I would say I'm sorry about the wait but that won't make you feel any better as I hate to say it's becoming a habit with this story. I don't know what it is; I think it might be how hard this story is to write. I really need to be paying attention and give it everything. I can't just blurt it out at twelve o'clock at night. But I promise I am doing everything I can to update as soon as I'm able.

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

"The venom of a Manticore and the blood of a virgin? Dude your boyfriend is fucking creepy." Sam muttered, throwing himself onto the creaky bed of their motel room.

Dean rolled his eyes and settled across from Sam on his own bed. "Virgin blood will be easy. I don't even know what the fuck a Manticore is."

Sam frowned and cocked his head, narrowing his eyes at Dean. "Did you really just use the words; getting the virgin blood will be easy?"

Dean shrugged and leaned against the headboard of the bed. He reached over and picked up the cherry pie he'd bought at the first gas station they came across. He hadn't had a pie in ages; in fact being back on the road was making his junk food addiction kick start again. "So what is a Manticore?" he asked around a mouthful of pie.

Sam looked like he was going to mention Crowley again but instead sighed heavily and flicked the lid of his laptop open. He scrolled through a page Dean couldn't see and rubbed his eyes.

"A Manticore is a monster with the body of a lion, the face of man and shoots poisonous spikes from its tail." Sam read out from the website. "When we get back remind me to punch your boyfriend in the face."

Even Dean had to agree that the sound of what they were hunting was terrifying. But according to Crowley their venom was the only thing outside of a heavenly weapon that could actually hurt the feathery bastards.

"You like saying that don't you? My boyfriend?"

"I'm going with this theory that if I say it out loud it will stop sounding ridiculous."

"How's that working out for you?" Dean asked around a mouthful of pie, nearly choking in the process.

"Fabulously. I can now say it without flinching."

"Baby steps, baby steps. So where are we supposed to find ourselves a Manticore?"

"That's exactly what I was wondering. They haven't been around for a couple of millennia and never outside of Persia. Crowley was less than helpful by the way but Bobby managed to pull through." Sam said, not being able to hold back the dig at Crowley.

"And are you going to tell me what Bobby said or are you gonna make me guess?"

"There's been some bodies found at Gila National Forest that slightly resemble what a Manticore would do."

"Gila National Forest? That's in New Mexico!"

"That's the least of our problems. Gila National Forest covers an area of over five hundred and fifty thousand acres and our Manticore is in there somewhere."

"Sam? Why does the universe hate us?"

"Because we're bad people."

Dean watched his brother as Sam continued to scroll through the website and he couldn't deny the fact that this felt right. Being with Sam in a crappy motel room and a monster to fight. It all had an odd sense of comfort and it scared him.

Giving up hunting had been an easy decision a year ago. Sam had been gone and he had done the only thing he could to hold onto the most important person in his life, the one thing he had left. But now Sam was back and Dean was finding it hard to ignore the fact that whether he wanted it or not; deep in his soul he was a hunter. It was in his blood, it was imbedded into his consciousness and he didn't know what to do.

"Dean?"

Sam's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and with a small shake of his head he turned his attention to his brother.

"Sorry what?"

"I said; do you think dad has been acting weird?" Sam repeated after sending Dean a strange look.

"You'll have to be more specific Sam. Dad's never exactly been a vision of normality." Dean quipped, resolving to push aside his troubling thoughts and deal with them another day.

Sam sighed and closed the laptop, spinning around so he sitting on the edge of bed facing Dean. "Alright. Dad storms out after you have a massive argument and pretty much disowning you only to come back the next day and apologies? You're telling me that doesn't send off alarm bells? I have never once heard dad admit he was wrong…..ever."

Dean rubbed his face tiredly. "Look, I don't trust dad as far as I can throw him but I think this is one of those times where we just have to work with what we've got."

"So you don't think he's up to anything?"

"Oh God no! I think dad is neck deep in whatever the fuck is going on. I also think he's going to fuck us over the first chance he gets. So we watch him, keep him close and make sure he doesn't cause any damage."

"Watch him? Dean, dad is thousand miles away." Sam pointed out with a frown.

John had been sent to get the third ingredient to Crowley's little angel weapon; a knife forged with dragon fire. Dean had to admit, John had gotten dawn the short straw. That kind of blade would be harder than hell to find.

"What, did you think I would just let dad wander off by himself with no supervision in sight? Ye' of little faith Sammy. One of the perks of being the King Of Hell's boyfriend, I have my own private army of demons at my disposal. I've got two of them following dad as we speak."

Sam looked momentarily stunned at Dean's words and opened his mouth a few times before he could make words come out.

"So are these demons loyal to Crowley?" Sam asked eventually.

Dean shrugged a grabbed another slice of pie. "Demons don't really go for the whole loyalty thing, however they are shit scared of Crowley so it amounts to the same thing really."

