2018

It was almost too quiet.

There was not endless chatter or the sound of toys. There was no one else breathing softly in the same space, no subtle sound of a turning page or a click of a computer mouse to break through the silence. Without trying, Ezra could easily hear the traffic outside, and it was that alone that kept him from going entirely mad on the nights he didn't turn on the gramophone.

He loved having his own space, despite how small that space was. A simple, small kitchen, a small living room, a bedroom that barely held more than his bed and dresser, and a bathroom one could barely turn in. But it was his. Yes, he had to leave a large collection of his books at Eliza's until he could possibly find a bigger space for a reasonable price. Yes, it was drafty and quiet, and he loathed the idea that maybe he got a bit swindled. But for the first time in nearly four years he had his own space again.

But damn it all did he miss Adam and Eliza.

He missed having his nephew tell him every single second of his day, of having him climb up on his lap at bedtime with a book or three because Ezra always did the voices better. He missed having Eliza complain that she'd been the one in drama in school, and he missed her gentle teasing afterward. He missed early mornings around the breakfast table with Adam, talking about what the day might hold, and he missed the glass of wine with his sister in the evening when she bitched about work or chatted about Gavin.

That, he reminded himself, was another very good reason to leave the flat and venture out on his own. Gavin and Eliza had been together for nearly six month now, and that was the absolute longest she had ever been with anyone in her entire life.

She was moving forward, she was building a life. He had to give her space for that.

And, maybe, it was time he did the same.

It was why he left one very particular book at Eliza's flat, making her swear on her child's life that it would remain there. Because while he decided to not bring it with him, decided that maybe he could start letting little pieces of that past go, he couldn't bear to see it go entirely. He wanted to be able to come back for it in a year or two, to hold it and only feel fondness. He wanted to still hold on to that relic of his past.

It was also why he decided that he would put himself out there again. He hadn't been on a date since before the Gabriel incident, and while the man in question did actually tend to see people here and there, Ezra was beginning to think that if he didn't start seeking out a romantic connection again, he may well just give in and decide to give his friend a proper chance.

No, he simply had to get back on the horse.

He just wouldn't allow one Miss Anathema Device to set him up.

For one, the man she wanted him to meet was a ginger, and that would never do. For another, he would have rather be set up by someone who knew him in more than just passing. She was Eliza's friend, and while he spoke to Anathema and liked her well enough, they didn't really know anything about one another aside from what Eliza might have shared.

He would trust Richard and Oscar to arrange a date if he ended up not meeting anyone on his own.

But that did require socializing, didn't it?

Ezra sighed, looked at the book in his lap, and realized his mind had wandered in the quiet again, and he'd forgotten not only where he left off, but what was transpiring in the book.

He set it aside, went to his very small kitchen, and made himself a cup of tea.

~C~

"You should come to Tadfield for drinks sometime." Anathema said as she and Crowley headed back to his flat in Mayfair after drinks with Bea and Dagon.

She'd been taking the train down to see them after shift on Saturday, and would spend the night on Crowley's couch before heading home. It was a routine that Crowley may have been clinging to a bit too much as of late, especially as May came in.

"Maybe," He grumbled. "But, I dunno. Can't always get someone to watch Lock, especially overnight."

"He can stay at my place." She said cheerfully.

"He's three, he needs someone with him." He scowled.

Anathema shook the arm she clung to. "I mean we could stay at my place. I have friends-"

"No," He said flatly.

"Oh, please." Anathema grumbled. "Liz's a hoot, you'll like her."

"I'm good, thanks." He smirked.

"She's got a brother," Anathema sing-songed.

"Definitely no ." Anthony retorted emphatically. "Your taste in men and mine is very, very different."

"Well I wouldn't date him." Anathema frowned.

"Of course you wouldn't, he's gay. Unless he's not?"

Anathema tilted her head. "He wasn't opposed to the idea of seeing a guy."

