Chapter One : It's A Deal
Grace made her way down the dusty old road in the dark. She let out a surprised yelp as she tripped over a loose clump of dirt. She fell over landing down on her knees her nightgown providing no protection at all from the hard ground. She stood up trying to ignore her scraped up aching knees. Why didn't she bring a flashlight ? At least it wouldn't be much farther now. Just a few more minutes until she reached her destination.
It seemed so silly, believing all those old legends about the crossroads, about the deals that one could make on them. She was getting desperate though.
Her mother would kill her if she knew that she'd left their farmhouse in the middle of the night especially if her mother knew that she had left to do something this insane.
She just couldn't sit back and watch her only sister die though. Grace was the older sibling and it was her job to protect her sister. She refused to allow Holly to die without at least knowing that she tried to do something about it.
She finally came to a stop as she reached a crossroads. At least there was a little bit of light here. A nearby house's porch light gave her just enough of a dim light to see her surroundings a little better.
She took a deep breath as she stared down at the old tarnished metal jewelry box in her hands. Getting everything that she needed had been a surprisingly easy task. Thanks to the wonders of the internet.
She opened the box shuffling through the items within it as she tried to make sure that she had everything that she needed : Graveyard dirt check, a recent picture of herself check, a bone from a black cat check and gross. She had found the cat bone on ebay...which disturbed her to no end. She only hoped that it was actually a real cat bone.
She got down on her knees as she began to dig into the ground with an old rusty garden trowel that she had snatched out of the tool shed this morning. She dropped the box down into the hole once she was satisfied with the holes depth.
She covered the box with dirt before she stood up. Now all she had to do was wait. She felt a cool chill in the air as she tried to pull her worn jean jacket a little tighter against her body.
Grace frowned after she had stood there for what seemed like an eternity. Nothing had happened. She was still standing out here alone. Great it hadn't worked.
She turned ready to make the long trek in the dark, back home. She stopped in her tracks jumping a little as she heard a man's voice behind her. "You called."
She turned peering through the dark looking for the location of the voice. She frowned studying the man as he moved closer to her. He looked to be in his mid to late forties. He had an expensive suit on all black except for his tie which was a pale grayish blue. His hair was short and dark. His eyes were dark though she wasn't sure if they were green or brown, maybe they were hazel. His voice was deep and he had an accent, a british accent.
She stared at him a bit at loss at what to say. So it had worked...all those stories, they really were true.
The man stared at her for a moment before an annoyed look began to develop on his face. "You do talk right ? Come on now, I haven't got all night. I didn't come all the way out to the middle of nowhere Georgia to stare at you all night."
"I want to make a deal." She blurted out unsure of what else she should say.
"You don't say ,and all this time I thought that this was just a social call." The man responded sarcasm clear in his voice.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as she began to have doubts about what she was planning to do. Maybe this was a mistake. What the hell was she even doing ?
She had spent late nights up on her laptop doing tons and tons of research. She knew what this would cost her.
Grace closed her eyes knowing that this was her last hope. She couldn't back out now.
The man spoke up again rolling his eyes. "Come on Gracie, speak up darling. Tell me what you want."
"How do you know my name ?" She asked curiosity peeking out underneath her fears and doubts.
The man gave her a half smile, more of a smirk really as he answered her question. "I know plenty, darling. In fact I already know just what you want."
She was tempted to run, to forget this whole mess. But she couldn't force herself to move. It was almost like something was holding her in place.
She watched him wide-eyed as he continued to speak. "I know that your name is Grace Welch. You're twenty years old. Your little sister Holly is sick. Cancer right, the tumors are spreading, and there isn't much hope for her survival. You want me to cure her."
Grace nodded her head keeping silent. She reached up running her hands through her shoulder length curly blonde hair as she tried to figure out what her next move should be.
She closed her eyes for a moment as she worked up the nerve to speak to him. "What's your name ?"
He raised an eyebrow a little thrown off by her question. "Crowley."
"So Crowley, you can cure her ? No cancer, no tumors ?" Grace asked opening her eyes back up, hopeful that the demon was telling her the truth.
Crowley smiled nodding his head. "Of course , for a price."
She swallowed the lump in her throat already knowing just what he meant. "I know. I get ten years then you get my soul."
She was taken by surprise when he spoke. "I want to make a deal with you as well. How about we change up the usual ten year contract ?"
"What do you mean ?" She asked him crossing her arms over her chest. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say.
And she was proven right about that as he answered her question. "I mean, I give you two years and then you come directly to me."
"Why would I want that ?" She asked him stepping back from him her fear reaching an all time high.
"It'll be easier on you. If you get the usual ten year deal then you go straight to hell, straight to the rack. That means endless torture until you lose every ounce of humanity you have. With the two year deal you come to me and get to stay off the rack. I can guarantee you safety" Crowley explained.
