Archive of Our Own

Supernatural entities, in theory, were not like humans. However, when said beings are issued bodies to mimic those of humans, things become a bit murky. Especially now, considering they wanted to have a family of their own, in the human sense, two years after the world didn't end. Had they not owned their current corporations, it'd be very easy to assume they wouldn't be able to reproduce at all. As it stood now, all Crowley had to do was change his effort and they'd be compatible in the human sense. So, that's what they did. 

Afterwards, they were quiet. And not their usual brand of quiet, intimate afterglow. This was different. They were worried and excited all at the same time. They practically felt the anxiety radiating off each other. 

Aziraphale reached over and grabbed Crowley's hand. "How do you feel?"

The demon let out a soft chuckle. "Lord, you're an optimist. I doubt it can happen that fast, angel."

"Not what I meant." He said, squeezing her hand.

Crowley squeezed back. "I know, I'm just being an ass... It's strange. I'm a demon, I shouldn't want a child! And yet, here I am, wanting one more than anything."

"Well, you've never been a normal demon. But it's not too surprising. You've always been good with children, no miracles required. Me? Not so much."

"They like you, though. You're a bloody angel and I swear they can sense it. They just know you're the nicest, sweetest being in all existence." She said, inching closer and placing several kisses on Aziraphale's face.

"How do you think they'll be? If this works out, I mean." She asked after another long pause.

Aziraphale pulled Crowley closer and held her. "I imagine they'd be incredibly curious. Clever. Funny. Just like you." 

"No, I mean... More angel, demon? Human like?"

The angel pursed his lips. "Hmm. Not sure. This is the first time an angel and a demon have reproduced. If we are to find some logic in genetics, it'll be a hybrid of the two of us. Not wholly angelic or demonic. If we want an example closer to home, Adam Young."

"Human incarnate... I do hope our child is at least half as normal as Adam." Sighed the demon.

"I believe we can raise them decently. Without the influence from our former head offices in our minds. With them speaking in our ears, we didn't do too well for Warlock." 

Crowley looked up at the ceiling in thought. "Yeah, poor kid... Promise we'll try and do better with you." She said, not even realizing she'd said it out loud while her fingertips lightly grazed her abdomen. 

Aziraphale copied her action and she snapped out of her daze. "What was that about me being an optimist?" He grinned. 

She blushed. "SSShut it!" She hissed, in a non intimidating tone and lightly shoved him away. The blond ignored the faux grumpiness and pulled himself closer to kiss her temple.

~~~~~

They had been trying for a month, but there seemed to be no change yet. If the negative pregnancy tests were to be believed, it wasn't working. For a brief moment, Aziraphale wondered if they should swap roles. Crowley quickly shot that down, saying that Aziraphale couldn't be the vulnerable one. Going through all the different possibilities that could happen (and overthinking many of them), she decided Aziraphale would make for a better guard if Heaven or Hell found out about their child and decided to come for them. Logically, she knew they'd made a deal during their trials and they'd be fine because of it. After all, Heaven and Hell hadn't come anywhere near them since the world didn't end. They were perfectly safe. Even still, she insisted on feeling safer knowing that the former soldier between the two of them was keeping watch.

Of course, they'd only have to worry about that scenario if they conceived. And if their former employers actually did show up. So far, neither had happened. Even with all the failed attempts, this demon was still optimistic. Aziraphale couldn't ask for anything more. 

Thankfully, today's afterglow topic was a much more lighthearted one. Aziraphale's head was resting atop Crowley's chest, sleep almost claiming them both.

The light coming into the bookshop's bedroom from the sunset caught Crowley's eye. "Y'know, I always love seeing you like this."

The blond slightly lifted his head. "Hmm?"

"You, like this, with the sunlight." She said, carding her fingers through Aziraphale's curls. "Looks like your halo's trying to come out." 

"You've never seen my halo." This was true. He knew she respected him too much to take a peek during their body swap without permission. Plus, Aziraphale hadn't shown his halo since first coming to Earth, six millennia ago. Adam and Eve found it too bright and painful to look at. So, he hid it. From then on, if he needed to prove he was an angel, he'd only let out his wings.

Crowley shrugged. "Nah, but still. You get my point. Makes you look sweet and peaceful. It's nice." She said as she kept playing with his hair.

"Would you like to?" He asked softly.

The demon blinked. "Hmm?"

"Would you like to see my halo?"

Crowley's heart started hammering in her chest. It was a strange sensation. She felt like this was something wildly intimate. And that was saying something, considering what they had just finished doing. For Somebody's sake, they were still naked and Aziraphale had basically asked the question into her nipple! She said nothing, but nodded emphatically.

Aziraphale smiled before shutting his eyes. He focused on coaxing his halo out of his body. The angel made sure to not use too much power. The last thing he wanted was to blind or hurt his partner. He heard Crowley gasp softly as the halo manifested. Since her hand was still tangled in Aziraphale's hair, she could feel its warmth as it came into view.

It looked like it had two rings. The outer one was golden, a simple ring. Meanwhile, the inner one was silver and it looked like a greek meander border one might find on an ancient piece of pottery. The way it shone made Crowley think of sunlight reflecting on water. It was beautiful.

The angel opened his eyes, they somehow seemed bluer than usual. "Is this how you imagined it?" He asked, expectantly. 

"No. Not even slightly. It's gorgeous. Because of course it would be! Every bit of you is absolutely breathtaking." 

"I could say the same for you." Said the angel, gazing lovingly at her. 

Crowley shrugged. "Not quite. You've never seen my halo." She said, absentmindedly.

"Are you offering?" He asked with a raised brow.

The redhead felt herself blush. "...If you'd like that."

"I'd like it very much." Admitted the chubby angel.

Crowley's heart was going off again. Maybe even louder than before, because Aziraphale placed his palm over it. "Only if you feel comfortable enough." 

She nodded. "I do. Just give me a moment." She inhaled and shut her eyes. 

The demon had refused to look at her halo since The Fall. She saw it in the reflection of the sulfur lake, after it stopped boiling. She remembered how much she hated seeing it broken. Because that's what it meant for her too. A broken angel, holy no more. It took a long time to accept Falling, especially when she never meant to Fall in the first place. In contrast, this was a moment where everything was meant. 

She exhaled slowly. She flexed her fingers, focusing on her essence. The angel on her chest sat up to give her room. He also grabbed her hand gently and gave it a squeeze for reassurance. A few more seconds passed before her halo manifested. 

Unlike Aziraphale's, Crowley's halo was comprised of only one ring and it was thicker than the angel's outer one. It's hue looked like a dark red, speckled with black flakes. It looked like it had stars and whole constellations carved into it. Even the shattered section looked like an artistic choice, a cascade of black glitter, almost. It was much more detailed than Aziraphale's. The principality couldn't take his eyes off it.

When Crowley finally opened her eyes, she was greeted with a smiling angel with tears in his eyes. 

"Thank you, dearest." 

"Sharing with you is easy." She said, pulling him in for a kiss. This was how they ended up in each other's arms again.

By now, the only light in the bedroom was provided by their halos.

Aziraphale's kisses had trailed down to Crowley's stomach and an idea suddenly popped into his head. "What do you think their halo would look like? You know, if they end up having one."

"Good question... Maybe something floral. Might end up being orange, considering your gold with my red. Pink, if it mixes with the silver instead of gold." She said, not realizing she was smiling. 

"That sounds very pretty... We'll see if you're right with time." Said the angel as he caressed the demon's abdomen.

~~~~~

They had gone two months without success. Of course, they couldn't be too surprised. They'd heard about humans having problems like this all the time. And considering their bodies were about 100% human, when they weren't messing about with the settings, it'd be natural to encounter some of the same issues. Logically, that knowledge should have made the whole ordeal less frustrating. It did not. 

Crowley was walking on walls, the ceiling and any other surfaces of the Mayfair flat. Today alone, he had changed sex four times, cleaned the whole apartment and reorganized his CD collection. Aziraphale decided to give his demon some space. And come to think of it, he needed a break too. This was how he ended up having tea with Anathema in one of his favorite spots. After about an hour in, they were just about caught up with everything that had been going on. Anathema was a good listener and he was desperate for any advice.

"I think you guys should take a few days off, Aziraphale. If it's the only thing you do, and you keep getting negative results, that's all you're gonna focus on."

The angel nodded slowly. "I've thought about that. I just don't want Crowley to think I'm giving up on this." 

"He knows you love him. And you don't have problems telling him again, if need be. Y'know, for a demon, he's very understanding." She said before sipping more of her tea.

"That he is..." He agreed as he went silent and his gaze went off into the distance. Anyone would assume he was trying to do math in his head.

Since the angel looked lost in thought, she decided to get his attention again. "Hey, is it alright if I ask something about your bodies?"

He snapped out of his daze. "Oh! Yes, by all means. Go right ahead." 

"Is there any way you can be sure that nothing's changed?" 

"How do you mean?" He asked, before taking a bite from a scone.

"You've mentioned before that you can switch stuff on and off, for your convenience. Like right now, you're eating, although you don't have to. And you don't need to digest, like we do. It just disappears because you don't have your system set up like a normal human. What if that's happening with either one of you, or both?" 

His eyes went wide. It definitely made sense. "You may have a point. I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, dear girl." 

 She smiled. "You're very welcome."

"So, tell me more about Agnes. I'm still disappointed I never ran into her while she was alive." 

