Chapter Text
The next morning they woke up in the small guest bedroom of the cottage. Obviously they didn't have to sleep, but they both agreed that a good nights rest was just as pleasurable as a Crepe or a good Chateauneuf de Pape.
And even more wonderful was the birdsong and sunshine coming in through the open window.
Aziraphale sat up and stretched his arms with a yawn. "Good Morning Dear, did you rest well?"
He only heard a grumbled "yes" back.
"Well let's get you some coffee first and then we'll have a marvelous day in front of us. After all, there is so much to do."
When Aziraphale came into the kitchen, Mrs. Shadwell, well Tracy he supposed, was already in the process of making a can of coffee. The kitchen was very cozy with laze curtains in front of the windows, nicely crafted wooden furniture and an old gas stove, which had a pan with sizzling bacon and eggs on it.
"Well good morning deary, if you'll get Mr. Crowley we can have breakfast on the terrace in a bit."
"Oh yes, yes I will, could I please have a cup of coffee for him? He's always awfully grumpy in the morning."
"Yes of course, here you go."
After an amount of coffee that would certainly have sent someone else into a coma, Crowley finally was approachable again for people other than Aziraphale.
The backyard they had breakfast in, was small and surrounded by bushes. Above them was an orange sunshade bathing them in a soft, warm glow.
Aziraphale and Tracy were lazily reading the mornings Newspaper and solving the Crossword puzzle together while sipping some black tea.
Crowley was observing the garden and all its little birds and critters and wishing that there would be ducks. They certainly where the best birds in his opinion.
Shadwell however couldn't decide which one of them to keep his eyes on. It had been years, but he still didn't completely trust that Southern Pansy and his Mafia lover. Well he supposed Mr. Crowley wasn't the mafia after all, but old habits die hard and there still was something strange about the guy.
So he better kept his eyes on them, it at least didn't do any harm.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by his wives voice.
"Well, I suppose it's quite early so we have a long day still ahead of us. Do you both have plans for today or do you want some suggestions from me and John?"
"I thought about having a nice walk around here and maybe visit a nice cafe, I heard the scones around here are scrumptious. Do you have a favorite one?"
"Oh, absolutely! There's a nice little place in the village not far from here I'll write you down the address."
In the end they had decided on driving to the seaside for their walk. It was already 12am when they arrived and the sun was reaching it's highest point and reflecting of the white chalk cliffs that lined the coast.
They strolled along a gravel path near the cliffs edge enjoying the peace and knowing that nothing of substance could disturb it anymore. There were no more than a few words spoken between the two, but the silence was comfortable and a witness to how long they had known each other already.
After all, the earth had existed for over 6000 years already and that didn't even include what came before time was a thing.
The longer they walked, the more Aziraphale seemed to get lost in thought though.
"Crowley, what shall we do now with our time? I feel after all this time I don't have a purpose anymore. We restored Whickber street, the bookshop is open again and there is no heaven and hell involving themselves anymore. What is there left to do for us?"
"Living"
"What do you mean with that dear?"
"I mean we get to live, Angel. There's so much to see and for the first time we don't have to stop heaven and hell from destroying everything. And besides... you still kind of owe me a holiday on Alpha Centauri at some point...."
"Oh well, I guess you're right. And I believe I've actually never been to Alpha Centauri in all this time."
"Then let's get on with it angel and leave the planning for tomorrow. I believe you wanted to tempt me to some coffee and cake?"