p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley flew straight up as always, but as he ascended higher, he stopped. Looking at the city and all its splendor, he felt disappointment, thinking of how they could have lost an archangel, things didn't make sense. No demons were lost, not a single one, but a witch, an archangel, and an unknown angel, possibly Ezra, were trapped there. The name rolled off his tongue, not meaning to say it out loud, then as if needed, he had to say his name, "Aziraphale." Spellbound by the sound of that name, the mark on his chest started to ache, then burn, his wings stuttered, slowly he began to descend. The mark growing more painful, his hand grasped at his chest, he started falling, trying as hard as he could his wings wouldn't work./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Flashes of things, places, someone flashed before his eyes, still faster he fell, seeing a reflection of an angel, no he was reaching for this angel, blue, something blue. Pain, heartache, was all he could feel, taking over his need to stop falling, then just before he hit the ground, his wings opened, stopping just above the floors of Hell. Catching his breath, his feet finally touched solid ground, looking down, eyes widening, taking in a mark burned into the ground. Touching his chest, he followed the score on the ground with his foot. His breathing hitched, he started to feel panic, then a hand on his shoulder startled him, he spun around to see Dagon, The Lord of The Files. Silver scales glistened, eyes that matched looked into his, with a tilt of their head in motion for him to follow them, he did./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Dagon said nothing, walking to a part of Hell that Crowley had never been too, a door opened into what looked like a solid cliff side. Crowley was in awe of what he saw, it shimmered like the spire in Heaven; it glowed with divinity. Dagon looked at Crowley's chest, where he was still clutching, a knowing smirk appeared momentarily before going back to the misery that was Dagon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What's going on, Dagon? What is all this?" Dagon glanced around and sighed, "When did the mark come back?" Crowley looked at Dagon, "What do you mean come back?" His eyes looked down, not really seeing the mark, Dagon wiggled their fingers in front of him, the air shimmering with a mirror. Crowley looked into the mirror, he reverently touched the mark, it was more than what he could see, it wasn't burnt, it was uncovered, it was gold and silver, Crowley could see it clearly from the colors he thought were there. It was beautiful, he traced it with his fingers, he felt something pull him. His head came up looking at Dagon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What is this?" Crowley looked up into the mirror, catching a glimpse of Dagon in it, they were beautiful, the mirror uncovered what was underneath, he saw the angel Dagon once was. They shimmered with silver, eyes of silver-rimmed with gold, hair the color of the darkest night, he was in awe. "Don't look too long Crowley, you'll get stuck, like everything in here." Crowley turned to look behind him. "What is all this." With a smile, "It's all the records, every record I ever kept fell with me. Or at least a copy of them, the walls are made of that mirror. Its the only way to see the truth in the records; as demons, we are apt to lie. This keeps them real."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Picking up a book, they handed it to Crowley, "You are in over your head, there is a reason you don't remember, there is a reason you are alone. You'll have to find it yourself, that is a rule I cannot break, plus, only you can find it. Beelzebub knows you're in here, Hell would like this to end as well. " Crowley opened his mouth to say something then stopped, "Oh, also, remember you are more here than you are up there, and you're always welcome, you may not be welcome up there when this is over." Dagon grinned evilly with that, that was something Crowley could understand that grin was at least average, he watched as Dagon left. Turning around, he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of files and books. Taking once last glance at the mark on his chest, he remembered something; he had seen this mark just smaller and barely visible, but where. Crowley sat on the floor and started thumbing through page after page./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aziraphale woke the following day, light filtering into his room, he felt like he had been run over by a truck. His arms, legs even his back felt weighted down, he could barely move, a bath would help. Running the water, he kept dozing off, he slid his clothes off, looking in the mirror for a moment Ezra frowned, soft he thought. With a shrug, he descended into the water, just as he hit the water, something pulled on him. Ezra felt panicked, his hand grabbing the back of his neck, it felt like he was falling. Scrambling out of the tub, he threw up, panting as everything stopped. His breathing more than ragged, looking on the floor he frowned, he going to have to clean that up, but what was that a large pill was in the middle of it all./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aziraphale, grabbed toilet paper, picking the pill out of his throwup, placing it in an empty bottle. He hadn't taken any medicine, slowly he started to feel better, so much better. He sat there for a moment longer, the moment turned in too several moments as the weight lifted from him, he felt lighter. For the first time in a long while, he felt different, he felt good, Ezra felt a pull again, he touched his neck. It wasn't panic, he was okay with it, something felt right about it. Still confused, he got up, dressed and absent-mindedly walked past the bathroom, he snapped, not stopping to realize what he did it never even registered that he had. The throwup was no more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema was at the lab looking in on a rather sleepy serpent, he hadn't moved in a day, he just lay there, Crowley hadn't come back. It was fine with her if he was taking care of Ezra, it was really alright with her. Her first introduction to Crowley told her all she needed to know. In her opinion, both Ezra and he were of the same stock, they could definitely dig each other. She smiled to herself, it would be good for her best friend to finally find someone, and oh, she was upset because she had forgotten to look at Crowley's aura. Just as that thought ran through her head, Crowley walked in, speak of the devil. Turning her head, she smiled at him, narrowing her eyes at him, she gasped and took a step back. Crowley stopped looking at her, "Are you alright?