Part Four

"It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado. That should be where Dad went so he might still be there," Sam said after they'd had something to eat and then made a start on getting back to Palo Alto.

Sam had made good use of the reprieve whilst Dean had eaten, but knew the inevitable conversation would have to come up eventually. When Dean had thrust a map and their dad's journal onto his lap after they'd left the diner, Sam knew his reprieve was over.

"Great. How far?" Dean asked him, making Sam glance at him suspiciously but looking all the same. Really, it wasn't like he wanted to aggravate Dean any further by asking pointless questions.

"About six hundred miles."

"So if we shag ass, we could make it by morning," Dean said. Once more, Sam didn't think it would be appreciated if he told Dean that shag meant something completely different in Britain, and 'shag ass' had a meaning that Dean probably wouldn't like. Though Sam was beginning to get withdrawal from a lack of 'shag ass'.

"No. I need to be back in Palo Alto for that interview. I'm not hunting down Dad. He's fine, Dean. Just accept that he's a dick who doesn't give a shit about how his actions might affect us," Sam muttered, which probably wouldn't make Dean any more susceptible to accepting whatever Sam had to say.

"Yeah, course, whatever. Can't forget that you have a different life now and a new family. A freaking weird family, but one that don't include me or dad apparently," Dean muttered sullenly. Sam tried to feel guilty or understand where Dean was coming from, but his words just made Sam angry and shoved aside any guilt he might have felt.

"What? When have I made you feel like that? I'm sorry if I have dreams that don't include traipsing around the country saving ungrateful, thankless strangers and spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder! Dean, just… don't, alright? Drop it. Nothing you say will make me change my mind," Sam snapped, slumping a little to lean against the door and looking at Dean with a scowl on his face.

"I just don't get it! And that reminds me! What the fuck is going on with you? You say you don't want to get dragged back into hunting, but your freaking pet mauls spirits and can sink into the ground!" Dean said, voice nearing yelling levels. Sam just scowled at him and shrugged.

"I didn't say I didn't want anything to do with hunting, I just said I didn't want it to be all I lived for. I want a home, and I want a real job! I want friends and I want to be able to sleep in a bed that isn't a motel bed every night! Just… Bobby can do that, so why can't I?" Sam asked, suddenly feeling very tired and not wanting to have this conversation anymore. All he really wanted was Crowley and Gabriel, though he'd settle for Pavlov.

"Why? Why do you have to have that? What about me and Dad?"

"Why can't I have that and you and Dad? What is so repulsive about having a home and friends? What the fuck is your issue with that, Dean?" Sam snapped back, no longer feeling up to listening to Dean's pity me speech and just not understanding why Dean couldn't accept that Sam could have a house and still hunt and be in Dean's life.

"You know I'm not cut out for that kind of life, Sammy! I can't just settle down and be happy! It'd make me go insane!" Dean told him, slamming his hands on the steering wheel in his frustration. Sam just sighed loudly and ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine, okay, but I can. And that doesn't mean you can't visit me, drop by between hunts. Stay with me for some down time should you need it. No one's asking you to just drop everything and live with me, Dean! Hell, Crowley would probably vehemently argue against that, in fact," Sam said with a small grin as he thought about what Crowley would say if Sam told him he was moving Dean in with them.

"Yeah, and about that! What the hell is with you suddenly being gay and liking older men?! More than one! Dude! What the hell is that about?" Dean exclaimed loudly, looking away from the road to shoot Sam a disturbed look.

"It works. I'm happy. Accept it. I'm not changing my life just because you don't like it, Dean," Sam told him, deciding to get that out there before Dean even thought of trying to make Sam get out of the relationship. Sam loved his brother and valued his opinion, just not on this. Not when it came to Sam's private life and happiness.

"Sam! This isn't you! You've never showed any attraction to guys before! How do you know this isn't some sort of spell?! They're using you for something!" Dean shouted loudly. Sam growled quietly and sat up straight.

"Stop the car."

"What?"

