What is Going On Part 3
Crowley was nervous. That was pretty obvious in the way he was carrying himself. He'd gone with one of his nicer outfits. A black dress shirt and some slacks. What exactly did one wear when reporting to Heaven? He certainly wasn't going to follow Aziraphale's example. He couldn't handle the bowtie.
When they got to the correct building Crowley just stared for a long moment. He was so used to taking the left escalator. Going down and then making his way into Hell. This, somehow, felt wrong. Like he wasn't supposed to even look at the way up. Aziraphale smiled and took his hand, squeezing gently.
"It's going to be alright, my love. I promise." He said with a smile.
"Haven't ever gone up." Crowley cleared his throat. Even when he'd been disguised as Aziraphale, they'd entered Heaven another way.
"I'm right here with you." Aziraphale squeezed his hand again. Crowley just nodded and the two of them stepped onto the escalator going up. Crowley closed his eyes and just held onto Aziraphale. He was afraid that none of this was real. He finally opened his eyes when they got close to the top.
Crowley wasn't sure when it happened but somewhere along the trip up his clothes changed. They were no longer all black. His shirt was almost pristine white and his trousers were a very soft gray. Even his shoes had changed to almost match Aziraphale's. It was very strange to see himself in something that wasn't black. Apparently Heaven wasn't fond of the color.
"So, what now?" Crowley asked as he looked at Aziraphale. Aziraphale was staring at him as if he were the most beautiful creature in existence and it actually made Crowley blush a bit. He certainly felt like he didn't deserve it.
"Now you come with me." Michael once again appeared out of nowhere causing both of them to jump. She rolled her eyes at the two of them. It actually made her sick to see the looks they exchanged.
"Lead the way." Aziraphale said to Michael with a gesture of his free hand. When she turned her back to them, Aziraphale stuck his tongue out at her and Crowley laughed softly. Michael looked over her shoulder and they both put on straight faces.
"Wait in here." Michael pointed them into a room that looked a bit like an executive's office. There was a very big white desk and a plush leather looking white chair behind it, the back turned to the door. The room was well decorated and Crowley found himself nervous again. Michael shut the door behind them as she left.
"I've never been in here before." Aziraphale said as he looked around the room.
"That's not helping my nerves at all." Crowley swallowed. Aziraphale squeezed his hand again.
"It's fine, dear. I promise." He smiled and leaned in to give Crowley a kiss on the cheek.
"It really is fine, Crowley." A voice said from the other side of the chair. It was a voice that Aziraphale had heard before and his posture immediately changed. This, of course, just made Crowley more worried.
"Is it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. The chair turned around and they were both very surprised to see what looked like a middle aged woman sitting in the chair. She had the kind of face that made you trust her immediately and her demeanor showed that she knew exactly what she was doing at all times.
"You just can't keep yourself from asking questions, can you?" She asked with a soft smile.
"Usually when I have absolutely no idea what's going on....." Crowley started, wincing a little when Aziraphale squeezed his hand very hard. Crowley turned to look at his partner and then looked back at the woman sitting on the rather large office chair. The woman that looked very much in charge of everything.
"Almighty...." Aziraphale said. He was trying very hard not to actually bow at that moment.
"You can relax, Aziraphale. Please, you're making me tense." She said with a slight chuckle.
"I apologize, Lord, but I wasn't expecting..." Aziraphale cleared his throat.
"For me to have a physical form?" God got to her feet and moved around the rather large desk. "I do, on occasion, when the situation calls for it." She leaned back against the desk with her arms crossed as she looked at the two of them.
"And this is a situation that calls for it." Crowley said. There were so many questions running through his mind and he wanted to ask them all but asking questions had gotten him into quite a lot of trouble the first time around.
"I believe so, yes." God nodded. "Now, Aziraphale, I would very much like some time alone with Crowley. If you think that you can let go of his hand." She smirked. Aziraphale looked down at their hands and then up at Crowley's face before looking back at God.
"Ah, yes. I believe that I should be able to...." He blushed a little and chuckled softly as he let go. Crowley looked like he desperately wanted Aziraphale to stay. Aziraphale put a hand on Crowley's cheek and looked him in the eye. "I'll be right outside." He said it softly before giving Crowley a quick kiss on the lips. He didn't care that God was watching. And God apparently didn't mind either. Crowley kept his eyes on Aziraphale until the office door closed and then he turned to look at God.
