Crowley waited until he knew everyone should be asleep. Double checking that the coast was clear he crept down the hallway towards Sam's room. If anyone was likely to have the most up to date information on the pit, it was Sam. Right now was the research stage. He needed information to move on to the planning stage. Opening the door to Sam's room Crowley double checked the hall once more before slipping inside.

He had no clue if any of the others would be upset about him being here but there was no reason to chance anything. On the desk he spied Sam's laptop. Snagging the computer he made his way back to the door. He stopped short when he heard footsteps. Pressing himself against the wall he listened carefully.

"So what exactly are you saying? You want to gank him?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, what's the use of keeping him here now?"

"I don't know about that, Dean."

"Come on Bobby, are you really that comfortable with a demon living in your house?"

"He did help us get the rings."

"To save himself. He was also there at the cemetery but didn't even try to help us."

"It is kind of understandable."

"How?"

"His fear of Lucifer? The fact that he even came with us was more than I thought he'd be able to do."

"All I'm saying is it's asking for trouble keeping him here."

"We'll see."

As the footsteps moved away Crowley seethed. Here he was trying to help the older Winchester and Dean wanted to kill him? If Dean felt that way then why was Crowley even bothering to do this? Sighing he shook his head. He knew why he was doing this. Sam. Sam had been the one person he could trust after he left hell. He couldn't leave Sam trapped in the pit with Michael and Lucifer. He didn't deserve that. Peeking into the hallway to make sure it was clear he made his way back to 'his' room.

Slamming the laptop shut Crowley growled in frustration. Sure he had learned more than he knew before but none of it helped him figure out how to help Sam. Damn it. Okay, well, at least he had more information than when he started. Now he needed to return the laptop. As he looked up he was surprised to find the room lightening with the rising of the sun. Had he really spent that long going through Sam's research?

Hearing footsteps in the hallway Crowley shoved Sam's laptop under the mattress and hurriedly got into the bed. As a demon he didn't generally sleep. He did, however, allow himself periods of rest occasionally. He had just gotten into the bed when there was a loud knock and his door opened. Dean stood in the doorway eying him.

"Breakfast time if you're eating," Dean announced.

"Uh, yeah sure. Be right down."

Rolling his eyes Dean pulled the door closed. Holding his breath Crowley listened carefully to Dean's retreating footfalls. When he was sure Dean was gone he got out of the bed and retrieved Sam's laptop from under the mattress. Quietly he made his way to the door and pressed his ear against the wood. There were sounds of people moving around downstairs but no one seemed to be on this floor. Easing the door open Crowley slipped out of his room and down the hallway. It would be so much easier if he could blink to Sam's room but the others had placed wards to keep him from blinking places inside the house.

When the laptop had been returned he made his way downstairs. Making his way into the kitchen Crowley grabbed a plate and placed some of the food on it. Mostly he only showed up for meals out of habit now. Sam had insisted Crowley eat whether or not he was hungry to force him to socialize. Crowley had just never stopped showing up for meals. When he finally realized he was no longer required to show up for meals he realized how much he needed to show up for them. He needed the see the others occasionally to remind himself he wasn't trapped in hell any longer.

After he fixed his plate Crowley set it on the counter and opened the cabinet. Grabbing a cup he moved to the fridge to pour himself a glass of juice. Finally he snagged his plate and sat down in the chair he always used. Keeping his head down he began eating. No one said a word as they ate. Crowley had almost finished eating when he felt it. The sudden and unexpected feeling of angelic Grace caused his breath to catch and his muscles to lock. His mind immediately flashed back to Lucifer torturing him in hell.

.

Bobby stared at the demon slightly confused by the abrupt change in attitude.

"Crowley," Dean asked cautiously.

The demon stood and instantly began backing away, tripping over the chair in the process. After tripping over the chair and landing on the floor Crowley continued to scoot backwards until he hit a wall. Pulling his legs up Crowley wrapped his arms around them and ducked his head until he was curled up as small as he could get.

"My fault," Cass stated quietly. "I forgot he would be down here at this time."

"Yeah but you haven't ever done anything to him."

"All Grace has the same basic feel to it. There are small variations to each angel's Grace if you look for them. For Crowley, with me just popping in to the same room… It probably caught him off guard."

