"Aren't we going to answer that?"

"Well it would be rude not to," Said Aziraphale, standing up, walking over to the door, ready to defend his friends.

"Wait. It is my house; so wouldn't it be proper if I greeted them at the door?" Anathema asserted as she walked over to Aziraphale, ready to help.

Anathema opened the door and was greeted with not one but two archangels. "Can we come in or do you usually do this stuff outside?" One of them said in polite hurry.

"And what is this business exactly Uriel?" Aziraphale said with a new found courage, looking Uriel in the eye.

Giving a small bit quiet chuckle, she looked at her companion.

"It is nothing personal Aziraphale, we are here due to the 'power leak.' We have three theories and if it isn't what we strongly ho-think it is, we will leave you and the demon be and the humans of course," Michael continued, looking at the witch curiously, "Aren't you Agnes Nutters current descendant?" Michael asked.

Anathema steadied her grip on the door before answering, "Yeah, I am, if-if it bothers you, I think it is time to say goodbye."

Before she had the chance to close the door, Uriel put her hand in front of it so it could not close. ''No, it does not, I was simply rather curious about when we would get to meet,'' Michael said as Uriel blocked the door from closing.

Anathema felt as though, out of all the Archangels she had met and was it not all of them by now? Michael was the calmest and most collected one or she was just very good at keeping everything inside. "Do you know Agnes?" Anathema asked, hoping there would not come any new prophesies on her doorstep.

"Oh yes, I knew her. Things that gets burned often goes to hell." Was the answer.

"Hell?"

"Yes, do not worry, we had a small liberation some years ago." Michael finished with a small glint in her eye before looking serious again, ignoring Anathemas curious gaze.

"This is not a time for conversations, do you have it?" She finished her sentence, annoyance barely concealed at her last word.

"have what?" Aziraphale piped up, back in the conversation again. Already know what or rather who Michael meant.

"do not play dumb Aziraphale, it does not suite you," Uriel said chilly.

Aziraphale was about to return the compliment but was sadly interrupted by Anathema speaking.

"Why don't you two come inside? We can have a nice and peaceful chat."

They moved aside so the two angels outside could come in, 'thank you' they both said as they walked in.

"So?" Adam said as the now four people came in the room.

"Michael and Uriel," Aziraphale introduced.

"Why are you here?" Adam asked them, "is it because RaphMWPH-" Adam proceed to removed Peppers hand from his mouth and continued unaware, "-is here?" As it dawned on him that they might not have told the new occupants in the room about their current guest. He opened his mouth sheepishly, looking at them and said; "Sorry."

Both Uriel and Michael had stiffened, and looked shocked and relieved? At the name, well a part of it. Like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

"W-where is he?" Uriel said with the first bit of emotion (other than surprise in Aziraphale's case.) that both Aziraphale and Anathema had heard.

"What do you want with him?" Adam said quickly, ignoring it was he who accidentally revealed who they were housing at the moment.

Michael looked Adam in the eyes and with visible but hidden emotions, "to talk... And to say hello."

"How do we know we can trust you? And do not use the excuse 'I am an angel," Aziraphale cautioned silently.

Aziraphale looked both of the archangels in the eyes and was surprised to see honest sincerity, he saw no ill intent towards Raphael. Would they harm him? Why would they want to harm him? He was missing for millennial and thought to be dead and has now suddenly returned and he was their brother, older and younger, he was technically also Aziraphale's brother just really, really, really distantly related.

"Very well," Aziraphale sighed.

"Wait-wait, Aziraphale are you sure we should?" Anathema said quickly, nodding her head in the direction of the fourth angel not in the room.

Aziraphale looked at Anathema, worried about what will happen if they suddenly went over to Raphael so unexpected in his current state.

"Can you go get him Anathema?" Aziraphale decided, ignoring the annoyed faces from the archangels.

Nodding, Anathema went to go get Raphael, just as Adam said he would help her.

…

Knock, knock.

He didn't answer, ignoring the knocking.

Knock, knock, knock.

"I'm not here," he quietly mumbled into his knees.

It seemed whoever was outside the door had not hear him or just ignroe him.

"Raphael, can you please open up? There are some people here to see you," he heard Anathema say calmly.

He still did not budge.

"Raphael can you open for us? We will not do anything, trust me. It is Adam by the way," Adam said.

He stiffened, wondering if he should unlock the door, he supposed it was a bit rude, it was Anathema's cottage after all. Feeling a bit sheepish, he stood up, ignoring the momentarily panic, and unlocked the door slowly, peeking out.

"Hi," he slowly said.

"Can we come in?" Adam asked him. Crowley got confused, they just asked a minute ago if he would come out but now, they want to come in, Honestly? He would rather stay here than coming out and greeting whoever was there to meet him, so he simply just shrugged and moved so they could enter.

"You have changed."

"Yes, I have, I didn't want to wear what I wore before," Crowley made a face as he answered.

"So."

"So?"

"Can you come out and say hi?'" Adam asked him.

Crowley looked at him for a moment,. "no."

"No?" Anathema deadpanned.

