Crowley instantly wore a confused expression and moved to his door while Gabriel and I followed from a distance keeping close to the wall to stay out of sight. Once we were all at the door or at least close to it, Crowley nodded at us before he opened the door. "Michael, and here I thought you were going to leave me alone." I watched as the hand behind Crowley's back flicked in a certain way. I then looked at Gabriel and he had a brief glowing light accompanied with a knowing smirk. I looked down at myself as I felt a strange warmth, and the same glow briefly appeared on me as well.

"I'm an Archangel, I don't have to answer to the likes of you."

"Well, then by all means!" He drawled out sarcastically as he moved out of the way of the door.

I was about to move and tell him 'NO', but then I felt Gabriel's hand on my shoulder. I turned to look at him and he shook his head with the same knowing smirk while he held his finger up to his mouth, indicating that I should be as quiet as possible. I nodded my head and stood up straight as I watched Michael practically storm in. She looked around and...didn't see us. We were invisible to her. "And here I half expected it to be more...Hellish. It resembles Heaven in a darker way. Pristine, clean, free of clutter."

"Something tells me that you didn't come all this way to bother me with your agonizing compliments. What do you want Michael."

"First off, it's ARCHANGEL Michael to you. Secondly, are we alone?"

Crowley smirked as he motioned around the room. "Do you see anyone else here?"

"Good." She nodded with a wicked smile and glint in her eyes that held nothing good.

"How is that...Good?" Crowley questioned as he closed the door and walked closer to Michael. My eyes widened as I noticed how confidently he stood in front of her. This was an Archangel standing up to an Archangel. Neither was better than the other. This was equal footing, or at the very least that's what Crowley was treating it as.

"Well, you're obviously a rather powerful demon..."

"...obviously. What's your point?" He questioned as he crossed his arms.

"Well, I was wondering if perhaps you would be an intelligent demon as well."

"Come again?" He blinked at her several times, probably wondering if he heard her right, because I knew that's why I was blinking in shock.

"Well, I'm sure you know that the other demons in Hell aren't very intelligent. They know next to nothing about Earth, where as...YOU do. Aziraphale has so obviously betrayed us by being your..." She started to laugh, but it was clearly fake. "...well, whatever he is to a demon such as yourself. I'm sure there's some reason why you kept him around."

"Not for what you're thinking."

"What is he to you then."

"My Best Friend, if I'm to be honest."

"Huh..." She narrowed her eyes at him. "...in order to have a friend at all you would have to have some concept of love, which demons don't, so whatever game you're playing I'll allow you to play it, and...Oh, honesty...another refreshing aspect of you. So, the intelligent part. You can survive Holy Water, I saw that for myself and I'm not going to lie, it was startling. Frightening even. So, I was wondering if perhaps you would be smart enough to join me."

"Join you?" Crowley rose a brow in amusement. "You have nothing, Michael."

"Why, how dare you!?" She gasped, looking insulted.

"It's true." He shrugged his shoulders. "You are an Archangel. You have a title and that's it. You have nothing that I could possibly want."

"I could get you redeemed." She cooed as she started to circle around Crowley, who didn't bother looking at her. He clasped his hands behind his back and continued to look ahead. "I could get you back into Heaven."

"I've never NEEDED to be redeemed or to gain entry into Heaven."

"Oh, well, surely you're tired of being a demon."

"Are you trying to tempt me, Michael?"

"I told you! It's Archangel Michael!"

"When you start acting like one, perhaps I'll call you one." He told her when she stopped to stand in front of him again. At his words, her anger flared to an almost palpable degree and she moved to hit Crowley, but he immediately grabbed her arm, twisted it around her back, pulling her back against his front, and yanking her arm up to a painful angle, forcing her to remain where she was. "You come into MY home and you think I owe YOU respect!?" He released her with a push away from him, and never once did he move his feet or change his posture in the fluidity of it all. I was awestruck by the whole thing. When she turned around, her anger had flared even more and she went after him again, but this time Crowley did change position, but just enough to where he could grab both of her wrists, forcing them behind her back as he kicked her in a way that forced her down to her knees. "And yet you STILL attack me! Now, I'm going to release you, and you're going to explain to me why the FUCK I should show you ANY respect and why you're wanting me to join you. You're also going to explain for what." He let her go and she scrambled to her feet with widened eyes. Crowley's voice was an absolution. Not a request. I looked up at Gabriel and he was smiling proudly while...HE WAS RECORDING IT! MICHAEL WAS GOING TO BE EXPOSED AFTER THIS! I then returned my gaze to Crowley and Michael, but that's when I realized something. This wasn't Crowley and Michael. This was a furious yet calm Raphael against a rogue Archangel, and he was NOT going to put up with a rogue Archangel.

