Authors Note: Just a heads up - this is the last chapter ^_^

Adam Young sat cross-legged on the tarmac at the airbase. Some soldiers had sternly asked him what he thought he was doing breaking into a military airbase, but they were all asleep now. Everyone here was asleep. Somebody nearby was snoring.

This was turning out to be a pretty rubbish birthday so far.

Adam's head hurt. He had felt an unstoppable urge to come here, but he wasn't entirely sure why. Now that he had arrived he just felt confused. Wasn't he supposed to be meeting some friends here or something?

He had been awoken in the early hours by a man breaking into his bedroom claiming to be his birth father. And somehow, he knew without a doubt that the man was correct. He suddenly knew a lot of things he hadn't known before going to bed. Was this what it felt like to turn eleven?

The man, his birth father, had ordered him to destroy all of the angels.

"I can't kill angels!" Adam had argued. "They're all good and holy and stuff!" But even as he'd said it, somehow he'd known that angels were not what he'd always thought them to be. They did not spend their time sat on clouds, playing harps, and occasionally fluttering down to Earth to help people. Many of them could never be described as 'good.'

"Good?!" his birth father had hissed. "They enslaved an entire race of people! They force them to drink poison!"

What Adam was hearing should sound like nonsense, but he knew exactly what his birth father meant – demons were being forced to take holy water tablets to keep them weak and defenceless.

But how did he know this?

While Adam was still reeling from all of this information, an army of angels came to the house, led by Uriel, and they were all armed with holy water.

Satan had stood up, terrified, and then looked to the demons that had come with him. "How did they find us?" Then he turned towards Adam, a wildness in his eyes. "Destroy them, Adam! Erase them from existence! If you don't, they will destroy us all!"

"What? How? I'm just a kid!"

"No! You are my son! You have untold power! Kill them! Kill them all! Kill-"

This was too much for an eleven year old.

Adam closed his eyes, concentrated hard, and felt a new power rush up from deep inside of him. The army of angels immediately fell into a deep sleep, along with Satan, his little gang of demons, and Adam's parents, who were just beginning to stir.

Adam's powers had awakened, his mind alive with purpose, and so Adam got dressed and came to the airbase.

Here he was, waiting, though he wasn't sure why. Was he supposed to meet Brian, Pepper, and Wensleydale here? No. Not them. Some other friends. On motorcycles, bringing destruction with them. But even as Adam saw them in his mind's eye, he knew they were not coming. They didn't know they were supposed to be here. But he could summon them to him with a thought if he wanted to.

Adam put his head in his hands. He wasn't sure what he should do. Nothing made sense anymore. The world felt wrong, and in that moment he believed that it was his duty to fix everything. He should destroy the world and start again. It was broken anyway.

Adam looked around him, until his eyes came to rest on the communications building. Yes. It was all supposed to begin here, in that room. Nuclear war. He could mess with the weapons systems himself. He could do anything he wanted. His eyes started to glow red, and he felt reality bending to his will. No one could stop him, not the army, not the angels or demons. No one. The end of the world had been set into motion.

Two people were sneaking past the gates: Newt and Anathema. He had not met Newt before, but he knew his name anyway. He knew everything. And he knew what they were planning to do.

Anger boiled inside of him, and then it simmered away, leaving behind nothing but cold, hard reason. He could easily stop them. He could kill them with a thought, he could even erase them from reality. In his current state of mind, it seemed the most sensible thing to do. They would die soon anyway, so why not?

The Antichrist floated several feet off the ground, eyes closed. He reached out with his mind, preparing to kill the two humans, but then he felt another presence. He reached out towards them instead, full of curiosity. He considered killing the newcomers too, or erasing them from existence, but the more he poked at them with his mind, the more he felt like they were supposed to be here. They might not be his horsemen, but they still belonged.

He let them wander in, and momentarily forgot all about the two humans who even now were breaking into the communications building. This ragtag team of angels and demons were far more interesting.

"That's him!" Dagon yelled, pointing at the boy hovering several feet off the tarmac.

Aziraphale touched Dagon's arm, gently encouraging her to stop pointing rudely at someone who could easily destroy them all at the slightest provocation.

Gabriel moved towards the boy. "Adam Young?" he shouted.

The kid nodded.

"Right, young man. I'm the Archangel Gabr-"

"I know who you are," Adam interrupted, his voice echoing eerily. "I know everything."

Adam's gaze moved from one to the next of them.

