#which sucked but in like a Hint Of Chicory Wood kind of way if you don't know what chicory wood is or tastes like. which i don't (didn't! i

[keeps-ache]

my computer wants to update so bad. which is a real shame,

[velvet-roads]

Like A Virgin: Chapter 26

Chapter 1: Chapter 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7: Chapter 8: Chapter 9: Chapter 10: Chapter 11: Chapter 12: Chapter 13:  Chapter 14: Chapter 15: Chapter 16: Chapter 17: Chapter 18: Chapter 19: Chapter 20: Chapter 21: Chapter 22: Chapter 23: Chapter 24: Chapter 25:

Music: If Today Was Your Last Day by Nickelback (yes I like them, get over it.) and Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater

Warnings: None

Outfit: Bag: 

         The next morning you awoke to what most would think was a wild animal, to you it was just Dean’s snoring. As you opened your groggy, sleep filled eyes, you noticed that you were still in your bed but no longer in Sam’s arms. To your relief Crowley was the one holding you in a firm embrace.  

          “Good morning, lo-” He began to whisper, but before he could finish, your lips crashed into his. He let you kiss him, enjoying the feeling of your relief and joy. He intertwined his fingers with your hair and deepened the kiss. You could feel his tongue teasing your top lip. This was not the time and place for a ‘morning hello’ but your hormones were holding your morals hostage at the moment. You decided to test the waters and you slowly moved your hand up his shirt. Feeling the hair on his chest. Crowley inhaled deeply at the skin contact and broke the kiss.

         “Not how I think your brothers would like to be woken up, pet.” You knew he was right but the hint of lust in his eyes gave away how he really felt. Then his eyes weren’t the only thing giving away his feelings.  

          “You’re, right. Though I don’t think anything will wake them up.” Almost as if on cue, Dean let rip another startling snort. You and Crowley let out small breathy chuckles. For the moment, the day didn’t seem like it was going to be too bad. You snuggled back into his chest enjoying everything about him. Your enjoyment was cut short when he mentioned the night before.  

          “Finding you in the arms of Moose was not the welcome home I was hoping for, love.” He kissed your forehead and played with your hair to let you know there was no real malice to the comment.  

          “Watching you be slaughtered was not my idea of a good dream.” Your voice was low enough only for him to hear, but as you spoke he sensed your fear. Crowley instinctively wrapped his arms tighter around you. Taking a deep breath, you relaxed more into his chest.  

           “Nothing can kill me, I am the King of Hell.” You knew he said that just to reassure you, however, you both knew that wasn’t true.  

           “You may not be vulnerable like some demons, Crowley; but you’re not invincible.” You craned your neck to look up into his face. To your surprise he smiled down at you so tenderly that it made you forget what you were even talking about.  

           “Nothing can kill me, not when I have so much to live for.” As he spoke, he wrapped a large hand on your jaw and pulled you closer to him for a passionate and loving kiss. It was the kind of kiss that would make even a soulless man feel love and pleasure.  No longer being concerned about the lack of privacy, the two of you kept kissing like it was going to be the last time.  

          “Aw, gross.” From the bed next to you made reality come bak into view. Sam was laying on his back now with his giant arm flung over his head, covering his eyes.  Dean was still snoring enough that you were beginning to think he was going to suck the seals off the windows.  

          “Sorry Sammy.” You said with a laugh as your face turned bright red. Reluctantly, you pulled yourself out of Crowley’s embrace and slipped out of bed. It was still early, about 5:30 in the morning, and coffee was a necessity. The problem was you wanted good coffee. The stuff you usually found in motels wasn’t even made with coffee beans, it was a sad substitute made from dried chicory roots.  

          “Bloody hell, does he always do that?” Crowley stated at Dean in amazement as he continued to sleep, loudly. Sam and you both laughed and responded with a simultaneous “Yeah.” Ignoring the snoring that you were now immune to, you addressed Sam.

         “Coffee run?” You asked stretching your stiff limbs. Crowley watched you on the other side of the room, enjoying the way your clothes moved a crossed your body when you stretched. He was definitely itching for more alone time with you. Sam lugged his huge form out of bed and stretched the same, not near as visually appealing to Crowley.

          “Yeah, You or me?” He asked as he tousled his bed hair. Picking up your duffle off the floor, you volunteered. You enjoyed mornings and were looking forward to the fresh air. There wasn’t much for clothing in your duffle, it took no time at all grabbing an outfit because you just wore the same clothes from the day before.  Since you were going to be spending a decent of time in the woods on uneven terrain, you replaced your favored biker boots for a pair of black work/hiking boots, ankle support was a good idea.  

         Grabbing your pile of clothes, you headed to the bathroom to get ready for the long day ahead of you. Not wanting to fuss with your hair too much, you opted for a ponytail. Makeup was completely out of the question, being outdoors with he high probability of rain, it was’t worth the fuss. You stared at your face for a moment seeing the effects of the night before. Swollen and puffy eyes, chapped lips, and tight skin from the salt in your tears. It was then that you decided stopping at the drugstore for chapstick at the very least was a good idea.  

