Horns n Halos Blackrayvn
Chapter Management Edit Chapter
Chapter 15: The End of EDEN
Summary:
Following the lives of all involved, life is starting to move on.
Shadwell has taken over, and information is plentiful.
Aziraphale finds Adam and starts to fix himself
Pepper, Beelzebub, Gabriel, and Hastur have a few choice words
Crowley deals with the past, with the help of an angel.
Notes:
This is a mixed bag chapter, fluff and love abound.
Trigger Warning, I think.
However, Crowleys portion I put at the very end, there is mention of violence and what happened in his past.
I wrote this from past experience, I kept it quick and poetic so as not to just throw violence at you and am trying to be able to tell my own personal story.
I'll get there but the 2/26th is a date that is scribbled out of existence.
Here's trying to write a painful, moment in time.
Chapter Text
playlist?list=PL-B2IVpkcxi5LG5NML_CLg4ot7LjLyqsw
Long ago and far away, there was a story of a garden, one where all things started, a place where two humans lived, a start to it all, and also an end. That was how Shadwell viewed Eden, it didn't matter to him how it started, but he did know it needed to fall, someone needed to take a bite of the proverbial apple and be cast out. That person was Beelzebub, and they could take Gabriel with them.
Shadwell continued to read the paperwork that had been brought to him, and information was where he excelled; the more he knew, the better. E.D.E.N., at one point, was perfect in all ways. Brought into existence by a hope and a prayer. There had been an all-out war between the children and the mother. The children's mother had a rule, you never questioned her, but according to the paperwork, a few did. E.D.E.N.'s fall came when the mother cast out her favorite child, a son, with him, he led others to go against her.
In the end, the mother had become distant, not answering their calls, and she had an ineffable plan, which Shadwell had accidentally come across with a miracle and luck. As he read a passage in one of the many writings that the mother had left, Shadwell realized he would need the help of an angel and a demon—chuckling to himself. Shadwell thought of the irony of the entirety of Eden, a mother, and an angel and a demon. If all went according to Shadwell's plan, it could divert armageddon and the restart of Eden. One could only hope, putting away the paperwork, Shadwell put in a call to Pepper, she would be an intricate part of this as well.
Tracey knocked on Shadwell's office door, waving her in he noticed she was wearing his robe. Tilting his head as she sat on the edge of his desk, looking up at a sultry grin, he cocked an eyebrow. Letting his fingers move the bathrobe off of one of her thighs, he licked his upper lip and grinned. Perfectly pale skin greeted his eyes, looking up at her; she slid in front of him, placing one barely covered leg on either side of his chair.
"Oh, Mr. Shadwell, you've been locked away in here for far too long today. I feel rather neglected." Tracey grinned wickedly as Shadwell shook his head, standing he leaned over her, shoving everything off the desk.
"Oh, have you now? Well, I supposed we need to do something about that, now don't we." Shadwell slid her back onto the desktop and gathered himself on to the desk as well.
Aziraphale's eyes fluttered open, the light was filtering in through the windows, inhaling deeply, he settled lower into the bed. The movement brought an arm from next to him to lay across his stomach and then slowly pull him closer to the serpent next to him. Arms and legs were wrapped around him, as Crowley curled into Aziraphale's side. Aziraphale smiled without provocation for the first time, in quite a while, and if truth be told, he was the happiest he had been since the fire. The realization that he was loved, for nothing more than himself, was hard to accept, but he had an insistent love, that showed him.
Aziraphale lets his fingers travel the length of Crowley's arm, gifting him a tighter loving hold on him. Contentedly sighing, he tried to wiggle out of the plethora of limbs, Aziraphale really needed a shower, and he had a second floor flat to go to. Aziraphale had a plan, and he was going to accomplish it, one way or another. Begrudgingly the arms and legs untangled from his own and Aziraphale was able to get up and take a shower, he didn't bother trying to sing, he was content enough to not have to prove anything anymore.
Crowley sat up in bed, looking over towards the bathroom he expected the door to still be closed, however, it wasn't. From within the heavenly clouds, an angel hummed, Crowley could hear it, he smiled, he had somehow known what to say, he knew his angel still had some bumps in his road ahead, but the one that mattered for them was situated. Crowley leaned back against the cushioned headboard and waited to see his angel, his Aziraphale leave the bathroom, hoping for a chance glance at the beauty that was Aziraphale.
Much to his pleasure and slight shock, Aziraphale came out of the bathroom, sans attire. Aziraphale looked at Crowley, with a wickedly cheesy grin, struck a pose that had Crowley clambering out of bed to attack him with kisses, bullying Aziraphale back into bed. Aziraphale's laughter from the onslaught was music to Crowley's ears. Despite Aziraphale's plans, Crowley was keeping his angel for a while longer in bed, doing his best to debauch his angel. Aziraphale could always take another shower, it was fine.
