Archive of Our Own

Aziraphale Zarah Fell and Anthony Jay Crowley had been married for five years, and together for seven. They had always wanted to have a family of their own. For the longest time, they had assumed it was never going to happen. And then, of course, their whole world turned upside-down. They say God's timing is perfect. Crowley disagreed.

Not to say he wasn't happy, he was ecstatic! It's just that Aziraphale hadn't had the easiest time when they were first trying to get pregnant, over four years ago. 

Thanks to this, Crowley wished it had happened sooner for them. Just so she hadn't gone through so many false alarms and the surgery. Since Aziraphale had several uterine fibroids, she had difficulty conceiving. After a year of trying, to no success, Aziraphale finally decided to start treatment through medication. When that didn't work to get rid of them, her doctor recommended having a laparoscopic myomectomy.

Neither her, nor Crowley were thrilled about it, but the doctor and the other consulted specialists agreed. The surgery would be their best bet to conceive in the future. Although the incisions were smaller than with other procedures, her recovery process was slower than expected. And even after the standard wait-time for post-surgery relations, nothing stuck. No matter how much they tried. It really took the wind out of their sails. They had just assumed it was never going to happen for them.

Until today, that is.

~~~~~

Crowley was currently both a house husband and he worked from home as an interior designer for an architectural firm. Two departments handled the actual architecture of the commissioned buildings, while the his group dealt with the interior designs. Back when Aziraphale was recovering from her surgery, Crowley had argued with his bosses about paid time off and working from home. He had brought it up to them because she wasn't recovering as expected and he didn't want to leave her side. They weren't very understanding.

First, they hadn't wanted him to work remote, insisting the clients needed to meet all the designers in person, to look over the spaces. Crowley had then said he'd use up his sick and vacation days. They didn't want that either, because he wasn't the one who was sick. Crowley then threatened to quit. They didn't take him seriously. 

Angry as anything, he decided he would do whatever the hell he wanted and let the chips fall where they may. His wife needed him, both physically and for emotional support. So, he worked from home without their permission for several weeks. The rest of Crowley's team thought he did an excellent job, even if he wasn't on location. The clients also agreed with this sentiment. Because of this support (and the rest of the interior design team threatening to walk out if management got rid of him) Crowley was granted full-time remote work. 

Thankfully Aziraphale hadn't had any issue whatsoever at her job, back when she had needed the time off post-surgery.

~~~~~

Aziraphale worked in 'Agnes Nutter's Caramel Cauldron', a local bakery. She was mainly in charge of the special orders. This included custom cakes or pastry party platters. Anathema Device, despite the name of the establishment, was the owner. Agnes Nutter was her grandmother and the main reason she got into baking in the first place. She and Aziraphale had been best friends since they were teenagers.

After going to culinary school together and specializing in pastry making, Anathema was able open up her own business. This was how she met her now husband, Newton Pulsifer, who was hired to work the front register. He was a bit of a klutz in the kitchen, so he wasn't allowed back there when there were a lot of orders going on. The three of them ran the bakery like a dream. And whenever one of them was off their game, the other two immediately caught on. 

This was how Aziraphale was essentially forced to go to urgent care, with Anathema by her side. She had felt ill for about two days, constantly dizzy and queasy. This would happen almost every time Mother Nature came along for her monthly visits, so she ignored it as best as she could. But Anathema knew this was different. Had this been the reason for her recent bout of dizziness, surely Aziraphale would be extremely irritable by now. The fact that she wasn't, set off alarms in the baker's head.

The urgent care physician ran several tests. After a few hours, the results were in. There was no doubt that she was pregnant. They had even run a confirmation test, in case the doctor wanted to do any other studies. Aziraphale was suddenly nauseous for a completely different reason. She was grateful she hadn't gotten the news alone.

But she now felt guilty. If only she had just listened to Anathema. She had insisted, all morning in fact, on calling Crowley to take her to urgent care. Aziraphale had refused. She had said it was nothing. Suddenly, that "nothing" was a very big "something".

Aziraphale's disbelief and excitement were too much to bear. She thanked God that Anathema was there to drive her home. And that she stayed when Aziraphale told Crowley the news. And that Anathema was fast enough to catch Crowley once he fainted over the news. Had she not reacted quickly, he would have fallen face-first onto the floor. They got him onto the couch safely and Anathema left after congratulating them one last time, once she knew they were both fine.

That first night had been interesting, to say the least. After regaining consciousness, Crowley hadn't been able to stop smiling. Or crying. Neither had Aziraphale. 

"Don't tell the kid I passed out." He said suddenly, breaking the elated silence they had fallen into.

Aziraphale snorted. "Really, my dear? That's your main concern?" 

"A little."

"You should be more concerned about Anathema witnessing it and catching you. She'll never let you live it down." 

Crowley cringed a bit at the realization. "Oh, come on! I was shocked! Can't blame me for that!"

"Of course not, dearest. I nearly threw up all over the doctor's shoes when he told me." She admitted, embarrassed.

Crowley hummed. "Not shocking. Your anxiety always makes you vomit. Kinda cruel for a foodie."

Aziraphale chuckled. "I'd have to agree... I'm still having a hard time believing it..." 

"Same here... I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up." His hand found its way onto Aziraphale's womb.

Aziraphale smiled at him, eyes tearing up yet again. "We're going to be parents!" She whisper-shouted, practically vibrating with excitement.