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema nodded, "Your aura, it's beautiful; it's, well, it's unique." Crowley looked around him for a moment, thinking he was glowing or something, "What do you mean, unique?" She motioned for him to sit in Ezra's chair, "Please let me get a better look!" with a nod, he sprawled out into Ezra's chair, he could smell him, just slightly, old books, roses, sunshine, divinity, he blinked at that thought. Watching Anathema narrow her eyes, tilting her head this way and that, her finger coming up tracing something that only she could see. Crowley started to get uncomfortable, he touched the center of his chest, he felt a pull, something reached back calming him. He wasn't sure if he should be more concerned or if he was going crazy./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay, you are not going to believe this, but Ezra and you, well, you have exact opposite auras. You also have some kind of, I want to call it threading, gold that moves on its own, almost reaching." Crowley just stared at her for a moment, "Oh, do tell me more...what do you mean opposite?" Anathema was more than happy to talk about auras with Crowley; he seemed genuinely interested; in her book, he just became a friend. "Well you see, normal auras are a few colors, they wrap around a person, they can show whether your evil or good, things like that. However, with you, your dark areas are Ezra's bright areas, and your bright areas are his dark, the threads on yours are gold, his threads are silver. I have never seen that with anything or anyone else." Anathema stopped talking for a moment as her eyes widened, flicking between the serpent and Crowley./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley caught the look, oh shit. "What are you?" Anathema almost tumbled out of her seat backward. "Please stop, just stop, shhh!" Crowley had to grab her to stop the fall. "More than what you need to know, just, stop moving. I need your help." Anathema, looked at him, panic, sheer panic, "Look at my aura, do I look like I mean you harm, witch?" Anathema heard him call her witch, then saw his aura, slowly she calmed herself. "Let go of me please, I won't run." Crowley released her arm. "Okay, can we go somewhere not monitored? Not here, there are things you need to know." Anathema put on a front of cheerfulness, "Okay, hey, you want to get lunch Crowley, I don't think you've had the crepes from down the street yet! Ezra and I usually go today, but since he isn't here and your new, wanna come with?" Anathema beamed a smile, he nodded, wanting to applaud her performance./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The two walked out together, chatting about plants, the weather, anything simple. As they left the E.D.E.N.'s grounds, they picked up the pace, both heading for Ezra's house. "Okay talk on the way, what are you, what is going on, tell me, I will know if you're lying." Crowley groaned, not knowing how to broach the topic, "I honestly am not sure how to explain this, but if you can promise not to panic, I will do the best I can." Anathema thought it over, took a deep breath, nodded but kept walking. "Alright then, you can't tell Ezra anything, something is going on at E.D.E.N., do you remember anything from yesterday?" Anathema nodded then tilted her head slightly as though trying to remember everything. "I do, but it is a bit fuzzy, happens a lot, though." Crowley sighed, "We need to go to my house, we're going to need wine for this, I will go in, go get Ezra and bring him."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley side stepped Ezra's house entirely, walking to his own, Anathema watching Crowley, "What are you doing?" Crowley looked at her, "Pulses of forgetting witch, can't you see them?" Anathema looked down at the ground, she felt something first, turning to see what it was, she jumped out of the way, her eyes wide. "Oh, dear god, Ezra!" Anathema ran inside, not even bothering to knock. Crowley shook his head, "Humans," opening his door, he went grabbed a few bottles of wine, snapped in an additional chair, and plopped onto the couch. He was going to need an extraordinary amount of alcohol./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema burst into Ezra's house, causing him to jump in start, a squeak leaving his chest, he grabbed his neck stepping back. Anathema watched him, an odd thing to do, "Come on, we need to go over Crowleys, don't ask, just come with me." Ezra looked at her, still not sure, "Please, Ezra, if ever you trusted me, now is the time to do so." She held her hand out, Ezra took it, letting her lead the way. Crowley was lying on the couch when the panic hit him again, his chest hurt with it, it stole his breath, "What the fuck is going on?" Rubbing his chest for a moment, slowly, it felt better. Crowley was becoming more and more frustrated, uncomfortable, irritated, confused./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema opened the door calling Crowley, "In the back witch!" Shaking her head, "He is an ass." Ezra and Anathema heading to the back room, Anathema took in the room and grabbed a chair. Crowley looked at her, "Make yourself at home, wine, bottle next to your chair with a glass." Crowley turned to look at Ezra, he stopped, there was a glow there, something not there before, something had changed. Anathema noticed the two not moving, just standing there, saying nothing, narrowing her eyes she looked for the two auras. Her gasp broke the moment, both looked at her, "What?" Anathema grabbed the bottle of wine, forgoing the glass, and drank deeply. Crowley was impressed, "Nicely done witch, can you fill us in, please?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Sit first, get a glass, and then we'll start. Well, you will start first, then maybe what I saw will make sense." Crowley plopped back onto the couch, letting his body fall where it may, Ezra smiled at him as he sat properly in the chair, pouring himself a glass of wine, he swished it, inhaled its scent and sipped it. Crowley watched the entire thing, his drink merely sitting in his glass, unmoving. anathema kept looking between the two, "Jesus, I'll start then, it's obvious you two can't." Crowley flicked his eyes for a moment at the witch, he went to say something, he felt a pressure in his chest, then warmth. It was not appreciated, just as he went to say something about it, he noticed Ezra rubbing the back of his neck. That was where he had seen it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley needed to think on his feet. Crowley couldn't just tell them what he was, he'd have to show them, and that would be a whole thing he didn't want to be part of. One thing he knew for sure, Ezra was not human, he wasn't sure what he was yet. "Alright, firstly, the serpent is a trick, I was sent to work with you remember, so that's what I am doing. There something going on at EDEN; we are missing people who went there. I need to find them, and when I was there, I was hiding. A man and woman walked in, the two of you were in their control, she caused you pain, whoever the man was, kicked you, Ezra, hard, that's why the glass is broken, I made the serpent lunge to stop him. Then, they forced some kind of pill down your throats; after that, the room went dark, a flash of light, and you woke up." Anathema took another deep drink, Ezra stood holding up a finger, leaving the room, they watched for his return./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This morning was bizarre for me, I woke up, felt like I was hit by a truck, my arms, my legs, even my back felt like I had weights on them, so I went to take a bath." Ezra sat back down, taking a drink from his glass before he continued. "I got in, went to relax, and all of a sudden, I felt like I was falling, so badly I had to get out of the tub, then it just stopped. I threw up, and if it wasn't for what I am going to show you, I wouldn't believe any of this." Ezra opened the bottle dumping the pill out onto his hand. "I threw this up, I don't know what it is, I hadn't taken anything, but this came up." Crowley looked at him, then to Anathema, "That's what I saw them give both of you, I mean forced you to take, that is still in you Anathema." She shook her head, "Its too late now it would have dissolved by now, but I can test that and see what it is. That plus the pulses, what is going on?