"Can you help him?"

"Perhaps. I think you two should leave first, though."

"Why?"

"If he lashes out in fear I don't want you or Bobby in here."

"No dice, Cass. If you're staying, I'm staying," Dean stated.

"Why don't you to let me see if I can get through to him first," Bobby offered.

"Please," Crowley whined. "No more, please. Hurts."

"You two knuckleheads get the hell out of here. I got this covered."

"Bobby-"

"I said out," Bobby ordered cutting off Dean.

As Cass and Dean left the kitchen Bobby shook his head. "Idjits," he muttered. If it was angelic Grace that set off Crowley, Cass was the last person they wanted to try and help the demon. Dean helping Crowley? God save us all. While he hadn't experienced exactly the same thing Crowley had, Bobby was probably the best option to help Crowley. Moving until he was closer but still several feet away from Crowley, Bobby crouched down.

"Crowley," Bobby said quietly.

The demon began to tremble.

"Hey, you're safe. You're all right, Crowley. You're at my house. No one's gonna hurt you here. You're safe."

Crowley let out a small whine.

"Hey," Bobby said gruffly. "Crowley, look at me. Now."

Crowley shook his head and continued trembling.

"I said now, boy. That's an order."

Shaking even harder Crowley started to lift his head. The demon's eyes were clenched shut and he was biting onto his lip so hard he had split it open. Bobby doubted Crowley had even noticed.

"Eyes open. Now."

Crowley's eyes snapped open as he continued to press himself backward against the wall.

"Crowley," Bobby said softly. "Where are you right now?"

The demon's bottom lip quivered slightly.

"Where are you? Answer me," Bobby ordered sternly.

"H- H- H- ell," Crowley stuttered.

"Look around, really look. Does this place really look like hell?"

Hesitating slightly Crowley shifted his eyes first left and then right. Finally his eyes settled back on Bobby. Crowley bit his lip again. "Hell is… malleable. You know that," Crowley whispered.

"Damn it, Crowley. You know where you are. Just think about it. Where were you moments ago?"

Crowley's eyebrows lowered as he actually seemed to be contemplating that.

"At… Bobby's…"

"That's right. You're still here. You didn't go back to hell, you're still at my house."

Crowley blinked several times. "Bobby?"

"Yep, it's me."

"I…"

"I know. Come on, let's get you back into a chair."

Crowley glanced around the kitchen.

"I… what happened?"

"Cass popped in unexpectedly and you had a panic attack."

"Panic attack?"

"Yep. Come on now, up. Let's get you into a chair."

"I think… I want to go back to my room now."

"Nope. We have some things to discuss first, then you're free to go."

"Things," Crowley repeated carefully.

"Yep, and I'm not discussing them down here." Bobby stood. "Well?"

Crowley stood slowly.

"Good. Now grab that chair and have a seat," Bobby said indicating the chair Crowley had knocked over.

Moving slowly and keeping one eye on Bobby Crowley righted the chair and sat down at the table. Bobby moved to the other side of the table and sat down. The whole time Crowley kept a wary eye on him. Bobby shook his head.

"Here's the deal," Bobby began. "I know you've been hanging out in Sam's room." Crowley opened his mouth and looked like he was about to deny the accusation. Bobby held up a hand to cut the demon off before he could get started.

"Don't try to deny it, I know better. You think I don't notice the sounds of your footsteps padding down the halls late at night? Or the smell of your cologne in Sam's room? Or even that the books in my library have been moved?"

Crowley dropped his eyes to the table and remained silent.

"I can almost understand it though. He did go above and beyond to help you. The thing is, being around those two you learn a few things. Like what they aren't telling you. You're trying to find a way to free Sam, aren't you?"

Crowley's head shot up and he stared, surprise obvious in his features.

"Told you, being around those two you learn things. If it helps, I don't think Dean knows what you're up to."

"I have to," Crowley said quietly. "Dean may have pulled me out of hell literally but I was still stuck there. Sam's the one that really freed me from hell. I can't leave him there."

"Freed may be a bit strong judging from what just happened," Bobby noted.

Crowley glanced away. "Some days are better than others," Crowley whispered.

"The point is, it'll be easier to see if we can find a way to free Sam if we worked together."

