Author's Note:It has come to my attention that the angel Lucifer was fighting in chapter one wasn't Gabriel but Michael. If i have offended anyone by this please forgive me, I always get them confused, but that is no excuse for my lack of proper research...
Disclaimer: Please see any of the three previous chapters.
Warnings: Jesus is stated to be the Son of God, Mild swearing... I think..., Death, torture, suffering, malexmale love, malexmale kiss, Events somewhat follow bible..., Not English enough, Not sarcastic enough, May be out of character, language and phrases used may not be historically accurate... I'm almost sure that is all... O wait! add throwing up to the list.
On with the story!
Crowley came back to earth only about a year after he had left. Hell sure as well, hell wasn't going to let the earth be one demon short while God's Son was on it. When Crowley got to earth, he avoided Aziraphale at every turn. Being told you can't be redeemed hurts all the worse when the ANGEL who's telling you happens to be the reason you Fell in the first place. After 11 years of hiding successfully from the angel, Crowley found himself in Jerusalem just in time for the Passover feast. He tempted people into gluttony, and sloth, and tainted quite a few souls when some of the people got food poisoning and threw up on others. All in all, it was a good days work for Crowley.
While thinking this over, he saw it. He saw something only angels and demons could see. Someone was glowing with an ethereal light among the crowds that were heading back to the caravans. Crowley snuck up next to the person and saw that it was a little twelve year old boy. Crowley realized then that he was in the presence of God's Son, in the presence of the Savior.
'Well, this will be fun.' Crowley thought as he instilled within Mary and Joseph's minds a small argument. They started to walk ahead of Jesus and Crowley walked beside the child.
"Ssso you're the Lord's Son." He said in the scariest, most-snake-like voice, that he could muster
"Yes I am, hello Crowley. How are you today? Did you have a nice Passover?" Jesus asked staring after his parents who appeared to be walking away from him.
Crowley almost asked how the boy knew who he was but then stopped himself.
"Actually as a matter of fact it went quite well today, lotsss of tempting going on." he said smugly.
Crowley was leading Jesus away from His parents and back into Jerusalem.
"Well that's wonderful, I hope Aziraphale thwarted some of your wiles or who knows how many have turned from God."
Crowley startled upon hearing that name. He glared at Jesus dead straight in the eyes, and quickly realized he shouldn't have. It felt as if the young boy now knew everything there was to know about the demon, all the good and all the bad, all of his wishes, all of his nightmares, all of his experiences. And it was as if he didn't mind. As if Jesus would love him just the same if he hadn't known all the bad. In short it was frightening to experience such love again, love that he thought he would never feel again. While thinking about this, Crowley realized he had not lead Jesus away, rather, Jesus had lead him away and towards a temple.
"I can't go in there, I'll burn to death from all the holiness,"
"No, I don't think so, you're with me after all." Jesus said and stepped inside. Crowley hesitated.
"Come on Crowley, you really think all the Angels in heaven will allow a twelve year old boy kill hell's representative on earth? Surely they want that honor."
And so Crowley stepped into the temple.
For two days, Jesus wandered around the temple, talking to whoever he would find inside and asking them questions about the Jewish faith. Crowley followed along behind Jesus afraid of what would happen if he left the boy's side. Jesus's thirst for knowledge always seemed unquenched, it always seemed like he had another question waiting to be asked, but no one grew tired of him, they all happily answered his questions and expanded on them when prompted. No one seemed to notice the demon that he had following him. And even if they had, they would only have praised him; it takes someone strong in faith to have a demon following them around with such a frightened face.
On the third day, Jesus asked Crowley a question.
"Why have you given into your demonic urges more often over the past 11 years? You used to be able to surpress them" he asked and sat down.
"What'sss the point? The angel was right, I can't be redeemed." He said as he followed suit.
"how do you know? Has there ever been a demon that sought redemption only to be denied?"
"No but-"
"has there ever been a demon who wants to be redeemed for as good a reason as yours?"
"Probably not, I mean, everyone always talks about their Fall and how it burned and the way their wings broke, no one has ever mentioned that staircase I walked down."
"Well then, why not be the first to be saved. You were the first to tempt after all, maybe you'll be the first to be redeemed?"
"What do you mean maybe, can't you tell me right now whether or not I can or can't? You're God after all!"
"Only his son Crowley, and besides, I'm only twelve! I can't see into the future yet, only my father can see it clearly and understand what it means and that's because he's writing it."
"Well then what's the point of trying if I can't be sure I will be! More than likely, I'll be denied redemption, and then kicked out of hell for trying to be redeemed, then I won't have anything left."
"You could at least try Crowley. From what I do know, my Father loves it when people try, even if they do fail."
Crowley scoffed and stood up. "No offense kid but I've been around God longer than you have, I think I know how he works."
"Fine Crowley," Jesus said with the tone of voice parents often use with children who think they know more than the parents. "Continue with being a demon if you really feel it's your only option, but listen closely to what I am about to tell you."
"Alright," Crowley said.
"Aziraphale knows your name, if ever he asks you for your name again, you give him your first name."
"I don't have a first name as of yet, I'm thinking Anthony, after Mark?* I think it has a nice ring to it."
"No Crowley, the name my Father gave you, if he ever asks, you give him that name."
"Alright I will give him that name." Crowley said as he crossed his fingers behind his back. "And Jesus, can I give you some advice?"
"Go ahead. And uncross your fingers"
"Behave, be nice to your parents, especially Joseph, I know he's not your real father and all but, he is raising you, and he KNOWS he's not your father. Lots of other men in this world wouldn't even bother with raising a kid that wasn't theirs." Crowley said ignoring the boy.