Anathema went on to tell him various stories which were passed down by family members, as well as some theories she had from the way Agnes wrote her prophecies. It was a very long and entertaining conversation. Anathema hadn't noticed she needed this talk as well. Perhaps not as much as Aziraphale, but still. And now they both knew they could confide in each other. 

~~~~~

Meanwhile, the demon had just finished doing some research of his own. He really appreciated clever humans, putting all their medical knowledge on the internet. He also appreciated the ones who turned that knowledge into YouTube videos, because his attention span for reading did not want to cooperate today. He blamed it on the stress of not conceiving yet. Whatever the reason for it, he just wanted it gone. In truth, he was glad Aziraphale wasn't here to see him like this. 

He was a wreck. His plants were quivering, and for once, it wasn't out of fear. The foliage was actually worried for him. He didn't know if he should try terrifying them again or cut them some slack. He settled for neither and curled up on the couch with a blanket to watch some distracting television. After several hours of watching cartoons, he fell asleep. 

When Aziraphale finally returned to the flat, he found Crowley was still fast asleep. Thanks to the loud, animated antics happening on-screen, Crowley didn't even stir when Aziraphale locked the front door. The blond found the remote control atop the coffee table and lowered the volume. Conflicted on whether or not he should wake his partner, Aziraphale went to bless the plants. He knew Crowley wasn't a fan of coddling them, but the angel didn't think they deserved to be intimidated so often. 

Upon entering the plant room, he was surprised. He didn't sense their usual fear. He felt worry radiating off them instead. The angel immediately wondered what they saw. This lead him to give a quick general blessing to all of them before moving on to the demon's computer, to snoop around. Upon seeing his search and watch history, it was evident the plants witnessed Crowley overthinking himself into knots and this explained their new reactions. 

Before even pressing play on the last video, the angel was spooked by his partner's voice, coming from behind him.

"I don't think any of their stuff actually applies to us. I just needed to feel like I was doing something." He was standing in the office's doorframe, wrapped in the blanket. He was clearly sad. 

Aziraphale's heart ached seeing him like this. "Darling..." He said, opening his arms and walking towards him. Crowley practically fell forward into Aziraphale's torso. They waddled over to the couch again, to get comfortable. Once they were warm and cozy, the angel told the demon about the occultist's theory. As he spoke, Aziraphale could see as the tears on Crowley's face slowly dried and his eyes became hopeful once more. 

From this conversation, they hatched a new plan. First, they decided to switch on everything reproductive in their bodies. Restoring factory settings, if you will. Second, they would wait several weeks before trying again, so the human aspects could stabilize. After all, Crowley's rapid sex changes didn't always focus on the inner mechanisms. Meaning: even if all their "switches" were on, the lack of consistency could be effecting something. So, just to be safe, Crowley would stick with her female form until they accomplished this and she gave birth, or until they gave up altogether. 

~~~~~

Two more months passed before anything changed. And it was something so subtle, that Crowley didn't think much of it and Aziraphale had chalked it up to sadness. Crowley had been sleeping more than usual. Though, what they should have noticed was that Crowley was tired. Crowley had always loved sleep, but she never got tired. She never needed sleep. Recently, the demon would go about her day with low energy. She'd practically race back home just to slink into bed again. Or any surface she'd like to sleep on, for that matter. But they didn't put too much thought into it. 

Today, however, Crowley woke up knowing something was different. Her eyes shot open and she sat up, rigid as anything. She held her breath and waited to see if it would happen again. When it did, she started shaking Aziraphale. 

"Angel, wake up!" 

The blond woke with a start. "What's happened?! Are you alright?!" 

"I'm fine, I'm just, I... I think I'm hungry..." She said, face stunned and confused.

Aziraphale blinked. He blinked again as he tried processing that information. Unlike him, Crowley rarely ate and she certainly never felt hunger before. "Are you sure?" 

"I just felt my stomach growl and it sounded like a tiny, angry animal. If it's not hunger, what's it gonna be? A damn chihuahua?!" She snapped at him.

"Well, you are behaving like a rabid one, so, I wouldn't be too surprised."

Without even thinking, she straddled the angel, balling up his pajama's lapels into her fists and bringing him nose to nose with her. Aziraphale thought back to Tadfield when Crowley had slammed him into a wall, hissing empty threats. 

This time it wasn't a wall, but the headboard of their bed. "Aziraphale! This is new! This isn't normal!" She yelled through her teeth.

"Dearest, you're shaking." He whispered after he placed a hand on her cheek. 

Her grip was almost tearing into his shirt. "No shit, angel! I'm freaking out!" The demon's eyes had lost their scleras and her pupils were as thin as a hair. It was a common physical reaction whenever she was under a lot of stress or was scared. Clearly, she was feeling both right now.

Aziraphale didn't panic, instead, he let out a little bit of grace from his fingertips. "Darling, calm down. One thing at a time. Breathe for me."

Admittedly, Crowley didn't want to calm down, didn't even think she could. But Aziraphale's grace made sure to slow her breathing and heart-rate altogether. Against her own will, she was calming down. Once her grip loosened on the angel's pajama top, Aziraphale moved her away just enough so he could leave the bed. He then took her hand and lead her to the kitchen. 

He helped her sit down at the table before opening the refrigerator. "Let's see if we can silence that demon dog in your stomach, then we'll move on from there. What would you like to eat?"

"I don't know... I don't feel like having anything specific, I just want the growling to stop."

"How about a sandwich? It's the quickest thing I can make you." 

She didn't seem too convinced, but she wasn't about to argue. "Yeah, sure." 

"What would you like on it?"

"Everything you can find in there. I feel like I'm starving!"

Aziraphale tried to not roll his eyes at that last sentence. "You're not, you'll be fine. Does 'everything' include the cream cheese, pickles and salami that I see in the back?"

She shrugged. "Why not? No wait-, leave the cream cheese. Can have that with crackers later."

"You're already thinking of eating later, that's good." Said the angel as he grabbed almost everything he could find, placing it on the counter. He wasn't crazy enough to actually use everything in the refrigerator. I mean, who ever heard of an orange chicken sandwich? Preposterous!

She squinted as he began stacking all the cold cuts on the first piece of bread. "Is it?"

He nodded. "I think it is. After all, eating when you actually have an appetite is a lot easier. Ask any human who's been sick." He looked over his shoulder. "Would you like this toasted?"

She shook her head. "No, hand it over." 

Aziraphale didn't need to be told twice. He slid the plate over to her, along with a glass of water. Crowley barely savored it. It was a wonder she hadn't unhinged her jaws and swallowed it whole. The principality sat across from her at the table. 

"Thank Someone the stomach growling's stopped." She said before taking a sip from her drink.

"Did you at least like it?"

"Best sandwich ever. Thanks, angel..." Her gratitude was genuine, but it was clear her mind was caught up on her panic attack from earlier.

Aziraphale's mind hadn't let it go either. "Shall we talk about it?"

She nodded but stayed quiet. The angel took a deep breath. "Alright. Just to be sure, could you check your digestive system? To ensure everything is off, as it usually is."

"I did that already. Twice, while you were making the sandwich. It's all off, everything but reproductive..." 

"Would you like to take a pregnancy test now? Or would you like to wait a day? To see if this random bout of hunger isn't so random, after all."

Crowley swallowed thickly. "Can we wait?" She asked softly. Her voice had trembled. Aziraphale noticed and reached over to hold her hand. 

"Whatever you wish to do."

In all honesty, Aziraphale had no clue why she wanted to wait, but the frailty in her voice made him refuse to ask for any specifics. Instead, they went back to bed. They didn't sleep, though. Too many intrusive thoughts. Too much anxiety coursing through their bodies. They held each other for hours, from sunrise to sunset, really. The only times they weren't in each other's arms was when Crowley became hungry again and Aziraphale would get her something to eat. That alone was reassuring in a way, letting them know her first bout of hunger wasn't an isolated incident.

By nightfall, the demon had finally summoned up enough courage to take a pregnancy test. Well, several tests. She wanted to be thorough and used up every test that she had left in the box. As if their day in bed hadn't felt eternal already, they needed to wait an additional 5 minutes for the results. She set an alarm on her phone and left it in the bathroom, along with every test. When it went off, she couldn't get her legs to move. She was frozen in place on top of the bed. Aziraphale could see the fear radiating off her, so he went in to check for her.

Crowley had been expecting her angel to simply yell out a 'yes' or 'no' answer. She didn't expect to get tackled into a hug. 

The demon's heart sank. "It's alright, angel. We'll keep trying..." She said, holding back a sob.

He kissed her temple and petted her short hair. "Darling, no." He said as he pulled away and snapped his fingers. 

All three pregnancy tests appeared in front of them, on the bed. Positive. All of them were positive! Their plan had worked! They were finally pregnant! 

Her eyes teared up as a smile tugged at her lips and her pupils were blown wide. "Aziraphale-!" Her voice broke. The angel miracle'd away all the tests to sit in front of her.

The angel kissed her forehead. "We did it, dearest." He said as he wiped away her tears.

"We're having a baby..." She whispered, giddy as anything.

Now it was Aziraphale's eyes that got a bit misty. "We're having a baby!" He repeated, his smile getting bigger by the second. 

