Giving a quick hum in acknowledgment that he had finished writing, he folded the letter before having miracled it to the cottage in Tadfield.
"Ready to go dear?"
"Lucifer knows I'm Crowley as well," was Crowley's answer.
"WHAT?! How did he discover it?!" Aziraphale shrieked, looking petrified.
Lucifer, well. Lucifer simply began laughing like a maniac at the outburst.
"Of course, he does." Aziraphale dryly said.
"You bet I do: I always recognize my little brother."
"Maybe, but this time, it took you a little bit over 2000 years, an Armageddon, few visits and a quick trip to the other side. You would do well in the I spy with my little eye game."
"Ha, ha, ha. Are you and your concubine ready?"
"Hey! He is not my concubine."
"Apologies, you have my deepest, doxy."
"Owww! That actually hurt." Lucifer said as after Crowley hit him with a book on the head. "Now I will get a sore spot there."
"You better. Hopefully that will remind you what will happen if you use those nicknames again."
"I won't, promise."
"An angel, a renewed angel and a former angel walk into a bar. Heaven in this case, but this really does sound like the start of a bad joke."
"Not bad, something new and good."
"Let's go," was whispered before the echo of wings beating vibrated in the formerly occupied room that now stood barren. Desks filled with papers covered the floor. Walls were lined with lights and decorations. Shelves were filled with old and new books, books that held promises of a new story and tale - good, bad, humours and historical. All the tales and stories have different starts and different middles, but if they have something in common: the ending. You may ask how, or you may not care about the fact at all.
But inside there is something, something not everyone sees it, but they feel it. Whether it is devastation that brings them together or romance, guilt or simply coincidence.
All stories end with a reunion, how and when? It is up to those in the story.
"Hmpf!"
"We're here! ...Wait a second, I'm not burning!" Lucifer stated two second after they arrived in one of Heaven's currently empty pale halls. Almost tip toeing around as he glances around in the three connected halls. A part of the place he had once called home.
The hallway they had appeared in, seemed to be deserted as far as they could see, but their supernatural senses could sense other beings around the place. They had to find a way to walk around undetected. Two traitors and one dead angel found walking around and together? It screams cacafuego.
"Well, doesn't this look dull? Did we arrive in an old attic mini maze or something?"
"I wouldn't call it an attic or dull. It's rather more 'simple'. Like your outfit for example," Aziraphale snarked.
"Excuse me!" Lucifer cried dramatically, widening his eyes and putting a hand on his mouth for extra effect. Looking like a posh lady from the 19th century.
"It's okay if he doesn't like it, not everyone has 'good' taste," Crowley teased.
"Ugh, darlin' I am a nightmare dressed like a daydream," Lucifer quoted, shaking his head dramatically. "Suits simply must come back into fashion again this century!"
"Drama queen," Crowley bemusedly muttered under his breath.
"Like you aren't one. It runs in the family."
"Well- Yeah, but you are a bigger one than me!" Crowley pointed out, half-pouting.
"I must ask for your entryway to communicate with my appendage from now on." Lucifer said, turning his head away, looking upwards.
"Which one?"
Squinting at something, Lucifer shrugged. "I am not mean; I am just simply brutally honest with you on that. It is not my fault the truth hurts. Now, all you need is a band-aid."
"Can you two keep quiet for a minute? We haven't moved since we came here. We are supposed to meet people if you two have forgotten? You haven't said when, but I am going to say now," Aziraphale pointed out, getting a bit impatient.
Meanwhile Crowley and Lucifer looked at each other, both having a raised eyebrow in agreement.
"You call it a problem; we call it a solution."
"Wha-whatever do you mean? Wait- No, no. We must go, now," Aziraphale sputtered, already walking in a direction.
"Hey- Wait how do you even know where we are going?
Aziraphale continued walking, both Lucifer and Crowley strutting along behind him like baby ducks. "No, but any direction suits me better than standing around here to be discovered. I don't know about you, but I personally do not have any kind of death wish."
"I feel so safe now, knowing you are guiding us out of this bloody maze!" Lucifer yelled, spinning around before continuing.
"Oh, shut it, Lu. We just need to find the fountain and then I should know how to get to my former 'office'."
"Have the thought that Heaven might have changed over the last centuries befallen you yet? Do you even know if your little mini knows where the fountain is? Or if he knows where here is," Lucifer spoke, not wanting to walk in a random direction. Something he claimed was just as bad as standing around.
"Shush Lu."
The two siblings continued to bicker and banter while they mindlessly followed Aziraphale as he roamed their current hall.
Why Heaven needed this useless hall, Aziraphale did not know, but he would like to know, thank you very much.
