Spoilers for Of Mice and Men, which sadly I don't own either!

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"Dean?!"

Dean's blood went cold as he heard the yell from his brother. Crowley had forced him to sit on the floor. Defenceless, pathetic, unarmed.

"Answer him" Crowley's voice was firm.

Dean let out a shaky breath.

"Answer him! Or I swear, Dean. I will end your brother's life right now. In the most painful way you can imagine."

Dean closed his eyes. His mouth felt dry.

"I mean it!" Crowley's voice shook with an anger Dean had not heard before.

He cleared his throat. "I'm in here, Sam."

"Dean?!"

Dean heard Sam almost trip down the stairs at his eagerness to run up the stairs.

"Oh, Dean. Never have an Achilles heel. This should be fun." Crowley settled himself into a chair.

Every second seemed to last hours as Dean desperately tried to clutch at some kind of escape. His mind went back to past hunts, past missions... nothing could help them now.

Nothing.

The door flung open and Dean watched Sam's face go through varying degrees of emotion in a matter of milliseconds.

Crowley leapt up out of his chair.

"Sam Winchester! Welcome to the party! I trust you got my invitation?"

Sam remained stood by the door.

"Dean, get up." Sam's voice shook slightly.

"Dean, stay where you are." Crowley demanded immediately.

Dean stayed, facing the floor.

"Good boy." Crowley smiled.

Sam made a move to sit by Dean. Crowley put out a hand and Sam was flung across the room, his back harshly knocking the wall.

"Sam!"

Dean turned to Crowley, "Crowley, you bastard, you said he wouldn't be hurt."

Crowley shrugged. "Oh, Dean. Only half points. I said I wouldn't kill him. Not that I wouldn't hurt him. You have to let me have some fun."

Sam let out a scream and slid down to the floor.

"Stop it!" Dean's voice sounded desperate...pleading. Defeated.

"There. Now you're both on the same level. On the floor. Very appropriate."

Sam breathed heavily. The pain had gone as quickly as it had come.

"Now, to business."

Crowley crouched down so that he was in between both men.

"It's all very simple. Firstly, we're all friends here. We should be free to be ourselves around each other." He clicked his fingers. Sam let out an involuntary gasp. Dean's eyes were black. The eyes of a demon.

"Shit" Dean covered his face in shame.

A tear escaped Sam's eye.

"Shocked?" Crowley's smug face turned into a frown. "But not as shocked as you should be, I feel."

Sam crawled over to Dean.

"Dean? Dean, look at me. Please."

Dean didn't move, his shoulders shaking in unmistakable sobs.

"You knew?" Crowley didn't even stop Sam as he positioned himself in front of his brother putting an arm on his shoulder.

"Dean? I know and it's okay. We'll sort it. I promise...we sort everything. Dean. You're my brother. Look at me, please."

Crowley quickly shook himself.

"So you knew? No spoiler alert? Ah well. Saves time, I suppose. "

Sam's arm stayed on his brothers shoulder but he looked at Crowley.

"Fix. Him." Sam's voice shook with anger.

"Are you familiar with John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Sam?"

Sam stared at Crowley, exasperated. "What the hell are you talking about, Crowley?"

"Why did I even ask?" Crowley sat back down in the chair, crossing his legs. "A smart boy like you? Of course you've read it. Just imagine where you would be now without big brother. A lawyer earning big bucks, saving people's lives in a much less...messy way."

Sam turned away. "Dean?" he said softly. Dean still had his face, his eyes, hidden from view.

"Anyway, I'm going off subject. Bad habit of mine. Of Mice and Men. We better fill Dean in on what happens. The ending. Whew, gets me every time. An inevitable death... but George, bless his soul, is put in a right pickle. You see he is so close to Lennie. They're as close as...brothers. He knows Lennie is going to die. Has to die. No way out. Inevitable. So what does he do? Sit back and watch his friend die at the hands of people willing to watch him suffer? Or..."

Crowley walked over and stood over the pair.

"Or does he kill him himself? In as loving and painless way possible?"

Sam stared, wide-eyed at Crowley.

"The ultimate act of friendship and love. You see what I'm getting at, Moose?"

"Great analogy, Crowley."

"The part I'm most looking forward to most though, Moose is what happens to you, I mean George, in the next chapter. It's always crossed my mind. What happens to messed-up, lonely George? How does he cope without Lennie?"

"So..." Sam's voice was scornful. "I kill Dean or you will?"

"Oh no, Moose. Not me. Don't like to get my hands messy. No. However. In ten minutes time, if you haven't...done it...I will click my fingers and every hunter in the world will know of Dean's recent...state."

Sam felt Dean shaking and he pulled his brother close, so that Dean's face was buried in his chest.

"So tick-tock, Moose. Tick-tock."

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