Work Text:
Betrayal
By 1Lunabug7
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop, Post Apocalypse)
Aziraphale
“Oh, I do hope Crowley arrives soon!” Even though they had had lunch together many times before, Aziraphale was giddy with excitement. Without the constant shadow of Heaven standing over him he could finally and truly be himself. Yet, in the dark corners of Aziraphale’s mind, he was still scared of what Heaven and Hell would do to not only him but Crowley as well if they found out what they had done.
The door to the bookshop opened and Aziraphale’s dark thoughts receded as he turned to greet Crowley, “Oh, Crowley! Thank goodness you’re finally…” Aziraphale’s face went pale.
“Why hello, Aziraphale.”
“Gabriel! W-what are you doing here?!”
“I just wanted to have a chat with you about…things.”
“Oh, um what abou…. augh!?” He felt something hard hit the back of his head. As he lost consciousness, he heard Gabriel say, “No hard feelings, Aziraphale, this is just business.”
When he woke up again, he saw familiar white floors and clear glass windows. “I’m… in Heaven?” He tried to move his hands but couldn’t as they were tied down to a white metal chair. He winced as the ropes dug into his skin, leaving long burn marks on his wrists.
“Ah, look who’s finally awake.”
“Gabriel, err, what am I doing here?”
“We know about the body-switching, Aziraphale.” He smiled wickedly as Aziraphale gasped, “However, that doesn’t matter right now. What I want to know is, how did you know that we would try to kill you? Now, I know you won’t just tell me, so I brought something to… “persuade” you to talk.” He snapped his fingers and Aziraphale’s eyes widened in horror as two angels brought out the limping figure.
“Crowley….!?”
The demon that stood before him looked unrecognizable from the cool and suave demon that Crowley usually was. His face, now free of sunglasses, exposed two black eyes and blood dripping down his face. He was struggling to walk and had to lean on a pillar before being shoved by one of the angels towards Gabriel. He crashed onto the floor and groaned in pain. However, even in this state he still had that mocking smile on his face as slowly pushed himself off the floor and looked up at Gabriel.
“Now, I know what you’re thinking… I look even better than before, don’t I?” He coughed and spit blood on the floor. Gabriel backed away in disgust and turned back towards Aziraphale.
“As I was saying, if you don’t talk, I will “take care of” both you and your demon friend here with your own sword.” He then pulled out a familiar sword, its flames giving the Archangel an almost eerie glow.
“W-where did you get that.”
“Oh, I just made a call to a certain postman and he delivered it to me no questions asked. To continue with my thought, if you do talk, you will be spared and only this disgusting creature here will die. So, I ask you my question again, how did you know that we were going to kill you?”
“Err… um, well…”
“Aziraphale…” Crowley croaked, “you know what you have to do, just do it already”
“Crowley I…”
“Please, Aziraphale,” He pleaded, Aziraphale could see the fear in Crowley’s eyes, “I’m gonna die either way and I can’t bear to see you get hurt. So please, if you love me, just tell him, Angel.”
“Crowley… I’d rather die than live a life on the Earth for eternity without my best friend. Life without you isn’t a life worth living, my dear, so I refuse to tell.” He gave Gabriel a defiant stare.
“Well then, I gave you a chance and you stupidly refused to take it. You really are a fool, Aziraphale.” The smile on Gabriel’s face disappeared and was replaced by a look of pure hate, “I guess I am going to have to start with your friend here. You two!” He barked at the Angels, “Hold him up! Oh, I am going to enjoy this so much.”
Crowley winced and gritted his teeth as they pulled him to his feet. The Archangel brandished the glowing sword and walked towards him. “Any last words,” he grinned madly, his eyes bulging.
Crowley looked to face the Archangel; his face grim. “Well, you finally get to do what you have wanted since the beginning, Gabriel, you not only get to kill me but destroy the only one that I have ever loved as well. However, mark my words, Archangel, times are changing, and one day you’ll get what’s coming to you.” He then turned to face Aziraphale and sadly smiled, “Aziraphale, I love you, more than you’ll ever know…. aughhhh!”
“Crowley! NO!” Aziraphale screamed as he sat up in bed, Crowley’s screams still echoing in his ears.
(Crowley’s Apartment, Post Apocalypse)
Crowley
“Aziraphale, what’s wrong!?” Aziraphale’s eyes were popping out of their sockets, his face frozen in terror with tears running down his eyes. He tried to reach out and touch Aziraphale’s arm, but he smacked his hand away.
“Don’t touch me!”
“Ngk!” Crowley backed away, an expression of hurt on his face.
Aziraphale realized what he had done and looked sorrowfully at Crowley’s shocked face, “I’m sorry, my dear, I didn’t mean to I…” He looked down, ashamed of his childish behavior.
“…Why did you yell my name?”
“What?”
“I was sleeping when you yelled “Crowley! NO!” and you sat up with a ghastly expression on your face. What were you dreaming about?” He tried to phrase the question innocently, but in truth, a million scenarios running through his mind as to why Aziraphale had screamed his name.
“Oh, right.” He wouldn’t meet Crowley’s gaze, “…I’m sorry, my dear, but I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh… I see… I-I have to go now, I have…errands to run.” Crowley got out of bed and began to get dressed.
“Crowley, it’s 4:30 in the morning! What errands could you possibly run at this time of day?!”
Crowley sat down at the edge of the bed to put his shoes on, “Oh you know… errands.” He got up, checked his appearance in the mirror one last time, and walked towards the door leading to the hall. He stopped and turned to face Aziraphale and said gravely, “When you leave, please make sure to lock the door behind you.” He walked out and, a couple of minutes later, Aziraphale turned towards the window and heard the familiar rumble of the Bentley’s engine drift farther and farther away.
Aziraphale looked away from the window and put his head in his hands, “Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into?”
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop, Post Apocalypse)
Aziraphale
Aziraphale was growing increasingly worried. It had been weeks since he had last seen Crowley. He had tried calling a couple of times, but it went straight to voicemail every time. “Well, wouldn’t hurt to try again.” He sighed and dialed the number for about the fifteenth time this month, his expectations low. He was considering hanging up when he heard a familiar voice answer.
“Hello.”
“Crowley, oh thank goodness, you finally answered. I was starting to think that something was wrong.”
“No, nothing’s wrong. Just got busy.”
“Right, your “errands”. Um, would you like to come over? Maybe we can talk about… things. It’s been a little awkward since, you know, that night.”
There was silence on the line.
“Err, Crowley? Are you there?”
There was a long sigh, “Yeah, I’m here. I’ll be there in an hour, okay.” Crowley hung up before Aziraphale could say anything.