"Stop the car, Dean. I'm getting out. I'll make my own way back from here," Sam said in a forced calm voice, hand moving to rest on the door handle. He had enough, he was tired and hurt and strangely feeling lonely in the hostile environment of the car, and he just wanted to be home. He didn't want to deal with Dean's crap and he didn't want to have to defend himself and his lovers. He just wanted to be accepted and not have everything slightly different that he did be thought of as a curse.

"I'm not stopping the car just because you don't like the conversation, Sam. Grow up and accept what we have to talk about!"

"No! You grow up! You can't just say that I'm under a spell or cursed or whatever crap you're thinking just because I'm doing something you don't understand or accept! I'm not being forced in this relationship! They haven't put a spell on me!" Sam spat out, twisting in his seat so that he could glare at Dean and look at Dean's face for his reaction. Dean's grip on the wheel just tightened, to the point where his knuckles were white, and glared at the road in front of them.

"How do I know that? Huh? How can I trust that you're fine and not being forced into this?" Dean asked him, not taking his gaze away from the road though his jaw clenched and his glare became even more venomous.

"I am fine! And if you don't believe me, then believe Bobby! Bobby's met Crowley and Gabriel, and you know what? He likes them! Crowley went to visit Bobby on his own last month when I needed the house to myself for the weekend! In fact, I'll be quite honest, that disturbed me and a terrified me in equal measures. But that's not the point, the point is, Bobby trusts them! I'm not saying you should trust them, or even like them, but trust me! Trust that I know what I'm doing!" Sam said, yanking at his hair harshly in his frustration and to stop himself from just strangling his brother.

"Bobby really knows them?" Dean asked, voice and entire demeanour seemingly quieter and more subdued as that sank in.

"Yes. Bobby knows them. We all stayed with him over Christmas and for a couple of weeks over the last two summer breaks. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Dean. Really, I am. I was just… scared. And apparently for good reason. You clearly don't like it, so I don't really know what I can say or do to make it any better. Just… don't make me choose, Dean," Sam added in a whisper, not entirely sure Dean would like the result if he did that.

"Sammy…" Dean shot him a sad and slightly hurt look, clearly shocked that Sam would think he'd do that, but Sam just didn't know what Dean would say ro do anymore. "Sam… I'd never make you choose, I just… I worry about you, Sammy. Even more because I don't think they're human!"

Sam looked away from Dean, never able to lie well to his brother and so delaying when Dean would realise he had just hit on a very good point.

"Sam?"

"Dean…" Sam sighed and just shrugged, not sure how he could answer to that in a way that Dean would accept. In fact, he wasn't sure there was a way.

"Just tell me what they are, Sam," Dean told him, tone telling Sam not to mess him about or even try to lie. Sam deflated and just gave a weary sigh.

"Fine, they're not human. But… Bobby knows what they are and he accepts it! He knows I'm safe and that they'd never do anything to hurt me! So just… keep that in mind when I tell you, yeah?" Sam asked tentatively, glancing at Dean from the side, his hair covering most of his face and acting like a small barrier between him and his brother's growing anger.

"Just tell me, then I'll decide how I'm gonna react, alright?"

"That doesn't make me want to tell you anymore," Sam pointed out, wincing when Dean just glared at him.

"Sam," Dean said through a clenched jaw, hands gripping tightly at the steering wheel once more.

"Fine, just… right. Gabriel is actually um… he's Loki. The Trickster god. Those knives you were admiring? Yeah, well they were a Christmas present from two of Loki's sons. Fenrir and Jormungandr," Sam added, wondering if Dean would remember much about Loki's history to make the connection. Judging by the way the car swerved, Sam would say that he probably had.

"Dude! What the hell? No, really, what the hell?! Sammy, you're sleeping with a monster?!" Dean asked, voice amusingly high and making Sam wonder if his brother had worn a pair of jeans just a little too tight. And then Sam considered if Dean's reaction to what Crowley was would be better or worse.

