family part 7
Deirdre Young had been spending some time with Crowley since Adam went off to university. It started out as an attempt to get to know the woman that her son seemed to be so fond of. That and to add to Deirdre's very short list of female friends. Over a short time, though, a real friendship had developed. Deirdre found herself actually anticipating going over to visit the woman she knew as Anna.
Crowley had come up with the name Anna on a lark when Deirdre asked her. It was similar to Anthony, wasn't it? Similar enough. She really did like Deirdre. She liked listening to Deirdre complain about Arthur and she would bring updates about Adam. It was really nice having another friend. They'd actually gotten close enough that Crowley decided to be completely honest with Deirdre about everything.
"I'm a demon, actually." She said, pulling down her sunglasses and letting Deirdre actually look her in the eye. Deirdre had made an excuse to leave rather quickly. She'd taken an entire week to process what she'd been told. So Anna was a demon. But she was very nice, and their talks were always wonderful. At the end of the week, right when Crowley was convinced that Deirdre had been scared away for good, she showed up at the cottage with a cake, an apology, and a request that Arthur never find out.
Deirdre had also been very supportive during the whole ordeal of them trying to get pregnant. She'd offered some advice that actually made sense and gave Crowley a perspective that no one else had. She'd also celebrated with Crowley at the announcement that not only was she pregnant, but she was having twins.
"That is absolutely brilliant!" Deirdre grinned and gave her friend a hug. "I'm so happy for you, dear."
"I was wondering if perhaps you'd be willing to take an extra key to the house. For emergencies. Zira travels quite a lot and he gets worried." Crowley held out the small, copper key.
"Of course I will." It meant a lot for them to trust her this way. She took the key and added it to her key chain. The only other key being that to her own house.
That exchange had been a few months ago. Aziraphale was on his way to London for business matters and Crowley was far too big to make the trip comfortably. The babies weren't due for another couple of weeks so he felt comfortable leaving her at home. Especially with Deirdre nearby and able to help if needed. Deirdre knew what it was like to be heavily pregnant and home on her own so she decided to pay her friend a visit. She knocked on the door, then raised an eyebrow when she got no answer.
"Anna, dear? Are you home?" She called out. She couldn't imagine that her friend would have gone very far.
"Deirdre! Thank Satan. I need some help!" Crowley called from what sounded like the direction of the living room. Deirdre tried the door and found it unlocked, coming in.
"Anna?"
"Over here." The sound was coming from the couch. "I think I need a bit of help." She sounded almost scared. Deirdre headed around the couch and stopped at the end when she got a good look at her friend. She was wearing her usual attire of an oversized shirt and a pair of leggings. Her leggings seemed to be soaked all down the front.
"Did you have an accident, dear?" Deirdre asked and when Crowley shook her head, her eyes went wide. "Oh goodness, your waters broke...."
"I've been trying to get hold of Zira but he's got his phone turned off." She tried to get up and Deirdre sat next to her, keeping her still.
"Are you having contractions?"
"About twenty minutes apart right now." Crowley answered, her hands going to her belly. This whole idea of it had been terrifying enough without thinking about Aziraphale not being there.
"Alright. There's still plenty of time. I'll go get Arthur and we can get you to the hospital, okay?" She patted Crowley's hand.
"There's a special hospital I have to go to. Arthur won't know anything's different." She winced a little as a contraction hit. They weren't so bad just yet, but she knew they'd be getting worse.
"Alright, that's fine. You tell Arthur where to go and he'll take you there." They were both very fortunate that it was Arthur's day off. "Just let me go get him..." Deirdre started to stand up and Crowley grabbed her arm.
"Can you call him? Please?" She hadn't been that scared in a very long time and she didn't want to be alone just then. Deirdre offered a smile and pulled out her phone, calling Arthur and telling him what was going on. He agreed to bring the car around and then Deirdre put her phone away.
"He's on the way, dear. Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." Deirdre patted Crowley's hand again. Crowley looked down at her belly and then back up at Deirdre.
"What if they look like me?" She bit her lip. She was trying not to cry.
"Then they'll have beautiful red hair that everyone will be the envy of." Deirdre smiled reassuringly.
"That's not....you know that's not what I mean." Crowley closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Deirdre again.
"Let's take this one step at a time, alright? We need to get these two into the world before we worry about what their lives will be like when they're in it." She reached up and moved a bit of hair away from Crowley's face. "And at the very, absolute least these babies will have their mother, and their father, and their Auntie Deirdre to love them." She chuckled softly. "And Adam, of course. Would that make him their cousin?"
"Maybe." The question did manage to get Crowley to laugh a bit. Deirdre was a savior for sure. Arthur honked the horn when he pulled up outside the cottage and Deirdre rolled her eyes.
"Oh, that man." She went to the door and poked her head out. "You need to come help me get her to the car, you idiot!" She yelled before going back into the cottage. She grabbed Crowley's sunglasses from the table by the door and brought them over for her to put on.
"Thank you so much, Deirdre." Crowley smiled.
