That Hollow Feeling (Cinderella1181 and Mim)

[Cinderella1181]

"We're going to help him understand this thing..." A very clipped British voice said.

Cas looked up and frowned. "Hello Crowley."

"Hello Giraffe, Squirrel.." Crowley said. He looked at Jude. "Grass stalk." He made a little face at her. "I see Moose was right to call me in. "

"Crowley, what the hell is going on?" Dean asked. "Why did I just plow my way through the three people I care for?"

He shrugged a little. "The curse of the mark is, it takes everything that is dark in your soul and amplifies it. That make is going to eat at you unless you give it what it wants." Crowley looked at Jude, pointing. "And what it craves the most is violence. It wants blood. It wants to feel that power."

Dean looked at him. "Which is why it felt so good."

"Exactly, it will also make you sick if you don't do it." Crowley replied. "You have to feed it. Obviously not your best friend or brother ot...girlfriend, but something."

 

[Madam Mim]

Grass stalk? Jude crinkled her nose, making a face back. "You suck at nicknames, dude," she said frankly.

"I liked you better as a receptionist," Crowley waved away her insult before turning his attention back to the rest of them. He had thought it was obvious that the Mark craved violence...but humans were never quite as perceptive, were they? And speaking of being unperceptive...he caught the glint of stainless steel at Jude's wrist, his eyes flicking from that back to Dean's matching cuff, and smirked. None of the others seemed to have noticed yet.

"So wait, how do we do that?" Sam asked with a frown. "Just...hunt more?"

Crowley shrugged. "Not my problem, Samantha. Hell, it doesn't matter to me whether he beats up on you three or not; I just want to keep you from calling me in to play referee every time he does."

"So hunt more," Jude confirmed with a shrug. "Should be easy enough. If nothing else we can track down Hollows."

"Plenty of demons and monsters," Sam added, then turned to Dean. "So we just keep you busy, I guess."

"That's the ticket," Crowley said, distracted. "So figure out your personal problems yourself next time, will you? Ta. Angel, walk me out." He didn't give Cas much of a choice, linking arms with him and steering him out of the room, back to the room where he'd been summoned. "You spend too much time with the mud monkeys," he informed him. "You don't even seem to notice your boytoy's new jewelry."

 

[Cinderella1181]

Castiel looked at him. If he could frown any more then what he was already, then it would have been a miracle. "No. I saw it." He said quietly. "I'm just not sure what it means."

If Crowley could really, genuinely feel pity, he would have almost felt awful for the angel. "It means that he belongs to Jude."

"He loves me." Cas said meekly.

"And he very well may, but he belongs to her. that pledge is not one that is easily broken. And while I am not sure what exactly their...relationship looks like, lets just say that she has every right to act the way she has been. Sam may have filled me in on the walk." Crowley looked at him. "You have to let him go."

Cas could feel himself be ripped in two. "I know." He said barely above a whisper. "But part of me wants to fight for him, fight to still be in his life."

Crowley stood in the room and looked at him. "Then you need to speak to her, because, he is, by all rights hers."

~*~

Dean was sitting at the long table, and looked at scotch he had poured himself. Everyone thought it was so easy, just hunt. And while hunted he was sure would squelch some of the lust caused by the mark it wasn't going to get him exactly what he needed. He ran his hand over his face and finished the drink in one long swig. He reached for the decanter and opened it up, when heard Sam's voice.

"Day drinking?"

Dean shrugged. "Seems better then any alternative that I may have. I clearly can't be trusted. I nearly killed you." Dean poured himself well above the two fingers that should have been. "All because of , this welt on my arm." He looked over at his brother, his eyes sad and tired. "I am done. I need to find a way to get this off of me."

"And we will." Sam said. "I promise you we will,. but now we will hunt and feed it."

"But is it going to be enough?" He asked.

"I don't know." Sam replied. "Have you spoke to Jude?"

"No." Dean replied. "Now since she walked out of the room after Cas and Crowley." He looked at his brother. "I am going to give her space."

"Your gonna turn tail." Sam commented.

"No, I just know when Jude says she needs to be alone and think, it is what she means."