#chapter27

         “Let’s go, my little lout.” Crowley chuckled as he took your hand and followed the boys. Paying attention to you footing, you managed to avoid anymore accidents. The woods were dense and since the coloring never varied, you were staring to feel as if you had been walking in a circle. As the hour droned on, Crowley was increasingly getting on your nerves. He kept complaining and making off handed comments about having to do this work that he believed was beneath him. It was moments like this that you were unpleasantly reminded that he was the King of Hell.  

         Taking a break around 8 am for some water, Sam consulted the maps and your compass.  He said that you were getting close to the mine, which was great but you still had all the surrounding area to hike. The area that you had stopped was one of the few spots in the woods where the canopy above you was thin and you could feel the sunlight. Perching yourself on a fallen tree, you closed your eyes and basked in the momentary warmth of the rays. Crowley just watched you, happy that you were at peace.  

           Your peace was interrupted when you got a pinecone to the chest, Dean was trying to signal you that they were moving on. You retaliated his gesture with a pinecone of your own but accidentally missed and hit Sam. In a matter of seconds an all out war ensued. Mumbling something about the three of you being children, Crowley moved out of the line of fire and starting walking in the direction the mine entrance should be.  

           “Took you long enough,” The king grumbled without turning around as you finally caught up. He wasn’t exactly a fan of the manual labor that went along with hunting. He had walked only a couple more feet when he came to a halt.

        “Sorry grumpy,” you commented rolling your eyes as you went to stand next to him. When you saw why he had stopped your blood went cold. There just a few feet in from of you was one of the entrances. The pictures Sam had shown you didn’t do it justice. There was the large gaping hole in the side of the earth. The darkness was off putting to say the least and the outside of the entrance was covered in brush and limbs that looked like they wold reach out and grab you as you walked through. The boys had made their way to you and Crowley, quietly taking the creepy view as you did.  

         Forcing yourself to do something productive to quell the fear, you walked over to a near by tree and ripped off a small branch. The the guys watched you with curiosity. You unsheathed the knife from your thigh and began scraping the bark off of the wood you had in your hand.  

         “Patients is not one of my virtues, love.” Crowley said with exasperation wanting to continue on. Now you were beginning to get pissed with him.

          “Look,” You said pointing the knife at him, “I understand that you aren’t used to shlepping with the rest of us low life’s, but stow the bitchy attitude, your highness.” Sam and Dean could barely stifle their snorts and chuckles at you reprimanding the King of the demons. Crowley stalked towards you with sheer anger on his face. He reached out and grabbed your arm with the knife in it and then the two of you disappeared.  

        “I think the love birds need a moment.” Dean said clearing his throat and picking up the stick you had dropped when Crowley grabbed you. He put two and two together and realized you were making a marker for reference later, if you guys were to get separated or if you ended up needing to find your way back through the woods in a hurry. While the boys finished making the marker you started, you and Crowley had been transported back to the spot you had rested at a few yards away.  

         “The last time you brandished a knife at me, it was a lot more charming.” Crowley was leaning against the log that you were on just a few minutes before.  

        “Sorry.” You said with a sigh and sheathed the blade back in your thigh holster. You leaned against a near by fir tree and stared at him. The space between the two of you was only a few feet but it felt like a mile. “I am on edge.” You watched him, trying to read his face and body language. You opened your mouth to say more, but a snap of a twig stopped you. In a blink, he was standing in front of you pressing you into the tree, his hand over your mouth.  

         “You’re not the only one.” He said looking over his shoulder. You raised an eye brow in a effort to ask what he was talking about since you couldn’t speak with his hand over your mouth. “I have felt un easy since we entered the woods.” He said looking back at you, slowly removing his hand.  

          “That explains the complaining.” You whispered looking around him trying to see if you could he saw anything. “If you feel like somethings up, we need to get back to Sam and Dean.” You tried to push him off of you to head back to the boys. Stopping you, he pressed you back into the tree with his body. If it were any other time or place this would have been an action that lead to other things. “Come on, lets go.” You said with slight urgency.

         “I want to make a deal with you first.” The corner of his mouth turned up in a slight smile but his eyes didn’t match the action. You nodded, curious as to what he was getting at. “If anything about this goes wrong with the Alpha, you get out.” You looked at him hard, a mixture of fear and stubbornness creasing around your eyes. Before you had a chance to open your mouth and tell him no, his hand flew over your mouth again.

            “Can you not be a flannel nightmare like every other hunter I have met?” His face was contorted in anger and frustration as he removed his hand so you could speak.

