"So what do you think happened?" Dean asked haltingly as he looked over to Sam. "I mean, I hate to look a gift horse in the mouth here, Sammy. But people like us; we don't get breaks like this for nothing."

Sam shrugged as he pulled the door closed behind him. He rubbed his eyes doggedly. If there was one thing he had missed out on during the Trials, it had been sleep. This was a fact that Dean seemed to have overlooked but Sam took it in stride. There was still work to be done. He took a sharp breath.

"I couldn't tell you why it happened." Sam shook his head as he followed Dean down the hallway. "My best guess would be that Naomi was lying to you. I mean, she has royally screwed us in the past."

The expression on Dean's face changed almost immediately. The corners of his mouth turned up as the eldest Winchester thought it over. Naomi had been a thorn in their side for some time now it seemed. What she had done to the other angels, to her family, had resonated with Dean in particular. If there were one black sheep up in Heaven, it would've been her.

As Sam elaborated further his eyes narrowed. "Maybe there was a reason she didn't want the gates closed?"

"I dunno, man." Dean said after a moment. "I just keep getting this feeling that it's something more than that."

"You're saying what exactly? That…God brought me back?"

Sam couldn't quite believe what his brother had said. The idea was incredible but it seemed that his brother was serious. Dean shrugged as though the notion wasn't too far-fetched. Being Winchesters, stranger things had happened. Over the past few years no one in his family seemed to have stayed dead for too long anyways.

"I hate to break it you, Dean." Sam said with a strained smile. "But I'm probably the last soul on Earth that he'd give a second chance to. I've done some things."

Dean had been grateful that his brother survived the Trials. Sammy's time at bat had finally come up and he met the challenge admirably, but Dean was still worried about him. Sam's decision to throw away his life, albeit for the greater good, was something that didn't sit right with him at all. He had protected his brother for so long. But when it came down to it, Sam didn't seem to value himself.

He was about to say something when Sam stopped in the middle of the hallway. They were just outside of Kevin's door. Sam stepped forward and reached out to knock. He paused as they heard a voice call out from somewhere inside.

"What do you want?" Kevin's voice dropped; he sounded exhausted.

Sam glanced around for a second before catching sight of a motion sensor hooked up near the bottom of the walkway. It looked like Kevin had learned a few new tricks. Dean was the one who took a step forward this time. He nodded back to Sam with a smirk before looking down the hall. He had this. He knew how teenage boys worked. Kevin would be out of his room in no time.

"You want some breakfast?" Dean half shouted.

Kevin's door remained closed and the prophet himself was silent. Sam looked to his brother after a moment. Dean's confidence was fading fast. But it wasn't long before they heard his brief answer.

"I'm busy."

"Well unbusy yourself, alright?" Dean replied almost immediately. "You've probably been up all night. Working on the tablets or whatever. It's time to fuel up. Recharge."

The door opened shortly after that. Dean took a step back, expecting the kid to be on his way out, but Kevin paused in the doorway. To say that he looked like Hell would've been an understatement. He was burnt out. As Kevin looked out in the hallway to Sam and Dean, he shifted suddenly on his feet. They could see that the kid was uneasy. And it wasn't at all difficult to tell what about when they caught sight of a pistol in his hand and a freshly painted Devil's Trap just inside the door. The two hunters were silent for a moment too long and Kevin sighed.

"It's been difficult for me to sleep lately." Kevin explained as he set the gun aside.

He looked back to the Winchesters after a brief moment. They had already spoken to him about their newest guest the day before. His time with Crowley hadn't exactly been a happy memory for him. There was nothing that could make him forget the man's involvement with his mother's death. No matter how useful the boys thought he might become, no one changed their colors over night.

"You look like crap, kid. Don't ya think it's time for a break?" Dean suggested as he took in the kid's disheveled appearance.

Kevin nodded reluctantly. His stomach growled at the idea of food. Translating the rest of the Angel Tablet had been his top priority since the fall. Taking care of himself had been a close second, maybe third, on his list. Any information that he could get regarding the wingless wonders would be infinitely more valuable as time went on. And if he happened to stumble upon the spell that would get them all home, Kevin was sure the world would be better off for it.

"Something other than Snickers and bottled water would be great."

The door was already being closed when Sam cut in. "We'll see you up front then?"

The prophet paused for just a moment before nodding again. "Yeah, sure. Give me ten minutes."

He pulled the door closed fully this time, leaving Sam and Dean just outside in the hallway. Dean was the first to begin walking again. He shook his head. The kid on the other side of that door wasn't in the best of ways. While he and Sammy had put up with a definite crapfest when they were younger, it was probably nothing compared to being a prophet. Of course things had changed now that the weight of the world could fit, literally, in the palm of your hands. Those tablets were the key to everything but the responsibility of translating the word and protecting it was taking its toll.

"Did you see all that?" Sam said as he glanced back towards Kevin's room. "It looked like he was preparing for another Apocalypse."

Dean took a deep breath. "Yeah, well, if we knew everything that Kevin did we might be a little squirrelier too. You can't blame the guy for keeping on his toes."

It had been difficult not to notice the way that Kevin had been amped up. Sam wasn't the type to just let things go, either. He had this look on his face that Dean couldn't ignore. "Come on, man. We aren't talking rocket science. You know as well as I do that he's upset about Crowley being here. And he doesn't exactly like the idea either."

"I get it, Dean." Sam said after a moment. He frowned over to his brother as he thought things through. "But do we? I mean, he's human now, I understand that. I do. But he's still Crowley."

He sighed as they turned the corner; Dean rolled his eyes. "People change, Sammy."

"Isn't there some part of you that thinks he's just waiting to make his next move?"

