Crawley lingered and regarded the sleeping angel for just a touch longer before snapping himself back into the enclosure, the light of day had just breached the horizon, and he was tired. Letting his form coil in on itself, he slithered his way back up the tree, lengths of him lazily stretching off branches. Although Crawley was exhausted, which was most of the time, cold he hated, but tired and cold the absolute worse, he made sure his body was under the heat lamps, relaxed, he thought of an angel. A heart he had shut down and swore he didn't have thumped, he growled at it internally to knock it off. Closing his eyes, he slept, that is, until the door opened, a few hours later, and one angelic scientist walked in. From the wrong way.

Ezra stopped dead in his tracks, all his belongings falling to the floor. He knew his lab, and he had worked here for years, this was all wrong. Turning in place, his mouth hanging open, pointing in different directions, nothing but illiterate words flowed from his lips. Crawley was internally suffocating of laughter as he watched the face of the bewildered scientist. Watching, he saw Ezra go to his desk and kept looking around, then to the wall, and under the paper, there was a picture there. Pulling the image, he held it up to the room, from where he stood and looked from the picture to room and then plopped unceremoniously into his chair.

Ezra held his head within his hands and shook it. Newt happened to knock on the door at that moment, causing an adorable squeak to relieve itself from Ezra's chest, a hand clutched to his chest as he stood. Opening the door with an exasperated, "Hello?" Newt looked in and tilted his head. "Hey, weren't you the other way?" Ezra looked relieved, "So I am not crazy then?" Newt shook his head and wandered in. BEEP..."Oh for the love of.." BEEP..."Are you kidding..." BEEP! Ezra's face turned a lovely shade of pink when out of the blue, much to the surprise of one demon and one intern..."What the Fuck is happening!"

Newt stepped back; Crawley fell out of the tree with a thud, and then as Ezra was completely flustered, not knowing who to check on first. BEEP. . . . . . .BEEP. . . . . . .BEEP. . . . . . . "I swear to the almighty herself; Newt help me find that damned blasted beeping! It's been weeks, and now it's more, my lab is backward, including walls that can't move, Crawley is on the floor, falling out of trees seems to be a thing!" Throwing his hands up in the air, Gabriel entered the room and took in what was going on.

Even though he knew what had happened, Ezras' current state befuddled him. BEEP. . . . . . .BEEP. . . . . . .BEEP. . . . . . ."ARGH!" Gabriel came over and placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder, trying to calm him, "So we need to find the beep before you blow up is that it Ezra?" Gabriel had to try and keep himself from laughing at his own joke, it wasn't lost on Crawley, who was unable to get back up in the tree, but the look on Ezra's face made it all worth it. An exasperated angel sought the beeping, Newt searched, but as Crawley watched, now back in his tree, he noted one extraordinary thing. Gabriel deliberately and calculatedly walked to each alarm that he had placed, without blunder and without fail, finding all three.

Turning to Ezra with an arrogant, ~I saved the day~ smile handed them to him. "There, three beeps, three alarms, where is Ms. Device today, are you sure it wasn't her?" Ezra frowned but reigned it in as he shut them off. "No, Gabriel, it wasn't her, it's been almost three weeks with a single beep every few minutes today it was three. Thank you though for finding them." with a nod, he turned his attention back to Crawley, who had narrowed his eyes glaring at Gabriel, something was off. Gabriel then came up behind Ezra and placed his hand over his shoulders, giving him a squeeze that lifted Crawleys head, eyes fully open.

Ezra looked up at Gabriel, who stood a bit taller than him, his look one of utter confusion, "You alright, Gabriel?" Gabriel looked down at Ezra, grinning, "Perfect, glad I could be of help, Ezra. Need anything, call me, always willing to help you.," Gabriel went to leave but looked up at Crawley seeing his reaction or more so interest in his arm around the scientist, he winked at the serpent and left. "Oh, Ezra, love what you did with the lab, looks good!" Crawley watched in shock as the man turned to leave, watched as even Ezra turned to watch him leave; the look alone that crossed Ezra's face spoke volumes of mistrust, disgust, and confusion. Gabriel was no good, he was dangerous, and Crawley just figured that out.