"Any time at all, Anna." Deirdre said before Arthur made his way into the cottage. It only took about ten minutes to actually get Crowley and her hospital bag into the car and on their way to the hospital.
Crowley had come up with the name Anna on a lark when Deirdre asked her. It was similar to Anthony, wasn't it? Similar enough. She really did like Deirdre. She liked listening to Deirdre complain about Arthur and she would bring updates about Adam. It was really nice having another friend. They'd actually gotten close enough that Crowley decided to be completely honest with Deirdre about everything.
"I'm a demon, actually." She said, pulling down her sunglasses and letting Deirdre actually look her in the eye. Deirdre had made an excuse to leave rather quickly. She'd taken an entire week to process what she'd been told. So Anna was a demon. But she was very nice, and their talks were always wonderful. At the end of the week, right when Crowley was convinced that Deirdre had been scared away for good, she showed up at the cottage with a cake, an apology, and a request that Arthur never find out.
Deirdre had also been very supportive during the whole ordeal of them trying to get pregnant. She'd offered some advice that actually made sense and gave Crowley a perspective that no one else had. She'd also celebrated with Crowley at the announcement that not only was she pregnant, but she was having twins.
"That is absolutely brilliant!" Deirdre grinned and gave her friend a hug. "I'm so happy for you, dear."
"I was wondering if perhaps you'd be willing to take an extra key to the house. For emergencies. Zira travels quite a lot and he gets worried." Crowley held out the small, copper key.
"Of course I will." It meant a lot for them to trust her this way. She took the key and added it to her key chain. The only other key being that to her own house.
That exchange had been a few months ago. Aziraphale was on his way to London for business matters and Crowley was far too big to make the trip comfortably. The babies weren't due for another couple of weeks so he felt comfortable leaving her at home. Especially with Deirdre nearby and able to help if needed. Deirdre knew what it was like to be heavily pregnant and home on her own so she decided to pay her friend a visit. She knocked on the door, then raised an eyebrow when she got no answer.
"Anna, dear? Are you home?" She called out. She couldn't imagine that her friend would have gone very far.
"Deirdre! Thank Satan. I need some help!" Crowley called from what sounded like the direction of the living room. Deirdre tried the door and found it unlocked, coming in.
"Anna?"
"Over here." The sound was coming from the couch. "I think I need a bit of help." She sounded almost scared. Deirdre headed around the couch and stopped at the end when she got a good look at her friend. She was wearing her usual attire of an oversized shirt and a pair of leggings. Her leggings seemed to be soaked all down the front.
"Did you have an accident, dear?" Deirdre asked and when Crowley shook her head, her eyes went wide. "Oh goodness, your waters broke...."
"I've been trying to get hold of Zira but he's got his phone turned off." She tried to get up and Deirdre sat next to her, keeping her still.
"Are you having contractions?"
"About twenty minutes apart right now." Crowley answered, her hands going to her belly. This whole idea of it had been terrifying enough without thinking about Aziraphale not being there.
"Alright. There's still plenty of time. I'll go get Arthur and we can get you to the hospital, okay?" She patted Crowley's hand.
"There's a special hospital I have to go to. Arthur won't know anything's different." She winced a little as a contraction hit. They weren't so bad just yet, but she knew they'd be getting worse.
"Alright, that's fine. You tell Arthur where to go and he'll take you there." They were both very fortunate that it was Arthur's day off. "Just let me go get him..." Deirdre started to stand up and Crowley grabbed her arm.
"Can you call him? Please?" She hadn't been that scared in a very long time and she didn't want to be alone just then. Deirdre offered a smile and pulled out her phone, calling Arthur and telling him what was going on. He agreed to bring the car around and then Deirdre put her phone away.
"He's on the way, dear. Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." Deirdre patted Crowley's hand again. Crowley looked down at her belly and then back up at Deirdre.
"What if they look like me?" She bit her lip. She was trying not to cry.
"Then they'll have beautiful red hair that everyone will be the envy of." Deirdre smiled reassuringly.
"That's not....you know that's not what I mean." Crowley closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Deirdre again.
"Let's take this one step at a time, alright? We need to get these two into the world before we worry about what their lives will be like when they're in it." She reached up and moved a bit of hair away from Crowley's face. "And at the very, absolute least these babies will have their mother, and their father, and their Auntie Deirdre to love them." She chuckled softly. "And Adam, of course. Would that make him their cousin?"
"Maybe." The question did manage to get Crowley to laugh a bit. Deirdre was a savior for sure. Arthur honked the horn when he pulled up outside the cottage and Deirdre rolled her eyes.
"Oh, that man." She went to the door and poked her head out. "You need to come help me get her to the car, you idiot!" She yelled before going back into the cottage. She grabbed Crowley's sunglasses from the table by the door and brought them over for her to put on.
"Thank you so much, Deirdre." Crowley smiled.
"Any time at all, Anna." Deirdre said before Arthur made his way into the cottage. It only took about ten minutes to actually get Crowley and her hospital bag into the car and on their way to the hospital.
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