“Oh goodness, oh goodness.” Aziraphale tried to relax, but along with the nerves of Crowley coming, that terrible dream kept replaying over and over in his head. The image of Crowley screaming, flaming sword going clear through his chest came to mind and Aziraphale shivered. He ended up just pacing, impatiently waiting for Crowley to arrive.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop, Post Apocalypse)
Crowley
“Okay, there’s the bookshop. On three you need to get your ass out of the Bentley and go in.” He sighed, “Okay, one,” Aziraphale’s panic-stricken face, “two,” Aziraphale smacking his hand away, “three,” him screaming Crowley’s name.
He got up and slowly made his way towards the bookshop. “Everything’s going to be fine, it’s just a conversation, and you’ve had loads of those.” He walked in, the pit in his stomach dropping even further.
“Crowley! Thank goodness!” He reached out his hand as if to grab Crowley’s but hesitated and instead turned the shop’s sign to closed.
“Uh, hi. Long time no see.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Yes, um, why don’t we take a seat.” He gestured to the well-worn and slightly dusty couch beside them. Crowley sat down, hoping that he didn’t look too nervous.
“Ahem, so I wanted to talk to you about that night.” Aziraphale started as he and Crowley sat down, “Why did you leave Crowley?”
“Answer me this first; why did you scream my name?”
“Erm, well…”
“Fine,” Crowley took off his sunglasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration, “don’t tell me. I’m leaving anyway, what a waste of time.”
“I DREAMT THAT GABRIEL KILLED YOU, ALRIGHT!”
“What…?” his eyes widened in surprise. All this time he thought that Aziraphale was scared of him, but it turns out that he was scared for him.
“He had found out about the body-switching. He wanted to know how we knew that they would try to kill us, so he threatened to kill not only me but you as well. You… you wanted me to tell him the truth so that I would be spared, but I couldn’t live without you and… I had to watch Gabriel kill you with my flaming sword, the one I’d lost.”
“Aziraphale.” He grabbed the Angel’s shaking hands, “Angel, look at me! You have nothing to worry about, they couldn’t possibly know. We made sure that no one was watching when we switched.”
Crowley tried to assure Aziraphale that they were safe, but in reality; he was just as scared. He didn’t want Aziraphale to get hurt for him. He had started this whole mess in the first place; Aziraphale was just an innocent bystander caught in the blast. If in the scenario Heaven or Hell did find out, Crowley would take care of it himself; Aziraphale need not get involved.
“Crowley… but what if, what if they- they…mph!” Crowley silenced him with a kiss before Aziraphale could finish his thought. He grasped the sides of Crowley’s face and pulled him closer.
“Oh goodness.” Aziraphale gasped as Crowley planted kisses on his jawline and neck, “Oh my dear. You have no idea how much I’ve missed this.”
“Me… too… I’m… I’m sorry.”
Aziraphale pulled back, a confused expression on his face, “Why are you sorry?”
“I maaaay have assumed that you dreamt about… about something else, and that’s why I’ve been avoiding you.”
“What did you think I was dreaming about?”
“Well, I thought that you had had a dream where I hurt you in some way and that’s why you had screamed “Crowley! NO!”. I-I thought you were scared of me so… I decided to save you the trouble and leave I…” Crowley’s eyes were filled with pain and embarrassment. He looked away, too abashed to continue.
“Oh Crowley.” Aziraphale, “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I should have told you about the dream from the start.”
“Aziraphale, what if I do hurt you? What then? I could never forgive myself. I’m not good enough for you; I’m not enough for you period.”
“Anthony J. Crowley! Don’t you DARE say that!”
Crowley looked up, shocked at Aziraphale’s sudden vivacity.
“Not enough for me, what a ridiculous thing to say! Why, you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me! You have always been there for me. Not enough, dear, you are more than enough for me.”
“But now Heaven and Hell are after you now because of me.”
“My dear, I’d rather have all of Heaven and Hell after me then have to spend the rest of eternity without you.” Aziraphale moved towards Crowley and pulled him in for a tight embrace.
“A- zira… ahhh.”
He felt Crowley tense, but he soon relaxed and hugged him back. “It’s okay, my dear.”
“Are you- are you sure it’s really okay, Aziraphale? I don’t want you to get hurt…” Crowley mumbled; his voice slightly muffled as he had placed his head on Aziraphale’s shoulder.
Aziraphale smiled and stroked the back of Crowley’s head, “I’m sorry I have to tell you this, Crowley, but I’m afraid that you’re stuck with me for good.”
Crowley looked up, that mischievous glint back in his eyes, “Well, I suppose I’ll just have to make the most of it won’t I.”
“Why, are you implying that we go on a date?”
“Next Saturday, noon. I’ll pick you up here, I have something to show you anyways.”
“What is it?”
“Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise now would I,” he smirked.
“Wily old serpent. Well,” he kissed Crowley on the cheek as he led him to the door, “I guess I’ll see you Saturday then, goodbye.”
“Bye, Angel. See you then.”
Aziraphale watched Crowley drive away, feeling much happier than he had been in weeks.
Unfortunately, little did he know, someone had been listening in on their conversation.
(Heaven, Post Apocalypse)
Gabriel
“That clever little angel.” Gabriel thought, pacing back and forth, processing what he had just heard. He knew something had been off when he had failed to see Aziraphale eliminated, but he never could have predicted this.
He couldn’t tell the others.
For months he had been mocked by the other angels. He, the glorious Archangel Gabriel, bested by and imbecile principality and his lowly demon friend. No, he would deal with them himself. He would have his revenge. He could just go down there and smite them, of course, but where was the gusto, the pizzazz, in that. He just needed an… opportunity.
Then it came to him.
“Next Saturday, noon. I’ll pick you up here.” The demon… Crowley. He was quite fond of Aziraphale. If he could get to him first, then that fool Aziraphale would soon follow. He laughed to himself.
“They’ll soon get a taste of their own medicine.”
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop, Saturday, An hour before the date)
Aziraphale
“Just one more hour…” Aziraphale could hardly contain his excitement. He kept fiddling with his bowtie smoothing his jacket out of nerves. “What am I doing, this is Crowley for God sakes.” He needed to keep himself busy until Crowley came, so he decided to shelve the new books he had ordered. As he was shelving books, he felt a sense of déjà vu. “Why how odd.” He suddenly heard the shop door opened and asked puzzledly, “Crowley? Is that you? I thought we weren’t supposed to meet for another… NO!”
“Why hello, Aziraphale, long time no see.”
“NO! Stay away from me! Or I’ll- I’ll…
Gabriel snapped his fingers and Aziraphale froze in place, his face went slack, his eyes became unfocused.
“Really, Aziraphale, threatening an Archangel. You should be punished for that, but that’s not why I’m here. I’m here for something much more important.”
He snapped his fingers again and he soon was looking at what was once his body through Aziraphale’s eyes.
Aziraphale looked around dazedly. “Wha-what did you..” before he could finish, however, Gabriel once again snapped his fingers, and Aziraphale was bound and gagged. He fell on the floor with a groan.