"Can you please come out and say hi?" Adam repeated, doing puppy eyes.

Almost giving in to Adams puppy eyes, he stubbornly refused, "no, i'm in no mood for meeting new people." He continued, "sorry." He quick added, trying to make himself smaller.

Anathema put a hand on his shoulder but put it away when she saw he flinched and shrank in on himself. "I know you have been through hell and more down there, nothing we will ever know, but we want to help you," Anathema said, trying to look him in the eyes.

He mumbled something.

"what?"

"Oh nothing... nothing."

"Alright. Raphael?"

It took a few moments for Crowley to look up, still not used to being called that after so many years even though it annoyed him, they called him that.

They still did not recognize him, which had annoyed him since he woke up.

He looked over at Anathema, he saw her face full of Sympathy and empathy (what is the difference?), he felt he did not deserve.

"I know you don't want to come out and face your sibling, yes, it is them who has come." Having seen Crowley open his mouth in shock, about to protest, she quickly continued, "but you need to face them some point and from what I have been told. They and most people thought you were dead and not in hell. I know you are scared and really uncomfortable after what happened down there, we all want to help you move forwards, I also know that your siblings probably also want to help you as well.'' Anathema finished, hoping Raphael would listen to at least something she said.

He looked down, thinking about what Anathema just said.

"Are you sure they will I-I..?" Looking at Anathema like a lost puppy. She nodded. "I don't know what they were like back then... But I'm sure they have changed in the time you haven't seen them."

He made a weak chuckle, "what is it they sometimes say? Never criticize or was it judge? Someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do, they will not be able to hear you from that far away, pluss, you will have their shoes as well.

Both Anathema and Adam laughed at that, Adam more than Anathema. As their laughter subsided, they both went to stand up, having joined Crowley on the floor shortly after he opened the door. He shakily got up a few seconds after them.

"Are you ready?" Adam asked him.

"No. No, not at all," he confessed, he would rather have the white tiles and memories than greet his siblings.

"Don't worry, I will help you meet them, I'm sure Anathema will too," Adam told him as he took a hold of his hand to give some comfort, when Crowley did not recoil, he began walking out after Anathema had opened the door, Crowley following.

...

Hearing footsteps coming, Michael and Uriel both turned around looking impatient, discontinuing their short talk with Newt and some of the Them.

"Sorry, it took some time. It took a bit getting him to agree to come out, but we did it." Anathema told them, walking out first, and coming after her was Adam, with him was none other than Raphael, peeking out, not in the room fully. Still holding Adams hand for comfort.

"What? Where is he?" Uriel said annoyed, not having seen him yet. Michael put a hand on her shoulder, her other hand resting on her own corporations' heart, "It is you..." Michael started, unsure how to process the shock of seeing her supposed dead brother alive.

Uriel looked over to Michael then the direction she was looking. Gasping out of shock, frozen, unsure what to do other than stare.

Crowley dropped his hands, feeling a familiar panic begin to rise, he felt uncomfortable to say the least, feeling his siblings surprise and shock become stares did not help it and then there was everyone else watching their reunion unfold, probably wondering if it will go south or not, maybe it will, did it matter? No, it didn't matter, it probably will.

They thought he was dead! Not chilling in hell and being on earth mostly, not their 'innocent' Raphael. Maybe they thought he had been hiding on earth drinking margaritas all day long instead, or maybe the stars, they all knew he loved the stars a lot. But in his own opinion it would be boring to just stay out in the stars all time and alone

No thank you, he would rather stay on earth.

But what should he say to them? 'hey Michael! Yeah it is me, yes! I am alive. What? No, no I was simply in hell. Doing hellish stuff, being a demon, great talking to you.' Yeah, great. He needed to work on his social skills again, being isolated like that earlier made a lot of things difficult, he still had trouble with contact and white walls and floors, he had began spotting emotions and social ques better.

Not knowing if he should start the conversation or wait for them to speak, he decided he should say something and maybe say sorry for not talking sooner. He opened his mouth, ready to speak most of it and say it but ending up doing a simple; "hi" mentally slapping himself for only saying 'hi,' he made small hand movements showing his annoyance.

He should leave the room now? feeling panic rise up, he tried to move, but his legs had apparently betrayed him and so had much of his corporation, stupid body, why couldn't he move? Why couldn't he move? WHY? It was beginning to make him more.

Michael looked at her brother as he peeked into the room, she could not help but gape at the sight of him standing there and alive even! She had missed him, they all had… She thought he was dead for mother's sake! Had mourned him, grieved for him, they all had.

She was thankful it was just her and Uriel here. Had Gabriel come, he would have collapsed and went to hug Raphael, saying he was sorry over and over, they had been close. They all had been before the war, all five of them had.

She listened as Raphael spoke a 'hi' but was still too shocked to do much other than stare, her stare only increasing when he spoke, she badly wanted to go over and hug him, she knew Uriel did too, she could see all the emotions in her eyes brewing. Looking at Raphael, she saw how he began looking distressed and panic screamed out from his body language.