The angel was practically glowing with pride as his hands landed on Crowley's stomach. She covered his with hers. She was vibrating with joy. They didn't get much sleep that night. They were too excited to care, though.

~~~~~

Two weeks had passed since they found out. Excluding the extra drowsiness and hunger, some new symptoms had manifested. For one thing, Crowley had been experiencing cravings. Some of them were the usual thing one might expect from a typical pregnancy. Ice cream and pickles, pizza with just about every topping, anything deep fried. However, today's craving was particularly strange. 

Aziraphale had been rearranging some things in his shop when he came into the back room to ask if Crowley wanted anything. She'd been lounging on his old couch for hours and figured she'd like a snack by now. Recently, it'd always be a very detailed description of whatever she wanted. Not this time.

"Eggs?"

"Mhmm."

The angel hummed. "Well, I believe I have some in my refrigerator upstairs. How would you like them?"

"Just bring me the carton." She said simply, scrolling through her phone. 

Aziraphale blinked. "Pardon?"

"Bring me the whole egg carton."

"Sweetheart, how do you plan on cooking eggs in my back room? I won't have you dealing with hellfire in my shop." He insisted.

Crowley rolled her eyes. "I'm not gonna cook 'em angel."

Aziraphale's face twisted into the most disgusted expression Crowley had ever seen. "You want to eat raw eggs?!" 

"This coming from the angel that swallows down oysters like nobody's business?" She laughed.

He waved her off. "That's different! Besides, we agreed to treat this like a human would their own pregnancy and they're always strictly told they cannot ingest anything raw!"

The demon shrugged, crossing her arms. "I don't know what to tell you, angel. I want eggs." 

"I cannot believe you want to drink raw eggs." He said before gagging at the thought again.

"It's not that. I wanna swallow them whole."

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Aziraphale's head. The angel then bursted into laughter. To the point where he crumbled onto the couch next to Crowley. She raised a brow. 

Taking a deep breath, the principality calmed down. "I should have realized sooner-, it's your serpent side! Why else would you feel like swallowing eggs?" 

"Huh..." She said, having just connected the dots herself.

"I mean, considering you don't eat a lot, that explains why you've never been tempted to eat like a serpent before. Also explains why you barely chew and don't really savor things."

She nodded with a pout, letting her pupils go round. "True... Now, could you please go get the eggs?" She asked, giving her best Puss In Boots impression.

The guilt trip did not work. "I will not let you eat raw eggs!" He repeated.

She groaned, annoyed. "I'm a demon, I'll be fine!"

They bickered about this for a while. Eventually, Aziraphale went upstairs to his flat, boiled some eggs and brought them to her. It was a rather strange thing for him to watch. Perhaps he shouldn't have been too surprised by it. After all, he knew serpents have no gag reflex and, thanks to personal experience, he was very aware that Crowley didn't have one either. He just prayed the snake-like eating habits would not extend to anything other than eggs or tiny snacks.

~~~~~

The following week, Anathema and Newt popped by the Mayfair flat, to see how they were doing. Aziraphale hadn't told Anathema the good news yet, so he figured this would be an excellent opportunity to do so. The human couple came by bearing gifts, Aziraphale let them in. They set down the boxes on the coffee table as Crowley came out from the plant room. The occultist had been sitting on the couch, but once she laid eyes on Crowley, she jumped up with a gasp.

"You're pregnant!" She squealed.

The angel pouted. "Oh! It was supposed to be a surprise!" He said before disappearing into the kitchen.

Newt smiled at Crowley. "Congratulations."

The demon scoffed. "How did you know? I'm not even showing yet!" Exclaimed Crowley as she started poking at her abdomen.

Anathema's smugness started peeking through as she sat next to her husband again. "I can see auras. Right now, you have two instead of just one."

"Huh. Couldn't that also happen if I was possessed or possessing someone?" Asked the demon as she sat on the armchair of the loveseat.

"That's a good question, actually." Said Newt, equally curious. 

Aziraphale came back with a tray of tea and lemon cakes. He set it on the table next to the gifts, before sitting on the loveseat. Crowley then draped herself over his lap. Instinctively, Aziraphale's hand landed on Crowley's stomach. Once everyone was comfortable, she began to explain.

"Basically, everyone has an aura. I see it as a colored outline around the individual. Think of how they portray force fields in movies. If you were possessed or possessing someone, the full bodied outline would double up. It'd be easy to tell. I saw it happen when Aziraphale was sharing a body with Madame Tracy." She said before sipping her tea.

Crowley was very impressed. "That's pretty cool. How many colors can you see while doing that sorta thing?"

"It's possible to see just about every shade in the spectrum, really. Just depends on the person. For example, mine's similar to pine green and Newt's is like a mustard yellow. Aziraphale's is grey and yours is a really bright red. Your child's aura, which is only surrounding your belly, is sky blue. It's actually kinda adorable." She said simply.

"Does blue mean boy?" Asked Newt in between cake bites.

She shook her head. "Nope. The color corresponds to the color of their soul and it doesn't say anything about their personality. For stuff like that, we'll just have to wait and see."

"Just like humans do." Said Aziraphale, with a shrug as he caressed Crowley's belly.

A lightbulb went off in Newt's brain. "Ooh, that's something I wanted to ask! If you'd managed to conceive -which you did- yay! Um, would you just wait until they're born or would you go to medical appointments? Since you aren't human, I wondered which made more sense to you."

"Y'know, I'd actually been thinking about that recently..." The demon admitted.

Aziraphale blinked. "You have?" He asked her.

Crowley nodded to him specifically before turning back to their guests. "Yeah... If we go to a hospital and the sonogram shows something, well- not human, that's a few miracles gone towards erasing memories and altering footage and documents. Those kinda things take more energy than tiny miracles we might use for everyday stuff. Those big ones? They might tip off our former employers. We don't need them finding out about this." She explained.

Anathema nodded, understanding her logic perfectly. "Of course not. You want an alternative way to do check ups. Can't blame you. I know I'd want to take a look every few weeks if it was my child."

"Right. Being that your ancestor was so magically inclined, do you think there's any way you could do that for us...?" Asked Crowley, almost awkwardly.

Anathema stood and went to grab the demon's hand. "I have no idea. But I'd be honored to do so. I'll go through every book I own, to see if I can help you. Even if it's just a tiny glimpse." 

"Thank you." She said with a genuine smile. 

"Don't mention it. Now, open your present. I wanna see your reaction." She said, handing over the gift boxes. 

Aziraphale opened the white gift box. It was a stack of occult magazines. The subscriptions were under the name 'A.Z. Crowley'. The demon was amused as anything as she flipped through them. The angel, however, gave Anathema a sly look. 

"A new home between Heaven and Hell..." Hinted the occultist with a smirk. 

The words hit Aziraphale like a freight train. He remembered them. They belonged to one of Agnes' prophecies. Of course, he hadn't known the context back when he had the book, but it was quite evident now. And it was a conversation he and Crowley would have at another time, when they were alone. 

She gave Aziraphale a wink before giving Crowley the other gift box. The demon then opened the blue gift and let out a laugh. There were four tiny potted plants inside. 

"They look very nice. What are they?" Asked the angel. 

Anathema grinned. "These were Newt's idea. He remembered Crowley likes having plants. The spiky green and yellow one is a snake plant and the white one is called 'angel wings'. The pothos plant is said to be good for cleansing energy and the really messy looking one is a spider plant. They're meant to help with fertility. Although, thankfully, you won't be needing that last one anymore."

Crowley held the box a bit tighter. "Don't care, keeping them all. They're adorable." 

Newt chuckled at her reaction. "Glad you liked them." 

The two couples continued to chat for hours. The humans' visit helped put the both of them in a great mood and it had been just what they needed. As soon as they left, Crowley went to find a spot for their gifts atop her desk. She made sure that the other plants had a view of the new additions in her office. Aziraphale couldn't help but roll his eyes when she started telling the new plants to follow the others' examples. He wouldn't be shocked if she was yelling at the tiny potted dears by tomorrow. 

~~~~~

By the time Crowley was three months along (from the moment they found out, anyway), her cravings were a daily occurrence and she had become clingier than before. If she had felt comfortable enough to do so, she would have turned into a snake and have Aziraphale drape her over his shoulders while he worked. But, considering the angel doesn't actually like selling books, he was happy to not even open the shop today to be his partner's cuddle buddy. It was always nice, having her angel be her personal body pillow. But when they shifted positions and Aziraphale's hand landed on Crowley's belly, he gasped. 

"Dearest, have you looked in a mirror today?" 

The demon furrowed her brows. "No, why?" Considering she was only wearing a very loose sundress, it wasn't too shocking she hadn't noticed.

The angel's hand gently rubbed her stomach again. "It feels like you're starting to show." 

Crowley bolted off the bed and yanked the dress off. She stood naked in front of the mirror and poked at her stomach. The bump was barely visible, but it could be felt. A tiny smile crept on her face as she turned to view her side profile. Her giddiness was radiating off her in waves of love. It made Aziraphale's heart soar. 

"You really hadn't noticed?" He asked as he got up and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands landed on the tiny bump and rested his chin on Crowley's shoulder. 

She shook her head as she kept eye contact through the mirror. "Not at all!... Do you think they have ears already? Think they can hear us?"

"It's possible."

"Comfy in there, kid? Getting enough snacks?"

A chuckle left Aziraphale's lips. "I should hope so. I've had to go shopping three times this week to restock the pantry and refrigerator."

"We can get those things delivered, but you insist on going to the store!" Argued Crowley.

"Oh, you know I don't mind the shopping. I simply need to buy more of the snacks you crave the most." Said the blond before kissing Crowley's tattoo.

The demon sighed. "At this point, we both know that's a bit of a toss up. Some days I wake up loving pickles, then the next day I hate them!" This was true. Just yesterday, she'd made herself a peanut butter and pickle sandwich for breakfast. Today? Not really feeling the pickles.

The angel knelt in front of her. "There's a pattern to your cravings, we'll figure it out. Isn't that right, sweetheart?" He asked before planting a kiss on the tiny bump. 

Crowley dug her fingers into his hair, lightly scratching his scalp. "You look comfortable down there." She smirked. 

The blond looked up, smirked back and kissed her again. "Always... Huh." He looked pensive now.

"What?"

"Your breasts look bigger. Did you change them yourself or is it the pregnancy's doing?" 

She shook her head. "That's all junior's handiwork. I can feel they're heavier."

"Well, that's normal for humans, we can assume it's a good thing."

"Haven't changed them in ages. Sore as anything, really annoying." She groaned as she poked her chest.

Aziraphale winced and pouted. "Oh darling, I'm sorry. Perhaps you should sleep nude tonight, see if that helps. If you like, I can run you a bath now." He suggested as he stood up from his kneeling position. 

Crowley smiled softly. "I'd like that very much. As long as you'll join me."

"Of course, dear. Who else would be your own personal pillow?" 

"You know me too well, angel. Love you." Said the demon as she placed a kiss on his nose.

He copied her actions. "I love you too, darling." He said before disappearing into their bathroom.