"It's been a very long time since you and I talked." God said with a smile.
"Well, it's been a long time since you responded." Crowley said without thinking. He bit his lip when he realized what he'd said.
"No, it's alright. You're right. You've been talking to me all along. Even with the fall and everything that happened, you never really lost faith." God pushed away from the desk and moved a little closer to Crowley. "You're the only demon that continued to pray, do you know that?"
"It's not really all that surprising." Crowley said with a shrug.
"You've always been a strange one, Crowley." God smiled at him. They were both quiet for a moment.
"Forgive me, Lord, but....I have so many questions." Crowley looked slightly worried that it would cause whatever was going on to be undone.
"I imagine that you do." God nodded and then moved back around to take a seat. She motioned for Crowley to sit across from her in a chair that hadn't been there just a moment before. Crowley took a deep breath and then took a seat. "You may ask." She said.
"I guess I should start with what in Heaven's name is going on?" Crowley said and then he blinked. It was the first time in a very long time that saying something like that didn't cause him some kind of revulsion.
"I'm sure that you've noticed, Crowley, throughout the time since the rebellion that there's been a sort of.....balance to things. In regard to angels and demons." God leaned her elbows on the desk, laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands.
"I....well....I suppose so, yes." Crowley nodded, though he wasn't actually quite sure what she was talking about.
"There are exactly the same number of angels and the same number of demons." God explained. "There are no more of one than there are of the other. Perfect balance."
"I'm still not sure what that has to do with me." Crowley raised an eyebrow. If he was no longer a demon than what God was saying was no longer true. There was now one more angel and one less demon.
"That number was about to change." God said. She leaned back in her chair, hands on the armrests as she looked at him. "There is an angel that is very soon to be punished. To be sent to Hell. But there can not be an imbalance." She smiled. "There has to be exactly the same number of angels and demons. In order for that to happen...."
"You needed a demon that was redeemable." Crowley started to understand.
"Exactly. I needed to bring the numbers back even. And there was no other demon in existence that deserved it more than you." God got back up and went around the desk again. This time she sat in a chair next to Crowley's that, once again, hadn't been there a moment before.
"I'm still not sure why...." He felt like it was completely undeserved. Like with everything he did, he should have stayed a demon. God reached over and lightly touched his arm. Crowley was absolutely shocked by the gesture. It was a bit like being touched by the Queen.
"I've watched you, Crowley. I've been paying attention. You were a demon that was capable of love. You have loved so deeply, more than anyone I've ever seen, for such a long time. You've loved so much that you suffered in the name of keeping Aziraphale from falling. You put your feelings on hold for millennia just so that he could be the angel that was he was meant to be. And when you finally had a chance to be togehter, you have loved him more purely than.....well.....I'm not even sure I'm capable of that kind of love." She smiled at him.
"Oh I don't know about that...." Crowley started. He did think back through the centuries but it still didn't seem right.
"My point is, Crowley, that you definitely deserve it. You're the one demon in all of existence that could actually be redeemed." God smiled and patted his arm. "And I think I can manage to look the other way if you slip up every now and then." She smirked this time. "Old habits are very hard to break."
"Fair point." Crowley said with a chuckle. "I will do my best. And I know that Aziraphale will help keep me on the right path." He grinned.
"I'm sure he will." God nodded. She got back to her feet and motioned for Crowley to do the same. She put her hands on his shoulders and just looked at him. "I have missed you, you know? You might not have realized this but you were one of my favorites."
"I thought you weren't supposed to have favorites." Crowley said with a grin.
"And humans aren't supposed to have favorite children, but it happens." God shrugged and then laughed softly. "I'm just very glad to have you back. Do you want to go back to your angel name?"
"I don't think I could. I've had this name for far too long." Crowley said with a shake of his head. "I'm not even sure I remember what it was anyway."
"I think Crowley suits you better anyway." God shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a wayward angel I need to go deal with."
"Of course." Crowley said with a slight bow. When he looked up, God was gone. Aziraphale came into the room shortly after and Crowley explained everything to him.
"That is.....absolutely wonderful." Aziraphale gave Crowley a quick kiss. "Fantastic. Though I do wonder which angel is being punished...." He furrowed his brow.
"Oh, I have a very good idea." Crowley nodded. He hooked his arm with Aziraphale's. "But that is none of our concern. We have a vacation to get back to."