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What pulses?" Ezra looked between the two for an answer, "Well, from what my people tell me, EDEN is putting pulses out that are making you forget important things, I do mean significant things and using you for their benefit." Crowley stated matter of factly. "Who exactly are your people, Crowley?" He frowned, taking a drink, "As much as I would love to tell you Aziraphale, I can't." The name, he hadn't meant to say the name, his chest hurt again, not painful, just hurt with a pain he had never felt before. Ezra reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, letting his hand hold his neck for a moment, Crowley watched, his pain left as soon as the touch was made. Anathema noticed it this time, standing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ezra, what's wrong with your neck?" walking behind Ezra he shrugged, "I don't know my dear, just started today, right before I threw the pill up, I felt the falling, and then it came up. Its been getting stronger as the time has passed." Anathema touched the mark, Crowley growled as her hand touched the mark, he hadn't meant too, didn't even know where it came from. He just knew he didn't want her touching Ezra, especially not that mark, she did it again, causing Crowley to stand. She watched confusion cross his face, she put her hands up, showing no harm meant, she could see him relax, but not before Crowley moved behind Ezra. Crowley looked at the mark, it was identical to the one on his chest, he touched it lightly. He felt it in his chest, warmth, calmness, Ezra sighed, leaning back just a bit into the touch before he realized what he was doing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh, good lord, what is happening?" Crowley went and sat down, looking just as confused, Anathema had been watching. "So, auras, they show things about people, tend to be colors, good evil that sort of thing. The two of you have matching auras, just polar opposites of each other, I don't know what that means, I also know that your auras are not on any other human I have ever seen. Do the two of you remember me telling you about the threads? Yours is gold; yours is silver?" Both men listened intently, nodding at the question the witch had asked. "Well, when you both first saw each other just now, the threads were reaching towards one another, and just now, I watched, Crowley your aura turned dark, red, orange-like flames when I touched him, the threads snapping out at me when I touched the mark, but when you touched him, the threads wrapped around each other. Your silver threads almost trying to calm the golden ones. I don't know what any of this means, but Crowley, you need to give us more to work with here. What do3es any of this have to do with me, or Ezra, any of it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley sighed, "That's what I am supposed to figure out, I only know that you are a witch that is not remembering everything, Gabriel is not supposed to be where he is, and Ezra...Aziraphale, I don't know what is happening with you at all. That's why I need your help. We need to know what that pill is and how to get it out of you when they come back. Also, Ezra, you can stay here, if you like, the pulses go right through your house." Ezra looked at him, he hadn't let on that his breathing stopped when Crowley had said his name that time, he shook his head, "I don't think EDEN will like that very much." Crowley smiled warmly at him, "Ezra, EDEN is doing this too you, were all on our own." Anathema nodded at Ezra, "You should stay here see how you feel in a day or so, especially with this out of your system, see what happens." Ezra agreed, Crowley was far more happy about it than he should be, he needed to get more information from Hell./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema left the two and walked home, there was no point in her staying, the pill was already in her system. She needed to figure out what it was, without being caught, and she wanted to know what Crowley was, she knew he was more than he seemed, and Crowley sure as hell knew far more than he was letting on. For the moment, it was enough, it had to be, for all of their safety, she would do everything she could to figure it out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley wasn't sure what he was feeling or why, but as he looked at Aziraphale, he felt calm. Shaking his head, he walked past him, touching his shoulder, it took everything in him not to reach just a bit further, instead on their own accord, his fingers brushed against the mark. Ezra stood straight up, turning, "So let me show you to the guest bedroom then? You know where the kitchen and everything is, yes?" Ezra nodded, "Yes, quite, can you tell me anything else that's going on? I haven't felt myself, well no, that's not quite right, I feel more myself, I guess?" Crowley nodded, he didn't see a problem with showing Ezra, he was obviously something else. "I'll show you after you're settled in, alright?" Ezra nodded./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley left Ezra in the room to get settled and came back into the back room, waiting he finished the bottle of wine. Ezra finally emerged from the depths of the kitchen with his tea in one hand the bottle of wine in the other, he sat down, looked at Crowley, "Alright, which am I going to need?" Crowley chuckled, "Wine maybe something stronger, whiskey?" Ezra nodded, waiting for Crowley to pour them a glass full, and that is what Crowley did, handed Ezra a full glass of Whiskey, "Are you trying to get me drunk Crowley? I assure you, it won't work." Crowley looked at him amused, and slightly impressed by the candor, "Well aren't we in a mood, and no, I am not trying to get you drunk, I would much rather have you sober." Crowley stopped dead; he felt his face heat up like hellfire, his eyes glancing down on Ezra, who was just as red but had a grin./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"That grin right there, that wasn't you're kind of funny, it wasn't an embarrassed grin, it was an approval grin, it was you are more than welcome too, it had Crowley wanting to reach out and grab the man. "Sorry, shouldn't have said that I don't even know if you, well, you know." Ezra smirked, "I am very, and please don't be sorry for what you said, couldn't have beebr /n a better compliment. Soft, plus, don't see anyone ever looking, so thank you, but for now, your turn to talk." Crowley nodded and sat on the table in front of Ezra. "Firstly listen, I want you to be open-minded, I know you work with proof, I have that, but you need to listen to me first, no running, no yelling, just listen. I will give you the proof you want when I am done. Alright?" Ezra nodded and started to drink, Crowley grinned. "Yeah, do that."