Crossroads Blues

[melissatreglia]

Title: Crossroads Blues
Author: Melissa Treglia (aka gnosticdiva)
Fandoms: Twilight/Supernatural
Word Count: 623
Rating: PG
Inspiration: Someone made a post on anti_bella about how Bella actually works better as a villainess than as a heroine. That definitely got the wheels turning, and Bella's desperation to be a vampire suddenly made a world of sense.
Warnings: None.

Summary: Edward was right about one thing. The Volturi aren't the bad guys.


===============

The teenage girl glanced around, as the rain misted into her long dark hair. Her thin fingers dug into the dirt at the intersection of two hiking trails. It had taken her hours to find a secluded, forgotten spot like this, and it had turned out to be ideal for her purpose.

The silt caked underneath her fingers, softened by the light precipitation, and her sweat was washed away as the moisture began to thicken into gentle sheets of rain. But, when the hole was big enough, the earth finally surrendered its secret: a small metal container. She opened it and placed fresh yarrow and cat bones in it, then dropped it back into the hole. She swept the dirt back onto her buried treasure, concealing it from curious eyes.

She sighed in disgust at the mess her hands had become, absently attempting to dust them off as she got to her feet. But then her head shot up. Someone was behind her; she could feel a pair of eyes boring into her back.

"Ambitious little lass, aren't you? You're such a bit of a thing to be wantin' what you're askin' for," a man's voice said, the hint of a Scottish brogue colouring his roughened tones. The girl whirled to face the new arrival, her eyes widened in surprise. He was a short, stocky and balding man cloaked in Armani; he looked more like a CEO or a lawyer than anything else.

"You're not what I expected," the girl said. "Last time I was here, there was a girl. A very pretty blonde."

"Well," the man replied, a smirk of amusement. "When I was told about the deal you wanted to make, my dear, I couldn't resist finalizing it myself." He paused, and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Name's Crowley, King of the Crossroads. At your service, milady." He gave a mock bow.

The girl was silent, mulling the turn of events over.

"You do still want that obscene wealth and power, don't you?" he prompted.

"Of course I do," she replied, her expression stony. "I want to be more powerful and wealthy than anyone, and I want to be known and adored by all. I want to be a god. And I want Edward to love me... no, I want him to worship me."

The man, Crowley, nodded. He seemed to be satisfied. "Just making sure. Wealth, power, popularity, love. All the greatest hits." He frowned for a moment. "But the bit about one Edward Cullen is new. You want to make that an addition to the contract?"

The girl swallowed and nodded.

"Very well, then. We'll add that into a subclause, so your bases are covered. And that'll come with a few additional benefits, which'll be installed retroactively. Just because I'm such a nice guy."

Her gaze on him was still uncertain, even repulsed. "The demon told me it was supposed to be... sealed with a kiss?"

"Right you are," the Crossroads King replied. "Shall we dance, pet?"

The girl licked her lips, shifting awkwardly on her feet. He was an old man, but... she would have everything she ever wanted if she just kissed him. It would only be for a moment, and quicker than falling asleep.

She braced herself, squinched her eyes shut and offered her lips up to him. His mouth was soft and inviting against hers, but there was a tang of a particularly strong paprika. No, more like sulfur, she amended.

When they separated, he grinned. "Enjoy all the earthly delights at your disposal."

She nodded, and began to walk away.

Distantly, she heard him call after her, his voice fading out on the wind. "See you in ten years, Miss Swan."

*Fin*

Comments

[blueinkedpalm.livejournal.com]

Nicely written! I like how creepy you made the supernatural contract seem. Although, as I haven't seen the other canon, I'd have appreciated a bit more exposition and information about exactly what Bella was doing and what she expected from the deal. But it's always great to see these character reinterpretations, especially darker (and more competent) Bellas. :)

[nix501st.livejournal.com]

This makes a surprising amount of sense. Seriously. That makes me think that every time Edward tells her to "stay away" from him only to come back himself, he's being pushed back by this deal.

Bonus points because I actually watched that episode yesterday.

[melissatreglia]

And that Edward's inability to read her mind isn't because she's "special," but because of the deal she made which insures Edward will adore her.

[melissatreglia]

All you have to do is slide this into the first book (somewhere after Bella getting glared at by Edward in Biology class) and then follow the Twi-canon to understand the deal she made.

The ten years means she'll get dragged to Hell by hellhounds once she's had a decade to enjoy everything she asked for.

Bonus? It automatically turns Bella's suicidal freak-out in New Moon from "OH NOES! MY SPARKLY BELOVED LEFT ME!" to "Fuck, I sold my soul, only to have a demon welch on the deal I made with him?! I'm so screwed... but I might as well go out with a bang!"