"Yeah," Crowley winced. "Look, appreciate the offer, but I want to try and find someone else on my own, alright?" He said as he pulled out his keys when they came up to his building. "Besides, I'm not pulling any sorta long distance thing, okay?"

"I can respect that." She grumbled, her own relatively recent disaster of a long distance relationship probably fresh in her mind. It hadn't been that long ago the bloke she had been seeing before coming to England had finally confessed that he never intended to join her. The plants seemed to have perked up just a bit more after her screaming tirade in Spanish, which made Crowley briefly wonder if his own bitching and growling at them was actually one of the reasons his plants had always been the best.

Frankly, he thought it was the fertilizer, but he supposed a little threat here and there didn't hurt them.

They went inside and upstairs, and once inside the flat, Anathema moved to the couch and fell backward on it. She closed her eyes and sighed while Crowley went to the fridge to grab a glass of water. He nearly went to the Warlock's room to check on him, only to remind himself that he was with Erica. He'd already gotten a text from his mum containing a picture of his boy sound asleep, but it was still an impulse that he had a hard time smothering.

"AJ," Anathema said without opening her eyes. "I have a question, might be personal."

"Alright." He said, heading into the living space with the waters, sitting in one of the arm chairs and looking at his friend stretched out on the sofa.

"You have a day marked off coming up, and when I asked Bea about it, they said you always take it off, and if I bother you on it, they'll bring down a world of pain." Anathema cracked one eye open. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"It's a personal day for a reason, Device." He retorted.

"Yes, but why the same day every year? Is it an anniversary, or-"

Crowley barked out a, "ha," before taking a drink and sighing. "Yeah, you could say that." He tapped the glass. "Was the day I lost my best friend."

Anathema sat up. "I'm sorry. Were they sick, or…?"

"He didn't die." Crowley scowled. "I just… I fucked up really bad. Wanted to surprise him, was sorta… in love with him," He said, ignoring the voice in his mind that screamed he still was because he really needed to shut it up. It had been nearly a decade, for someone's sake. He needed to move on already. "Said some really stupid shit and didn't apologize in time." He shrugged. "I used to take the day to mope, but now I bring Warlock somewhere nifty. Day trips to Edinburgh or Stonehenge. Thinking Paris this year, actually. Helps me forget."

"What was his name?" Anathema asked.

"I called him angel." Crowley replied instead, because saying the name would likely rip all the plaster and duct tape he'd figuratively applied to the hole in his heart over the years and damn it all but he was making progress.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Anathema asked kindly.

"Probably married the bloke that beat me to the punch and asked him out." Crowley grumbled. "Look, just… can we not talk about him. I get that talking is supposed to be good, yada yada, but I just… I can't move on if I think about him too much, especially this time of year. 'S why I take Lock away to do fun things."

"Alright, I'll let it go." Anathema conceded. "And I'll stop trying to set you up. I would hate to unleash you on a sweet guy if you've a history of being a complete idiot."

"Oi!" Crowley snapped, but he was laughing right along with her.

The topic was changed, and true to her word, it was the last time Anathema brought up the bloke she knew from Tadfield.

~A~

Ezra stammered as an overnight bag was dumped in his hands, Adam already in the flat going to the rarely used television to find a cartoon he'd been eager to see.

"What the devil-" He began, but Eliza lifted one finger and he was silenced.

She took a breath, and slowly let it out. "I'm having Gavin over to the flat tonight, and we're… gonna talk." She said as if it was easily the worst thing to happen in the world.

Ezra frowned, "Alright." He said, glancing over his shoulder at Adam. "Why, then…?"

"Because there might be yelling. And ugly crying." She confessed. "And I don't want Adam to see me like that."

"Vulnerable? Human?" Ezra suggested.

"No. A wreck over a man." Eliza huffed. "Gavin… he's going back home next month. It wasn't a big deal last year, we'd only just started dating, and I couldn't really blame the man for going back to where his parents are for the holidays. And if he worked there for a couple months, again it wasn't… it wasn't a big deal because I didn't know I'd like him so much." She huffed. "Maybe more than like him."

