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“Alright, parallel universe. What now?” Dean asked, somewhat exasperated.
Crowley couldn’t blame him. He wasn’t a big fan of getting stuck outside of their own realm either.
Of course they had to be thrown into another universe by a witch on a case on which Crowley had decided to join the boys, since he had so much time on his hands now that he had abdicated.
“I’ve tried to contact Heaven, but I do not seem to have any access to the “angel radio” here” Cas, announced.
“Maybe it’s something else entirely” Sam said. “When Balthazar sent us away, we landed in a world without magic, angels or demons”.
“No” Crowley said.”There’s definitely something supernatural here. You feel it too, don’t you, Feathers?”
Cas nodded.
“So all we have to do is recreate a spell gone badly by an inexperienced witch with no idea where we are and how things work here” Dean said. “Awesome”.
“Sounds about right” Crowley agreed.
“First of all, we should find a place we can hide” Sam said. “I don’t think this street will do”.
“Right – Cas, Crowley, any chance you could –“
“You’re out past curfew” a voice announced.
They reared around.
“Ash!?”
“Sorry, who?” Crowley asked, and Cas seemed to be as confused.
“Friend of us. Died years – “
A shot wheezed just past Dean’s head.
“What the – “
“You will come with me to the Secret Police” Ash said, his eyes sparkling. “I’ll make sure –“
“You’ll make sure of absolutely nothing” Crowley grumbled.
To their surprise, Ash paled and let his weapon drop.
He was wearing some kind of uniform, a pitchfork on his lapel.
“I – I’m sorry, I cannot begin to – oh Grea-“
That was one Crowley decided to knock him out.
“What was that –“ Sam began.
“No time to wonder, we need to get out of here” Dean insisted.
After sneaking around for a bit, they found what looked like an abandoned house.
“Great. Time to set up shop. Cas, Crowley – you can beam out of any danger, fancy getting us some gear?”
“Why does it always have to be us?” the demon complained as they made their way through empty streets.
“You didn’t have to come” Cas reminded him. “You were the one who said he was bored and wanted to go on the hunt with us”.
It was true, but Crowley would hardly admit that.
“Alright, Moose” he said later, handing Sam a laptop, “Time to pit that magical wifi to good use”.
He also had taken one for Dean, of course. He’d never regarded the elder Winchester brother as mentally deficient.
He’d left the other details like food or water to Cas.
“Thank God it’s working” Dean said. “Alright, let’s se...”
After a few minutes, he began, “Sammy...”
“Yeah, I noticed it too”.
“What is it?” Crowley asked, he and Cas looking over Dean’s shoulder.
“It’s like goddamn North Korea, that’s it. I can barely get unto any sites”.
“Restricted internet access? Oh dear, what do single men do on their free nights now?”
“I assume the same things they did before” Cas answered innocently. Crowley groaned.
“Shut up you two, I am concentrating here. 1984 only had light surveillance compared to this”.
“Alright I’ve got the hours of “curfew”... No one is allowed to walk the streets between six pm and seven am. Man that’s harsh” Sam said.
“Yep and apparently you only need to get caught once to disappear forever thanks to this Secret Police or whatever they got going on”.
“Okay” Sam said, “Weird idea, but hear me out. Star Trek. Mirror, mirror”.
“You are talking about the possibility of us having landed in an “evil” universe” Cas said promptly.
“Either that or he’s still as haunted by Spock’s beard as I am” Crowley answered.
“Evil universe” Dean hummed.
“That could be an explanation”.
“And if it’s true, at least we are certain of one ally” Sam said, gesturing towards Crowley.
He nodded. “Maybe I even have wings here, who knows?”
“Guys...” Dean said slowly. Cas looked at him and seemed to understand him perfectly well, for he nodded.
“What?” Sam asked, “If we go by logic –“
“Sam” Dean said slowly, “Are you saying that Crowley’s a bad guy?”