"We're gonna be parents!" Replied Crowley with the same enthusiasm, kissing his wife.

~~~~~

Aziraphale's first consistent pregnancy symptom (besides the bouts of dizziness and nausea), was an overly sensitive sense of smell, around the end of her first month. Before all this, she didn't really think too much about all the smells she might encounter on a regular basis. Unless it was when she was making something particularly scrumptious at work. Now, on some days, she'd wake up gagging because of whatever Crowley was making in the kitchen. Others, she couldn't even stand the smell of his shampoo and would insist he wear one of her hair bonnets to bed.

Today, Crowley had woken up with his face snuggled into Aziraphale's neck. Upon noticing this, he did what was natural. He started kissing her. It seemed to tickle her, at first. A small giggle left her lips. She felt him smile against her throat.

"Morning, angel." He said softly.

Then, he felt her gag. Morning breath. Before the pregnancy, she'd simply complain to him and they'd both brush their teeth early in the morning. With a sigh, the scrawny man slinked out of bed, reached around for the small waste bin next to the vanity mirror and handed it to her. He heard her throw up into it as he went into the bathroom. He came back with a little cup of water, with a bit of mouthwash and gave it to her, then proceeded to go brush his own teeth. After that, he came over with some tissues. 

The smell of the mouthwash would sometimes ease the queasiness or block out whatever smell had caused the nausea in the first place. She rinsed her mouth as throughly as she could, then spat into the bagged bin. She wiped her mouth with a groan. "Thank you, darling." 

"You're welcome. Can I kiss my wife now?"

She made a face. "But I just threw up." 

He rolled his eyes and planted a kiss on her forehead. "I know. Mouthwash gives you a grace period of, about, 10 seconds." He said before giving her a quick peck on the lips. 

"How'd you sleep?" He asked.

"Alright, I suppose. A bit sore. Not sure how I was lying down for most of the night." 

"A bit twisted, with one of your knees on my back. Think I might get you some cushioned knee pads or something." 

She looked incredibly guilty. "Oh dearest, I'm so sorry." 

He shrugged and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then on her temple. "It's fine. I'll look into getting you one of those pregnancy pillows. Think that'll keep me safe from your blade-like knees." He said with a grin.

Aziraphale pouted. "Rude."

"So, what do you want for breakfast?" 

"Ugh, I have no idea."

"Not hungry?"

"No, not that. I'm dreading the nausea I'll feel once you start cooking. I'd actually like a cheese omelet."

To try avoiding another instance of vomiting so early in the morning, Crowley suggested Aziraphale lock herself in the bathroom while she showered. This way, the only thing she'd be able to smell would be her favorite pear scented body wash. This would give him time to make breakfast and air out the kitchen. At least, air it out enough, so she actually stood a chance at eating and keeping her food down before going to work. 

Thankfully, it worked out well. She ate and got ready for work with no additional gagging incidents. Before leaving the house, that is. Once she got to the bakery, it was a different story. She and the smell of the banana cream filling were not friends today. She was grateful only one custom cake had asked for that kind of filling today.

Anathema gave her a small vial filled with rose water, to sniff whenever she felt particularly queasy. This was how Aziraphale ended up with several vials in her purse. All different scents that seemed to put her gag reflex at ease. For now, at least. There was no telling which smell might end up turning against her by the end of the week.

~~~~~

A few more weeks passed, both Aziraphale and Crowley had gotten a better handle on her hypersensitive nose and her morning sickness. There were still several days where it would bother her a great deal, but better than when it first started happening. It had gone by very slowly, but progress was progress. Much to her dismay, however, there was a new problem. Cravings.

Or rather, the inconvenience of cravings. Because whenever she was the most comfortable or busy, she'd get a strange craving of some sort. This annoyed her incredibly. And she was certain it annoyed her husband too, when she would ask him to fetch the snack. Or rather, snacks, because it was usually more than just one thing.

For example: Just two nights ago, around midnight, she was craving breakfast sausage, bacon and pineapple. Despite the time, Crowley had no problem with frying up some bacon and sausage for her. Hell, he'd have some too. The problem would be the pineapple, since they didn't have any and no grocery stores were open. Thankfully, he found some pineapple snack cups at the 24 hour pharmacy nearby. Better than nothing. 

Last night's craving had been white rice with pickle juice and onions. Crowley had been concerned the smell would churn her stomach. Thankfully, her stomach reacted just fine. Both in terms of nausea and heartburn. A week or so ago, she had overdone it with her double fried cheese balls and was losing the battle with acid reflux for the majority of her day. 

Today's craving, funnily enough, was banana cream filled cupcakes and beef jerky. Anathema made her a dozen cupcakes, while Newton fetched her a packet of jerky from the gas station down the road. Crowley laughed when she came home from work with the box and there were only three cupcakes left, along with an empty beef jerky packet. If Aziraphale was being honest with herself, she was surprised she managed to leave any cupcakes for Crowley. She had gotten stuck in traffic after work. When she had left the bakery, there were still six cupcakes left. Crowley made sure to taste at least one while she showered. He knew they wouldn't last much longer in that box.

Crowley had taken to cooking more often since they found out Aziraphale was pregnant. He wanted Aziraphale to eat as healthy as possible during the pregnancy. At least when she wasn't snacking or listening to her cravings too much. Easier said than done. Especially since Aziraphale was used to having nightly snacks after dinner. They'd actually had a small argument over that one night.

