Chapter 66.

"You know we've lost Bobby now for good, don't you?" said Crowley, pulling at a loose thread in the curtain.

"He's only at the bunker." said Cas, slightly annoyed at Crowley's negativity.

"He's fully human now. He can go anywhere, do anything. You think he's going to rush back here to help us out? He won't. Who would?"

"You can also go anywhere and do anything and you're still here." said Cas.

"With the threat of a swift, unceremonious return to the Empty if I cease to be helpful."

"No, only if you fight with Meg or harm anyone."

"Exactly. Not a lot of incentive to go anywhere. What am I going to do when I get there? Sell Girl Scout cookies?"

Meg rolled her eyes. "Be honest, Crowley. You like being a part of all this. Makes you feel important."

"He is important." said Castiel, "You both are. Our work here is important and Bobby feels that way too. He just wants to spend some time with Sam and Dean."

"Yeah, I know," said Crowley, "And he's not gonna come back just for us, is her?"

Jules sighed. "Crowley, he's coming back."

"If you say so. Personally, I doubt it. He gave up Heaven to come back for Sam and Dean. If he'd just called them, they'd have come here anyway, so it was completely unnecessary."

"He felt Dean needed guidance and support." said Cas, "And when Dean needs those things, he tends to make excuses not to be here."

"I've noticed." Said Crowley bitterly, "And you don;t exactly give us all your time, do you?"

"Do you need me here more often?" said Cas.

"Would you come?" said Crowley.

"You only have to pray."

"I don't pray. Me? On my knees, begging?"

"Call, then. I'll come if you need me."

"Yes, if I need you, but you hang out with the Winchesters by choice and so does Bobby."

"I've had enough of this!" said Meg, "How much longer is Samandriel going to be?"

"I don't know. He's still in Heaven." said Cas, "Have you given any more thought to how souls can work their way out of Hell?"

"I have some ideas," she said, "Quests and purification rituals."

"Sounds promising." said Cas, "Why don't you go upstairs where you can think undisturbed?"

"She's never thought in her life," said Crowley, "Or been undisturbed."

"Do you want to pick a fight with Meg or do you want to discuss what's really bothering you?" said Cas.

"Does it have to be a choice?" said Crowley.

At a glance from Cas, Meg left the room and went upstairs. Cas nodded to Crowley. "Go on. Talk."

"About?"

"Are you really worried that Bobby isn't coming back, to his home and to us, his team?"

"Your team."

"Our team. We're all working this gig together." said Jules.

Crowley said nothing. Cas waited patiently.

Eventually, Jules said, "We know you're fond of Bobby."

"Fond of him?" said Crowley, "That grouchy, irritable, intolerant old coot? Of course I'm fond of him."

"Of course." said Cas.

"We've been through a lot together. His whisky may not be the best, but it's plentiful. I suppose it's a lot like you and me, Cas. You can only hate someone in such close quarters for so long before you become friends ... " He looked at as hopefully. "In a way." he added, then to ensure they didn't think he'd gone soft, he said, "This is the part where you traditionally say you're not my friend."

"I'm familiar with the script." said Cas. The truth was, he couldn't say it anymore, not with any conviction. His team in Sioux Falls were family to him, a weird, turbulent, dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless. "I'll admit," he said, "For some reason, I like you."

"You do?" said Crowley. For a moment, he seemed very vulnerable, then he said more certainly, "You do. Of course you do. I'm adorable."

"I wouldn't go that far." said Cas.

"You'll get there." Crowley assured him, "It sticks in the craw a bit now, but a month ago, you'd have said we weren't friends."

"Bobby likes you too." said Jules, "I don't think he ever wanted to, but he does. He even likes working with you, when you're not fighting with Meg."

"She fights with me." said Crowley, "She's incorrigible."

"You're each as bad as the other." said Cas.

"Well, maybe," Crowley admitted, "But I do good work."

"You do, when you feel motivated." said Castiel.

"I think a lot of this is about Dean, not Bobby." said Jules.

"Yes, that Dean keeps taking the rest of the team away." said Crowley, "I mean, you disappear off to the bunker at the drop of a bag of salt, now Bobby's given up his eternal rest so he can go there, instead of waiting for the boys to come here ... "

"And Dean's seeing an angel." said Jules.

"That doesn't bother me. Should've seen him as a demon! I'm not bothered about his sex life. None of his entanglements last long or end well. And she's an angel. Not exactly full of wiles and enchantments."

"Oh, I don't know." said Jules, casting a sidelong glance at Cas, "Angels are pretty damn hot, if you as, me."

"He's an archangel. It's different. And your standards are very low."

Cas felt a flash of anger. "Don't ever insult Jules!"

"I didn't. I wouldn't. You know I love your charming lady, but you have to admit, she has an opinion of you that is, how shall I put this? More than a little generous."

"If you want to revisit the Empty ..." said Cas, almost ready to send him straight back there.

"Castiel," said Jules, "He's just jealous and acting out. Think of him as a thwarted child."

"A thwarted child?" said Crowley, now getting angry himself, "If you think i'm jealous of this feathered mess ... " He suddenly seemed to remember the archangel thing, "No offence, Cas, of course."

"None taken. You can say what you like about me."

"Well, I'm not jealous of him. You're really not my type."

"She's really not within your reach." said Cas.

"I never said you were jealous of him," said Jules, "I mean Anael."

"A one day wonder. Dean will forget her almost instantly."

"I did consider that a possibility, at first," said Cas, "But she has already lasted longer than a day."

"I was speaking metaphorically!" said Crowley with some irritation.

"You were speaking incorrectly and if you saw how they are together, you would be happy for him."

"And are you? Happy for him?" said Crowley.

"I am." said Cas, "Whatever my personal misgivings may have been ... "

"Or may still be."

Cas thought about denying it, then simply said, "Or may still be, seeing how he relaxes around her, how he smiles ... Crowley, she makes him laugh."

"So do I."

"Not in the same way." said Jules.

"I don't care what he does," said Crowley, "Or Bobby either. I just think nothing in Sioux falls matters to them as much as they matter to us. I just think we all need to remember that."

"You're wrong." said Jules, "You're just feeling threatened."

"I have a lot of sympathy for you," said Cas, "Because I also feel insecure sometimes."

"I never felt insecure in my life. I'm Crowley!"

"Yes, you are," said Jules, "And you mean a lot to all of us, including Bobby."

"And including," said Cas, "Though Jack alone knows why, Dean."