He blinked and tried to formulate a response while Crowley stared at Dean and Cas and wondered when this had happened. They surely couldn’t think –
“But Dean, he used to rule Hell – “
“And he abdicated and saved our asses so many times, do you really think – “
“Squirrel –“
“Not now Crolwey, I am defending you here, and whatever you say would only be detrimental to my –“
“Not even Crowley himself agrees with you –“
“Sam, Dean” Cas, who had taken over Dean’s research, announced, “You need to see this.”
Sam huffed when Dean just turned around and walked back to Cas.
“Seriously, Crowley, what do you think?”
“I think there’s a good chance a wonderful decent me is running around.”
“Same. We should still try to summon him, I think – worst case scenario, we have several angel blades between us. I think we act as if we wanted to summon you at first, just to make sure. Maybe demons are principally nice in this universe?”
´”It’s always possible, but –
“Guys” Dean said.
“Sam, Crowley, I don’t think this universe’s – “ Cas tried to get their attention.
“At the very least we’d have more power to try and break through – “
“Guys!”
“What, Dean?”
He turned his laptop around.
“Don’t know about you, but I don’t feel comfortable trusting the evil overlord”.
“Evil – “
Sam stopped talking when he saw Crowley’s face under a “Hail the King” banner.
“But that means...”
He turned to the demon, who for once was rather sure he actually looked shocked.
“Then our version is the good one?”
“Sammy, I told you, he has helped ups so often, demon or not –“
“He’s also standing right here, so –“ Crowley interrupted him.
“Crowley –“
“So what? He just took over?” Sam asked.
“If he’s the opposite of you, then he loved being the King of Hell. He probably went from there” Dean mused, turning to Crowley. “And quite frankly, I had never any doubt that you could have taken over the world if you wanted to. Thank God we only got the slightly douche version”.
“I need a drink” Crowley said miserably. “No, I need several drinks. I need a liquor store”.
“I wouldn’t recommend it” Cas said.
“Crowley, now is not the time to have an identity crisis”.
“Sammy, let the guy come to his senses. He only just realized he’s the hero version of himself. Give him a break”.
Dena rubbed his neck with his left hand.
“Thing is, this means we’re in trouble. He’s clever”.
“And powerful” Cas interjected.
“Yes, so if – “
They should have known this would be the moment they were attacked.
It seemed like hoards of demons and angels descended upon them; and with both Crowley and Cas handcuffed in seconds, there was little they could do.
At least they weren’t dragged to Hell. Apparently even in this universe Crowley liked it better to roam upstairs.
And of course, Dean thought, he had a freaking palace.
He traded glances with the angel and demon on their sides.
Great. Their handcuffs were as tight as those on him and his brother.
And naturally they were shown into the throne room.
Because whatever universe they were in, Crowley needed his big important throne he could sit on dramatically.
He heard him mumble something about poor taste under his breath and had to agree.
Certainly one didn’t need that many skulls to decorate a room?
To his surprise, the demon wasn’t sitting on the throne. As a matter of fact, even the guards left them alone once they had pushed all of them through the door.
“Okay. So now what?”
“He might want to make us wait” Cas said.
“Polar opposite then.”
“I will have you know I can be very patient.”
“Even when something doesn’t go your way?”
“Guys, bickering won’t solve the problem” Sam interrupted them. “Crowley, if you were him – and you kind of are – what would you do?”
“I assume he would wait and see what happens” Crowley’s voice rang out from behind them.
They turned around.
Apparently this version liked to hang around in the shadows like a creep.
He stepped up to them.
Dean was immediately on edge.
Now, he’d felt like that when he first met Crowley too, but in another way, if that made any sense.
Sure, Crowley was a demon. He could be a sadistic bastard if he wanted to be. And he looked out for himself... at least he used to, back in the beginning, before he got ideas like stabbing himself in the gut to help them defeat Lucifer.
But this thing?
He was enjoying seeing them in handcuffs way too much, not to mention the slightly insane smile Dean had never seen on his friend’s face before.
Insane but still very well aware of what he was doing, and revelling in it.
“The Winchesters and Castiel, the angel. The team up surprises me a little. How delightful! Not many things surprise me”.
“I assume you got rid of our counterparts?” Sam asked.
“Oh, they were amusing, I suppose, but no match for me. I killed them in front of one another. It was fun”.