Ezra noted Crawley in the tree, considered the room, dropped the alarms in the garbage bin, and dropped into his chair. "This might be the oddest few weeks of my life." Newt silently stepped out and closed the door, but Ezra kept talking. It took Crawley a minute before he realized that Ezra had slid closer to him, with paper and pencil, talking to him while drawing him. "So, you have secrets Crawley, you are more than you seem, yet still seem so simple." Slowly he sketched, but as the angel spoke, Crawley watched, the sketch was the serpent, but to the side, was him. Barely a figure of something, waves of curls, hair of red flame, that Ezra had somehow managed to merge with the coloring of the snake.

"You have far too many genes, chromosomes, your DNA is well, it goes without saying, Anathema needs a vacation, and well you're stuck with me, dear boy. A crazy, lonely scientist that is apparently losing his mind." With a shake of his head, the halo of curls bounced around his head, he shrugged and turned to leave. "I still think you are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid my eyes on. We'll figure you out." Ezra beamed that ever so charming smile and went back to his desk, pinning the drawing up, not even realizing what he had drawn. Lowering the lights, he locked the doors and turned on classical music.

Crawley watched not sure what was happening, Ezra was closing shop early, it was the weekend, he had nowhere to go, no one to be with so he was staying in. Pulling out a few bottles of wine, he pulled his chair back up to the window, kicked off his shoes, took off the coat, sat back, and opened the wine. "Tonight, fuck the glass." Ezra giggled and blushed at his language. "I don't normally do that, you know." Crawley realized he was talking to him again, so he slithered to the window and lifted himself to see what was going on. Tipping the bottle back, Ezra took a good mouthful and drank it, a particular serpent watched as his Adam's apple bobbed with each swallow.

Crawley could watch all night if need be, the music played, and every once in a while, Ezra would get up and spin around the room. Crawley, thankful he was a snake at the moment, could only laugh; this man was full of life and love of it. He watched as his aura brightened and dimmed, how it threw out colors, pulsed with passion, and at times when he was talking to him, it would pulse love that would bowl him over. Taking his breath and making him want to slither back up into the tree. What was this human, he knew he needed to report back, but that would waste a night, and what fun would that be.

Another bottle down and Ezra was in his chair feet up, smirking at a serpent, truly barely able to even see him anymore, at least clearly. Crawley had an idea, he waited, when Ezra stopped moving and was looking at him, he tempted him to sleep. Slowly he lured him to close his eyes, nothing more, nothing less he needed his angel to sleep. Easier in dreams. Things not chanced made real by a dream never denied, words not said flowed easier from lips, a meeting in a dream would be remembered, especially if seen in the awakened world. Vividly glazed over blue eyes slowly closed, a tilt of his head, he watched as curls fell forward onto Ezra's forehead, the rise and fall of his chest. Crawley watched as though Ezra was prey, and he just found a way in, coiling on himself; he lowered his head to the window, resting it there, letting his eyes close.

As dreams swept Ezra up and into them, he felt warmth, the dark around him engulfing him, comforting him. There was no fear here, there was nothing here, just the feeling of everything being alive around him, even the dark, and the nothing of everything. He heard a slithering, he turned towards the sound, he waited, again but closer, then against his leg. Staying perfectly still, he saw a light in the distance, a fire, a flame? His legs took him towards it as a whisper and a breath of heat on his ear, took his breath, stopping he turned towards it. The whisper, in his other ear, took his voice in a gasp, but still, he followed, it lured him like a sirens call. Following into the dark, the fire in the distance was a figure, a form, a bright flash of light, and he caught a glimpse of red, coils of curls, waves of fiery hair.