          When you left the bathroom Crowley was gone again. Sam could tell that you were about to ask where he had gone.

         “Said he went to change.” He said shrugging his shoulders. You grinned at the thought ok what Crowley was going to be wearing, he wasn’t one for hiking. Grabbing your phone and wallet you headed for the door. You turned to ask Sam what he was going to want for coffee but before you could Dean let out another room shuttering snore. Shaking your head at your older brother, you asked Sam what he wanted from the Starbucks down the road.

         “I guess a latte with an extra shot.” He said shrugging with indifference. Starbucks wasn’t your first choice for a coffee run but it was the closest. Taking a mental note of what he wanted you headed out of the hotel into the brisk air. Staring at you from a distance was Crowley leaning against the Impala. His outfit was not near as funny as what you had pictured in your head. He was wearing dark black jeans (no doubt probably designer), a denim button down shirt in place of his usual black one, black biker boots, and a leather jacket. He looked rugged and sexy as hell. You took in every inch of his as you walked across the parking lot.

         “What, no plaid?” You quipped. You were only a couple feet from him now and you could see he was holding a couple items in his hands.

         “That will never happen, my dear.” As he spoke he handed you a bag. It had two separate straps, one that went around the waist and one that went around the thigh. You eyed him questioningly.

         “No more presents.” You said refusing to take it. He removed himself from the car and got inches from your face.  

        “And why not?” He asked. You could feel his breath on your skin and it made your pulse race.  

         “You don’t need to buy me.” You stated, crossing your arms across your chest obstinately. Even though you were dating a king you had no desire to start acting like a queen. You enjoyed the simple things in life, which was ironic because your life was anything but simple.  

        “Buy you, no. Spoil you, yes.” He finished his statement with a kiss on your forehead and placed the bag in your hand. You rolled your eyes and put it on, there was really no point to fighting him. The little satchel had a post apocalyptic look, which made you feel like a bad ass. Maybe him buying me clothing pieces wasn’t so bad, You told yourself. Crowley stepped over to the Impala and gestured to the door.  

        “Shall we?” He asked, expecting you to pull Baby’s keys out of your pocket. You shook you head and smiled. Instead of answering you just started walking to the small wooded area that separated the rest of down town from the motel. You slowed your stride so he could catch up to you. As a small gesture of love he reached down and grabbed one of your hands. Your skin was beginning to turn slightly red from the chill of the morning. Bringing your hand up to his mouth, he placed his warm lips on your freezing knuckles.  

         You had stayed silent for several minutes, your mind wandering back to the nightmare you had and the fear that you were so desperately trying to keep locked away. Crowley noticed your quiet demeanor.

         “Care to talk about it?” He ask, not trying to pry but in a way that was letting you know he was there for you. You relented because it wasn’t fair for you to tell the boys and then keep it from him.

        “I’m terrified.” Speaking in a whisper, you admitted your feelings. He gave your hand a gentle squeeze.  

         “This is a monster more dangerous than most.” He stated mater-of-factly.

          “That’s not what I’m afraid of.” You had stopped walking and made him turn to face you. “I am afraid of losing you, or Sam and Dean. The reason Sam was holding me last night was because of an awful nightmare I had.” Tears began to form in the corner of your eyes at the memory of the terror you felt. “I watched them get hurt and I watched you die.” You croaked out the last word and your stomach began to churn at the thought. “I saw your body in pieces and I was covered in your blood.” You stared at him, waiting for a response.  

         “I’m not going anywhere, Y/N.” He pulled you close for a tender hug and kissed. His words were a caring and kind gesture but as he said them you both knew that nothing was certain. In a funny attempt to lighten the mood, he reached down and gave your butt a good and hardy squeeze. You pulled back in surprise and laughed at his gesture. His mission having been accomplished, the both of you continued on towards town.  

          It was early enough in the morning that there was hardly any traffic, which was good because the section of road you had to cross was void of any cross walks. Finally making it to the small strip mall area, you headed across the parking lot to the Starbucks that was thankfully open. You ordered three grande Americanos, all of them extra strong, and a grande latte with an extra shot. Crowley waited by the door in one of the leather chairs that came standard at any Starbucks known to man. As you waited for your order at the counter you heard his phone ring.  The conversation was short and by the look on his face it was one of the guys.  

        “Apparently, sleeping beauty is hungry.” Crowley quipped as he walked towards you. You took the four coffees that were placed in a drink carrier, and headed out.

         “Figures,” You said handing him one of the extra strong americanos. “I figured it was a little early for whiskey.” You smiled as he looked at the coffee with apprehension.  

        “When in Rome.” He said shrugging his shoulders and taking the carrier out of your hands so you could take your own coffee. You both took a drink of the toasty beverage. The comfort of the warm caffein brought a calm smile to your face. Crowley, on the other hand, was not as satisfied. The face he made was similar to the one he made when he drank cheap whiskey.  