Of course, given how Sam's luck seemed to be going, that was the moment that Pavlov chose to fade into the back seat of the Impala with a disgruntled growl, and Sam only just had time to consider his shitty luck before Dean slammed on the breaks and Sam only just prevented himself from becoming one with the dashboard. The startled yelp from the back told him that Pavlov hadn't been quite so lucky.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DOG?!" Dean yelled, making Sam flinch from the noise and, choosing to ignore Dean's question for the time being, Sam looked over the back of the chair to make sure that Pavlov was alright.

"Hey! Watch it! You could have hurt him!" Sam snapped, fussing at Pavlov and patting the dog on the head when he had made sure that he was unhurt.

"SAM! No joking about now, what the fuck is that?" Dean asked, pointing at Pavlov, who just showed that he had little to no survival skills by leaning forward and licking Dean's finger. "DUDE!"

"Dean, just… calm down and shut up. Start the car again and I'll tell you on the way back to mine. Okay?" Sam asked, trying to keep his voice calm and soothing so that Dean didn't just shoot him and Pavlov.

"Fine. Just… start talking," Dean muttered venomously, jerkily starting the car once more and pulling back onto the road. Sam just stifled the sigh that wanted to get out and then settled himself down to more screaming from Dean and a migraine by the time they got to Palo Alto.

"Yeah, yeah. Just promise me you won't shoot me or Pavlov. And no more emergency stops! I'm quite fond of my nose remaining unbroken is that's quite alright with you," Sam muttered sullenly, shuffling to try and get comfortable in the seat.

"Fine, no emergency stops and I won't shoot you," Dean said begrudgingly.

"And?"

"And what?"

"And you won't shoot who else?"

"Fine! I won't shoot your damned demon dog either!" Dean spat, amusing Sam by just how close he actually was to what Pavlov was with his insult.

"Good. So… you weren't too far off guessing Pavlov's um… breed," Sam said, deciding to maybe get the reaction to what Pavlov was out of the way first and then maybe Dean rant for the rest of the journey so that he didn't have to tell Dean what Crowley was. Or maybe Dean would just forget that Sam hadn't told him what Crowley was. Either way, Sam calculated that they had about forty minute tops before they got home, so Sam could just stall.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked him, sounding wary and shooting Sam a suspicious look, which just made Sam try to smile his most innocent smile back.

"Well… Pavlov is um… a Hellhound. But he's a baby! Still! Technically! Sort of. How old would a hellhound have to be before he's no longer classed as a baby?" Sam asked, though he was well aware that he was basically asking himself as Dean was probably hearing that strange white noise sound of anger by this point. Sam glanced to the side at Dean and gave a small nod to himself. Definitely at the white noise anger stage.

"WHAT?!" Sam considered it a small mercy that Dean hadn't slammed on the breaks this time and just swerved the car a little. It was also probably a really good thing that they were driving at night when the roads were practically empty.

"Yeah… but he's well-trained and he was the runt of the litter, so he's more a reject hellhound than anything. And look at him! He's adorable! Aren't you, Pavlov? Yes you are!" Sam cooed, leaning over the seat to fuss at Pavlov and press a kiss to the wiggling and happy dogs head.

When he sat back in his seat, he looked to Dean and saw his brother was staring at him like he had no idea who was sitting next to him in the car. Or maybe wondering if Sam had completely lost his mind somewhere down the road.

"You did not just baby talk to a monster. Tell me that wasn't what you were doing and that I've actually fallen asleep at the wheel and I'm just trapped in a horrific nightmare. When I wake up, you'll be normal and we won't have the family pet of the Munster's sitting in my back seat," Dean said, practically begging Sam to back him up on his wild and slightly strange fantasy.

Sadly for Dean, Sam wasn't in the mood to make life easy for him. Or for himself given had he agreed to that, then they could probably have at least made it back home before Dean demanded more answers once more.

"Yeah, you'll come to reality when you smash full speed into a tree and wrap your baby around it. Sorry, not gonna be happening. Reality is this and for you it seemingly sucks. For me? Less sucky though may become more so should you try to kill me or my pet," Sam added with a small tilt of his head to Dean. A quick glance at his watch told him that only twenty minutes had passed and so they still had another twenty to go.