"You know Dean, I kinda like this version of you." Sam admitted. "You're a lot nicer to be around when guilt isn't eating at you."

"Aww... and you're a lot less whiney then you used to be." Dean answered with a smirk although Sam had a point. Life was a lot easier when he wasn't swimming in guilt and he wasn't drowning himself in alcohol.

Sam laughed and threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the face. Dean snorted and tried not to think about where that particular pillow had been.

"Come on moose. We have a Manticore to kill. How do we kill one again?"

"The only place a Manticore is vulnerable is the inside of its mouth."

"Perfect... just perfect."

"And don't call me moose!"

Dean laughed harder and threw the pillow back at Sam. There was a moment of silence while Sam chewed on his thumbnail, obviously trying to gather the courage to say something.

"How old is Crowley?" he finally spat out, looking decidedly uncomfortable.

Dean shrugged and kicked the empty pie packet onto the floor. He was trying not to laugh at Sam's question.

"Not sure, I don't think Crowley even knows. Around six hundred I think."

"No I mean the meat suit he's in."

"Oh...Um, late forties I think?" Dean guessed, not sure of the answer.

Sam's eyes widened and he chocked down a laugh while Dean could actually feel irritation "What?"

"Dude, you're fucking someone older than dad." Sam gasped, laughter pouring out.

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

When Sam had mentioned they were going to Gila National Forest he'd thought the hardest part would be finding and killing the Manticore, completely forgetting that Gila National Forest was over a thousand and six hundred miles from where they were.

That added up to at least two days on the road, three if they couldn't push themselves. It hadn't even occurred to Dean that he would be forced to spend all day in the car with Sam. By the time they had packed their duffle bags and were on route; the road stretching out forever in front of them, singing along to AC/DC, Dean was enjoying the time alone with his brother and certain that the road the New Mexico would be a peaceful one. He'd forgotten just what a whiny passenger Sam was.

100 miles:

Dean settled into old habits quicker than he'd anticipated, sliding into the drivers seat with a hamburger, a coke and ready for a long drive. Sam was sat next to him, leaning on against the window and staring out at the scenery, ACDC was thumping through the radio and Dean drummed his fingers on the steering wheel along with the beat. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sam fidgeting, shifting around in his seat and frowning uncomfortably. Dean narrowed his eyes at his squirming little brother and wondered what his problem was.

"Someone put itching powder in you knickers again Sammy?" Dean teased, smirking at the memory.

Sam rolled his eyes and his jaw clenched tight, irritation practically radiating off him. "No douche bag. I need to pee."

"Again? We just stopped!" Dean growled. If things continued this way, they would never make it to New Mexico.

"I can't help it! I don't have any control over when I have to pee." Sam reminded him with a shrug, shifting in his seat once more.

"Well maybe if you didn't buy a Grande latte at every gas station we stop at, you wouldn't need to piss every five minutes."

"Well maybe if someone didn't keep me up all night wanking over the phone with his hell spawn lover, I wouldn't need gallons of coffee to keep me awake." Sam shot back with a pointed look, enjoying the wide-eyed shock that crossed Dean's face.

"You were listening?"

"Listening? You were a fucking meter away! It was like being a supporting actor in a bad porno."

"I thought you were asleep!"

"Like that makes it any fucking better!"

500 miles:

"Hey Dean?"

"I swear to god Sam, if you need to pee again I'm going to have a fucking breakdown." Dean grunted, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Fuck you douche bag. What I was going to ask; is when did Crowley give you that ring?"

Dean looked down at the ring in question, watching the say the sunlight bounced off the shiny surface.

"A few months after...well, you know." he answered awkwardly after a moment.

"So what happens when you die?"

Dean was a little taken back by Sam's questions but he was glad Sam was actually taking an interest. It showed that he supported him at least a little.

"What do you mean?"

"Well eventually you're going to die. Are you going to give up heaven for him?"

"What's so great about heaven Sam? I can think of quite a few angels who would love nothing more than to have our eternal souls screaming in agony." Dean pointed out.

Hell might be full of demons but while Crowley was in charge, he had nothing to worry about. Whereas in Heaven there would be nothing between him and hundreds of pissed off angles with nothing better to do than make him suffer for the rest of forever.

"I bet no one ever saw that coming. You going to hell while I go to heaven." Sam chuckled darkly.

Dean shrugged and his lips quirked up in a half smile. "I always knew."

"Oh yeah? Are you the physic now?" Sam teased.

"No. I'm your big brother. No one will ever know you like I do."

700 miles:

"So Dean, who tops and who bottoms?"

Kill me now…

1000 miles:

"I want to drive!"