          “I know you want to protect me, but they are my family, Crowley. I wont just leave them if things go wrong.” The fear couldn’t be kept out of your voice as you thought of something happening to any of you. Then you both heard a rustling in the brush. Brandishing your weapons you faced the source of the sound, only to be met with your brothers who had been eavesdropping.  

          “Family or not. Do as he asked.” Dean said as he walked towards you. Sam nodding in agreement, came and stood next to his bother. Looking back at Crowley, you saw desperation cross his eyes but only for a moment. You mulled over Crowley’s ‘deal’. Having all three guys on the same said was going to make it difficult for you got get around. You decided to concede, but not happily.  

         “Fine, but if anything happens to either of you I will bring your asses back and kick them myself.”  The three of them smiled.

        Crowley leaned down to your ear and whispered “promise?” in a gruff but tender voice.

         “You bet your ass I do.” You said smiling. Finally letting you away from the tree, you walked over to the boys and gave them a hug, telling both of them that the deal sucks.  

         “So, are you two done having your Bed of Roses moment?” Dean asked gesturing between you and Crowley.  

         “Squirrel, you know you will always be my Christian Slater.” The verbal sparing was nice, it made things feel less tense. “Bromance aside, I was making a deal with her because something feels of. It was a contingency plan.” Dean and Sam looked at him with worry.  

        “Care to give us more then vague crap?” Dean asked again with irritation. You elbowed him in the side, signaling him to play nice.  

        “He thinks we are being watched or followed.” You said, looking around with slight paranoia. It was nearly after 8:30 in the morning but in the dense forest the day light hours didn’t matter much.  

         “What makes you think that?” Sam asked with a snort of derision, they didn’t notice anything.

          “Intuition. I didn’t become King of Hell by taking life as it comes, I pay attention.” He had you there. Crowley was defiantly successful when it came to the game of life. If you have learned anything in the last week it was to trust Crowley’s instincts. Sam and Dean thought differently, they were always quick to be skeptical of anyone who wasn’t ‘family’.  

          “Hey!” You whisper yelled above the arguing. “Can we just agree, that despite whether or not you believe him, that it would be a good idea to bed extra cautious?” Sam and Dean both donned sheepish expression, while Crowley was smug. Bickering aside, the four of you soldiered on through the woods exploring what you could before the dusk.  

           There was only one other entrance that you had managed to find so far on your hike. Unfortunately, it wasn’t useable thanks to a cave-in god only knows how long ago. Still, you all trudged on. The weather was weakening at this point, the wind had lightly starting blowing through the trees, making every sound something you felt you needed to be cautious of. Rain was beginning to make an appearance as well. It wasn’t enough to soak through your clothing, but it was a fine mist that made everything feel colder and made the earth a slippery hazard while walking. Around 10 Dean, who had elected himself team leader, decided it was time for a jerky and water break. You guys found a small dirt clearing with a couple boulders to sit on.  

        There was a Douglas Fir tree near the clearing and you decided you wanted a better view. Chugging half a bottle of water and sticking a beef stick in your bag, you proceeded to climb the tree.   You had made it up two limbs before the guys noticed you were gone.  

       “Y/N?”Dean raised his voice in a slight panic at your sudden disappearance. He relaxed when he heard you snicker in the tree.  

       “Chill, I’m up here.” You said the word ‘here’ with a slight grunt as you lifted yourself up on another branch.  

        “I supposed I should add Monkey to the Moose and Squirrel mix.” Crowley said staring up at the branches, seeing glimpses of your clothing as you climbed. You could hear the boys chuckle at your new nickname. The farther you climbed the less you could hear them. Five minutes later you had made it about half way up the tree and you were 60 feet or so off the ground. Carefully scooting out on a limb where you could get a better view, you just saw more lush green landscape and the tops of some trees. It was quiet though, almost serene.  

         “You are going to break your bloody neck!” The King growled below you seeing how high you had climbed. Sam and Dean weren’t near as concerned since they had seen you do this before.

         “Pipe down, your majesty. You are ruining the moment.” There was enough chiding in your voice that you would have stuck your tongue out at Crowley if he could have seen it.    

         “Looks like we know who wears the pants in this relationship.” Sam smiled at the demon smugly.  

         “Haven’t you ever seen foreplay Moose?” Crowley knew that that’s not what you were doing but irritating and disturbing your brothers was always a plus. The two of them made a face like they had just eaten a sour lemon and then Crowley disappeared. When he reappeared it was right next you you on the limb, making you jump. Him scaring you made you shift your weight wrong and almost fall out of the tree. His large hand shot out and grabbed the back of your jacket pulling you against his side, and wrapping his arm around you like a makeshift seatbelt.  