Ezra smiled, and was sorely tempted to tease his sister. The fear in her eyes held him back, though.

Instead, he calmly set the overnight bag down, and Eliza sighed with relief.

"I don't know why you want this, Ez. It's absolutely wretched."

"Yes, it can be," he said wistfully. "But it's so utterly beautiful to be in when it goes right."

She nodded, then leaned against the door frame. "Did you consider another date with Gabriel?"

"Another?" Ezra countered. "You make it sound like there's already been one."

"Isn't that what last week was? Trip to London, museums, dinner."

"I made it absolutely clear that it was not a date, merely an outing between friends. Though he did hint that maybe a date wouldn't be much different and I," Ezra paused, sighing. "He asked if we could spend new year's eve together. I'm considering agreeing."

"That's…" Eliza started happily and trailed off. "I'm sorry, I can't possibly be happy for you seeing that you look utterly miserable at the prospect."

"Is it wrong that I've… I've given myself a deadline."

"A deadline?" Eliza repeated.

Ezra nodded once. "If we're both still single by the time I'm thirty five, I'll… consider dating him. Seeing where it goes. I imagine, though, if I were to tell him that, he may just have a ring in hand for the day after."

Eliza laughed, throwing her head back, and Ezra was pleased to see her laugh for a moment.

"Thirty-five is it? Gives you about a year and a half. Sure you can meet the perfect man in that time."

"Well, I don't know about perfect. I'd settle for decent and caring, preferably someone who isn't bordering on obsessive."

"At least you know what you want in a man, might make things easier." She smirked before sobering. "What if I fuck this up? Gav's… he's perfect. And I'm about to demand answers, of where we stand. What I am. What if I fuck up?"

Ezra took Eliza gently in his arms. "You won't." He swore. "Because if he can't give you answers, then he's not perfect, not for you. And you will be better off in the long run instead of spending years loving someone who can't give you what you want."

Eliza squeezed him lightly, stepped back and kissed him on the cheek, then went to say bye to her son.

And Ezra stood in the entryway of his tiny flat wanting to believe his own words.

A little less than 10 months ago

~C~

There were fireworks outside, and in the quiet of the flat, he could hear merriment carrying out in the street. Crowley could have gone out and gone among the lot, joined Bea and Dagon at their flat for their small gathering, or he could have gone to Tadfield to be with Anathema. He just didn't want to.

Instead, he stayed with Warlock, though the little man couldn't make it to midnight despite the nap he'd taken earlier in the day. He was currently lent against Crowley on the sofa, quietly snoring, the film they'd watched long over and the TV displaying the streaming menu.

It was just that Crowley didn't want to bother changing it or finding something else. He just stayed cuddled up to his son, looking out the window at those brilliant light displays above the city.

The new year always felt like maybe something big and exciting should happen, and while he long gave up on the idea of a resolution, he still wanted to quietly tell himself to do something big and important. Crowley, however, couldn't think of anything.

His mind wandered to a new year gone by, some fifteen or so years ago, spent in the Fells' back garden. He smiled to himself as he remembered their ramblings, his and Ezra's. He remembered being entirely too affectionate, wine drunk, and excited to be away from home. He'd kissed him then, just on the cheek, at midnight. And… Ezra had kissed him, too, if he remembered correctly. It was once one of his favorite memories, though it sort of went to the back of his mind as the years went on. He hadn't drudged it up since before their fight.

He wondered what Ezra was doing right now at this moment. As he played with Warlock's hair, he imagined Ezra with a man who looked, perhaps, not quite like Gabriel Haven, but someone similar. A husband, Crowley would think, and someone who worshiped the ground the angel walked on. He'd look at Ezra with utter adoration before kissing him to ring in the new year. Did Ezra have kids? He'd probably have kids.

It hurt as any thought of Ezra always did, but to a lesser degree.

