Discorporated

The plan was simple enough.  They would meet at the bookshop and then head out to Tadfield.  Adam was getting married and they had been invited.  It was really sweet.  He'd even talked his bride to be into having the wedding anywhere other than a church just so that Crowley could actually attend.  They'd stayed in contact over the years. 

Crowley decided that they were going to leave a full day early so that they could just take their time getting to Tadfield instead of having to be in a hurry.  Yes, it was only about a four hour drive under normal circumstances but it wasn't often that he had a chance to just take his time getting somewhere.   And Aziraphale not only appreciated the slow pace but enjoyed getting to look at the scenery.  He especially loved it when they spotted cows. 

As expected, Aziraphale was running a bit behind when Crowley got to the bookshop. 

"What is taking so long, angel?"  Crowley asked with a bit of annoyance in his tone. 

"I can't decide."  Aziraphale was looking through a pile of books on his desk.  Crowley just rolled his eyes.  He walked over to the desk and picked up a book, holding it out to the angel. 

"There you go, decision made."  Crowley grinned.  Aziraphale looked over the book and then just nodded and put it in his bag.  "Are you ready to go now?" 

"Yes, I think so."  Aziraphale said before checking his bag one more time.  After he was done going through it he nodded and closed it up.  "Yes.  Ready to go."  He smiled and started toward the car, bag in hand. 

"Thank Satan."  Crowley said with a sigh as he followed.  He had to wait while Aziraphale locked up the shop and then they got into the Bentley and started to drive.  They were barely down the street when he noticed Aziraphale staring at him. 

"What?"  He asked without taking his eyes off the road. 

"You're....actually driving safely."  Aziraphale raised an eyebrow.  "Are you quite alright?" 

"Yes, I'm fine."  Crowley shook his head.  "I just thought that maybe this time you might like to not fear for your life, that's all."  He shrugged. 

"Well, that's very kind of you."  Aziraphale said with a smile before looking out the window.  It was nice actually getting to see the city as they drove through it. 

"After all these years you're still surprised when I do something....."  Crowley's words were cut off suddenly.  A big, black SUV plowed into the side of the Bentley, shoving it across the road and up onto the sidewalk.  There was a lot of noise and a lot of commotion going on outside before Crowley completely lost consciousness. 




The blackout lasted about ten seconds from what he could tell.  Maybe that was wrong.  It felt a lot longer, but everything was still a huge mess.  He blinked a few times to try to clear his vision but things were still just a bit fuzzy.  And then he looked beside him.  He looked to the passenger side of the car.  The side of the car that had taken the brunt of the impact. 

"No....no no no no no...."  Crowley was fine with himself getting hurt.  He didn't care about that, but he started to panic when he saw Aziraphale.  There was blood everywhere.  Some coming from his head.  He was pinned into the car and his left arm and leg were in positions that weren't natural for an arm and a leg. 

"Zira.....zira I need you to wake up, okay?"  Crowley looked up into Aziraphale's face and saw his eyes open.  His head wasn't in a very natural looking position either and there was no life in those beautiful eyes. 

"Zira......you need to wake up....."  Crowley's voice cracked as he patted his friend's cheek.  It was pretty obvious to anyone looking on that the angel had most definitely been discorporated. 

"Sir?  Sir, are you alright?"  Someone asked as they knocked on the driver side window.  Crowley didn't care that his sunglasses had been knocked off his face. 

"Of course I'm not bloody alright, you stupid git!  Does it look like I'm alright to you?"  He tried to open the car door but it was jammed shut from the impact. 

"I'm going to go get help."  The man yelled through the window before taking off.  Great, just what he needed.  Crowley closed his eyes and did his best to miracle the whole situation away.  Unfortunately a sharp pain in his head kept him from being able to do much more than open his door.  He stumbled out of the car and stood there, staring at the rather large, black car that was currently attached to his Bentley. 

"You....."  Crowley said as he limped around to the driver of the SUV.  "Are you in one piece?"  He asked with a dangerous tone. 

"I should be asking you that.  I'm so sorry...."  The man started as he looked at Crowley. 

"Oh, not yet you aren't."  Crowley practically growled. 

"What about your friend?  Is he...."  The man started. 

"Dead, yes.  Very much so."  Crowley continued to glare at the man who was still just sitting in his car.  He was a bit stuck as well, but his airbag had deployed so he seemed to be fine other than possibly broken legs.  "You know, funny thing about those protective airbags.  Sometimes they have these little defects." 

"Mine seem to be fine...."  The man was starting to worry, though, and was really hoping that help would get there soon. 

"Do they really?  Because I feel like something happened when they deployed."  Crowley snapped his fingers.  Suddenly blood started to spread from the middle of his chest.  "I feel like a few tiny shards of metal were ejected into your heart when the airbag deployed."  He left the man there to die as he went back to his car.   Crowley didn't care that there were people standing around watching.  A quick miracle and the cars were separated enough that he could actually get between them.  The car was completely mangled, though.  It would take a lot more effort than he could muster at the moment to fix any of it. 