"Angel, you've got to eat something!"

"I am."

"I meant food. Cake isn't a proper meal, you can't just have that and call it dinner!"

"It can be quite filling if I eat more than one slice."

"You can't do that anymore, Aziraphale! You're eating for two!" 

"Well, the baby likes it too!" 

Luckily there was no real anger in said argument and they almost immediately started laughing about it. 

In terms of proper meals, Crowley was being the best husband he could be. He was following a pregnancy diet chart from her doctor on a daily basis. Aziraphale was grateful for it. It meant she didn't have to be in the kitchen at home, as well as work. And, thankfully, Crowley was a magnificent cook. 

~~~~~

About a month later, heartburn was the main issue. From the moment Aziraphale woke up, the burning sensation was killing her. Well, technically speaking, it was the burning which woke her up. It was especially horrid when it was that sensation, as well as vomiting. She spent serval nights trying to sleep sitting up straight. Crowley made sure to prop her up with as many pillows as possible, to try making her somewhat comfortable. He also looked into many natural remedies like specific teas, to help subdue the symptoms.

~~~~~

By the time Aziraphale was 6 months along, she had started to show. It had made her unexpectedly giddy. Genetically speaking, she had assumed there wouldn't be much of a bump, since her mother and grandmother hadn't shown very much when they were pregnant. In fact, she had convinced herself that she wasn't going to show at all. So naturally, Crowley noticing the changes in her body delighted her.

His hand always landed over her womb when they cuddled at night, so it was only natural that he noticed. While they slept one night, Crowley felt a thump against the palm of his hand. Their baby had kicked his hand! He wondered if he should wake her up to tell her, or if he should just let her rest. It didn't really matter. Crowley was practically vibrating with excitement. Excitement she immediately shared once he told her what had happened. It might have also brought on some more kicks from the wee thing.

~~~~~

Nina and Maggie Campbell were two of Crowley's closest friends. The trio had been friends since elementary school, Crowley had even been the best man at their wedding. Naturally, from the moment they found out Crowley and Aziraphale were having a baby, they had been sending care packages and gifts for the unborn darling. The wives had already sent so much stuff, that Aziraphale didn't really believe them when they showed up one Saturday afternoon to take her shopping for nursery furniture. 

Crowley and Aziraphale had initially refused to let them pay for the crib and other furniture for the baby. After some mild, not at all angry, bickering between Crowley and Nina, a compromise was reached. Crowley and Aziraphale would let them pay for the crib and only the crib. It was their baby after all. Just because Maggie and Nina were one of the chosen pairs to be the baby's godparents, didn't mean they had to spend so much money on their behalf. Especially when they could afford everything themselves.

But, as usual, Nina had her way with Crowley. Like an older sister who bosses around her baby brother. Except they'd complain to their wives (and some times each other's), instead of their mother. This time, Crowley hadn't put up too much of a fight anyway, since he'd be stuck working. The three ladies left for the local shopping center around 2:00 PM and came back at nearly midnight. 

The trio had initially gone to buy the furniture, but were immediately distracted by Aziraphale's cravings upon entering the center via the food court. After plenty of snacking, they passed by several stores which had baby clothing. The cuteness immediately had all three of them sidetracked. Although, Aziraphale put off buying any clothes because she wanted to know the sex of the baby before getting any specifics. She did, however, buy a cute, pastel yellow and green duck themed set of sheets for the crib. And a few stuffed animals. It was a little family of duck plushies, each one was slightly smaller than the next. Two of them were a pastel shade of yellow with orange beaks and feet, the other two were white with yellow beaks and feet.

It took much longer than any of them would have expected, but they eventually found a set of nursery furniture that Aziraphale fell in love with. After ironing out the delivery details with the store staff, the three of them left. The moment Aziraphale got into Maggie's van, the exhaustion from the entire afternoon came over her. She hadn't really felt it during the day, probably due to all the excitement. Now her back and feet ached more than anything and she started dozing off in the backseat. 

She awoke when they finally made it back to her house. She was very confused as to why Anathema and Newton's car was in front of the cottage. Adding to the confusion was the front door, since it was open. Although, the screen door was locked. Upon calling out, Anathema came and let them in. 

When the three women walked in, they were hit with the smell of drying paint. Immediately, Aziraphale knew what was going on. Had she not been so tired, she would have run towards the nursery. But since she was exhausted, she simply power walked there. She let out a small gasp when she made it to the room.

There was, thankfully, a tarp on the floor for all the paint that had splattered about the place. And Crowley and Newton, who looked like a couple of kindergarteners who had gotten into the paint. The room had been a plain shade of eggshell when she had left that afternoon. Now, the lower half of the walls were a grassy green, minus two rather large blue circles, which she was sure were meant to be duck ponds. The top half of the room was a soft, sky blue. Just as the wall went from green from blue there was a stencil across the entire room with an outline in the shape of rubber ducks. Most of them were already painted yellow, only the left wall was still missing the ducks.

The room's window had been opened and there were two fans plugged in on their highest setting to help dry everything faster. Even dryer than the paint on the walls, was the paint on Newton and Crowley's hair. It was clear the men had done the more broad side of the painting, while Anathema handled the details. Like drawing blades of grass all throughout the green part of the walls, drawing curves to look like hills right where the wall turned blue. And the ducks and clouds, of course. 

It was now apparent to Aziraphale that they had spent the whole day in the mall as a distraction. This way Crowley, Anathema and Newton could get this done while she was out with Maggie and Nina, in order to surprise her. She scolded all four godparents and her husband for the sneaky little stunt. Though, she was crying tears of joy, so no one felt particularly in trouble. She grabbed Crowley and hugged him as tight as she could, not caring if she got paint all over herself. (She did.)

Maggie and Nina helped Anathema with the last row of ducks so they could let the happy couple get some sleep. Once the godparents left, Aziraphale stood at the entrance of the nursery, her face hurting from all the smiling she had done since getting home. Crowley joined her after spending a lot longer than he would have wanted in the shower, getting all the paint off. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. He kissed her cheek. 

"Still happy we went with the duck stencil?" 

"Yes, it looks very cute." 

"Yeah. Thank God for Anathema's steady hand. Lord knows what it would have looked like if me or Newt tried painting them. Even with the bloody stencil!" 

"I don't want to imagine." 

"They probably would have looked like melted Peeps marshmallows." 

Aziraphale snorted at that. Crowley gave her another kiss, then noticed a bag out of the corner of his eye, right next to the door. 

"What'd you get? Thought everything was gonna get delivered." 

Aziraphale bent down, grabbed the bag and handed it over. Crowley smiled looking at the duck plushies and sheets. 

"Cute. I hope he likes ducks. Be funny if he doesn't, eh?"

"Oh, I truly hope not. Especially since Anathema worked so hard on them. And Maggie and Nina too, at the end." She said, fretting.

"I'm only joking, angel. Come on, let's go to bed."

He said before putting the bag down and walking over to the window to close it. They left the nursery basically leaning onto one another all the way back to their bedroom. Only when they got into bed did Aziraphale address something she had noticed. 

"You referred to the baby as a boy earlier... Is that what you're hoping for?" She asked, barely a whisper. They had never really talked about it. Even when they had first started trying to conceive. 

Crowley was hugging her from behind. He hadn't registered that actually coming out of his mouth. After a few moments of silence, she felt his nose rubbing against the back of her neck, because he had shaken his head. "Nah. Not really... Just a feeling I'll get, every once in a while. I don't know, it's strange... Don't really care what they are. Just want them happy and healthy." 

Aziraphale melted further into her husband's hug. She pulled one of his hands towards her face and gave him a kiss. "Me too." 

