A/N Sorry about my sporadic posting... My friend and I worked on our story some though... and I felt like being goofy in the title of this chapter... that's what you get for me posting at 11:30 on a school night... :P love ya!
Sam was brought out of his researching by a knock on the door. Knowing Dean's knock anywhere, he yelled "It's open"
Dean opened the door to motel room 13 with a "You better not be naked in there, Samantha!" thrown in for effect. Winchesters didn't do 'feelings' very well, and he gauged the look on Sam's face carefully as he walked through the door. Cas had thrown him for a loop completely, what with the whole 'love and understanding' thing that the angel acted like Dean deserved. But Sam, Sam was pretty predictable, and Dean would rather pull his teeth out than talk about why he'd fucking panicked, so he was hopeful that they could just skip the Dr. Phil routine and figure out which demon to go kill.
Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's nickname for him. "I have gone through hundreds of pages about this damn ring... and nothing connecting to it to anything of note. I think we need to find someone who was there... Cas, anyone come to mind?"
Dean flopped on the bed, picking up a dog-eared book that was in his way and thumbing through it. He was relieved after finding nothing but frustration at the research failing him on his brother's face, privately happy that his little brother was such a geek.
"Be careful with that, jerk... I don't need you ripping up another one of my favourites." Sam smirked, thinking about the last book that had come on a hunt and ended up in Dean's hands, one of Tolkien's, if he remembered right.
"Hey, at least that book had a ring in it, this one is probably about talking pigs, or river valleys in Mesopotamia." Dean volleyed back, remembering how he had helped Sam with that stupid high school world history project, building a model while bleeding from a shittily self-stitched Harpy scratch at 4am.
"Animal Farm should be right up your alley... it's in the same sandbox as Vonnegut." Sam remembered the project too, one of the best moments in his high school career... though his teacher had wondered why it had been turned in covered in blood.
"Yeah yeah, communism allegories aren't gonna help us figure out who to go after now though." Dean had read that book too, before he'd had to drop out...
Sam looked back at Cas, who sighed. "The only one I know who might have any information would be Crowley... do either of you feel like dealing with him?"
"You boys rang?" An obnoxiously saccharine voice carried from near the television.
Dean groaned loudly.
"Damn it, Crowley, can't you use the door, like normal people?" Sam said, not entirely pleased at seeing the king of hell either.
Cas looked at the demon with extreme distaste. However, he bit his tongue and stayed civil. "Yes, we have a problem that is just up your alley." He described the situation, and kept an eye on Dean, to make sure he didn't snap at the demon.
"You seem to have no problem letting your pet angel appear as he pleases." Crowley responded to Sam, with a smirk at a now near-growling Dean. He listened to Castiel with an air of mild disinterest bordering on irritation, and seemed to be thoughtfully considering something after heaven's best and brightest finished.
Sam glared at Crowley, but stayed silent as Cas began.
Dean impatiently waited for Crowley's response, but after a few seconds of staring he burst out with a "Well?!"
Crowley raised an eyebrow at Dean. "I think your friend Lilith might've found an ally from the wrong side of the tracks. Have you by chance seen any giant sun-eating snakes?"
"No?" Sam looked at Crowley, trying to figure out what the hell the demon is talking about.
"Apep, ancient Egyptian personification of all evil, won at being 'most unpopular' until Set got better press." The demon condescended to explain like Sam is three and it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't think he was still hanging around the underworld."
"Well if he hangs out in the underworld, what would he be doing up here?" Sam asked, picking up the same tone.
Crowley is supremely unaffected by Sam's mirroring tone. "Probably sowing chaos wherever he pleases, if he was invited back up here. He's a nasty piece of work, but that ring sounds like one of his trinkets."
"So what you're saying is that Lillith decided to invite some ancient Egyptian god up here for coffee?" Sam asked, before anyone else could.
"Very good, Gigantor." It's possibly the most patronizing praise given this side of a dog kennel.
Sam stood up, unconsciously stretching to full height in front of Crowley, before he began to pace a bit by the door. "But..." before he could finish, Crowley was gone.
"Thanks asshole!" Dean snarled at the empty space the demon left behind.
With a pop Crowley reappeared in front of Sam, holding out a hand expectantly. "That pie. The slice you were saving for Dean." At Sam's clouded face. "Honey, I don't work for free."
"I don't know what pie you're talking about, Crowley." Sam said, gaining some composure. To be honest, he didn't feel like sharing all his food with the demon... even if he was the King of Hell.
"The pie in the third drawer to the right in that ratty cabinet with the scorch marks." Crowley raised an eyebrow.
"You, Mr. Demon, are hallucinating." Sam didn't know where this all came from, but he just felt like messing with Crowley.
Crowley just sighed and stalked over to the drawer to take the pie himself.
Sam smirked. He knew he'd gotten to Crowley, which for some reason, made him happy. "Now that you got your pie, you feel like helping us?"
"Already did." Crowley smirked back, blinking out of the room.
"So doesn't count..." Sam muttered at the floor.
Dean muttered helpfully about 'shithead demons that steal freaking PIE'.
Sam laughed and headed over to the fridge, pulling out another pie, short a piece. "His pie radar needs help, I guess."
Crowley reappeared and took the bag from Sam, smiling through a drawled "I just love delivery" before disappearing again, this time for good.
"Of course he does..." Sam rolled his eyes, "Dean, why don't we just go to the diner?"
Sam raised an eyebrow at his brother... not hungry coming from his brother is like a priest saying no to Sunday Mass.
"Don't give me that mother-hen face, we can eat dinner later, unless it'll mess up your diet." Dean grouched at his brother. "Cas, you wanna help with the research part or the finding the giant snake part?"