Maybe he was finally getting over him.

Only took the better part of a decade.

~A~

He'd kissed a man at midnight. It had been… a bit too long since Ezra had kissed anyone with romantic intention. Gabriel was the last one, though romance wasn't really a factor there.

The bloke was handsome, charming, flirty, and a friend of Anathema's who happened to be visiting her and wouldn't be around in a week or so. Which, to Ezra, was the perfect stepping stone for getting back into the dating world like he promised himself he'd try the year before.

"You," the bloke said as he pulled back from Ezra, "Are an amazing kisser."

"Thank you," Ezra smirked, blushing in part from the words and in part from the words. "I thought maybe I'd have been a bit out of practice."

The bloke smiled and chuckled. "So, umm… did you want to maybe… I have a room at Ana's," He said, gesturing to the door of the pub.

"Oh," Ezra blushed further. "Oh, I-I think I'll have to decline." He said, then rushed to add, "It's nothing against you. I've enjoyed your company immensely this evening, and if you were intending on sticking around the country, I may have, well…. But, you see, I don't tend to… to go in for… that. With people I barely know."

Which, of course, was a bit of an understatement considering Ezra could barely recall the man's name. He was very certain it was Carlos, but since Anathema had only referred to him as a Spanish pet name after the initial introduction, and no one else had used it, Ezra didn't dare attempt to try. Especially not now.

"Won't you miss sex? Even just a little?" The voice of a ghost whispered in his mind as maybe-Carlos swore he understood where Ezra was coming from.

"Was a bit impulsive of me, suppose. Not going to be here for many more days, and I thought maybe."

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint." Ezra said. "Do you… could you excuse me a moment? It's nothing to do with you, I promise. I just… need some air."

Carlos nodded and Ezra smiled in thanks, heading for the doors and stepping outside.

The cool night air of a new year washed over Ezra, and he tipped his head up to the sky. He sent a quiet prayer to whoever might be listening that Gabriel not notice he'd stepped out so he could have this raw moment alone.

He hadn't thought of Anthony as more than a quick, passing thought in months. A quick, fleeting thought now and again, once in May, again in November, same as always, but memories hadn't resurfaced in almost a year.

Where was he right now? Ezra would guess somewhere like London, though one never knew. Anthony might have struck out and traveled instead. Did he have a partner to share his life with? He'd always been so charismatic, easy to love even if some people only held that love for him for a short time.

The door to the pub opened, and Ezra closed his eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" Anathema asked, and Ezra actually sighed with relief.

"I am now that I know you aren't Gabriel." He smiled at her.

She grinned back. "Last I saw, he was trying very hard to swallow that blonde he'd been chatting up since I introduced you to Carlos."

"Oh good, that is his name." Ezra smiled triumphantly.

Anathema laughed. "Oh, you're as bad as my friend AJ."

"Oh, I doubt that very much. It's not my fault no one repeated it, and I heard it very briefly hours ago."

"You could have asked him," Anathema smirked. "Especially since you snogged him."

Ezra scoffed. "Hardly a snog, my dear. But it was rather nice." He confessed.

He and Anathema shared a grin.

"Why'd you leave? If it was rather nice?" She asked with only a little bit of a tease.

Ezra pursed his lips, and contemplated how much to tell her.

He and Anathema were only just beginning to become proper friends themselves. It was why he was out at the pub with her and few others instead of at home with Eliza. Aside from the fact that she and Gavin planned to video conference with one another at midnight and possibly at his if she could get up that early, that is.

He sighed, "I was thinking of a long lost friend." He confessed. "A man I loved and… well, it doesn't matter. He crossed my mind after, when I was talking with Carlos, and it had just caught me off guard is all."

"I get that," Anathema acknowledged. After a moment she said, "You know, sometimes when we remember things like that, it's the universe sending us a sign."

Ezra rolled his eyes and looked at her through the corner of his eye. "You know I don't believe that hogwash."

