The ride home was surprisingly quiet. Sam and Dean made conversation in the front while the back was quiet. Cas simply enjoyed the time to think, but every so often he glanced over at Crowley, wondering what was going on in his head. He'd seen the look on his face when he saw that his mother was dead. No one could quite explain it. Much as he hated to admit it, he feared for the demon. Not for his grief, although he knew it was there, but for his anger, which would surely come in the same way the angels would during the end times: by pouring his wrath over his enemies just as God was said to pour his wrath over the earth. And he knew that many people would be trampled as he continued on the warpath. For that he prayed to his father that Crowley might have mercy on whomever got in his way as he tracked down whomever caused all this.
But Crowley was busy thinking. He kept seeing his mother's body in his mind's eye. The knowledge that she would willingly give her life for him was confusing to him, causing conflict in his emotions. His love, his anger, his grief, his confusion, and his shock fought for control of his emotional state. His mother's words kept floating in his mind, points of starlight in his darkened soul. Her sudden faith in him was mystifying, but there was something that he still didn't understand.
What was Lucifer planning now? And how could he stop it? More so, what was motivating him to act now?
He tried to think of reasons for what his followers had done, but nothing but the usual came up. Getting back at God, celestial domination, and wanting him out of the way to be king of hell again. Still, it didn't make sense. Where and why did the witches have to come in? The questions were beginning to give him a headache. The only thing that seemed consistent was that the attack targeted him specifically. He sighed and tried to clear his mind. He suddenly longed for the human ability of sleep. The ability to escape reality for even a few hours would have been a blessing.
The drive to the bunker seemed to stretch out forever. Crowley was growing impatient, and by the time they reached the Kansas state line he was going stir crazy. Why hadn't he just teleported there? He wanted time to think had been his reasoning at the time. Now it seemed like fate granted his wish in the worst way. Oh, he could have left the car, but since he didn't know the full ramifications of the spell placed on him by the witches, he stayed out of cautiousness.
When they finally arrived at the bunker, Crowley went to the kitchen and poured himself a drink. Then, swirling scotch around in his glass, he planted himself in the library and sat down in one of the cushioned chair.
Dean clapped his hands together once as he sat down. "Alright, so what have we got?"
"Three dead witches, a bunch of dead demons, and no answers for why any of it happened." Said Cas. Crowley flinched imperceptibly at the mention of the witches. Sam ignored him.
"There is one common denominator that links them all." Sam said, pointing to Crowley.
"But that makes no sense. Lucifer doesn't have anything to gain from this. He's still in the cage."
"Maybe he got the witches in on it because he knew Rowena would end up dead. That meant she couldn't send him back again."
"Okay. But that doesn't explain why he's after me. He was amused by me the last time we met. He wouldn't do that to someone he found useful. Despite what he may think, I'm still an excellent crossroads king. He wouldn't get rid of me. He may demote me or make fun of me, but he wouldn't get rid of me unless I got in the way."
"And he didn't get rid of you completely with the spell they cast." Cas said. "He had the chance and he could have told the witches to kill you but he didn't."
"Exactly my point. If he could snap my mother's neck like he did, he could do the same to me."
Sam's eyes suddenly sparkled with new knowledge. "What if that wasn't Lucifer at all?"
Dean's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he looked at his brother. "What do you mean, Sammy?"
"How do we know Lucifer was behind any of this?"
"Because his followers alone attacked." Said Cas, pointing out the obvious.
"They might be followers of Lucifer, but that doesn't mean he's up to something. They don't have to follow Lucifer to hate you, right?" Asked Sam.
"Yes...?" Crowley said, but he was confused as to where Sam was headed with this.
"No one has tried to open the cage." Said Castiel. "If they had the slightest clue that something was going to happen it would be all over Angel Radio."
"And the demons would be buzzing over it too." Added Dean.
"So what if someone is setting Lucifer up to draw attention away from themselves?" Asked Sam. They all caught up to where he was already, and it seemed plausible. And yet, Crowley felt that that wasn't quite right. He wondered why he felt that way when he remembered the lapis lazuli crystal in his pocket. He pulled it out and ran his fingers over it. The stone was enchanted to tell him the truth. So his feeling had to be for a reason. He mulled over other possibilities for a long while, but nothing came to mind. Then, another course of thought hit him like lightning.
"I think you're off just a bit, moose." He said. "What you've said is entirely possible, but I think you're thinking a little too much inside of the box."
"Meaning?" Asked Sam, slightly annoyed. Crowley gave him a sarcastic smile.
"Lucifer isn't being set up to take the fall for someone else. He's teaming up with someone else to take me out."