Honestly, Sam and Dean had pretty much forgotten about Crowley until he'd suddenly appeared in the Impala and nearly gotten himself killed for doing so. Crowley looked like he'd been about to shit his pants when he'd come trying to trade information about one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, seeing as they were apparently trying to kill the lot of them and collect the set as it were.

"Oh crap." Sam said after Crowley gave his "Please don't kill me I've got information" sales pitch which had started off with how he would be useful in finding the other two Horsemen for them.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"I just remembered something." Sam said, looking annoyed with himself.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Who's got the rings?" Sam asked.

"I think Cas does." Dean replied after he finally remembered what rings Sam was referring to, and what they were supposedly capable of doing.

"Cas as in 'Very, very upset with us right now and might throw the both of us in the pit instead of Lucifer in order to express his displeasure' Cas?" Sam asked.

"Crap." Dean replied.

"Well, it looks like we'd better grab Pestilence's ring before Cas nabs it." Sam said, turning towards Crowley and giving him a darkly expectant look.

Crowley swallowed.

"I don't know where Pestilence is or what he's up to at the moment, but I can get you someone who knows." Crowley said, clearly trying to be as useful as he could be so they didn't decide to smite him just for the sheer stupidity he'd shown when he'd turned up in the car and plopped himself down right next to Adam.

That someone who knew what Pestilence was up to was an old college buddy of Sam's, which had led to a major blowup on Sam's part when he'd learned that Brady had been behind both Sam meeting Jess and Jess' subsequent murder. Fortunately, the chunky salsa that was Brady had reformed itself in order to be more thoroughly interrogated, which netted a location for Pestilence.

Unfortunately, by the time they'd gotten to Serenity Valley Convalescent Home, it had been to discover that Castiel had nabbed Pestilence's ring, and a Croatoan laced vaccine was about to be shipped out, which would end up causing the Bad Future that Dean had been transported to by Zachariah when the bastard had been trying to get him to say yes to Michael.

What followed was a not-so-wonderful, not-so-wacky adventure where the group of Sam, Dean, Adam, and Crowley who hadn't cut and run while the getting was good for some strange reason prevented the virus-laden vaccine from being shipped out. Pestilence got killed in the process, but it was already too late since Cas had nabbed the ring. When it was all over, Sam and Dean turned to Crowley who was inexplicably still there.

"Um," Crowley said, holding his hands up in a defensive gesture. "I can get you Death."

"You'd better." Dean growled.

When they'd gotten to Chicago bearing gifts - namely Death's Scythe - it had been to discover that Cas had yet again beaten them to it. Rather than using the four rings in order to unlock the pit upon them showing, a surprisingly disappointed-looking Castiel turned and glared at the both of them.

"He'll only speak to you Dean." Cas growled. Under other circumstances, Dean would've found it cute, but after Cas had gone behind his back like that...

Going inside the pizzeria in which everyone had dropped like flies aside from Death who was contentedly dining on Chicago-style deep dish, Dean nervously approached the vacant seat across from Death. Death was as old as or older than Father and would reap everyone in the end, including him. As such, he wasn't someone you approached lightly.

As he approached the table, the scythe that he'd brought returned to its master's side, burning him as it did so. Looking at his hand, he could see that it left a mark behind. Though what that mark meant, he didn't know.

"Ah, Michael, or do you prefer Dean now, since that is essentially who you've become, seeing as you are not the same Michael as you were over thirty years ago? Sit. Sit." Death said, making it clear that while he was being friendly, his demand that he take the seat opposite him wasn't a request.

He sat.

"I have a little problem which I believe you can help me with." Death said as soon as he was seated. "When I was summoned at Carthage, Missouri, I was bound to a being who called itself Lucifer. The strange thing was that he bore a suspiciously striking resemblance to Zachariah, who incidentally would've died at a warehouse in Van Nuys, California if time had been on the track it was supposed to follow. I would like to be free of that bond, and to that end, I will be willing to loan you my ring so long as you use it to put this Lucifer in the pit where he belongs."

Dean reeled back in shock as Death took off his ring and slid it across the table towards him. Was Death saying what he thought he was saying? Had he heard him wrong, and by taking the ring, would he agree to stop stalling and end it all like he was supposed to despite the fact that...?

Wondering if he was making the biggest mistake of his life one way or another, Dean took the ring.

"Come on Cas, cough up the other three rings, and let's go. It's time to end this party." he said upon exiting the pizzeria and stepped out onto the sidewalk where Cas was standing with a defiant looking Gabriel and a nervous looking cupid.

Stunned and wondering what the hell he was doing, the three angels followed him. Sam, who'd been standing off to the side and waiting for him, gave him a shocked look when he'd heard what he'd said. Smiling, he sent a silent message to Sam telling him to join him in Lawrence, Kansas where it had all began, and that there would be a surprise waiting for him.