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Alright, I can tell you this because you are part of it, Anathema cannot know, at least not yet, but I feel as though you need too." Ezra leaned back, slowly drinking; every once in a while, he would nod. "You are not human, just listen please, you are something else, I thought maybe an angel, but there are things about you that just don't add up." Crowley watched the Whiskey get another sip, Ezra nodded. "Alright, EDEN is doing something, that I don't know what it is, but neither Heaven nor Hell can see into that space, something in EDEN matches my divinity, my umm, imprint, but it isn't me, so that is why I am there. Heaven is missing an Archangel, I know where he is, I just need to get him out, and Anathema is a true witch, they can see her, she doesn't realize how powerful she is, she registers with both Heaven and Hell. Then there is you, we don't know what you are. There has never been anything like me anywhere, till you showed up."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ezra took another sip, "Crowley, can you tell me what you are?" Crowley looked at the floor for a moment, he seemed sad, Ezra didn't like it. He reached over, placing his hand on his, Crowley looked up at him, thankful for his glasses. "I'm a Nephalem, child of a demon, and an angel." Ezra nodded, I have heard of them before, it's very biblical, but weren't they all destroyed?" Crowley shook his head, "No, a few of us were allowed to remain, there are three of us, that I know of, the other two are mated, so they control one area and work together." Ezra nodded, "Three? What of you?" Crowley took a deep breath before answering, "I don't know where mine is, more than likely at this point was destroyed, or never existed, so kinda just me, I make sure I work a lot." Ezra felt his heart, beat, it hurt in his chest, he felt a loneliness that wasn't his own, he needed to rub his neck to hold it, so Ezra did, he heard the intake of air from Crowley./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Show me your proof, Crowley, you promised, and I have listened to everything, I am still here." Ezra smiled, running his fingers over the back of his neck, watching and listening to Crowley. He saw the swallow and hear the intake of air again, something wasn't making sense. "Are you sure?" Crowley saw the nod, standing back, he let his wings unfurl into the room, he shook them out, Ezra's mouth dropped, as did the Whiskey, he didn't care though. Crowley watched as Ezra stood and walked around him, he stood still, fingers carded through his feathers, his eyes closed as a shiver ran through him. Slowly Ezra ran a finger over the back of his neck; it drew Crowley eyes to look in his direction; he really wanted to remove those glasses. "Your wings are beautiful, they are amazing." Crowley watched Ezra; he remembered how Ezra was with him as a serpent, he wasn't afraid of the unknown, Ezra cherished it, loved it even, he shivered. "Thank you for showing me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley nodded as Ezra walked in front of him, he stepped just a touch to close to Crowley. Ezra could feel he was being watched, every movement, so he moved slowly, both hands held in front of him, just like he did with the serpent. Crowley watched those eyes, look at the sunglasses, he wasn't sure what to do, he was about to take a step back, when Ezra's hands came up to the sides of the glasses, stopping just there. "May I, I have never seen them before, there must be a reason, I won't ask that, but if I can see your wings, let me see your eyes, please." It was the please and the way he said it, "Yes, you can, just.." before his sentence was finished, Ezra had removed them, and was looking into his eyes. Blue star dusted eyes, locked onto his golden-amber eyes, his look was not fright, was something else. Reaching up without thinking about Ezra brushed some of Crowley's hair away from his eyes. "They are absolutely beautiful, my dear, mesmerizing, golden pools of light."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley melted under the words of Ezra, not knowing why, he had never cared about anything before, why was this any different. His thoughts left when Ezra ran his finger down Crowley's jaw, he smiled, his eyes still not leaving him, he could feel the blush crossing his face, saw it settle in Ezra's cheeks. Without meaning too Crowley closed the distance between them, Ezra, slid his hand through Crowley's hair, his hand instinctively rested against his chest over his mark, Crowley had rested his hand on the back of Ezra's neck pulling him into a kiss. Neither of them understanding anything going on or why, and a moment later, they didn't care. All it was, was a kiss, an unexpected kiss, an unexpectedly needed kiss, possessiveness filled Crowley, suddenly out of nowhere Aziraphale was his. Crowley pulled back from the kiss looking into his eyes, he could see the beginning of a flame, it was low but slowly coming back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ezra pressed his fingers against the mark, he didn't know was there, Crowley let his forehead rest against Ezras, his fingers dancing over the mark on the back of Ezra's neck, he sighed. "What are you?" Crowley asked almost breathless, Ezra shook his head, "I don't know." They stood together like that for what seemed a short time, holding each other, Ezra tilted his head up, Crowley couldn't help himself, he gently pressed his lips against Ezras, a gentle nip on his lower lip, a puff of air as his lips parted opening for Crowley, their kiss deepened. Ezra undid the top few buttons of Crowley's shirt, that was all, his finger traced down Crowley's neck, reaching the mark, it was entirely gold and silver. Ezra's fingers traced it, pulling a breathless groan from Crowley, "Aziraphale." was all he said, they stayed together until the sun filtered through the shades, neither realizing it had been hours. Neither cared; it was when Anathema quietly came into the house, finding them there./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema covered her mouth as she looked in on them, both of their eyes were closed, foreheads pressed together. Crowley's wings had encircled them both protectively, what she was looking at was their auras. They were glowing, under the glow was their auras, it encompassed them both as one, all the colors flowed through one another, gold and silver wrapped around the outside of the auras, brighter than the colors themselves, framing them. Crowley was the first to feel her there, his eyes slowly opened, taking her in, seeing she was no threat, he closed them again, staying right where he was. Anathema cleared her throat; they had to get a move on. "I really hate to do this to you two, but we have to go, please." A light growl escaped Crowley, but he knew she was right, it was then that he realized the human was looking at his wings. Shit./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Are you okay, Anathema?" Crowley motioned towards his wings as he furled them back into another realm. "Yes, from what I am seeing and hearing everything I ever thought is out the window anyway. We need to figure whats going on." Anathema and Crowley looked at Ezra who still was holding onto Crowley, his hand on his chest, he sighed deeply, opening his eyes, Crowley smiled, looking into a blue flame that held all the stars in the sky, of every color moved in those eyes. "Well, as much as I want to stay here with you, and believe me, I do, I may not know why, but you can't go out like that." Crowley snapped a mirror into his hand, showing Ezra, he blinked, and the flames were gone. "How do you know how to do that?" Ezra shook his head, "I don't