ofthesounds | When Worlds Collide, Chapter One (crossover fic, Supernatural & Once Upon A TIme)

Title: When Worlds Collide, Chapter One (crossover fic, Supernatural & Once Upon A Time)
Author:

ofthesounds
Characters: Crowley, Charming
Rating: PG
Word Count: 2,357
Warnings/Spoilers: Semi-spoiler for OUAT Season Two, Episode One, "Broken."
Notes: I've never gotten to write in the OUAT fandom, and I thought this would be a great start (especially considering how much I just love crossovers!).

A BIG thank you to

mysticshell and

everythingshiny for being my beta readers. ♥

Please enjoy.

Using magic comes with a price.

Charming knew that just as well as anyone in Storybrooke. But every second that tick, tick, ticked away was one more second that he was losing. It was enough to drive him mad, though he tried to at least look calm and collected on the outside. For Henry’s sake, if nothing else. That didn’t mean that his mind was exactly working along that same path, though.

Snow and Emma had been gone for only three days, but it might as well have been a lifetime. Anger had pooled in the pit of his stomach every time he thought about how utterly cruel the universe was being. This time should have been different. This time, he and Snow should have been able to spend time with Emma and Henry, and not have to worry about their happily ever after being taken away from them because of the insane notions of Regina.

While Henry had school to distract him from the absence of his mother and grandmother, Charming practically had nothing but free time on his hands to think of all the horrible things that might have happened to his wife and daughter.

Were they safe?

Were they even alive?

The soles of his shoes squeaked every time he twisted in his pacing, but the noise barely registered in his ears. The sheriff's office was otherwise quiet, and he felt as though the walls were closing in on him. The veins at his temples throbbed with worry, but even the onset of a headache couldn’t force him to stop thinking. Worrying. Stressing out about his loved ones. Logically, he knew Snow could handle herself in nearly any situation. And Emma? Even though his daughter wasn’t raised by him, she could handle herself quite well. She had defeated a dragon, after all.

Just when he thought things couldn’t possibly get worse, the sudden scent of sulfur filled the air. It stopped Charming mid-pace, and he was momentarily distracted from his bothersome, wandering mind. Every muscle in his body went tense as he turned and his eyes landed on the man sitting at his desk with his feet propped up like he owned the building. He didn’t even hear the front door open, though around here, and considering how deep in thought he was, it shouldn’t have surprised him.

“You look like you’re in a bit of a pickle,” the Englishman noted, and a nearly sinister smirk slithered onto his thin lips. That gesture alone set off Charming’s warning signs, and he stayed right where he was. Crowley did love making a dramatic entrance, especially when it was for someone new. This little town had been on his radar for quite some time, but it wasn’t until recently that he could even venture into the town, due to some kind of spell.

“Can I help you with something?” Charming’s voice was noticeably even. Calm, despite how wary he felt toward the stranger. Situations that started out like this rarely turned out well, after all.

With a soft “tsk, tsk” noise escaping him, the man stood and smoothed down his dark green tie before buttoning his black suit jacket casually. “Actually,” he quipped, “I came to help you.” The answer immediately made Charming think of Rumple, and he quickly looked over the other man. He knew the stranger wasn’t from Storybrooke, and part of him nearly panicked at the mere thought that somehow yet another evil creature had found it’s way to their small Maine town.

“Sorry,” he answered with a shrug. “I don’t need any help.” Which was a complete lie, of course, but he wasn’t about to take part in some sort of so-called “arrangement” with this man. Charming knew all too well how twisted those sorts of dealings could go. “I’m sure there’s other places in town hiring, though.” Anything to get this man out of the building quicker.

The man smiled like a cheshire cat, clearly amused by the answer he was given, and ticked his head to the side. “Oh no? Then you don’t want help bringing Emma and your darling wife home safely?” The man’s accented words all but smacked Charming in his face, sending his eyelids fluttering in a wave of shock.

He tried to shake off that surprise as he took a couple of steps closer to the man, his eyes narrowed. The pit of his stomach started twisting to the point it nearly ached, and he could feel his temples throbbing again. Just because this man knew that the women were trapped elsewhere didn’t mean he was about to show his hand quite yet. “What makes you think I need your help?”

“Easy,” the man replied sharply, and started to close the distance between the two of them. “If you don’t take my help, Regina’s going to make sure you never see them again.” There was knowledge flickering in the man’s sharp gaze—as if he was privy to all of the workings within the town, even though he was an outsider.

It was Charming’s worst fear, and the man spoke the words so simply, as if he had told him the sky was blue. The weight on Charming’s shoulders felt heavier than ever, and his mind swirled through his options. He weighed the possibility that the man was right, that Regina would somehow sabotage their return, or worse—that she would use a spell to make sure Emma and Snow could never return home. But the man could be wrong, and all of this could be a ruse to make it so Charming was in debt to him.

“How do I—”

“Know I’m telling the truth?” The man interrupted and arched his eyebrows sharply. “You don’t. Not really, any way. But you can feel it, can’t you? In the pit of your stomach.” His eyes flickered down to Charming’s stomach, and the simple gesture sent a wave of nausea washing over the blond man. Crowley tucked his hands into his pockets and paused within arm’s reach of Charming, his eyes flickering to catch Charming’s gaze. “They’re all alone in that strange homeland of yours, and you know Regina would do anything to not only destroy that lovely, fair-skinned wife of yours, but she’d do anything to get little Henry back as well.” That smirk returned to his features. “What’s that old saying again? Two birds, one stone?”

