Crowley had done and seen many terrible things in his long life. Both as a human and as a Demon. In fact, he was known to be one of the best torturers in Hell. After the Knights, of course. As well as all of the souls he had taken over his long career as King of the Crossroads. Including his own, which he had sold for a less than nobel reason... All things, he delighted in and would do over and over just for a laugh.
However, in the over five-hundred years that he had lived he could never understand the need that some men, and even some women, felt to sexually violate each other. Rape, it was a word taken much too lightly by those who knew nothing about it and weighted much to heavy on the shoulders of those who knew too much. He had, after all, with his own eyes seen how something so vile could change a women. How they could never truly be the same after. So he had vowed to stop it from happening if he could.
After all, he believed that only the lowest scum did such things and when he had taken over Hell he had made a place just for them where their souls could never move up to becoming a Demon. Where they would forever feel the pain they had inflicted upon their victims.
That is why when he came to see what was taking Ava so long on her deal one rainy night, partly out of boredom, he was more than a bit surprised to find what he did.
That being a pitiful, beaten young girl weakly pleading for help she knew that she would not get. Crowley looked at the beautiful little dove, from her dark hair plastered to her bruised and bloodied face to her ripped leggings and knew what had happened to her. The image of someone who was broken in a way that no one ever should be. An image he had seen more times then he would care to admit.
However, as he sent away Ava and approached her, he saw something flash in her hopeful eyes that gave him hope that this dove would fly once more. That something that shined in her muddy green eyes was a fire and a will to live that surprised him. It pulled him in like a moth to a flame, something that he had not felt in longer than he could remember. But then, her eyes rolled back into her head before he could say more than a few words to her. Just as they did, a rather angry burst of lightning lit up the sky reminding him of the storm raging around them.
With the women, now unconscious, there was little he could do save to take her to one of his homes and keep her safe until she woke once more. His house in Rhode Island would most likely be the best fit. As it would be the most comfortable for the human now in his care.
In a moment, he stood in one of the guest rooms of the home slowly placing her on the bed and moving away from her. Though he could change her from her wet and ruined clothes with a snap of his fingers he knew better then to do so. Knowing it would only make things worse as she would think that he had tried to hurt her as well. With that thought in mind, Crowley left her alone in her new room and made his way to his study to wait for sleeping beauty to wake once more.
Less than an hour after, she slowly made her way into my study, looking at it with an awe that made me happy that this was the place I chose to take her. A small smile made its was to my face seeing the way her long fingers twitched with the need to put what she was seeing on paper. As though some part of her felt she may never again see something so lovely.
Shifting so that I could have both my hands, where when she looked at me, she could see them, I caught her eye. I could see the way her body tensed in a painful manner as though she was both frozen and hoping if she was small enough she could disappear. But I didn't move or speak only meeting her fearful eyes, letting her make the choice on how this would go. I would not have held it against her if she had run from me in that moment. I had not yet gained her trust, after all.
"Thank… Thank you." She softly spoke, having cleared her throat, grimacing as she did so.
"You don't need to thank me, Dove. I maybe a lot of things, but I am not that kind of a monster…" I told her feeling sorry for the pain she must be in, but also feeling uncomfortable with the thoughts that fill my head.
I offered her a drink more as way to distract myself then that I felt she should be drinking at a time like this. I pick a fourteen year old Oban Highland single malt Scotch Whisky that I thought she may like. It was much more floral and fruity then something I would normally drink but I had a feeling the softer tones of cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla would appeal to her. Turning I stood two arm lengths from her not wanting her to feel that I was getting to close. However, when she reached across the space to take the glass from me she suddenly gasped as though in pain and as her eyes filled with tears she slowly pulled her arm back to herself.
Panic shot through me at the idea that something else had happened that I had somehow missed. I set the glass down, meeting her eyes and asking for her permission to have Daniel look her over and getting it, I called for him.
He was one of the few I would trust with her in anyway since though he was a Demon his soul was not as dark as most. He had once been a doctor who had spent all of his life helping everyone he could. That is, until the day his young granddaughter was diagnosed with cancer. That is how I met him, at a crossroads ten miles from his home. I had liked the man as he was willing to die that very night if it meant the young girl would live. Even after giving him his ten years when his time was up he let my Hellhounds take him without any fight. Something I have never seen in all my years at the crossroads. That is why I had made him a Demon without all the normal pain and time involved. And for that he had so far served me well.
When my human guest was lost in thought I pulled Daniel to the side to speak with him.
"What did you think of her mental state? Do you think she will recover from this?" I asked him shooting a look at her.
"I can't say for sure what is going on inside her mind. The only thing I can say is that she seems strong, so I have hope she will move past this. All I know for sure is that her body will heal, as for her mind… that up to her." He said softly also looking over at the fragile young mortal sitting on my loveseat.
"She will need someone willing to help her Crowley…" He gave me a meaningful look before taking his leave.
I found after speaking to her for a few minutes, that her name was Diana and the idea that she was named after the virgin warrior Goddess of the Moon, seemed rather fitting for my little fighter.
