It had been planned out by both brothers that they would go out on Christmas Eve and spend Christmas day inside. So even though either of them could drink anymore they hit one of the bars that were open.

Dean had to admit he was having fun, even without the help of alcohol he was having a blast. He and Sam played some cards and darts. The card game turned out to be a mess for Sam because he was too clumsy with his missing fingers and kept dropping and revealing the cards. But Sam made light of the whole thing, laughing and cracking jokes which made the whole table fill with humor.

Dean was just trying to teach Sam how to adjust to pool with his messed up hand when it started.

"It can't be! Winchester? Sam and Dean Winchester?"

Dean turned around, automatically stepping in front of his brother on instinct when he saw two men approaching them with smirks on their faces. He automatically knew they were hunters even though he never saw them before in his life.

"Word around said that the Winchesters died and came back to life." The red-head laughed. "Other hunters have claimed to have killed 'ya...and yet here 'ya are right in front of our own eyes."

Dean didn't like the look on the men's faces. They weren't here to shake hands and say hello. "Just let us go and we can go our separate ways. We're not looking for any trouble."

The blonde man snorted. "We might have believed that months ago...but thing is...word travels fast. Sam Winchester was the man that let Lucifer out of the pit. He's the reason why the devil is walking the earth."

"I fixed what I let happen." Sam butted in before Dean could stop him. "I put Lucifer back in his cage, it's over."

Both men burst out laughing. "Yeah, how'd you do that? Put him on a leash and drag him down to Hell? We're not morons! He's the devil! No one can stop the devil!"

"Well I did!"

"You're a fucking monster!"

"You know what?" Dean growled out, staring both men down. "I'm sick and tired of everyone putting the blame on my brother. I am as responsible as he was with the whole apocalypse thing."

"Dean…" Sam hissed but Dean just ignored him.

"Hell, I'm the one that started the whole thing when I was in Hell. So if you want to call anyone a monster, it's me…not Sammy."

"Really, now?" One of the men snickered. "I guess now we'll have two of you to kill."

That was the moment when the real chaos began. Blondie went to throw a punch at Sam but Dean managed to push him down and land on top of him. Unfortunately that left Sam with red-head who was undoubtedly stronger. It didn't help that Dean was tangled up with the other man who wasn't giving up any time soon.

"Other hunters are looking for you, you know. Even if 'ya manage to escape from us, other's will find 'ya." Red-head chuckled as Sam lunged at the man only for him to jump out of the way. "You're disabled now Winchester." He said as he landed a punch to Sam's gut. "Even the smallest of disabilities can mean the difference between life and death with a hunter. Only the strong will survive."

"I am strong." Sam grunted out as he escaped the man's vice hold...just as the frightened bartender approached red-head from behind, wine bottle in hand, obviously trying to put an end to the fight.

Dean watched in horror as red-head saw the hit coming and grabbed Sam's forearms. He spun them around, just in time for the wine bottle to come crashing on Sam's shoulder instead.

Sam let out an ear-bleeding scream that Dean could only remember hearing a few times come from his younger brother's mouth.

Time seemed to stop then as everyone turned to stare at Sam. He was twitching violently on the floor, a thin layer of steam coming out from his body where the alcohol had made contact with his skin.

Sam had told him it was bad, but Dean never expected it to be that bad.

Before Dean could even jump up the red-head had him pinned to the floor and for the first time Dean had to admit that he didn't have the upper hand. Neither he nor Sam had been training or exercising and they only went on a handful simple hunts now and then. The man on top of Dean had him overpowered and left him helpless as red-head landed punch after punch to Dean's face.

All Dean could do was listen as Sam screamed again and the blonde man chuckled. At least if they were going to die, they would be going down together.

"Well looky here, it seems that I came just in time for the party!"

Suddenly red-head let out a scream as he was thrust from Dean and thrown into the air. Dean struggled to sit up just in time to see Crowley throw the hunter off of Sam without moving a muscle. The demon then cocked his head at the bartender who was still standing in the same spot, shaking in his boots.