“I took a page out of your own book. Now, I would love to stay and chat,” Gabriel grunted as he dragged Aziraphale towards the backroom of the book shop, “but I have a demon to kill.”
Aziraphale’s eyes widened in horror and he struggled to free himself, but the ropes were tied too tightly. Gabriel smiled and made the ropes constrict even tighter around Aziraphale’s wrist and ankles. Aziraphale cringed and the ropes were soon stained with blood.
“Pity, I really liked that body.” Gabriel frowned, “No matter, I can miracle the wounds away once I’m done with this.” He froze, “What was that?”
“Uh, Angel? Are you here? It’s me, Crowley.”
“Ah, look who’s here. See you later, Aziraphale, ta ta.” He quietly laughed and closed the back-room’s door, enveloping Aziraphale in darkness.
“Coming, my dear, I’m right here.” Aziraphale heard Gabriel announce.
He hung his head and began to cry.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Crowley
“Oh, there you are.” He grinned, “Ready for our date?”
“Why yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Crowley narrowed his eyes. Aziraphale seemed… different. More…erratic and energetic than usual.
“You okay, Angel? If you’re not feeling up for it today we can reschedule”
“No, no I’m fine. Just had a long night yesterday.”
Crowley shrugged, “Oh, okay.” He was probably just being paranoid. He took Aziraphale’s hand. He noticed that the angel had flinched a little, but he chose to ignore it.
“Alright, now close your eyes.”
When Aziraphale had closed his eyes, Crowley snapped his fingers and they were transported back to the place Crowley loved the most.
“You can open your eyes now, Angel.”
(Alpha Centauri)
Gabriel
“Of course, he would take him here. Even now, he still believes that that stupid angel will remember their history together. What a foolish waste of time.”
“Why… my dear, this is…amazing. Did you really create all this?”
“Yes, I considered it my greatest accomplishment at the time.” He looked away and said somberly, “You know, when I first fell, I tried to do anything I could to forget; the memories… were just… too painful. He looked up and faced Aziraphale, “I’m glad I didn’t, though, cause when I saw you again, it was like I had a second chance. It may have taken a while, but I’m glad you finally came around, Aziraphale.”
He spread his arms and enveloped Aziraphale in them. He didn’t notice the knife in the Angel’s hand until it was stuck in his lower back.
(Alpha Centauri)
Gabriel
“A-zira…!?” Crowley fell to the ground in agony. His glasses fell from his face, exposing two glowing eyes filled with pain.
“Not quite,” he laughed, his eyes gleaming. “I’ll give you a hint. “Shut your stupid mouth and die already.”
“You fucking asshole,” Crowley growled; plumes of blood were starting to form on his shirt and jacket, “what did you do to Aziraphale?”
“Oh, your friend is fine. He’s at that dinky little bookshop he adores so much. Besides, it’s not him I’m after.”
“W-what the hell do you want?” Crowley gasped; the pain was starting to get to him.
Gabriel smirked with an almost psychotic expression in his eyes, “Isn’t it obvious… revenge. I know about that little stunt you and Aziraphale pulled and, I figured, why not give you a taste of your own medicine.”
“W-why? Why all… this? Why not just kill me?”
“Because,” Gabriel walked towards where Crowley was lying prone, struggling to right himself, and pulled the knife out of his back in one swift motion. Crowley moaned, “where’s the excitement in just killing you? No,” He jammed the knife into Crowley’s chest and ignored the cries of pain the erupted from the demon’s mouth, “I prefer to have you suffer before you die. Suffer like I did when you embarrassed me in front of all those angels.”
“Now, you pathetic waste of space, if you’ll excuse me, I have other matters to take care of.” Gabriel started to walk away but then turned to look at the crouching figure one last time, “Those are holy wounds, by the way, you’ll last a day or two tops. Let’s hope Aziraphale finds you before then so that he can say goodbye.” He snickered and he headed back to the bookshop to switch back; leaving Crowley alone in the gloom.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Aziraphale
“How could I be so foolish. I should’ve known we wouldn’t be safe, and now my best friend might be hurt, or worse!”
Suddenly, the door to the back room opened, blinding Aziraphale.
“You can have your body back now Aziraphale. It’s fulfilled its purpose.” He snapped his fingers and Aziraphale was back in his normal body, a little disoriented, but at least he was back to normal.
“Man,” Gabriel was rubbing his wrists, “you really did a number on me, didn’t you? No matter, I will repair myself when I get back to Heaven.…Oh, you may want to go to Alpha Centauri; I heard the view is to die for.” Before he could clarify, he was gone.
“Crowley! Oh, how naïve I am.” He snapped his fingers and went to go find Crowley.
When he had arrived he frantically began searching. “Crowley!? It’s me, Aziraphale! Where are you, my… dear…? CROWLEY!”
He ran towards the still figure and dropped next to him. Crowley’s shirt was stained with blood, dark and thick, “Crowley, oh my dear, please wake up… please, I love you so much…just please wake up…” His voice cracked in desperation.
Crowley’s eyelids fluttered open. He uttered weakly, “A-Aziraphale…? Is that… is that really you..?
“Oh, thank God! Crowley, I-I’m so sorry! I… I have to- err I have to pull the knife out. Then…then I can heal you.”
“Aziraphale,” Crowley wheezed, “Just- just do it already. I can take it.”
“Alright…” He made a quick gesture and pulled the knife out of his chest. Crowley gritted his teeth and sharply inhaled.
Aziraphale threw the knife aside and squeezed Crowley’s hand. “It’s ok, my dear,” he sobbed, “it’s okay. I’m sorry, but I- I have to remove your shirt and jacket so that I can um heal you.”
“Just…just give me a moment, ok, Aziraphale. I need to brace myself.”
“Alright, just tell me when you’re ready.”
Crowley took a deep breath, then said, “Ok… I’m ready.”
“Okay, I’m gonna lift you up slowly. If it becomes too much just let me know, alright.”
He slowly began to lift Crowley up, careful not to touch his back or chest wounds. Crowley said nothing but merely grimaced.
“I’m going to start taking off your jacket and shirt now.” He peeled off the jacket, no problem, it was the shirt where he was going to have issues. As he started to lift up the shirt Crowley groaned; he stopped, scared that Crowley was in pain.
“Aziraphale…keep going. I’ll… I’ll be fine.”
He nodded his head and continued. After a few very painful minutes for both Aziraphale and Crowley, the shirt was finally off. Aziraphale breath out in relief and released some of the tension in his chest.
“The worst is over, dear. You’ll feel right as rain soon.”
He waved his hand over Crowley’s chest wound, but instead of healing both wounds glowed a sickening red color.
“Why isn’t it working!?” Aziraphale began to panic.
“Angel… I don’t… I don’t feel so well.” Aziraphale looked up and saw that Crowley was considerably paler than before and beads of sweat had begun to form on his forehead.
