CHAPTER 9
AN:
I haven't really said so, but I do love review/comments and favorites/votes. Thank you to my best friend thosefallen, for reviewing. I know I'm not the best at writing (from what I've read, thosefallen is better than me) but I still like to hear what you thought when reading this. Please, if you do read this story, leave a review. It's like crack to me.
One other thing. In case you haven't already noticed, this is focusing mostly on Gadreel and Crowley. They will have the POV most of the time. I will try to keep it balanced, but I really want to keep using Gadreel's and Crowley's POV. If it's hard for you to keep track of a lot of OC's, this is where it get complex. At least three more OC's- if you count Gavin.
Bornrider2 out.
Crowley's POV:
I was still sitting on the couch with David a few hours later. I figured it was his magic finally kicking in and healing his injuries. He continued to mutter, but not with as much frequency or urgency. I gently pushed his almost- too- long- hair out of his eyes and thought back to the first mission we had gone on together.
* * *
1846
"DAVID! Where the Hell do you think you're going?" I shouted as I saw David trying to leave the building before I could feed him our mission. He froze and turned back to me, sighing. "Sorry Sir, I just don't want to go. I've had so many missions lately, I'm exhausted. Nephalem need to sleep on occasion, I know that you know that." He ranted as I dragged him out to the horses. We were in New York city, waiting for our assignment.
"Yes, I know, shut up. I didn't assign this one, Lilith did. We have to take out a particularly nasty hunter on fifth avenue." I said. David groaned. "Let me guess, he's a Winchester?" I nodded.
"This bloodline is going to cause problems if we don't get rid of it." I said. "I don't want to have to be in charge and have to deal with one, let alone two- Lucifer help us if there is two in one generation- Winchesters while I'm trying to get shit done." I said. We headed off, soon arriving at the address.
It was dark out, so I didn't spot the demon trap before it was too late. I stopped dead in my tracks. David turned back to me after a second and laughed. "Mighty Crowley, King of the Crossroads, stuck in a devil's trap. This is funny. I wish I could capture this moment." David laughed as I tried to swing at him, only to be stopped by the trap. "Just let me out!" I snarled.
He laughed as he freed me, but we both quieted as we neared the house. I could smell the salt on the windows and doors. David quickly picked the lock and stepped over the salt, breaking the line with his foot.
The Winchester was waiting for us. He shot at my head with rock salt as I stepped in, and I ducked. David walked calmly towards him, not even flinching as he was peppered with bullets. He ducked as a knife was thrown at his chest, and the knife nicked my cheek. It was an ancient demon killing knife and I hissed.
"What the Hell are you?!" The Winchester yelled. He was- surprisingly- in his elder years. He gasped as David plunged a blade into his chest. "I'm none of your concern, human." David snarled. The Winchester went limp and David turned to grin at me as his lifeless body hit the floor.
A shotgun fired to my right and I turned, only to feel a bullet from the Colt. A younger hunter stood across from me. "That's for my father." He growled. Dammit, the bastard had a son! I thought as orange light flickered through me. The bullet had pierced my abdomen and I was bleeding profusely.
David ran forward, ducking another shot from the demon- killing gun, and tackled the man. They fought for control over the gun, David's knife still in the other Winchester's chest. I collapsed as I watched David shoot the second man.
"Crowley! Stay awake, don't die on me." David shouted as he lifted me onto his lap. Black was encroaching on my vision and my breathing was labored and painful. He murmured in Latin and Enochian, and I gasped as blue light encompassed my wound. The pain began to fade and everything seemed to come back into focus.
"David?" I asked. His eyes snapped up to mine and he smiled. "Yeah?" He asked. I pushed myself upright, and looked him in the eye again. "Thank you." I muttered. His grin widened.
"Anything for a friend Crowley."
* * *
I blinked as I pulled away from the memory. That was happening a lot. I needed to get that under control.
"Wait, if you killed both Winchesters, how are Dean and I here?" Sam asked as he sat on the arm of the couch beside me. I reached up and kissed him lightly before explaining.
"We didn't notice the four- year- old Winchester hiding in the basement. The older one, he hadn't starting hunting until his son was twelve, which allowed him to live to see his grandson born, which didn't really happen in your bloodline. Winchesters have been hunting since the dawn of time Sam. Ever since the tower of Babylon fell, which was the work of demons."
Sam smirked against my lips. "Really? Cas was there, and he says he didn't see anything weird." He countered.
I pulled away. "Well, Cain was good at covering his tracks." I told him. He frowned before he stood and continued walking to the library. Gadreel was there, strolling among the shelves. "Hey Gad, what are you looking for?" Sam asked as I sat down at one of the tables, opening an old lore book on how to open Lucifer's cage, something not even I knew how to do. I hadn't gone anywhere near it when I was King of Hell, not wanting to have another accident like with what happened to David.