"Sir, are you alright?"  It was always the first question asked in a situation like this.  Crowley just stared at the fireman who'd come up to him. 

"I don't know."  He shook his head and then winced at the pain.  Head injury for sure, his leg was killing him, his side hurt.  He didn't feel very good at all.  The problem with being a demon who wore all black was that any blood, which just happened to be black, was immediately hidden.  "My friend...."  He pointed to the car, his voice breaking again.  "My friend is dead...." 

"Let's get you looked at, okay?"  He started to lead Crowley over to an ambulance. 

"No, no.  I'm fine.  I'll be fine.  I just.....my friend.  Please...."  Crowley kept his eyes on the car. 

"We're looking after him.  You need to sit down."  The fireman said.  Crowley let him lead him to the ambulance to get looked at.  The EMT looked a little familiar but he couldn't quite place the face.  She also seemed very unphased by his snake eyes and his black blood. 

"Crowley, you need to let me check you out, okay?"  She said with a smile.  She wasn't sure what they could do if he lost enough blood that he needed a transfusion.  Crowley blinked a few times as he looked at her. 

"Pepper?"  He tilted his head.  When had she moved to London?  He couldn't remember. 

"Yes.  Now, just relax and let me look after you."  She started checking him for open wounds.  Fortunately it looked like his head was just a nasty bump.  The black blood would have shown up easily in his red hair. 

"Zira...."  He looked over at the car that they were working tirelessly to try to get open.  "He's....."  Crowley couldn't even finish.  He felt tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"I know.  I'm so sorry."  She said softly as she continued to check him out. 




"This can't be right....."  Aziraphale said as he looked around him at the white walls and the big windows.  "This....isn't right at all...."  He turned in a circle. 

"I'm afraid it is."  Azrael said as she appeared next to Aziraphale. 

"I don't understand..."  He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  Why was he in Heaven?  How could he be there when he was just in the car.  Azrael waved her hand and a projector appeared with a rather large screen opposite it.  A wave of her hand and the scene from Earth was displayed for them to watch. 

"You've been unceremoniously discorporated."  Azrael said with a little bit of a sigh.  Aziraphale's eyes went wide as he saw the state of the Bentley.  The rather large car that had rammed into them.  The police and fire and ambulances that were all around. 

"Discorporated.....but....."  Crowley was actually being safe, was the next thought he had. 

"I know.  It was an accident.  They happen from time to time."  Azrael shrugged. 

"I have to get back.  He'll be worried.....oh God......Crowley....."  He didn't care if Heaven knew that they'd been together.  And if he was in Heaven, what if Crowley was discorporated and back in Hell?  What would happen then?  The "camera" shifted and showed Crowley sitting in the back of an ambulance. 

"He'll live.  Though that doesn't seem like the option he'd prefer."  Azrael looked at the demon's face.  He was completely broken.  It was almost touching. 

"I have to get back."  Aziraphale looked for the way he'd gotten back last time. 

"I'm afraid that's not an option...."  Azrael said.  "This discorporation is a bit....well....permanent this time."  She sighed.  "I'm sorry." 

"I...."  Aziraphale looked around him again and then looked at Azrael.  "I have to talk to him."  He was desperate. 

"I'm afraid that's not going to be an option."  Azrael shook her head, but then she stopped and furrowed her brow a moment.  "Unless....." 

"Unless?"  Aziraphale raised an eyebrow.  Unless was a good option. 

"It would mean giving up Heaven completely.  You would never be able to come back."  She didn't know any angel that was willing to do that. 

"Oh..."  Aziraphale bit his lip.  He looked out the rather large window that stared down onto London.  The city that he'd come to love so very much.  And then he looked at the projections.  At Crowley who looked so completely lost.  "Okay."  He said with a nod. 

"I'm sorry, what?"  Azrael asked. 

"I'm willing to do whatever it takes if it means I can get back there to him."  Aziraphale nodded.  Azrael just stared at him for a long moment. 

"Okay.  But you're not going to have a physical form.  You're just going to be a spirit.  Can you handle that?" 

"So....I won't be able to touch anything or....anyone?"  Aziraphale raised an eyebrow. 

"You might be able to.  With enough practice.  But it's not going to be the same.  For lack of a better word, Aziraphale, you're going to be a ghost."  Azrael made a face. 

"A ghost?  So, you're telling me that the only way to get back to Earth and to Crowley is to.....haunt him?"  Aziraphale raised an eyebrow. 

"That's it, exactly."  Azrael nodded.  "You can probably get better at being corporeal after a while.  Might actually be able to be seen by humans, but it's not likely.  And you'll have to work at it.  But he's not going to be able to touch you.  Not really." 

