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"Shax, I request permission to go to Earth and use a 30-minute miracle blocker."
On her throne, the Duke of Hell crossed her legs and, leaning forward slightly, she asked, squinting her eyes, "Are we up to no good? That would be perfect, actually."
Furfur rubbed his hands together and conspiratorially replied, "Well, since that traitorous demon Crowley doesn't remember who I am, I thought it might be a good idea to show him by disrupting his quiet little life a bit."
Shax asked in a suave voice, "Would that mean disrupting his emotional support's life as well?"
Furfur licked his lips with relish before answering, "Absolutely."
Shax's smile turned carnivorous as she replied, "Permission granted."
Furfur thanked her with a nod and left the room, a mischievous smile on his lips. Crowley and the angel Azira-thing would regret making a fool of him. All he had to do was hide near the bookshop and wait.
*********
Aziraphale got out of the Bentley and said in a satisfied tone, "Well, that was scrumptious again."
Crowley circled the car and joined him, chuckling slightly, "Will you ever say anything else after a meal at the Ritz?"
They started toward the bookshop and Aziraphale nudged him on the shoulder, "If it's delicious, why would I say anything else?"
It was rare for the street to be so deserted despite the late hour, so Crowley took the opportunity to slide his hand down Aziraphale's arm to intertwine his fingers with the angel's, and thus they walked the few yards to the bookshop.
Aziraphale let go of the demon's hand long enough to open the door.
He put the key in the lock, but to his surprise, he couldn't turn it.
"Hm?"
He tried to open it, thinking - though it was unthinkable - that he might have forgotten to lock the door, but he couldn't open it either.
"What's going on, angel?"
Crowley had come closer and Aziraphale replied, "I can't open the door, it's like it's stuck.
"Shall I try a little magic?"
Crowley moved his hand slightly, but neither the door nor the key moved.
"Angel, you try it, it doesn't work for me."
Aziraphale tried the same to no avail.
Crowley frowned, "That reminds me..."
Aziraphale nodded and rolled his eyes, muttering, "Me too."
Crowley sighed, "Furfur..." he walked out into the street and after a few meters he realized that there was an invisible dome of protection all around the store up to the Bentley and that it was impossible to get through.
He shouted, "Idiot Furfur! What's your plan now that we're locked out?"
All he got was a thunderous noise and the rain began to pour down. He felt himself being pulled back.
"Come on, Crowley, let's get to safety in the Bentley."
Aziraphale had grabbed his hand and was leading him toward the Bentley. But just as they were about to open the car doors on both sides, they realized that they were locked as well, depriving them of the valuable shelter of the Bentley.
"Aaaarrrgh!" shouted Crowley.
Aziraphale replied, "Come on, let's at least take cover in the doorway of the shop."
They both ran to it and, clinging to the door as best they could, looked at each other, both soaking wet, and laughed.
Aziraphale asked, "What do we do now?"
Crowley replied, "We wait. Furfur probably used a miracle blocker, and those can't last more than half an hour. So at worst, we've got another twenty minutes to wait like this."
Aziraphale raised his hand, pushing back a soaked lock of red hair that fell across the demon's forehead, and asked with an amused smile, "Weren't you the one who told me about romantic love scenes in the rain?"
Crowley grumbled, "Mocking is easy..."
Aziraphale shook his head, "I'm not mocking, but I'm curious to see how it works now. Tell me about it."
Seeing the demon's puzzled expression, he added, "At least it'll help pass the time."
"Okay... " Crowley replied, "Let me tell you about one of my favorites. It's about a guy named Charles and his group of friends who seem to be down on their luck in love. And so Charles meets an American named Carrie at a wedding, and he thinks his luck may have run out. But after spending the night together, Carrie returns to the States, putting an end to what might have been. As Charles and Carrie's paths continue to cross - at a handful of weddings and a funeral - he comes to believe that they're meant to be together, even if the timing always seems wrong."
Aziraphale interrupted, "Reminds me of someone."
Crowley raised an eyebrow, "Really, angel? Anyway, at the end of the movie, just as he is about to get married, he changes his mind, and when he gets home, she is standing at his door in the rain. She's soaking wet, and even though he asks her to come in, she says she couldn't be wetter anyway, so he comes out. It's silly, but there you go. And then he declares his love for her."
Aziraphale asked softly, "And what does he say to her?"
Crowley told him gently, "That he stood at the altar and realized that the person he loved wasn't under the veil, but there, in front of him, in the rain."
Aziraphale murmured, "Promising..."
Crowley replied, "I know, right?"
"What next?"
"He told her he loved her from the first second he met her."
Aziraphale interjected again, "That reminds me of someone again."
Crowley chuckled, "This time I agree. Finally, they decide to go home, when suddenly he turns to her and says..."
