"Wait," Henry suddenly said, stopping Crowley just as the demon prepared to leave.
Crowley paused near the doorway and slowly turned back toward him with mild annoyance already visible on his face.
"Oh, I didn't forget anything, mate," he replied smoothly. "Everything's exactly as agreed."
His eyes shifted toward Bela afterwards.
That alone immediately made Henry suspicious.
"The contract stays active," Crowley explained calmly. "She gets it back after Lilith dies."
Henry's expression hardened instantly.
"What happens if her contract expires before I kill Lilith?" he asked flatly. "What happens if she dies first?"
Honestly, he should've expected this.
Crowley never made deals without burying poison somewhere inside them.
Beside him, Bela slowly went quiet as the loophole finally became obvious to her too. They had spent hours checking every line, every hidden clause, every technical trap.
But they missed the most important thing.
The contract guaranteed Crowley would eventually return ownership of her soul.
It never guaranteed Bela herself would still be alive to receive it.
Crowley gave a small elegant shrug as though discussing bad weather.
"Then she dies," he said simply. "Do you really expect the universe to politely wait for your schedule, dear?"
Henry looked genuinely pissed off now.
Meanwhile Bela's chest tightened slightly hearing it spoken aloud that casually.
Because suddenly the contract no longer felt theoretical.
It had a clock attached to it.
Crowley noticed the silence and smiled faintly, clearly enjoying the situation far too much.
"Something tells me you lot work best under pressure," he continued smoothly. "So make the most of the time you have."
Then he glanced toward Bela.
"She should have… roughly four months left." His tone stayed disturbingly casual. "Give or take."
Bela lowered her eyes slightly after hearing the number.
Four months.
That was all the time separating her from Hell.
"If you value her," Crowley said while adjusting the sleeves of his suit, "I suggest killing Lilith before then." A faint amused smile appeared on his face afterward. "Though I'm sure for someone like you, Henry, that should be easy."
The sarcasm in his voice was impossible to miss.
Then, still smiling to himself, Crowley disappeared from the apartment.
The silence he left behind lasted barely two seconds before Henry swore loudly and kicked the nearby chair hard enough to send it sliding across the floor.
"Fuck that son of a bitch," he snapped.
Even after spending hours checking the contract, they still got cornered by Crowley in the end.
Which honestly felt exactly like something Crowley would do.
Bela, meanwhile, remained strangely calm on the surface.
"Well," she said quietly after a moment, "there's no point getting upset now." She forced a small smile onto her face. "Up until today I didn't even have a chance of getting my contract back. Now at least there's one."
But Henry immediately noticed the problem.
Her smile was trembling slightly.
Because no matter how composed Bela acted, no one handled a countdown toward eternal damnation well.
Four months.
Every second from now on would feel heavier.
Henry looked at her silently for a moment before sighing.
"You know," he muttered, "you look kinda ugly right now."
Bela frowned faintly. "Excuse me?"
"That fake smile," Henry replied more quietly. "It looks uglier than crying."
For once Bela didn't answer with sarcasm.
She just stared at him for a few seconds.
Then suddenly stepped forward and wrapped both arms around him tightly.
The movement caught Henry completely off guard.
Bela pressed her face lightly against his chest while holding onto him harder than usual.
"Thank you," she whispered softly.
Because honestly,
She didn't really know what else to say anymore.
***
Crowley reappeared inside his mansion a moment later, the familiar warmth and dim lighting replacing the atmosphere of Bela's apartment instantly.
Several demons were already waiting for him near the center of the room.
One of them stepped forward immediately, clearly irritated.
"Crowley," the demon said, "did you find the Winchesters?" His black eyes narrowed slightly. "Lilith wants them dead, and one of their souls belongs in Hell."
The tone alone made it obvious he was one of Lilith's direct loyalists.
Crowley looked mildly annoyed already.
"I mean," he said while removing his coat slowly, "did you lot manage to find them yourselves?"
The demon's expression darkened slightly but he stayed silent.
Crowley gave a dry smile.
"No?" he continued smoothly. "Then why exactly do you think I would magically succeed where the rest of Hell failed?"
The demon stepped closer anyway. "Lilith specifically ordered—"
"Yes, yes, Her Royal Majesty issued commands," Crowley interrupted lazily while pouring himself another drink. "I heard the dramatic speech already."
The room stayed tense afterward.
Because unlike ordinary demons, Crowley didn't particularly fear acting disrespectful toward Lilith when she wasn't present.
The loyalist demon lowered his voice slightly. "You seem unusually calm considering how badly she wants them."
Crowley took a sip from his glass before answering.
"Oh, I absolutely intend to help," he replied smoothly. "In fact, I even decreased several crossroads operations to assist her majesty in this little search."
The demon across from him still looked irritated.
"And you honestly think finding those two is easy?" Crowley asked calmly. "Did you personally fight the third Winchester?"
That question immediately killed the tension in the room.
Because nobody answered.
Crowley's smile widened slightly after noticing the silence.
"Or are you all too scared to even mention him properly?" he continued. "Every demon who goes after Henry Winchester mysteriously stops existing afterward. Funny pattern, really. None of them ever return to tell stories."
The loyalist demon's jaw tightened slightly, but even he avoided volunteering himself.
Crowley noticed.
Of course he did.
"So if any of you genuinely think you're capable," Crowley said while gesturing lazily with his drink, "then by all means, go ahead." His voice became colder afterward. "Otherwise stand aside and let people with actual intelligence handle the situation."
The loyalist demon clearly had no interest in testing his chances.
After a few seconds he simply turned and left the mansion. The other demons quickly followed behind him, none eager to continue the conversation.
Crowley watched the room empty before muttering quietly to himself.
"Fucking amateurs."
*****
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