The memory shifted to a familiar time for both of them. However, Crowley was walking down the street when he saw Aziraphale step into the church holding books. 'Okay...books...in the middle of all this...being delivered in a church...Aziraphale!' Crowley pinched the bridge of his nose. 'Why in the Hell are you giving books to Hitler's men! They're murderers!' Crowley looked up waved a hand, concentrating on one of the bombing air crafts that would be dropping bombs on the East End...Hastur and Ligur's doing...and he had one of them head straight for the church. 'I don't like this, but it's the only way to get him out of there without them discorporating him, and perhaps I could convince the humans to run away before the bomb drops.' He walked closer to the church and hesitated for a moment. 'I've been a part of Hell for a long time...it's started to affect me. The last Demon I saw try and step into a church...burst into flames, but I'm...I'm still an Archangel.'

After debating whether to go in and help Aziraphale or to help him from outside, he placed his foot on the step and opened the door to the church. As soon as his feet touched the tile, his feet instantly stung. 'YOUCH! This Fucking hurts! At least I'm not bursting into flames! But that means...that means Holy Water really CAN hurt me! But...to what extent!?' As he hissed and danced his way down the aisle "Sorry, consecrated ground. Oh! It's like...being at the beach in bare feet!"

"What are you doing here!?" Aziraphale questioned with an irritated look.

"Stopping you getting into trouble!"

"I should've known! Of course! These people are working for you!"

Crowley's jaw dropped in disbelief. 'Really!? After all this time, you still think I would just go about murdering people, let alone working with...oh wait...I'm a demon...right.' He looked back and forth between Aziraphale and the Nazis briefly before speaking. "No! They're a bunch of half-witted Nazi spies blackmailing and murdering people! I just didn't want to see YOU embarrassed!"

"Mr. Anthony J. Crowley...your fame proceeds you." The larger one said with pure sarcasm in his voice.

"Anthony?" Aziraphale questioned with what could only ever be describe as a look of, 'Really?'

"You don't like it?" He wondered curiously. 'Sorry, can't change it now that I'm married. That'd be a bit difficult.'

"No, no. I didn't say that. I'll get used to it."

"The famous Mr. Crowley..." The woman holding the gun breathed out in what seemed to be awe, but her voice was also laced with sarcasm. "...It's such a pity you must both die."

"What does the 'J' stand for?"

"It's just a 'J', really." He answered while at the same time thinking, 'Well...it is in a way. A Jay bird or JUST a J...however...it's easier for it to JUST be a 'J' for now.' In the midst of his thought he caught a glimpse of Holy Water. "Look at that! A whole fontful of holy water! It doesn't even have GUARDS!" He shouted as he continued to 'dance' in the church. 'And if I really WILL have problems with Holy Water like I'm having with the church...I need to be more careful about it. I don't know what can happen! OUCH the ground Fucking hurts!'

"Enough babbling. Kill them both."

"In about a minute, a German bomber will release a bomb that will land right here. If you all run away very very fast, you might not die. You won't enjoy dying. Definitely won't enjoy what comes after."

"You expect us to believe that?" The larger man chuckled with an amused tone. "The bombs tonight will fall on the East End."

"Yes. It will take a last-minute demonic intervention to throw them off course. Yes. You're all wasting your valuable running away time!" His eyes widened slightly as he realized that they could both be discorporated and there was also a risk of the Holy Water splashing on him during the explosion. "And if, in thirty seconds a bomb DOES land here, it would take a REAL miracle for my friend and I to SURVIVE IT."

"A-A real miracle."

"Kill them. They are very irritating."

At the skinny man's words, Crowley stopped dancing and held his hands up, pointing up at the sky when he started to hear the whistle of the bomb. He then quickly felt an almost overwhelming protective barrier around him that felt like basking in both the warmth of the sun during the summer and the coolness of a windy full moon night. 'He's going to forget about the books!' With that, he placed his own barrier on the books.

Once there was nothing but them, the rubble, three dead Nazis, and a book bag that Aziraphale didn't notice was still being clutched by the skinny one, Aziraphale lowered his hat with a look of gratefulness mixed with shock. "That was very kind of you."

"Shut up!" Crowley groaned out. 'What are friends for!?'

