Wayward Hearts Book 3- Summer

Part 8

"Dean?" Damon called out as he knocked on the door to Dean's bedroom.

Dean opened the door with a beer in his hand, "Yeah?"

"Look," Damon hesitated, Sam had already warned him not to bother Dean for a while, "I know you're tired, but I just need a lead on where to find Emma. I can do it myself, but I don't know where to start or what I'm getting myself into."

Dean rubbed his hand against his stubbled chin, "Look, I really don't know where they are; but I'm pretty sure I can get Crowley to me. He may be the King of Hell now, but he used to be a crossroads demon. And that is still his favorite part of the gig."

"So how do I summon him?"

Dean grinned, happy to see Damon's enthusiasm, "I'll get my keys."

_____

Sam glared at his brother from his passenger seat, he thought that Dean should be taking it easy. That Dean should be recovering from his escapades with Crowley, not running off to find the demon.

"You've lost your mind," Sam commented from where he sat.

"No, I've lost Emmy," Dean didn't take his eyes off the road as he replied, "and now I need to get her back. You can be with us or against us Sammy."

"What! Of course I'm with you," Sam defended himself.

"Good, we don't need any dead weight," Damon said from the back seat.

"Says the dead vampire," Sam huffed slightly under his breath.

"The dead vampire who has super hearing dumbass," Damon reminded him.

Dean let out a short laugh as he continued to drive down to the crossroads they knew Crowley couldn't help but tend to himself; Clarksdale, Mississippi.

By the time they arrived it was almost midnight. Sam opened the sigil protected trunk of Dean's Impala and collected a box, the bone of a black cat, and some graveyard dirt. Any human who was brazen enough to try and break into the car would be in for an odd surprise when they found all of Sam and Dean's occult collection in the back. Sam snapped a polaroid picture of Damon, who blinked in shock, and added the picture to the box.

"Right," Sam said as he handed the box to Damon, "go to the middle and burry the box."

Damon inspected the box in his hand before walking to the middle of the road and digging a small hole before burying the box and taking a step back towards the other two men. They didn't have to wait long.

"Really good timing boys," Crowley grinned, "Hell was getting a bit...hot."

Damon looked Emma up and down, she stood next to Crowley like she was ready for some unseen incoming battle.

"Em..." Damon couldn't help but mutter her name as their eyes met.

Emma's eyebrow raised, "Who?"

Crowley watched the exchange with a small bit of amusement, "Yeah, that's a fun new quirk of hers. She doesn't respond to Emma anymore, I think I may have tweaked with her brain too much. Now she insist on being called Alice."

"Alice?" Sam asked as he let a breath out, "As in her ancestor that died?"

"Look here," Alice spoke up, "I never died. I don't know how I ended up here, but here I am. And according to this man here, I owe him."

"You sneaky son of a bitch," Dean gritted his teeth as he glared at Crowley, "you owe him nothing! He is manipulating you."

Alice stepped away from Crowley and turned towards him, scowling at the self proclaimed king. She raised her hand in front of her, a ball of fire danced in her hand.

"You swore to me!" Alice's voice roared, "You told me you would help me find him if I helped you!"

Damon perked up slightly, "Him? Elijah? Did he promise to help you find Elijah Mikaelson?"

Alice nodded while she refused to let her stare deviate from Crowley.

"He is only a couple of hours from here, in New Orleans," Damon explained, "come with us and we can take you to him. He knows me personally."

"Not so fast gentlemen, that Phoenix is my plaything," Crowley protested.

Before anyone could move Alice had her hands around Crowley's throat, Crowley's skin sizzled from the heat of the touch as he gagged for breath, "I am no one's toy you freak!"

Alice then threw Crowley like a rag doll several feet away from her and began storming away from everyone, though she clearly had no idea of where she was going.

Dean subtly pointed towards his car, as he leaned in to whisper to Damon, "You really gonna take her to him? Isn't she his one true love or something like that?"

"The point was to get her away from Crowley," Damon sighed, "but big brother Mikaelson might be just who we need. He is an expert on who Alice is."

Dean and Sam both nodded in agreement before climbing into the car. Damon sat in the back next to Alice, who he couldn't help but still see as Emma. It took every ounce of self control he had not to reach out at touch her hand. Alice seemed to take notice.

"So I look like this Emma person you're infatuated with?" Alice asked.

Damon nodded, "Something like that."