        “The first drink is a bit of a shock, but it gets better.” You coaxed and took another sip of your own beverage. The demon followed your lead and drank while walking to the next stop, the Jack in the Box next door. Like the last place, Crowley took a seat by the door with the coffee while you ordered breakfast. Knowing he wasn’t going to eat anything that cheap, you ordered a meat lovers breakfast burrito for Sam and two supreme breakfast burritos for Dean and yourself. Once your food was ready you met Crowley at the door, took you’re coffee and headed back to the guys.  

         The walk back was completely devoid of any case talk. The two of you talked about what you were going to do once the hunt was over. You and Dean still wanted to head into Seattle and have some fun, providing everyone was ok and not in the hospital. Dean of course wanted to check out Pike’s Place Pub and have some of the local beer. You wanted to explore the iconic Pike’s Street market and so did Sam. Crowley had no opinions on what to do. His one stipulation was a separate room from the guys, you had no argument with that.  

        You had made it back to the motel and could hear the small bedside radio playing a local classic rock station. Sticking your key into the old scuffed door knob you unlocked the little room and headed inside where it was quite a bit warmer. Sam, all too quickly, met you at the door to get his morning coffee. Dean waited on the edge of the bed, like a dog waiting for a bone. You tossed him his burrito and jokingly yelled “fetch boy.” Before savagely unwrapping the food, he flipped you the bird. You walked over to the small desk where Sam was going over the maps again, pencil in one hand, coffee in the other.  

        “Ptolemy,” You said, lightly smacking him on the back of the head with his burrito, “give it a rest and eat.”

        “Yes, mom.” He responded sarcastically, replacing the pencil with breakfast. Crowley had taken a seat on the bed you two had recently shared. He was sitting casually with his back against the wall and his feet up on the mattress, a similar posture to Dean’s. You walked over and joined him with your coffee and food. It felt nice having him there with you, even though he looked far too sophisticated on the tacky and obnoxiously synthetic bedspread. The enjoyment you were having of the visual clash of Crowley in the room was put on hold when Dean started asking questions about the day ahead.  

         “So, do you have any possible ideas of what we are going to use to kill this bastard?” Dean asked Crowley with a mouth full of burrito. You sat and ate while the demon answered.  

        “Haven’t the foggiest, apart from what we have already tried on the lesser dragons.” He stated, taking a swig of his coffee.  

         “That’s pretty much the conclusion we came to.” Sam said, as he balled his food wrapper up and tossed it in the trash. “I at least have a solid hiking plan for today.” He pulled a couple of maps out of the backpack he had everything stored in. “I figured it would take us a little over an hour drive to get to a hiking trail. Then we are on foot for the rest of the day.” He took a long drink of his coffee while the rest of you processed the information.  

         “We should be getting off soon then.” You said between bites. “I for one feel a lot better about hiking around in the morning, given these guys are nocturnal.”  Next to you, Dean mumbled something that sounded like ‘me too’, the mouth full of burrito made it hard to tell. Since none of you had much else to go on, you decided to change the conversation a bit. You asked the boys if you could swing into the dollar store that was right across the main road, so you could get the couple of small things you needed. Sam agreed with the idea and wanted to pick up some food and water for the hike. Then you all talked about the plans for after the hunt. 

         As predicted Dean wanted to to to the pub. Sam actually did to, however, he was more interested in the tour then sample all the beers. It was nice having something fun to look forward to, it kept the hope that all was going to work out and you would all still be alive. Once you finished your breakfast and coffee, you packed up the few belongings you had with you and jumped in the car to start the mission ahead.  

          The dollar store was nothing exciting, they were pretty much all the same across the country. The trip was quick, only grabbing what was necessary; classic trail mix, a small case of water, some jerky links, a package of granola bars, and the pack of cherry chapstick you needed. Getting everything in the car you guys made the drive to the North Star Mine.  

          While in the back seat, you opened the package of Chapstick, taking one out and asking Sam to put the rest in the glove box. Almost immediately after applying the much-needed moisturizer to your lips, Crowley reached over and grabbed your face with both hands, “sharing” your Chapstick. Following, there was laughter from you and Crowley while the boys moaned and groaned at you two being a couple. The rest of the ride was mostly silent after that. You watched the scenery outside for most of it, enjoying the constant shades of green that were going past. If you weren’t a hunter that had to travel and live in a bunker, the evergreen area of Washington was one that you had considered settling down in.  

        The road getting to a hiking point was confusing. You guys were really out in the middle of nowhere now. You finally pulled off at the edge of the woods, you were going to be on foot the rest of the way. The four of you exited the Impala and braced the chilly weather that greeted you.  

          Moving to the truck you started packing up the things you would need for the morning; Sam dumped all the research into the trunk and replaced it with a couple of maps, food, water, and some of the extra ammo that was bought the day before. Dean grabbed another back pack and loaded it with the usable half of the sword, the colt, his own gun, the demon knife, and extra ammo. You grabbed the gun with the remaining dragon killing bullets, strapped a knife and sheath to your thigh, put a compass and some first aid necessities in your new bag. Lastly the boys and you each grabbed a set of gloves, having slow reaction time from cold hands was not helpful. Closing the trunk, the four of you turned away from the safety of the car and ventured into the woods.  

@gettinjoyful @lexxiiiii28 @earinafae @li-ssu