~~~~~

Ever since the baby bump began to grow, the pair had wondered exactly how far along Crowley was. Since they had no clue how many months an ethereally-occult pregnancy was supposed to last, they at least wanted to keep track accurately. Thankfully, humans and their clever technology could measure that sorta thing with some blood tests. No sonograms needed, therefore, no risk of needing miracles to do memory wipes. Five months exactly.

The more noticeable her belly got, the more curious they became about how their child was developing. Thanks to this, when Anathema finally called and told them she'd found something in an old spell book which might do the trick, they begged her to come as soon as possible. Sure enough, she was on the first bus to London. When she arrived, she was bombarded by all their questions. Most, she didn't know how to answer. The others, she answered patiently, as she got Crowley ready.

The demon laid down on the couch, lifting her shirt. Anathema read the spell over again, out loud, so both the angel and demon could understand how it would work. More or less. This particular technique hadn't been used for at-home sonograms, after all. It was originally used to find internal wounds and other things of that nature.

"And you think it'll work?" Asked Aziraphale, clearly more concerned than Crowley, who looked more eager.

"I believe so. I did a test run with Newt and I can see some things. Mainly, everything I saw in his body matched up with the anatomy diagrams in the rest of my books. If nothing else, it just confirmed my husband's a fairly healthy man." 

Aziraphale hummed. "Well, that's good..." 

"You're nervous. You know, I had Newt touch my arm while I practiced on him. The extra contact actually let him see what I saw too. You can hold onto me and watch along, if you think it'll put you at ease." Offered Anathema.

The blond sighed softly. "Thank you, dear girl." 

She smiled at the angel before turning to the demon. "Are you ready?" 

Crowley nodded emphatically. 

This time, Anathema said the spell in Latin. With every passing word, a light green glow formed over her right hand. When her left hand began to glow as well, she reached for Aziraphale. It felt like a strange buzzing sensation, but nothing awful. When she placed her right hand on Crowley's abdomen, Aziraphale gasped.

Crowley's eyes went wide. "What?!"

Aziraphale shook his head, letting go of Anathema and grabbing both of Crowley's hands. "I don't think anything is wrong, dear. I just didn't expect it to feel so vivid."

"Vivid? So, you can see them in detail?" She asked, excitedly.

"No, actually. Anathema, could you...?"

The occultist said nothing and grabbed Crowley's hand while her free one continued on the redhead's stomach. Just like Aziraphale, she gasped. Not because of what they saw, but what they heard. The child's heartbeat rang in their ears and they could also hear whenever the baby moved. Crowley smiled at Aziraphale. 

"Almost sounds like yours, angel. Strong."

"Loud. Letting us know they're doing just fine." Beamed the angel.

She turned to Anathema again. "Can you actually see them?"

Anathema shook her head. "It's darker than I expected. It's almost like seeing a shadow."

"I can hear them move, but I can barely feel them do it. Wonder why that is..." Wondered the demon.

"I'll keep looking." She told them.

All three are silent for a long time before they see a shift in Anathema's expression. A wave of worry washed over the parents. Before they can ask anything, she grips Aziraphale's hand, urging him to hold onto Crowley's. The hand on the demon's stomach moves lower so they can see what she found. An edge, which wasn't the end of her womb. So, she followed the end of the womb in every direction. The strange edge formed a perfect oval. 

Crowley jerked away from the occultist's touch. "They're inside an egg?!"

The woman nodded. "Looks like it. If the shell is thick enough, that could explain why it's hard to see the baby. And why you don't feel movement as much as human mothers would typically experience by now."

Aziraphale sat next to her on the couch, still holding her hand. "You know dear, perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. Many of your snake tendencies have become more pronounced since the start of your pregnancy."

"It makes sense to me. You may use human bodies, but you aren't human."

"Well, yeah it makes sense. I just didn't expect it!... Too bad we can't see inside the egg..." Said Crowley, disappointed, while caressing her stomach.

The angel squeezed her hand. "I know, dearest."

The three of them sat in silence for a long time, eventually settling into conversation. Many strange ideas were tossed around. Some, too ridiculous to entertain, but others, they found less insane. One in particular stuck out. And they were determined to pull it off.

The following day, they met Anathema at a local hospital in Tadfield. The couple bought some nursing scrubs for Anathema, to help with the ruse. She changed in a bathroom stall while the angel found a wheelchair for them to use. Since Aziraphale hadn't allowed Crowley to do any miracles for the longest time, this meant she had plenty of energy on reserve for a big miracle. That's exactly what they needed to do this. 

They made their way to the maternity ward, with Anathema acting as their escort. Thanks to a simple miracle from Aziraphale, no one noticed Anathema didn't work there. They believed the illusion. They lied low for a while, until she got a good glimpse of a room with an ultrasound. They waited for the current occupants to leave. It didn't take as long as they expected. Having their target in sight, the next part of the plan began. 

Crowley took a deep breath, focusing her energy into her hands. Like she had done many times before, Crowley stopped time. They wasted no time in running into the room to use the equipment. The image wasn't as clear as they'd hoped, but it was strong enough to see through the egg, just a bit. They looked around for a moment. Everything seemed to look normal again, which was good. Then, they saw it. Two tiny nubs on their little one's back. Wings! Their baby would have wings, just like them!

The trio couldn't celebrate yet, though. Time was still paused and they needed to get out fast. Crowley was certainly grateful for the wheelchair her partner had commandeered earlier, because she was drained beyond compare. She simply fell back and let herself be wheeled out of the hospital by Anathema while Aziraphale brought the car around. Crowley was helped into the backseat, her angel joining her, while Anathema drove them back to her cottage. At the moment, the demon didn't even care that a human had been driving her Bentley! She was just giddy as anything about the wing situation. 

Between that elated feeling and her exhaustion, the witchy young lady decided it'd be best for them to spend the night in her cottage's guest room. They made a movie night out of it. Newt was happy there was finally someone else in the house who enjoyed James Bond as much as he did. Aziraphale and Anathema found it cute. By the time he demon gave in to sleep, she had to be carried to the bedroom by her angel. As she was placed onto the bed, she opened her eyes and grabbed Aziraphale's arm before he could pull away. 

"Something wrong, dearest?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Lie down with me."

The blond didn't need to be told twice. As soon as he did, she latched onto him like the cuddly snake she was. The chubby being giggled once Crowley's nose started tickling his neck. 

"You've been very happy since we left the hospital." Commented Aziraphale with a gentle smile on his face.

"Aren't you? Our baby's got wings! They're more like us than we thought!" Exclaimed the demon.

The blond blinked at her. "Did you ever think they wouldn't be?" 

Her expression changed and she hid her face in the crook of his neck again. "...Do you remember the beginning of all this? When we hoped our kid would be more like Adam? The whole 'human incarnate' thing?" Her voice grew softer.

The angel nodded. 

She continued. "Well, part of me always feared we'd end up with a human child. Y'know how some people say, 'not an angel, not a demon, just human'?"

He nodded again. "I've heard similar sayings, go on." 

"Anyway, I worried. Overthought. Even had a few nightmares about it... I don't want to love them, only to watch them age and die, Aziraphale... Seeing their tiny wings, it was like a wave of relief washing over me." She said, nudging closer to him.

"Oh, darling..." Said the angel before kissing her forehead. "Why did you never tell me?"

"I don't know... Suppose I didn't want to think about it more than I already was. But today, we proved I was worried over nothing!"

"Even if that is the case, please tell me next time you're feeling uneasy about something. We're both in this." He said, grabbing her hand.

She was still hiding her face against his neck, but he felt her smile before giving him a kiss there. "Thank you, angel."