"Well, it was. No paperwork for a start." His eyes widened as the APPARENT realization dawned on him. "Oh! The books! I forgot all the books! Oh, they'll all be blown to-"

'Thought so.' Crowley thought with amusement as he let out a slight sigh before bending over and prying the book bag from the dead Nazi's hand and gave it back to Aziraphale without so much as a smudge. "There's a little demonic miracle of my own. Lift home?" By the time Crowley made it to the edge of the rubble that had miraculously missed his Bentley, that he made appear there, he turned around and noticed that Aziraphale was frozen in place with joyful astonishment. "Angel?"

At his voice, Aziraphale blinked rapidly, attempting to bring himself back into reality. "Y-Yes?" He asked as he quickly and carefully made his way towards Crowley.

"I asked if you wanted a lift home."

"I-I would appreciate that." He nodded his head and made his way to and inside the car, clutching the bag of books as if his life depended on it. Once they were both in the car and once the Bentley started, Aziraphale cleared his throat as the same expression from before was plastered on his face once again.

"Alright, Angel..." Crowley sighed as he rolled his eyes. "...out with it. What's with that astonished look of...UGH Joy."

"Y-You...you didn't have to save the books."

"Of course I did! I know what they mean to you!" For a fraction of a moment his eyes widened as he realized that may have been a bit too nice. "Besides...you would've been mourning for decades."

"Crowley...what you did...it was...well...it was an act of selflessness. Yes, you're right, I would've mourned my books and you would've likely gotten irritated...but I could FEEL the selflessness in what you did. It was nearly palpable when you handed me the book bag. Selflessness and thoughtfulness. I was just wondering...why exactly did you do that?"

"Because..." He breathed out with a heavy chest, wondering if he should tell him, but eventually decided that it wouldn't hurt either side if he worded it carefully enough. "...I knew you would forget about covering your books. Also...the first answer I gave was the same. Aziraphale...you have a BOOKSHOP! Everything in it is either first editions or second editions because the firsts didn't survive. I saw you walking into a church with books...in the middle of ALL OF THIS..." Crowley motioned in front of them as he continued to drive, trying to show Aziraphale all of the mayhem that was going on. "...and I knew of only ONE person who would be crazy enough to send men into a church to collect books."

"Wait...you sound as if you don't like Hitler."

"Angel...if you're telling me YOU do, I swear I will discorporate you MYSELF! He's a murderous monster! I only HOPE that I'm the one that gets to over look his tortured soul! I hope I'm the one with the tools!" Crowley growled out so venomously, Aziraphale had leaned towards the window in pure shock.

"W-Wrath!"

"You're damn right!" He growled out, but tried to calm himself down as he slowed his car down to a stop before he made it to the bookshop. "Sorry..."

"Wh-What!? Y-You're sorry!?"

"Believe what you want Angel, I have a LITTLE decorum. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You didn't cause this. Wait...you don't actually LIKE Hitler do you?"

"ME!? N-NO! I just...I've never seen you filled with so much rage before and then...you apologized. Wait...why don't YOU like him? You're a demon!"

"Yes, thank you for reminding me, Aziraphale. I almost forgot." He let out a heavy sigh before taking off his glasses to face Aziraphale, which instantly made the white haired angel shut his dropped jaw. "The monster is killing KIDS! They're murdering innocent people who haven't done anything warranting death! BOMBS, Aziraphale! He's BOMBING entire areas and there are entire families that WON'T. BE. ABLE. TO. GET. AWAY!"

"Y-You sound as if you...care."

"I know. Quite the shock to you, I'm sure. After all...I'm just a demon. To you I'm nothing more than fallen, a mistake, a traitor, a monster, someone lower than you, and you know what, with how LITTLE you seem to think my black heart is, I bet YOU want to pour Holy Water on-"

Before Crowley could finish, Aziraphale slapped him hard across the face. When Crowley turned to face him again, he quickly noticed tears streaming from Aziraphale's eyes. Then, he watched as the angel snapped his fingers once, making them appear in front of the book shop. Then twice, making them appear in the backroom of the bookshop. "How. Dare. You!?" Aziraphale shouted. "I mean just...I...OH! I can't believe you! How could you ever...!? There's a REASON I wasn't going to get you Holy Water all those years ago, Crowley! It. Would. Destroy. You!"