Crowley's eyes shot back to Bobby's. "Together?"

"Well yeah. You get to use my library and I get to pick your brain."

Crowley frowned and wrung his hands nervously.

"Now what's the problem," Bobby asked.

"Are you… Are you going to kill me?"

"Be a bit hard to pick your brain for information if you're dead."

"Afterward. I mean… I heard you talking with Dean."

"You heard that, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Dean's in a bad place right now. He's just worried about his brother."

"And he hates me."

There was nothing he could say to that. Dean really did not like Crowley.

"Tell you what, how about we make a deal?"

Crowley seemed to perk up at that.

"I do everything I can to help you free Sam if you do what you can to keep the demons off our backs while we search. Afterwards, if you haven't done anything against us by then, I'll make sure Dean doesn't gank you."

"Really," Crowley asked skeptically.

"Really."

There were a few books in Bobby's library written in a language he didn't know. Those books they left to Crowley. Bobby took the others. For the most part Bobby and Crowley would do the research at night. Bobby didn't want to get anyone's hopes up and Crowley didn't trust the others. He had no reason not to trust Castiel other than he was an angel but that was enough. Being around angelic Grace was still nerve wracking for him.

While Bobby did the research in his library Crowley preferred to take the books back to his room to read them. He might occasionally need to see the others to remind him he wasn't in hell any longer but he still found it hard to be around other people for long periods of time. He still went downstairs for meals but he never spoke. Cass made a point of already being present before Crowley came down or waiting until Crowley went back upstairs before popping into the house. He still had the occasional panic attack but Bobby could usually talk him down when he had one. Ever since the first morning Bobby had talked him down Dean had ignored him.

The main thing that annoyed Crowley now was the lack of useful information. He was learning all kinds of things and normally he would have been thrilled at gaining the new knowledge. All information came in useful eventually. However right now he was only interested in very specific information. Growling in frustration Crowley shoved the book he was currently reading aside. A thought occurred to him. Perhaps the libraries in hell had information about the pit that couldn't be found in books outside of hell. For that matter, there were also the libraries in heaven to check. Checking the clock Crowley realized it was almost time to go down for dinner. Sighing he stood scrubbed his face with his hands.

Making his way downstairs Crowley nodded at the others present. Tonight they were having pizza for dinner. Crowley frowned. Pizza was one of his least favorites. Grabbing a plate Crowley sat down at the table. Instead of grabbing a slice of pizza he conjured two grilled cheese sandwiches and a bowl of tomato soup. As he went to pick up one of the sandwiches he noticed Bobby watching him. Turning Crowley raised an eyebrow.

"Grilled cheese," Bobby asked.

"Sam used to make them for me," he said quietly.

Bobby grunted and went back to eating his pizza. Crowley was grateful for not having to talk about it further. Dean stood and shoved his chair back loudly. Crowley paused, waiting to see what would happen. Dean stalked out of the room without another word. Bobby muttered something under his breath. Standing up he left the kitchen following Dean. Crowley glanced sideways and eyed the angel. Ever since he had left hell he had never been alone with an angel. This is Castiel, Crowley told himself. Castiel is nothing like the others.

"So," Castiel stated, trailing off.

Crowley didn't reply. Either Castiel would continue or they were going to sit here in silence. He really didn't feel up to making conversation. Instead he began eating. He could feel Castiel watching him. It was unnerving but he did his best not to let it show. Neither spoke again. When Crowley finished eating he willed his dishes clean and put them away.

"Crowley?"

Crowley bit his lower lip briefly before turning to face the angel.

"How are you doing?"

He thought about that. How was he doing? He really didn't have a good answer for that so he shrugged. "About as well as can be expected I supposed."

"Any more, um… " Castiel trailed off.

Crowley knew what the angel was asking. Any more panic attacks? "Not your business," Crowley growled. "Besides, you don't have anything to worry about. When I was in hell with… him I wasn't allowed to use my powers. It's not like I'm going to strike out at anyone around me."

"Sorry," Castiel said quietly.

"Whatever."

Crowley made his way back to his room. When he got there he paused with his hand on the door. Turning his head he looked down the hall to the upstairs bathroom. The only time he had ever been in the bathroom was when he had inspected the house not long after arriving. Changing directions he headed to the bathroom instead of his room.