~~~~~

Aziraphale's body ached. The extra weight she had gained due to the growing baby was causing her all kinds of joint and muscle pain. It was frustrating. And naturally, she wasn't going to take any medication for it, even if it was deemed as safe for the baby. This was why Crowley started running baths for her every night.

Those always did the trick. But tonight, something else was bothering her. Aziraphale sat in the tub, soaking in the warm water, like many other times. But this time, she was upset about something. And she had no idea why.

"What's wrong, angel? Do you need anything?" 

She shook her head. In terms of the bath, Crowley knew it was exactly as she liked, so it couldn't be that. Maybe it was mood swings hitting her at the same time as a craving.

"Want a hot chocolate?" 

She shook her head to indicate 'no'.

"Cinnamon roll?" 

No. 

"Lemon tart?"

No. 

He kept rattling off desserts he knew they had in the kitchen, but the answer was still 'no'. Finally, he decided to switch the question category. 

"Do you need me?"

She finally nodded. There it was. Pregnancy brain was telling her body that she wanted physical contact, but it wasn't articulating that fact to her. At least, not in a way that made sense to her. This only frustrated her even more.

She then extended an arm, gesturing for him to join her in the tub. With that, Crowley undressed and climbed in with her. He carefully settled behind her, making sure he didn't slip. He started kissing her back while his hands rubbed, caressed and soothed her belly. He even lifted her belly a bit, to ease the weight of it.

She sighed with relief and leaned back onto him. "Thank you, darling. I'm sorry for being so needy." 

"You're pregnant, Aziraphale. It's part of the deal. Besides, of the two of us, I've always been the needy one. So, it's a nice change of pace for ya, isn't it?" 