"Y-You slapped me!" Crowley stuttered out as he held a hand up to his cheek.

"Yes, I very well did, and you deserved it you foolish...OH! I can't believe you! A-And all of those things you said that I think about you!"

"No...you don't get to say anything nice about me after you just slapped me! Aziraphale, I'm a demon! I'm not nice! I've told you in the past not to say nice things to me! I've done terrible and horrible things!"

"Oh, really?" He hummed out with a furrowed brow as he crossed his arms. "Have you instigated a war?"

"No, but that doesn't mean..."

"Have you personally killed anyone?"

"You know I haven't!"

"Right, so...all the other demons would do such things." Aziraphale, completely fed up with Crowley's growing attitude lifted him up off the couch like he was nothing and slammed him into the wall with one hand gripped around his jacket. "If you're so TERRIBLE and HORRIBLE, Crowley, how about you explain to me how I FELT selflessness and thoughtfulness pouring off the bag!? And if you won't explain that, then how about this...I DARE you to make me FALL! Pride, Gluttony, and Greed are things I already have! I take immense Pride in my Bookshop, I always go out to eat despite not needing to, and I ALWAYS want more and more books! Go ahead, Crowley! If you're so terrible and horrible! Then do the ONE thing EVERY SINGLE DEMON WISHES THEY COULD DO! Go ahead! All you have to do is add up ALL of my deadly sins and I'll FALL!"

"A-Azira...phale..." Crowley struggled uncomfortably against the death grip and force Aziraphale was holding over his jacket as he pressed him into the wall while still keeping a safe distance.

"NO! You're going to listen to ME now, Crowley! You're different! I don't know how, but your different, and for SOME reason...a reason I could only draw up to God's Ineffable plan...you somehow are ALWAYS where I need you! Discorporation or just someone to eat and drink with! You're not terrible and horrible! Somehow...through all the impossibilities and improbabilities in this amazing world...you're deep down a good person! I have no Earthly idea HOW a demon can be that way, but you are and every year, every decade, every century, and every millennia you're ALWAYS surprising me! Now, I'm going to let go of you now...and you're going to sit back on the couch, and you're going to calmly explain to me just WHAT THE HELL your outburst was for! Your only other option is accepting my dare and tempting me to Fall!"

Aziraphale slowly let go of Crowley, and to his surprise, Crowley didn't stay put at the wall, move to the couch or even stare at him. No. He collapsed straight to the floor, with blood seeping through his clothes from his chest and stomach. "Crowley?" No answer, just a broken pair of sunglasses, Crowley's closed eyes, and bleeding form. "Crowley, this isn't funny!" Aziraphale cried out as he crouched in front of Crowley to reach out a hand to him.

"Huh..." Crowley started with an intrigued look in his eyes. "I don't remember this, but I guess it's something God wanted me to see."

"Wh-Why don't I remember this!? I remember us going back to my bookshop and we were discussing how both of us didn't like the war and we drank until sunrise. We sobered up and you went home!"

"I uh...I took your memories from you. Y-You'll find out why." Crowley waved his hand and continued the memory.

When Aziraphale reached his hand out to Crowley he quickly noticed that his hand was apparently glowing at some point. A bright and POWERFUL white glow had dissipated from his fist, and instant regret as well as pure terror crossed his features. "Oh! Oh, no, no, no, no, NO! I...did I..." He picked Crowley up in his arms, blood and all, and quickly rushed up the stairs as if Crowley weighed next to nothing. He miracled a door to open and set Crowley down on HIS bed that he never personally used except for when he would read. Once he got Crowley on his back, he snapped his fingers and Crowley's shirt, jacket, and tie were off, and the blood started pouring even faster, but what caused Aziraphale to fall to his knees, sobbing, was when he saw the completely dissolved skin with horrible burn wounds. "I...I smited...Cr...NO! I...I couldn't have!" He wailed and quickly scrambled to Crowley's side. He quickly hovered his hand over Crowley's body carefully, a light green light that they both knew from the times Aziraphale has healed him before, and he went up from the top of Crowley's head down to his feet, and not even so much as a flicker of reaction came from the glowing on Aziraphale's hands which would've indicated that Crowley was alive.