Pepper received the call, she knew what she needed to do, ever resilient, ever-reliable Pepper walked through the front doors of E.D.E.N. The escalators were right there, reach the top, take the elevator to the penthouse, and just walk in, right? That was the idea, confidant, and make herself seem like she was entirely on their side now. The end was in sight, Pepper had the privilege of meeting Aziraphale on a good day, his joy contagious, and then later that same day, she saw what he could fall into.
A man walked by the front of Horns ~n~ Halos, he resembled Gabriel, she saw the terror that crossed his eyes. Pepper watched as his angelic aura shifted into a corner of hiding, pretending to not exist, his breath hitching and not rereleased. Crowley came to Aziraphale's side, pulling him against him, resting his head on top of his angels. Pepper was just as caught up in the angelic being that was Aziraphale, you could feel the love radiating off of him. Pepper would do this, would do this for an angel.
Reaching the top floor, Pepper looked around, strangely there was no one. Walking by the secretaries desk, Pepper continued; still, no one, with a shrug Pepper walked right into Beelzebub's office only to find it empty. Closing the door behind her, Pepper quickly went to the computer, inserting the thumb drive that Shadwell had provided, she hit the enter key. The computer started trilling as the thumb drive did its' job, Pepper had no idea what it was doing, just that it was working.
What seemed an eternity later, the computer beeped three times and quieted, Pepper quickly grabbed the drive and headed back to the door. Stepping out of the door, Pepper heard Beelzebub, thinking on her feet, Pepper started to knock on Beelzebubs door, as though she had just arrived. From behind, her Beelzebubs voice raised.
"Any reason you're knocking on my door, Pepper?" Beelzebub sounded slightly annoyed as Pepper turned tp face them.
"I was just checking in, but there seems to be no one here? Figured knocking was the polite thing to do." Peppers countenance stayed strong, not betraying her, the thumb drive feeling like a brick in her pocket.
"Yeah, I see that where is my secretary?" Beelzebub looked at the desk and then followed a noise from around the corner, walking to the sounds, Beelzebub opened the janitors closet, finding their secretary and Hastur in a rather compromising circumstance. "Oh well, for fuck's sake, this is not what I ever wanted to see." Beelzebub sounded disgusted yet intrigued. "Alright, this is how this is going to go. Hastur, you finish, and I better hear her scream, or your both fired." Hastur chuckled, kicking the door closed. Beelzebub came back to their office.
"Did you need something orrrr...?"
Pepper nodded, "I was checking in, I have been keeping an eye on the bistro, as you suggested. I was wondering if there was something else I could do, or if you needed an update." Pepper continued the facade, as Shadwell mentioned. Beelzebub waved Pepper into their office, motioning for her to take a seat in front of their desk. Unceremoniously Beelzebub sat at the desk, kicking their feet up onto the desk.
"So what updates do you have for me, Pepper? Anything of use?" Beelzebub laced their fingers together, placing them rather prudently on their lap.
"It's been over a month now, so if you could tell me what would be helpful, I can cut through the crap you don't need." Pepper leaned cockily back in the chair, Beelzebub seeming please with Peppers demeanor.
"Right, well, what I really need are times when Crowley is not there, and Aziraphale is. When that little bastard leaves without Crowley, just times when they are apart." Beelzebub grinned too toothily for their face, Pepper was suddenly very uncomfortable.
"To be honest, it would be easier if Gabriel stopped showing up, watching from other buildings, literally standing right in front of the building." Pepper had still been doing her job, and she did it well. With a frown, Beelzebub was leaning forward, grabbing their phone and calling Gabriel to join the conversation. Pepper grinned within herself, causing Gabriel any distress was worth the time in Beelzebub's office.
_
Anathema and Newt were picking out flowers together, their wedding was going to be quiet. A small event, just close friends and family. Crowley, of course, let Anathema have whatever date she wanted to use the bistro for the entire event. It was the least he could do, for how much she had helped through the years, had pulled him from that ditch. Anathema cried at the offer, and now here she was with Newt, picking out flowers for the best day of her life.
Newt was looking at Lillie's while Anathema turned her nose up to them.
"Why not Anathema, they are white." Newt sputtered at her refusal.
"They are also for funerals, can we not get flowers that celebrate our start and death at the same time?" Anathema huffed, Newt taking in her words nodded.