“Crowley, Crowley, I need you to stay with me. Do you have any idea why your wounds aren’t healing?”
Crowley’s eyes kept drifting in and out of focus. Aziraphale had to wave his hand in front of Crowley’s face a couple times to get his attention.
“Gabriel… he told me the knife…. that it was a holy weapon. Now… I have a question for you, Aziraphale. Why… why are there two of you?” He laughed madly before launching into a coughing fit. His wounds had begun to bleed again with the movement.
“He’s hysterical from the loss of blood. At this rate he’ll be gone in a day or two, if we’re lucky. I should bring him back to the bookshop and figure it out from there. I’m sure there’s a way to heal a holy wound… I’m sure of it. I won’t let him die; I can’t let him die!’”
“Crowley,” he said gently, “I’m going to take us back to the bookshop, okay. When we get there, we’ll get cleaned up and then we’ll uh… we’ll figure things out from there. I have a bed in the back room of the bookshop and medical supplies. We’ll get you all fixed up. Everything will be absolutely tickety boo, I… I promise.”
He did the usual snap and they were soon back at the bookshop.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Crowley
“Where am I?” Crowley thought woozily, “Why is Aziraphale covered with blood!? Why am I covered in blood!? Did we do something!?Why is there so much blood? Why am I shirtless?”
“I suppose I should carry you to the bed. No, that won’t work; that back wound would immediately start bleeding again. Maybe if I support you we can walk to the bed and I’ll help you get settled. That appears to be the only option so it’s worth a shot I presume.”
Crowley felt the sensation of being lifted, aware of the shooting pain down his side. “Aziraphale..? Did- did you do something…?” He said, not fully in control of his thoughts, “Don’t worry I won’t tell anyone…”
“This is your blood, you idiot.” Aziraphale murmured in response as he dragged Crowley towards the back of the bookshop
“Look, I may be an idiot, but you don’t have to be so offensive about it.”
Aziraphale rolled his eyes, “Almost… there…” He slowly placed Crowley on the bed and gently laid him down.
“Alright, I’ll go get the medical supplies, you just… lie there.”
“S’ not like there’s anything else I can do.”
God, he wanted to sleep, but he still had enough sense to know that that was a bad idea. “Aziraphale will be back soon, he’ll know what to do. He always does…” Suddenly a searing pain coursed through him.
“A-A…Zira…Aziraphale!” He choked out.
“Crowley! W-what the…!?” Black veins surrounded the wound on Crowley’s chest. He writhed; the pain was spreading through to every corner of his being. It burned like a fire. The corners of his vision blurred; he was on the verge of passing out. Then, yes, the pain was fading, slowly but surely it was fading.
“Crowley! Are you ok?! W-what’s happening?!”
“It-it’s fine now….” He breathed a sigh of relief, “The pain… it’s gone.”
“Alright um, if you say so. Err, is it okay if I clean the wounds then?”
“Yeah…”
“Let’s- let’s get to it then.”
He first cleaned the stab wounds with a rag dipped in warm water and carefully dried the area around the injuries. He then put antibacterial ointment on and wrapped clean bandages around Crowley’s torso and chest.
“There… that should do it. You- you should get some rest now.”
“Aziraphale…” Crowley mumbled tiredly.
“Yes, my dear boy?”
“Thank you… for taking care of me…”
Aziraphale smiled and leaned to kiss Crowley softly of the forehead, “Sleep well, my dear.” He dimmed the lights and closed the door, leaving Crowley to rest.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop, Sometime later)
Aziraphale
After changing out of his blood-covered clothes; Aziraphale rushed around the bookshop searching through his collection of books to find something, anything that could save Crowley.
“Damn! There’s nothing here! What kind of bookseller am I!?” He furrowed his brow in frustration. There must something he could do.
Maybe… I could ask a- a human for help. Yes, it’s a risk, but what other choice do I have. I can’t… I can’t let Crowley die in vain; I have to at least try. But who knows enough about the occult forces to…?”
He walked towards his telephone, picked it up, and began to dial.
(Jasmine Cottage)
Anathema Device
“Who would be calling this late at night?” Anathema murmured drowsily as she fumbled for her cell phone on her nightstand.
“Hello?”
“Anathema! It’s me, Aziraphale! I need to discuss something with you, I…”
“Aziraphale,” she yawned, “I’ll discuss whatever books you want tomorrow….”
“It-it’s about Crowley. He ran into some trouble with some angels and has inflicted holy wounds. I tried to heal him, but… it won’t work. Um, I know you have extensive knowledge on the occult and I… I really need your help. Please he- he won’t last long, and I don’t want to lose him… not again…”
Oh, she knew all about that. Crowley had told her the whole tale when they had had a little too much to drink on one of their nights out.
“Hello…? Anathema? Oh dear, did I lose connection?”
“Yeah…I’ll be right over. I have a couple methods I can try, but… Aziraphale, these may not work depending on how serious the wound is I..”
“I know, but I just… I can’t just let him die. Not without- not without trying, you know…”
“Alright… I’ll see you in an hour, okay.” She hung up and began to get dressed.
“What’re you doing?! Who was that on the phone?”
“Can I borrow Dick Turpin for a few days?”
“Yes, but um why?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I get back. Right now, I have to hurry.” She stumbled around grabbing several bottles filled with various ingredients, kitchen utensils, as well as many books off of her shelves.
She briskly kissed him and ran out the door of her room. He heard the Dick Turpin pull put and drive away into the night.
“Um, what just happened.”
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Aziraphale
“Alright, Anathema’s on the way. Hopefully, she can help us. Well, might as well check on Crowley while I wait.”
He walked towards the back of the bookshop and slowly opened the door so as not to wake Crowley. However, he was already up.
“Oh, my dear, you’re awake. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“No, no, Angel, I’ve been up for a while now.”
“Well, are you feeling any better.”
“I’m feeling just grand. I could run a marathon right now.”
“You must be better if you’re making sarcastic comments again.” He did, in fact, look much better than he had earlier.
Crowley rolled his eyes, “Gabriel was probably bluffing about the “holy wound thing” to scare us.
“Oh, I do hope Anathema isn’t upset with me for causing her to worry…”
“You called the Witchy American Woman?”
“Yes, I thought she could help heal your injuries. In fact, she’s on her way over now.”
“Well, you when she gets here tell her that I’m fine now and she can enjoy her weekend in London. Have herself a sort of holiday. Oh...” He grasped his forehead, “feeling a little lightheaded… I may just sleep a little longer, Angel, if that’s okay with you?”
“Of course, dear, take all the time you need.” He left Crowley to rest and felt himself relax. Crowley was going to be fine. He had gotten all worked up over nothing.
“I suppose I’ll just wait till Anathema comes and apologize for the inconvenience I caused her. Maybe I should get some reading done..”