As Aziraphale walked a head, he glanced back at the demon turned angel and the angel turned demon. Wondering about how his former world had turned upside down, with so many secrets revealed it was sometimes a bit hard to follow the newest change.
For example: Gabriel, Michael and Uriel were suddenly nice now and did not want to kill him that much anymore.
And Lucifer was not a big red beast with a desire to start Armageddon. He really had to ask about that.
Huh, times do change, well, better three hours too soon, than one minute too late.
As they say, it is time to turn a new leaf. Hopefully, it will not be a rotten leaf this time.
"Do you even happen to know where we are?" the king of hell asked, almost pouting.
"Hm? What? Oh, yes, yes, yes..." Aziraphale startled. "We are in Heaven."
"No shit Sherlock. If I were to ask you the same on earth, would you then say; no, we are in the milky way," Lucifer spoke, while he mimicked Aziraphale's voice.
If you asked Crowley, Aziraphale's facial expression became pure gold at Lucifer's answer. (Imagine the face he made, when he said: 'there is no need for that kind of language' to a person on the phone.)
Crowley could not help it, he burst out laughing, probably louder than he should have. Drawing attention to themselves was easier than they had thought
Both heads turned in his direction as he made a weak attempt to control his laughter, but as the others looked at him with confusion and worry. He could not help but laugh more at their expressions.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Why are you asking? Want a crumb of dopamine?"
"Maybe you need a crumb of serotonin."
"Quiet you two, we are almost there," Aziraphale shushed. "It can't that be long now."
The three supernatural beings finally stopped walking. Although none was pleased about why they stopped.
"Are you kidding me?! How come none of us realized we have waltzed over to a dead end?!" Lucifer snapped annoyed. Wondering how they have missed the blind end, and with light. It was not dark where they had been walking.
"Well, to be fair, we were kind of bickering and probably distracted by that," Crowley reasoned. "Time does move fast when you talk… And stuff."
"And stuff?" Aziraphale looked back at the bickerers and walked forward. Placing his hand on the wall, checking if there was a secret entrance of some kind. "Maybe there is a secret entrance or exit. Either way, we could probably use it."
Moving his hands around on the wall, Aziraphale couldn't help but feel it must have looked a bit silly. Ignoring the small blush on his cheeks, he continued to touch random parts of the wall.
A huge click signalled his success, since the wall started to vibrate and change until a dark white acute arch entrance appeared.
Feeling proud of himself, Aziraphale couldn't help but do a little victory dance, ignoring the two brothers' stares.
"Ngh, what are you doing, angel?" Crowley asked, looking dumbfounded.
"A victory dance." Aziraphale signalled for Crowley to join as he did a spin.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." Aziraphale furrowed his brows, but stopped his victory dance.
"You found the door, hooray. Now, let's be going," Lucifer rushed.
"Jolly good! Finally, someone else who agrees to keep moving and not stand around to bicker," said Aziraphale excitedly.
"Says you, Mr. Victory Dancer," mumbled Lucifer, who then moved beside Crowley and Aziraphale. "Come on children, it is time to go into the new baby corridor."
Aziraphale huffed but followed obediently.
Crowley just raised an eyebrow and followed afterwards.
Standing in front of the door, Crowley quickly realized that Lucifer was far ahead already. And Aziraphale was already speed walking closer to Lucifer, who oh so politely waited for him.
"Wait! You could have waited!" huffed Crowley, trying to catch up to the two others in the dark grey corridor.
"Are they really on their way?"
"Yes, do not worry Gabriel," Michael consoled, walking around in the old 'office,' glancing at the ancient stuff hanging around.
Uriel hummed, sitting on the old fashioned looking desk. "They wouldn't leave, even if they chickened out, Aziraphale would make them come anyway."
"Are you sure it isn't Raphael who would? He seemed quiet adverse to do this." Gabriel argued.
"I think he agreed to do this either to shut us up or maybe to get us back together as a family."
"What do you mean? Have we not always been close?"
"No, not really. Admit it. Ever since the war, we all... Fell out, even us, us who stayed in Heaven. We had a half-chance to reconnect with Lucifer for over thousands of years. And we had that with ourselves, but instead we turned a blind eye, ignoring the fact that we were losing the things that made us a real family," Uriel resorted bitterly, crossing her arms as she spoke.
"What? What was it we have forgotten?
"It is not Raphael or Lucifer we lost. We could have begun caring for each other like before, even after they were gone... It would be hard. It always was."
Had they all really become so blind? And for so long? Did any of them ever question it? If they did, they clearly had kept that to themselves, but why? Had they become so afraid to question what they did, how they acted, all the small things... What had they been afraid of? To fall? No, no, to leave the others alone, with or without Heaven. It all seemed to feel wrong, strange and confusing when they realized how they had been acting. 'Was that really me? It couldn't be! I... I am not like that... Or was I really.'