"I'd run away now if I were you." Crowley said and that's all it took as the man scurried out of the building. The few other people that had been in the bar and were watching the fight also ran out. They were probably more frightened from Crowley appearing out of nowhere rather than his threat.

Dean slowly made his way over to his younger sibling. Sam was out cold, his body still shaking but he was breathing. He was going to be okay. Dean looked up then at Crowley...the demon that just saved their lives.

"You...you saved us..." Dean gasped as he held onto his throbbing face.

Crowley shrugged and grabbed a nearby glass of beer before chugging it down. "I missed the best part of the fight, so there was no point in it lasting any longer."

And then if things couldn't get any weirder Dean heard the flutter of wings and turned around to see Castiel standing in the middle of the bar.

"Oh shit." Crowley muttered and stepped backwards. But what took Dean by absolute surprise was that the demon could have vanished into thin air right then but he didn't. He stayed and if Dean didn't know any better he would say that Crowley almost looked...protective as he stood between the angel and the brothers.

A thought struck Dean. Castiel had showed up now but where the hell had he been when they were getting their asses kicked? "Cas? Why the hell didn't you show up five minutes ago?"

Castiel's face remained emotionless. "I could not intervene. I am here now only because these hunters have seen how your brother was harmed by the alcohol. They know he is something different and I must erase their memory."

Dean couldn't believe his ears. "So you were going to let us die?"

"You are not dead Dean; you seemed to have gotten help from other places." The angel said, sparing a quick glance at Crowley.

"Yeah, and it's a sad day when you can trust a demon with your life over an angel."

"I am the one that ripped you from Hell, remember that."

"And you lied to us countless times Cas! For the first year I knew you, you were secretly for the apocalypse. Hell, you're the one to blame for it starting, since you let Sam out of the panic room!"

Castiel finally showed a hint of emotion...confusion. "You were not supposed to know about that."

Dean smirked then. "Yeah...well word travels fast around here. I've known for quite a while now, a few months after we saved the world."

"The boy doesn't seem to like you that much, overgrown bird. Maybe it would be in your best interest to leave." Crowley butted in, a look of amusement on his face.

Castiel turned to the demon, looking anything but happy. "I am the one that gave these boys their future."

"If it wasn't for me, they wouldn't even have a future right now and the world would be burning to the ground!"

"I was acting on the word of God; you only had your best interests in mind." Castiel responded in his too-calm voice.

"At least I have a mind of my own and I'm not a robot following orders from a man who was going to let the apocalypse start!"

"God knew what he was doing."

"Really? Then if I never came into the picture, tell me how God was going to prevent the end of the world. Please, enlighten me oh heavenly one."

Castiel stopped so suddenly Dean knew Crowley had won.

"Perhaps you are right in some ways. Even as a spawn from Hell, you did save the world. Perhaps the brothers will be better in your hands."

It was Crowley's turn to go silent as he and Dean watched Castiel walk over to the two hunters and touch their foreheads, erasing their memories from the minutes before. Then the angel turned to face Dean.

"You need to be more careful. I cannot keep clearing out the minds of humans. This was your warning. If hunters find out that Sam is no longer human, they will not stop until he is destroyed."

Sam moaned and Dean cradled his brother tighter in his arms. "You took him out of Hell."

"No." Castiel replied. "That was God that returned Sam to Earth. It would not be right for the man that saved the world to spend an eternity suffering with Lucifer."

"So then why is he...different?"

"No man could house Lucifer and come back human. Sam would have been broken beyond repair. God did what he could to Sam so he could function normally. He is a unique creation from God, one of his own kind."

"And exactly how is he...different?" Dean continued, finally getting answers to the questions that ran through his mind so often.

"Sam's body still has demon blood in it, but he is still part human and also has the purity of heaven. He has powers that can only be used for good, in certain occasions. He no longer has the ever present anger running through him like he did before. What attracted Lucifer to your brother is gone. He has been granted a fresh start."