"I knew they were familiar." with a shrug Newt wandered off to brighter colored flowers. Anathema just stood there dumbfounded by his approach to flowers.
By the end of the day, Anathema and Newt had chosen, roses, of multiple colors. Anathema wanted it that way, a rainbow of flowers for them and for her two best friends. Lord knows that Crowley needed a rainbow after the flood that was his life; after that day, for him, a rainbow was a sign of happiness, so a rainbow it was going to be. Newt wholeheartedly agreed, smiling as Anathema tucked a few flowers in her hair and his.
"I love you Anathema, you know that, right?" Newt asked, with a tilt of Anathemas head she smiled.
"Would I be marrying you otherwise?" Anathema slid her arms around Newts neck, smiling he leaned down into a kiss.
Aziraphale had weaseled his way out of the bedroom, much to the displeasure of Crowley. Aziraphale had projects, though, and he was going to fulfill them; in his car, he hopped in, turning on the radio, and smiled at the voices that came from the speakers. Taking a deep breath, he drove to Adams's house, the first meeting didn't go well. Aziraphale was already heading down a slippery slope, he needed a lifeline, one that Crowley had provided and wrapped around himself, tying it around Aziraphale and connecting to their grace. Aziraphale loved Crowley to the end of time, and the start of something new, Aziraphale was going to try.
A knock on Adams's door brought the younger man, the door opened, and Adam simply waved Aziraphale in.
"I was wondering when you were going to come back, Aziraphale." Adam smiled.
"Yes, well, it took something, someone, special to help me, and he did." Aziraphale blushed slightly under the scrutiny of the other man. Adam shook his head with a roll of his eyes, closed the door, both walking to the music room. Adam sat behind the piano, Aziraphale took his spot next to it, eyes trained on Adam as he started to have him try things with his voice.
Single notes, was where they started, then holding the notes, Adam would take information on where Aziraphale's voice would crack, or break altogether. They were two separate events that would happen when Aziraphale would sing, and Adam was coming up with a plan.
Scales, three-note starting point, then a full scale. Aziraphale would ignore the break. His voice would resonate among the walls, bouncing between the instruments and the room. Then a break, Adam told him to ignore it for the moment, so he did. Adam took more information, then told Aziraphale to wait there a moment as he went to the back room of the music room. Picking up a folder, Aziraphale noticed it had his name on it. It was his medical record on his throat.
"Wait, how did you get that?" Aziraphale was pointing at the folder.
Adam pulled out a piece of paper with an Aziraphale signature on it, "When you first came here, I had you sign this. I finally used it." Adam continued to read as though Aziraphale wasn't standing there with his mouth hanging open.
"So, you had a laryngoscopic examination while you were in the hospital." Adam thumbed through the pages gathering more information. "Both mucosal waves of your vocal folds were not seen because of the toxic smoke you inhaled. Sooo, they did a voice analysis, laryngoscopic examinations, and high-speed video endoscopy. It seems like the diagnosis was that the damage was pretty severe, but with the medicines, you have been taking and voice therapy.." Adam waved at Aziraphale with a grin, "We might get you back to normal, you ready to do this, Aziraphale?"
Aziraphale all but teared up when he heard the words, normal, even a tad off was better than no voice at all. There was one event he wanted his voice back for, and he would walk through the gates of hell willingly to be able to sing again. Aziraphale nodded yes as Adam came over, giving him a good solid pat on the back. "You got this Aziraphale, we'll get there."
Aziraphale set his shoulders back and nodded, "Let's do this."
_
Gabriel walked into Beelzebubs office, seeing Pepper, Gabriel frowned, his brow furrowed. "So Gabriel, you still hanging out at the bistro? Nothing better to do, interfering with Peppers job?" Beelzebubs voice was commanding, there would be no back and forth, Gabriel knew he was screwed.
"Yes, you said to find out times." Beelzebub cut him off as they slammed their fists down on the desk. Pepper jumped slightly in her chair, Gabriel shut right up. "
"You had your chance Gabriel, and you couldn't keep your hands off him. We need him; you are such an ass, Gabriel." Gabriel looked at the floor, Beelzebub turned to Pepper.
"Listen, from here on out, if this ass gets in your way, call me on the personal line. We need Aziraphale, and not for what Gabriel wants, mother left things to him, right after she met him and left suddenly. Mother's angel, her warrior, her freaking Principality, she left the principal portion of the company in his name. Mother and her damned biblical plans, her ineffable bullshit." Beelzebub threw the stapler at Gabriel. "This ass, almost killed him, I hate having to be thankful for a damned serpent in the grass." Beelzebub leaned back into their chair.