He grabbed a book off the shelf and started to read.
(Somewhere Near London)
Anathema
Anathema was speeding towards London as fast as Newt’s old car would let her. “Ugh, these European cars are so confusing.” Newt had been teaching her to drive over the past couple of months, but she still was having trouble with the inverted controls.
She needed to get to London. Things were about to get so much worse for them.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Aziraphale/ Anathema
“Hmm, that’s enough reading for now. I’m feeling a bit peckish, maybe I’ll head over to the café across the street and grab something there before Anathema arrives.”
He got up, stretched his stiff back, and went to go ask Crowley if he wanted anything. He had just reached the door when he heard someone rush into the bookshop.
He turned. “Anathema..?”
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Anathema
“Oh, Anathema, my dear girl, are you alright. You look dreadful.” Her speedy departure had left her no time to brush her hair or put on makeup, leaving her looking like she had just escaped from an institute for the mentally ill.
“Where’s… Crowley?” She panted.
“Oh,” a look of guilt crossed his face, “actually, Crowley seems to be feeling better and… we don’t need your help anymore.”
“Aziraphale,” she grasped the sides of his jacket, “you have no idea what you’re getting into. Crowley may be fine now but it’s about to get bad, really bad. Now, I repeat my question. Where? Is? Crowley?”
“H-he’s in the back room. If you’ll unhand me, I’ll show… I’ll show you where it is.” He led Anathema past the shelves of old books to where Crowley was. Anathema rushed in and went to Crowley’s side.
“What the hell is happening!?”
“Have you felt immeasurable pain throughout your body? Are there black veins surrounding your wounds?” She threw off the blankets and began to unravel the bandages on Crowley’s chest wounds.
“Hey, what get off of me… erg…” The sudden movement had made his injuries begin to bleed again, but instead of the usual red; this blood was as thick and black as the deepest night.
“Just as I thought.” Anathema cried in horror, “Ok, Aziraphale, I need you to get the all the books and vials out of my car, now!”
She threw Aziraphale her keys and he ran out to get Anathema’s things.
“Alright, Crowley, I need you to listen to me very carefully, ok? Based off of the black sludge oozing out of your chest and…” she turned Crowley over slightly and saw a black stain forming on the bandages, “…back, you only have 15 hours left to live.”
“W-what!”
“Don’t panic just yet!” She started reapplying bandages to Crowley’s chest while she talked, “I remember reading in one of my books about healing wounds induced by holy weapons. Now, it’s a long shot, this stuff’s not guaranteed to work, but… it’s your only chance.” She sighed, “Unfortunately, the process isn’t…exactly… pleasant.” A sympathetic look crossed her face.
Before Crowley could say anything, Aziraphale ran in, arms full of books and jars. “I got… I got everything that was in the backseat. Now, what?”
“I see you already have a fireplace, which will suffice for our purposes, but do you have a pot or a container of some sort? I forgot to grab one when I was at my house.”
“Hold, on. Oh, I do hope I don’t get in trouble for this,” he snapped his fingers, causing a small camping stove and a cauldron to appear, “I do now.”
“Alright, good. Now,” She started frantically searching through her books, nearly tearing the pages out from the speed of which she was turning them, “I’m sure there’s something that can help Crowley in one of these books… Yes! I found it! Now, I need you to follow my instructions very carefully”
“What do I need to do?” Asked Aziraphale.
“Ok…first,” she glanced up from her book and pointed at Crowley, “I need you to check his temperature and the vital systems of his physical body. Now, I know that occult beings function differently than us humans, but you have to trust me here.”
“A- alright, I set my medical supplies somewhere around here.” He looked around and found them lying next to the bed.
It was then that Crowley had regained his voice and finally said something, “Woah, woah, woah, hold the phone. First off, that was so much information to absorb in such a short period of time, that I didn’t understand anything that you said. Second, before you check my vitals or give me some weird potion or something, I want to know what’s in store for me?”
“Well,” Anathema started without taking her eyes off the pages of the book in her hands, “your bloodstream has already been contaminated, hence the black stuff oozing out of your afflictions. Let’s see, next is high fever, nausea, headaches, hallucinations, as well as intense nightmares. That will happen over the next couple of hours as your physical body struggles to survive. Finally, after periods of pain and torment, your body will ultimately shut down and your true form will be bathed in a golden glow as it is destroyed, leaving the remains of your physical body in a horrifying state.”
“Wow, didn’t hold anything back, did you…”
“I thought you wanted the truth.”
“Fair enough. Aziraphale, are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Aziraphale had dropped the thermometer he had been holding with a look of pure dread on his face.
“I… I… need some air, excuse me.” He rushed out of the room.
“Aziraphale!?” Crowley started to get up and go after him, but Anathema stopped him.
“You need to rest; movement will only make it worse. I’ll go talk to him.” Before Crowley could protest she had already turned to leave.
“Damn American woman, always meddling in others business…” She heard him mutter underneath his breath as she closed the door.
(Outside the Bookshop)
Aziraphale
“I- I need to calm down. Crowley’s worried enough as it is. I need to… I need to stay strong I… Oh who am I kidding; it’s my fault that Crowley got hurt. He should be furious with me. I…”
“Hey, you okay? You kind of left us hanging back there.”
“I’m- I’m fine. I just got a little… overwhelmed.”
“You know, it’s okay if this is too much for you. I know how important Crowley is to you and the possibility of him… dying can be daunting. Why don’t you take a break for an hour or two? I’ll start the potion while you’re gone.”
“B-but I….”
“Aziraphale, even you need to just stop and take a break sometimes. You’ll feel better if you do. Now, go. I can handle things here and if I even see you near the bookshop, I will barricade the door, you hear me?”
“Al-alright, I suppose I could walk around St. James’s Park for a little while…”
“You do that. I’m gonna go back inside, I’ll see you in a little while,” and with that, she left Aziraphale alone and went to tend to Crowley.
Aziraphale sighed, “Anathema is right; how can I help Crowley if I’m too busy panicking? I’ll walk around St. James’s a couple times then head back to the bookshop.”
He turned and began to walk.
(Aziraphale’s Backroom/ While Anathema was talking to Aziraphale)
Crowley
“I hope Aziraphale’s alright. Oh, what the Hell did I get myself into? How stupid could I be? I knew something was wrong, yet I fell right into that dick’s hands. I should have never gotten Aziraphale into all this mess.” He closed his eyes and groaned; digging his fingernails into his wrist, trying to drown the emotions crawling him inside with the pain.
“It’s all your fault.”
“What?” He opened his eyes and was faced with total darkness.
“I said “It’s. All. Your. Fault.”
“Aziraphale…? W-where are we, Angel? Why are we here?” He said uneasily. Something wasn’t right about this. Aziraphale wasn’t his normal cheery self. While he was smiling, it was a cruel and malicious smile. The kind that a predator would give it’s prey before tearing them to shreds.