[nix501st.livejournal.com]

And that the reason that New Moon was the best time in Edward's life, because he got away! Except the deal caused his family to turn against him and he was forced to return.

My idea would be that Edward would know what was going on, and be actively against Bella in his head, but he can't control his body anymore.

[melissatreglia]

Which would also explain why Edward continually insults Bella and does crazy things like remove an engine part from her truck, yet finds himself saying he can't live without her.

Oh my God. I actually feel sorry for Edward now...

[blueinkedpalm.livejournal.com]

And now I'm wondering if Bella believes that being turned into a sparklepire will help her avoid being dragged to Hell by hellhounds - if she loses her soul a priori to sparklepireism, will the demons still be able to collect on the deal? :)

[nix501st.livejournal.com]

Same here...

Also, that would explain why he refuses to make her a vampire. It's not that he's afraid for her immortal soul (also explains why Bella ISN'T afraid for her immortal soul), he just doesn't want to deal with this for all of eternity. Unfortunately, he has to now.

[taekarado.livejournal.com]

i havent seen supernatural either myself, but i can get the general gist of it and this is niiiiice.

[melissatreglia]

Well, it's certainly canon that Bella says she doesn't want her soul without Edward. In the movie version, she pretty much begs him to take her soul from her. It genuinely does come off like she thinks having a soul is a burden, rather than something only humans are fortunate enough to have.

And yes, the Crossroads Demons can still collect. According to SPN, when you sell your soul, they've already saved it in the "bank" (if you will).

There's also a fifth season episode where a character "loans" his soul to Crowley in order to participate in the fight to avert the Apocalypse. Of course, Crowley being a Magnificent Bastard, doesn't want to give it back afterward (he even wrote "fine print" in the contract stating he only has to "attempt" to return the soul he was loaned).

Dealing with demons is never a good idea.

[melissatreglia]

...But then the Winchesters can swoop in and take out Bella, freeing the Cullens from the effects of her deal. And then she gets dragged to Hell, and the Cullens are back to living peaceful murder-free lives. :D

[melissatreglia]

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, seeing as you inspired it with your witty anti_bella post.

Supernatural isn't the most pro-female show in the world, but it does have a certain charm.

[chibi-regalli.livejournal.com]

Never seen Supernatural, but this is excellent. It makes perfect sense.

[melissatreglia]

Thank you muchly! Casting Twilight with Bella as the real baddie lusting for power makes so much more sense than the dippy abusetastic romance Meyer actually wrote.

canon!Bella's such a horrible person. But there are much worse creatures in the SPN-verse...

[chibi-regalli.livejournal.com]

And it fits in with canon perfectly. Bella's a power-hungry, psychologically unstable, absolutely horrible person. I could see her making a deal with the devil far easier than Edward plotting to kill her since he's such a coward.

[ldegnan.livejournal.com]

This is literally my new head canon from here on out. It explains Edward's bipolar behavior towards everyone after meeting Bella, why Bella is so flippant about her soul, and even why she attempted suicide in New Moon.
And I love how you kept true to her character in spite of everything, right down to her reluctance to kiss one of the most powerful demons in existence because of how his vessel looks. Not because he's dangerous, oh no, but because he's not aesthetically pleasing to her. Priorities Bella, you lack them.

I especially love the fact that the little chit was too stupid to set guidelines and ask specifics regarding the deal before making it. Hell, I doubt she'll realize how much wiggle room she gave Crowley until months or even years down the line. Not because Crowley wouldn't take immediate advantage of the loop holes, but because she's too self absorbed and obsessed to notice that SHE messed up when making the deal. I've been marathoning Supernatural with a good friend for the past few months, and we'd get into extended debates about the nature of the deals and how to get the most out of them if we were ever tempted to make one. Even if Crowley was a benevolent deity, HAH, wishes have a bad habit of firing back into your face if you haven't covered all your bases. Bella is supposed to be well read, and yet she doesn't realize this in spite of it being a recurring theme in fiction. Which, of course, fits her character perfectly.

All in all, well done. Though I feel for the hellhounds that are going to be sent after her in ten years. Poor things are going to get stomach aches..

[melissatreglia]

You got out of it exactly what I was trying to convey. If Bella had any brains, she never would've made the crossroads deal in the first place. Your soul is a heavy price to pay, no matter what you think you're getting, and an eternity in Hell is not worth the momentary pleasures. (Unless you're, say, selling your soul to save someone else; that's a very noble cause, and I'd probably do the same, in that case.)

Crowley is one guy you do not want to mess with; he's one of the bad guys I actually rooted for, until he got a big head about things and wanted to crack open Purgatory. And Bobby did his best with the deal he was given (agreeing to "loan" his soul, rather than sell it) and Crowley still screwed him anyway.

Better to just not make a deal, and do the best with what you've already got.