With a shaking hand he sunk to the floor again. "I...I killed him. Completely. I...I smited Crowley. He...He's never coming back. I...Oh, Dear God...what have I done!?" He sobbed into the mattress as his hands clutched the blanket that Crowley laid on top of. "Th-The last thing I said to him was...was daring him to make me fall! I...I was trying to tell him he wasn't horrible...but what he was ABOUT to say in the car...it hurt! I...I couldn't let him finish the sentence. All I wanted to do was convince him he was a good person! I don't know how...but he is! I don't know WHY, but he...no...not is...WAS! And I...I killed him...permanently! I...that was Heavenly WRATH! God...just make me Fall already. I've killed the only person who sees me as MORE than a worthless incompetent angel! I...I smited him! Oh...just...I'm no angel!" At his last cry, a brilliant and calming white light entered his vision, and it was resting on Crowley. "Lord! What more do you want!? He's dead! I-I killed him!"

"Aziraphale. You should know by now that I can bring anything back to life. I created life. I can give it back."

"Y-You...you wont' fell me?"

"No. I won't. Though it was an unfortunate thing to happen, you still realized the error of your ways and were quite willing to go to Hell for what you did. I will not Fell you." The light turned from pure white to a mixture of emerald green and ruby red. "Raphael...wake up and be healed."

"R-R-RAPHAEL!? M-My...the Archangel that I originally took orders from!? H-He's HIM!?"

"Yes, he is. Now, I will bid you both farewell, what he does with your knowing...is up to him."

The light was gone and Aziraphale immediately looked to Crowley who was completely healed and groaning in slight pain. "Well..." He laughed out, causing Aziraphale's eyes to wide as he quickly stood to his feet to give him enough room to let him get off the bed. Once Crowley was standing he looked directly at Aziraphale, who seemed to shrink in his gaze. "...remind me to never piss you off again." He snapped his fingers and was redressed in what he had been wearing, minus the sunglasses, but he always had another pair in the car. When Aziraphale didn't say anything a worried look crossed over Crowley's face. "Angel? What's wrong?"

"Y-Y-You're...God s-said y-your name was...IS..."

"Ah...seems she's let the cat out of the bag." He looked down to the floor, let out a heavy sigh, and nodded his head. "Yes, I'm Raphael. No, I did not fall, and no...I am not a demon. I only have the aura and very apparently have the weaknesses of one. I'm basically...spying on Hell for her. She's all knowing, but minor things can change everything."

"Y-Y-You're R-R-Raphael! Y-You're still a...a...a...W-Wait...I...I smited you...you remembered I did that...HOW COULD YOU STILL LOOK AT ME!?"

"Aziraphale..." Raphael stepped forward. "...I need you to calm down."

"C-Calm down!? I...I took orders from you and God in Heaven before everyone else fell! W-We were to be Guardian Angels and Healers and...YOU posted me at the Eastern Gate! I...oh...h-how can you stand to look at me!? Oh...all of these millennia make sense now! And I...I've said such horrible things to you, and I..."

"Aziraphale...I'm fine now. Look...no bleeding. No blood. God healed me and now I get to continue being her little spy. None of the other angels except you know."

"I-I...but why me!?" He asked as he wrung his hands together, trying to ignore the tears that continued to waterfall down his cheeks.

"That's...an Ineffable question, and you should really not ask her why." Crowley glanced at his watch and let out a forlorn groan. "She's going to discorporate me!"

"Wh-Who!?"

"My wife."

"Y-Y-YOU'RE WHAT!?"

Crowley grinned and nodded his head. "Yes, my wife. Got God's approval and everything. I was supposed to be home by now to help her put the kids to bed, but..."

"K-K-KIDS!? Ch-Children!? Y-You have CHILDREN!? B-But that would make them...!"

"They aren't Nephilim!" He shot out before Aziraphale could continue. "I married her after they were born. They're not biologically mine, but they are my boys just the same. Two twin boys and they, along with my wife, know all that I am, and know not to speak about it to anyone."

"You...you're really Raphael, and you...you have a family...and you...I...after all this time and...y-you saved my books...I...oh...I'm such a fool! I...p-please f-forgive me! I..."

