Crowley watched the Winchester walk toward the police, squinting his eyes - well, eye, the one that was not completely shut and bloodshot from the last hit he got from Vincente.

Would it killed them to say thank you? after all he did help this time. Hell he even saved the angel's ass when Vince was about to smite him and thanks to that now a couple of his ribs were cracked and his favourite vessel was trashed. He was tired and in pain and just wanted to disappear, crawl in some hotel and rest. Of course going back to Hell for the moment was out of discussion. Looking like that, he could expect at list 3 riots to overthrown him. No, better just lay low for a while. He just needed to find the right moment to slither away. And that looked perfect.

Moose and Squirrel were a few feet away and the only one left to supervise him was Castiel. He looked pretty beat up too so maybe he was not going to put up a fight. Crowley knew he wasn't strong enough to face him, not in his conditions.

"Well... that was lovely but now I have to run, souls to torment, hell to raise" he muttered, taking a step back and turning his back, ready to snap his fingers and zap himself to safety.

But Cas was faster and grabbed his wrist. Crowley froze in place, hearing a clinking sound. If the angel got the handcuffs on him it was over. Bracing his most convincing Cheshire cat smile he turned around

"C'mon feathers, I thought we were friends"

Castiel smiled sardonicaly

"No we are not. I told you. I was going to kill you if I survived"

Crowley's facade crumbled a little but he still tried to keep his calm

"You know you should buy a girl a drink before handcuffing her" he chirped

The angel looked back at the brothers and Crowley cleared his throat

"A foursome? Feathers I don't know..."

Castiel's grip on him tightened and Crowley shut his mouth when he turned to him again, a smirk that resembled a lot like Lucifer's on his lips.

"You know it would be so easy to just smite you here and now" the angel continued, raising a hand and gingerly placing two fingers on his forehead. Against what his pride was shouting Crowley squeezed his eyes close, ready to be killed.

But when he opened them again after a couple of seconds nothing had happened. Well, not exactly nothing. His eye was heald and his meat suit seemed... well? all the throbbing pain he felt was gone and he didn't taste metal anymore.

He squinted at the Angel. He was still smiling but now it was Castiel's smile, crooked, sweet, caring, that went up to his blue eyes. He looked more tired than before, a dark shadow on his face, like using his power had drained more energy that it should have.

"Did you... did you just heal me?"

"You were no use to me like that"

"What..?" he tried to ask, confused. Act of kindness were not usually aimed towards him

"Let's just say it is my way to say thank you. Now go" Castiel glanced back "if Dean and Sam get back they will handcuff you and I will not intervene"

"Thank you?" Crowley still couldn't grasp it

"You didn't give up on me. Maybe there's still hope for you" Castiel replied, and somehow that made Crowley feel incredibly annoyed.

"Not a chance in hell, feathers". And with a snap of his fingers he was gone.