"But I can be there for him.  So he's not alone."  Aziraphale nodded.  "That's what matters." 

"Alright.  Let's get to work."  Azrael shrugged.  She hadn't ever done it before, but she knew it could be done.  It would just take a bit of time. 




Crowley's injuries were all miracled away.  He'd had a few more than he realized but Pepper had taken very good care of him until they could get him somewhere that he could fix himself.  He'd seen them take Aziraphale's body away covered by a sheet.  He'd smiled a little when they did the same to the other driver.  Pepper knew better than to ask questions.  She told him that she'd pass the word along to Adam.  She'd been planning to leave for Tadfield at the end of her shift. 

"I can stay with you for a bit if you like."  She offered as she sat in her car outside Crowley's flat. 

"No, that's alright.  You go on.  Tell Adam I'm sorry I can't be there."  He cleared his throat. 

"I'm sure he'll completely understand."  Pepper nodded and when Crowley shut her car door, she took off.  He just stood on the sidewalk for a moment, staring up at his building before going to his favorite pub to get completely and absolutely hammered. 

That had been a month ago.  He had gotten very drunk and then he'd gone to sleep and he wanted to sleep for eternity but that wasn't going to happen.  Especially since he couldn't let his houseplants forget to be afraid of him.  After he woke up and watered his plants, he looked around his flat and decided he needed to get out.  He had to go check on the bookshop. 

Crowley made his way inside and just stood in the middle of the shop, staring at it.  At least this time it wasn't on fire.  He closed his eyes and tried to imagine Aziraphale was there.  He wanted the angel back.  He'd tried to miracle him back into existence but it just didn't work.  Nothing he did worked. 

"You've gone and left me again and this time you're not coming back."  Crowley closed his eyes, dropped to his knees and started to cry. 

"I'm afraid that's where you're quite wrong."  Aziraphale said softly.  Crowley was pretty sure that he was the only one that would have heard it.  He was also pretty sure he was losing his mind. 

"Zira?"  He opened his eyes and scanned the shop.  He could feel that someone was there but he couldn't see them.  "Where are you?" 

"I'm here.  In a way."  Aziraphale said.  "It's taking quite a lot of effort." 

"Effort?  Why effort?  Azira, just.....where are you?"  Crowley got to his feet and turned in a circle.  The lights started to flicker and eventually went out completely.  There was a small, white light in the shape of a ball started to appear in front of Crowley. 

"As I said, Crowley, I'm here.  Just not in the way you might think."  The voice was coming out of the ball of light. 

"Zira....what's going on?"  Crowley tried to touch the light but his fingers went right though it. 

"It was the only way I could get back.  I'm afraid I've gone and gotten myself discorporated again."  Aziraphale replied. 

"Very aware of that."  Crowley said darkly.  "Why can't I see you like last time?" 

"Because last time I was still an angel."  Aziraphale answered.  Crowley furrowed his brow.  He didn't like the sound of that at all. 

"And you're not an angel anymore?" 

"I'm afraid not."  Aziraphale answered him.  The light was starting to get a little bit smaller as they talked.  "You see, the only way to get back this time was to become a ghost." 

"A ghost."  Crowley said with a nod because that made total since.  "So now you're haunting me, is that it?"  Crowley was definitely convinced he was going crazy now. 

"Not you specifically, no.  Just the shop."  Aziraphale replied.  "I can't leave the shop, I'm afraid.  And I'm most definitely stuck in the clothes that I was wearing when I was discorporated." 

"Shouldn't be a problem since you wore them all the time anyway."  Crowley shot back instinctively.  He shook his head.  "Sorry." 

"No, you're quite right.  I do always wear the same thing, don't I?"  There was a little bit of a chuckle.  "Listen, Crowley, I don't have much time before I run out of energy.  I need you to make sure no one buys the shop." 

"Don't even have to ask."  Crowley said with a nod.  He'd had the plan since Aziraphale said he was stuck there.  "Nobody gets haunted by you but me."  He said with a chuckle. 

"I have to go, now, but I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."  The little ball of light was getting smaller. 

"It's not your fault, angel.  Not your fault at all."  Crowley replied with a heavy sigh.  He'd made sure that the human responsible had actually ended up in Hell and was being punished accordingly. 

"Crowley.  You should know something.  I've been hiding it for a very long time but I need to tell you."  It was taking everything that he had to talk to Crowley. 

"What is it?"  Crowley asked, moving a little closer to the fading ball of light. 

"Crowley, I....."  And then the ball of light disappeared and Crowley was alone in the shop.  Well, not really alone.  He could still feel Aziraphale around him.  But the angel had lost all ability to communicate with him.  He had a pretty good feeling what Aziraphale was going to say, though, and he just smiled.