Fic: King's Gambit

[zara_zee]

Title: King’s Gambit
Author: Zara_Zee
Beta: Unbeta’d because 9tiptoes hasn’t seen the finale yet…
Total Words: 625
Genre(s): Episode 9.23 coda.
Rating: PG-13. Gen.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Just playing in the sandbox
Spoilers: **Major spoilers for 9.23**

Summary: Crowley really hadn’t known; not really. But he’d suspected and he’d plotted and he’d hoped.
--
Everybody breaks in Hell.

Crowley frowns. Well. Everybody except that sodding John Winchester.

It may take a week; it may take a month; it may take a year. It may take forty years. But everybody (else) breaks eventually. And once they’ve peeled their battered, broken souls off the rack and started putting other souls up there, well, then it’s just a matter of time. Demonhood is guaranteed.

Crowley frowns. Unless straight-laced, trenchcoat-wearing angels come and drag their pretty little asses back up top-side again.

The point is (and there is a point) that Dean Winchester’s soul had already been well on its way to Demonhood, his first time in the pit. All that slicing and dicing had left a scar.

He’d accepted the Mark willingly—with very little manipulation, if Crowley is honest. And then he’d picked up the First Blade, and it had been all faster pussy cat, kill, kill, kill.

Crowley really hadn’t known; not really. But he’d suspected and he’d plotted and he’d picked up spoilers for Metatron’s Epic Saga of A Misunderstood Angel’s Fall and Redemption as the New God from various angel-minions. And he’d hoped.

The King of Hell saunters across to where Dean Winchester’s blood is pooled beside the wall, on the cold concrete floor of a disused factory in Hobo-ville. He swipes a finger through it and licks. Not quite human; not quite demon. He picks up the Blade, fallen from Dean’s loose hand and abandoned by Sam in his rush to save his brother, and runs a hand across its teeth. Not a lot of bite, without the Mark.

A demon is strong. A Knight of Hell is stronger. A Knight of Hell with the Mark carved into his flesh and the First Blade in his hand is strongest.

If Crowley had Facebook and Hell was his lover, their relationship status would be ‘it’s complicated.’ He has followers and supporters. He also has rivals; upstarts with delusions of grandeur the lot of them. If he’s going to secure his throne, then Crowley needs strength right now. He needs the strongest.

The air around him shakes like a magnitude 5.0 earthquake and Crowley smiles wryly. Right on time. Winchesters. So predictable.

He’d never doubted Moose, not even for a second. Moose may look like an intelligent, logical, cool-headed, college-educated, Democrat-voting, all-American, middle class Joe, but underneath the façade, Sam is just as warped and dysfunctional as his big brother. He may have been able to convince himself; he may have been able to convince his brother (it’s not exactly hard to make Dean Winchester believe he’s not worth saving), but Moose has never fooled the King of Hell.

And just as well, because Crowley was relying on Sam summoning him to get him past all the warding and into the bunker.

He answers the summons. He doesn’t have to appear right next to the summoner. Dean’s room just down the hall is close enough.

Crowley hadn’t been sure; not really. But then Dean hadn’t eaten his burger. And he’d been stabbed with an angel-blade, by an angel powered up by the Word of God, and had taken fifteen minutes to die. The Mark hadn’t wanted to let go. It won’t let him go. And Dean’s soul is already primed for Demonhood.

Crowley puts the blade in Dean’s hand and calls his soul back to his body.

When Dean’s eyes open, inky-black, Crowley lets his own darken, for just a moment. He reaches out a hand and Dean takes it. Crowley’s heart soars. His very own First Blade-wielding Knight of Hell; he’s always wanted one.

King’s Gambit opening. Knight to F3. With Dean Winchester at his side, his throne is assured. Inside, Crowley is already howling at the moon.
--  

Comments

[borgmama1of5.livejournal.com]

And he’d been stabbed with an angel-blade, by an angel powered up by the Word of God, and had taken fifteen minutes to die.

That line made me believe your whole story!

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Crowley may see Dean failing to eat a cheeseburger as a sure sign that he's gone darkside, but I need a little more evidence! I so hope the fact that Dean didn't die straight away was deliberate and not just lazy writing! Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[calijirl5150.livejournal.com]

His very own First Blade-wielding Knight of Hell; he’s always wanted one. SO Crowley like ;p

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Crowley does get all the best lines, doesn't he?
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. :)

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Oh this coda packed a punch!

I wanted demon Dean to be Crowley's endgame, his big plan, like Ruby's double cross in season 4. I guess I got half of that in the episode, but you really made me believe it here.

I also appreciated your reasoning behind Dean taking a while to die, that the Mark didn't want to let Dean go. Very creepy.

Thank you for sharing! :)

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

I always imagine that Crowley has lots of irons in the fire; lots of schemes and scams going on. Some come off, some don't. I think he hoped for this outcome with Dean, but wasn't absolutely sure if it would work out. And I hope the writers *were* being deliberate with that death scene...

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[trystan830.livejournal.com]

someone on my flist linked me here... and i really love this! i like the voice you gave Crowley too. i giggled more than once. =)

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I've never written a Crowley POV before...he's a lot of fun to write! :) Thanks for taking the time to comment. :)

[trystan830.livejournal.com]

you're quite welcome!

i wrote a lot of fic during the early seasons of Supernatural, but then the voices stopped talking to me.

[autumnfeymuse.livejournal.com]

great coda, wonderful Crowley voice. Thanks for sharing!

