Dean must not have gotten a lot of sleep last night while he was tied up and poisoned because after their meal, he passed out spread-eagled on his bed. Sam knew Bobby would have a fit if Sam left Dean alone without someone to watch over his every move, but Sam didn't care. He wanted to go downstairs and help Bobby look for the ritual. Surely Bobby could understand that Sam didn't want to sit up bored in the room while Dean slept. What did Bobby expect Dean to do anyway? If he had wanted to hurt anyone or steal anything, he would have attempted to already.

Heh, steal. Sam wouldn't put it past his brother to steal something from Bobby's house.

He decided to take the risk and walked downstairs where Bobby sat in front of his books, writing down a list of items.

Just as suspected, Bobby looked up with an angry glare. "What are you doing down here? You gotta stay up there with him, I don't want him have free reign to wander around my house without supervision."

"You make it sound like he's a child." Sam rolled his eyes.

"He's a demon. He has less inhibition than a child."

"Don't worry; I put your devil's trap rug by the door just for you. He's going to be pissed at me though, so thanks a lot for that."

"Why doesn't he just come down here with you, then?"

"He's sleeping; remember what you did to him last night? I doubt he got much sleep while he was poisoned. I'm not going to stay up there and babysit my older brother."

Bobby's mouth twitched into a frown for a second at the mention of the poison. "Why would demons need sleep, anyway?"

Sam considered that question. He never actually asked Dean, but he had some ideas as to why he needed sleep. "I know Dean still gets tired and he still eats as much as he ever did. My guess is that he doesn't actually need the food and rest, but if he doesn't get any, it affects his body negatively. It's still his human body and it needs the nutrients and sleep or else he won't be able to function as well."

"I noticed he still had his appetite," Bobby stated and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I have the ritual written down, I just have to go collect the ingredients. I..." He looked upstairs with uncertainty. "I don't trust him. But I trust you. If you are certain it's okay to leave him up there, then you can. But this is still my house and while I'm gone, I don't want him to leave that room. If he wants something, you can get it for him and bring it in to him. Understand?"

Of course, Sam wished Bobby would be more accepting of the situation, but he knew it was never going to happen. If this was the best he could get then he would take it. "Yeah, we'll be leaving afterward. Tomorrow morning."

Bobby nodded. "Sam... just... be safe. You know how badly I wanted that brother of yours back. I will never trust a demon but I understand that this is Dean. I'm willing to give him a chance, and in a way I'm trusting him to travel with you and to keep you safe." He paused as he got on his boots. "You are both welcome here, if Dean can deal with my precautions of course."

Sam couldn't promise Bobby that they would come back. He wasn't sure if Dean ever wanted to deal with this again. But Bobby was giving them the option. He was allowing them both back into his house if they needed shelter.

"Thank you, Bobby."

Bobby was out for around three hours. Luckily, Dean slept for two of them.

Sam knew his brother was awake when he heard the loud cursing. He rushed upstairs to see Dean standing just outside the devil's trap.

"What. The. Hell. Sammy?" Dean grinded his teeth in anger, his fists clenched.

"Bobby's requirements." Sam sighed with a shrug and stepped inside the room.

"You're not going to let me out?"

"He's out getting your ingredients for the spell and doesn't want you to leave this room while he's away." Sam held up a hand when Dean went to speak. "Let's try not to complain. And even though he can't get over the fact that you're a demon, he IS getting the spell for you."

"I want to get the fuck out of this house," Dean simply muttered. He looked disheveled; his black eyes seemed a little wild.

"What's wrong with you?" Sam asked softly, trying not to set Dean off.

"I'm trapped! That's what's wrong! I am sick and tired of being trapped, confined, whatever you want to call it."

"Is it... do you feel like this because of Hell? Were you trapped a lot down there?" The old Dean never would have answered. But Sam realized with some fascination that the new Dean always seemed to answer Sam's questions. As a demon he didn't seem to care about hiding things anymore.