"Sammy! Why the hell would you have a hellhound for a pet? No wait, where the hell do you get a hellhound for a pet?" Dean asked, sounding completely baffled by that.

"Exactly!"

"What?"

"Hell! Well, okay, I didn't get him from Hell. I've never been to Hell, though the guy in the town centre possibly thinks I'm headed straight there when I die because I like guys in a totally less than platonic way," Sam conceded with a small shrug and a cheeky grin to show Dean he was joking - at least about the going to Hell part. He hoped. Not that he didn't think Gabriel or Crowley wouldn't break him out if he did happen to end up in Hell.

"Sam, can you just take this seriously for one freaking minute?! What the hell has happened to you? You used to be the one who would want serious talks and conversations about our feelings!" Dean said, with a glance to Sam which let Sam see just how frustrated his brother was. Sam bit at his bottom lip and gave a small shrug, trying to stomp down on the guilt he was starting to feel.

"Sorry. I just… when you live with Loki, it's kinda hard to take much seriously. You sort of learn to see the funny side in everything, even the shitty stuff. And well, you've got to admit, this conversation is kinda shitty. Sorry for making it worse though, I just can't help it anymore," Sam admitted with a small shrug, hoping that that confession hadn't made things even worse. Though he was a little relieved to notice that they were passing places he recognised and knew meant they were only five or ten minutes away from his house.

"And that's healthy? And a good thing? Not being able to be serious is a good thing?" Dean asked him, not sounding like he entirely believed or even saw where Sam was coming from.

"Yeah, it kind of is. I mean, it might not be in some cases, but it helps me not to get too angry or stressed or upset about things because I can always pick apart what's happening and find something amusing in it," Sam told him, trying to get Dean to at least understand his side of things a little, and also feeling guilty because he was now feeling so very relieved that they had just pulled down his street and he hadn't had to tell Dean what Crowley was. Though if Dean gave it much though, then he'd probably work it out.

"Yeah… I suppose. Just…" Dean sighed and paused when he pulled the car to a stop outside Sam's house. "Fine, I guess I can't really fault you for thinking like that."

"You want to come in?" Sam asked, pausing part way out of the car to look at Dean as he offered. Dean just gave him a small smile and shook his head.

"Nah, I think I'm gonna make a start on finding Dad. Just, stay safe, yeah? And call me whenever you need me or just wanna talk, okay? Don't keep so much from me," Dean added in a small voice that just made Sam smile widely at him, even as his heart gave a small lurch over leaving his brother behind once more.

"Of course I won't, Dean! I'm sorry that I did this time. I promise never to do it again, yeah? And don't be a stranger. You know where I live and you have my number, so just… stay in touch, okay?" Sam asked him, before opening the back door for Pavlov to get out and grabbing his bag, then closing both doors and giving a small wave to Dean as he turned to his home.

Sam walked up the silent driveway, giving a small frown when Pavlov gave a little growl beside him and nipped at the bottoms of Sam's jeans. Sam paused at the front door, key in his hand as he took in the unusual silence of the building and mentally wondered just where his lovers were.

"Sam?" Sam jumped when Dean spoke up from right behind him just as he was finally opening the door. Sam just turned to look at Dean and shrugged a shoulder at the questioning looks he was getting.

"Something's off," Sam admitted, looking down at Pavlov when the dog backed his feeling by shoving past Sam and growling, looking like he was trying to keep Sam and Dean out of the house.

"You wanna go see what?" Dean asked, placing a calming hand on Sam's shoulder as he gently moved Sam to the side as though to enter the house before Sam.

"Yeah, come on," Sam said, only just stopping himself from rolling his eyes when Dean actually did push his way past Sam and enter the house first. "Bedroom."

"What?" Dean asked in a whisper, looking over his shoulder to look at Sam when Sam spoke. Sam just nodded to Pavlov, who was indeed heading up the stairs and to the bedroom.