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

My first time writing a Crowley POV piece. He's fun to write! Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[dreamsofspike.livejournal.com]

Your Crowley voice is awesome, and this makes so much sense. I personally think that Crowley didn't know that the Mark would make Dean sick if he didn't kill, etc, or how everything would go down - but he DID know that WHEN Dean died, he'd turn into a demon, as happened with Cain.

So it was sort of a long-term investment. Dean would get the Mark, kill Abaddon for him, and then however long down the road when Dean did die, he'd get Dean, too. And he got lucky, and it became a much shorter-term investment. :/

Really excellent little story here, LOVE it. :)

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes, I don't think Crowley knew *everything*, just enough to make it worth a bit of meddling in the hope that it would earn him a Demon!Dean at some point. I think he knew (or strongly suspected) that killing Dean was part of Metatron's 'plot' and that there was a good chance that he could pull it off...so Crowley kind of hoped that it might be a shorter term investment, but if not...well, he'll get his demon!Dean eventually! :)

Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment! :)

[dreamsofspike.livejournal.com]

Yeah, agreed.

At the same time, though... I think Crowley has made... a serious miscalculation here. :P

If he thinks that Dean is going to be some easily controlled minion who just happens to have the skills of a Winchester and the power of the First Blade... he needs to think again. :P

Cain took out ALL of the knights of hell, except Abaddon. And Abaddon, the one remaining knight, kicked Crowley's ass REPEATEDLY. So... Dean is going to be much more powerful than Crowley.

And he just MIGHT not appreciate what Crowley's done to him.

Come to think of it... I really hope Crowley actually SURVIVES episode 10x1 :P lol

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. Crowley is dreaming if he thinks he can control Dean Winchester! Dean might be a little disoriented at first, but he's not gonna be anyone's puppet! Crowley was already on Dean's shit list and this...isn't gonna get him off it!

Also Cain had the capacity to become 'good' again because of the love of his wife. Sam and Dean have a very strong brotherly bond. I think we'll see a very literal interpretation of Dean's saying to Sam 'we keep each other human'. At least, I hope so!

And Sam *does* know how to cure a demon... the question is, will Dean let him? Or will he think he can protect his little brother better as a demon?

[masja-17.livejournal.com]

This was a perfect coda! And I agree with dreamsofspike that I think Crowley miscalculated here.

And fixing Deans body, Sam can heal him! Sam knows now how to heal a demon.....
:)

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And yes, I agree too. Crowley might be a slippery manipulator, but Dean is gonna be a lot more powerful than him.

I think curing Dean of his demonhood will be Sam's ultimate end game...but will Dean let him? Or will he think he can protect Sam better as a Knight of Hell?

Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[medusasluck.livejournal.com]

That thought of Dean staying a knight of Hell really scares me. Maybe Dean will 'cure' Sam of his humanity with his demon blood. Scary times ahead.

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

It's an interesting thought isn't it? Crowley got addicted to human blood while Sam was trying to cure him. Sam used to be addicted to demon blood. Dean is now a demon. Maybe blood will be a big theme this coming season! :)

[medusasluck.livejournal.com]

My heart is still so sore after the finale. I don't think I could handle a Sam POV right now, but a Crowley POV is just perfect. You nailed him.

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed. Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[sandymg.livejournal.com]

Oh. This. Feels just right. Spot on. Bravo.

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Thanks for reading and commenting. :)

[heliokleia.livejournal.com]

Thank you for some Crowley POV, dear. Though the whole scenario still hurts, your fine little aftergasm is definitely helping to ease my pain.
*nods**nods*

And yeah... I guess I'm not the only one here who thinks that our dear King of Hell always had a little crush on Squirrel - and on Moose too, of course... ;)

Also thank you for solving the riddle how Crowley's entering the bunker - against all wards. Yep, the summoning explantation is working for me pretty well.
*high-fives*

Finally what an intense picture you're drawing there:

"When Dean’s eyes open, inky-black, Crowley lets his own darken, for just a moment. He reaches out a hand and Dean takes it."
- I got goose pimples.
And right now, I get goose pimples over my goose pimples while reading these sentences of yours again.
*winks & waves*

P.S. Oopsie... I almost forgot: My dear King of Hell, please never underestimate the Winchesters. You once entitled them, "those denim-wrapped nightmares." So if you want a good advice, then you better are watching your back from now on, hehehe...
*grins wickedly*

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I needed an explanation as to how a demon could get past the warding and...well...Sam was summoning him at the time, so I figured that must be it! Glad that worked for you too! :)

Poor Crowley, though, so excited to get his very own Knight of Hell that he's forgotten that it's pretty much impossible to control a Winchester! Denim-wrapped nightmares, indeed! Thank goodness that Mark Sheppard is signed on as a series regular for Season 10...I was a little worried that Demon!Dean's first action as a demon might be to bury that blade of his into Crowley! ;)

Thanks so much for reading and for taking the time to leave such a lovely comment. :)

[gryphenn.livejournal.com]

Excellent post script! Wraps up this season nicely, with a great explanation of Crowley's motives (and just how he got into the bunker).

I do hope that something like this will be used for s10.

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm really looking forward to S10, to seeing where they take things. There's so much potential. I just hope the writers don't drop the ball! :)

Thanks for reading and commenting! :)

[juppschmitz.livejournal.com]

This was BRILLIANT!

Perfect Crowley voice. (I hope, you don't mind - I've recced this on my tumblr for what it's worth.)

[zara-zee.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So pleased you enjoyed the Crowley voice. And I'm always delighted to have anything I've written recced! :)

Thanks so much for reading and commenting. :)