The entire situation felt like deja vu for him, and he couldn’t help picturing Rumple in his cage. Both Rumple and this man have the same smile, a sneer really, that set the hairs on the back of his neck on end. “Who are you?” The question seemed so obvious, but Charming wanted to know who he was dealing with before deciding on his next move.

“Who? Me?” The man’s fingers pushed to his own chest, and he gave a bit of a laugh. It had been a long time since he had to actually introduce himself to anyone. “Name’s Crowley,” he answered in an amused tone. Charming didn’t understand the joke.

The name was completely foreign to Charming, and he couldn’t stop his mouth from twisting down just a little. “And why would you want to help me?” He was rightly suspicious of Crowley, and as they stared at each other, Charming was trying to figure the other man out. It wasn’t that he was a distrusting soul, but he had been through enough to know to pay attention to his first instincts about others.

Crowley knew that deal making was an art, and he considered himself a Picasso. It was all about pushing the right buttons in the right order, but when everything was said and done, humans were creatures of habit. Everything boiled down into it’s simplest desires, and for this man, it was about his family and bringing them home safely. “It’s what I do, really,” he responded honestly. “Let’s just say I don’t like Regina. She’s bad for business. Now, do you want my help?”

Charming should have known better. He should have known, and maybe, somewhere in the back of his mind, he did. It registered as a bad idea, but he told himself hearing Crowley out couldn’t be a horrible idea—especially if Emma and Snow’s lives were in danger. “What would you do to help them? Can you bring them back to me?” Despite his best efforts, a bit of desperation crept out in his tone.

“Well, I could bring them home, sure.” Crowley made it sound like it was as simple as picking them up at the bus station. “But that would cost you quite a bit, I’m afraid.”

“I knew it!” Charming practically shouted, and narrowed his eyes at the other man. “I don’t make deals with strangers. You can leave now.” He pointed toward the door, as if that would convince Crowley to leave.

“Or,” Crowley held up a finger, his right eyebrow arching high. “Or, you could hear me out and save your family.” He didn’t think that sounded too unreasonable. Then again, he was the one holding all the aces at the moment. Never mind the fact a few of them were shoved up his sleeve.

Folding his arms across his chest, Charming wasn’t quite sure of what to do. He knew Snow would never approve of him making a deal with a stranger, but so far, there was no rescue plan in place. He couldn’t let Regina stop him from getting them back. “What kind of deal would this be, exactly?” He held up a warning finger, right in Crowley’s face. “And I want all the details, up front.” After dealing with Rumplestilskin for so long, Charming knew there was always a catch.

Clearly the prince had made a few deals in his lifetime, too. Crowley couldn’t help but smile. “It’s really quite simple. I have the pleasure of bringing your lovely ladies home to you, safe and sound and in one piece,” he paused for dramatic effect. “And in return, you hand over your soul.” The words came out easily, if only because he had said them a million times before. “It’s a simple transaction, I assure you,” he added, once he saw the gawk on Charming’s face.

“You can’t have my soul!” He shouted and started pushing Crowley toward the door. “I’ll find a different way to bring them back.”

Suddenly Crowley put a hand to Charming’s chest and they both stopped moving. “If you don’t take this deal, I can promise you one simple thing—Regina will make sure that you never see your wife or daughter again. She’ll take Henry from you, and she’ll burn the town to the ground if she has to in order to get him back.”

A thick cloud of guilt rested over Charming’s head as he thought about what Crowley was saying. Not for the first time, he wished that he had been able to be the one who jumped in after Emma instead of Snow. He would take her place in a heartbeat if he could.

Deep down, he knew the other man was right. He had already lived through Regina’s wrath once, and that was before Henry was even in the picture. But could he really turn over his soul?

For a long moment, the two men just stare at each other. Crowley knew when to push and when to shut up, and he could practically see the wheels turning in Charming’s eyes. They could have been standing there for days, and Crowley’s patience was just starting to wear thin when the prince shook his head in the negative.

“No, I won’t do it.” There was a deep conviction in his tone, and he lifted his chin in defiance. Snow would murder him if she knew he had sold his soul to get them back. “I can’t. I’ll find another way to bring them back safely.” He just wished he knew how to get there. It had only been three days, and he was already starting to go out of his mind.

Crowley let out a huff of annoyance and rolled his eyes. “Getting them home isn’t the issue though, is it? Regina isn’t going to stop. You know that. They know that.” He started pacing around Charming slowly, keeping a bit of space between their bodies as he moved.

As Crowley moved around him, Charming could feel his muscles going tense. He was ready to fight, if it came down to it, but he hoped he could get out of the situation without it coming to blows. “We’ve managed just fine without you, and I’m not handing over my soul. There has to be a different way.” He and Snow had been through seemingly impossible times before, after all, and they were still around to talk about it.

If there was one thing Crowley hated, it was not getting his way. But, at times, he could be a patient demon and bide his time. This certainly seemed to be one of those times that called for him to take things a bit slower. “Fine,” he let the word out in a huff. “But if you change your mind, just give a call.” He placed a small off-white card on the edge of the desk he had been sitting at before he turned and headed for the door.

Pausing with his hand on the door, he turned back to look at Charming. “But don’t take too long, Charming. Your ladies are waiting for you to fix everything.”