure why this fascinated him so much, but if she was willing to entertain him he'd take a chance.

"Well, ask away," she said once she was settled cross-legged in front of him. He reached out, running his thumb over a small knotted scar on her shoulder blade.

"This looks like an arrowhead."

"That's because it was," she chuckled. "And let me tell you, angel or not, it was a bitch to dig it out of my shoulder."

"What happened?"

She hesitated, but a soft smile slowly took over. It was clear she was remembering something good that happened, which surprised him. "A Roman soldier with shit aim hit me."

"And he survived?" Bobby asked in disbelief.

"I was young then, not wrathful," she huffed. "He was aiming for a deer. Women don't normally go wandering around unsettled forests."

"I guess that's fair."

She ran her eyes over his chest and then leaned forward. Her cool fingers traced a thin long scar on his bicep.

"Knife wound?"

"Would you believe me if I told you sword?" he joked. She narrowed her eyes on the wound, shifting closer.

"I'd believe it was a dagger."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You got that from a single line?"

"I've seen a lot of wounds in my time," she chuckled. "What happened?"

"Witch hunt back in '85 with my friend Rufus. Crazy bitch was slaughtering pets in the suburbs, like that wouldn't draw attention." He rolled his eyes, electing a giggle from Azrial. "Well, she got me with the dagger she'd been usin' to kill the pets. Thankfully didn't have any curses on it."

"Rufus?" she asked curiously, not bothering to stop running her fingers across his skin.

"Damn good friend, and a massive pain in my ass. I've known him since…" he trailed off, realizing with a start that Azrial and Crowley had zero clue about this. "Since my wife was killed."

Azrial's gaze snapped up, her eyes wide at his quiet admission. It was better she found out now. Wasn't like it was a secret, but enough people didn't like him that if they saw him and the archangel together they may throw it in her face.

"I hadn't realized you were married," Azrial finally said. "It obviously weighs on you, though. Just know you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. Crowley and I have had an agreement for years not to talk about our past."

"Really?" he couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "That doesn't bug ya?"

"Bobby, I'm old," she chuckled. "I may have slept through a century here or there, but I've lived a lot of life. Couple that with the fact that Crowley's human life was shit from what I've gathered, and Hell isn't a picnic, well…we decided it was best to just not mention the past."

"What about reminiscing?" he asked. "I've seen the way you get when you talk about things that interest you."

She shrugged. "I was alone a lot before Crowley. There were spans of time I spent in others' company, but I was rarely close enough to anyone to share my experiences."

He frowned. She'd specified rarely, that meant at some point she'd had that connection. While he wasn't one for talking needlessly about the past, he also knew reflecting on it could make you feel pretty good.

"Well…I like hearing about your experiences. So, if ya wanna ask…" he let the question hang, and Azrial's eyes softened.

"You're sweet," she whispered. "Thank you, my hunter."

The affectionate tone made him lean forward, brushing his lips against her jaw. "No problem, princess."

Her neck tilted slightly, a small hum of pleasure vibrating in her throat. "So, what scar do you want to ask about next?"

The out was there, but Bobby wasn't actually in the mood to take it at the moment. He gently pulled her hair so she was facing him, and leaned down to kiss her softly. She exhaled, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him closer. He noted she wasn't fighting for control of the kiss, something he'd felt Crowley do. Instead, she simply melted into him, allowing him to set the pace. He pulled back after a moment, looking down at her half-lidded eyes.

"We good?" he whispered.

"Perfect," she said with a smile. "Too bad Crowley wasn't here to get a picture."

He snorted, his forehead falling to her shoulder as he struggled not to laugh. He lost the fight but didn't care. He made a promise to himself as Azrial's laughter joined his; he'd kill anyone who tried to hurt his family, and that included Azrial and Crowley. He refused to lose another damn person, especially two that had made him feel more wanted and appreciated than he had in a long time.

The next update is April, March 2, 2022