“Oh Crowley, Crowley, Crowley, how naïve you are. This…” He gestured at the darkness surrounding him, “is your final stop, so to speak.”
“I… I don’t understand.”
“Come on Crowley. Are you really that much of an idiot? You know exactly why you are here.”
“But, I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Oh really…” a cold, pitiless laugh erupted from his lips, “Gabriel erasing my memory, nearly getting killed by hellfire, risking MY life to get you the holy water you so desired. Don’t you see, all my sorrows…all of my troubles, were because of you.”
“How could you say that, Angel.”
“Because, in the back of your mind, you know I’m right.”
“I only ever wanted to love you!”
“And look where it got me! Barred from Heaven, never to return. Destined to be like you, a lost soul, wandering through the meaningless void for all eternity. Forever searching for someone to give purpose to your meaningless existence. Well… sorry to disappoint you, my dear boy, but you’re wasting your time.”
“Aziraphale…”
“DON’T… don’t you dare say my name. You don’t deserve to even think it after all that you have done to me. It’s all your fault and you deserve everything that’s coming to you. IT’S. ALL.YOUR. FAULT.”
“No…” Crowley whispered weakly. Black tears rolled down his face.
“IT’S. ALL. YOUR. FAULT. IT’S. ALL. YOUR. FAULT. IT’S. ALL. YOUR. FAULT.”
“No, no, no, no, no..” Crowley screwed his eyes shut and covered his ears, trying to block out the noise, but it only grew louder.
“Crowley…? Oh my God! Wake up, Crowley! You need to wake up!
“Huh?” Crowley once again opened his eyes and found himself back in the bookshop. Anathema was next to him; the front of her blouse was covered with that familiar black liquid.
“Oh, thank god! You’re awake!” She gasped, “I was- I was just coming back from talking to Aziraphale when… I heard screaming and I ran in… You were- you were covered in blood and I saw the long scratches on your arms and chest!” It was then Crowley noticed the shallow scratch marks he had unconsciously given himself.
“I’m calling Aziraphale! I should have never told him to leave!” Anathema got up and started to head out the door after Aziraphale.
“NO!” Anathema stopped and gave him an odd look, “Just… let’s keep this to ourselves, okay? Aziraphale’s worried enough as it is…”
Anathema nodded and walked back to his side. “Let me clean those scratches before he gets back.” She grabbed some gauze from the pile of medical supplies Aziraphale left on the floor.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” Anathema inquired as she began to clean off the blood, “what were you dreaming about?”
Crowley considered lying, but in the end decided to tell the truth, “I dreamt about Aziraphale… he- he blamed me for all of the pain and torment that had happened to him over the millennia and… you know what, he’s right. I brought him into all of this in the first place!” He rubbed his head; looks like the headaches were starting up.
“Crowley… you can’t beat yourself up. You had no idea; how could you? Besides, can’t you see how much Aziraphale loves you! If you can’t see it you’re a fool, Crowley.”
Crowley sighed, “You’re right. It’s just… I can’t help but worry.”
“Look, it’s okay to worry. Just don’t let it control your life, okay? There….” She wrapped the last of the bandages around Crowley’s cuts, “All done. Now,” she cracked her knuckles and stood up, “let’s get to work.”
(St. James’s Park)
Aziraphale
“What a lovely walk this is. Although, I do wish Crowley were here to enjoy it with me.” He shook his head, remembering what happened the last time he and Crowley were here, “I shouldn’t worry, Anathema has everything under control. Besides, what could go wrong?”
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Anathema
“Let’s see,” Anathema pulled her hair back in a ponytail and grabbed her book, “first I need to put in blood taken from a bat during a full moon and mix it with ground-up adder’s fork.”
“Wow, you’re really taking this witch thing to the next level aren’t you? You even have a cauldron to mix it all together. Also, could I get some ice for my head or something? I have a splitting headache.”
“Uh…there’s no ice here, but I can go to the store across the street and get some. Let me just add a couple more things in, alright?” She glanced back at the book next to her as she stirred the contents in the cauldron. “Okay, while stirring, add dried dittany root and let sit for an hour.”
“Err, how long is that stuff gonna take? I don’t exactly have all the time in the world…” Crowley glanced around nervously.
“Well, it should be another couple of hours, but we still have about 8 hours left before we need to get concerned so…” She shrugged as she continued to stir the contents in the cauldron.
“Oh, okay…”
“Alright, I’m off to the store to get some ice. I’ll be back in five minutes. Try not to fall asleep; we don’t want another repeat.”
“I get it,” Crowley grumbled.
“See ya,” and with a wave she was gone.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Crowley
“Where is she!? Five minutes my ass.” He grimaced and clutched his stomach. Man, he was getting it from all sides wasn’t he? He suddenly heard the door open.
“Oh, thank someone! Finally, you’re back!”
“Hello, Crowley.”
“Gabriel?!” Crowley shook his head in denial. “No! It can’t be! This is just one of those hallucinations Anathema warned me about. Yeah, you’re just an illusion. A vision created to scare me.”
Gabriel laughed, “So, you’ve figured it out. While that may be true, the real me will still be there. A constant shadow of torment. Forever causing you and everyone you love pain and agony. Just remember that, Crowley, as you slowly waste away in this bed of death.” He turned, “Looks like it’s time for me to go.”
“Sorry I took so long. Newt called, and I got distracted, and… are you alright? You look a little pale there…”
“Are you really asking me if I’m alright?”
“Sorry, how are you stab wounds? Any more pain?”
“It’s just a dull ache for now, though, that probably won’t last long.”
“Well, here’s your ice. Hopefully, that helps with your headache.” She heaved a sigh, “I should get back to work.”
“I thought that it wasn’t going to be ready for another hour?”
“Oh, I’m just getting things ready ahead of time. Let’s see, hawthorn berries, pomegranate juice, devil’s snare… Well, everything seems to be….” Her face turned as white as a sheet.
“What!? What is it!?” Crowley croaked; an ocean of dread had washed over him.
“We need to find Aziraphale.”
(St. James’s Park)
Aziraphale
“Hmm, it’s been a couple hours; I should start heading back.” He started walking back, but then froze. Something was wrong.
“Another miracle wouldn’t hurt...” He did the usual snap and appeared in front of the bookshop. He walked in and heard frantic yelling coming from the backroom.
“How are we going to call him?! HE DOESN’T HAVE A PHONE!”
“What’s so important that we need to call him? Besides, how should I know? A weak voice rasped.
“Well, you’re his boyfriend! I… “
“Um, what’s going on?” Aziraphale ventured, “Is- is something wrong?”
“Aziraphale! We have a problem; a big one!” Anathema practically screamed in his ear. Crowley, who looked much worse compared to when Aziraphale had last seen him, shrugged and looked just as confused as Aziraphale felt.
