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Dean was clearly uncomfortable, shifting in his seat as Singer and Turner focused twin glares of disappointment on him.
Gabriel bounced in his seat for half a second before coming to Dean’s aid. “Look, he’s got three weeks, so we don’t really have time to waste, ya know?” he said.
This brought the stares to Gabriel, before the professors were looking at each other again.
And then, back to Dean.
“Boy, how long ago did you make this deal?” Professor Singer asked suddenly.
“Uh…last week?” Dean said with a small frown. A frown the other three visitors shared when Bobby sucked in a breath and Rufus started cursing under his breath, flipping through a book.
“What? I get that it’s bad I traded my soul, but—“
“Demon deals are pretty standard,” Singer interrupted. “You ask for something, sign over your soul, and the demon collects in ten years. Never heard of a deal going any other way. They want you bad, boy. And that means they want you for a reason,” the older man spoke gruffly.
“There’s a way to break the deal, the…the contract, though, right?” Sam piped up.
The professors looked at each other, and Singer huffed out a sigh.
“Doubtful, but…there’s a sure-fire way to find out. Without turning our minds to mush with these books, anyway,” he said.
Castiel looked at the older men with a scowl, reading their hesitation clearly in the air. “Well, what is it?” he demanded.
“…Finding out means summoning a demon, a specific one,” Turner said.
“Wait, wait…are you two trying to say you’re going to call up the Devil himself?” Gabriel said, paling just a bit.
“NO!” Singer barked. “No way in Hell, that’s suicide! Not that anyone who’s ever tried to summon the father of all demons has ever succeeded, that we’ve heard of, but that’s beside the point! No, we’re calling up someone a bit…slimier,” he said, frowning as though the thought of this demon was leaving a bad taste in his mouth.
---
“Hello, Bobby. Ah, Rufus, always a pleasure…and Dean Winchester! Satisfied with your purchase?”
Dean stood next to Sam, the group circling the “Devil’s Trap,” Bobby had called it.
“Shut it, Crowley. How do we break the boy’s contract?” Bobby barked out.
“You wound me, Robert! You think I’d break a contract that I personally made? I’d have thought you knew me better than that,” Crowley said, giving Bobby a wink.
Bobby frowned, then looked over at Dean.
“You could’ve mentioned this was the demon you made the contract with,” he snapped.
“I didn’t know his name! What difference does it make?!” Dean said defensively.
“Enough! What do you want with the kid, Crowley?” Rufus snapped.
Crowley turned to Rufus with a happy little smile on his face.
“Well, see here’s how it is, fellas. This world is not what it’s supposed to be. Someone…I suppose I should say, something changed it. Now, I caught wind of the change at the last minute, and managed a spell. Not a big one, but just enough of one to tell me things were wrong. So I’m working to set them right. And the first order of business is dragging Dean Winchester into hell,” Crowley spoke smugly.
It was silent for a long moment.
“You’re the reason Sam was killed.”
Gabriel had spoken it, hardly louder than a whisper, but all eyes fell on him, and then Sam was having to drag him back, keeping him from going after Crowley, from stepping into the circle.
“…You’re not right,” Crowley said after a moment of watching him. And then his eyes went to Castiel. “And neither are you. You two shouldn’t be human,” he revealed.
Castiel and Gabriel both looked at each other, Gabriel now frozen in Sam’s arms.
“Not…not human?” Gabriel finally spoke, looking at the demon trapped in the midst of them. “What the hell does that mean?” he snapped.
“Just what I said. I’m not sure what you were, but…that Gordon fellow, that I had go after your moose…he wasn’t supposed to be human, either. I got a strong sense of blood from him, so…perhaps a vampire, though really, he could’ve been anything. Not a clue what you’re supposed to be,” Crowley said.
“Wait, hold up…vampires are real?” Dean cut in. Crowley rolled his eyes and looked at Bobby.
“Really, Bobby, this is the company you’re keeping these days?”
“Shut it, demon,” Bobby growled out.
“Mmm…in any case, the contract is mine, and so is the squirrel’s soul. Not breaking it, so why don’t you just…scrape off the edge of the trap so I can get back to hell?” Crowley said.
Bobby and Rufus looked at each other, and Sam looked around, desperate for a solution.
“Wait! …There’s gotta be something else you want. Come on, what’s worth more than Dean’s soul?” Sam pleaded. He was willing to bargain off his own, though he didn’t know if he really could do that to Gabriel. Still, he had to do something.
But when Crowley’s eyes landed on Gabriel, the entire group froze.
“Well…” Crowley started.
But before anyone could blink, Cas was in the trap and had Crowley on the ground, starting to try and pound his face in.
“Cas!” Dean called out, stepping forward only to have Cas fly right into him, throwing them both back to the floor.
“Be glad I’m feeling generous. I should’ve snapped his neck for that,” Crowley spoke, indignation filling his tone as he stood up, brushing himself off. “Now…Let Me Out,” he demanded, turning a hard stare on to Bobby.
“Hell no,” Rufus spoke up. “Until you tell us how to break the contract, or break it for us, you’re staying right where you are,” he said, starting to lead everyone out of the basement of Bobby’s house.
“Wha—you can’t be serious. Bobby? Robert! You let me out of here right now, Robert Singer, or I’ll make you regret it!” he yelled after them. Profanities could be heard as the basement door slammed shut.