Meet You In the Stars Tonight

Jenny had decided to stop at the local cafe that she tended to frequent. She had just finished with another exam at school and it was more than she wanted to handle at the moment. She was almost positive that she had failed it because she had been so stressed with studying for all of her finals that she felt like hse had retained exactly no information that she had needed to know for any of them.

Thanking the barista, Jenny left the cafe with a hot chocolate in hand (with extra whip because on a day like she was having, a girl just had to splurge). Sighing, she took a sip as she began to make her way back to the tiny apartment she lived in. It wasn't more than a few blocks away from the school so she rarely ever caught the bus or a cab because there was no point to her.

She turned the corner and continued on, making silent plans for when she got home. Maybe she would open a bottle of wine and take a bath. That sounded so nice and she was so focused on the thought that she hadn't been paying attention to what was happening around her.

Jenny bumped into someone and as she turned to apologize, suddenly everything was spinning. Or were things just speeding past her? She didn't know because one minute she was standing there, drink in hand, and the next she was on the crowd at a strange man's feet with her hot chocolate all over them both. She looked up to him with wide eyes, hand gripping a now empty cup. "I.... uh... I'm sorry?" She managed to squeak out.

The incident that occurred would have been just Crowley’s luck. No matter what business the man had been trying to attend to, there was always a wrench thrown in his plans. Whether it be the incessant annoyance of the Winchester brothers or the demons who just would not fall in line, something always had to be out to get him. On this particular day, it just so happened to be some idiotic human girl not paying attention to where the hell she was going.

Crowley knew that the instant she ran into him, the instant that he felt the hot liquid soaking through to his clothing, he was utterly screwed. The fragile girl had run into him just as he was beginning to leave the area, getting just too close to where she was sucked into his orb. That couldn’t be good, could it?

Crowley looked at her as she began to squeak out any words that would form. He wiped at his jacket and shook his head, tutting the girl with a few clicks of his tongue. “You really, really shouldn’t have done that little girl.”

Crowley patted down his pockets, looking for a handkerchief. But of course, he couldn’t produce one. “Why is it, if you can tell me, that you people never watch where the hell you are going?” He asked as he looked at her face for the first time.

Jenny felt like she was going to be sick as she stared up at Crowley. The way her back hurt and the way her hands were scraped up told her all that she needed to know. This had actually happened, this was reality. She had somehow... was there even a word for it? She wanted to say that it had been teleportation but that was just a crazy idea and there was no damn way that had happened.

"I said sorry," Jenny tried to argue as she pushed herself up from the ground. She wiped her hands off on her pants before she looked back up to Crowley.

A frown formed on her lips as her eyes narrowed. "You people? What are you even talking about?"

Jenny cleared her throat and straightened as she shook her head. "I don't know what just happened, pal, but last I checked we're both equally at fault for bumping into each other. Maybe you should have looked where you were going!"

At times, it was hard for Crowley to remember that there were people who didn’t understand his presence in the world. He looked down at the small girl, sensing the terrifying anxiety she seemed to be exuding. He raised an eyebrow at her as she began to scold him—like he had been the one in the wrong. If he remembered correctly, he had been the one standing there, minding his own business, getting ready to leave. She had been so absorbed in whatever petty human thoughts, that she couldn’t even look up for two second to watch just where it was that she was going.

Crowley rolled his eyes at her as he watched her eyes narrow at him. He gave her a small, devilish smirk. Crowley tossed a few options around in his mind, but decided to play a little game with her—especially since of the attitude problem she seemed to have, which intrigued him very much so. “Well, my dear. If I told you what I had meant, I might have to kill you.”

Jenny let out a dry laugh as she shook her head. She was glaring at Crowley now, trying to appear unafraid as she felt like she should be. There was certainly something off about Crowley but she didn't know what and she certainly didn't want to ask in case she didn't need to know. She huffed as she straightened out her jacket, turning away from him.

"Right. Have to kill me," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "This was beyond enjoyable but I'm going to head home now," Jenny said, beginning down the sidewalk nearest her. She shoved her hands into her pockets, hoping to leave whatever stupid thing Crowley was keeping from her. It wasn't as if she would see the man again so there was no need to worry about what he was talking about. Except for the increasing feeling of anxiety blossoming in her stomach - something was wrong. She couldn't shake the feeling but she figured the further she got away from Crowley, the better.