"That we do." Aziraphale nodded and the two left the office together. As they made their way out of the building and back toward their hotel, Crowley smiled to himself. He hadn't been at all surprised that Michael was nowhere to be seen.
When they got to the correct building Crowley just stared for a long moment. He was so used to taking the left escalator. Going down and then making his way into Hell. This, somehow, felt wrong. Like he wasn't supposed to even look at the way up. Aziraphale smiled and took his hand, squeezing gently.
"It's going to be alright, my love. I promise." He said with a smile.
"Haven't ever gone up." Crowley cleared his throat. Even when he'd been disguised as Aziraphale, they'd entered Heaven another way.
"I'm right here with you." Aziraphale squeezed his hand again. Crowley just nodded and the two of them stepped onto the escalator going up. Crowley closed his eyes and just held onto Aziraphale. He was afraid that none of this was real. He finally opened his eyes when they got close to the top.
Crowley wasn't sure when it happened but somewhere along the trip up his clothes changed. They were no longer all black. His shirt was almost pristine white and his trousers were a very soft gray. Even his shoes had changed to almost match Aziraphale's. It was very strange to see himself in something that wasn't black. Apparently Heaven wasn't fond of the color.
"So, what now?" Crowley asked as he looked at Aziraphale. Aziraphale was staring at him as if he were the most beautiful creature in existence and it actually made Crowley blush a bit. He certainly felt like he didn't deserve it.
"Now you come with me." Michael once again appeared out of nowhere causing both of them to jump. She rolled her eyes at the two of them. It actually made her sick to see the looks they exchanged.
"Lead the way." Aziraphale said to Michael with a gesture of his free hand. When she turned her back to them, Aziraphale stuck his tongue out at her and Crowley laughed softly. Michael looked over her shoulder and they both put on straight faces.
"Wait in here." Michael pointed them into a room that looked a bit like an executive's office. There was a very big white desk and a plush leather looking white chair behind it, the back turned to the door. The room was well decorated and Crowley found himself nervous again. Michael shut the door behind them as she left.
"I've never been in here before." Aziraphale said as he looked around the room.
"That's not helping my nerves at all." Crowley swallowed. Aziraphale squeezed his hand again.
"It's fine, dear. I promise." He smiled and leaned in to give Crowley a kiss on the cheek.
"It really is fine, Crowley." A voice said from the other side of the chair. It was a voice that Aziraphale had heard before and his posture immediately changed. This, of course, just made Crowley more worried.
"Is it?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. The chair turned around and they were both very surprised to see what looked like a middle aged woman sitting in the chair. She had the kind of face that made you trust her immediately and her demeanor showed that she knew exactly what she was doing at all times.
"You just can't keep yourself from asking questions, can you?" She asked with a soft smile.
"Usually when I have absolutely no idea what's going on....." Crowley started, wincing a little when Aziraphale squeezed his hand very hard. Crowley turned to look at his partner and then looked back at the woman sitting on the rather large office chair. The woman that looked very much in charge of everything.
"Almighty...." Aziraphale said. He was trying very hard not to actually bow at that moment.
"You can relax, Aziraphale. Please, you're making me tense." She said with a slight chuckle.
"I apologize, Lord, but I wasn't expecting..." Aziraphale cleared his throat.
"For me to have a physical form?" God got to her feet and moved around the rather large desk. "I do, on occasion, when the situation calls for it." She leaned back against the desk with her arms crossed as she looked at the two of them.
"And this is a situation that calls for it." Crowley said. There were so many questions running through his mind and he wanted to ask them all but asking questions had gotten him into quite a lot of trouble the first time around.
"I believe so, yes." God nodded. "Now, Aziraphale, I would very much like some time alone with Crowley. If you think that you can let go of his hand." She smirked. Aziraphale looked down at their hands and then up at Crowley's face before looking back at God.
"Ah, yes. I believe that I should be able to...." He blushed a little and chuckled softly as he let go. Crowley looked like he desperately wanted Aziraphale to stay. Aziraphale put a hand on Crowley's cheek and looked him in the eye. "I'll be right outside." He said it softly before giving Crowley a quick kiss on the lips. He didn't care that God was watching. And God apparently didn't mind either. Crowley kept his eyes on Aziraphale until the office door closed and then he turned to look at God.
"It's been a very long time since you and I talked." God said with a smile.
"Well, it's been a long time since you responded." Crowley said without thinking. He bit his lip when he realized what he'd said.