He turned to Cas.
“You don’t look at all like the angel I remember. Ours was a good little solider. Fell in one of the many wars the father brigade launched against me until I subdued them”.
“I rebelled”.
“Obviously if you’re friends with humans”.
And then his eyes finale wandered to Crowley. Dean had been wondering when he would acknowledge his counterpart.
They studied one another quietly.
Then this world’s one said, “Dear God, you actually care for them”.
Crowley, to his credit, didn’t even bat an eye.
“So that’s what this is? You have friends? They probably keep you in a nice cage back home, don’t they? Their demon pet to play with. What a sad existence”.
“I have not found my life lately particularly lacking. Please. So you rule the world. Have you seen the state of the place? I wouldn’t want it”.
“You just don’t know how to dream big enough, darling. I never thought any version of me could be this weak”.
Weak? He’d easily have come up with several more fitting descriptions, many of them rather explicit; but weak wasn’t one of them.
“Careful” Dean spat “that he doesn’t show you just how – “
Pain blinded him. He fell down on his knees, feeling as if his insides were burning.
“Dean!” Sam and Cas called out while Crowley was apparently thrown against a wall.
The pain stopped suddenly and he got up.
“Dear, dear, he actually tried to use his powers against me why wearing the handcuff. You’re a good doggie, aren’t you”.
Poor word choice. Extremely poor word choice. Crowley had once admitted to Dean that Lucifer kept him as his dog, late at night when neither Sam nor Cas had been around, and he had been careful to keep the secret.
And yet that wasn’t what Crowley focused on as he forced himself off the ground.
“If you touch a single one of them, I’ll tear you apart with my own hands”.
“Quite a bit more fire than I thought, but really, that doesn’t change a thing. On the contrary, this is fun.”
Dean had a bad feeling about this. If his Crowley didn’t like one thing, it was being bored, and if this one –
“I think I’ll make you go through the obstacle course. That will be entertaining to watch!”
He waved a hand in the air.
And everything went black.
When Crowley came to, he was alone, the handcuffs still tight around his wrists; and they seemed to be coated with salt, considering he could feel them burning against his skin. Bastard.
Crowley was studying the walls and contemplating where to head next when Dean burst through the door to his left, relief crossing his face when he saw him. “Crowley”.
“Squirrel.”
“Wasn’t sure if he’d ganked you out of principle. You alright?”
“For the most part, although these” he raised his hands, “Are rather annoying.”
Dean cursed. “And he took most of my... wait a second.”
He fished around in his pockets until he raised a toothpick with a triumphant gesture. “Probably thought I couldn’t use that. Hah.”
He made quick work of the cuffs, wincing when they came off and it became clear they had already eaten through Crowley’s skin and his wrists were bloody and infected.
Dean gently grabbed his hands to ascertain the damage. Crowley didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t remember anyone touching him like this before.
“I’ll kill the son of a bitch for that myself” Dean breathed. “Does it hurt?”
“Just a little, I’m sure it will heal soon” he replied, somewhat taken aback. Dean nodded. “Good. You can walk?”
“Yes, this shouldn’t be a problem, although it seems I have been cut off from my powers for the time being.”
“Oh well. We’ve dealt with worse.” He grinned. “No offense.”
“None taken. I am not particularly impressed with this universe’s me either.”
“We’re in a maze” Dean informed him, “And it’s not much fun. I already escaped two hellhounds and had to make my way over a pit of fire.”
“I suppose this was to be expected. He’s probably watching.”
“I will say this, we probably make good TV” Dean replied. “You think Sam and Cas are around as well?”
“Unless he wants to keep them until we bite it.”
“Alright, let’s think positive, they are here with us. Now we just have to find them.”
Crowley thought their chances were slim, but on the other hand, what were they supposed to do? So they set out through the door to his right.
“Douche-you doesn’t have the best sense of interior design” Dean commented as they strolled past a few skeletons. “Is this supposed to be scary?”
“I think it’s safe to say he has no idea who he’s up against” Crowley said.
“Yeah, definitely. Seriously, calling you our pet... Not nearly as smart as you, is he.”
