For A Thousand Years

It started out innocently enough.  Andrew was sitting in the living room waiting for Anthony to come in with the tea and biscuits that always accompanied their movie nights.  They'd been together for a couple of months and were taking things slowly.  They did manage to kiss once or twice, but it hadn't gone much past that.  It was really sweet.

He preferred to be called Crowley but Andrew just couldn't bring himself to do it.  Anthony was such a wonderful name.  And no one else was allowed to call him that, so it was kind of like his pet name for him.

Andrew was looking around the room as he waited and he noticed that the top of Anthony's roll top desk was actually up for a change.  It was usually down and locked.  Of course curiosity got the better of him and he slowly walked over, just looking at everything that was there.  If he didn't actually touch anything was it actually snooping?  That was when he noticed the photo album.

There weren't any pictures in the flat, only art.  No portraits of loved ones.  Nothing that indicated any kind of a family.  Anthony had said he didn't have a family.  It was just him for as long as he could remember.  Finding a photo album was very strange.  Especially one that was usually locked away.  One that only Anthony could look at.  Of course this got Andrew's interest piqued immediately.  He looked over at the doorway leading to the kitchen before he opened the book to a random page.

They all looked the same.  There were differences, of course.  And the pictures were different ages.  But every single one of them appeared to have blond hair and blue eyes and similar features.  And the pictures were old.  All the way back to what looked like tin type pictures from the beginning of the existence of the camera.  Every face was just a little bit different.

"Tea's on, dear."  Crowley said as he walked into the living room, setting the tray down on the coffee table before he looked up at Andrew.  His eyes went a little wide as he saw what Andrew was looking at.

"What is this?"  Andrew asked, very confused.  There was some of the pictures, even the very old ones, that had someone that looked exactly like Anthony in them.

"That's....something you weren't supposed to see."  Crowley walked over and took the photo album from Andrew.  He looked at the page that was currently open for a moment before closing it and running his fingers over the cover.

"They all look like me."  Andrew said, a little shocked.  "And those.....how old are you?"  He started to back away a bit.  Everything was a little too weird.

"I can explain everything if you'll let me."  Crowley went over and put the photo album down on the coffee table.  He opened to the very first page of the book and smiled sadly.  It was a tale that he'd told quite a few times over the centuries.

"Alright."  Andrew said as he cleared his throat.  He went over and sat on the couch but kept some space between himself and Anthony.  "Explain."

"It's a very long story but I'll be happy to tell you, angel."  Crowley said the last word very carefully.  It was something that he'd figured out a long time ago.  Andrew sat very still.  He began to feel very lightheaded and closed his eyes for a moment.  When he opened them, he looked at Crowley in a new light.

"Oh."  He cleared his throat.  "I, well.  Yes.  Darling, how long has it been this time?"  He asked with a small smile.

"About twenty years."  Crowley closed the photo album and reached for Andrew's hand.

"I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, my love."  Andrew took Crowley's hand and kissed the back gently.

"You know I'd wait an eternity for you, Zira."  Crowley grinned.  Just saying that one word always seemed to bring everything back.  Sometimes he had to tell the story before he could get the word out.  It never mattered, though.  It always came back to his angel remembering.

"I just hate that you have to wait at all."  He sighed and shifted closer so that he could wrap his arms around Crowley.  He didn't know how the demon could handle the torture that he went through century after century, but he endured it nonetheless.

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