know, I really don't." Crowley smiled at him, gently kissing him; Anathema smirked, not knowing when this transpired, but it was moving in a direction that much was for sure. The three got ready and walked to EDEN together; they had a lot to do./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Flashes of things, places, someone flashed before his eyes, still faster he fell, seeing a reflection of an angel, no he was reaching for this angel, blue, something blue. Pain, heartache, was all he could feel, taking over his need to stop falling, then just before he hit the ground, his wings opened, stopping just above the floors of Hell. Catching his breath, his feet finally touched solid ground, looking down, eyes widening, taking in a mark burned into the ground. Touching his chest, he followed the score on the ground with his foot. His breathing hitched, he started to feel panic, then a hand on his shoulder startled him, he spun around to see Dagon, The Lord of The Files. Silver scales glistened, eyes that matched looked into his, with a tilt of their head in motion for him to follow them, he did./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Dagon said nothing, walking to a part of Hell that Crowley had never been too, a door opened into what looked like a solid cliff side. Crowley was in awe of what he saw, it shimmered like the spire in Heaven; it glowed with divinity. Dagon looked at Crowley's chest, where he was still clutching, a knowing smirk appeared momentarily before going back to the misery that was Dagon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What's going on, Dagon? What is all this?" Dagon glanced around and sighed, "When did the mark come back?" Crowley looked at Dagon, "What do you mean come back?" His eyes looked down, not really seeing the mark, Dagon wiggled their fingers in front of him, the air shimmering with a mirror. Crowley looked into the mirror, he reverently touched the mark, it was more than what he could see, it wasn't burnt, it was uncovered, it was gold and silver, Crowley could see it clearly from the colors he thought were there. It was beautiful, he traced it with his fingers, he felt something pull him. His head came up looking at Dagon./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What is this?" Crowley looked up into the mirror, catching a glimpse of Dagon in it, they were beautiful, the mirror uncovered what was underneath, he saw the angel Dagon once was. They shimmered with silver, eyes of silver-rimmed with gold, hair the color of the darkest night, he was in awe. "Don't look too long Crowley, you'll get stuck, like everything in here." Crowley turned to look behind him. "What is all this." With a smile, "It's all the records, every record I ever kept fell with me. Or at least a copy of them, the walls are made of that mirror. Its the only way to see the truth in the records; as demons, we are apt to lie. This keeps them real."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Picking up a book, they handed it to Crowley, "You are in over your head, there is a reason you don't remember, there is a reason you are alone. You'll have to find it yourself, that is a rule I cannot break, plus, only you can find it. Beelzebub knows you're in here, Hell would like this to end as well. " Crowley opened his mouth to say something then stopped, "Oh, also, remember you are more here than you are up there, and you're always welcome, you may not be welcome up there when this is over." Dagon grinned evilly with that, that was something Crowley could understand that grin was at least average, he watched as Dagon left. Turning around, he was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of files and books. Taking once last glance at the mark on his chest, he remembered something; he had seen this mark just smaller and barely visible, but where. Crowley sat on the floor and started thumbing through page after page./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aziraphale woke the following day, light filtering into his room, he felt like he had been run over by a truck. His arms, legs even his back felt weighted down, he could barely move, a bath would help. Running the water, he kept dozing off, he slid his clothes off, looking in the mirror for a moment Ezra frowned, soft he thought. With a shrug, he descended into the water, just as he hit the water, something pulled on him. Ezra felt panicked, his hand grabbing the back of his neck, it felt like he was falling. Scrambling out of the tub, he threw up, panting as everything stopped. His breathing more than ragged, looking on the floor he frowned, he going to have to clean that up, but what was that a large pill was in the middle of it all./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Aziraphale, grabbed toilet paper, picking the pill out of his throwup, placing it in an empty bottle. He hadn't taken any medicine, slowly he started to feel better, so much better. He sat there for a moment longer, the moment turned in too several moments as the weight lifted from him, he felt lighter. For the first time in a long while, he felt different, he felt good, Ezra felt a pull again, he touched his neck. It wasn't panic, he was okay with it, something felt right about it. Still confused, he got up, dressed and absent-mindedly walked past the bathroom, he snapped, not stopping to realize what he did it never even registered that he had. The throwup was no more./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema was at the lab looking in on a rather sleepy serpent, he hadn't moved in a day, he just lay there, Crowley hadn't come back. It was fine with her if he was taking care of Ezra, it was really alright with her. Her first introduction to Crowley told her all she needed to know. In her opinion, both Ezra and he were of the same stock, they could definitely dig each other. She smiled to herself, it would be good for her best friend to finally find someone, and oh, she was upset because she had forgotten to look at Crowley's aura. Just as that thought ran through her head, Crowley walked in, speak of the devil. Turning her head, she smiled at him, narrowing her eyes at him, she gasped and took a step back. Crowley stopped looking at her, "Are you alright?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema nodded, "Your aura, it's beautiful; it's, well, it's unique." Crowley looked around him for a moment, thinking he was glowing or something, "What do you mean, unique?" She motioned for him to sit in Ezra's chair, "Please let me get a better look!" with a nod, he sprawled out into Ezra's chair, he could smell him, just slightly, old books, roses, sunshine, divinity, he blinked at that thought. Watching Anathema narrow her eyes, tilting her head this way and that, her finger coming up tracing something that only she could see. Crowley started to get uncomfortable, he touched the center of his chest, he felt a pull, something reached back calming him. He wasn't sure if he should be more concerned or if he was going crazy./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Okay, you are not going to believe this, but Ezra and you, well, you have exact opposite auras. You also have some kind of, I want to call it threading, gold that moves on its own, almost reaching." Crowley just stared at her for a moment, "Oh, do tell me more...what do you mean opposite?" Anathema was more than happy to talk about auras with Crowley; he