Crowley didn’t answer. He could easily have implied that, on his bad days, he had sometimes wondered if he was just that – a pet for the Winchesters to use, an attack dog they called when they had no other help, that they didn’t even treat well and that still came crawling back every single time.
“That said, he does build a good maze” Dean continued, obviously aware of his discomfort. He relaxed.
“We will see about that.”
Around the next corner, they encountered a hellhound. Crowley recognized her immediately. “Juliet, it’s – “
She attacked.
Thankfully Dean was quick with the angel blade. “Sorry” he said, “I know how it is. I was thrown for a loop when we met you too.”
He nodded, angry at himself. He should have acted immediately, but of course with his diminished powers, his reflexes were not nearly as good as usual.
“How are your wrists?” Dean asked casually.
“I can deal.” They weren’t healing as they usually would have, but his wounds were hardly their greatest problem.
“Good. Gonna wrap it up when we get home, just in case.”
And suddenly Crowley noticed what had been nagging at him since Dean had found him. Dean was treating him softer, in a way.
Almost as if he were Sam. Or Cas.
It was – had Dean been holding back his signs of... affection for lack of a better word because he had been the King of Hell for years? And now that he knew he was the “good” version (and he still thought that in this case, good wasn’t that far from evil) of himself, Dean had no problem treating him truly as a member of the team.
He didn’t quite know how he felt about that.
“How big do you think that things is anyway?” Dean asked.
“If he is as powerful as I believe, it could potentially be without borders.”
“Great. How are we even supposed to find Sam and Cas?”
“We will. He wants to watch after all, and what’s a good drama if the leads don’t meet up?”
“You seem pretty sure.”
“I should know him best, shouldn’t I?”
Dean shook his head. “You’re nothing like him?”
“Because I’m good, I get it.”
“No. Because you’re you” Dean said simply. “Got I am getting tired of every damn corridor looking the same except for the deadly ones.”
“That’s kind of the point Squirrel.”
“I know but would it have killed him to hang up a few pictures – “
“Now that you mention his demise” Crowley said slowly, “There is a possibility. We don’t know for a fact how this universe and ours are linked, and if everyone who’s dead on our earth is also deceased here, but if push comes to shove – “
“Yeah, I’ll just interrupt you right there.”
“I am just saying – “
“I know exactly what you are saying, and the answer is No. You are not killing yourself on my watch, if I have to take the blade from you I will – “
Suddenly, they heard the tell-tale sounds of a fight. Without saying anything, they both started to run.
Cas was fighting a – giant tarantula? Points for unpredictability, but not exactly creative.
“Cas!” Dean called out and wanted to rush in, but Crowley held him back. “We need to attack from behind. He’s clearly also powered down.”
Dean nodded and they carefully crept behind the spider. With a few well-placed bullets and stab wounds, it soon collapsed.
Cas ran towards them. “Dean!”
“Hi, Cas.”
He looked at Crowley and narrowed his eyes. “Is that him?” he finally asked Dean.
“Yeah, that’s our version alright. Bastard coated the cuffs with salt, he’s bleeding.”
“Oh. Sorry I can’t heal you; my powers – “
“Me too” he hastened to interrupt Cas, a little shocked at the thought of the angel simply healing him because he was hurt without any further agenda.
“So we look for Sam?” the angel asked. Dean nodded.
“Yes, slightly diminished Team Free Will, let’s go!”
Crowley shared a look with Cas, but if anything, he was slightly amused, not baffled like Crowley thought he should feel. Team Free Will? Since when had he been a member of that particular group?
It wasn’t easy, but they slowly made their way through the maze. There were all sorts of creatures and other threats to amuse his evil self. Of course there were always small things nearby to help them defeat the problem – if they were fast enough.
He wondered if he would have found a similar situation entertaining before he had become Winchestered.
“Crowley!” Dena called out.
“I am working here! You try making fire using two sticks quickly!”
Cas was thrown into the wall next to him and he winced. The wendigo howled.
Finally the sticks caught fire and they made short process of the monster.
“I could really do with that stopping sometime soon” Dean said, helping Cas up. “You two alright?”