She chuckled at that. Crowley kept working her belly and back, soothing her as much as possible. It worked quite a bit, considering she fell asleep in the tub, not long after. Apparently, it didn't matter where they were. Crowley made for a very comfortable pillow, no matter the setting.

~~~~~

About a week after the crib and other nursery furniture pieces were delivered and assembled, Aziraphale had a sonogram appointment. One she had been looking forward to for a while. Granted, she looked forward to every single one of these appointments. But there was a chance now that they could finally see the sex of the baby. For months, whenever she had a sonogram, the little dickens would turn away, towards Aziraphale's spine.

But recently, the baby had been moving a lot. Some days, Aziraphale felt like the little tyke was running a marathon in there. Or trying to climb walls. Crowley joked that the baby wanted to be a rock climber and them kicking at Aziraphale constantly was them trying to get good footing. Crowley always laughed at that joke more than Aziraphale did.

Although this time, the nurse doing the sonogram chuckled because of it. Crowley looked smug. Aziraphale rolled her eyes. She loved him to bits, this ridiculously cheesy man of hers. She was so happy that he was here with her. 

She had always felt terrible that Crowley hadn't been with her when she found out she was pregnant. Sure, it was no one's fault, but still. If she'd had any sort feeling or hunch that she was pregnant, she would have called him, just like Anathema had insisted. Ever since then, she'd give Crowley a heads up on all of her appointments. This way, she'd ensure he didn't miss any other major moments during this journey. And let's face it, if he ever had anything planned for those dates, he'd simply cancel those work plans and go with Aziraphale to her appointment anyway, regardless of how much they'd need him at the work meeting.

Crowley went to every sonogram. Every examination. Even every lab test. Just in case. Most of the time, there wouldn't be much to report, other than Aziraphale and the baby being in very good health. 

Thankfully today, they got a bit more than the usual information. Aziraphale squealed and screamed happily when the nurse confirmed they were having a boy. Crowley grinned madly and tried to contain himself. On the inside, he wanted to run around the whole building, screaming to let everyone know they were having a son. But he kept his composure for the remainder of the appointment. 

Until they made it back to their car afterwards. Then all bets were off. Both of them were squealing, screaming and giddily kicking their feet. Several people in the parking lot stared at them in passing. A guard even checked on them, after hearing muffled screams coming from inside the car. Aziraphale quickly dissuaded the guard's concerns by showing him the sonogram images. 

From there, they went straight to the nearest shopping center and started buying clothes for their sweet baby boy. They spent a couple of hours shopping. If they had just stuck to shopping for baby clothes, they might have gone home earlier. But, because Aziraphale wanted to find decorations for the gender reveal and baby shower, they took longer than expected. In lieu of having a big gender reveal party, the happy couple had decided they'd have a small gender reveal video posted to their personal social media pages and then have a decent sized baby shower. Also duck themed, of course. If there was ever any doubt what Aziraphale's favorite animal was, they'd only need to look at the nursery and baby shower decorations.

The main reason for this, besides trying to save on money, was to avoid headaches. Big gender reveal parties seemed to always get out of hand or be breeding grounds for ridiculous family members trying to make it about themselves. So they knew they'd rather avoid that altogether. Not to mention, it'd be one less party to plan. Which was the main reason it won over Crowley.

When both made it home, they started brainstorming ideas for the gender reveal video. They weren't a fan of confetti or smoke cannons. The same sentiment was shared for confetti or paper filled balloons. They weren't committed enough to have two objects or people dressed in pink and blue fake fighting until one of them won. After a while, Aziraphale decided she'd make a fruity gelatin cake. 

The outer layer would be a mixture clear flavorless jelly and sweetened condensed milk with diced strawberries and whole blueberries. While the inner layer would simply be clear flavorless jelly with blue food coloring and raspberry flavoring. Crowley had seen the way her eyes lit up as she was explaining the idea to him. Clearly this was a craving that was taking form. Since she seemed so excited to make it (and eat it), he agreed and thought it'd be an excellent way to let their loved ones know. 

When they posted the video, they were immediately flooded with comments, texts and voice messages from family and friends congratulating them. Even a few calls. In particular, one from Crowley's mother, scolding him because they didn't call to tell her what they were having and she had to find out at the same time as everyone else. Crowley simply rolled his eyes and ignored that comment, because she quickly started asking for how she could help prepare the baby shower. 

As annoying as she sometimes was, Ashtoreth Crowley always meant well and she was very loving towards her son and his wife. Even if she could be quite overprotective at times. Who could blame her? She was the only remaining grandparent and, since Crowley was an only child, this was her first grandchild.

Aziraphale suspected that trait was genetic, considering how Crowley was already behaving and the child hadn't even been born yet. It made her heart melt a bit.

~~~~~

Thanks to Aziraphale's previous condition, her doctor insisted on doing two sonograms per week the closer she got to her due date. This was a good way to not only see how she was doing, but to chart the baby's growth. For several weeks, everything was looking great. The baby was growing just as expected. Both parents were ecstatic over it. 

And then one week, there was no change. Same for the week that followed. Aziraphale's OBGYN did find this strange, but everything else was perfectly fine, so they saw no cause for alarm. They insisted everything would be fine. Both parents wanted to believe the doctor, but their anxiety silently ate at them. 

That night, Aziraphale somehow managed to fall asleep. Even she didn't believe it. Usually, her nerves and fear would keep her up until the early morning hours. Perhaps it had been general exhaustion that did her in. The same could not be said for Crowley. 

The redhead's mind wouldn't shut up. No matter how hard he tried to focus on the doctor's words. How they had basically told them to not worry. He just couldn't help it. Overthinking had always been his biggest enemy. 

He tried brushing it off by distracting himself. He slid down the length of the bed as gently as he could. His hand, soft as anything against his wife's belly. His fingers traced Aziraphale's stretchmarks. It wasn't long before he was peppering the entirety of her belly with kisses.

Eventually, even surprising himself, he started speaking to the child.

"Hey there, little guy. Comfy in there?" He asked softly, as though the baby would reply.

Perhaps the baby wouldn't reply, but he did move, which made Aziraphale wake up. Not fully though. Just enough to hear Crowley's next words.

"Be good to your momma, alright? She's been through a lot. A lot... We never thought we'd get to have someone like you..." He said before kissing her belly again.

"We love you already. You have no idea how much... So, be a good boy and come out when you're ready. Not a moment sooner. We're excited to meet you too, but we need you to be alright. Okay...?"

She couldn't take it anymore. She nuzzled into him and hugged him tightly.

"Angel?"

"You sweet, ridiculous thing. Waiting for me to be asleep to talk to the baby." 

"Didn't want you hearing me." Said Crowley, slightly embarrassed.

"Why not?" 

"Figured you hearing that would get your brain overthinking and worrying about everything..." 