Entering the bathroom Crowley flipped the light switch on and closed the door. He hadn't had any clothes on when they'd rescued him. The shirt he was currently wearing was one of Sam's older button down shirts. Slowly he reached up and began unbuttoning the shirt. None of anyone's pants had fit well enough so the pants were new. Sam had bought a few pairs for him one day so he had clothes that fit. Since that time he had become more comfortable using his powers but it was still difficult. He could probably conjure himself more clothes if really wanted to now but he didn't. Wearing Sam's shirts and the clothes Sam bought for him made him feel closer to Sam.

Removing the shirt Crowley took several deep breaths. Turning Crowley faced his back to the full length mirror hanging on the door. Never once had he seen what the actual scars looked like. Occasionally he would run his fingers over the skin, picturing them but he had never actually seen them. Castiel hadn't been able to fully heal them. Sam had come in and cleaned them every day until they'd finally healed. In theory Crowley knew what they should look like. He had seen the bloody imprints of the symbols on one of his white shirts. Still, the prospect of seeing them on his skin made him nervous. He took another deep breath and let it out.

.

"I can't believe you won't let me kill him."

"I told you I promised him I wouldn't let you gank him yet. I'm not done picking his brain. You can wait Dean."

"Does he have to live here while you pick his brain? Because I gotta tell you-"

The sound of shattering glass rang out from somewhere upstairs.

"Balls," Bobby muttered.

Both men made their way upstairs. By the time they had gotten to the top Cass had joined them. At the top of the stairs the three stopped, trying to determine which direction to head. The door at the end of the hallway opened and Crowley stalked out of the bathroom heading towards them. When he approached them he stopped and glared. Turning to Cass Crowley said something in a language Dean couldn't understand and stormed into his room.

"What the hell language was that," Dean demanded.

"Enochian," Cass answered distractedly.

"What did say," Dean persisted.

"The closest translation? 'I will not be anyone's slave.' My guess is he found out what the symbols meant."

"So Crowley knows Enochian? And whose slave?"

"He might have taught himself basic Enochian but it's unlikely he would have become fluent without assistance," Cass replied. "Lucifer's slave."

"Okay, want to explain that," Bobby interjected.

"After Meg came to us with the shirt for translation I started asking Raphael about the old script. As I suspected the symbols were a modified version of the old language. It appears Lucifer was attempting to recreate the Knights of Hell. Only this time, he was modifying them to think for themselves less and be more subservient."

"Great," Dean muttered. "So, Crowley's a Knight?"

"No, Lucifer didn't get the chance to finish the process. I think he was waiting until Crowley broke to take the next step."

"So what, then?"

"Crowley was well on his way. He has abilities other demons don't but the process also created a dependency in him. The energy needs to attach to someone or it causes an imbalance."

"So we need to what? Find someone who can control him?"

"I don't think that's an option anymore. I'm pretty sure the energy already found someone."

"Who?"

"Sam."

"Sam," Dean asked loudly.

"Sam was the one of us that was always with him when we brought Crowley back. Sam was the one that always took care of Crowley. Since he's been gone Crowley's started having panic attacks and he's been more tense than ever."

"Son of a bitch," Dean mumbled.

.

Crowley struggled to get his temper under control. He needed to think. He had to find a way to fix whatever Lucifer had done to him. Being able to read the symbols didn't mean he understood how the magic worked. This was angelic magic. Suddenly there was a knock at his door. Crowley growled.

"What," he called out.

The door opened and Bobby stood in the doorway. Entering the room Bobby left the door open. Crowley eyed the hunter carefully as he approached.

"You alright," Bobby asked.

"No," Crowley growled. "I wish to kill something. Now."

"Alright. Gear up, we'll go on a hunt."

"No. I wish to kill many things, I will hunt alone. I cannot guarantee your safety and Sam would be upset if you were to die. I will go alone and return when I am done."

Crowley stalked past Bobby and out of the room.

Turning, Crowley noted the demon running towards him and lashed out at it with his powers without slowing. The demon exploded as Crowley continued towards the library. If there was a chance any of the books here had any information they needed he would retrieve them. Nothing and no one was going to prevent that. He would do whatever was required to get Sam out of the pit. More demons ran at him from his right and Crowley lashed out at them. Two hallways later he arrived at the library.