"Not only was I trapped in Hell, but I was attached to a fricken rack, hanging from my skin. There was nowhere to go. Even after I got off, there was always a dead end."

Oh god. No wonder Dean freaked when he found himself in a devil's trap. Dean was treated like a diseased animal in Hell, and that was pretty much how Bobby was treating him. Not by means of torture, but by isolation.

Sam thought about putting a hand on Dean's shoulder but decided against it. That action might make Dean feel like he was getting held down or feel trapped.

"I'm here." Sam said simply instead. "I mean, you have to feel a little bit safer being with me right?"

"I'm a demon, I don't need company to feel safe." Dean spat out somewhat harshly. Sam noticed though how his posture became more relaxed and his hands unclenched.

"Not just any company, it's me. And I think I'm pretty awesome."

Dean turned back to face Sam and rolled his eyes. "You're forgetting who the awesome brother is."

Sam smiled. He had to admit that he liked how Dean was open with him now. There weren't any more secrets hidden from each other and it felt good. It made him trust his brother even more.

In a way though he felt bad by liking aspects of demon Dean. It made him feel like he was insulting the memory and wishes of human Dean. But it was actually really silly to think about it that way. Human Dean and demon Dean were the same person. There was no reason to worry about what his brother would have thought about this situation because Dean was right here with him. The only opinion that mattered was the one of the brother who stood here in front of him. He had changed, sure, but he was undeniably still Dean.

When Bobby came back and allowed Dean out of the room he explained the ritual to them. He would have to combine the ingredients and then say the chant. He had an iron poker made into a shape that looked similar to the ward-lock that Sam knew of. Bobby would dip that symbol into the concoction and then press it onto Dean's skin.

"This is gonna allow him to remain unseen by the demons' powers, even if he leaves his body. The ritual is what makes this spell combine to his demonic soul, not his body."

"Where did you manage to find that symbol so quickly?" Sam asked. It wasn't every day that you came before a metal demonic symbol that could burn a protection spell into your skin.

"You should know by now that I have my ways." Bobby completed the mixing and then began chanting. Dean looked annoyed through the whole process, and when Bobby dipped the metal into the mixture they all jumped in shock when it began glowing a fiery orange.

"You are not touching me with that thing." Dean started backing away from Bobby.

"If you want the protection, it's gotta go on your skin, you idjit."

"I know that." Dean hissed. "I'm not having you do it, though. This lack of trust thing goes both ways. Give it to Sammy."

For a fraction of a second, Bobby almost looked hurt by Dean's words. "It's gonna take two seconds, it doesn't matter who does it."

"I want my brother to do it."

Bobby shrugged and handed the hot poker over to Sam. He by no means wanted to do this to Dean but he knew it would only hurt him for a second. It wouldn't affect Dean for long.

Dean relaxed when Sam had a hold of the item. "Does it matter where I should do this?" Sam asked Bobby.

"Doesn't matter. The symbol will vanish into his skin; it will be locked into his soul forever and can't be undone."

Sam nodded, "Alright, take off your shirt Dean."

"Sammy, Sammy, Sammy... I know I'm drop-dead gorgeous but you gotta remember we're related."

Sam rolled his eyes and punched Dean in the back. "Shut up, you freak." He sighed and waited until Dean obeyed. Apparently demons couldn't heal old scar marks, because Dean's back was still littered with them. Sam grabbed Dean by the shoulder gently. "I'm gonna put it right below your left shoulder, alright? On three. One...two..." Sam pressed the metal against Dean's skin for a second and then pulled it away. Dean flinched a bit and tensed up, but other than that he didn't seem to be affected.

"Alright," Bobby spoke up as he threw the hot poker into his fireplace, destroying it forever. "He's safe. And after a few days, the mark will be gone." He wandered out of the room. "I need a drink."

Dean turned around as he was putting his shirt back on. Sam couldn't help but notice that Dean's demon protection tattoo was still there. Except there was one major difference; there was a long scar running through it, breaking the anti-possession seal.