Crowley took Aziraphale's face in his hands and continued quietly, "Let me ask you one thing. Do you think, after we've dried off, after we've spent lots more time together, you might agree not to marry me? And do you think not being married to me might be something you could consider for the rest of your life? Do you?"
Aziraphale gasped and said, "Gee, that's so romantic."
Crowley repeated, "Do you, Angel?"
Aziraphale smiled softly and replied, "While 'not marrying you' is debatable, I say yes as long as it means we are together for the rest of our lives."
Crowley smiled and leaned forward to press his lips to Aziraphale's. And despite the circumstances, nothing could have been more romantic than that moment.
As they parted to catch their breath, Aziraphale murmured, "Did you feel it?"
Crowley nodded, "Yes, I think the magic is back."
Aziraphale turned to the door and put the key in the lock. The key turned and the door opened.
The angel and the demon rushed inside, not noticing that the rain had also stopped and that people were walking in the streets again.
********
From the roof of the building opposite the bookstore, Furfur frowned, "What? The half hour isn't over yet!"
"You've seen it, Furfur, it's going to take a lot more than a few tricks to affect them."
Furfur grumbled in disgust.
Shax whispered in his ear, "But don't worry, our time will come and they won't know what hit them."
*********
Aziraphale and Crowley were dry now. But the feeling of dampness and the chill of the rain didn't go away so easily, so they sat together on the sofa, their knees covered with a plaid blanket and a glass of scotch in their hands.
After taking a sip, Aziraphale asked, "Do you think we should be worried?"
Crowley shook his head, "As Beelzebub said, they're understaffed at the moment, and besides, Shax has to get her authority accepted, so she can't allow this kind of frivolity so often."
He took another sip of scotch and then said with a mischievous smile on his lips, "Angel, you've seen how effective my romantic movies are, and what about me? Am I going to get a demonstration of Jane Austen's effectiveness?"
The angel wasn't one to turn down a challenge, so he put down his glass and turned to the demon.
"Since you didn't know that Jane Austen wrote books, you've probably never heard of Pride and Prejudice, have you?"
Crowley also put down his glass and replied, "Obviously."
Aziraphale nodded and continued, "Well, to make a long story short, Elizabeth Bennet lives with her mother, father and sisters in the English countryside. As the second child, she is under increasing pressure from her parents to marry. When she is introduced to the handsome, upper-class Mr. Darcy, sparks fly. Although the chemistry between the two is obvious, Darcy's overly reserved nature threatens their budding relationship. Anyway, there's a lot going on, so let's move on to my favorite scene and then I'll tell you about the movie, which I find so lovely."
Crowley watched in amusement as Aziraphale became as excited as the day he was preparing for the ball as the angel continued, "Mr. Darcy arrives and asks Elizabeth how she is, calling her 'my dear.' Elizabeth doesn't want him to call her that because that's what her father calls his mother when he's cross."
Crowley snorted and interrupted the angel's story, "It's not looking good for Mr. Darcy."
Aziraphale tapped him on the arm and said, "Don't interrupt me! And so Mr. Darcy asked her what endearments he might use, and Elizabeth replied, he shall call her Lizzie for every day. My Pearl for Sundays, and Goddess Divine - but only on special occasions. And here comes my favorite part, Mr. Darcy asks-"
Crowley interrupted, "And what shall I call you when I'm cross? Mr. Crowley?"
Aziraphale gasped, then exclaimed, "Crowley, don't tell me you've seen the movie?"
Crowley raised an eyebrow and replied, "Well, after hearing you praise Jane's writing talents, I had to do some educating, but not being in the mood to read, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are several movies. So what do you think? Shall I call you Mr. Crowley on the days I'm cross?"
The angel's face softened as he shook his head, "Oh, no. You can only call me Mr. Crowley when you are entirely and perfectly and incandescently happy."
Crowley took the angel's face in his hands and asked, "And how are you this evening, Mr. Crowley?"
Aziraphale smiled and Crowley murmured, "Mr. Crowley," then pressed a kiss to one of his eyelids.
Aziraphale laughed softly.
Crowley whispered again, "Mr. Crowley," and he kissed the angel's forehead. He went on and on until he had kissed every part of Aziraphale's face.
When he was finished, Aziraphale, his eyes shining, asked him, "So who's better, Richard Curtis or Jane Austen?"
Crowley took both their glasses and gave Aziraphale his, then raised his glass and said, "Let's call it a draw."
Aziraphale nodded and moved his glass closer to the demon's and said quietly, "To happy endings."
Crowley replied, "Or rather, to happy beginnings," clinking his glass with Aziraphale's.
Aziraphale nodded as he took a sip.
Crowley was right.
This was just the beginning, and this was happy.