Dean gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white. He'd known it would only be a matter of time before Sam started pestering him to drive and that first quietly asked question was the beginning of what Dean knew would be a very irritating afternoon. "No."

"Why not Dean? It's not fair. I never get to drive."

"Because when you drive you turn into a fucking manic."

"I do not. You're just a control freak."

"Oh yeah? What about that time in Texas?"

"I knew you'd bring that up. You always do."

"For good reason."

"You're over reacting. It wasn't that bad." Sam grumbled, locking his jaw into what Dean recognized as his brother getting ready for battle.

"I'm sure the mother of the child you almost ran over would disagree." Dean pointed out.

"He shouldn't have been in the middle of the road!"

"He was crossing the street with him mum at a pedestrian crossing."

"Let me drive and I'll disappear for an hour tonight so you can be alone with Crowley."

1020 miles:

Dean was holding onto his seat with every ounce of strength he had as they sped down the highway at a speed way over the speed limit, each bump in the road and turn making him flinch. Sam had always been a bit of an erratic driver, slamming his foot on the accelerator like his feet were made of lead.

Dean's stomach twisted nervously as another car blasted its horn at them as it passed and Dean was actually beginning to think they were going to end up wrapped around a tree. Thankfully the sudden vibrating of his phone in his pocket took his attention away from his inevitable fiery death.

'How's the brotherly bonding going?'

'I think I may actually be about to die.'

'Did Sam find the picture I took of you?'

'What picture?'

Dean glared at his phone, mind churning with all the possibilities of Crowley's words. He was waiting for an answer for an uncomfortably long time.

'What picture? There's no picture.'

'Crowley.'

'Yes darling?'

'What picture?'

'What are you talking about Dean? You really should be careful; I think you're becoming delusional. Imagining all sorts of things.'

'If you have a picture of me somewhere that I'm not going to like, I'll make you pay.'

'You have to find it first, princess.'

'No first I have to survive Sam's driving. Fuck, the way he takes corners you'd think he was training to be a stunt driver.'

'He must get it from you.'

'Excuse me? I am an excellent driver!'

'I'm not saying otherwise. I'm saying you drive like you're in the middle of chase scene from an action movie.'

The car swerved dangerously and Dean jerked his attention back to Sam who was watching him closely.

"Eyes on the fucking road Sam!" Dean yelped as they swerved once more so Sam could avoid a squirrel that had run across the highway.

1500 miles:

Eventually Dean simply couldn't take it anymore and demanded Sam pull over. He was so tired his eyes were burning and judging by the glazed look in his brother's eyes, Sam wasn't doing any better. Thankfully a motel came into view and Sam pulled over happily.

They pulled up in front of the main office and Sam went in to book them a room while Dean remained in the car. He pulled out his phone and started at it curiously wondering if he should call Crowley or not and let him know they'd stopped for the night. Sam knocked on the passenger door and stuck his head through the open window.

"You coming?"

"Yeah, um…can you take my bag in? I'm gonna call Crowley." Dean muttered, making up his mind. He wanted to know what John had been up to.

Sam nodded passed him the car keys before grabbing the bags from the back of the car with a word. Dean was rather impressed with how Sam was handling everything lately. Apparently being in hell had knocked some of the bitchy out of him. After another moment sitting in the car, he opened the door and stepped out into the cool night air. He locked the car and walked over to the end of the car park, standing under a streetlight. His breathing fogged in front of him and with a sigh he called Crowley.

The demon answered almost immediately.

"What's shakin bacon?"

"I need you."

The only answer that came was a dial tone and Dean stared dumbly at the phone, shocked that Crowley had just hung up on him and with an unbelieving snort he tucked his phone back into his jeans pocket. He flinched heavily when a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist and a warm body pressed into his back.

"I can't stay long." Crowley muttered quietly, lips brushing against his neck.

Dean nodded in understanding and placed his arms over Crowley's, twisting their fingers together.

"It will all be over soon." Crowley promised, knowing what Dean needed to hear.

"I'm not so sure. I thought it was over a year ago, and yet here I am. I don't think it will ever really be over."

Crowley didn't know how to answer that but that was all right, Dean didn't want him to. He just wanted him to listen while he had a moment of self-pity, which thankfully was something Crowley understood.

"So what has John been up to?" Dean asked eventually, breaking the silence as he spun around in Crowley's arms.

"Not much. Doing what I sent to do. He'll have the knife in a few days."

"Has he been doing anything he shouldn't be?"

"He's actually being remarkably well behaved, hasn't even visited any bars. It makes me uneasy."

"You think he's up to something?" Dean asked, lifting a hand to cup Crowley's face and scratching gently at the short beard.

"Yes. I think he's going to fuck us over and I want to know; when he does, are you willing to do what needs to be done?"