“Calm down. Um, I’m sure we can figure this out. Now,” he took a deep breath, “what seems to be the problem?”
“Well,” Anathema said after she had settled down, “I was reading the rest of the instructions when I noticed something. She picked up the book from where it was laying and began to read, “Once all ingredients are mixed together, bring to a boil with hellfire and cook for two hours.
“Oh, well that’s easy. Crowley can just give us some. See, there was nothing to worry about after a- “
“You didn’t let me finish. The hellfire is supposed to come from a healthy demon. If we got some from Crowley; it could have dangerous consequences. We only have 6 hours left! What are we going to do?!”
“Well…” Aziraphale thought for a moment, “I can go to Hell. I remember seeing lanterns with hellfire in them near Beelzebub’s office when I was there last time.
“No!” Crowley objected faintly, “Aziraphale, you can’t put yourself in danger like that. Just let me die! I can’t bear to see you get hurt because of me!”
“Crowley, don’t you realize, I- I can’t do that. I can’t let you go! I know it’s terribly selfish of me, letting you suffer like this,” tears were starting to form, “but I just can’t…That’s why I have to go.” He snapped his fingers and a long black cloak encircled him.
“This should work, “he put the hood on and took one last look at Crowley. “Goodbye, my dear. I love you.” He snapped his fingers once again and was gone.
“Aziraphale no…. augh…!” Crowley started to get up, but laid back down, clutching his chest in agony.
(Hell)
Aziraphale
“Hmm, I believe Beelzebub’s office is somewhere over…” He looked around; it was hard to see through the thick blockade of demons walking around him, “there.”
He wrinkled his nose, “I can see why Crowley was so reluctant to go down here. Such an awful, crowded place. Compared to this, Heaven’s Buckingham Palace. There’s no sense of order, chaos reigns here.”
“Ouch,” Aziraphale’s train of thought was broken when a demon ran into him.
“Oi! Watch it!” It was Hastur, he looked even worse than usual.
He started to apologize, but then remembered where he was. “You watch it…” he mumbled.
“Oh, a bit of a wise guy aren’t we. Well, I’ll have you know, I was doing important business for our Lord. Let’s see how cool you feel after they’re done with you.” He gripped Aziraphale’s wrist and began to drag him towards Beelzebub’s office.
“So much for not getting caught. I’m sorry, Crowley, I failed you.” He hung his head in defeat as Hastur shoved him into the damp and decaying office of Lord Beelzebub.
“Hazztur, why have you dizzturbed me. I thought you had an important tazzzk to complete for me.”
“Yes, my lord. However, when I went to complete this task, this imbecile here talked smack and prevented me from going on with my duties. So, I brought him here to be taught a lesson on respect.”
“Very well, leave uzz.” Hastur gave a laugh that made shivers run down Aziraphale’s spine and closed the doors of the office.
“Show yourzelf, demon, when you are in the prezzence of me.” They yelled.
“Well, what other choice do I have?” Aziraphale raised his hands and took his hood off. Beelzebub’s eyes widened in surprise at the hunched figure.
“What are YOU doing here? Didn’t you and your boyfriend do enough damage already!?” Their gaze hardened.
“Please, um, just let me explain! Crowley is inflicted with holy wounds, and he… he needs hellfire to save his life. So… I came down here to take some from the lanterns you have near your office. He doesn’t have much time left, so I got desperate. Please… before you kill me, can you tell Crowley that- that I’m sorry for not trusting him sooner.” He kneeled on the cold, hard ground and pressed his hands to his face, bracing himself for the inevitable.
“Here, juzzt take it.” Aziraphale looked up and saw that they had taken one of the lanterns off the wall and had thrust it at him.
“Huh..?”
“TAKE. IT.”
Aziraphale quickly got up and grasped the lantern, careful to not damage it.
“Now, leave.”
“Alright, I’m leaving, but… tell me, why?”
“You really think I’m going to let the oppozzition kill one of MY people. Deszzpite all that he haz done, he izz still one of uzz. Bezzides, he should have to suffer like the rezzt of uzz,” they spat bitterly, but Aziraphale noticed that they wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“Oh… I see…”
“Now leave, before I change my mind!”
Aziraphale sighed in relief and transported himself back to the bookshop. Everything was going to be okay; Crowley was going to be okay.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Crowley
“Anathema!” Crowley gagged, “I-I think I’m gonna vomit again…” she handed him a bucket just in time. Crowley heaved the clotted, black bile into the bucket until there was nothing left.
“Oh, this is not good. This is NOT good!” Anathema paced around the room in alarm, “We only have four hours left! Where is Aziraphale?”
“You know,” Crowley said dazedly, “I never even got to say goodbye to him. He said that he was selfish before he left; when it was I who was truly selfish. After Gabriel stabbed me… after he stabbed me, I wanted to die. I wanted to die without Aziraphale ever knowing that I had. I couldn’t cope with the thought of saying goodbye to him. Look how the tables have turned, my Angel, dead, and I was the one who couldn’t say goodbye.” He laughed cynically.
“Crowley, you’re not thinking straight. I’m sure Aziraphale will be back soon…”
“Whatever you say…” Crowley was feeling crummy. Well, he was feeling worse than crummy. The vomiting and fever were starting to get to him, making him feel lightheaded. He was just starting to lose hope and accept his fate when he heard a crash.
Anathema perked her head up, “Aziraphale!?”
Aziraphale burst in, “Yes! Yes, I’m here, and I got the hellfire!” He carefully handed Anathema the lantern. She took it, her eyes gleaming at its beauty.
“Okay,” she broke out of her trance and ran towards the fireplace where the cauldron lay, “we have to let it boil for two hours. It’s lucky that you got here when you did; we only have about three and a half hours left. We’re cutting it close but….” She collapsed onto a nearby chair, exhausted, “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Aziraphale kneeled next to Crowley and took his hand, “You’re going to be alright, my dear. After you get better; we’ll go on picnics, dine at the Ritz, come back to my bookshop and have a bottle of wine.”
“That.. that sounds n-nice,” Crowley choked out, his lacerations had begun to burn again.
“Quite- quite right, my dear. It will all be rather lovely…”
“I’m-I’m tired, Angel. I’m so, so… tired…I-I want to sleep, but the… the nightmares.”
“You don’t need to worry about that anymore, my dear. I’ll protect you.” He smiled and brushed Crowley’s hair off of his forehead, “It’s alright now. I’m here now. I’m here.”
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Aziraphale
“Err, Anathema, my dear girl, how much longer till it’s ready?” Crowley’s health, as well as mental state, had been dramatically decreasing over the past hour and a half, and Aziraphale was growing concerned.
“About another 20 minutes,” across the room Anathema looked up from her stirring and wiped her brow. “How’s Crowley?”