After retrieving the books he thought might be useful Crowley turned back and glared at the librarian. The demon backed away and cowered. Crowley grabbed the stack of books and held them in one arm. As he started to leave the library several demons, including Meg, arrived. For a while Crowley merely stared at Meg. Setting the books down Crowley turned back to the other demons.

"I declare Meg the official new ruler of hell. Anyone who disagrees, speak now."

Five hours after Crowley left someone opened the front door. Bobby shared a look with Dean before they both rose to inspect who was here. Entering the foyer they both stopped dead in their tracks. The demon stood just inside the door holding a stack of books and a bulky bag. Blood covered most of Crowley's clothing and matted his hair in places.

"Anyone want to take some of these books," Crowley asked.

Bobby stepped forward and snagged several of the books. Crowley offered the remaining ones to Dean. Reaching out Dean grabbed the last few books. Crowley adjusted the bag he'd brought and strolled past them into Bobby's library. With another glance to each other they followed the demon.

"You, uh, want to tell us what happened," Dean asked.

"I went back to hell to grab some books and supplies that might be useful. A few demons got in the way. Oh, and Meg's the new Queen of hell."

"What!"

"I brought books and supplies."

"After that."

"The part where I killed any demon in my way?"

"No. The part where Meg's queen of hell."

"Oh. Yeah, I had to kill a few more demons that dissented but I don't think there will be any problems for a while."

"Wait," Bobby interrupted. "You killed the demons that threatened her?"

"Yes. To be honest it was only fair. I was the one that decreed she would be the queen."

"You," Dean asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"She was the best demon for the job." Crowley shrugged.

Dean opened his mouth to say something else but Bobby cut in first.

"Crowley!"

The demon cocked his head questioningly.

"Go take a shower. I'm not having you dripping blood and who knows what all over my floors."

"I could will myself clean."

"You could also take a shower," Bobby countered. "Use the upstairs bathroom by the way. I donate that one for your use."

Crowley eyed him curiously for several moments before shrugging and leaving the library. The second the demon was gone Bobby turned back to Dean. "Do not press his buttons, Dean. We don't need to cause trouble where there isn't any already."

"We have an unstable demon, prone to blackouts, who can't be around mirrors, living in the same house as us and you don't see a problem with this?"

"Flashbacks."

"What?"

"Flashbacks you jackass, not blackouts. You try going through what he suffered through and not have any issues. Just stop provoking him. He snaps and goes after you cause you pushed his buttons and I ain't gonna jump in to help."

Angry, Bobby stalked out of the room as fragments of his own past filtered through his mind.

Crowley eyed the towel curiously. He could will himself dry but he wasn't sure if he should. Drying off was part of a shower. He had followed Bobby's wishes to take a shower not because he wanted a shower, but rather because he realized Bobby needed time to talk to Dean. He could have gone to his room instead but had decided to dabble at being 'human' for once. Towel dry, Crowley decided. He would will his clothes clean. Clothes were a part of laundry not showering.

Knocking on Crowley's door Bobby waited.

"Come in."

Opening the door Bobby started to speak but stopped himself. Crowley's damp hair stuck up in random spikes. It was an odd look for the normally perfectly groomed demon. While he finished up with his tie Crowley looked over to Bobby as he stood in the door.

"Yes?"

"Uh, yeah." Bobby shook his head. "I was curious about the things you brought."

"The supplies? Most of them are needed for a lot of the spells we've found. I also brought a few rare items we might need."

"I might have found something useful in one of the books."

"You didn't have to take down the mirror over the sink."

"Uh yeah, I kind of did. Not taking a chance you wouldn't like that one either."

"You found a way to find Sam?"

"Maybe. Don't get your hopes up too soon. I still need help translating some of the book before I'm sure of anything."

"What are we waiting for?"

"Hold up, Crowley. I wanted to tell you… If you ever needed anyone to talk to…"

"Yes, Sam offered your assistance already. The book?"

"What do you mean Sam offered my assistance?"

"He said if I do not feel comfortable discussing things with him you were a good listener."

"Really?"

"The book," Crowley prompted.

"Yeah. Downstairs when you're ready."

"I am ready."