Crowley laughed as the young woman walked away from her. Didn’t she understand that she wouldn’t be headed home? At least not if she couldn’t buy a few bus tickets. He raised his eyebrow as he watched her disappear down the street. He studied her for a moment, watching the way she walked and the way she carried herself. She was a handful, and something, just something was tugging him to her. He tilted his head, his eyes still following her as she continued to walk. He allowed her to disappear out of sight and then he waited even a few more minutes.

But in an instant, Crowley was back at her side. Why not have a little fun? He clasped his hands for a moment behind his back after she all but jumped away from him. He gave her another smirk accompanied by a raised eyebrow. He motioned his hand to their surroundings. “So you said you were headed home. Is your home anywhere around her? Anything look familiar to you yet?”

Jenny hadn't stopped long enough to take in her surroundings, just wanting to get away from Crowley as quickly as she could. She was practically running by the time she rounded the corner, eager to get away. She was sure home had to be nearby, there was no way that she had traveled far enough that she couldn't simply walk home. Right?

Crowley appeared beside her and she let out a shout as she stumbled away from him, her eyes as wide as saucers as she stumbled backward. Anywhere that was away from him frankly. Jenny's body had started to shake and she hadn't even noticed until she raised a hand to cover her mouth, to stop the screech from falling from her lips. "What the hell is going on?" She hissed between gritted teeth

Crowley let out a low laugh as he laid his eyes upon the look of sheer terror that the girl was expressing. Before she could even blink, he transported them to a disclosed location. This specific location was one he often made deals at when he was King of the Crossroads. Crowley watched as the young girl looked around, seemingly trying to find somewhere to escape to.

“Look around you darling,” Crowley laughed. “There isn’t many paths you can take to get away from me.”

Crowley walked around her, reaching out to gently stroke the side of her face. He tilted his head at the human, watching as her eyes tried to search his own for answers. “How about this. We can start with names. You may call me Crowley. What shall I call you?”

Jenny's brows pulled together in complete and utter confusion as she was dropped onto her feet in the middle of a crossroads. She frowned as she looked up to him, struggling to keep her fear in check. She was sure by the way that Crowley was looking down at her that she wasn't doing a very good job at it.

Flinching away from Crowley's touch, Jenny stepped away from him to try and avoid anything more. She certainly didn't want to be... want to be transported? Hell, she didn't know the proper term for it. She wasn't so sure she wanted to.

"Jennifer," she answered tentatively, her eyes narrowed as she looked around. "Care to tell me what the hel is going on yet?"

“But isn’t this so much more fun?” Crowley asked, his eyes glinting for the briefest of moments as he looked at the girl. He didn’t know why he had felt so intrigued by her—but he did. He had had plenty of opportunities to walk away and call it a night, but here he was having hear hanging onto his every word. The way that she tried to search his soul—or lack thereof—for an answer was beyond him.

“Miss Jennifer…” He hummed. He sort of liked the way her name sounded coming out of his mouth. What was wrong with him? He assumed he was just having a little bit of fun. “Jennifer, do you believe in ghosts? Ghouls? Demons?”

"Fun?" Jenny echoed, scoffing at the idea. She was quick to shake her head. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at Crowley, only to begin backing away from him as he began to list off various fictional creatures.

"Ghosts, maybe," she finally answered with a dry laugh. Jenny grinned to herself, knowing how damn ridiculous Crowley sounded and yet, she listened to him intently because he was the only one that could hope to offer her the answers she was seeking.

"Demons are make believe creatures to scare people into doing what's right. What do they have to do with any of this?"

“Make believe creatures?” He questioned her answer. For some reason Crowley was half inclined to show this girl his world, purely to watch her naivety disappear in an instance. He raised an eyebrow at her, “And just exactly how sure are you of that?”

He motioned around him with his hand, “So what is your explanation for us landing her? Make believe?” He laughed at here. “Are we playing pretend like small children? Because if we are, my darling, there are several other things we could be playing.” He all but growled the last part of his sentence, his eyes glinting once more as he stared into hers.