“Well…”
“Ah, hello again Lucifer! Long time no see! Why yes, I did make that new galaxy, thank you for noticing!” Crowley murmured at no one in particular, his expression sluggish.
Tears welled in Aziraphale’s eyes. He hated seeing him like this, something needed to be done. “Gabriel…” he unknowingly tightened his grip on Crowley’s hand in anger, “he has had it out for Crowley even before he fell. This is the last straw. Never again. Never again shall he torment us. Never again will he hurt Crowley and me… never, never, never…”
“Azira… y-you’re crushing my hand.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry, my dear. I didn’t realize…” He loosened his grip.
“…Are you alright?”
Aziraphale laughed, but it wasn’t a happy one, “You’re asking me? Just stuck in my own head is all. Nothing to worry about Crowley.”
“You- you don’t have to lie to me…” Crowley began to gag.
Aziraphale leaped up and quickly grabbed the bucket, but Crowley held his hand up. “I’m- I’m fine. Back.. to the matter at hand. You can’t hurt Gabriel… Azir… Azira… whatever, Angel, that would make us just as- just as bad as him.”
“Why, Crowley, you’re not thinking straight! You can’t possibly mean that!”
“Angel, I..”
“It’s done!” Aziraphale jumped up in excitement at the sight of the crimson liquid in Anathema’s hands. She set the bowl of liquid down temporarily and helped Aziraphale propped Crowley up.
“Are you ready, Crowley?”
Crowley’s tired serpent eyes looked up into Aziraphale’s cool green ones, “Ready as I’ll ever be..”
He took a sip of the liquid.
(Aziraphale’s Bookshop)
Aziraphale
“Huh… I-I kind of expected it to, you know, not be as… underwhelming.”
“Well, it should take effect in a couple minutes. Nothing works instantaneously, Crowley,” Anathema explained.
“But how will I know when- HERK,” A dull glow erupted from Crowley’s eyes and mouth. His pupils expanded, making his eyes seem almost black, as golden tears streamed down his face. He howled cries of immense pain as his body was slowly lifted off the bed. It reminded Aziraphale of that horrid movie Crowley had forced him to watch once, The Exorcist.
“Crowley!” Aziraphale wanted to help him. He had to help him, but Anathema forced him away.
“No! We can’t interrupt the process. It will all be over soon.”
All the while, it seemed like the world was ending…again. The walls of the bookshop had begun to violently shake, and a low moan was coming from Crowley’s mouth. Then, all of a sudden… it stopped.
Crowley slowly lowered back down on the bed. Aziraphale pushed past Anathema and went to his side. “Crowley, oh my dear, please say you’re alright. Please…”
“Aziraphale?”
“Oh Crowley,” He pulled Crowley into his arms. “Wait,” he pulled back, “are you healed?” He removed the bandages and was pleased to see only two small scars as the final remnants of the wounds Gabriel had inflicted. He pulled Crowley back into his arms.
“Angel! Stop,” He jokingly tried to push Aziraphale away, “there’s no need to be so sentimental! Besides I-I,” He yawned, “I’m really tired after that whole charade; I think I could sleep for a week, maybe even two!”
“Well,” Aziraphale said slyly, “I may join you, just let me take Anathema back to her car. The poor dear must be exhausted.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you to get back.”
As Aziraphale led Anathema back to Dick Turpin, he gratefully said, “I’d like to thank you for all that you’ve done for us. We owe you so, so much. And even though Crowley did not say it, he’s truly grateful.”
“I’m just glad that I can help. Crowley loves you so much, and I know you love him. It would be painful to have to see one of you live without the other, so…” she shrugged. “Anyways, it’ll be nice to be back home and get a good night’s sleep.”
“I’m sure it will. Goodbye, Anathema.”
“Goodbye, Aziraphale.” He watched her drive off into the distance, then went inside to meet Crowley.
“My dear boy,” he grinned as he crawled into bed next to Crowley, “you have no idea how happy I am that you’re back.”
“Well,” Crowley smirked mischievously, “why don’t you show me.” He scooted closer to Aziraphale and turned to face him.
“Wiley old serpent.” He placed his hands on his waist and pressed his lips to Crowley’s. His heart raced as he touched Crowley’s soft lips over and over. He knew those lips as well as he knew himself. It seemed like an eternity had passed before they, at last, pulled back.
“My, my Aziraphale. Aren’t you tempting?” Crowley’s face was red with blood blush; his breathing hard.
“Just shut up and kiss me, my dear.” He attempted to pull Crowley in again but saw that the serpent had fallen asleep.
He smiled and pulled the covers over Crowley, “Sweet dreams, my dear.” Aziraphale laid an arm over Crowley and slept, feeling at peace at last.
(Heaven)
Gabriel
“Hmm, it’s odd that Michael wanted to meet me so early in the day. It must be important.” Gabriel thought as he walked into the empty white expanse.
“Hello, Gabriel.”
“Hello, Michael. Why have you called me here today?”
“I’ve come to tell you that there have been reports of a number of frivolous miracles being used in the Soho area. Would you know anything about that?”
“Actually, yes. You don’t have to worry about it, I’ll take care of it. Is that all you wished to discuss?”
“Actually, there’s one more thing,” Michael grinned maliciously and jammed a knife into Gabriel’s chest, exactly where Gabriel had stabbed Crowley not long ago.
“If you mess with me or Crowley again, I’ll do more than just stab you, Gabriel.”
Gabriel laughed, “Aziraphale, I should have known. Let me guess, Crowley put you up to this.”
“Actually, Crowley told me to just let it go, but after all you’ve done; I believe you deserve to burn.” He dug the knife deeper into the supple skin of Gabriel’s physical body.
“You’re- you’re insane. You’re going to discorporate me.” Gabriel gasped; he had never felt such pain before.
“You’re lucky that’s all I’m doing, Gabriel. Remember my warning and stay away from us.” He watched the life drain from Gabriel’s eyes and felt a grim satisfaction. He then turned to go, leaving the crumpled body behind for the others to find.
(St. James’s Park, Sometime After)
Crowley
“Aziraphale…?” Crowley was sprawled out on a checkered picnic blanket; a worried expression was on his face.
“Yes, dear?”
“Where did you go this morning? You were gone for quite a while.”
“I, um, went to run some errands I had been putting off for some time.”
“…Did you do something to Gabriel, Angel?”
Aziraphale sighed, “I couldn’t let him hurt us any longer, Crowley. If I hadn’t done anything, he would just keep coming back. Over and over again, forever. Are you upset with me?”
“No! Angel, why would I be mad at you?” He sat up and grasped Aziraphale’s hands in his. “You’re right, we had to do something. Screw being the bigger person, he deserves to everything you did to him, whatever it was that you did do.” He leaned and pecked Aziraphale on the cheek.
Aziraphale smiled and looked into Crowley’s serpentine eyes, “I love you Crowley.”
“I love you too, Angel.”
END