They didn't speak much else that night, they simply stayed in each other's arms as they slept. They left Tadfield first thing in the morning.

~~~~~

About two weeks after finding out their child had wings, the couple realized they hadn't begun preparing the nursery yet. Or even discussed which room it would be in. Well, which rooms, if they were to keep both the bookshop and the Mayfair flat. The angel then got an idea as he looked at the occult magazines Anathema had given them a few months back. Crowley was scrolling on her phone next to him, none the wiser to all the gears turning in his head. 

"Dearest, do you think we should buy a home?" 

Crowley dropped the her phone on her lap and she turned to him. "Angel, what the fuck? I thought we just agreed to look for nursery stuff! Now you want a third home?!" 

"No darling, you misunderstand. We'd be getting rid of our current homes and only have the new one. If you're up for it, that is." He explained.

She blinked. "What's brought this on?" 

"These." He said after picking up one of the magazines from the pile. "Anathema gave us these as a gift, saying 'A new home between Heaven and Hell...' It was one of Agnes Nutter's prophecies. Part of one, anyway. When I had the book in my possession, I had assumed it was related to the apocalypse. It wasn't. It was referring to us, properly together, on earth. That's why the subscription's name is 'A. Z. Crowley'. It wasn't her mistyping your human alias, this was her telling me to take your name!"

"Hang on, you mean to tell me that witch girl wants us to get married?" Asked the demon, trying to connect the dots.

Aziraphale shrugged. "Perhaps not in the literal sense. We're an angel and a demon. Marriage is a human custom. She could have meant it in a more symbolic way. Simply telling us to stick together, no matter what, protecting each other. I think it's quite-" 

Crowley smacked the magazine out of his hand and straddled his lap. "Let's do it, angel. Right now." She said, smiling and caressing his cheeks.

Aziraphale was visibly confused as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Oh. Dearest, at this point in your pregnancy, I don't think couch sex is very good for you. If you're really in the mood, I think it'd be best to go to the bedroom-"

She rolled her eyes and groaned before he even finished his logic. "How are you so smart and so dumb at the same time? Marry me, you dolt!" She exclaimed with a laugh. 

The angel blushed and started to laugh along with his demon. She steadied herself by holding onto Aziraphale's shoulders. "So? Marry me? I can miracle up the documents right now to sign them."

"You really want this, don't you?" He asked, in awe of her. 

The redhead nodded. "It could be the hormones talking, I know. But the visual of it just burrowed into my brain and I love it. Us, in a little cottage in the countryside with our little baby wrapped in a blanket." 

"How very domestic of you." Teased the angel.

"I should be sickened by it. Some bloody demon I am." She chuckled.

He kissed her cheek. "The best. And, please, allow me." The angel snapped his fingers and the relevant documents appeared, floating just over his shoulder. His signature was already on them. All she had to do was sign. Just as she had numerous times before with contracts, she signed with a small spark and a lot of flair. Another snap safely tucked away the documents in Aziraphale's filing cabinet.

Somehow, Crowley's smile had grown wider after the fact. "So, what does my new husband want to shop for first: nursery things or wedding rings?" 

"Honestly? The nursery things are more pertinent right now. Shall we pop over to the shops and get started on that?" 

"Sounds like a plan, angel." She said before she got off his lap and lead him out the door.

With that, they were off. They went to four different stores before Crowley found something she liked. And to six, before she found anything she liked enough to buy it. Though, it was thanks to her pickiness that they managed to buy everything necessary for their nursery in one day. The theme she had in mind was 'Eden'. Now they simply needed to choose a home in which they would build said nursery. 

~~~~~

Finding a home, as it turned out, was harder than expected. Not in terms of human aspects such as credit, paperwork or money, but in finding a home that would work for both of them. Eventually, they agreed on a lovely cottage in the South Downs, on a hill near the coast. It was big, but still felt intimate and cozy. It had a decent sized yard the demon would certainly spend most of her days gardening in. The basement was large enough to house most of Aziraphale's book collection. The rest would be scattered around the home in bookshelves lining the living room, den and bedroom walls. 

They moved in two days before Crowley reached 8 months. Naturally, the angel forbade her from doing anything work related. Fortunately, having angelic strength, it wasn't as though his body would be burdened by the work. It was a wonder, perhaps a demonic miracle, that he let her get started on the garden after just one day of living in the cottage. Surprising no one, Crowley's plants flourished even more than they had in that old, dark flat.

After getting the garden exactly how she wanted, she moved on to the nursery. For this project, she insisted on working alone. She wanted to paint murals in the baby's room, and, though she loved her husband immensely, she knew he was not a painter. Luckily, being a starmaker and a close friend of Leonardo DaVinci, she knew she'd have no problem with this new medium. It only took a few minutes for her to get used to wielding a paint brush. Of course, Aziraphale had to insist on her wearing a mask while she painted. Demonic being or not, they shouldn't chance the fumes doing something to their unborn child. So she did, to ease his mind. 

Crowley started with the ceiling. It was miracle'd to be a soft, sky-blue with fluffy clouds during the daylight and a midnight-blue, full of constellations which twinkled in the nighttime. The first time Aziraphale saw the change happen, he nearly dropped the tea tray he'd brought into the room. It was breathtaking. The redhead was clearly pleased with her work so far. 

Three weeks passed before she finished the nursery walls. Two of them had the waterfall and river that came down from the mountains, the other two had a myriad of plants and foliage from the original garden. Including the forbidden fruit tree with a large, red and black snake among the branches, who looked like it was chatting up a little white dove. Aziraphale found it cute that said wall would soon have the crib against it. The opposite wall with the majority of the river would have the rocking chair, loveseat and dresser drawers. The changing table / extra storage would be on the wall closest to the door, opposite the wall with the window. They'd simply adjust as the child grew and needed more or less things in the room. For now, she'd rest while Aziraphale finished building the furniture. The last piece was the crib.

Crowley let herself fall back into the rocking chair with an exhausted sigh. She rubbed her belly as she watched the sunset change the ceiling's pattern. She hummed. "I hope you'll like it..." She whispered to their child. 

The angel looked up from the mostly-done crib. "They'll love it." 

"How can you be so sure?" Asked the demon as she rocked the chair.

He scoffed. "Dearest, the love oozing off you has been even stronger than usual since you started painting the nursery. This was a labor of love."

"Doesn't guarantee they'll love it." She argued.

"They will. It's beautiful, colorful and unique... I never asked. Why Eden?" 

Crowley shrugged shyly. "...In the grand scheme of things, none of this would be happening if we hadn't met in that garden. It felt fitting."

"It is. I like that you've made me a pudgy dove. Very cute." He said as he snapped the last piece of the crib in place. 

"You're cute in every form. Even your nonexistent animal form."

The angel stepped back to admire his handiwork. Judging by the smile on Crowley's face, she was pleased with it too. He walked towards her and took her hands in his, to help her up. When she was on her feet, she was pulled into a soft embrace and a tender kiss. She pulled away after a few seconds. 

"What's brought this on, angel?"

His hands landed on the small of her back, rubbing small circles. "I'm trying to bribe you into relaxing. The nursery is officially done. I'd love for you to not lift another finger for the rest of your pregnancy, but I'll settle for at least a week." Admitted the principality. 

Crowley leaned back, letting out a bark of a laugh. "Really, angel? What, would you wait on me hand and foot for the next month?"

"Gladly!"

The demon chuckled. "You're ridiculous." She told him as she planted several kisses on his neck.

"Perhaps a bit. Are you convinced?"

She pulled away to face him. "Honestly? I am pretty exhausted. Pamper me all you want angel, I might need a lazy week just to recover."

"Oh, darling. Here. Let me take care of you." He said before picking her up bridal-style. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "How does a warm bath and a massage sound?"

"Like you spoil me too much. What did I ever do to deserve you?" She asked, placing a hand on his cheek.

Aziraphale kissed her hand. "Just being you is enough."

Just like that, the demon melted into her angel. She'd never admit it, she'd probably blame it on the hormones, but it was evident there were tears running down her face. With nothing else stopping them, they started their evening of relaxation. 

~~~~~

Crowley ended up resting for much longer than she expected. Four weeks of taking it easy, with no heavy work. Aziraphale had been very happy about that as well. This actually ended up being a blessing for her. She'd need every bit of energy she could muster for what today had in store for her. 

The demon had been in the garden, taking in some sunlight when she felt a tiny jolt from inside her belly. At first, she didn't think much of it. Perhaps it was a kick, or the baby making the egg move in some other way. Before she had a chance to comment about it to Aziraphale, who was in the kitchen, she doubled over in pain. Her screams sent Aziraphale flying out of the cottage. The demon was on her hands and knees, still screaming.

"Darling!" He dove down to help her up. "What happened?!"

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that was a contraction!" She exclaimed as another wave of pain hit her.

Aziraphale inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down before picking her up in his arms. "Okay, okay, dear. Breathe. I'll take you upstairs, get you comfortable and we'll get through this." 

The redhead couldn't respond thanks to the pain. She only nodded, tears streaming down her eyes. The angel ran as fast as he could to their bedroom to set her down on their bed. The usual mountain of pillows were a good surface for the demon's back to find some relief. She just wished she could feel the same for her abdomen. 

"Tell me what you need, darling." 

"Please tell me you remember what you learned from your days as a midwife!" She groaned, clutching at one of the pillows. 

"As if that's the sort of thing you could forget. Even after centuries, I can remember every child I delivered. And this one will be the most important one to date."

She grinned. "It'd better be, or you'd have some explaining to do." She said with a soft chuckle. 

The angel let out a laugh of his own and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Tell me, how does the pain feel? Explain it to me."

"Like a massive cramp is squeezing every muscle in my stomach and my crotch. How long do you think this'll last?" 

The blond shrugged. "It always depends on the person. Some stay in labor for many hours, some don't. And I've never delivered an egg before. I imagine that'll bring its own set of circumstances. Do you feel anything besides the pain? No headaches or blurry vision?"

"None."

"Good. Now, I need to see how far along you are. May I?" He asked while giving the hem of her sundress a light tug. 

Another contraction came and she groaned. "Take it all off, rip it for all I care!" 

The angel let out a tsk. "I will do no such thing." He said, gently lifting the dress over her head. She lifted her hips as much as she could, to help him remove the underwear. Now fully naked, her legs were guided into position so Aziraphale could take a look. 

"You seem to be 4 centimeters dilated already."

She sighed. "6 more to go, right?" 

"Unless the egg needs more room." 

"Ah, fuck! Why would you even say that?!" She whined, throwing one of the many pillows to her husband's head.

He caught the cushion with no issue and placed it behind her again. "I'm sorry dearest, but it's a possibility. As far as we know, you're the first humanoid being to lay an egg! We have no frame of reference!" 

"I hate when you make sense..." She rubbed her belly. "Y'know, I'll love you even more if you come out of there quickly." 

"Crowley!" 

She looked at Aziraphale. "What?! I said 'even more'! They aren't here yet and I love them more than anything! Just need them to speed things up in there." She looked at her abdomen again. "You can stay in your egg for longer if you want, I won't mind. Just please get out of me."

The angel cooed. He knew they had to wait a while before she could even try pushing. So he decided to hand her the TV remote. 

"We'll be here for some time. I think the background noise might help distract you a bit. I will help you as much as I can with the pain. You can even crush my hand during contractions, if you wish."

The demon smiled at him, tears in her eyes. "You're too good to me." 

"Hush. Now, let's try to get you relaxed."