Dean caught Sam staring and made sure Bobby was out of the room before answering. "Broke it after I restored my body."

It was very creepy to think that not very long ago Dean's body had been decomposing underground while right now he was walking around in it, looking healthier than ever. "And it was still there after all those months rotting underground?" Sam asked.

Dean smirked. "Hey, I did a good job at fixing it up, didn't I? It was in pretty rough shape but yeah, the tattoo and every other mark on my body were still there after the restoration."

"So you obviously have the ward that Meg used on me, right? The one that locks you to your body?"

"Oh yeah, I got tons of them." Dean lifted up his pant leg a bit to show two small tattoos on both of his ankles. He also showed Sam two on the inside on his upper arms. "No one is gonna send me back to Hell," he grinned.

Right at that moment Sam knew that Dean trusted him just as equally as Sam did. Dean had revealed to Sam the location of his tattoos, of the things that if broken, could make him vulnerable in going back to Hell. Dean trusted Sam not to use that information against him.

"You're right, no one's gonna send you back. I'm going to make sure of it."

They spent their last night at Bobby's with Dean un-cuffed and not poisoned, although he was still trapped by a salt ring and devil's trap. After they had both showered, Dean was standing impatiently in the hallway, waiting for Sam to break a ward that stood in his way.

They walked down together and saw Bobby waiting for them both by his front door. He had a couple of bags of food waiting for them both to eat on their drive.

His goodbyes were brief and Sam saw a flurry of emotions running across the elder hunter's face.

"Please take care of yourself," Bobby told Sam as he grabbed him into a tight hug. "Call me and keep me updated on this crazy plan of yours."

Sam chuckled inwardly. Oh, you have no idea how crazy it actually is, Bobby. I'm going to be drinking my brother's blood! "Thanks for letting us stay here Bobby, I promise I will."

Bobby pulled away and glanced over at Dean who stood near the door, looking bored. He took a step towards the demon.

"I can't believe I'm letting this happen, but Sam's safety is in your hands. I don't care if you're a demon, you still better watch out for your brother as much as you ever did before."

Dean suddenly looked proud. "That's all I'm trying to do. Oh, and help save the world. Despite all my demonic powers, protecting Sammy is still what I'm best at. So you can kiss my feet after I've kept Sammy safe and prevented the apocalypse. If I fail then you're free to kill me. Deal?"

Bobby looked a bit surprised. "Fine, deal." He turned away and seemed to start walking into the kitchen when he paused. After a second or two he turned around and walked back up to Dean where he placed a hand on his shoulder.

For the first time since they got there, Bobby looked Dean in the eyes. "Take care of yourself, too. Sam needs you."

Sam didn't drive for long on the expressway before Dean started telling him where to go.

"Get off here, Exit 15...go right...I said right Sam. Okay now turn left at the next light...alright pull in here."

They were parked in front of a store that read Men's Shoe Warehouse.

"Dean, what the hell?" Sam questioned as his brother grabbed a backpack from his duffle that looked strangely familiar...

"Dude! That's Bobby's backpack! I know he didn't let you have that."

"Exactly, you're doubting my theft skills again, Sammy." Dean smirked wickedly. "This oversized thing is perfect for my crimes."

"You can't be serious..." Sam started but Dean was already gone.

Sam was left pouting in the car, but not for long as Dean came sauntering back ten minutes later. He opened the backpack and tossed a pair of boots at Sam.

"Dean, what?"

"I owe you. Remember how I torched your old ones?"

Sam looked down at the boots and felt a strong surge of love for his brother. They were really nice boots and they even were the correct size. "At least you stole a good looking pair."

"Hey, didn't I tell you to stop doubting how amazing I am? I can go to Hell for eighty years but still remember your crappy sense of fashion."