"Something on Nephalem. I don't know much about them, I was never around the five that joined Heaven." Gad answered. I looked up at this. "Well, I know just about everything about them, I was in charge of them in Hell." I answered. Both Gad and Sam came over to the table I was at and sat down. "Well, what can you tell us about them?" Sam asked.
I sighed, ready to deliver a long speech.
"They reach maturity at one hundred, and are considered young until the reach three hundred. They have wings and can smoke out like a demon if they so chose. The can be possessed by angels, but not demons, thank God for that. Demon traps and salt or iron don't affect them, but things like the Colt or that demon knife you have can. Angel blades and holy fire have effects on them, but angel- banishing vigils don't work, nor does angel or demon warding. We don't know how old they can get, none have died of old age that I know of, but we've seen some as old as angels. They have human souls, demon souls, and angel Grace, all three packed inside one vessel." I said.
"What? How do they not burn up?" Sam interrupted me. I shrugged. "All I know is that each one has the same amount of power as an archangel. They can shape- shift-a few of them- each seems to have one element that they can rely on, even if they've used up all other magic reserves, and it takes a lot to kill them, the buggers just don't want to stay down." I finished.
Both Sam and Gad seemed shocked. Sam collected himself first, and ever the curious little bugger, asked, "What is David's element?" I smirked.
"It's fire." David's voice sounded from the door. I spun around to see him leaning against the door frame, a small smile across his features. "It makes me less susceptible to holy fire." His voice was weak and scratchy again as I rose and walked over to meet him. He leaned heavily against me. "I can make a roaring inferno without a second thought, and not even notice I'm standing in the middle of it for another three minutes." He laughed, but the laugh turned into a wet cough, and blood splattered against his hand.
"Okay, you're done talking. Lay down." I lead him to another couch, only a few feet away from the table Sam and Gad were still sitting at. I placed my hand on his chest, concentrating on healing him some more.
"You left out the part where we can speak any language we hear." He choked out. I glared at his idiotic persistence and he smirked. "You're going to be the death of me." I sighed. He laughed weakly and winced. "Isn't that my job?" He countered.
Sam was concerned, I could see that, but he was still curious. He was talking about everything with David as Gadreel and I healed him. "How long can you last with magic use?" He asked. I glared at David, daring him to answer while I healed his lungs.
"Five hours, with constant use. About twenty if not." He answered. "It's helpful in battle." Sam's face seemed socked and David was about to laugh again, before glancing at me and reconsidering that idea. "I'm not even one of the more powerful Nei- children. I have a friend Artemis, she's amazing. She can keep going with constant and heavy magic use for days at a time. Her element is fire too, but she's an astounding healer." David said, and I could see the slightest tinge of pink to his cheeks.
Sam smirked knowingly and let me finish healing David before he asked anything else. I left them alone to talk, head to the room I shared with Sam to wash off the blood. As I watched the red streaks circle down the drain I tried to think of how I was going to phrase asking David to take over control of Hell. The boy had always been ambitious, but I know that he had never wanted to rule.
Sam came in a few minutes later and wrapped his arms around me from behind, setting his head on my shoulder. "What are you thinking Fergus?" He asked, gently leading me over to the bed. I protested lightly until we were laying down, curled up into each other.
I sighed. "I was trying to figure out how David might react to me handing over Hell to him. He's never wanted to rule, he just wanted to be safe from Heaven. Michael never liked him, and he always drew too much attention on Earth, so Hell was his only choice. I'm afraid that someone might not take kindly to him taking over and start a revolution, and then I would have to help him anyway, because he's not ready for something like that. He's always been to kind for all of this." I ranted, hiding my face in Sam's ever- present flannel shirt.
Sam tipped my face up to kiss me lightly and smiled. "He'll say yes, I can tell, and he'll do fine. He's not a little kid you have to protect, he's a powerful Nephalem." He kissed me again and I was surprised when I felt tears running down my face.
Sam frowned, wiping away the tears. "Hey, it's okay. What's wrong?" He asked, concern written all over his features. I shook my head, resting it on his shoulder. "There's nothing wrong. It's just that you're always so supportive of me, and you're getting along with both Gadreel and David, and you're willing to do the cure again and . . ." I trialed off as he kissed me again.
"Just go to sleep, I'll stay right here." He whispered, hugging me close.
* * *
1899
I was sitting with David in my office, reading when I felt myself being summoned for a deal. I sighed, handing it off to another dealer and turning back to the spell book I was reading.
"What's wrong Dad?" David asked. I opened my mouth to answer before pausing. Did he just say 'Dad'?
"What did you just call me?" I asked, staring at the younger man. His eyes widened and fear seemed to take over his face. "N-nothing. I just asked what was wrong." He tried to lie, eyes darting to the door before turning back to me.
"No, you called me 'Dad'. Why the Hell did you call me that?" I demanded, standing and approaching him. He shrank back a little, eyes still wide and I could practically smell the fear coming off of him.