~~~~~

For the next four hours, the angel placed small miracles on her while massaging her shoulders and neck to ease some of the pain and tension. He'd check regularly to see how dilated she was. When the contractions didn't seem to let up at all anymore, they figured it was time. It was here when Crowley's demeanor changed. She was frightened.

"Don't let go of me, angel." She begged, squeezing his hand.

He squeezed back. "Dearest, how can I deliver the baby if I'm holding your hand?"

She groaned. "It's an egg, Aziraphale. You don't have to support their head and neck yet. Make a nest of pillows or something so they don't roll off the bed, just please keep holding me..." Tears were brimming her eyes and she was trying her damndest to not shake.

The angel sighed. He always thought of his demon as the bravest being in all existence. Seeing her so fragile broke his heart. How could he say 'no'? He created a ring of pillows under her legs, then sat behind Crowley. If his spouse wanted to be held through this whole process, by God, he was going to do it. He wrapped his legs around Crowley's and hugged her from behind, both hands landed on her belly. 

"Darling, I know how scared you are. I'll get you through this. Just breathe, can you do that for me?" He asked, rubbing her stomach.

She nodded and nudged her head against his. Her right hand found Aziraphale's and she interlaced their fingers. "I love you." 

"I love you more." He said with a kiss. His free hand let out a tiny miracle over her belly. "And we love you too, sweetheart. We're dying to meet you. See you soon." He looked at Crowley one more time, making sure she was ready.

The demon gave a final nod and began to push. It was at this point that Aziraphale was glad he had placed a soundproofing miracle around their bedroom when they'd first gone upstairs. Even though their home was very isolated, they didn't want to chance anything, in case a random tourist happened to be in the vicinity, by the beach. Good thing too, because Crowley sounded like she was being murdered. If you were to ask at that moment, she might've said it felt that way too. Aziraphale's hand might've been crushed to dust if he was a mere human. Her grip was incredibly strong and synchronized with every time she pushed. 

The principality soothed her as much as he could. He gave healing touches on her abdomen and whispered encouragements into her ear every time she stopped to breathe. It was grueling work. Aziraphale wished he could snap his fingers to speed things up, just so Crowley could stop suffering. But he feared that could hurt the child in some way, so he refrained from doing so.

The principality held her and looked down, over her shoulder. "You're doing great, Crowley. We're almost there. Just a few more." 

The demon felt desperate. "Angel, please! Knock me out or something! I don't think I can take much more of this!" She said, melting back into Aziraphale.

"You can do it. I know you can." Said the chubby blond in a matter-of-fact tone, full of love.

She squeezed his hand even tighter. "Ugh! Your faith in me is unwavering, I hate it!"

"Deal with it, darling. Now push!" He yelled back. This was the only time during her labor that he raised his voice. 

She took this as a sign that they truly were at the finish line. At the very least, close to it. She let out a whine before bracing herself. Somehow, this scream was more bloodcurdling than all the pervious ones. Her whole body was on fire and ached something fierce. But it worked. Not that she noticed it immediately. She only came out of her daze when Aziraphale kissed her temple and climbed out from behind her.

The deed was done. Crowley was weak as anything, but she moved her body just enough to see what she had laid. The egg was large, about the size of a 10 pound baby. It was dark green, almost black. And somehow, it was covered in scales. Had it not been for the fluid that accompanied it, the demon was sure it would've been even more painful. Considering the appearance, Crowley thought of how fantasy shows portrayed dragon eggs. She immediately prayed to Someone that she hadn't just birthed a monster, as part of some cruel joke by The Almighty or Satan. Then, when she saw Aziraphale pick up the egg to clean it and he smiled at her, that irrational fear melted away. When held at an angle, the egg seemed to shine. She looked closer and saw golden flecks scattered along the green scales.

The egg was warm, which was to be expected. But when it started getting hotter, Aziraphale set it down on the bed again. They watched it for several minutes, until it started to move. Both of them gasped when it first stirred. They heard it crackle softly. With the first crack in the shell visible, the angel held it steady so their child could break through easier. They seemed to be struggling, so Aziraphale helped them out of their scaly home. The angel used a miracle to get rid of the egg shell pieces and stains on the bed, then went into the bathroom to clean and examine the child.

He was in there for several minutes and the silence was killing the demon. "Fuck's sake angel, tell me something, please!"

The principality walked back into their room and smiled at his spouse, their child in his arms. "Everything looks normal, dearest. Well, as normal as we could expect."

Crowley frowned. "What does that mean?"

He quickly made his way over to the bed and sat on the edge, next to her. "They have wings, some scales and they're sexless. If they don't need to eat, they're more supernatural than human." They both looked down at the child.

The baby had pale skin, with tiny black and red scale patches on their ankles, which mimicked Crowley's broken halo. They had Aziraphale's halo etched in gold, right between their tiny, grey wings. Their eyes were a rich emerald hue with slit irises. They had curly, strawberry blond hair. Then there was the matter of their halo. It was sky-blue in color, comprised of two thin rings. In between both of those, seemed to be a river of glittery stardust which held them together. Even more interesting was that said middle layer seemed to have cracks in it, patterned after snake scales. The halo seemed to hide itself after a few moments of them admiring their newborn.

Overwhelmed by everything, Crowley wept out of joy and barely heard Aziraphale cooing about every single feature the baby had.

"-And their eyes are gorgeous, darling! I never would've expected green. Usually, human genetics pick just one or the other, they don't mix both parents' colors."

As if she hadn't cried enough, seeing that particular shade of green brought back memories. "Actually, I think they would've been more chartreuse if both of ours had mixed... My eyes were that color when I was an angel. Sans the slit pupils, of course." She confessed.

His heart soared. "Beautiful nonetheless. Look at them. Beautiful, just like you." He said, reverent, kissing away her tears.

Crowley let out a tired huff, melting into the cushions behind her. "I don't feel beautiful right now, I'll take your word for it... Can I hold them?"

Aziraphale didn't hesitate. He gently placed the baby on Crowley's chest. She caressed the child's wings and sniffed the crown of their head in between kisses. She smiled. "They smell like you, angel." 

The baby stirred and squealed, flapping their wings. Both their hearts melted at the sound.

They hadn't really discussed names. Aziraphale knew he'd love the child regardless of whatever they chose. But Crowley, well, Crowley was different. Lost his angel name and was given a name that mocked him. Then he changed it. It was his choice to not be mocked anymore, to be the person- well, person shaped being-, he wanted to be. Aziraphale knew the subject of names was very important to his spouse. Which was why he wanted Crowley to choose.

Aziraphale's fingers traced the scaly haloes on their ankles. "Have you decided on a name yet?"

She nodded. "I'd actually been wondering... What do you think of 'Robyn'? Figure it's ambiguous enough until they decide if they want to present more male or female as they get older." Explained the demon.

The blond simply smiled. "It sounds lovely, dear. What say you, sweetheart?" 

The child cooed. Aziraphale hummed. "I think they agree. It's settled then. Our little Robyn." 

A tiny growl sounded off in the child's stomach. 

"Huh. Sounds like they're human enough to feel hunger. Think they'll expel it, just like they do?" She asked.

He pouted in thought. "Perhaps. It's a good thing we bought diapers anyway. We can have Anathema help with a reading again. But not today." Said the angel, caressing his demon's sweat-damped forehead. "After you feed them, you need all the rest you can get. You're exhausted." 

"Yeah well, you would be too, if you had to push that armored beast of an egg out of ya. Frankly, I'm scared to look down there. Might go sexless for a while, feel like my organs might fall out if I stand up right now." She said, voice rough.

Aziraphale laughed at that. Well, it was more than a laugh. Maybe 'guffawed' would be a better description for it. The action caught both he and Crowley off guard, even Robyn's ear moved in the direction of the unexpected noise. Then again, every new sound can be considered unexpected to a newborn. Aziraphale lightly rubbed some of Robyn's feathers, in hopes it would ease them. 