Tears started to stream down Raphael's face as he witnessed the state Aziraphale was thrown into. "Oh...Angel..." He sighed out with pure heartache lacing his tone. He waved his hand, and made it so Aziraphale couldn't move.

"R-Raphael? Wh-What have I done w-wrong? I mean...never mind...I know..."

"No...Aziraphale...I believe it's me who has done wrong. I should have never started to say, 'I bet YOU want to pour Holy Water on me.' If I hadn't have said that...and if I hadn't allowed all of my stress and anger to rise to the surface...none of this would've happened. I don't think I could forgive myself for letting this happen to you. F-For letting you be afraid of me, asking ME for forgiveness and having to analyze millennia worth of friendship and trust. I...I can't let you remember any of this, Aziraphale."

"W-Wait! I...I want to remember! Please!"

"I..." Raphael choked out a sob as his bottom lip trembled with guilt. "...I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I can't let you do that. Don't worry...you'll have new...better memories. I'm going to heal your mind from the heartache and pain I've caused." Raphael placed his hands on either side of Aziraphale's head and they both watched as the memories shifted in much the same way the stars did when he hung them. They gently glided, moved past one another, and eventually settled. Raphael let go of his hands, and kept Aziraphale in a daze, and rather than snapping his fingers he clapped his hands together and all of the mess was gone from the bed, they were teleported downstairs into the back room of the book shop where that mess was also cleaned up, and there was a half empty bottle of wine accompanied by two glasses. He gently grabbed Aziraphale and placed him in his usual chair next to the now lit fireplace, and he moved himself to his normal spot on the couch, snapping his fingers, creating a new pair of sunglasses to appear on his face and resuming time for Aziraphale.

Aziraphale shook his head and held a hand to it as he looked down at his wine glass. "Oh...I'm sorry, Crowley...I do believe I've lost my train of thought. What were we talking about?"

"Beats me." Crowley smirked above the pain in his chest. "How about we start a new train of thought? How have you been lately, Angel?"

As the memory started to shift, Crowley paused it. "Do you see why I took your memory of it away?"

"I see why you think you had to." He nodded. "Yes. However, it seems me knowing is Ineffable and inevitable, because despite your grand and undoubtedly wise as well as kind efforts...I still now know who you are. Although..." He tilted his head slightly as he looked out to the golden and green glittering wall that appeared anytime the memory shifted. "...I was consolable apparently. I apologize, Crowley."

"You've nothing to apologize for."

"Oh, but Crowley..." He trailed off with a guilt ridden voice and apologetic eyes as he looked at Crowley. "...I do. More than you comprehend apparently. Crowley...you may have been Raphael without my knowing or realizing it, but before I found that out...I've known you for six thousand years. I never realized you had anything else other than being a demon, helping me, and us just spending time together. I didn't know..."

"...that I had a life?" He snorted with an amused and fond expression. "Tell me, Aziraphale, do you know why that is?"

"Yes, I unfortunately do. It would've exposed a weakness in you and Hell would've come after you and I would basically be betraying you if Heaven or Hell found out."

"No...because I didn't want you to get hurt. If you found out I had a life...you would undoubtedly want to become a part of that, come and see my kids, ask me questions, meet my wife, and that would involve spending more time together, and then we really would get caught. If you wanted to be a part of that life...I don't think I would've been able to say no."

"Because I'm your..." Aziraphale's eyes shot wide open as he remembered what Crowley said to him in a drunken state while he was discorporated. "...Best...Friend. You...I was the Best Friend you lost?"

"I've only ever had one Best Friend since the Fall. I thought you knew when I said it at the bar...or at the very least figured it out with all the times I've mentioned it in my memories."

"I...well...I guess I've been quite the fool, haven't I?"

Crowley scoffed out a laugh through his nose as he lightly nodded his head. "That's alright though. So...let's get through the rest. There shouldn't be that much more. It seems to skip a few years here and there."

"You're right." He nodded with a small smile, feeling a little more at ease at his words.

"Oh, and Aziraphale?"

"Hmm?"

"I forgive you...even though you don't have anything to be sorry for. I forgive you."

"Thank you, Crowley." His smile grew and now more than ever he wanted to see more of the memories.