"What the hell did you do, Squirrel?" Crowley asked, seething. Dean went to Sam and hefted him up. "Sam was dying. I made a deal with an angel. He could have a timeshare in Sam's head and heal up if he healed Sam from the trials." Dean laid Sam on the desk. "He wouldn't need to know. He wasn't SUPPOSED to know..." He felt Sam for a pulse. "Oh God. He's dying..."
Crowley was livid. "You should've gone to me. I could've fixed him, easy."
"I was going to, until Zeke showed up. Besides, you'd probably have some way to screw us over..."
"AND GOING BEHIND YOUR OWN BROTHER'S BACK AND PUTTING AN ANGEL IN HIM AGAINST HIS WILL WAS A SHINING SYMBOL OF MORALITY!?" Crowley bellowed.
"I don't need you of all people lecturing me on morals!" Dean snapped.
Crowley touched Sam's hand. It was going cold. He felt something inside him shatter. "No... Not today..." Crowley held up his shackled hands. "I might still be able to fix him, even with the angelic shock to my system and the cure remnants. Just let me go for a minute..." "No! Why should I trust you? What do you have to gain from this, anyway? Not like you to be Mr. Charity..."
Crowley's eyes flicked to the comatose Winchester, his face softening. Dean caught that look and understood. "Son of a..." "Look! Every moment you stall, the more Sam dies! Just LET! ME! GO!" Dean sighed. He dug his key to Crowley's chains and unlocked him.
Crowley stood up and stretched a moment. He scratched where Sam injected the angel blood. Then he placed his hands on Sam's forehead and chest. He closed his eyes and focused all his demonic power on healing his precious Sam. It hurt him, what with all the blood injections he'd taken over the weeks still in his veins. He opened his eyes. They turned demonic red. "C'mon, Moose. You're not dying on me... Your brother would kill me..."
Sam suddenly bucked on the table. Color returned to his face. Dean smiled. "It's working!" Crowley looked up at Dean. "Of course. You sound surprised." Sam's eyes sprang open. He gasped for air. Crowley removed his hands from Sam and stumbled back into his chair, weary from the healing. Sam sat up. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Sam..." Crowley said wearily, smiling a strained smile.
~0~
Sam looked at the weary demon. Did he just heal him? Sam gave Crowley a smile. "I knew I was right about him..." The hunter thought. He swore he saw the demon light up a little at the action. Sam then frowned. He turned to Dean.
"Sam, look, I'm sorry. I just couldn't..." Sam got up. He was a little uneasy, but gained his balance back quickly. "Save it, Dean. I don't want to hear it right now..." He marched out of the room. "Sam!" Dean called. The younger Winchester ignored him.
~0~
Dean was about to charge after his brother. "Let him go, Dean. He needs to brood it out." Crowley advised. "Isn't that what you usually do?" Dean paced the room. "I couldn't let him go, Crowley. He's..."
"Been your responsibility since you were boys. Blah blah blah. Martyrdom. Blah blah blah. Significant, sometimes frightfully pseudo-incestuous brotherly bond... Look, if you're worried, once I've got a bit more of my strength back, send me after him. I'll come right back..."
"And I should let you go because...?"
"I've saved your brother's life, and I'm one of the few people at your disposal who wants to make sure your brother's safe as much as you do. Maybe even more..."
Dean sighed and relented. "I can't believe it. You have a thing for Sam..."
"Hey, I don't judge your sexual tension with Castiel..."
"Crowley, shut up before I lock you up again..."