seemed genuinely interested; in her book, he just became a friend. "Well you see, normal auras are a few colors, they wrap around a person, they can show whether your evil or good, things like that. However, with you, your dark areas are Ezra's bright areas, and your bright areas are his dark, the threads on yours are gold, his threads are silver. I have never seen that with anything or anyone else." Anathema stopped talking for a moment as her eyes widened, flicking between the serpent and Crowley./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley caught the look, oh shit. "What are you?" Anathema almost tumbled out of her seat backward. "Please stop, just stop, shhh!" Crowley had to grab her to stop the fall. "More than what you need to know, just, stop moving. I need your help." Anathema, looked at him, panic, sheer panic, "Look at my aura, do I look like I mean you harm, witch?" Anathema heard him call her witch, then saw his aura, slowly she calmed herself. "Let go of me please, I won't run." Crowley released her arm. "Okay, can we go somewhere not monitored? Not here, there are things you need to know." Anathema put on a front of cheerfulness, "Okay, hey, you want to get lunch Crowley, I don't think you've had the crepes from down the street yet! Ezra and I usually go today, but since he isn't here and your new, wanna come with?" Anathema beamed a smile, he nodded, wanting to applaud her performance./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"The two walked out together, chatting about plants, the weather, anything simple. As they left the E.D.E.N.'s grounds, they picked up the pace, both heading for Ezra's house. "Okay talk on the way, what are you, what is going on, tell me, I will know if you're lying." Crowley groaned, not knowing how to broach the topic, "I honestly am not sure how to explain this, but if you can promise not to panic, I will do the best I can." Anathema thought it over, took a deep breath, nodded but kept walking. "Alright then, you can't tell Ezra anything, something is going on at E.D.E.N., do you remember anything from yesterday?" Anathema nodded then tilted her head slightly as though trying to remember everything. "I do, but it is a bit fuzzy, happens a lot, though." Crowley sighed, "We need to go to my house, we're going to need wine for this, I will go in, go get Ezra and bring him."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley side stepped Ezra's house entirely, walking to his own, Anathema watching Crowley, "What are you doing?" Crowley looked at her, "Pulses of forgetting witch, can't you see them?" Anathema looked down at the ground, she felt something first, turning to see what it was, she jumped out of the way, her eyes wide. "Oh, dear god, Ezra!" Anathema ran inside, not even bothering to knock. Crowley shook his head, "Humans," opening his door, he went grabbed a few bottles of wine, snapped in an additional chair, and plopped onto the couch. He was going to need an extraordinary amount of alcohol./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema burst into Ezra's house, causing him to jump in start, a squeak leaving his chest, he grabbed his neck stepping back. Anathema watched him, an odd thing to do, "Come on, we need to go over Crowleys, don't ask, just come with me." Ezra looked at her, still not sure, "Please, Ezra, if ever you trusted me, now is the time to do so." She held her hand out, Ezra took it, letting her lead the way. Crowley was lying on the couch when the panic hit him again, his chest hurt with it, it stole his breath, "What the fuck is going on?" Rubbing his chest for a moment, slowly, it felt better. Crowley was becoming more and more frustrated, uncomfortable, irritated, confused./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema opened the door calling Crowley, "In the back witch!" Shaking her head, "He is an ass." Ezra and Anathema heading to the back room, Anathema took in the room and grabbed a chair. Crowley looked at her, "Make yourself at home, wine, bottle next to your chair with a glass." Crowley turned to look at Ezra, he stopped, there was a glow there, something not there before, something had changed. Anathema noticed the two not moving, just standing there, saying nothing, narrowing her eyes she looked for the two auras. Her gasp broke the moment, both looked at her, "What?" Anathema grabbed the bottle of wine, forgoing the glass, and drank deeply. Crowley was impressed, "Nicely done witch, can you fill us in, please?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Sit first, get a glass, and then we'll start. Well, you will start first, then maybe what I saw will make sense." Crowley plopped back onto the couch, letting his body fall where it may, Ezra smiled at him as he sat properly in the chair, pouring himself a glass of wine, he swished it, inhaled its scent and sipped it. Crowley watched the entire thing, his drink merely sitting in his glass, unmoving. anathema kept looking between the two, "Jesus, I'll start then, it's obvious you two can't." Crowley flicked his eyes for a moment at the witch, he went to say something, he felt a pressure in his chest, then warmth. It was not appreciated, just as he went to say something about it, he noticed Ezra rubbing the back of his neck. That was where he had seen it./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley needed to think on his feet. Crowley couldn't just tell them what he was, he'd have to show them, and that would be a whole thing he didn't want to be part of. One thing he knew for sure, Ezra was not human, he wasn't sure what he was yet. "Alright, firstly, the serpent is a trick, I was sent to work with you remember, so that's what I am doing. There something going on at EDEN; we are missing people who went there. I need to find them, and when I was there, I was hiding. A man and woman walked in, the two of you were in their control, she caused you pain, whoever the man was, kicked you, Ezra, hard, that's why the glass is broken, I made the serpent lunge to stop him. Then, they forced some kind of pill down your throats; after that, the room went dark, a flash of light, and you woke up." Anathema took another deep drink, Ezra stood holding up a finger, leaving the room, they watched for his return./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""This morning was bizarre for me, I woke up, felt like I was hit by a truck, my arms, my legs, even my back felt like I had weights on them, so I went to take a bath." Ezra sat back down, taking a drink from his glass before he continued. "I got in, went to relax, and all of a sudden, I felt like I was falling, so badly I had to get out of the tub, then it just stopped. I threw up, and if it wasn't for what I am going to show you, I wouldn't believe any of this." Ezra opened the bottle dumping the pill out onto his hand. "I threw this up, I don't know what it is, I hadn't taken anything, but this came up." Crowley looked at him, then to Anathema, "That's what I saw them give both of you, I mean forced you to take, that is still in you Anathema." She shook her head, "Its too late now it would have dissolved by now, but I can test that and see what it is. That plus the pulses, what is going on?