“I’m fine” Crowley replied. Cas coughed.
“I’ll be alright, Dean.”
“Well then unto the next one.”
“Who in hell thinks swinging blades across a room are actually a good – “
“Squirrel!” he pulled him towards himself and back from the blade just in time.
“Ahm, yeah – thanks.”
Cas landed next to them, having decided to jump. “Do you know how big this room is?”
“Afraid not.”
They soldiered on.
“Mirrors who show you your biggest fear!? Where are we, Hogwarts?”
“I highly doubt that” Cas said, still pale from having looked and seen “them all” (Crowley hadn’t asked) dying horribly because of a mistake he had made.
“Okay then” he decided without sparing the mirrors a glance, “I guess we’ll have to live with a lot of bad luck in the coming centuries.”
“What else is new?” Dean asked tiredly.
They finally reached the middle of the maze after what felt like hours.
Crowley – the evil twin – was waiting for them. “Well well well” he drawled, “I have to admit watching you was entertaining. I assume – “
“Oh no we are not doing this again. Look Mister you obviously don’t know what you are dealing with, so let me tell you. I am Dean Winchester, those two are the angel and the demon on my shoulder respectively, and we are going to find my brother and get out of here.”
“Do you always give great speeches?”
“As a matter of fact he does” Crowley answered, “You get used to it. Too bad you won’t have the chance.”
He laughed. “What, you are telling me – you pathetic little – “
“Hey!” Dean interrupted him. “Where is my brother?”
“Oh, he’s in the next room. Got a bit of a dragon problem, you see.”
The door behind him opened. “I will be here when what remains of you gets back.”
The three looked at one another and moved.
And yes, that was indeed a dragon walking up to Sam chained to a wall.
Sadly, it wasn’t one of the lame dragons they had in their world, but a storybook dragon. Full-on Smaug.
As if their day couldn’t get any worse.
“Dean” Cas held him back; of course he would have right up to his brother, “You can’t. Me and Crowley can’t use our powers, but we are still more resilient than you.”
He looked like he wanted to argue, but instead his face suddenly went blank. Crowley, who had come to associate this with “stupid decisions made by the Winchesters in order to save their family” was worried for a second until Dean nodded and wrenched the blade out of his hands. “Told you I’d take it away, and it’s of no use against dragons anyway.”
He could only nod as the beast roared and prepared to devour Sam. “Cassie?”
And then they were off.
Dean watched his two friends go and swallowed. It was true, there was precious little he could do about the dragon; but there was something else he could do.
He walked back into the room where the bad Crowley had welcomed them.
“Abandoning a sinking ship? Hadn’t picked you for the type.”
Dean rolled his eyes. “Hardly. These two know what they are doing.”
“Yes, of course, your pet angel and your – what? For the record, I am a little curious what you did that he runs after you like a puppy.”
“He doesn’t. He chose to accompany us on a case, that is all. Couldn’t know the damn witch was experimenting with portals to other worlds.”
“I assure you it has brought me a lot of entertainment.”
“Yeah, I bet it gets boring to just sit around and boss everyone about. Crowley grew tired of it pretty quick.”
“He just didn’t have any ambition.”
Dean laughed because imagining Crowley without ambition was just ridiculous. “He made the right choices.”
“Your choices, you mean. SO what are you going to do with that pathetic little blade?”
“Overlord or not, you are still a demon, and nothing but.”
He chuckled. “And you think – you know, who knows if ganking me wouldn’t have a bad influence on your friend in the other room?”
“It won’t” Dean said simply, suddenly certain that everything would turn out right.
Because this –
This monster in front of him wasn’t Crowley.
Even back when he’d been glad to be King, before he realized just hwat a pain in the ass the job could be, there had always been a purpose to what he was doing. Sruivavl, tactical advantage, whatever.
This... thing was just evil for the sake of it. There was very little he shared with Crowley beside a name and a face.
They couldn’t be linked. Not closely enough to cause death.
Dean took a step towards him. Then another.