"I'm sorry, baby bird. Your mother's lack of anatomy comprehension is surprising and amusing. You'll understand when you see her walking." 

Though Crowley glared at him, there was no anger there. Only fondness. "Your father's a bastard. You'll get used to it. Probably inherit his attitude as you get older."

"Touché." Laughed the angel.

They stayed in bed for a long time, watching Robyn. She fed them, and once they seemed to be full, they were placed in the bassinet. This gave Aziraphale the chance to move Crowley into their bathtub. The demon seemed to be even more exhausted after her bath. She didn't last two seconds awake after her head hit the pillow. Aziraphale didn't sleep that night. He simply tucked her in and watched his partner and their child as they slept. Guarding them, both in the real world and in their dreams.

To Aziraphale's utter shock, Robyn didn't wake up until sunrise. According to everything they knew and read about babies, it'd be a very long time before a child would sleep through the night. And yet, their little offspring was still snoozing, as peaceful as ever. They looked so precious, Aziraphale's heart wanted to burst. His finger gently moved the hair out of the baby's eyes. They moved and made a noise in their sleep. 

The angel let out a small chuckle. "I wonder what you're dreaming of. You haven't even seen the world yet. At most, maybe you focused on our faces." He whispered. 

"Hope they're not thinking 'oh crap, not these two!' " Mumbled the demon, her face still practically fused to her pillow, eyes shut.

The blond was delighted to hear her groggy voice. Aziraphale lied down to face her, combing some stray hairs behind her ear. "Hello, darling. How are you feeling?"

She opened her eyes at the touch. "Like I pushed out bowling ball." She groaned.

Aziraphale cooed. "You basically did, dear. Frankly, I'm surprised you're awake." 

"What time is it?" 

"I think it's about 3:00 in the afternoon, judging by the sunlight." Replied her husband.

She blinked at him. "By the sunlight? Angel, are you telling me you haven't left our side since I fell sleep?" 

"Why would I?" 

"You could've slept, y'know?" She said, poking his rosy cheek.

He shrugged. "I suppose I was just too excited. I've barely taken my eyes off them."

"And the times you did?"

"I was looking at you." Said Aziraphale, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

She leaned in and kissed him sweetly. "You are so ridiculous. And I love you for it. Have they fussed around much? Should we be worried they haven't cried yet?"

The angel climbed out of bed and reached into the bassinet. Gentle as anything, he picked up Robyn. They immediately woke up and started wiggling in his arms. They gripped one of the principality's fingers as well. Crowley used all her energy to sit up while that tiny interaction happened. Aziraphale finally came around to her side of the bed and placed Robyn in her arms. The baby let out a squeak and their tiny hand squeezed at Crowley's clavicle. 

Aziraphale placed a hand on their back and used a small miracle to sense how their body worked. From what he could tell, Robyn seemed to have functioning circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems. Their skeletal system seemed to be complete, with the addition of their little wings. As for their digestive system, they only appeared to have half, ending at the stomach. He found that interesting and wondered if he simply missed it because of his angle. Whatever the case, Robyn seemed to be very cozy against their mother's chest. Crowley held them close, pressing many kisses on their head.

"Angel, I think I'm gonna end up being one of those overprotective mothers. I don't wanna let them go..." She said softly. 

The blond shrugged. "No one says you have to right now. Let's just make sure they don't have a growth spurt while they're in your arms. I'm sure they'll need room to stretch."

Crowley rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, very funny." She said, flatly.

"Thank you, I try." Smirked Aziraphale.

"Seriously though, you'll make sure I don't end up being the overbearingly annoying kinda parent, right?"

The angel kissed her cheek. "Of course, dear. Now tell me, is there anything you need?"

"Maybe something to munch on. I'm not really hungry, but I figure food might help get some of my energy back."

"Anything you might prefer in particular?"

She shrugged a bit. "Fruit, if we have any." 

"Right away, dearest." Said the angel. And he meant that literally, because he snapped his fingers and a plate full of peach slices appeared in his hand. He then hand-fed Crowley so the demon wouldn't have to let go of Robyn.

They were silent for a long time. It wasn't awkward or even uncomfortable. It was peaceful as anything. Plate now discarded, Aziraphale took Crowley into his arms and held her close. His hands landed over her womb and he tried to heal her a bit more. She winced at first, but it seemed to help a little. 

"How do humans deal with the pain without ethereal intervention? I can't imagine going through this without you."

"They're a resilient species. Able to withstand and overcome almost anything... They also have drugs, so..."

Crowley chuckled. "There's no way their drugs are as powerful as your healing and it's still killing me. Could've never done it like Eve..."

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit, love." Said the angel sweetly. So sweet, in fact, that the demon didn't bother arguing. Had it not been for Robyn's fussing and stretching, Crowley was sure Aziraphale wouldn't have gotten distracted and would've gone on a long lecture, pointing out all the reasons he thinks she's so strong. Saved by the bell indeed.

~~~~~

Two weeks after being born, the pair started noticing a few things about Robyn. They would get hungry and eat, but they had Crowley's snake attributes of not needing to eat as much as a human baby would. Though, it was clear they were also Aziraphale's child because they clearly savored the meal every time, which both parents found funny. They'd usually eat once a day out of necessity, then sleep for a very long time. It worried them the first few days, but after constantly checking their body and aura (with Anathema's help), they realized this was normal for their baby. While Robyn didn't require changing because of their non-human digestive system, they did have a reason for constant crying, not hunger related: crooked feathers. Any bent or loose feathers would cause them pain or discomfort. Either Crowley or Aziraphale would massage or preen their tiny wings until they were comfortable again. 

It's during one of these preening sessions in the garden, catching some early morning rays, that Aziraphale realized something else supernatural about their baby. Whenever Robyn giggled as one of their parents took care of their feathers, the little halo mark in between their wings would light up like a rainbow. This shocked the angel and the gasp that left his mouth made Crowley jump from her lounging position on a lawn chair. She nearly fell off said chair, considering she was almost asleep when she heard the gasp and her body reacted on its own. Aziraphale made sure to calm her down by holding up Robyn, who was cooing cheerfully.

"We're all fine, darling. Nothing's wrong." He said in his gentle voice. You'd think Robyn was agreeing with their father because they did a little squeak after he spoke. 

The demon breathed a sigh of relief. "Why the fuck did you gasp, then?" 

The blond grinned and made his way over to the lawn chair. He placed Robyn on her lap and started tickling their wings. When the halo mark lit up, Crowley screamed and cooed, immediately scooped them up in her arms, hugging them close. "Why didn't you tell me they could do this?!" She asked her husband, as if he hadn't found out a few moments ago himself. 

"Isn't it the most precious thing?!"

"It's fucking adorable!" She screamed before kissing the baby's temple and softly apologizing for said scream.

Luckily, Aziraphale had done a small miracle to protect the little one's hearing before the demonstration, as he knew loud exclamations were a very likely reaction from Crowley. They cooed over them for a while, the demon took many pictures and videos, then they eventually went into the cottage for breakfast. 

~~~~~

When Robyn reached three months old, their parents had quite the scare when they went to check in on them during nap time. The crib was empty. Aziraphale was about to use his powers to sense where their child had been taken to, only to have Crowley's random, almost maniacal laughter stop him.

The angel looked confused and angry. "Darling, I don't see what's funny about someone abducting our child!"

The redhead's eyes darted up, still grinning. When Aziraphale looked up, he saw why Crowley hadn't panicked as much as he had. Robyn was sleeping soundly against the ceiling. It was clear they had been sleeping on their stomach with the blanket over their back when they floated up there, because said blanket was now pinned between the ceiling and their body. The principality was still in shock, until a tiny string of drool hit him right between the eyes. Crowley broke into laughter yet again, which woke up Robyn. They squealed happily when they saw their parents looking up at them, even making grabby-hands towards them. 

Crowley floated to the ceiling, grabbed Robyn and came back down in one smooth motion. She quickly examined the state of their pajamas. 

"Wings are fine, still tucked in and pj's intact. Kid must levitate while they dream." She said. 

Aziraphale cooed. "Is that it, darling? You want to float around the clouds like your mommy and daddy used to?"

"Sounds like something natural, right? For an angel-demon hybrid, anyway... Guess we have to baby-proof the house sooner than expected." 

"How does one baby-proof for a child who won't follow the laws of physics?" Wondered the principality.

Crowley shrugged. "Put padding on everything, regardless of height. We might need to get one of those child leashes to get them down, keep them from sticking to the ceilings all the time like a helium balloon." 

Aziraphale chuckled and took Robyn in his arms. "Can't have you getting stuck in the rafters, now can we?" He said before kissing the baby's nose.