Sam swallowed. "Never doubted you." His voice was raw with emotion. When he looked over at Dean he saw his brother pull out an expensive pair of sunglasses from the bag and slip them on.

"They had sunglasses in a shoe store?"

"Nah, these I swiped off a snobby rich business man." Suddenly a middle-aged man emerged from the store in an expensive suit, looking around angrily.

"Floor it, Sammy!"

Sam did as his brother told him, laughing loudly the entire time.

Once they entered Colorado, Sam did as he had been told and woke Dean up from where he was dozing, spread out on the back seat. Dean would take over from there and drive the rest of the way to Crowley's house.

"Can't you just teleport like Ruby could?" Sam asked. If Dean could do that, maybe he could take Sam with him. It would save a lot of time instead of driving from place to place.

"Don't be getting too eager, Sammy. It takes decades to learn how to do that and even longer to teleport to the right location properly." He grinned over at Sam, and if it weren't for the black eyes he would have looked child-like. "I'm still just a baby."

Sam rolled his eyes and placed his head against the windshield, trying to let the patter of rain lull him to sleep.

"Besides, do you ever think I'd just abandon my baby, even if I could teleport? Not gonna happen."

Of course Dean would never dare leave his precious car. But even Sam had to admit it was like a home to them both. That and Bobby's house... but thinking about Bobby's place brought another question to Sam's mind.

"When you told Bobby to kill you if you weren't able to protect me... did you actually mean that? Would you let him?"

Dean's stare at the road turned cold, and Sam wondered for a minute if his brother was finally not going to answer a question.

"Of course I meant it." Dean's voice was almost emotionless. "What point would I have to live if you died? I'd just be another nameless, faceless demon with no purpose."

The thought of Dean getting killed again, this time for good, scared the shit out of Sam. Dean would be gone forever, not in Hell, but his soul would actually cease to exist. Sam couldn't go on living, even if it was in heaven, if his brother no longer existed. Just like Dean had said, what would even be the point in living anymore?

Sam didn't hide his shudder. "I'm going to eventually die, Dean. You can't... you can't do that. You'll just have to find a way to bring me back."

Dean didn't answer and Sam didn't blame him. What were they going to do? Sam would have never considered living forever, but he would gladly do it if it kept them together, and more importantly, kept Dean alive.

Actually, when Sam thought about it, if it was possible… it wouldn't be so bad to keep living on and on if he was with Dean. He was sure his brother with all his weirdness would be able to keep life interesting.

They pulled up at Crowley's very huge and admittedly scary mansion. Dean walked up to the gates as if he didn't have a care in the world. Sam reluctantly followed, his steps cautious.

Sam looked at the voice box attached to the gate. "Are you going to contact him?"

"I'm not going to use that thing, are you stupid? That goes straight to his brainless demon minions. They'd never let us in. Remember that they can't tell I'm a demon anymore unless they see my eyes go black." Dean pulled out his phone then, and pressed the number two. He had this freaking demon on speed dial.

Dean caught Sam's glare. "Aww, don't be jealous, Sammy. You're still number one on my speed dial."

Sam felt oddly comforted by that. He better damn well still be number one on Dean's speed dial because his older brother had never left Sam's list.

"Hey, me and Sam are here." Dean said into his phone, "No, I AM bringing the knife in. This isn't just because Sam wants to but because I don't trust those demon workers of yours. In case you haven't noticed, all of Hell is out to get me." There was a long pause. "Why don't you just open the damn gates already, and we'll discuss everything once we're inside."

Dean hung up his phone and at the same moment, the gates swung open. The moment they passed the opening, the gates swung shut quickly with a snap.

Sam trailed behind his brother as he stared up at the creepy looking mansion. He couldn't believe he was going to be staying in this strange demon's house. Living with his brother was entirely different than Sam having to trust himself around some random demon.

Dean glanced over his shoulder with an irritated look. "What are you waiting for? Put those freakishly long legs to work and hurry the hell up."

Sam really hoped that he wasn't going to regret this.