"Go to the bedroom. If anything is wrong, then it looks like it might be in there," Sam told him, nibbling on his lip hard enough that he tasted blood. He made a silent wish that Crowley and Gabriel were fine and followed Dean upstairs.

Dean pushed the door to the Master bedroom open and immediately froze at whatever it was that he'd seen. Sam frowned and pushed Dean aside, ignoring his brother's attempts to stop him and then froze himself, eyes widening as he took in the form of Crowley pinned to the ceiling.

"Dean…? Crowley?" Sam asked, voice sounding small and young as he tried to get his head around what he was seeing.

"Sammy, come on. We gotta get out of here," Dean told him, tugging at Sam's arm and trying to drag Sam out of the room. Sam however just stood pinned to the spot and refused to be moved.

"No. LOKI!" Sam shouted, wondering just where his other lover was. Dean made a small noise in the back of his throat and tugged on Sam's arm once more before Sam heard him give a sharp inhale. Sam however knew exactly what had brought that reaction out of his brother.

Almost as soon as Sam had called Loki's name, a man had appeared in the corner of the room. A man who definitely wasn't Loki and who had bright yellow eyes. Sam stumble stepped back from the man, bumping into Dean whilst Pavlov gave a snarled bark but didn't move from his spot where he was guarding Sam.

Before anyone could do more to react, and before the new arrival could do or even say anything, Gabriel silently appeared behind him. Sam almost felt himself physically sag with relief and glanced up, only to jerk in shock at the now bare ceiling.

"Little Sammy Winchester. Well, not so little now, huh?" The new-comer said, speaking up at last and apparently not noticing that things weren't going according to his plan anymore. Sam narrowed his eyes at the man, trying not to flinch when Dean's grip around his wrist tightened.

"Wh-who are you?" Sam asked, cursing himself for stammering and letting any kind of weakness show. A new hand, that Sam just knew belonged to Crowley, appeared pressed to Sam's lower back, and the widening of the yellow-eyed man's eyes told Sam that he'd finally noticed Crowley was no longer pinned to the ceiling.

"He's called Azazel, and he has a couple of plans that Crowley and I aren't completely down with. Luckily for us, Zazzy here isn't too bright and walked right into our trap!" Gabriel announced cheerfully as he placed a hand on Azazel's shoulder, seemingly freezing the being in place. Sam just gaped and looked from Gabriel to Crowley before looking at Dean who looked to be just as stunned as Sam was feeling.

"Huh?" Sam finally asked oh so eloquently, though in his defence he really had no idea what else he could have said.

"You've met Azazel before, Sammy. And for some reason, that meeting all those years ago made Azazel think he owned you. Which is just stupid because everyone who's got a lick of sense knows that we own you if anyone can claim that right," Gabriel told him, making Sam realise that Azazel was clearly the very same thing that had killed their mom. Judging by Dean's barely audible growl, he had realised that as well.

Crowley chose that moment to move forward a step so that he was standing just behind and between the two brothers, placing a calm hand on Dean's shoulder whilst keeping his other arm wrapped around Sam's waist.

"Right, stop blithering on and get on with the plan, Trickster. We don't have all night and the Moose here looks dead on his feet," Crowley announced, smirking when Azazel's eyes moved to look at him with confusion clear in them. "Oh yeah, should I feel hurt that you didn't recognise me, Azazel?"

"Crowley?!" Azazel spat out, apparently his paralysis wasn't extended to his mouth. Crowley just smirked smugly and gave a small dip of his head.

"That's me. And you messed about with what's mine, mate. You know I don't take that very well. I'm not one to share, and Sam is definitely not something I'm willing to share with anyone except the Trickster," Crowley told Azazel, voice low and practically dripping with disdain and anger.

"He's mine. You know he is. I know you were told everything by my little worker bee. Where is he, by the way?" Azazel asked, clearly not taking any notice of the danger he had standing behind him in the form of Gabriel as he taunted Crowley. Though Sam sort of wanted to know what they were all talking about.