After some more coddling, the pair did many small miracles around the cottage. Nothing looked like it had padding, but an invisible forcefield covered all the furniture. Now, if Robyn bumped into anything, they wouldn't hurt themselves. At most, it'd feel like they were bumping into bubble wrap. The forcefields didn't really effect Crowley or Aziraphale, to them, all the furniture felt the same as before. Once Robyn was old enough, they would get rid of those miracles and start teaching them about how to interact with objects that weren't their toys.

~~~~~

On most days, Robyn was a very calm baby. However, today was not like most days. It was their first birthday and their parents were making quite the fuss about it. They decorated, they cooked and invited many guests. More than Robyn had ever seen at one time.

There was Anathema and Newt, which at this point, might as well be considered Robyn's godparents, since they came by every few weeks for a visit. The Them had been invited after Crowley randomly ran into Adam a week before the party. The kids had convinced their parents into taking a group vacation to the South Downs, which was the only reason they were even in the area at the time. The demon quickly felt it was too much of a coincidence, but really, if Adam was gonna be a threat of any kind, it would've happened that day at Tadfield's airfield. Speaking of Tadfield airfield, someone else who had been there and also invited to the party was Madame Tracy.

She left Shadwell at home because he wasn't sure he'd be too comfortable around a 'half demon spawn'. By that, he meant, he knew he'd say the wrong thing at some point and, since it was in reference to their child, he'd likely get smote by either Crowley, Aziraphale or both simultaneously. Everyone agreed it'd be for the best if Robyn only got to interact with him when they were old enough to control their abilities more. Sometimes spitting hellfire while sneezing or suddenly flying around the room might give the old man a heart attack, after all. And this was supposed to be a happy occasion. Thankfully, if we were judging it by Robyn's reactions alone, it definitely was.

The cheery music and bright decorations had the baby squealing with delight for many hours. They also seemed to be very intrigued by all the new faces. They were especially attached to Adam, always beaming when the young lad passed by or gave them attention. Robyn even tried flying after him at one point. Everyone found it quite funny and adorable. 

"Should I be concerned that my child seems to have a crush on the Antichrist?" Asked Crowley, as she came back out to the garden with a large plate of finger sandwiches. 

All the adults laughed and Madame Tracy placed a gentle hand on the redhead's shoulder. "Don't worry, love. I'm sure it's just them being drawn to someone else who feels more supernatural. Familiar, if you will. I wasn't very good at my psychic gig, but I could feel some things. I'm sure your little dove can sense that sorta thing from a mile away."

Aziraphale nodded and smiled. "Oh, they can. It's the most precious thing, when Crowley's gone into town to get something and they feel Crowley's presence when she's about 2 minutes from the cottage again."

"It really is. One time, Newt and I were babysitting and sweet Robyn literally flew towards the front window and pressed their face to the glass when they felt their parents were almost home again. If they had a tail, it would've been wagging like crazy."

"Actually, their wings kinda do that. They get extra flappy when their happy or excited. Like right now." Said Newt, pointing at Robyn.

They all looked at the kids and saw the little hybrid chasing The Them around the garden again. When Brian tripped and fell, Robyn took this as their chance. They dove onto him and started pulling at his hair, giggling all the while. Everyone but Brian thought it was funny. Crowley quickly went to separate the two. 

"Sorry about that, kid. They've recently noticed people make silly faces when you pull on their hair." Case in point, Robyn was reaching for Crowley's hair right now. She snapped her fingers and her long hair was miracle'd into a neat bun atop her head. The child whined, thwarted by the scrunchie. Crowley laughed at Robyn's annoyed expression. Another snap made the song change to something more upbeat. The baby's face lit up again and Crowley started dancing with them. The happy squeals from Robyn were adorable, which caused everyone else to start filming the dancing duo. It soon turned into a dancing trio, because Aziraphale couldn't resist joining them. 

After a few more hours of fun, all their guests sang happy birthday to Robyn, watched as their big green eyes went wide when they first tasted cake, then wondered how on earth their parents were going to get them to bed. The next day they found out that Robyn's energy had died down around 3 a.m., while Crowley and Aziraphale's had been drained by midnight. The angel sent photos of both Crowley and Robyn sleeping against the ceiling. This lead to many questions from their friends. The principality was very amused by their confusion and curiosity.

~~~~~

After Robyn started getting a little bigger, almost 2 years old now, Crowley decided some more exercise would be a good way to tire out the energetic little babe. Flying didn't seem to tire them much, just their wings. Swimming on the other hand, worked like a charm. That was how their nocturnal swimming lessons became a thing. It was usually the two of them, since Aziraphale didn't like the beach that much during the nighttime. 

Had he tagged along to more of them, however, he might've caught something before it got out of hand. You see, Robyn's growth hadn't only lead to them being more energetic. They were more vocal. Not quite talking yet, but both parents were sure it would happen sooner rather than later. Them being more noisy and the fact that their green eyes glowed in the dark, lead to a funny misunderstanding. 

Some local children, from the town 20 minutes away from their cottage, had been in the area one night and saw Robyn. Well, they saw glowing green eyes in the darkness and heard wings flapping, along with some unnatural squealing and grunting. They were all convinced they had encountered a cryptid of some kind. One night, Crowley overheard their excited and frightened yelling from a nearby cliff. Amused by this, she decided to play along a little. 

Some nights, she would miracle a force field around them, so the children wouldn't see or hear them. Other nights, she'd do nothing, so they could get some shaky cam footage from very far away. Since they always sounded terrified, she knew they'd never venture closer. And even if they did, she'd take care of it. It lasted a few months, and both mother and child had been having a blast. Until Aziraphale found out.

It could've been avoided, had the demon not left his laptop on the kitchen table with a YouTube video from one of those local kids while she raided the refrigerator. They were screaming excitedly about seeing a green flash. Aziraphale entered the kitchen just as said 'flash' was in focus again. He blinked and got closer to the screen. If the eyes weren't enough, the noises were a dead giveaway. But it was a specific comment that got him upset. 

"Anthony J. Crowley!" He yelled, which caused Crowley to drop everything and she went rigid. 

"Why is our child being called 'the Devil's Dyke Ghoul' on the internet?! And why did you leave a comment saying you've seen the ghoul too?!" His voice boomed.

She put her hands up. "Angel, calm down, it's- it's just a joke!"

"A joke? How is this supposed to be funny?!"

"Aziraphale, calm down-"

He glared at her. "Say that again and you'll be sleeping on the couch for the next millennium." 

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It just seemed like a bit of chaotic fun. Even Robyn thought it was funny to scare those kids! You should've seen their face, it was precious!" She gushed.

"I don't care how cute you thought it was, these random people online are calling my child a monster!... I can't stand the thought of anyone saying anything horrible about my baby bird..." His tone had gone from furious to a more somber one. Crowley could tell he was still angry, but now he looked sad as well. 

She shut the laptop and pulled out a chair, gesturing for her husband to take a seat. When he did, she sat across from him. She grabbed his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. This made him look up. They locked eyes. 

"I'm sorry. I really didn't think it was a big deal, but clearly, this struck a nerve. Will you tell me why?" She asked, softly.

Aziraphale sighed. "I suppose I'm just having flashbacks to how the other angels treated me..." 

"I wish you would've told me about that." She almost sounded hurt when she said it.

The angel squeezed her hand this time. "Oh please, darling. You wouldn't have been able to do anything about it."

"Doesn't matter. Finding out from your mouth would've been better than finding out while I was at your trial... Must've been lonely. More than usual, I mean." 

"It was, mostly. When you weren't around, of course. You were always the only one who I could be myself with. Still are." 

"Always will be." She said. As if on cue, they heard the distinct sound of wings flapping their way. Soon enough, Robyn came zooming into the kitchen. They crash landed against Aziraphale's chest, then sat on his lap, giggling. They had the sweetest smile on their face when they looked up at their father. This melted the angel's heart.

"And so will Robyn. Also: I told you they could open doors already!" Said Crowley. 

The principality hugged them and kissed their forehead. "My beautiful baby bird." 

Considering Aziraphale's reaction to the whole cryptid thing, their conversation and the sweet scene unfolding in front of her, Crowley was willing to let it go. Even if it had been a nice bit of silly fun. If it was going to remind her husband of something negative, it simply wasn't worth it.

"Y'know angel, if you want, I can make a balloon or something for those kids to find. They'll think it was a hoax, move on and our kid won't be the local monster anymore. Unless they want to be, when they grow up. Then it'll have to be discussed."

The blond smiled. "Thank you, my dear."

"Don't mention it, angel. You wanna help us out with our final 'supernatural sighting'? Could be fun." 

He seemed to think it over for a moment, eventually agreeing. 

The following evening, the three of them were off. The plan was simple. Have their usual swimming lesson with no miracle to shield them. Then, after they hear the kids causing a commotion by the cliffs, send Aziraphale over with the explanation. They settled for a toy being the reason for the glowing eyes. Before that though, the angel had to admit, it was a nice outing. They chatted for a while, until they heard the kids at their usual filming spot.

Crowley snapped her fingers and produced a toy in Aziraphale's hands. It was a dragon, about the same size as Robyn, black with big wings and glowing green eyes. Another quick miracle made sure to hide Crowley and Robyn's eyes. They made sure to tuck in the baby's wings into their clothes, before letting the toy drift away from them. The wind picked up, making the toy go faster and they heard the kids freaking out because the 'ghoul' was getting closer. 

When they got close enough to it, the family approached them, thanking them for rescuing their 'daughter's' favorite toy. They casually mentioned the fact that they'd swim here on a nightly basis and that Robyn loved that toy dearly. Either parent would throw it up in the air and catch it, because she found it funny when it's wings flapped in the breeze. The kids were very obviously disappointed to find out their cryptid was just a case of misidentification, but they weren't rude about it. They all went back home.

With that, the group posted about how the ghoul turned out to be a toy and all the online chatter died down. Aziraphale was pleased. Even if he was sure something like this would happen again. And he'd be correct. It happened again a few years later, when Robyn learned they could shapeshift into snake form. Robyn's demonic side was just as mischievous as their birth parent's. Not to mention, the second time around, it was Robyn who convinced Crowley into it. Oh yes, Aziraphale certainly had his hands full with these two and he wouldn't have it any other way.