"No, it's alright. You're right. You've been talking to me all along. Even with the fall and everything that happened, you never really lost faith." God pushed away from the desk and moved a little closer to Crowley. "You're the only demon that continued to pray, do you know that?"
"It's not really all that surprising." Crowley said with a shrug.
"You've always been a strange one, Crowley." God smiled at him. They were both quiet for a moment.
"Forgive me, Lord, but....I have so many questions." Crowley looked slightly worried that it would cause whatever was going on to be undone.
"I imagine that you do." God nodded and then moved back around to take a seat. She motioned for Crowley to sit across from her in a chair that hadn't been there just a moment before. Crowley took a deep breath and then took a seat. "You may ask." She said.
"I guess I should start with what in Heaven's name is going on?" Crowley said and then he blinked. It was the first time in a very long time that saying something like that didn't cause him some kind of revulsion.
"I'm sure that you've noticed, Crowley, throughout the time since the rebellion that there's been a sort of.....balance to things. In regard to angels and demons." God leaned her elbows on the desk, laced her fingers together and rested her chin on her hands.
"I....well....I suppose so, yes." Crowley nodded, though he wasn't actually quite sure what she was talking about.
"There are exactly the same number of angels and the same number of demons." God explained. "There are no more of one than there are of the other. Perfect balance."
"I'm still not sure what that has to do with me." Crowley raised an eyebrow. If he was no longer a demon than what God was saying was no longer true. There was now one more angel and one less demon.
"That number was about to change." God said. She leaned back in her chair, hands on the armrests as she looked at him. "There is an angel that is very soon to be punished. To be sent to Hell. But there can not be an imbalance." She smiled. "There has to be exactly the same number of angels and demons. In order for that to happen...."
"You needed a demon that was redeemable." Crowley started to understand.
"Exactly. I needed to bring the numbers back even. And there was no other demon in existence that deserved it more than you." God got back up and went around the desk again. This time she sat in a chair next to Crowley's that, once again, hadn't been there a moment before.
"I'm still not sure why...." He felt like it was completely undeserved. Like with everything he did, he should have stayed a demon. God reached over and lightly touched his arm. Crowley was absolutely shocked by the gesture. It was a bit like being touched by the Queen.
"I've watched you, Crowley. I've been paying attention. You were a demon that was capable of love. You have loved so deeply, more than anyone I've ever seen, for such a long time. You've loved so much that you suffered in the name of keeping Aziraphale from falling. You put your feelings on hold for millennia just so that he could be the angel that was he was meant to be. And when you finally had a chance to be togehter, you have loved him more purely than.....well.....I'm not even sure I'm capable of that kind of love." She smiled at him.
"Oh I don't know about that...." Crowley started. He did think back through the centuries but it still didn't seem right.
"My point is, Crowley, that you definitely deserve it. You're the one demon in all of existence that could actually be redeemed." God smiled and patted his arm. "And I think I can manage to look the other way if you slip up every now and then." She smirked this time. "Old habits are very hard to break."
"Fair point." Crowley said with a chuckle. "I will do my best. And I know that Aziraphale will help keep me on the right path." He grinned.
"I'm sure he will." God nodded. She got back to her feet and motioned for Crowley to do the same. She put her hands on his shoulders and just looked at him. "I have missed you, you know? You might not have realized this but you were one of my favorites."
"I thought you weren't supposed to have favorites." Crowley said with a grin.
"And humans aren't supposed to have favorite children, but it happens." God shrugged and then laughed softly. "I'm just very glad to have you back. Do you want to go back to your angel name?"
"I don't think I could. I've had this name for far too long." Crowley said with a shake of his head. "I'm not even sure I remember what it was anyway."
"I think Crowley suits you better anyway." God shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a wayward angel I need to go deal with."
"Of course." Crowley said with a slight bow. When he looked up, God was gone. Aziraphale came into the room shortly after and Crowley explained everything to him.
"That is.....absolutely wonderful." Aziraphale gave Crowley a quick kiss. "Fantastic. Though I do wonder which angel is being punished...." He furrowed his brow.
"Oh, I have a very good idea." Crowley nodded. He hooked his arm with Aziraphale's. "But that is none of our concern. We have a vacation to get back to."
"That we do." Aziraphale nodded and the two left the office together. As they made their way out of the building and back toward their hotel, Crowley smiled to himself. He hadn't been at all surprised that Michael was nowhere to be seen.
Comments
Post a Comment