A New Chapter

Back to Hell

You had been right. It had been a long, extremely long ride. Crowley and Cas kept sending each other glares over your head, and you felt as if they might reach over your head at any minute to start a fight. It was like sitting between two feuding brothers. Then there was Sam and Dean. Both continuously checking over their shoulders. Dean making sure you were doing okay, that Crowley wasn't being too obnoxious. Sam, probably making sure there wasn't blood being spilled or Cas wasn't ready to smite Crowley.

By the time you were pulling into the town of Neutral, you were tense, on edge. Partly because you were tired of being cooped up in a car with four big men. Mainly because you were that much closer to getting your daughter back. You vaguely listened as Crowley gave directions to Dean, your mind on how your daughter was faring. "Y/N, she will be fine." Cas told you, reading your distress and awkwardly placing his hand over yours. You appreciated the gesture, but as soon as Dean saw it, his eyes narrowed and Cas removed it.

Soon Dean was pulling in front of a small, stone house, smack dab in the middle of the city. The windows were boarded up, the lawn dead, with an ancient wrought iron fence around it. The whole place had an air of unease, and you knew you had made it to the right spot. 

"Home sweet home." Crowley muttered, and even though you were no longer a Demon, you could still feel the call of Hell through this place.

"Really Crowley? This is home? I thought your Hell house would be a lot bigger." Sam asked as all of you climbed out of the car, and stood staring at the crumbling stone. 

"Sam, I thought you would have learned by now. It's bigger on the inside." Crowley sassed back as he sauntered up to it. You followed him, as the other three followed behind. You were more than a little nervous. This was your first trip back to hell since you became human, and there were a lot of horrible memories down there.

"Y/N, are you okay?" Dean asked, placing his arm around your waist, giving you the support that you so desperately needed. "I know you're willing to do anything to save our daughter. But, going back to hell, that has to be hard." 

"It probably will be. But having you with me, and a purpose to the visit, I will be fine." You told him as Crowley magically pulled out a huge, black iron key from his pocket. It was the size of his hand, with ornate scrolls on the back. Unlocking the door, he pushed it open, and out wafted an air so sickening, so full of death and despair it had you, along with Sam and Dean, reeling back. Feeling as if you might be sick, you trudged through, into the darkened hallway.

"Are we in hell now?" Dean asked, once everyone was inside and the door was once again shut.

"Of course not squirrel. Hell's not that easy to break into." Crowley said, walking forward, his supernatural being giving him an advantage to seeing in the dark. You stumbled along, until Dean remembered the small flashlight he always carried in his pocket. Turning it on, you immediately wish he hadn't. Bones littered the floor, some were small, obviously animals. But there were those that looked a lot like human remains.

"Ever heard of cleaning service?" Dean sassed, but Crowley ignored him, intent on the huge cabinet in front of him. With a wave of his hands, and a spell in a different language, the door glowed a bright red around the edges. He knocked twice in short succession, and it popped open, revealing a long stone corridor. A corridor you remember seeing many times before. The hallway belonged in Crowley's mansion, close to his personal chambers.

You followed him in, smelling the forgotten, but at the same time familiar smell of brimstone, sulfur and death. "Home sweet home." Crowley said, running his hand along the charcoal gray walls. He made his way down the hallway, and Dean stayed close by your side. 

"Where the hell is he taking us?" Dean whispered into your ear, his hand placed on your lower back.

"I think to his study." You answered, seeing you were right as Crowley stopped in front of cherry wood double doors. 

"This will be the best place for us to be. No one goes in here without my permission. And it has all of my information." He said, his arms wide open, showing off the spacious but cold room. 

Turning on his heels, he left, shutting the door behind him. "Now what? Maybe this is a trap, and he's working with Astaroth!" Dean argued, finding out the doors were locked. While Sam and Dean and even Cas argued about Crowley's plans, you made your way over to his bookshelf, pulling out ledger after ledger. Hoping to find some sort of clues, you began paging through them, looking for any clues pointing towards Astaroth and his favorite hiding holes. 

The first two books brought up nothing, and you were starting to go frustrated. Sam and Cas had given up on trying to talk to Dean, and were busy searching through other books as well. Dean was pacing the room, muttering under his breath, still not happy with the fact that Crowley hadn't come back yet.

Just as you found something of interest, the door burst open, and Crowley came marching in, a couple of Demons right behind him. Dean pulled out his knife, ready to fight, but he didn't need to worry. They stayed right behind Crowley, as he made his way towards you. "This is Greta and Simon. I've had them on look out duty, trying to find him."

"Sir, we have been searching high and low, and we've only noticed one minor thing, in the lower eastern half of hell." Simon said, holding out a tablet in front of him.

The other Demon, Greta, reached out and took it from him, showing it to Crowley. "We've noticed more activity there than ever before, and some Demons have entered that property, and have yet to return."

"That fits what I have." You said, and Crowley glanced at you in surprise. "Your ledgers have a parcel of land, if that's what you can call it down here, on the eastern border, that had been given to Astaroth in the 1700s. It doesn't say much else, just that after serving as a Knight for so long, he wanted quiet, and was granted it."

"So, we know where Astaroth probably is. And that means our daughter is more than likely to be there too. He knows we're coming, so we're going to have to outsmart him." Dean said, coming to stand behind you.