"I understand. Thank you Crowley." Jesus said and Crowley could see his young mind mulling it over.
"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to leave because a bunch of teachers are coming round the corner and I am tired of listening to their faithfulness. Will you be okay here?" Crowley asked mentally slapping himself for showing care.
"I'll be fine Crowley." Jesus said as he too stood up and decided to go up to the teachers.
Joseph and Mary entered the temple just as Crowley left; Mary took note of Crowley's eyes (who wouldn't?) but didn't make a big deal of it. She was used to the demons and angels following Jesus around. They found Jesus and took him back to Nazareth and he was obedient to them which made his parents, all three of them happy.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Twenty one years after their meeting, the son of God was sentenced to death. Crowley and all the other demons in Hell were ordered to go to his crucifixion and tempt those observing and make them lose their faith. The demons happily went and made people edgy and destructive. They made the people there change their usually kind demeanor into a cruel, evil, one. Everyone questioned what was occurring, people fought amongst themselves, children were at times trampled. The angels were busy keeping people from losing faith and keeping demons away from the innocent. It was in short, chaotic. Crowley knew he needed to find Aziraphale. He had seen even the strongest Angels weeping. Surely Aziraphale who always had a particularly soft spot for Jesus would be suffering the hardest. And so instead of tempting humans, Crowley spread his wings and went looking for Aziraphale.
Finally, after stumbling through a particularly tightly packed crowd of people, Crowley saw him. Amongst the chaos and despair, amongst the demons tempting humans, and angels weeping for the Savior, Aziraphale stood stoically, wings held close to his body, muttering something under his breath. Praying, not for Jesus, not for himself, but for others, praying that everyone would be able to understand exactly what Jesus had sacrificed, praying that no one lose their faith, praying that someday, they would understand what He had done for His beloved creations.
'Blessit zirah! Always thinking about others, pray for yourself once in a while.' Crowley muttered to himself but could not stop the thoughts of how beautiful his angel looked praying quietly amongst the disaster.
Once more, falling wasn't such a bad price to pay to be able to see that.
Something in him stirred at those thoughts, and he wanted to be near the angel, to protect him from the horrid mess about to unfold, he needed to care for his angel since it seemed to him that God was busy attending to other things.
Aziraphale kept back tears as he saw Jesus approach. Jesus looked towards him and smiled kindly, then he turned his head a millimeter to Aziraphale's left and smiled at someone behind him as well. Something hugged him from behind at that moment. Someone laid their head on the nape of Aziraphale's neck and took in a deep breath.
"Angel," it breathed tickling Aziraphale's ear.
Aziraphale turned slightly and saw midnight blue eyes. He turned quickly to face the other angel. And let out a soft gasp. It was him! The angel that gave Aziraphale the First Kiss.
"It's you! You're here! You're okay! Oh thank goodness!" Aziraphale said as he threw himself at the angel. Aziraphale finally let himself cry, finally he shed tears for the imminent death and for feeling so alone. Aziraphale had wanted to be strong, for Jesus, but now in the presence of his angel, his dear angel, he found that he couldn't, he found himself crumbling to the floor, hanging onto the other angel tightly, hanging onto the only sure thing in his world at the moment. His angel gladly accepted the burden Aziraphale had unknowingly given him; it was the other's turn to be strong. And he did so, the other angels shushed Aziraphale's sobbing, whispering a mantra composed of sweet nothings, whispering that everything would be okay, kissing away his angels tears, hugging the angel, holding him close, and never letting go.
"Pray, start praying Angel," the other angel whispered to Aziraphale as Jesus arrived to his destination and Aziraphale began muttering prayers again, trying to block out the cries of pain behind him, the ones coming from Jesus as he was nailed to the cross. Each time he heard a scream, he would pray all the louder as tears fell swiftly from his eyes. After every prayer, the other angel would utter a short pain filled 'Amen'. Aziraphale felt a bit envious of the other angel's apparent self- restraint, not once had he cried, not one tear had been shed, but he heard the pain in his voice in each Amen and mistook it for sadness over the loss of the Son.
Aziraphale, during his prayers, ran his hands along the other angels face, trying to memorize every detail, committing every feature to memory.
"I haven't seen you since before the Fall. Since the day you kissed me. That day I thought I'd have time to find you, I thought I'd have time to find out your name but then so many fell, so many. I thought you might be among them, but seeing you now, I know you're okay. Tell me your name so that I'll never lose you again." Aziraphale said taking both of the other angel's hands in his.
The other angel remembered Jesus's words to him 21 years ago.
"Gader'el," he whispered and the word did not burn his tongue as he thought it would.
"Aziraphale." his angel whispered before placing a sweet kiss onto Gader'el's forehead. Gader'el brought Aziraphale's hands to his lips and kissed each of his fingers all the while looking into his angel's eyes.
"I love you Aziraphale," he said as he took out a light chain, hanging from it was a white feather. "I always will," he said as he brought a wing close to him. He plucked one of his feathers, amused to see that they were that wonderful blue once more. "Do you understand?" he asked as he handed his angel the feather.
"Yes," Aziraphale said shakily taking the feather. He tucked it safely away in the pockets of his clothing and took Gader'el's face in his hands. "I love you too." he whispered before placing a sweet kiss on Gader'el's lips. "I always will."
*Mark as in Mark Antony.
As a kid, I always wondered what made Jesus decide to go into the temple, that little temple scene wasn't supposed to be written but i thought it would make a nice little moment between a sad ending, and a sad death.
Crowley's Amen's sound painful because even if he looks like an angel, he's still a demon and Amen burns his tongue a bit.