"I don't have to answer to you!" She growled out.

"If you want me to join you, you're going to have to. I will not join anything without knowing the cause." Crowley returned to his earlier stance, but this time he put his hands behind his back. "Well, are you going to say something, or was this a waste of both your time and mine?"

She huffed out an agitated breath as she evened out her clothes, trying to stand tall once more. "I wanted to know if you were intelligent enough to join me. You could be a spy of sorts. Hell kicked you out, I was there to witness that. They're terrified of you, but with you, we could know their movements. We could know so much more information about them. You know where their routes are, which demons do what. Then, when the final war DOES happen, you can stand by my side. You could have the chance to be my equal."

"Hmm..." Crowley smirked slightly. "...I heard Ligur and Hastur once mention that they had a back channel. Hell doesn't have back channels. Were they also spies of yours? Two Dukes of Hell? Were they YOUR back channels?"

"They were." She nodded, unaware that she was basically doing a confessional. "But they've failed brilliantly. After all, you helped Aziraphale avert the apocalypse. There is picture evidence of the two of you together having conversations. Some carefully worded, some not disguised in the slightest. If you join me, you could be redeemed, you could be welcomed back in Heaven, you could have a chance to know God again, you would be respected, and I could protect you. All you would have to do is tell me information on the demons. The humans wouldn't be too bad either. After all, when the final war is to happen it will be best to know EVERYTHING before hand."

"You...an Archangel...would consort with the enemy?"

"Oh, well, you've been kicked out of Hell, so you're not really part of the enemy, and besides, it's not like you have any room to talk. You've been talking with Aziraphale for how long?"

"That is no business of yours." He stated flatly. "Tell me, what makes you think that YOU could offer me redemption. What makes you think that you have the POWER to promise something? Or..." His smile became wicked and knowing as he started to circle around her stunned form, and I couldn't move even if I wanted to as I kept having to remind myself that this was Crowley...but it was ALSO Archangel Raphael. It was stunning, remarkable, intense, calculative, methodical, and horrifying all at once. This is Crowley's bad side and it's terrifyingly calm. Even when he defended himself, he was still eerily calm about it. "...is it that you've begun to suffer the deadly sin of Pride? Perhaps greed? You're obviously a Glutton for power. Tell me, Michael, are you perhaps not fallen, but in the process of falling?" The power and calmness of his voice laced with a challenge sent a shiver down my spine as he finally stood in front of her once more.

"I won't fall!" She snarled.

"Oh? That's not up to you, Michael. That's up to God. If it were up to me, you would've fallen during this conversation. You see, that's why it's up to God. You know...Aziraphale has experienced Gluttony, Pride, and small bits of Greed, but he hasn't fallen. However, do you know what the REMARKABLE and WONDERFUL thing about HIM experiencing three deadly sins? It's because he has done so for others. He is a glutton for knowledge. He wants to learn more, read more, and understand the humans more. He prides himself in being a good person, he prides himself in his bookshop, because it is where humans have long since died can continue to live on with their first and second editions of their life's work, he takes pride in his appearance to not only blend in, but to be refined and distinguished. He has small bits of greed due to the fact that he'll always want more knowledge and more books in his bookshop."

"You listen here you little-"

"YOU, However..." Crowley quickly interrupted. "...are quite a different case entirely. You are an Archangel that HAS consorted with demons and who knows WHAT you've told them about Heaven!? We've gathered information over the years, but perhaps it was really from you and your demonic associates? You're an Archangel that has stepped into MY flat, a powerful demon that has wandered the Earth without discorporating ONCE for six thousand years! You are asking me to join you for the final war that has yet to be written, discuss, or even Planed yet. You want me to give you secrets about Hell and Earth. You want me to be your personal messenger and you want me to report to you. I have news for you, Michael. If I report to anyone in Heaven, it sure won't be you. There are only two I would gladly report to, but not you. You're a backstabbing, traitorous, conniving bitch that wanted Aziraphale to burn in Hellfire for THE SAME EXACT CRIMES you have been committing for who knows HOW long. My answer is no. Indefinitely. You have no power over me. You are out of line by saying YOU could give me redemption and entry into Heaven, and as far as respect...I have more than enough from the ones who matter to me."