"And this alcohol thing?"

"Every being needs a weakness. Sam can not be as strong as he is without one. I must be going now."

"Oh no!" Dean shouted. "You nearly let us get killed, the least you could do is help get Sam into a motel."

Castiel shook his head. "I have already interfered enough by convincing Sam to re-unite with you, I have done enough."

It took Dean a minute to understand just what the angel was implying. "Are you saying...were you the nurse that talked to Sam in the hospital?"

"Yes I was. I can manipulate a form of any human with my new role in heaven."

"But...why? Why did you help us?"

"My job in heaven is to make the world a better place. I believe what I did that day was the first step in doing so." And with a flutter of wings, the angel was gone.

"Well, that was incredibly cheesy, and creepy." Crowley spoke up. Dean almost forgot that he was still there.

Dean couldn't help but smirk. "Tell me about it."

Crowley proceeded to help Dean move Sam into the Impala and then into the motel without a word. Dean knew he should be creeped out or worried about a demon interfering with them, but all he felt was relief. Relief that someone was offering to help, that he didn't have the responsibility on his only his own shoulders.

But he was still freaking curious.

So after he tended to Sam and laid him in the bed Dean turned to face the demon, never leaving Sam's side.

"So I don't believe that the reason why you showed up today was because you were getting chased by demons. So why are you here, what do you want?"

Crowley cocked an eyebrow at Dean. "You really think I want something? Boy, you are even stupider than you look. And you don't look very smart to begin with. Here, let me explain to you slowly. I never ask anything of my superiors, I just listen and do what they say."

"You see Sam as your superior?"

"Now you're getting it."

"So that's why you saved our lives? I don't get it; you could have just let us die."

Crowley sighed, obviously getting frustrated. "Listen, the reason why I'm not like most demons you hunt is because I've always followed orders from higher ranking demons. Surprisingly not all demons like to be told what to do. So they just run free getting angrier and angrier or getting in trouble. I always did exactly what was told of me and worked for other demons. So I got the best of the best. I never got punished; I never had to concentrate on what was truly wrong with me because I was always following orders. I didn't care about doing all the wrong stupid things like other demons and it also made me smarter than most, which is why I understood about Lucifer and how he would just kill us all."

"So you're trying to tell me that you're a good demon?" Dean asked

Crowley let out a laugh. "Boy, there is no such thing as a good demon. We all just do what we want and only care about ourselves. But luckily for you, both of us wanted the same thing with getting rid of Lucifer. And now all these demons are not only after me, but after you two as well. While I am no 'good' demon, I am on your side, so if that's what constitutes as good for you then I guess I am. I not only need your brother's protection to keep me alive but I also need him alive or I'm dead."

"So why keep me alive then? You obviously only need Sam, I'm of no use to you."

"Do you really think your brother would be willing to live if you died? Let alone help me? Besides, you've grown on me Dean. I find you interesting...a soul that has gone to Hell but came back human...You've been through exactly what I have been through, just not as long. But while we demons can push aside the memories of Hell by not feeling anything or killing...you can't do that. You feel everything and yet you still have to try to live without getting any release. You have it harder than any demon does." Crowley said and Dean swallowed, this demon probably understood him more than anyone else ever would. For the first time he actually felt a connection with him.

"Honestly, I'd probably be a drooling catatonic mess if it weren't for Sam. Or a serial killer. Either one. It's surprising how quickly I can forget about what happened to me in Hell just by looking at Sam and ever since we've worked things out...things have been so much easier for me. It'll never be perfect but I'm a lot better than I ever expected to be."

Crowley almost looked like he was going to say something useful but then shrugged. "Anyway, it sucks to be you. Your brother is waking up."

And just like that it was if Dean's entire conversation with Crowley didn't matter as all of his attention was focused on his brother. Dean didn't even care that he was turning his back on a demon, Sam was more important...and really even he believed Crowley wouldn't try anything. He removed Sam's eye patch as he ran a cool washcloth over his brother's sweaty face.