"Raphael…" She finally got the voice to say, she quickly walked over to him but was stopped by Anathema. Standing straight, she looked Anathema in the eyes angry and challengingly, "am I not allowed to greet my brother?"

"We don't want you to hurt him," She heard the former antichrist tell her.

"I would never hurt my own brother" She said fiercely, "but excuse me if I wish to greet my own brother," she said as he moved past Anathema and quickly went to hug her younger brother, feeling him tens up at the contact, trying to squirm out of the hug, she cut the hug short, put her hands on his shoulders and looked at him properly for the first time in thousands of years. "Oh Raphael… we thought you were dead…" Michael whispered quiet enough for only Raphael, Anathema and Adam to hear.

As Aziraphale quietly hushed the Them out of the room with Newt, he went back as Uriel slowly walked up to Raphael and Michael, where Anathema and Adam still stood and motioned for them both to get out of the room and let the archangels have their family reunion. Before he could walk out he felt Raphael claps his hand, looking confused at him, he saw Raphael silently begging for him to stay, he did not know why the archangel wanted him to stay. He could never say no to helping someone, but there was something familiar about Raphael but he couldn't put his finger on it, he needed to ask him later.

"Why is he still here?" Michael asked, narrowing her eyes at Aziraphale, who began to feel very small.

"Michael," he heard Raphael mumble pleadingly to her to let him stay, she looked at him for a moment and nodded.

"Maybe we should all just sit down," Aziraphale said and walked over to the sofa with the three archangels following behind him.

He sat down on the sofa, Raphael sat down right beside him, almost clinging to him like a like a puppy to their mother, he did not know why Raphael did not go sit with his siblings rather than him. He felt honoured, that he did admit. But he could not help but wonder if he or Raphael had met or knew each other before.

Both Michael and Uriel saw Raphael's silent panic and knew they were causing some, if not most of it, they wanted to approach him and say it was okay, it was all okay, they were all here, but they knew it would only do more harm than good right now, so they each sat in one of the armchairs near the sofa. Uriel looked threateningly at Aziraphale, daring him to betray them.

'Again' a little voice in his head told him, he ignored it in favour of continuing the reunion.

"So," He started.

Michael looked at him then looked at Raphael who was looking down, fiddling with his one of his sleeves, "Raphael," Michael softly said, trying to get him to listen.

"Too posh,'' he mumbled before quickly saying, "yes."

When Michael looked him in the eyes, he quickly looked anywhere else than her and basically everyone else, but he had stopped fiddling with, in his own opinion 'too posh' shirt sleeve.

"Sorry," she heard him mumble, she silently wished she could go and hug him but stayed. "Raphael… YOU have nothing to be sorry for, it is us who is sorry, I am sorry… If I had looked out for you more than just thinking about fighting the war and pleasing mother, maybe everything would not have gone so... So wrong, maybe we still could have been together..." Michael rambled on, stopping when she heard him whisper something.

"Would Lucifer still be here then? With us I mean?" He silently whispered, looking up before quickly looking down again

Michael did not know what to say, on one hand she wanted to say no, saying Lucifer was fare too gone and did not matter anymore, but on the other, right hand, she knew there was a sky high chance Lucifer would have stopped his rebellion. She remembered how Raphael wished for them to stop and would often sneak around and communicate with each side and try to do peace treaty's, it got them both talking and reconnecting somehow but after his supposed death, it all went to hell, they blamed each other for his 'killing/murder.' Before she got a chance at answering Uriel spoke up after having remained silent.

"we-I do not know Raphael, he was angry at the end, not just at your... But at God as well." Uriel told him.

"Screw God! He had the right to be, we were told of humanity's creation so suddenly and when, when they would be there, we were to bow down to her new favourite creation, it felt as if we were left rot in the corner. The new favourite." He snapped. "Are we just toys to you? Play things to discarded, when you grow bored, only to pick us up when something does happen! Well I refuse, I will not play a part then! I never asked to be brought back, not like this!" Crowley continued before he shakily stood up and left to go to for a walk. Maybe he could go to the garden afterwards, he needed to do some stuff there anyway, he could not help but feel guilty for leaving Aziraphale with the archangels, his siblings...

"What just happened," Michael blurted out after she heard a door close.

"H-he left," Aziraphale told her, feeling a strong sense déjà vu.

''I saw that but why?''

"We upset him Michael," Uriel says, as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world, which kind of was.

"why?"'

"I think God has become an awkward subject to him after what happened to him in hell," Aziraphale said.

Michael looked him dead in the eyes, "in hell?" She repeated.

FUCK, he never meant to say it, it was Raphael's own thing to say. As Michaels gaze on him only intensified, he knew he was screwed to say the least, they wanted to know what he meant with hell and he knew they knew it was not something pleasant.

They would interrogate him for the few answers he held, he felt bad for Raphael, with what they would do to him when he comes back...

Someone had walked in, he did not know who it was since he was facing the other way, "Do you guys know why Raphael left a while ago? He seemed a bit shaken. He has not come back yet."

A while ago

A while ago...

Not again, just like last time.