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Aziraphale refused to allow Agnes and her cryptic comments to discourage him from his plan. They would go through with the ritual, Crowley would survive, and then they would be free to do whatever they wanted, if Agnes wanted to argue about curses and deals they would do it then.
But first, he had to convince the rest of the coven that he wasn’t insane.
Because of his uncertainty over Crowley’s bloodline, he was determined to build a fail safe into the ritual, so that Crowley wouldn’t be killed or utterly destroyed. The solution was the rather intricate, pseudo-marriage binding ritual, interwoven with a spell that would intertwine their life forces. Predictably, the coven was not in favor of this action. They set the kitchen as their battle ground.
“It is dangerous and unnecessary, and you will not do such a foolish thing, I forbid it.”
“So what do we do if he dies in the circle, Agnes? Start all over again? Summon him and hope it works a second time? He has died so many times I don’t know if we could bring him back from the edge again.”
Anathema’s mother tapped her pencil in the spell book, drawing attention before Agnes could launch into another lecture. “You want to tie your life forces because he’s mortal?”
“We don’t know if he is or isn’t, honestly.” Aziraphale dropped into a chair at the breakfast table.
“Well it’s very easy to find out,” Tracy chimed in. “Was his mother mortal?”
“Mother used to tell dreadful stories, she was convinced they were part of a Satanic coven, with blood rituals and sigils and such. I’m just not aware of any truth in them.”
“Hmm. Of course there’s nothing wrong with a Satanic coven, they practice no more black magic than we do.” Tracy punctuated her statement with a sip of tea.
“But Tracy,” Anathema said, taking on a dramatic tone. “He was baptized under a full moon in human blood, and he wrote his name in the Devil’s book. ”
Tracy rolled her eyes, “rubbish.”
“Does he have his mother’s last name?” Mrs Device asked, considering. “I don’t remember ever meeting a husband...”
“Seems plausible that his name comes from his mother’s family then,” Anathema began digging through the pile of books on the table in search of something.
“His bloodline is irrelevant,” Azriaphale argued. “Even if he isn’t mortal, the ritual could still destroy him, if we’re not careful we could utterly obliterate his entire self.”
Agnes did not raise her voice, instead she dropped into a quiet, intense tone, planting her hands on the island and leaning in Aziraphale’s direction, “and if he’s tethered to you, you could both die. ”
Aziraphale leaned forward to match her. “So be it.”
There was a knock at the kitchen doorway, and they all turned to see Crowley standing there holding a basket from the garden full of herbs and vegetables. “Can I come in?” he asked carefully.
“Of course, dear. We’re deciding your fate after all, it would be cruel of us to ban you from participating.”
He set his basket in the sink, before snatching the chair tucked into the corner at the table, glancing around at all the faces.
“Uh, listen, I know that technically I’ve met most of you before, but I don’t really remember, and honestly I’m an outsider anyway. So I really appreciate you guys even considering doing this.”
“You’re one of us now,” Mrs. Device said firmly.
“And pretty soon, it’ll be permanent, no take backs,” Anathema grinned.
Crowley offered Aziraphale a small smile.
Agnes took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s prepare.”
Aziraphale turned to face her in shock. “You mean you’ll allow it?”
“Better you have help, than try it alone. It’s what covens are here for.”
Late that evening, Agnes found him in the library. “I truly am proud of you, you know.”
“You seemed rather disapproving of my methods, earlier,” he responded drily.
She stepped forward, halting his motion by placing her hands on his shoulders. “You presented an extensive, and well researched case, did not shy away from complicated or controversial magic, and stood your ground when challenged. You have found your place and your confidence, and I could not be more proud. You’ve proven that you’re truly no longer a student.”
He looked away. “My mother never would’ve acknowledged that.”
“Well I’m not your mother, and thank God for that. She was always an eccentric and overbearing woman. But I hope she can see you now, confident, and powerful, and about to marry the boy she tried so hard to get rid of.”
“She intended to kill him, Agnes. I’m sure of that now. She never should’ve gotten away with it.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. Sometimes we witches allow too much by only protecting our own. And so now we must attempt to clear our debt with your Crowley, by doing what we should’ve done long ago.”
Aziraphale took a deep breath. “Did you know? Did you see any of this?”
Agnes tilted her head to the side, gaze taking on an unfocused quality. “Hmm. You always had a tendency to shuffle the deck with the Lovers coming up as the top card.”
“You’re avoiding my question.”
“Maybe. When Crowley shuffles, Death is the top card. Transformation and change, it’s an interesting card.”
“Agnes,” he started carefully. He could see the shifting of shadows in the hall, Crowley waiting for him but trying not to intrude. He projected his voice just a bit, so he was sure Crowley could hear. “If you keep something from me now which could keep us from disaster, just know, I will never forgive you.”
She raised her eyebrows but stayed silent. Aziraphale stepped back.
“My dear,” he called, “are you ready for bed?”
Crowley stepped just into sight in the doorway and nodded. “G’night Agnes.”
“Good night. I’ll see you both in the morning.” Her gaze was sharp and knowing as she watched them leave.