"Darling, it's alright. I'm always overthinking."

"That's not a good thing, angel."

She chuckled. "True. But at least I know I'm not alone, in that aspect. Or in general, for that matter." 

"Smothering you, am I? Need me to sleep on the couch for a week, just so you can breathe?"

She gripped onto him like a koala to a tree. "Don't you dare!"

Crowley smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Good." He said, kissing the top of her head. 

After this, Crowley talking to the baby became a nightly occurrence. One that Aziraphale looked forward to every night. Something told her that she'd miss the sensation when this was all over. That she'd miss the warmth of her husband's cheek next pressed up to her belly. The seemingly happy wiggles she'd feel from the child whenever he heard Crowley's voice. It was a specific kind of sweet feeling she wasn't quite ready to let go of.

~~~~~

By 35 weeks, Aziraphale was sure she had felt every single variation in the pregnancy symptom spectrum. From bodily pain, to mood swings. From nausea, to cravings. From spotting, to inflammation. And heightened libido. Good lord, the heightened libido.

For the most part, Aziraphale had always been a bit of a pillow princess. Not because she was a selfish lover, far from it. It was mainly because Crowley loved spoiling her. So, whenever they had sex, she was usually on her back for the first half. The pregnancy pillow being added into the mix also added to her comfort these days. Not to mention, Crowley would get protective and wouldn't let her ride him too much these days, concerned for her back and the baby's weight. But for whatever reason, he let her top one night, towards the end of her pregnancy. 

About halfway through, both spouses suddenly felt very damp. No, not even damp. Wet. They stopped and locked eyes. They both knew damn well that Aziraphale wasn't stimulated nearly enough for this kind of reaction yet. Naturally, they both reached the same conclusion. Panic quickly took over.

Crowley suddenly went pale. "Your water just broke..."

"...I think you're right." She finally said. She didn't seem quite focused.

"Holy fuck, angel, we gotta go!" He exclaimed, trying to get out from under her. But then, before he was able to slip free, she sat on him and held his arms down, pinning him to the bed.

Crowley blinked at her. "Aziraphale, what the hell are you doing?" 

She was shaking her head. "No. No. No. I- I can't. Not yet. Can't control that. I can control this."

He glared at her, confused. "Control? What-?" Crowley was now acutely aware that her whole body shaking. And not in the way one would hope for, during sex.

"Aziraphale, breathe... Talk to me. Control what?" He asked as he felt her hips roll, before she steadied herself.

Crowley could see tears starting to form in his wife's eyes. "...Once we get to the hospital, I won't feel in control anymore..." She admitted softly. 

"And you feel in control here." Concluded Crowley.

She rolled her hips. "Yes." 

He bucked his hips and moaned in response, then glared at her. Well, his eyes had rolled into the back of his skull first, then he glared at her. "Stop that!" He laughed. "I'm trying to have a proper conversation with you!" 

"And I'm trying to distract you from it." She replied, rolling her hips yet again.

This time, he managed to suppress the moan a bit, though he still bucked his hips on instinct. But he was able to free one of his hands, grab her left one and he held it. "Angel, look at me..." 

She ignored him. 

"Come on. Look at me. And stop wiggling your bloody hips! That's cheating." 

She stopped, pouted and looked down at her husband.

Crowley squeezed her hand. "We're going to be okay..." 

And that broke the dam. She squeezed his hand back, breathing slowly and blinking rapidly. "I'm scared..." She admitted, voice breaking. 

"I know... Let me up, Aziraphale. Lie down for a while. Let me take care of you. Your back-"

"Yes, yes, I know." She sniffled. "Bad for the baby. Especially the stress." She said, rolling her eyes and wiping away a tear.

Crowley finally slipped out from her grasps and helped ease her down onto the bed. "It's alright, angel." He laid down next to her, kissing her shoulder, caressing her belly. "Does anything hurt?"

Aziraphale sighed, relaxing into the mattress. "Just a sore back. No contractions yet, as far as I can tell." 

"Good. That's good. Gives us some more time to get all your stuff without rushing." 

She chuckled lightly. "We've had the hospital bags packed for over a month. What more do we need to get?" 

Crowley smiled. "These sheets into the wash, for a start. At the very least, leave them soaking while we get cleaned up and go to the hospital. There's no way we're sleeping on this when we come back."

Both her eyebrows rose. "You say that as if you know all three of us will return home at the same time. You know labor can last for hours on end. Do you truly plan on staying in the hospital if we're there for days?"

"I won't leave you on your own, angel." 

Aziraphale's bottom lip quivered. "That's too much, Crowley."

"Nah. If anything, I'll leave your side to come back here to shower and eat something. Then, it's back to you and our little duckling." He said, kissing one of her palms before speaking again.

"So, tell me. Besides giving and receiving orgasms-"

Aziraphale snorted at that. 

"-what other things would make you feel in control at this very moment? To try clearing your mind, a bit." 

Aziraphale blushed, saying nothing but placing a hand on his hip, gently scratching him. 

The action gave Crowley goosebumps as he blinked at her. "You're a menace. And that's saying something." 

She pretended to be shocked. "Whatever do you mean?" 

"You've always been insatiable, but the extra hormones have really cranked that up to an 11." 

"Are you complaining?" 

"Not as such..." 

Aziraphale grinned and kissed him. Crowley's instinct was to melt into the kiss, but he forced himself to pull away. 

"Stop tempting me so much, it's not fair." 

"Sorry. You're right. The hormones are running the asylum." 

Crowley chuckled. "Clearly. Stay right there, I'll be back in a bit." He said, before he scampered away from their bed. 

Aziraphale watched as he walked all over the room, finding all the hospital bags they had packed. Crowley then left the bedroom, to leave them near the front door. Waddling about the house, completely naked, and hauling some fairly heavy bags, Crowley was sure he looked utterly ridiculous. He was very glad he hadn't installed those indoor cameras. Lord knows Aziraphale would probably be watching him and laughing at the visual.

Once he returned, he was talked back into bed. Because of course he was. He could never deny his angel anything. After one last romp, Crowley coaxed Aziraphale into the bathroom, to get cleaned up. While she was soaking in warm water, trying to relax as much as possible, Crowley threw the bedsheets in the laundry. He then cleaned and dried the mattress as much as he could, made the bed with a different set of bedsheets, and looked for warm clothes for them to wear to the hospital.

Once Aziraphale was done, Crowley helped her out of the tub and he took a quick shower as well. Concerned that it had been over 30 minutes and there was still no pain from contractions, Aziraphale insisted he check her. Just to see if anything looked wrong. In Crowley's inexpert analysis, Aziraphale was only dilated 2 centimeters. Assuming he had read and understood the online article correctly. In the event of him being right, they knew this was going to be a very long night.

They loaded up the car and they were off.

Once they reached the hospital, the panic quietly started taking over again. Both future parents were trying their hardest to not stress each other out while they waited to be tended to. Crowley looked like he might blow a gasket when one of the nurses told them to be patient, after they had been waiting for an hour. Apparently, the maternity ward was understaffed tonight. It took much longer than they would have liked, several hours, in fact, but they eventually sorted everything out and got Aziraphale to a room. The pair waited in silence for Aziraphale's doctor to arrive. 

Dr. Bea Z. Bulb was a bit of a kindred spirit to Crowley. In past appointments, both he and the doctor had shared similar reactions and attitudes about certain scenarios. Particularly: their propensity to anger quickly. Which is why it wasn't at all shocking when the married couple heard the good doctor shouting at the end of the hall. They weren't happy hearing that their patient had only now been moved to a room, considering they had texted them about being in the emergency room hours ago.

Crowley popped his head out the door. His eyes landed on the familiar and tiny frame of his wife's OB-GYN. He whistled towards the nurse's station. The person getting yelled at and Dr. Bulb both looked in his direction. Crowley gave a small wave. That earned him a small nod from the doctor. Soon enough, they were entering the room.

"So! How are we doing?" They asked, as if they hadn't just put the fear of God, Satan and whatever other deity that might exist, into the whole staff. 

"Better now." Said Crowley. 

Dr. Bulb grinned. "Not talking to you, red." They said, before turning to Aziraphale. 

"He's right. Better now, that you're here. The contractions are about 12 minutes apart right now and they are horrid." 

"Yup, they are." They said, going over Aziraphale's digital chart. "Everything's going as expected. Better than, actually. If we keep going at this rate, you'll push out this baby by lunch time tomorrow."

Aziraphale groaned, dreading what was still to come. 