“Castiel, your right, not –“
Fire trailed down his right arm and Crowley winced. If he’d been at full power, the burn would have healed immediately, but instead he could only watch as his flesh all but melted from his bones.
He almost passed out from the pain, but grit his teeth and soldiered on. Moose needed their help.
“Crowley –“
“I’ll play bait, seems like he likes me” he shouted, “You go!”
Cas looked sceptical, but obeyed. Crowley stared at the dragon. “Alright, come here you lizard.”
“You really think you can take me on?” not-Crowley taunted Dean.
“Oh yes I have dealt with much bigger fish” he said casually.
“So you imagine you’ll just come here with your little blade and –“
And Dean threw his weapon. If this Crowley and theirs had anything in common, it was their love of gloating, and he’d known from the first that he had to act quickly if he wanted to have a chance.
He would later admit to himself that he hadn’t considered how it would feel watching the blade enter Crowley’s guts, or what the thought of his death would do to Dean. He winced, but turned away from the sight to help the others.
He really hoped Cas could get to Sam soon; he could feel himself grow more tired by the minute.
“Crowley?” Suddenly Dean was at his side, cursing when he saw his arm. “Jesus. You alright?”
“Just peachy” he forced out. “Help me play bait?”
“Any time.”
They continued to hop around in a rather undignified manner; the pain from his burns was growing dimmer, and Crowley couldn’t remember if that was a good thing. Probably not.
He’d just ditched another rail of fire when he felt Dean grab his arm. “Cas has got Sammy, we can go!”
“Thank god” he breathed.
Dean shot him a look that, if he hadn’t been a demon, he would have called concerned.
“Man, can you even walk?”
“Of course” he said confidently. He couldn’t feel the pain anymore; the downside was his brain was growing a bit hazy.
This might have explained why he collapsed as soon as they had left the room.
“We really need to dig up some spells to tell us if someone is alive or not. It’s too damn annoying that demons don’t breathe.”
“Fire shouldn’t be able to kill him.”
“Even dragon fire from an alternate universe, Cas?”
“I don’t know”.
Crowley forced his eyes open. He was lying in the same warehouse they had first squatted in, and his arm felt like it was still on fire.
“Crowley!” Dean kneeled down next to him. “How are you?”
“Wonderful. About to get up and do a Pasodoble.”
“Sarcasm. That’s good.” Dean squeezed his non-injured shoulder. “We’re working on getting out of here. You’ll be fine.”
“Anything I can help with?”
Dean grimaced. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d prefer you to lie still until you’re a little bit less... well done.”
Just as well. He had forgotten what real pain felt like. He lay back down and closed his eyes, although he forced himself to take useless breaths so Dean could check up on him.
He lost a bit of time, drifting in and out of unconsciousness in a way he couldn’t recall to have happened since he was a human drunk in Scotland, so long ago.
Then, he felt himself being tugged upwards. “Ugh –Sammy, Cas, a little help here!?”
He only understood what was going on when he felt the tingle of yet another portal and they suddenly were standing in the woods they had left from. His powers came rushing back and he managed to stand up before he dragged any of them down with him.
His skin still wasn’t healed, but he could feel the muscles beginning to grow back together.
“I’m alright Squirrel” he immediately assured Dean, who was still ready to prop him up. “It will take a little – “
Cas touched his forehead. For one second, he idly wondered if he was finally being smitten, but then the rush of angel Grace over his skin told him the truth.
When Cas stepped away, his meat suit was healed.
“I – ahm – thank you, mate. Feels weird.”
“You get used to it” Dean said simply.
Cas was studying him with a strange look, then proceeded to look at Dean so they could hold one of their staring contests. Dean’s face lit up and he nodded. “Good idea.”
“What is it, Feathers and Squirrel? I promise I’m – “
This time, he touched his chest, and he felt a short, searing pain. “What the Hell?”
“I carved a few wardings into your ribs” Cas explained, “So you could enter the bunker without our
Crowley was still processing the fact that Dean and Cas apparently trusted him when Sam asked, “Guys? Not to rain on your parade, but he was – “
“Sammy” Dean interrupted him, “He’s the good version, remember?”