Lifting their hand to Gabriel, "You go near him again, Gabriel and I will end you, understood?" Gabriel nodded and turned to leave flashing eyes of pure hatred at Pepper. Pepper grinned right back into his face, giving him a one-finger salute. Beelzebub laughed at her ballsiness. "Now Pepper, whatever you need, you come to me now, surrounded by idiots, you currently have the only brain amongst them." Pepper stood, bowing with a flourish, she headed out the door.
Elevator to the second floor.
Escalators down to the ground floor.
Go out the front door.
H. . .
_
Beelzebub was not known for being patient and or kind; what they were known for was cruelty. Causing pain thrilled Beelzebub, hearing the cries of passion mixed with pain was what did it for them. Gabriel was the best they had ever had, the amount of pain Gabriel took amazed Beelzebub, and the fact that Beelzebub could tell Gabriel enjoyed it. Everything that had happened over the last year, how it was piling up, that maybe, just maybe it was time to call in a payment.
Beelzebub frowned, thinking of the shit that Gabriel was pulling, perhaps he needed to be taught a lesson again. It had been a while, and Beelzebub owned Gabriel, for all the things he had gotten into, all the favors that Beelzebub had to call in, not to mention the call he had to make Samael. Grimacing at the remembrance of that phone call, the reminder that he was to be called Lucifer, and that E.D.E.N. could burn. Gabriel's ass was theirs, and it was time to pay.
Beelzebub got up, straightening out their clothing, the suit sitting just right. Lacing their fingers behind their back, Beelzebub left their office, knowing exactly where Gabriel would be found, picking up their secretaries phone Beelzebub called into Gabriel's office.
"Feeling a bit merciful today, Gabriel, so I will be there in five minutes, get your ass prepared...you're going to need it." Beelzebub hung up the phone, wickedly grinning, merciful was not a high point with Beelzebub, simply not wanting to hear the complaining moans, was really the reason. With a click of their tongue, a turn on their heel, Beelzebub headed to find Gabriel. Beelzebub was calling in payment number one, and they were going to thoroughly enjoy it.
Crowley sat alone in the flat, waiting for Aziraphale to return, his eyes glanced up at the calendar by the door. The day scribbled and scratched out as though it didn't exist, memories and thoughts started to crash down around him like stars falling from the sky. It was the day, that fateful day that shut him off to the world, to everyone. Flashes of that night filled his mind, closing his eyes only let them be more explicit, the suddenness of it all, the pain of that first hit. The feeling of the pavement as it caught him, taking him into its hard embrace. The rain that splattered on his face, then again it wasn't raining that night, his blood glistening against the luminescence of the moon as it caught its beams.
How the night shadowed with each blow until it didn't matter anymore until the darkness was all-encompassing lovingly tucked him in. Inundating him to the point of numbness, the sounds of the booted kicks landing only muffled by his own gasps. Shouting that his ears finally tuned out, turning the sounds off as quickly as a radio being unplugged, but he wasn't a radio, was he. Crowley was shutting off in his memory.
Gasping for air that his body was no longer handled correctly, his hands twisted in the blankets of his own bed. Alone he thought, apart, Anathema wasn't here this time, he felt himself slipping. His heart beating too fast, someone was sitting on his chest, he couldn't breathe, then just as the lights started to fade out around the edges of his sight, an angel's arms were pulling him to his chest.
Warmth, was the first thing Crowley noticed, opening his eyes in a flash to see what was there, Aziraphales smile was upon him. Words he couldn't hear were being whispered to him, the warmth of breath on his cheek, the softness that was his angel. Looking up at Aziraphale the light from behind lit his hair like a halo, Crowley's breathing calmed slowly, pressing his face into Aziraphale's chest, his arms holding him, slowly rocking him back and forth. The words that an angel spoke slowly making their way into Crowley's mind.
Crowley breathed in his angel, curling into him as gentle fingers combed through dark apple-red hair. A loving kiss was placed on each temple, kicks being washed away by the kisses and love of an angel that brought Crowley back from the edge of an abyss. Crowley relaxed with each breath, as each visible scar was touched, with love, with kindness, with kisses to wash away the pain. Soft fingers tilted Crowleys face up, a breathless kiss placed on his lips, on each eye, each cheek.
Sounds of pain were being washed away by words of love, of kindness. Aziraphale was his savior, even though Crowley had survived, he never truly started to live again. Until his angel showed him he could, he was worthy of love, and of kindness, It was Aziraphales turn to make sure that Crowley knew just how much Crowley was worth, how much he was loved. Afterward, Aziraphale was going to let Crowley tell him everything that he hadn't about that night. Hopefully, he would this time.