        “I am beginning to think you are purposely pushing your luck with me, pet.” His voice was slightly irritated at the fact that you had used his title in a mocking tone. You knew he was a King but he needed to understand that he wasn’t your King. Defusing some of his agitation, you kissed his cheek, loving he way his scruff felt on your lips.  

        “You know I respect you and your title Crowley, however I am not one of your subjects.” Leaning your head against his shoulder you looked out over the limb and watched the boys talking below you.  

         “No, but you are mine.” He said possessively, squeezing you tighter to his side. You smiled at his dominate action. Before you had the opportunity to say anything else you noticed Sam and Dean crouch down low to the ground. Crowley opened his mouth to make a comment on your silence and you put your fingers over his lips to shush him. Then you removed you hand and pointed to the figure you saw running across the forest floor, the figure that made the boys conceal themselves. The shape was a man, dressed in all black, you couldn’t see much more than that from your height. The four of you continued to watch the man until he disappeared in  the giant green wall that must have been another entrance to the mine.  

          Gripping your waist tight, Crowley teleported the two of you back down to the ground with the boys.  

         “Did you?” You asked the boys, using the arm that wasn’t around Crowley’s waist to point to the section where the figure disappeared.  

        “Yeah, you?” Sam responded, both him and Dean staring in the same place you were. Neither of you did anything for a moment.  

         “Are you waiting for the cavalry?!” Crowley said with exasperation. Refocusing, you all pulled your weapons and headed for, what you assumed was another entrance to the mine. Now the original plan was just to hike for the day but this was a game changer.

         As suspected there was another entrance that the  black clad man had gone through. The entrance was more than a little dark and foreboding, it gave you the creeps. Each of you had a flash light in one hand and a weapon in the other. For the first 20 feet or so you didn’t see anything but, dust, rocks, and occasionally pieces of abandoned mine equipment. Then things started to change. You began to see bits of gold speckled on the floor as you walked. Dean all too happily began shoving it in his pockets.  

          “Hansel, leave the bread crumbs. Jingling isn’t exactly stealthy.” Your voice was no louder than a whisper, but I the dark enclosed tunnel it sounded so loud. After several minutes you had come to a larger area that must have been a rail car loading place at one point. It was big enough for several bodies to stand in comfortably and there was a couple sections of track, most likely used for hauling rocks and gear. Following the tracks, you continued down the tunnel. While the guys walked you saw something out of the corner of your eye and shined a light on the black shadow. You braced yourself for something worth shooting but were surprised that the body was already dead.  

         “Uh, guys.” You stepped closer to the lump of decayed bones with your light. “I think we got a problem.” The three of them turned and walked towards you with their own lights.  

        “Bugger.” Crowley commented in disbelief behind you. The confusion in the room was getting thick.

        “Is that?” Sam asked with the same bewildered tone as the demon he now stood next to. The four of you were staring at what was left of the alpha dragon. 

        “Yeah, and he is been dead for a while.” You said, reaching down to examine the body. You pulled you knife out of its sheath and prepared to poke and prod what was left to try and figure out how the dragon died. It didn’t take you long to. Dean shined his light on the skull and you could see there were slight chard marks around the orbital bones of the monster.  

        “Cass.” Dean said with a sigh, remembering when the angel decided to play God. The four of you were at a loss of what to do now.  

        “But you did a spell to locate the alpha and it lead us here.” Sam questioned you, trying to make sense of everything.  

        “Magic isn’t an exact science numb nuts.” The King stated with irritation. “And the spell did as it was supposed to, it lead us to the alpha.” He put his fingers on the bridge of his nose and pinched, frustrated and worried about what has just transpired.  

        “Ok, if he has been dead this entire time, then who has been giving the orders?” You asked, not being able to keep the slight panic out of your voice. Something was off, Crowley was right, the problem was that non of you knew much. Before any of you had a chance to ruminate on the question, you heard a scuffle coming from farther down the tunnels.  

         “Let’s go find out.” Was all Dean said before the four of you took off and followed the sound. As the four of you ran towards the noise, you began to see a light up ahead. There was another clearing much like the one where you found the body of the alpha. Reaching the clearing, you saw an alter set up similar to the one that Crowley and you had come across when you were captured. In the corner of the room was the man that you had seen running through the forest, and now that you could get a good look at him you could see it was another dragon. Was he giving the orders? you asked yourself. You barely had time to formulate the thought when there was an echo of a voice, one that you had heard before but couldn’t place. It wasn’t speaking in a dialect you or the boys recognized, but Crowley knew exactly what was about to happen.