“I – “ Sam sighed and shook his head. “Fine. But if he ever grows vengeful –“
“Don’t worry, do you really think I’d allow that?”
“Who says you could do anything to stop me?”
Dean looked at him, and in the dim light of the fading day it almost seemed like his eyes softened. “So I couldn’t?”
He preferred not to answer.
When they arrived back at the bunker, not even Sam made any comment about how it was time for him to be gone.
So he stayed. He had no better place to be anyway.
After a week he slowly accepted that the room he’d appropriated seemed to have really become his own.
It was just easier for him to stay there – someone had to make sure the boys didn’t end up killing themselves while trying to save the world.
Maybe he should have foreseen other changes. After it happened, he would think that he should definitely have seen it coming, but at the time, he was a little preoccupied with their latest banshee.
So it was only understandable that it didn’t register that Dean had called out “Crow! Behind you!” until well after the fact, and then it was all too easy to assume that he’d just swallowed the last syllable of his name out of haste.
And then he did it in the bunker, too.
Crowley was correcting one of the Men of Letters’ work of reference (the mistakes they had let themselves get away with where simply appalling) when Dean struck his head through the open door. “Hey, Crow, for the Egyptian protection potion... one or two angel feathers? Cas isn’t sure.”
“One and a half” he answered evenly, still busy crossing out a particularly misleading section about basilisks.
Then Dean was gone and he looked up, frowning. Certainly he hadn’t...
“Morning, Crow” Dean greeted him the next day, and he wondered if he should say anything, but decided against it.
Things were going well for once.
“Do you like this, Feathers?” he asked a few weeks later. The boys had gone to visit another hunter gathering, but sadly the group they had gone to talk to was quite paranoid, so the house was shielded against both angels and demons.
“Not a bit, Crow” Cas agreed and he threw him a confused glance.
“Yeah, well – “
It was at this point that he was reunited with someone he’d thought he would never see again.
Cas stiffened. “There’s a hellhound nearing the house – “
He turned his head with only mild interest; surely, they could easily take care of –
Instead, his eyes widened as he called out, “Juliet!”
She was at his side in a moment, and he reached out to pet her. “Good girl! You have grown so much! Did you miss Papa?”
Cas eventually cleared his throat. “I am aware that she was your favourite hound, but I don’t consider – “
“None of you have anything to fear! Look at her!”
“That’s exactly what I am doing” he said slowly, studying them. Eventually, he reached out to pet her too.
“See?” he asked when she answered by barking excitedly.
“Yes, I am starting to” he replied cryptically.
Suddenly, noises from the house made them both look up.
“Does that sound like a fight to you?” Crowley asked. Cas nodded.
“Bloody Hell. And we have no way...” he trailed off, looking at Juliet.
“Cas – do you think they thought about warding the floor?”
The angel looked at him and raised his angel blade.
They hurried towards the house. “Juliet, we need you to dig and dig deep now.”
Two minutes later, they burst through the tunnel she had created, only to find Sam and Dean already well on their way to win.
Still, it was easier with a hellhound there to scare everyone.
“Look at you” one of the hunters hissed, stepping back, “colluding with demons and their hellhounds –“
“Crow’s not just any demon, and – I’m guessing that’s Juliet?” Dean asked him. Crowley nodded. “Juliet is alright. She could have torn you to shreds, but she didn’t.”
They left soon afterwards. “So, Juliet – “ Dean began, but she chose this moment to jump into the hunter’s arms and start licking his face.
He grimaced. “Does she have to do that?”
Crowley shrugged. “She’s always been a cuddler.”
Dean sighed. “Hey, Sammy, look, you finally get to have a dog. Enjoy.”
“She’ll come in handy against burglars” Sam supplied.
Another sigh from Dean was all the answer he got.
Crowley wasn’t quite sure whether or not the elder Winchester was really on board with sharing the bunker with one of the animals that had torn him to shreds at one point until he stumbled across him making breakfast a few weeks later.
“Not now, you menace, I was just – alright, one more slice of raw meat but that’s it. And if you dare tell Crowley about this –“
Crowley smiled.
That evil other him had never known what he was missing out on.