10 Years

"Hello, Darling."

10 years. Every memory in that time suddenly played like a silent film within a breathless second. The painful reminder was like a punch in the gut. Elise stared flushed at the suit and tie who stood just ahead of the door like he just walked through it, only the door was locked. The man wore a fine tailored suit in black against a sleek red tie, his hands loosely fitted into the pockets of his long, open coat. He was watching her. She couldn't breath. Her gaping mouth elicited a subtle smirk to tug at the corners of his mouth. How he relished his petty torments.

"By the look on your face, I wager you remember me." His British accent rolled off his tongue in languid velvet.

How could I forget?

Elise hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath before suddenly exhaling in a huff.

"My time's not up." She said in a strangled tone, finding her voice. She felt dizzy as the weight of her impending end came crashing down on top of her. Where did those years go? The other man took a few slow steps away from the door, heading nowhere in particular, taking the time to glance at the walls allowing the girl a moment to adjust. He didn't seem to be in a hurry.

"No hello or exchange of pleasantries? Just cut right to the meat, is it?" Came again his slow, honeyed voice. The sparkle in his eye gave way to his amusement towards the situation. The girl merely blinked in shock, unmoving.

"No." He answered mildly when he was met with drawn silence.

"You have almost exactly a year to the day, so you can relax." His smile stretched along his features to show his pearly white teeth and would have been a polite gesture, perhaps even charming if it were in another context. To Elise, it seemed predatory. For a second time she released her breath and hoped he hadn't noticed. So that explained why a hellhound hadn't crashed through her door, but if she still had time why was he here?

"Why?" She asked dumbly before scrambling for a better question, her mind whirling into coherence,

"Why are you here?"

The man had taken this time to leisurely glance at the set of family photos along one wall, and only turned to look at her after she spoke. Another smaller smile appeared and he took an easy step towards her this time, as if to test the waters of her comfort level.

"I'm glad you asked." He began,

"I'm prepared to give you an extension." Seeing the flash of hope in her eyes, he took another creeping step, gaining confidence.

"That is, if you do a little something for Daddy."

Elise felt her blood freeze. There was a price. There was always a price.

Now guarded, she eyed him warily, but she couldn't hide the hunger for it in her eyes. Attempting to feign interest anyways, in the off chance he missed the change in her expression, she replied,

"And what's that?" Her arms came up to cross beneath her bust. The lower lids of his dark eyes twitched in a subtle squint as he watched her trite display, easily seeing through it. Still, he played along. Canting his head with another small step, he said,

"Five years. Two souls." He spoke with the practiced precision of a salesman, watching her in strong silence while his eyes gazed unblinkingly into hers.

He was mere feet away. Her heart thudded in her chest but she couldn't look away as he drew nearer still, like a wolf moving to ambush his prey. She wanted that extension so bad she could taste it. Finally, uncomfortable beneath his smoldering gaze, she looked down, her fingers rubbing nervously against the fabricate of her black T-shirt. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks as she felt his eyes on her still, their intensity burning into her, distracting her from a decision.

Just take it. It's five more years left to live.

Elise bit her lip. But what if she could get more time?
With that thought, she peered back up at the man. He exuded the confidence of a triumph and wondered if that was a ghost of a smirk she saw shadowing his features. He enjoyed her shrinking before him, drinking in her timidity. She could see it, it was almost palpable. When she spoke up, she stole a sliver of enjoyment watching the change in his expression.

"Ten years." She almost sounded confident if her voice didn't waver from uncertainty.

His brow quirked and he leaned in as if he couldn't hear her.

"Pardon?"

She knew he heard her just by the way he now acutely watched her, as if his eyes said I dare you, but still she continued, feeling her legs begin to tremble.

"For two souls. Ten years. You're still getting one for free." Elise stammered, using the last reserves of willpower to stop herself from shaking under the now pointed gaze.

"This opportunity is a once in a lifetime gig, you know that don't you? Even Elvis didn't get an extension." He watched her closely, looking for a chip or break in her newfound resolve.

Silence.

He straightened now, regarding this girl through a new lens. While he prepared for the unpredictable, it annoyed him nonetheless. He didn't like surprises. Even so, he commended the vague use of her brain, even if she did fall disappointingly short in the bargaining. It was difficult to find an equal adversary these days. But he was ancient, and she was desperate. He brought his hand up to rub the stubble on his face, feigning consideration and pretended not to notice the way her body tensed and froze, awaiting his rebuttal.

He was prepared to agree to twenty, but experience in the trade taught him to always start low. No matter the agreement, however, he would win in the end, for if she succeeded or not, he had her soul. It was only a matter of when. Poor girl.

"Ten years. Two souls. I will return with the names and location when I'm ready to cash in." His tone carried a note of finality to it and Elise all but leapt at the chance. This was it, she couldn't lose this chance. Her heart soared at the prospect of ten more years.

"Do we have a deal?" He prompted, honey sweet.

"Do I have to kiss you?" She asked, sounding unsure. He grinned viciously, his triumph in sight.

"A kiss to seal the deal. You know how it goes." He said simply, reaffirming the contract details, his eyes glinting. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the confirmation and she looked down, now adjusting her shirt to stall for time.

"Oh, It's not that bad." He coaxed, elongating the syllables in almost sign-song fashion. He'd be very persuasive if she weren't so concerned.

Suddenly, she was afraid. Her head was swimming. This was what she wanted, right?
"I'm not some fumbling teenage boy trying for his first kiss. I'll be gentle. Promise." He cooed with a coquettish smile.

Glancing back up at him, she could feel her cheeks burning once again. Why did he have to make it awkward?

"It's just...You're a Demon." Elise could tell he was enjoying every squeamish minute and she silently cursed at herself for being so meek. Where did all that bravado go? As fast as it arrived, it had diminished, but it wasn't every day people found themselves consorting with the otherworldly, she reasoned in her defense. With a huff, she straightened and set her shoulders and looked squarely up at him. Her stomach flipped as she gave a consensual nod, her fists balled at her sides.

"Deal."

His smile widened into a wicked grin. Before she could shrink back and reconsider, his hand came up to snake behind her neck, locking her in place. She could feel the commanding strength in his hold and the warmth of his skin. As he closed the distance between them, she could smell the heady aroma of his cologne and she closed her eyes tight to steel herself.

When his lips met hers, it was all she could do to kiss him back, but true to his word, his touch was soft, and vaguely she wondered how many deals had he sealed and if he kept score. However brief the kiss was, time seemed to slow down, she didn't know how long it had been.

Elise felt lightheaded. This was her new fate; the puppet of a Crossroads Demon. Part of her regretted this already. She felt him pull away, and it was then that he spoke, victory thickly coating his words,

"Not just any Demon. I'm Crowley."

Crowley

Slowly opening her eyes, Elise realized with alarm that he was gone. Vanished. Recovering from the receding wave of dizziness, she felt like she had just awoke from a dream. Was that real? Idly, her fingers came up to delicately brush against her lips as she whispered his name, committing it to memory.

"Crowley."

Author's notes:
So this is my first fanfic ever. Admittedly, I'm rather obsessed with Crowley, and this was born from the nagging challenge of seeing if I could do it justice in my portrayal of him. And while this was intended to be a small little one shot, I have other tidbits written and ideas brewing that I may continue to coalesce into chapters.

So please let me know what you think! Critiques are most welcome. It'd mean the world to me. Thank you so much for reading.