"My mother, when she was still alive, told me she had me with the King of the Crossroads. She never gave me a name, but you've been the King since before I was born, so . . ." He whispered, trailing off, looking away from me. I wracked my memory for the last angel I was with in that way, and could only come up with one name in the past five hundred years.
"Who was your mother?" I asked, my voice coming out harsher than intended. David flinched and looked back up at me. "Haniel. Angel who guards over the tree of life, Yggdrasil." He answered.
Shock was all I could feel. It was considered a great honor in both Heaven and Hell to parent a Nei- child, and here I was, finding out I had a second son. Not just that, but I had been working with him for so long I had lost track of time and I had never suspected a thing. The only thing I had ever noticed was that he reminded me of Gavin, and I had always felt closer to him than the other nine Nei- children under my watch.
He was still watching me with fear in his eyes, obviously expecting me to react violently to his revelation, and I felt anger at myself for putting that fear there. Instead, I reached down and hugged him, pulling the younger man close and closing my eyes as I held him. He gasped and stiffened in my arms, but I didn't let go. After a minute he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me as well, saying, "Thank you."
* * *
David's POV:
The next few days were just spent with me resting and the others- aside from Dad- asking as many questions as possible. How old are you? 276. How high can you fly? Past the atmosphere and into space, oxygen isn't a problem, and simple spells fix everything else. Are you really friends with Lucifer? Yes, again, the guy's not half bad.
I was starting to get restless, but every time I tried to sneak outside to train, Dad would catch me and sit me right back where I was before.
"Come on! I can't stay here forever! I'm fine, I don't need to be babied!" I shouted as Dad sat me down again, drawing the attention of Gadreel, Castiel, and the Winchesters. I glared at Sam as he walked up to Dad, taking his hand and pulling him away from me before he could shout back. "Maybe now is the time to tell him. There's really no excuse to put it off any longer Fergus." Sam said.
"Tell me what?!" I growled, standing up and pacing across the floor, my wings fluttering in annoyance. I'd never been one for staying inside for long periods of time, I preferred the open skies. I felt trapped when I was inside, like it was one large cage.
"David, please, calm down. I know you're restless, but can you sit still for a few more minutes while we explain what's going on?" Dad asked, pointing to where I was sitting a minute ago. I glared at him, ready to say no, when I noticed Cas give me a faint nod. I hesitated, knowing I could trust the once- angel, before huffing and sitting down, still glaring at my father. "What?!"
Everyone else sat down, and Dad seemed to share a silent conversation with Sam. "We told you about how we tried to use the cure, but never finished it, right?" Sam asked. I nodded stiffly, still pissed about all of this.
"Well, we want to try again, and actually finish this time, but that would leave Hell open to be ruled by someone like Abbadon." Dad started. "We needed someone we could trust to take over my position. Abbadon may act like she's Queen, but Hell still answers to me, because she never really overruled me. If I were to appoint another as King or Queen, Hell would answer to them, and I would be free to follow through with the cure."
I shrugged. "So, what, you want help finding someone to rule the place? There's a ton of guys I can think of, but you probably shouldn't trust any of them." I said, wondering why they were trying to make such a big deal out of it. "Whoever you choose, I'll back them, which means Artemis and Luke would, so it'd be stupid to fight us." I added as an afterthought, thinking of the twins fondly.
Dad gave me a weird look, and I started to squirm under the combined gazes of everyone in the room. "Do I have something on my face?" I asked.
"I would like to have you be King, David. You're the only one I can trust." Dad said, smiling at me. I just stared, not quite processing what he had said. "Me?"
"Yes."
"Me, ruling Hell? That's insane!" I shouted, standing and pacing again. Panic filled me at the thought, and my wings twitched, wanting to fly and forget everything.
"Why is that so insane?" Sam asked, and I snapped, "I can't! I don't know how to rule, or give orders, or run fucking Hell! I'm barely an adult, why the fuck would I want to do this! I- I can't . . ." Breathing had suddenly become hard at the thought that everyone would turn against me if they knew what was happening, that I would be in charge of millions of souls . . .
I was as surprised as everyone else when I suddenly collapsed, unable to pull air into my lungs. But I don't even need oxygen, so why is this affecting me? My vision swam, and I could barely register that Dean was propping me up as my Dad tried to speak to me.
I gasped as Gadreel slapped me, and sat upright, logic and reasoning returning with my ability to breathe. "David, what was that! Are you okay?" Dad asked, panic clear in his voice.
"I-I'm fine . . . It's nothing. I just panicked a little. I get panic attacks sometimes, it's been happening for a while. Why would you choose me?!" I demanded, and Dad seemed to deflate.
"You were truly my last resort. I know this isn't something you want, but I have no other choice. Looks like we're back to square one." He sighed, and I felt guilty for the hopeless look on Sam's face.
"Look, I do have friends who might be able to. I mentioned Artemis, right? She has a few brothers that I trust too, and she might, or one of them are bound to be willing to do it. I could see if they could come here, maybe do like, and interview thing for it?" I suggested. Dad smiled, nodding.
"We could always try."