Or maybe it wasn't that they had been afraid to question themselves or make others find reasons to.
Maybe it was not a 'what,' maybe it was a whom. But who were they afraid to question? And what had led to that.
Uriel admitted she was afraid to question herself, but give others a reason to? Absolutely terrified. She had to act tough, more than people gave her out to be. Someone had to, even for her siblings. Failure would cause her to fail
Michael wholeheartedly believed with all her being, doubt was bad, seeing others doubt you worse. Having doubt meant you would disappoint people, and it meant you would fall, because you disappointed her... and that, that would not do.
Gabriel didn't admit it, not even to himself. But he was afraid, afraid to connect with people, he doesn't mean to, but on a subconscious level, he does and says things to ward others away, even when he doesn't mean it. He admittedly thought it was his wondrous personality that people his age requires.
...It is a shame and heart wrenching when you have become afraid to question what you and your family have become.
But you know you messed up when nobody tells you.
"We really are messed up..." Sighed Uriel.
"Welcome to the family," Gabriel mumbled absentmindedly.
"With pleasure."
Surprising them both, Michael spoke. "Have we really been this blind for the last however many years? No wonder some tended to avoid us." Admitting their faults was not an easy feat, but hopefully they would be able to work with them in the future.
"What about Sandalphon?" Gabriel suddenly asked, reminding the three of the shortest archangel. "He does not avoid us... actively, at least."
"He does work with us. Closely."
"He tries to do most of his work alone," both archangels reasoned.
"Why is it, he does most of it himself?" wondered Gabriel, striking a thinking pose.
"To prove something?" Michael suggested.
"Because he might not like to socialize as much as we do? And not everyone is a big, big fan of group work?" Uriel shrugged.
"No."
"Even we share our work with each other. Even to skip some of the harder work. Come on- Don't deny it."
…...
Lucifer, while almost sprinting through the corridor. Ignoring his younger brother, whom he well knew, was a bit behind, both due to him sprinting and his brother being a slowpoke.
But when you sprint, specifically in the dark, you do not see nor do you know where you precisely are, nor where you step. So, one cannot quite blame Lucifer for trying to up his, already fast pace and then promptly fall face first into the ground.
Lucifer was not able to see how it happened.
But then, then neither can you blame him for not realizing a certain principality was jogging loudly, closer to him, while he sprinted and fell.
One can imagine what proceeded to happen.
Lucifer, still lying flat in the ground, suddenly felt a one of a kind blanket fall on top him.
Said blanket, after shrieking in shock, apologized profusely while moving to getting up.
Lucifer, still on the ground, glared up at said blanket, who was avoiding eye contact. Aziraphale's apologies died on his lips, upon seeing the hellfire in Lucifer's eyes.
"You will not speak of this to anyone, am I understood?" Lucifer said, still glaring at Aziraphale.
"Speak of what?"
Wise, Lucifer thought as he got up.
Crowley was still quite behind thankfully, so he had not witnessed this event. Lucifer did not need any new blackmail brought on himself, thank you very much.
Feeling rather than seeing Aziraphale open his mouth, probably to give another useless apology or mention this again, even after his warning. Lucifer swiftly turned around, and gave a look that would have éven the wildest beasts in hell to cower and pee themselves, yet still return to seek comfort from him.
"Nuhuh! If you say it one more time!"
Aziraphale looked thoughtful for a second. "I'm just trying to say sorry! What is wrong with that?"
Taken aback, Lucifer looked confused. Probably having expected Aziraphale to say something different. "You do not have to apologize for everything, not all that happens, is your own fault. Never apologize for someone else's actions, you control your own actions, not theirs... Just like you control your apology centre," Lucifer added the last part after an unreadable expression overcame his face.
Just before a pregnant silence could come, Crowley appeared, wheezing like he had been running.
The first to overcome that surprise was Lucifer. "Have you been running? Or had you joined a makeup thing? Lipstick in the face."
Aziraphale simply gave an awkward "Hi," something that told Crowley it had a story behind it. It was tempting to let it go, but Crowley was too curious about what had happened for them to stop up and actually wait.
But being who he was, he decided to prod them both for answers. And getting snippets here and there, then teasing with what he found until he got more.
Crowley mostly ignored the looks from Lucifer, but when he could not take that more, he squeezed in front of Aziraphale, and waltzed over to Lucifer and put an arm around him.
"Oh look, there is light at the end of the tunnel after all. Both metaphorically and physically," Lucifer purred suddenly.
"What? Where? I can't see it!" Aziraphale questioned from where he stood behind them.
"Better get ready, the show is about to go down."
"Do you have to be so dramatic?"
...