"Y-You..."

"Speechless are we, Michael? You were quite vocal earlier."

She let out a sigh of frustration and agitation as she replied, "You're an intelligent demon indeed...although you are foolish to not accept my offer."

"I am a lot of things, Michael, but a fool...isn't one of them. I can't wait until Heaven hears about your little visit and your betrayal not only to Heaven, but to Aziraphale as well, who, as far as you SHOULD'VE been concerned, was doing what God wanted, because he hadn't fallen AT ALL for SIX THOUSAND YEARS. That means, by being one of the Archangels to want to burn him alive...you would've been committing murder, because God obviously wants him here. If SHE had a problem with it, SHE would've done something. I won't fault Uriel or Sandalphon, mainly because they hadn't consorted with demons, making you the TRUE traitor, because you told them about me, which means you put another angel at risk against demons."

"Heaven won't know!" She laughed out wickedly. "You think anyone's going to listen to you!? That's laughable!"

With a confident grin, Crowley waved his hand at Gabriel and myself as we stood completely straight during the whole fight, and I felt the warm feeling once more, taking that as Crowley revealing us. Especially Gabriel who had been recording it all. "Perhaps they'll listen and pay attention to a video recording." Crowley breathed out. "You get everything, Gabe?"

"H-How!? And how DARE you refer to him so formally!? You're nothing! You're just a demon!"

"I'm much more than that, Michael, but..." He turned to face us and I watched Gabriel walk forward to Crowley.

"I got it from the moment you made Aziraphale and I invisible."

"Th-The only person I know that could ever do that was..." Michael started and then her eyes widened in horror as she swiftly looked back up at Crowley.

"Hi." Crowley smirked giving a mock wave. "Not dead."

She immediately tried to run, but Crowley started waving his hands as if conducting an orchestra and bit by bit, she slowly fell to her knees, her hands being bound behind her back by a force I couldn't see. She tried to use her large sapphire colored wings, but Crowley did something to force them back into her body, and I stood there to far in a state of shock to call it shock and too far in a state of terror to even call it horror. THIS wasn't Crowley. THIS was Archangel Raphael binding another Archangel somehow. "Crowley...what did you do!?" I asked with a shaking voice.

"I bound her Aura. I twisted it and manipulated it in a way that would still allow it to flow through her, but I pulled from it, creating binds SPECIFICALLY for her. She won't be able to use her wings either. You can't see it, but she's covered in symbols around each leg, her wrists and arms, and there is a large symbol on her back. It's something I was created being able to do. I was going to teach it to the fledglings, but obviously...that never happened. Probably for the best too. This is incredibly powerful and would be terrible in the wrong hands." He then turned to Gabriel who slid his phone back into his pocket. "Gabe..."

"You know...you're going to have to come with us to remove the bindings...and that means revealing yourself."

"That should certainly be interesting. I can't wait to watch the video with the other Archangels." He turned to me, and I had no idea what I was supposed to say. "Aziraphale, you coming?"

"M-M-Me!?"

"Yes, of course!" He cheered out and I heard every bit of Crowley in the tone he was using. "You're my Best Friend, Aziraphale. I wouldn't go anywhere without you unless I really had to. Besides, this isn't just for me. It's justice in a small way for you too."

"You really aren't any different, are you." I smiled bright, feeling all of the anxiety, guilt, horror, and shock being washed away as if they were the most trivial things in the world, and well, as I watched Crowley smile at me and shake his head, it occurred to me that they truly were. After Michael's trial, I'm certainly going to ask about what Crowley's life was like before Hell and before the fledglings...if he'll let me. "Let's go then. Oh...won't she say something?"

"No. There's also a binding around her throat. The binds will be there until everyone else is finished reliving the memory."

"This is going to be rather interesting." Gabriel chuckled low.