"Maybe not," Anathema grinned. "But maybe it's something you can think of instead. Maybe it's a sign this year will be good for you."

"Perhaps," He conceded. "But I suppose starting it ill would rather take away from that hopeful notion. Perhaps we should head back in."

"Agreed," Anathema said, turning and heading back to the pub. Ezra took one last deep breath, then headed inside as well.

~C~

Eight Months ago

Bea was looking at him with those eyes. It made him fidget, which was bad, because he was just spelling out that there was something he should bring up with them.

Still, he tried to avoid the look. It didn't matter that he could feel the eyes on him, didn't matter that he was on the other side of the shop, trying hard to work in a space he now found cramped, feeling a bit too much like a hamster in a cage with all the people watching him work as they shopped.

Crowley wondered how long it would be before Bea cornered him, if they would wait for a lull in customers, or do it as soon as Eric came on to the sales floor to start his shift.

After a few minutes, he got his answer: lull in customers.

Bea marched right across the room once the last customer was out the door, the eyes boring down on Crowley the entire time, and stopped on the opposite side of the work bench, crossing their arms.

"What aren't you telling me?" They asked, their tone allowing no room for Crowley to back down.

"I'm not telling you anything," He attempted to lie and winced at how bad it was.

Bea picked up a group of discard stems and whacked him over the head with it. Thankfully, none of them had thorns, otherwise it would have smarted far more than it did.

"Try again, idiot." They demanded.

"I'm… thinking of moving. To Tadfield." He confessed, ducking when he wasn't sure another whack would happen.

Instead, Bea narrowed their eyes at him. "Why?" They asked.

"Well it could be the amount of petrol I've been burning through, going between here and there." He retorted.

"You're the fool who bought a custom car that burns through it." They countered.

"It doesn't burn through it, the Bentley's a hybrid." He scowled. "But it's still more petrol than I should be using considering I've been there more than I've been here."

Bea seemed to concede to that, glancing out the shop windows. "It's not because you're banging Anathema, is it?"

Crowley's disgust became physically evident. "I'm not sleeping with Anathema!" He practically yelled, only realizing a second after that Bea was having on him. "I'm just… I need change. We need change, Lock and me. And I'm there far more than I'm here, and I just…." He huffed. "I feel like I belong there. I dunno, it's just…. I started looking at houses, nothing serious at first, but then I just picture Lock getting to play in a yard, or a decent playground that's not so overcrowded that there's hardly room for kids to play."

Bea leaned on the worktop, avoiding Crowley's eyes. "I guess I can't fault you for wanting to give your kid a better life."

"I've been told it's best to try and find a place now. Schools like knowing who they'll have before June, and if I get a place in the next couple of months, I can have Lock registered well in time for orientations and all that rot. And who knows, maybe there he won't feel so left out or out of place."

Bea frowned. "He's too young to be feeling that way."

"Well, he is." Crowley huffed. "I'm just… I need a change, we both do."

"Fine." Bea nodded. "But don't expect drinks with Dagon and me every weekend if you're going to be living there. We aren't taking the train up for a drink."

"I'll figure something out, I'm sure. Maybe Anathema will let me tag along to those pub nights she's always going on about. Maybe even meet this Liz she keeps going on about."

Bea smirked. "What will Michael think?"

"I've been dating him for a month," Crowley grumbled. "Might actually be a good way to let him down easy. You know the other day he asked how many nipples you have? Something about you being a witch."

"Don't let him near Anathema, then," Bea retorted, the bell on the door signaling that they had to get back to the counter. Crowley heard their fake customer service cheer greet the customers, and went back to work.

He also decided that he'd put an offer in on that house he was looking at after all.

~A~

Six months ago

Ezra glanced up at the door from behind his glasses as it chimed, the book in his hand forgotten as Gavin walked in. He watched the man glance around the cafe before spotting Ezra, waving to signal that he'd been spotted, then went to the counter to order a drink.

