Clara entered the hospital room, but stopped when she saw Sam. He was sleeping soundly, and she took the moment to take a good look at him.

He was so pale, she thought, frowning. His eyes had dark circles under them, and he was getting to be too thin. Clara's stomach lurched, and she suddenly felt very sick herself.

Dean tapped her shoulder, nodding towards the hallway. She nodded and followed, closing the door behind him.

"What happened?" Clara asked. "He was fine a few minutes ago."

"Guess conversation wore him out," Dean replied.

"Have you ever seen him like this?"

"Yeah. Once." Dean's gaze darkened. "If this is God's idea of giving Sam a sign, he's doing a crappy job at it. I don't even know what I can do for Sam here, so I'm going to check out a lead on Amara. If anyone knows anything about the way God works, it's her."

"Or Lucifer," Clara muttered.

Dean grimaced. "Don't go there. Cas will be here if you need anything. I shouldn't be gone longer than a day. If anything changes, call me, okay?"

"Okay," Clara said softly. She swallowed. "Dean, I'm a little scared."

He wrapped his arms around her, and she laid her head on his chest. He held her for a few moments. "I am, too," he finally sighed.

He kissed the top of her head and left, and Clara looked in through the window of Sam's room. If he kept on like this he'd get weaker and weaker until – until what? Until he couldn't fight anymore, or wouldn't? She shivered, unable to think about what would happened without the Winchesters to save the world.

She found Cas, and told him she was going back to the bunker to get a few things. He agreed, believing her. Clara felt bad about lying, but she wasn't sure what else to do.

She had Sam's phone in her pocket; hopefully he wouldn't wake up and notice it was missing. As she left the hospital, she sent a quick text.

Hospital parking lot. Can u meet?

She waited a moment as she entered the underground parking lot. It was cold, and there was no one around, but she knew this would be the ideal meeting spot.

"I wondered how Sam would be able to send a text to meet down here," Crowley said behind her, and she turned.

"I borrowed his phone," she said.

"Obviously," he raised his eyebrows. "We just saw each other not two hours ago. Just can't stay away, eh?"

"I need you to help me," she said.

"With what?" he humored her.

"I need to speak to Lucifer."

Crowley was stunned into silence for several long moments. "If one of the boys put you up to this –"

"No. It's just me," she replied. "The only way these visions will stop is if I find out what God wants Sam to do with Lucifer. There's no way Sam can do it right now, but eventually he's going to try. I need to do it first. If I go ahead and find out what the hell is going on, Sam won't have to, and he can get better."

Crowley rubbed his chin, thinking. "It wouldn't be easy," he said. "I'd have to put a lot of work into it. Posting guards, writing sigils, keeping his power at a low. The preparation wouldn't take too long, of course, but the risk would be astronomical."

"Why?" she frowned.

"Because if Lucifer gets out, it's all over," he snapped. "Try and keep up." He paused. "I suppose I could help you, though. Of course, I'd have to be paid for such a deed."

"Fine," she agreed. "Anything you need. Just do it."

He raised his eyebrows. "It's a high price, Miss Oswald. Are you sure you're prepared to pay it? A soul is a difficult thing to come by, after all."

"A . . . soul?" Her hand went to her chest out of instinct. "Mine? But . . . why? Mine's not worth anything."

"One mans junk," Crowley remarked, bemused.

"And what would trading my soul mean, exactly?"

"Oh, not much," Crowley said leisurely, shoving his hands in his pockets. "In a few years, I'd collect my payment."

"How many years?"

"Normally it's ten. However, this is something rather more expensive . . ."

"How many years, Crowley?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I'd be willing to give you three."

Three. Three years. Alright, that wasn't so bad. You can do a lot in three years. And it would be worth it. Sam and Dean were worth it. The world was worth it.

"I understand if you need to consider –"

"No. I'll do it," Clara said. "It'll be worth it, yeah?"

"That completely depends on you."

"Alright. Okay." She nodded. "Do it."

"It takes two to tango." He offered her his hand. Frowning, she took it, but instead of shaking her hand, he pulled her to him. He grabbed the back of her neck and forcefully pressed his lips on hers. Clara's eyes widened in shock for a moment, unable to comprehend what was going on. Crowley pulled away, though, smirking.

"Let's get started," he said, and with a snap of his fingers, they disappeared.