She sighed not understanding his intentions. "Why do you care rather I get tortured or not ?"
He shrugged his shoulders his voice not losing any ounce of confidence. "I need you. I have plans that are set to start in two years. Things are going to change for me. Hopefully for the better."
"What do you need me for ?" She asked still frightened. What on earth could he want with her ?
She moved back even farther as he stepped closer to her. He took her by surprise as he reached into the pocket of his suit-jacket and pulled out a gray handkerchief.
He held the handkerchief out to her as he spoke. "You're bleeding."
She frowned staring down at her knees noticing that she was in fact bleeding a bit. Her fall earlier had done a number on her right knee.
She hesitantly took the silk handkerchief from him before she leaned over dabbing her sore knee.
Crowley studied the young woman for a moment. She was attractive enough, for a human. She had a round face, gray eyes, a mess of curly sandy blonde hair, a nice figure. She still had a little baby fat, not too boney not too chunky. She was an acceptable height meaning that she wasn't taller than him. The top of her head came up to about right below his shoulder.
She seemed smart enough, curious enough. She would work out perfectly.
He spoke as she stood back up and held the handkerchief out to him. "No keep it."
She shoved it in the pocket of her jacket as she listened to him speak up again. "I need... let's just call it a partner in crime. I have big plans. If everything works out I'll be promoted...king of hell. Now it's going to take some work to...earn this promotion. I need someone...pure, someone I can trust by my side. Someone to help me work towards this promotion. Someone I can plan on working with for a very long time. That's where you come in."
"I don't want to be your partner in crime. Why can't you find someone else ?" She asked becoming frustrated with him. She didn't care about his stupid plan. She just wanted what she came for, no strings attached.
"You do want your sister to get better right ?" He asked knowing that he would have to make it clear that she really didn't have much of a choice.
She frowned as she nodded her head. "Yeah. So just give me the ten year deal."
He tilted his head to the side as he spoke. "I would, but I'm afraid that's just not possible."
"What do you mean it's not possible ?" She asked her fear fading away as it was replaced with irritation.
She stepped closer to him than she would have dared to earlier, as she gave him her best darkened look. Trying to show him that she wasn't going to back down until she got what she had come for.
He sighed as he stared down at her. "Either you take my offer or you get nothing. This isn't something that can be negotiated any farther. So what's it going to be ?"
"What ? Isn't there someone else you can ask?" She asked dread beginning to bubble down deep inside of her. There had to be another way.
"I could, but let's just say I like you. And besides I don't want to have to pitch this offer more than once tonight. So what's it going to be ? Me giving your sister a lifetime of perfect health in exchange for your partnership, or nothing at all ?" He said knowing that she was breaking. She would give in soon enough.
Grace let out a defeated sigh. There really was no other way. She had no choice in the matter.
"Fine." She blurted out.
He gave her a smile as he spoke. "It's a deal then. Now a deal has to be sealed with a kiss."
"A what ?" She exclaimed stepping away from him. He couldn't be serious.
He smirked not bothering to answer her question as he stepped towards her and leaned down locking his lips with hers.
She cringed not returning his kiss, She was tempted to bite down on one of his lips, but she was sure that doing that wouldn't end well for her.
She reached up as he pulled away giving him a slap on the side of the face. She automatically regretted this action. Slapping a demon wasn't a smart move. She stepped back fearing that he wouldn't be thrilled with her over what she had just done.
He smirked the slap not effecting him at all. "I see I made a good investment. You're going to need that bold attitude to work with me."
She glared not amused by his statement, but he ignored her annoyed look as he spoke up snapping his fingers. "A deals a deal. See you in two years darling."
And with a snap of his fingers she was back in her bed at home. She frowned for a moment wondering what just happened. It had to be a dream...just a weird really vivid really lifelike dream.
The first thing Grace heard when she awoke the next morning was her mother's excited voice. Grace shot up in bed as he mother opened her bedroom door.
The older woman stepped closer to her oldest child smiling. Grace frowned at her mother noticing the tears in her eyes. "What's wrong mom ? Is Holly okay ?"
Her mother nodded as she pulled her daughter up from her bed and embraced her in a tight hug. "It's a miracle sweetie. A pure miracle. The tumors they're gone. She's going to make it."
Grace let out a breath disbelief coursing through her still groggy mind. No Tumors, nothing at all.
Her mother pulled away smiling. "I have to go call your grandmother."
Grace watched her mother leave the room frowning. She frowned looking at her clothing from last night. She was still in her nightgown, her converse sneakers, and a jean jacket.
She reached down in her jacket pocket letting out a sharp breath as she felt it. A silk handkerchief...this was no miracle.
She frowned as she remembered Crowley's words. See you in two years.
So I'm a little unsure about this story, but I'm going to go with it for now. Any reviews anything ?