Ezra narrowed his eyes on the man while his back was turned, trying to figure out why he had wanted to meet him there after he was finished with school for the day. He had his suspicions, of course, but couldn't be certain.

Marking his spot, Ezra closed the book and set it aside, folding his hands on the table and looking at them until the seat across from him moved. He looked up and smiled at the man who smiled back, but was clearly very nervous.

"How was your day?" Gavin asked as he got settled.

"Very well, thank you. And yours?" He asked, deciding to take a sip of his tea.

"It was good." Gavin nodded, and continued to nod while looking at his cup.

Ezra thought to make him stew, but felt he should be kinder to the man his sister loved. "Is everything alright, Gavin?" He asked, getting the man's attention.

"Yeah, yeah I think so." He said, rolling his paper cup between his hands. He chewed his bottom lip before taking a breath. "Listen, I've… I've been doing a lot of thinking. And, I love Liza, I like Adam, and… I want to be a part of their lives more than what I am. And… you know, I talked with Eliza about moving in together recently, and she wasn't sure. Which, I get, she's got a kid and moving in with a boyfriend…."

"You want to know what I think of the idea?" Ezra guessed, smiling a bit to himself, feeling proud he'd gotten it right.

Gavin chuckled. "No, I… I actually asked you here because you're their only family. And I want to ask you if I might have your blessing to ask Eliza to marry me."

Ezra's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened, and he knew he looked foolish but he really couldn't help it.

"You want to marry her?" He asked, wondering if he was somehow very much mistaken.

Gavin seemed impossibly more nervous. "I love her, Ezra. I swear, I know before the holidays it seemed like maybe … but damn it was practically at first sight for me."

"And Adam?" Ezra asked.

"I … I can't say that I love him. Not because I don't, really, just… I don't know him yet, not like that. He's a great kid, and I really like him."

Ezra pursed his lips. "That may be a bit on Eliza." He said with a dip of his head. "She's very protective of him, and the sort of male influences he has. And she is, for whatever reason, extremely skittish about letting any sort of male figure but me spend any great deal of time with him."

"Yeah, I noticed. It was… a bit of an issue for me early on. I mean, she has Adam, he's part of the package, and I wanted to know him because it helps me know her, too."

"I did happen to notice you getting to spend more time the three of you after your return in February." Ezra smiled fondly. "And you'll have time after the proposal to get to know Adam better before the wedding, or at least I hope."

Gavin reared back. "You're…. I have your blessing?" He asked in disbelief.

Ezra chuckled, reaching across the table and covering the man's hand with his own. "Gavin, my dear fellow, you don't need my blessing, but you do have it. Wholly and completely."

Gavin laughed, making a sound of utter relief before taking a drink of his beverage that was obviously too hot. "I'm glad." He said. "I mean, you're sorta part of the package, too."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Ezra replied, pulling his hand back and waving Gavin off with it.

"She's hardly going to leave you out of her life because we're married." Gavin pointed out.

"Ah, but I'd be taking a rather large step back." He said, and it hit him momentarily what that would mean.

It would mean much less time with Eliza. It would mean less time with Adam, too. Weekends wouldn't be Adam coming to his flat, or day trips to London. There wouldn't be as many random weekday dinners as the three of them. He always knew his role in Adam's life was far more than simply an uncle, but that's what he would become.

It was a hard pill to swallow, but he would do so nonetheless. Just imagining how incandescently happy Eliza would be, expanding her little family to include a man she loved, perhaps the first man she ever actually loved, made that loss so inconsequential it had already passed.

"When do you think you'll ask her?" Ezra asked. "I should probably be prepared for the shrill shrieking.

Gavin smirked. "I think I'm going to ask her when we go away next week." He said, reaching into his front pocket and pulling out a ring box. "I actually picked this up on the way over." He opened it up, showing Ezra a lovely looking ring that was very much Eliza's style.

"Well, I wish you the very best of luck," He grinned. "And while it might be a bit preemptive, I will say I'm very much looking forward to having a brother."