~~~~~

After many, many hours, Aziraphale gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He was a round, pale little thing, with blond curls and blue eyes. Just like his mother. Except for the nose and freckles. Those were definitely his father's freckles.

They placed the baby on Aziraphale's chest. He wasn't crying, but fussing.

"Look at you. You're gorgeous. Both of you..." Said Crowley, tears brimming his eyes as he moved some of Aziraphale's hair away from her face, behind her ear. 

Aziraphale had already been teary-eyed, but finally meeting her child and the look on her husband's face, that was enough for her to start sobbing. Crowley kissed Aziraphale's temple, his tears falling too. He was here. After everything they had gone through after all these years. Their son was finally here!

The medical staff gave them a moment before whisking away the child to check him. Almost immediately, the wailing began. Aziraphale's hand landed on Crowley's arm with a fierce grip. Logically, both parents knew the nurses were simply examining him. But perhaps Aziraphale's maternal instinct was waking up now. Her eyes were pleading and Crowley could never say no to those eyes. 

He walked to where the nurses were checking the baby. Not close enough to be in the way, but close enough to see how they weighed and measured him. 7 pounds, 20 inches. Just about the approximation Dr. Bulb had guessed the baby would be by the end of the pregnancy. Crowley was impressed. But only for a few seconds. Apparently his son wasn't a fan of them checking his eyes and ears. 

He wailed so hard that it almost felt like screeching. 

"Oh, wee thing. It's alright. It'll all be over soon." Cooed Crowley sadly, as he watched how his boy squirmed.

And then, the wailing quieted a bit. He moved about, as if trying to focus on something. 'Fussy little thing, just like his mother', thought Crowley. 

The nurses looked at the infant, then to Crowley, then back to the baby. Then, the two of them shared a knowing look.

"Someone's looking for their daddy." Said the short nurse.

"You talked to him a lot in the womb, didn't you?" Asked the other.

Crowley nodded. "Yeah. Every day."

"Good lad. You can probably help us out, then. Come here." 

Crowley walked towards them. 

"Talk to him while we check him. Like you did every day. It might help it go along smoother. Try whispering into his ear. That might help him calm down."