"Ah, no. See, something happened a while back and well, let's just say stuff happened, happy times were had and bonding happened. Physically and literally," Gabriel added with a leer to Sam. Sam blushed bright red whilst Dean made a small distressed noise.

"Dude! No! That's my baby brother you're talking about!" Dean exclaimed, clearly forgetting that they were in a room with their mother's killer and glaring at Gabriel, who just grinned completely unapologetic for his words.

"That's not possible!" Azazel spat, ignoring Dean's disgusted words and instead picking up on Gabriel's. Something Sam wouldn't mind clearing out either.

"Yeah? Sadly for you, it is. So I guess now would be the time to get rid of any competition you might try to pose, huh?" Gabriel asked, a short silver blade that Sam had never seen before suddenly appearing in Gabriel's hand as he spoke.

"You can try, but you know it won't work. I'm stronger than a pitiful trickster god and definitely stronger than a prince of the crossroads," Azazel told them all smugly. Dean gave a sharp inhale at that, whilst Sam felt his eyes widen as he learnt just how high up Crowley was.

"Good try, but I'm not just a mere Trickster," Gabriel said in a low voice before thrusting the blade into Azazel's back. Azazel gave a pained gasp as a strange bright light seemed to travel through him, making him jerk in Gabriel's grasp before the blade was pulled out of his chest and Gabriel let the body drop to the floor. "Well, that was exciting!"

"Clean up your mess, Trickster," Crowley told Gabriel with a sneer, looking at the dead body on the floor and walking into the room past Sam and Dean. Both of whom were frozen to the spot as they realised that the thing they'd spent all their lives hunting was now dead.

"I…" Dean's voice cracked a little as he took a shaky step into the room and slumped agains the wall. Sam didn't feel much better himself, though he managed to move further into the room and sit on the bed, Pavlov immediately jumping up and lying right up against his side.

"Dean?" Sam asked cautiously, looking over at his brother, who looked like he was struggling to process everything that had happened in the last few days. And gods if it didn't feel like years ago that Dean had broken into Sam's house.

"What the hell is going on, Sammy?" Dean just muttered, not answering Sam's silent query to his state of mind. Though the clenched jaw and tightly controlled tone of his voice gave Sam his answer anyway.

"Maybe we should have a talk about everything?" Crowley suggested calmly, moving to stand beside Sam and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Though after Gabriel has gotten rid of the body."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm just a slave for you really, aren't I?" Gabriel muttered, kicking at the body angrily.

"Stop whinging and do your job, you glorified carrier pigeon," Crowley said with a sneer. Sam blinked and then let out a somewhat hysterical giggle at the sheer absurdity of the whole situation.

"Uh oh, you've broken him," Gabriel pointed out before giving a quirky wave and disappearing along with the body.

"I'm gonna say it again, Sam. What the hell is going on?" Dean asked quietly, blinking when Crowley made a chair appear with a casual wave of his hand and motioned for Dean to take a seat in it. Dean gave it a weary look before just accepting it for what it was and moving to sit in it.

"Right, well whilst the Annoyance is away, I'll catch you up. He's your brother, Sam. I'm Sam's lover, Crowley and also the second in command of the crossroads demons, as Azazel so kindly pointed out. The irritant that left us just is Gabriel, also know as Loki. And also your brother's lover," Crowley summed up, shoving at Sam so that he could sit next to him on the bed.

"He's your lover too," Sam pointed out in a quiet voice, not entirely sure why he had to clear that up. Probably because that damned spirit had made it seem like he was cheating on one or both of them.

"No, I refuse to admit to that. I have a reputation, you know. Letting you keep that bloody pathetic excuse for a hellhound is already making the reputation shaky. Don't make it worse for me," Crowley muttered, getting a snort from Dean before he could even stop it if the startled look on his face was anything to go by.

"Sam, your partners are totally weird," Dean muttered, though he gave Sam a shaky grin which told Sam that he finally had Dean's acceptance. Sam just beamed brightly back, feeling like a weight had been taken from his shoulders.