~C~

Crowley pulled into the driveway feeling utterly giddy.

"Who lives here, dad?" Warlock asked from the backseat, craning to look out the window, probably trying to find a clue he could latch on to.

Crowley didn't answer. Instead, he got out of the car, ran over to Warlock's side, and helped him out of the vehicle. He picked up his son, carrying him on his hip as he made his way to the back garden. He opened the gate, and stepped through.

"Whaddya think?" Crowley asked his son who looked around the empty space.

"Doesn't have anything." He frowned.

"Well, if it did, what would you want? Swings? A slide?"

Warlock frowned. "I like swings." He said decidedly.

"Swings it will be," Crowley said with a smile that stretched wide. "And as to who lives here, Lock, it's us. We're gonna live here. This is where we're moving to."

Warlock frowned, looking around the garden, at the two story house. "We're not gonna live in a flat?"

"No," Crowley said, putting him down, then getting down on his knee to look his son in the eye. "When I said we'd be moving, I meant that we'd leave London. I know it might seem scary, but I promise you'll love it here. You're going to make friends, such great friends. We'll be closer to Anathema, and that Newt fellow."

Warlock seemed unsure. "What about nana?"

"She can come up and visit." Crowley assured.

Warlock looked around the garden again. "You sure I'll have friends here?" he asked in a tiny voice that broke Crowley's heart.

He pulled his son in his arms, holding him close. "I can't promise that, Lock. I wish I could, but I can't. What I can promise, though, is you're going to meet so many new kids. And nursery here will be different. I mean, it's called Little Duck, and anything named for a duck has gotta be great." He said, and Warlock giggled against his shoulder. "And I'll be there to get you so much sooner. I'll only be late once a week instead of everyday, and on those days you'll probably have Aunt Anathema with you. And we both know she's way cooler than nana."

"What about Tony?" Warlock asked as he leaned away from Crowley, looking at his dad.

"Tony will be here with you, too, sometimes, I'm sure." Crowley said, pushing down the ache he had from time to time when Warlock wasn't able to refer to his grandfather properly. "Now, wanna see inside? You can pick which room will be yours. There's only one that's off limits, cause it's gonna be mine, but."

Warlock's eyes widened. "I can pick which will be my room?" He asked, looking back at the house with awe.

Crowley grinned, getting up and taking Warlock's hand and leading him inside to show him their new home.

As he did, something settled in Crowley's chest, a rightness to it all.

As Warlock tore up the stairs, his phone rang.

"Hey, Anathema, what's-"

"AJ," She said, her voice broken.

His heart lurched. "What's wrong?"

She sniffed. "Umm… I'm calling to ask a favor. Sorta last minute, but… umm, I have a funeral next week. I was hoping we could do the flowers for it. It's, umm, for my friend Liz."

Crowley, having nowhere to sit, leaned against the nearest wall. "Anathema, I'm so sorry." He said softly. "Yes, of course, we can do the flowers. No charge, make sure you tell her family-"

"There isn't much family to tell. Just her brother and her son." She sniffed.

"Oh, shit." Crowley swore, running his hand through his hair. "When's the funeral?"

"It's Wednesday. I know it's a bit of a short notice, considering you're taking time off."

He frowned, "I don't give a toss about that. Take time off, as much as you need, I'll get the flowers arranged, Bea can help with the rest, and I'll get Eric here to cover for us both until you're ready to go back. Hell, I'll even see what I can do while handling the move."

"Thanks, AJ. It means a lot." Anathema replied. "Her brother's still in a bit of a shock."

"I can only imagine." He said, shaking his head. Warlock called for him, and he glanced at the stairs. "Look, just make a list of what you want me to make, and I'll have them done and sent to wherever. I'm really sorry."

"I know." She said softly. "I'll talk to you again soon. And, thanks again."

"Anytime." He rang off, and ventured up to see where Warlock had gone.