"Hey Sammy." Dean said quietly as Sam's eyes flickered open. "You feeling okay?"

Sam looked surprisingly alert, and a lot better than Dean had expected. Apparently even with his weaknesses, Sam tended to heal quickly.

"Yeah...just sore...god that hurt..." Sam moaned a bit and buried his head into his pillow.

Dean managed a small chuckle, feeling incredibly relieved. "Yeah, you had me pretty worried for a while there kiddo."

Sam must have heard the crack in Dean's voice because his expression suddenly held adoration and his good eye sparkled. "Hey, you gotta remember Dean...it will hurt like Hell...and it will weaken me, but no matter how much alcohol they pour on me...it's not gonna kill me. I'm going to be alright." He smiled and held a shaky hand up to pat his older brother's shoulder.

"Well this is all so beautiful but I really think that if I spend one more minute in this room, my dinner will end up all over the floor."

Sam's head shot up then as much as it could and stared at Crowley with his mouth open. He must have been really out of it to not notice Crowley had been in the room. Usually Sam's mojo powers could sense a demon from twenty miles away.

"What's he doing...what?" Sam stuttered and that made Dean laugh again.

"Believe it or not he showed up and saved our asses from the hunters."

"Really?"

"Oh come on, is it that hard to believe now?" Crowley rolled his eyes.

"Well...uh...maybe..." Sam drifted off for a moment. "I'm hungry."

"What the hell Sam?" Dean asked at the random question.

"What? I can't help it. I'm starved."

"You'll be fine by yourself? I can go through a fast food place that's opened at night."

"Just stay with the big baby, I'll go grab something."

Both brother's stopped and turned to face the demon.

"Wow, that's awfully nice of you." Sam said and apparently Crowley took that as an insult.

"Shut the hell up." He growled, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. "The only reason I'm doing this for you imbeciles is because I'm starving. So look somewhere else before I decide to blind your other bloody eye." And with that he proceeded to storm out of the motel.

"Wait..." Sam blurted out, his eyes on Crowley. "Thank you...for saving us."

Crowley rolled his eyes and to Dean's surprise spoke up. "You know there was another reason why I didn't let you two die. When I came asking for help both of you could have brushed me off. Hell, the yeti here could have exorcised or killed me in a second; I'm a bloody demon for goodness sakes. But for some reason you two dim wads listened to me and actually agreed. Even with my ego I can say that I was not expecting that. So I felt like I owed you two a favor."

"Thank you." Dean finally spluttered out.

"I wouldn't get used to it, if I were you." Crowley said before walking out the door and shutting it.

For some reason, Dean was certain that was a lie.

With his attention fully on his brother now, Dean wrapped his large shaking form in blankets.

"You doing alright Sammy?"

"God, yes I'm fine. I told you I just feel weak and my whole body stings. But I am confused."

"About what?"

"Why in the world did Crowley just happen to teleport to us? He didn't know we were in trouble obviously...so what was his reason for visiting us?"

It was then when Dean realized he had never gotten the reason out of the demon, Crowley had efficiently changed to subject and was careful never to bring it up.

"If you can believe it Sammy...I just think he didn't want to be alone on Christmas."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, he is coming back here instead of leaving. And he's too embarrassed or ashamed to admit it."

That was just too much, as both brothers burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Okay." Dean said after five minutes, wiping the tears from his eyes. "We better stop before Crowley come back and sees us or he actually will kill us."

Sam giggled in response, holding onto his body which was aching from pain and laughter. "This wasn't how I planned to spend my Christmas, but Hell, I'll take it! Merry Christmas Dean."

Dean smiled brightly for his brother, a glimmer of life and true happiness in his eyes. It was times like these where he could forget everything but him and Sam, go back to the pure innocence of his life.

"Merry Christmas Sammy."