"What… what do we do now, Dean?" Sam finally asked, glancing back to the spot where the body of Azazel had been before Gabriel had taken it away to wherever he took bodies. Which made it sound like Gabriel got rid of bodies on a regular basis. And Sam disturbed himself a little by realising that he probably did.

"I… have no idea, Sammy. I don't… we've lived our whole lives hunting that thing and now it's over… what… I don't know what to do," Dean admitted in a small voice, shrugging and running a hand through his short hair.

"Well, Sam has an interview for law school in about ten hours time, so that's his future possibly figured out. And well, no offence, Dean, but I don't really think you'd ever be happy not hunting. I could be wrong because I don't really know you other than from what Sam has told us, but I don't think I am," Crowley said with a smirk and a shrug. Dean just sighed and nodded his head.

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"My point? Well, I just mean you should carry on hunting. Maybe stick around for a bit longer, take on hunts that are nearer, go on hunts with Sam, me and Gabriel on the occasional weekend. Use this place as a sort of base or go to Bobby Singer's place. Either way, I think you'd be happiest huntin'," Crowley pointed out bluntly. Sam just blinked at Crowley before looking at Dean to try and work out what he felt about that.

"You'd hunt?" Was what Dean said in answer to Crowley's suggestion, looking at Sam with a confused look.

"Uh… yeah. Bobby told me I had to get back into hunting so I didn't forget anything or something. I dunno, it was a long story. I'll tell it to you later, but I think we maybe need to work out what to do now first. And get some sleep. Because I'm exhausted," Sam admitted as he let out a jaw-popping yawn as though reminding his body that it had been too long since he'd last slept.

"Fine, yeah. Okay. What about dad? What do we do about him? I mean, he needs to know that it's dead. That the thing that killed mom is finally gone. But we don't really know where he is," Dean said, shoulders sagging in a visible show of his distress and probably his fatigue as well.

"We can find your dad for you," Gabriel announced as he appeared in the room once again and took a seat on the other side of Sam, with Pavlov stubbornly staying between them much to Gabriel's consternation.

"What?"

"Well, I can find out the whereabouts of your dad and take you to him if you want. Or bring him here, though I'd imagine that he'd be less impressed with that option. Either way, you'll be able to tell him about Azazel and then you can decide what to do from there. And if you're open to suggestions, I say you let Sam carry on with his plans of becoming a lawyer, whilst you carry on hunting and you and Sammy go on hunts together over the occasional weekend and during breaks," Gabriel suggested with a smile at Dean whilst placing a hand on Sam's leg and squeezing it gently.

"Yeah. I guess that'd work. When should we… can we wait? To find dad, I mean. It's just… I'm so tired and just wanna sleep. For like a week. I don't know, I sort of feel like I've had a rug ripped from underneath me, ya know?" Dean said with a weak little chuckle. Sam nibbled on his lip and gave a small nod, knowing exactly what Dean meant.

"Hey, you don't have to do anything. Take all the time you need. Just know the offer's there," Gabriel told him with a kind smile. It was in moments like this that Sam saw the more angelic aspects to Gabriel's nature, though he normally smothered them moments later with a prank or joke of some sort. Sam was actually a little shocked that Gabriel had managed to stay serious for this long.

"Dean, you can stay here for as long as you like, then when we both feel ready, we can get Gabriel and Crowley to take us to dad, yeah?" Sam suggested, stifling another yawn as he waited for Dean's answer.

"Yeah, okay. I'm… I'm good with that idea. It'll be nice to actually sleep in a bed that isn't a motel bed for once and well… to spend more time with you, Sammy," Dean admitted with a sheepish smile. Sam chuckled and gave a sleepy nod of agreement to that.

"Definitely. Can we pick up this conversation tomorrow? After my interview? I've got a feeling I'm gonna need to get some sleep tonight. I think the spare bed should be made, if it's not, Gabe can do it with a click of his fingers. You okay?" Sam asked, looking at Dean with a small feel of concern, hoping that Dean was coping with everything that had happened.