"I have very little sentimentality left towards John." Dean smiled grimly and looked down at Crowley's tie, using a free hand to play with the soft fabric. "I bought you this one." He muttered absently. He had bought it as a joke really, never really expecting the demon to wear the bright blue tie.

Dean blinked, heart skipping a beat at Crowley's smirk before he leaned down and captured Crowley's lips with his own. Crowley's hand crept around the back of his neck and gripped his hair while Dean moved his hand down to Crowley's ass, squeezing possessively.

Crowley grunted against his mouth and Dean grinded their lower bodies together in answer. Crowley pulled their lips apart and placed small biting kisses down Dean's jaw and up to his ear, biting his earlobe. Dean groaned and arched his head pack to give Crowley more access to his neck.

The shorter man was sucking a hickey onto his neck, causing shivers to wrack Dean's body when a yawn broke its way out of him. There was a horrifying moment of utter stillness as they both froze. Embarrassment flooding Dean's cheeks with red as he realised what he'd done.

Crowley pulled away from his neck slowly and looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "Am I boring you darling?"

"I am so sorry." Dean muttered horrified that he'd yawned in the middle of make out session. "I'm just so tired." He tired to explain.

Crowley was still watching him but a smirk had spread across his face and could see he was trying not to laugh. "Don't worry about it darling. I'm not offended."

"I'm going to go to bed. I have to fight a Manticore tomorrow." Dean said with fake enthusiasm.

He kissed Crowley gently once more before pulling away and backing up back towards the motel.

"Sweet dreams sweetheart!" Crowley called after him, smirking broadly.

"I really like you in that tie!" Dean called back in answer, watching Crowley disappear with a smile.

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

"I still think we should check out the bodies first." Dean grumbled as they pulled up outside the Gila National Forest head office.

Over the past five years twelve people had been found dead somewhere in the forest. The police had put it down to accidents, tourists wandering off the track, getting lost or killed by one of the numerous dangerous wildlife found in the area. Dean was getting a little jumpy; he hadn't been in a forest since the Wendigo incident and he didn't like being blocked in by trees.

Too many variables in such an open area and it made him uncomfortable. Dean sighed and followed Sam into the head office, shoving his hands in his pockets and shifting uncomfortably in his fed suit. It had been a long time since he'd been forced to wear a suit and it felt like the tie was trying to strangle him, he didn't know how Crowley wore suits everyday; they drove Dean mad.

"Can I help you boys with anything?"

Dean turned his attention to the owner of the voice, who judging by his uniform was the head ranger. Dean was taken back by how startling handsome he was. Blonde complimented perfectly by bluest eyes Dean had ever seen. He was young, younger than Sam by the looks of it and he looked like he'd just walked off the cover of a magazine. Instant distrust swam through Dean, knocking him off balance. This man was absolutely perfect, too perfect and it sent warning bells off in his head. Something wasn't right.

"Agent Singer and agent Mcloud, we would like to discuss that ridiculously high mortality rate this place has." Dean spoke up, cutting off Sam before he could speak.

Ranger good looking smiled and Dean felt his heart skip a beat against his will, which only made him dislike the man more.

"Yes, all those poor people. Of course I'll do anything I can to help." He guided them into his office at the far end of the building. "I'm Ranger Manson by the way and I'll be happy to answer any questions have."

Ranger Manson sat behind a large wooden desk and gestured for them to sit across from him. Sam and ranger Manson exchanged pleasantries while Dean scanned the room. It looked normal enough but there was something off about the place, something he wasn't seeing.

"Did you know any of the victims?" Sam asked, drawing Dean's attention back.

"Not really, no one ever comes to the office."

"I thought if you wanted to camp here you had to check in through the front desk?" Dean pointed out, smiling pleasantly.

"That used to be true but a few years back we started using online booking so people don't have to come all the way out here to check in. It can be a bit of a inconvenience if you're staying on the other side of the forest." Ranger Manson chuckled, flashing another one of those stunning smile.

"So what do you think killed those people?" Sam asked.

"Unfortunately there are plenty of things out here that can kill you if your not careful. People come here and they think that watching nature shows makes them qualified to mess with things they don't understand."

Dean got the distinct feeling that was threat.

"How long have you worked here?"

"Ten years."

"Wow. You barely look twenty-five." Dean pushed; every instinct in his body telling him Ranger Manson was full of crap.

Ranger Manson smirked and turned his gaze to Dean. "I'm older than I look."

Those impossibly blue eyes pinning Dean down and made his head spin. He fought the urge to smile back stupidly and giggle like a school girl. Thankfully the moment passed and Dean was certain Ranger Manson was their Manticore.

OOOoooOOOoooOOOoooOOO

I hope you liked it and I apologize for the lack of Crowley. Unfortunately I needed to establish the plot but not to worry, he'll be back next chapter.