Crowley let out another laugh, “I could just send you home and let you sleep on it. Then just pay you a visit when you have gathered some more information, ay?”

"How would demons exist? Do you understand how stupid that sounds?" Jenny retaliated with a huff, crossing her arms as he spoke. She shook her head, only for his words to reach her ears. The doubt that Crowley placed in her was something that made her beyond uneasy. Maybe this whole thing was just some sort of horrible nightmare.

Jenny straightened and turned her back to Crowley in hopes of hiding the fear that coursed through her veins. She shivered and tugged her jacket ever closer. "You don't even know where I live and I have exactly no intention of telling you where that is because you're nothing but a man going through some sort of crazy midlife crisis. So," she paused, taking a deep breath. "I'll be on my way now."

Crowley reached out, holding the young woman to her spot. She was so docile, so very tempting. He wanted so badly for her to be a useful vessel—but as evil as he may have been, Crowley still had somewhat of a conscious. He refused to let her move for several moments before he relinquished the invisible hold. He tilted his head, the same evil grin plastered across his lips. “I don’t need to know where you live, sweetheart.” Crowley stepped closer to the woman once more and whispered, “Watch this.”

In the blink of an eye they were in a bedroom. Crowley looked around it for a few minutes, picking up different items that belonged to her. He looked over to her, seeing the look of horror that was on her face. He didn't need to explain himself because it looked like it was almost sinking in. “You can try and run, Jenny, but you can’t hide. Not from me.”

Jenny's heartbeat began to pick up as Crowley stared at her with that evil sort of grin. She tried to keep our the facade of not being afraid but she couldn't help it. Not with the way he kept closing the distance between them. She bit down on the inside of her lip, her shoulders tensing as he spoke. Before she knew what was happening, Jenny was standing in her bedroom. With a jolt, Jenny stumbled away from him, hands grasping for anything that she could use for a weapon. Anything to keep Crowley at a distance.

She watched him with wide eyes as he began to move around the room. Tears welled in her eyes and it took all the willpower she had not to let them fall as Crowley looked up to her. "I don't want any sort of trouble. Please. If I offended you or I... I... I don't even know. Please just leave me be."

Crowley tutted at her with a few click of his tongue, a feigning of concern making its way in the shape of a frown on his face. “Don’t look so afraid sweetheart,” he muttered as he looked over a few more object. He took a couple of strides to close the distance between them once more. He reached out and stroked her cheek, much like he had at the crossroads. He appreciated the way her skin felt underneath his finger, and more importantly, the way she looked as though she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor (whether it be from fear or not).

“I’ll leave you be for now,” he whispered. “But I have enjoyed our chance encounter. You resilience intrigues me and I am sure I will be coming back to visit you.”

Jenny braced herself as Crowley neared her, biting down on her bottom lip as his fingers brushed over her cheek. She leaned as far back as she could, bracing herself against the wall. "Don't touch me," she hissed between gritted teeth, her eyes narrowing as she looked up to him. She reached up to shove his hand away, trying to back awayy from him as much as possible.

"You can stay the hell away from me. I'd rather enjoy just living my life like i never met you," Jenny declared, taking a small step backward until her back hit the wall. "It would honestly probably be for the best, wouldn't it?"

Crowley looked at the smaller girl, a smile tugging away at the corner of his mouth. He couldn’t help but smirk at the way she scrambled to get away from him. The hilarity of her thinking she could get away from him was more than he could take. After all he had shown her, even though it wasn’t the peak of his powers, did she really think that she would be able to just go on like they had never met? No, that was never the case. Especially, because of what she had already witnessed.

Crowley shook his head at her, another guttural laugh emerging between his parted lips, “It’s not that simple, little girl.”

Jenny's eyes narrowed at the name that fell from Crowley's lips. She balled a fist at her side but didn't dare risk stepping forward and trying to swing at him. She didn't know everything that Crowley was capable of but she highly doubted that she would be any sort of challenge for him. About as hard as taking candy from a baby.

"Then what is it that you expect? To just insert yourself into my life because you're some sort of... sort of creature?!" Jenny all but yelled. Squaring her shoulders, she shook her head. "I go to school and I have to study. I have no time for a boyfriend or some male cretin who thinks he can just waltz in whenever he pleases!"