The whispers he started to be able to make out the words, he needed too, he needed the voice to tell him what to do. He wanted to do as it asked, he followed it, it comforted him, it lured him, as he got closer, the voices urged him on. The figure was there in front of him not more than ten feet away, he could tell it was a man as he turned slightly towards him, never looking at him. His hand reached out, and the figure darted away, agile nimble quick. Serpentine in his motions as he moved away. Ezra frustrated, started towards the form again, still the whispers the voice took his own until one scientist in one tempter's dream flipped the table when realization set in that it was a dream. "Stop talking to me!"

All went silent, the figure stilled, the darkness shimmered, Ezra breathed again. "Who are you?" The figure smirked; he could tell by the rise in the man's cheek, "Look for me, you'll find me Aziraphale." then just as before, all went black, the fire that didn't burn him, suddenly a kiss that stole any and all breath he had away. Falling out of the chair he sat in woke him quickly enough, his eyes flashing up to a snake that was looking down, taking in the uncertainty of its breathing. Both blinking at each other. Ezra stumbled up and rolled back to his desk, "Maybe I should go home, yeah, I can get there."

Crawley watched as Ezra shakenly grabbed his belonging and stumbled out of the laboratory. He didn't mean to send the angel home, but neither did he expect to be asked questions in his own dreams. Crawley decided to wait a few moments, looking around he cleared himself of the enclosure, snapped himself out of the building and walked up to Ezra on the street. "Hey there, are you okay?" Ezra, still quite a bit buzzed, smirked, "Yes, I think I am just going to head home. Thank you, though, very kind, yes, very." Crawley held back a chuckle. "Here I am going that way anyway, let me lend you a hand, at least. You are?"

Ezra smiled brightly, "I am Ezra Fell, and you are?" Crawley smirked, he could play his game now, Ezra had just not noticed yet, so he would make it more interesting. "Oh me, well, Anthony J. Crowley, but you, you can call me Crowley, angel." Ezra stopped for a moment and repeated his name before walking again. "Huh, that's unusual, is it not? Crowley, I am working with, well, nevermind." Ezra turned to look at his new walking companion, and as they passed under the light, coils of red waves, seemingly lit by fire, took his breath in a gasp. Crowley stopped dead and looked surprised at him, "Something wrong, angel?"

Ezra shook his head, was he calling him an angel? Was he still in a dream? Oh, Ezra shouldn't have left; Ezra decidedly was too drunk for this. He looked back at Crowley and frowned, his mouth opening before his brain had time to step in and stop it. "Are you in my dream? I mean, are we dreaming right now?" That brought forth a chuckle from Crowley, who shook his head, "I don't think so, angel." Ezra looked at him then saw his house, "Oh, I go there, just inside there!" he pointed at his home and then looked back again. "I don't mean to be overly forward, but being inebriated, well, but are you calling me an angel, or so I imagine things?" Crowley looked at him and tilted his head just slightly, "Nope, seems fitting Aziraphale, and you do look a bit like an angel now, don't you." Crowley smiled as they got to the front porch, Ezra opened the door and turned, Crowley was gone, there was no sign of the man.

Going in, Ezra closed the door, and all in all, crawled up to his bed and slithered in. The bed was warm comforting; it felt like a sanctuary, but at the same time, overly empty, he wanted to dream again, he needed to hear that voice in his ear. Who was Crowley, and where did Crowley go. "Crowley, he called me Aziraphale..." His eyes slid shut, somehow his dream was only of things he absolutely adored, and in the midst of it all, was a man he had only just met, someone from a dream and a serpent. Crowley had gone back to the lab, flipping it back to normal with a snap, the alarms in new places around the lab, higher than the ground. Anathema would find her area where Ezras was, and Ezra would find him where Anathemas was...that Crowley was determined to leave for now. One particular thing, Crowley was going to see Ezra again, and he needed more information from downstairs.