/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""What pulses?" Ezra looked between the two for an answer, "Well, from what my people tell me, EDEN is putting pulses out that are making you forget important things, I do mean significant things and using you for their benefit." Crowley stated matter of factly. "Who exactly are your people, Crowley?" He frowned, taking a drink, "As much as I would love to tell you Aziraphale, I can't." The name, he hadn't meant to say the name, his chest hurt again, not painful, just hurt with a pain he had never felt before. Ezra reached up, rubbing the back of his neck, letting his hand hold his neck for a moment, Crowley watched, his pain left as soon as the touch was made. Anathema noticed it this time, standing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Ezra, what's wrong with your neck?" walking behind Ezra he shrugged, "I don't know my dear, just started today, right before I threw the pill up, I felt the falling, and then it came up. Its been getting stronger as the time has passed." Anathema touched the mark, Crowley growled as her hand touched the mark, he hadn't meant too, didn't even know where it came from. He just knew he didn't want her touching Ezra, especially not that mark, she did it again, causing Crowley to stand. She watched confusion cross his face, she put her hands up, showing no harm meant, she could see him relax, but not before Crowley moved behind Ezra. Crowley looked at the mark, it was identical to the one on his chest, he touched it lightly. He felt it in his chest, warmth, calmness, Ezra sighed, leaning back just a bit into the touch before he realized what he was doing./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Oh, good lord, what is happening?" Crowley went and sat down, looking just as confused, Anathema had been watching. "So, auras, they show things about people, tend to be colors, good evil that sort of thing. The two of you have matching auras, just polar opposites of each other, I don't know what that means, I also know that your auras are not on any other human I have ever seen. Do the two of you remember me telling you about the threads? Yours is gold; yours is silver?" Both men listened intently, nodding at the question the witch had asked. "Well, when you both first saw each other just now, the threads were reaching towards one another, and just now, I watched, Crowley your aura turned dark, red, orange-like flames when I touched him, the threads snapping out at me when I touched the mark, but when you touched him, the threads wrapped around each other. Your silver threads almost trying to calm the golden ones. I don't know what any of this means, but Crowley, you need to give us more to work with here. What do3es any of this have to do with me, or Ezra, any of it?"/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley sighed, "That's what I am supposed to figure out, I only know that you are a witch that is not remembering everything, Gabriel is not supposed to be where he is, and Ezra...Aziraphale, I don't know what is happening with you at all. That's why I need your help. We need to know what that pill is and how to get it out of you when they come back. Also, Ezra, you can stay here, if you like, the pulses go right through your house." Ezra looked at him, he hadn't let on that his breathing stopped when Crowley had said his name that time, he shook his head, "I don't think EDEN will like that very much." Crowley smiled warmly at him, "Ezra, EDEN is doing this too you, were all on our own." Anathema nodded at Ezra, "You should stay here see how you feel in a day or so, especially with this out of your system, see what happens." Ezra agreed, Crowley was far more happy about it than he should be, he needed to get more information from Hell./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema left the two and walked home, there was no point in her staying, the pill was already in her system. She needed to figure out what it was, without being caught, and she wanted to know what Crowley was, she knew he was more than he seemed, and Crowley sure as hell knew far more than he was letting on. For the moment, it was enough, it had to be, for all of their safety, she would do everything she could to figure it out./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley wasn't sure what he was feeling or why, but as he looked at Aziraphale, he felt calm. Shaking his head, he walked past him, touching his shoulder, it took everything in him not to reach just a bit further, instead on their own accord, his fingers brushed against the mark. Ezra stood straight up, turning, "So let me show you to the guest bedroom then? You know where the kitchen and everything is, yes?" Ezra nodded, "Yes, quite, can you tell me anything else that's going on? I haven't felt myself, well no, that's not quite right, I feel more myself, I guess?" Crowley nodded, he didn't see a problem with showing Ezra, he was obviously something else. "I'll show you after you're settled in, alright?" Ezra nodded./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley left Ezra in the room to get settled and came back into the back room, waiting he finished the bottle of wine. Ezra finally emerged from the depths of the kitchen with his tea in one hand the bottle of wine in the other, he sat down, looked at Crowley, "Alright, which am I going to need?" Crowley chuckled, "Wine maybe something stronger, whiskey?" Ezra nodded, waiting for Crowley to pour them a glass full, and that is what Crowley did, handed Ezra a full glass of Whiskey, "Are you trying to get me drunk Crowley? I assure you, it won't work." Crowley looked at him amused, and slightly impressed by the candor, "Well aren't we in a mood, and no, I am not trying to get you drunk, I would much rather have you sober." Crowley stopped dead; he felt his face heat up like hellfire, his eyes glancing down on Ezra, who was just as red but had a grin./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"That grin right there, that wasn't you're kind of funny, it wasn't an embarrassed grin, it was an approval grin, it was you are more than welcome too, it had Crowley wanting to reach out and grab the man. "Sorry, shouldn't have said that I don't even know if you, well, you know." Ezra smirked, "I am very, and please don't be sorry for what you said, couldn't have beebr /n a better compliment. Soft, plus, don't see anyone ever looking, so thank you, but for now, your turn to talk." Crowley nodded and sat on the table in front of Ezra. "Firstly listen, I want you to be open-minded, I know you work with proof, I have that, but you need to listen to me first, no running, no yelling, just listen. I will give you the proof you want when I am done. Alright?" Ezra nodded and started to drink, Crowley grinned. "Yeah, do that."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Alright, I can tell you this because you are part of it, Anathema cannot know, at least not yet, but I feel as though you need too." Ezra leaned back, slowly drinking; every once in a while, he would nod. "You are not human, just listen please, you are something else, I thought maybe an angel, but there are things about you that just don't add up." Crowley watched the Whiskey get another sip, Ezra nodded. "Alright, EDEN is doing something, that I don't know what it is, but neither Heaven nor Hell can see into that space, something in EDEN matches my divinity, my umm, imprint, but it isn't me, so that is why I am there. Heaven is missing an Archangel, I know where he is, I just need to get him out, and Anathema is a true witch, they can see her, she doesn't realize how powerful she is, she registers with both Heaven and Hell. Then there is you, we don't know what you are. There has never been anything like me anywhere, till you showed up."