"I never said that we shouldn't be cautious." Dean reminded him as they slowed down. "That's part of the reason why we bagged and gagged him for the ride over, remember? Crowley's always had shady intentions. That goes for when he's been on our side, too. I'm not denying that. And putting aside the whole turning-over-a-new-leaf crap he seems to be pulling, the dude needs to be watched."

Sam fell behind his brother at the mention of the word. "Watched?"

"Yeah 'watched', Sam." Dean said, not slowing down. His voice was rough. "Like a freakin five year old on a carousel."

"What do you mean, Dean, like me?" Sam said quietly.

Dean stopped walking with a sharp sigh. He rolled his eyes before turning around to face Sam. Of course Dean had known that it was only a matter of time before they were going to have this conversation, but he didn't like doing anything on an empty stomach. Sam continued speaking. He had been thinking about what he was going to say for a while now.

"You don't think I haven't noticed the way you've been keeping tabs on me." Sam said accusatorily. He narrowed his eyes at Dean."Watching me. Studying me like I might break at any moment. I'm not fragile, Dean."

"So I shouldn't be worried about you? Is that it?"

Dean paused for a moment, he hadn't meant to shout. He huffed as he looked over to Sam. The next time he spoke his voice was more level. "You as good as leapt off a bridge for the greater good. How, exactly, is that supposed to convince me that you're okay? That you don't need looking after?"

"I was just following in your footsteps, Dean. I was trying to do something honorable. Like what you would have done." Sam was the one who raised his voice this time. He sighed as he thought back to all the things that Dean had said to him over the years. "I remember you telling me that what we did, all the normal things that we sacrificed, were for the greater good. I thought you still believed in stuff like that."

The hunters both went quiet. Dean didn't know what to say. He turned away from Sam and looked down the hallway. Crowley's door was left hanging open and the former devil himself was nowhere to be seen. Dean instinctively took a step forwards, gun drawn, and Sam fell into step behind him. Their argument wasn't anywhere near over, but when it came down to it, there were certain things that had priority. They walked down the hallway tensely before hearing a loud curse from the bunker's study. It had been Crowley's rough voice, that much they were sure of.

Sam didn't know what to expect as they moved forward. Between the two of them, the Winchesters had practically been keeping Crowley alive for the past few days on the road. Being human again was something that didn't come easily to him. Besides his whiskey, Sam didn't think the demon had eaten anything over the past few decades. After a few hundred years of being immortal, he seemed to have forgotten the basics. Eating, sleeping, drinking; the whole nine while it had been almost cute to hear him snoring in the back seat, the boys were worried about how often they picked him up off the floor; his body gave up on him quite often.

"Damn this place. It's a bleeding labyrinth!" Crowley muttered to himself. He narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of the approaching Winchesters, more specifically, the gun that was in Dean's hands. He threw his own hands into the air mockingly before returning them to his sides. "Good morning to you too, boys. And it's nice to know that at least one of you is happy to see me."

Dean rolled his eyes as he lowered the weapon. "How'd you get out anyways?"

"You know what they say about idle hands. I couldn't resist the challenge."

It was Crowley's turn to roll his eyes this time. They didn't seem to appreciate his sense of humor. He widened his eyes as he realized that Dean actually expected some kind of answer from him.

"I got…hungry. So I picked the lock." He said as way of explanation. He watched closely as the eldest Winchester placed the gun back in the waistband of his jeans. Crowley saw Sam narrow his eyes. "What? You don't just pass through Hell without learning a few trades from your cellmates, boys."

Dean shrugged. The guy had a point. Maybe it hadn't been the best idea to lock up another human being. He didn't exactly want the guy to have free roam of the place either. Like it or not, this was their home not his. And it was filled to the brim with things that even they didn't understand. Damn it if he wasn't going to let the guy be killed by some kind of machine. Dean nodded over to the former demon.

"Okay, well. We're actually headed to the kitchen for breakfast." Dean said conversationally. "I was just about to fix me and Sammy some grub. If you want anything, I'm taking orders."

Crowley's expression changed all at once. Sam watched as the man narrowed his eyes. He opened his mouth and then closed it again. Crowley seemed to be speechless but the effect lasted only for a moment.

"I can get something for myself." He said defiantly. "I'm human now, not dead."

"Suit yourself, man." Dean said as he stepped over to one side of the room. He turned back to Crowley after a moment. "Kitchen's that way."

The former demon took the direction without pause. He left the room in seconds without so much as a wave goodbye and Dean took it as a good sign. At least the guy was keeping up with what his body needed now. He turned back to Sam and the smirk vanished from his face. His brother didn't look too hot. Sam had found a seat at one of the desks and looked like he was barely keeping his head up.

"I do. Sammy. I believe in the greater good. Hell, I've died for it myself a couple of times now." Dean hesitated to bring the discussion back up but he had something to say that his brother needed to hear. "But not when it comes down to you and me. I always put you first. Everything I've done, it's been to look after you, and you just threw that away?"

Sam paused; he hadn't seen it that way at all. When the world was relying on you to save it, you didn't really have another choice in the matter. He was about to reply when Dean cut him off.

"Don't get me wrong, man. I think it's a friggin miracle that you're even around after what happened. And I'm grateful and all." Dean paused. The right words were difficult to find but Sam's expression showed that they were worth it. "But we're brothers, man. It shouldn't have come to that. I would have found another way."

Sam took a deep breath. He seems to get it. He nodded over to Dean just as they hear a noise from the kitchen. It sounded like something had broken. Dean shook his head as he turned on his heel. Crowley had gotten himself in a bit of trouble the past few days and today, it appeared, would be no different.

"Hold that thought." He sighed as he left the room. "I've got kitchen duty."