"Yeah. Of course. And you know, I can get to know those two a bit better whilst you're at your interview! Ask them for stories that I've missed out on while being away from you," Dean added with a wicked smirk that reassured Sam that Dean was going to be fine and made Sam feel a little scared over what kind of stories his brother and his lovers could share.

Sam had a feeling that his life was going to get just that little more humiliating now that it looked like Dean would be a more permanent fixture in it. And Sam couldn't bring himself to feel any kind of negativity about that.

"Sure, just make sure I have equally embarrassing stories about all of you as well!" Sam warned them with a wide grin. Dean just snorted and stood from the chair, Gabriel jumping from the bed as well.

"I'll take you to the spare room, Dean. Come on," Gabriel told him, leading him out of the room. Dean just followed him with a small nod, pausing at the door and looking back at Sam.

"Night, Sammy. And… I'm glad it's over and you're happy." Sam just blinked mutely at that as Dean grinned and left the room. Crowley chuckled beside him and placed a light kiss to Sam's temple, and breaking Sam from his surprise.

"Get some sleep, Moose. We can all talk about everything tomorrow," Crowley told him, helping Sam get out of his clothes and then get into the bed when he was just wearing his boxers.

"Yeah… night, Ley," Sam mumbled, frowning a little when Crowley didn't get into bed with him and instead moved as though he was going to leave the room. "Ley?"

"Sleep, Sam. I'm just gonna make sure the protections are back up around the house. I'll be back in a little bit and Gabriel will be back from setting up your brother shortly. You're safe now, Sam," Crowley added softly. Sam just gave a sleepy smile and nodded before sinking into the comfort of the bed and letting sleep take him. Finally actually knowing Crowley was right and that he was safe.

A/N - This story… hands up, I never thought it would end! I actually started to panic around the forty-thousand mark… which those that follow me on Twitter will possibly remember. And so yeah, a huge thanks to them! Thanks to every one on Twitter that listened to me panic over this monster that didn't seem to want to end. And to those that were possibly just intrigued as to what the hell I was rambling on about when tweeting about Crambriel!

So, on to the fic, yeah? There isn't much to say really. First, the whole idea of this came from me wondering just why there aren't many fics with this pairing. And then I sort of came up with Crambriel and well, spent a vast majority of the time writing this, craving cranberries. I had no idea that it was going to be this long. And I actually just started to write it as a oneshot because of a vague idea I chatted to about. Some how it turned into this monster! Heh

Now, a couple of things I just wanna bring up about the fic before people say anything about them. First, the salt allergy. It's a real thing. I have one, which makes my mum cackle and call me a mini-demon. She should never be allowed to watch Supernatural. So anyway, yes, it's a real thing and it sucks.

Second, Crowley's 'demon eyes'. This is totally a homage to Mark Sheppard. A couple of years ago, he was asked what colour Crowley's eyes would be as they've never actually changed in the show. He answered that he thought Crowley's eyes would be a nice baby blue. *snickers* It's always amused me so I had to find a way to fit it in.

Balti Towers is a local Indian restaurant near me. The name never fails to make me giggle. Even if I can't actually eat there because I'm allergic to pretty much everything that they serve. Still, that name is inspired.

The torture implements that are mentioned are all real and I've seen more of them on a tour of the Tower of London. They're kinda awesomely horrifying. Lol. Confusingly enough, the tour was actually in Edinburgh. Which made my geographically challenged mind just give up and shut down. Still, pretty damn interesting. The other alternate methods of torture are also real and have been used by various mob bosses and gang leaders over the decades. Such lovely people, no?

I kinda did a vague bit of research on what Sam would actually be studying in Stanford, but it was really, really vague and to the point where I sorta just picked courses that sounded interesting. *snort*

Finally, I'm British and Crowley is British. And Loki is Loki… What I'm saying is, Sam had no chance in not picking up Britishisms. I did have a lovely and ever patient American friend pick out all the overly British things, but well, chances are Sam still thinks/speaks a little too British-y… so I'm sticking with the whole Crowley rubbed off on him in more way than one. Plus, all Americans have to admit that our cursing is way more inventive…