Crowley wasn't entirely sure how he'd be able to do that and stay out of the nurses' way so they could do their job properly, but they managed just fine. It was clearly not the first time they did this to distract a baby. And it worked! Sure, the baby still cried and fussed, but he calmed down considerably. Before long, the two nurses were done and they charted all the information. 

Dr. Bulb finished checking Aziraphale around the same time. The staff showed them how to properly hold and feed the baby before they left them alone. The change abrupt. Before, there had been several conversations happening at the same time, lots of moving things and people making noise. And now, besides a faint beeping noise coming from Aziraphale's blood pressure monitor and some soft fussing from junior, there nothing. The contrast almost felt deafening. 

Their son was now on Aziraphale's bare chest. Her hands held him protectively in place. Her eyes had been shut for a moment. Crowley assumed she was doing the same thing he was. Taking in the moment. 

"You did it... I am so fucking proud of you, angel." He whispered.

She opened her eyes to see her husband, not done crying and still in awe. She blinked away a few more tears and chuckled softly. 

"I, quite literally, couldn't have done it without you, dearest." She whispered back with a silly grin, trying very hard to not start her overjoyed sobbing again while the child was on her chest.

"We're parents..." Said Crowley as his thumb gently caressed the space in between his son's shoulder blades.

She nodded. "We're parents..."

~~~~~ 

Considering all of Aziraphale's pre-pregnancy complications, her doctor was adamant about keeping her and the baby at the hospital for a few days, for observation. 5 days to be exact, Dr. Bulb was nothing if not thorough. Thankfully, everything had been perfect. Nothing wrong with her or the baby. Because of this, the current plan was for them to be discharged later that afternoon. 

Besides Crowley's mother popping in on them the day after Aziraphale had given birth, they'd had no other visitors. By design. They wanted to keep the baby's exposure to a minimum of possible. But, they simply had to let the godparents meet the boy before they were sent home. After all, Aziraphale was exhausted of being in that annoyingly uncomfortable bed. Plus, she longed to be in her own space, no longer being poked and checked on every few minutes. 

Did they provide excellent care for her and her son? Yes. Was she sick and tired of not being able to rest for more than 20 minutes? Oh, absolutely. Without question. 

The godparents were all well aware of her discomfort. After all, she'd voice it often in their group chat. And when it wasn't her, it would be Crowley bitching about a nurse showing up at midnight to chart her vitals and ask questions. So, Maggie, Nina, Anathema and Newton decided they would visit at the hospital. This way, they would not bother them once they were sent home.

Sure, they had all seen pictures of the boy, but they all gasped and cooed when they finally met him in person.

"What's his name?" Asked Newton. 

Aziraphale smiled, looking down at the infant in her arms. "Alexander Raphael Crowley-Fell." 

Alexander after Aziraphale's late father. Raphael after Crowley's. It had made them a bit sad when they had decided on the name, considering the obvious. But they knew just how much their son would have loved and been loved by Ada, Alexander and Raphael had they still been around. And if nothing else, they knew Ashtoreth would love him enough for all of them.

"He's got more name than body." Chuckled Anathema. "But he looks perfect." 

"He is." Crowley said, proudly. "Our perfect little angel."

"Now you've got two." Said Nina, smiling. Crowley nodded at that.

"He is indeed perfect. Although, he looks different than what I had imagined." Admitted the new mother.

"What had you imagined?" Asked Anathema.

"A little red-headed boy with golden eyes." 

Crowley couldn't help but smirk. "You spent too much time looking at my baby pictures during the pregnancy, didn't you?"

"Maybe." She said, blushing a bit. 

Crowley hummed. "I'm glad he doesn't look too much like me. For the time being, at least. Now I have another you. My little cherub-shaped duo." 

Aziraphale chuckled and kissed her baby's forehead. Crowley did the same, then kissed the top of her head.

Maggie and Newton nearly melted from how sweet that moment had been. Meanwhile, Anathema and Nina pretended to gag. They all laughed. They spent the next hour or so just talking. Catching up with all the work and business related gossip. Eventually, a nurse came by with the discharge order. The four godparents helped packing up Aziraphale's belongings, as well as getting the car seat properly installed. Crowley and Aziraphale were truly grateful for their friends. Well, if they were being honest with themselves, they'd always been more like family than friends.

~~~~~

Considering the level of exhaustion Aziraphale was feeling, it wasn't shocking to Crowley, that she fell unconscious as soon as her head it the pillow. From the moment Crowley heard her snoring, he took the baby from her arms and went to the living room. Alexander had just been fed and burped. Crowley hoped he wouldn't start crying too soon. He really wanted Aziraphale to rest as much as possible. 

Crowley turned on the television for some soft background noise. Golden Girls was his usual comfort show. And hey, never too early to indoctrinate the little one on the art of sarcasm. 

He lied down on the sofa, gently holding Alexander against his bare chest. It had been a strange feeling for the first few minutes. But everyone at the hospital had said skin-to-skin contact was important. Crowley figured, if it would bring the baby comfort, he'll do that and plenty more. That simple. 

His mind and attention drifted from the television, to Alexander. The boy had stopped fussing a few minutes ago and was now fully asleep. Crowley rubbed the baby's back with a featherlight touch. As he looked down at his son, he couldn't help but think back to everything that had to happen in order for the little guy to get there. Aziraphale's procedures, the medications, the surgery, then the entire pregnancy.

"You were so worth the wait..." Whispered Crowley. Heart full and tearful, he laid a gentle kiss atop his son's head.