Crowley is probably way to OOC in this but I wanted to write this that way. A little hurt/comfort between Crowley and Bobby with Sam and Dean along the side. Could be Crowley/Bobby if you squinted. Reviews would be awesome! I love reviews! They make me a better person- well , writer, they make me a better writer.
I own nothing, which is sad because Destiel would be canon if I did. Sabriel might be too.
When Crowley comes to them it's in a state they've never seen him in before. His mouth is set in a tight, thin, pale line, jaw locked tight as though he's trying very hard not to scream. His usually pale skin is even paler, almost a white-washed color that makes them all worry despite him being a demon and the king of Hell. The worst part of it is that his eyes are red and puffy, like he's been crying or is going to be crying.
They're sitting in the library/study when he pops in, Sam and Dean on the floor helping Bobby by digging through old texts for new information and Bobby at the table because they're still looking for ways to stop Eve. The crash from the kitchen is something they don't expect and they jump at the sound. Turning around abruptly Bobby finds a swaying, pale-faced, red eyed, sick looking King of Hell standing in the middle of his kitchen looking like a lost puppy.
"Crowley?" He asks, incredulous at the sight before him. Sam and Dean lean forward from their collective spots so they too can see the demon, the sight makes them both frown, their brows furrowing in confusion and- let's admit it- slight concern.
The demon lifts his head up at the sound of the old hunter's voice. Looking towards Bobby Crowley looks ready to cry all over again, shuffling his feet he moves to close the gap between himself and the ball-capped hunter. "Crowley?" Bobby asks again, more than a little unnerved by the demon's behavior. On either side of the room Sam and Dean read into Bobby's look of concern and get ready for an attack of any kind.
The king of Hell makes it through the doorway and staggers towards Bobby, hands shaking as he grips the old human's knees. The balding brunette sinks to his knees hunching in on himself and clinging tightly to the human. "Crowley, what happened?" Bobby asks, leaning as far back in his chair as the back of it would allow.
When he does look up he looks even less like the demon they know than before. His bottom lips tremble and his body shivers, despite the temperature in the room. There are tears pooling behind his eyes, just threatening to cascade down. He swallows thickly and speaks. "They're just kids," He informs the old hunter, shaking his head in disbelief. "They're just kids."
"Okay, okay," Bobby pats the man's shoulder awkwardly, throwing a wide-eyed stare to both of his adopted sons. "It's okay, tell me what happened."
Crowley chokes on a breath, throat making a ragged sound that sounds eerily similar to a sob. It takes a while but Bobby patiently waits for him to continue. "I was called up," The demon tells them, sniffing a bit as he tries to collect himself. "To make a deal," He doesn't meet Bobby's gaze because he knows how the hunter hates his deals, as it is he feel it when the old human tenses underneath his hands. "I thought it was one of you three actually- I haven't made many deals lately besides you guys." When Crowley laughs at his own statement it ends with his voice cracking and shoulders shaking.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." Dean's actually kind of impressed at Bobby right not; the old guy's actually stroking Crowley's hair, demeanor changing into that of fatherly protection and comfort. He's good at this; helping people work through their issues, he's the guy Dean came- still comes to- for help. "Take a deep breath," When the demon complies Bobby nods. "Good job, now, what happened?"
"She was just a kid, Bobby, barely eleven or twelve." The man chokes, tears pouring freely down his face. What he says make everyone stop, hardening and growing cold with horror. "Her- her sisters, they have leukemia." He cries harder. "You-you should have seen them; pale, so pale, so lifeless." He shakes his head and buries his head into Bobby's knees, shoulders wracking with his choked back sobs. "She-" He gulps in a few breaths and looks up at the hunter. "She's only a kid, just a wee miss, and she- she wants to trade her soul for their lives!" The sudden laugh startles them, particularly since it sounds so broken that it can't possibly belong to the man who runs Hell.
"Oh balls," Bobby mutters, running a hand over his face and heaving a huge sigh. "Crowley-"
"SHE'S ONLY FUCKING ELEVEN!" The demon screams, crying harder. "SHE HAS HER WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF HER!"
He collapses back down into the old human's lap, fingers pulling at his hair and making it stick up in odd directions. "Help me," They almost miss it, it's so low and muffled that it's hard to hear. So he raises his head up and asks it again. "Help me, what do I do?" He asks, begging the hunter.
"H-have you made the deal?" This whole thing is getting Bobby all choked up, it's hard not to cry when you see an eternal, hard-assed king of Hell crying over something like this. His huge sigh of relief when Crowley shakes his head matches Sam's and Dean's.
"No, I- I couldn't, she's only a kid. She doesn't know what she's doing. How does she even know to sell her soul? What has she even been through to learn that?" They're eighty percent sure he's about to start crying again.
"Crowley," It's Sam. The tall man's voice makes the demon turn his head towards him, blinking in a way that tells them he didn't know they were there. The brunette gives him a smile. "Don't do it." He says, shrugging simply.
"But- but what about her sisters?" The demon asks, wiping his face with the sleeve of his suit and staring wide-eyed at the moose. "She's going to be devastated if they die. She's an orphan- they all are- those two are the only family she has left... She's eleven and she's an orphan, about to lose the only people she loves." He starts crying all over again and this time, Dean sniffles too. Even Sam is looking heartbroken at the idea.
"Oh, Bobby, we've gotta do something." Sam says, horrified by the dilemma Crowley's brought to them.
Bobby nods, knowing exactly what to do. He pats Crowley on the head gently, leaving his hand amongst the feather soft strands. The demon turns to look back at him, face hopeful. It's almost laughable how pathetic the demon looks with his eyes red, tears going down his face, and nose running from all his crying.
So they make a deal.
In the end, the little girl, Haven, wakes up to the sight of her little sisters sitting up in their beds coughing a bit and still a little sick, but whole and- more importantly- alive. The reunion touches them all, standing outside the hospital room while she laughs, cries, and squeals in joy, hugging her sisters tightly to her. Bobby rests a hand against the king of Hell's shoulder, squeezing just enough to let the demon know that he's proud of him.
The three of them wait until Crowley finishes speaking to the three girls, making them promise not to make any deals with demons- or anyone else for that matter- at any time during the future. When he comes out he's grinning in a way they've never seen before; it's a real smile, full of happiness and relief, and it startles them all over again.
The two Winchesters tease him about having a heart after all but they're all relieved so Crowley allows them to poke fun at him, pleased when they both give him a brief hug, congratulating him for 'changing his ways'. He's still the king of Hell and he's still going to make deals with humans for their souls, but now, now they have a little more faith in him than they started with because underneath the fact that he's a demon and the king of Hell is the fact that he's Crowley and Crowley, apparently, has a few codes to live by. He's not so bad now that they now that he's got a heart of copper hidden beneath his demonic appearance- it's not gold because gold is pure, instead it's copper; a little dark around the edges but shiny on the inside.