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ezra took another sip, "Crowley, can you tell me what you are?" Crowley looked at the floor for a moment, he seemed sad, Ezra didn't like it. He reached over, placing his hand on his, Crowley looked up at him, thankful for his glasses. "I'm a Nephalem, child of a demon, and an angel." Ezra nodded, I have heard of them before, it's very biblical, but weren't they all destroyed?" Crowley shook his head, "No, a few of us were allowed to remain, there are three of us, that I know of, the other two are mated, so they control one area and work together." Ezra nodded, "Three? What of you?" Crowley took a deep breath before answering, "I don't know where mine is, more than likely at this point was destroyed, or never existed, so kinda just me, I make sure I work a lot." Ezra felt his heart, beat, it hurt in his chest, he felt a loneliness that wasn't his own, he needed to rub his neck to hold it, so Ezra did, he heard the intake of air from Crowley./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Show me your proof, Crowley, you promised, and I have listened to everything, I am still here." Ezra smiled, running his fingers over the back of his neck, watching and listening to Crowley. He saw the swallow and hear the intake of air again, something wasn't making sense. "Are you sure?" Crowley saw the nod, standing back, he let his wings unfurl into the room, he shook them out, Ezra's mouth dropped, as did the Whiskey, he didn't care though. Crowley watched as Ezra stood and walked around him, he stood still, fingers carded through his feathers, his eyes closed as a shiver ran through him. Slowly Ezra ran a finger over the back of his neck; it drew Crowley eyes to look in his direction; he really wanted to remove those glasses. "Your wings are beautiful, they are amazing." Crowley watched Ezra; he remembered how Ezra was with him as a serpent, he wasn't afraid of the unknown, Ezra cherished it, loved it even, he shivered. "Thank you for showing me."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley nodded as Ezra walked in front of him, he stepped just a touch to close to Crowley. Ezra could feel he was being watched, every movement, so he moved slowly, both hands held in front of him, just like he did with the serpent. Crowley watched those eyes, look at the sunglasses, he wasn't sure what to do, he was about to take a step back, when Ezra's hands came up to the sides of the glasses, stopping just there. "May I, I have never seen them before, there must be a reason, I won't ask that, but if I can see your wings, let me see your eyes, please." It was the please and the way he said it, "Yes, you can, just.." before his sentence was finished, Ezra had removed them, and was looking into his eyes. Blue star dusted eyes, locked onto his golden-amber eyes, his look was not fright, was something else. Reaching up without thinking about Ezra brushed some of Crowley's hair away from his eyes. "They are absolutely beautiful, my dear, mesmerizing, golden pools of light."/p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Crowley melted under the words of Ezra, not knowing why, he had never cared about anything before, why was this any different. His thoughts left when Ezra ran his finger down Crowley's jaw, he smiled, his eyes still not leaving him, he could feel the blush crossing his face, saw it settle in Ezra's cheeks. Without meaning too Crowley closed the distance between them, Ezra, slid his hand through Crowley's hair, his hand instinctively rested against his chest over his mark, Crowley had rested his hand on the back of Ezra's neck pulling him into a kiss. Neither of them understanding anything going on or why, and a moment later, they didn't care. All it was, was a kiss, an unexpected kiss, an unexpectedly needed kiss, possessiveness filled Crowley, suddenly out of nowhere Aziraphale was his. Crowley pulled back from the kiss looking into his eyes, he could see the beginning of a flame, it was low but slowly coming back./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Ezra pressed his fingers against the mark, he didn't know was there, Crowley let his forehead rest against Ezras, his fingers dancing over the mark on the back of Ezra's neck, he sighed. "What are you?" Crowley asked almost breathless, Ezra shook his head, "I don't know." They stood together like that for what seemed a short time, holding each other, Ezra tilted his head up, Crowley couldn't help himself, he gently pressed his lips against Ezras, a gentle nip on his lower lip, a puff of air as his lips parted opening for Crowley, their kiss deepened. Ezra undid the top few buttons of Crowley's shirt, that was all, his finger traced down Crowley's neck, reaching the mark, it was entirely gold and silver. Ezra's fingers traced it, pulling a breathless groan from Crowley, "Aziraphale." was all he said, they stayed together until the sun filtered through the shades, neither realizing it had been hours. Neither cared; it was when Anathema quietly came into the house, finding them there./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;"Anathema covered her mouth as she looked in on them, both of their eyes were closed, foreheads pressed together. Crowley's wings had encircled them both protectively, what she was looking at was their auras. They were glowing, under the glow was their auras, it encompassed them both as one, all the colors flowed through one another, gold and silver wrapped around the outside of the auras, brighter than the colors themselves, framing them. Crowley was the first to feel her there, his eyes slowly opened, taking her in, seeing she was no threat, he closed them again, staying right where he was. Anathema cleared her throat; they had to get a move on. "I really hate to do this to you two, but we have to go, please." A light growl escaped Crowley, but he knew she was right, it was then that he realized the human was looking at his wings. Shit./p
p style="border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 17.199px; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'GNU Unifont', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; list-style: none; margin: 1.286em auto; padding: 0px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2a2a2a;""Are you okay, Anathema?" Crowley motioned towards his wings as he furled them back into another realm. "Yes, from what I am seeing and hearing everything I ever thought is out the window anyway. We need to figure whats going on." Anathema and Crowley looked at Ezra who still was holding onto Crowley, his hand on his chest, he sighed deeply, opening his eyes, Crowley smiled, looking into a blue flame that held all the stars in the sky, of every color moved in those eyes. "Well, as much as I want to stay here with you, and believe me, I do, I may not know why, but you can't go out like that." Crowley snapped a mirror into his hand, showing Ezra, he blinked, and the flames were gone. "How do you know how to do that?" Ezra shook his head, "I don't know, I really don't." Crowley smiled at him, gently kissing him; Anathema smirked, not knowing when this transpired, but it was moving in a direction that much was for sure. The three got ready and walked to EDEN together; they had a lot to do./p