Crowley flinched as their eyes met. He felt Adam rooting through his memories, reading everything about him - his entire life history – all in the space of a few seconds. Adam's power was terrifying, and Crowley found himself reaching out for Aziraphale's hand, feeling reassured when the angel took it.

Aziraphale spoke up. "I'm so glad we found you, Adam. We were deeply worried about you. Some bad people are trying to find you."

"You mean Satan and his demon friends? I saw them already. And I saw an army of angels too."

Dagon made a nervous sound.

Adam turned to look at Dagon. "Uriel is fine. Don't worry. But everyone was angry so I made them all fall asleep." Adam paused. "How come you're not fighting each other?"

"We're all on Heaven's side!" Gabriel shouted. "Beelzebub is loyal to me. I own Beelzebub, and Aziraphale owns Crowley, and Uriel-"

"We're all friends," Aziraphale interrupted quickly. "Demons and angels can be friends, you see. We have no desire to fight. We want peace."

"Friends?" Adam tilted his head. "But aren't demons your slaves?"

Aziraphale looked guilty.

Adam jutted out his chin. "Angels can't be the good guys if they have slaves. Slavery is wrong – that's just common sense."

"Aziraphale is my best friend!" Crowley said. "He helped me, and so did Gabriel. They're good angels! Please don't destroy them!"

"I'm not going to do what Satan wants, I don't want to destroy all the angels," Adam said. "I don't want to destroy anyone really. I just want to start over. This world isn't right. Everything is broken - but I know how to fix it. I can build a better world! Destroy it all and start all over again from scratch!"

Adams eyes had started to glow red. Crowley backed away.

Beelzebub glared at Adam. "But if you destroy the world you'll destroy all of the people! You said you didn't want to destroy anyone!"

Adam shrugged. "I can make new people. And new angels and demons – I'll make sure they're way better than you lot."

"But you'll destroy all of the toyshops!" Crowley shouted. He scrambled for more things an eleven year old might miss. "And MacDonald's! And football! And ice cream!"

Adam looked distressed for a moment but then he held his head high. "The new world will have all that stuff – I can make it exactly how I want! And this world is wrong anyway! It's rubbish! I can't leave things how they are!"

Adam stopped. His eyebrows knitted together and then flew up. He gasped and his mouth fell open, a look of amazement on his face. His eyes stopped glowing and he dropped to the ground. He suddenly looked much less like the Antichrist and far more like a bewildered eleven-year-old boy.

"Right," said Gabriel. "That's quite enough of this nonsense. Let's escort you home, and we'll get Satan and his cronies out of your hair-"

"I knew this world was wrong!" Adam cried, ignoring Gabriel. "I knew it! Our universe went wrong! The next one over is much better. I'll make this universe just like that universe!"

The boy grinned with excitement.

"Calm down, Adam. You don't want to make any rash decisions," Aziraphale said.

"Angels shouldn't be in charge," Adam said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Demons are supposed to have just as much control over things as angels do-"

"Don't be absurd!" Gabriel snapped.

"Demons should never have been slaves!"

"They're servants," Gabriel corrected desperately.

"Demons are supposed to be free! You should be like two opposite gangs."

"Are you mad?! Most demons are evil – they're not good like these ones! They'll torment humanity - and angels! There would be anarchy!"

"Shut up, Gabriel!" Beelzebub ordered.

"Yeah, shut up," said Adam. His eyes had started to glow again. "I can see in my mind's eye what happened in the other universe. You all came here – except Dagon. And the four horsemen came. And I had a dog!" He looked at Aziraphale. "And you were supposed to be inside Madam Tracy!"

"I beg your pardon?!" Aziraphale choked.

"It doesn't matter anymore," Adam said dismissively. "Everything makes sense to me now. I know how the world is meant to be. I know exactly what I need to do."

Adam levitated up off the ground, higher and higher.

Gabriel dashed towards him. "Don't do anything! Do you hear me?"

"Are you all ready?" Adam said, "I'm going to put everything right. You'll all be okay, I promise. Angels will not own demons anymore! I'll send you all to your real homes."

"Adam, no!" Gabriel screamed, but he was too late.

Adam looked around, the picture of innocence, and then he moved his hand around in a blurred half circle.

The world changed.

Adam floated down to the ground. The angels and demons had gone.

There were soldiers all around him, going about their everyday business, but they didn't notice Adam - he didn't want them too.

Adam looked down at his feet, and a small dog with floppy ears looked up at him lovingly.

"Hello, Dog," said Adam with a smile. "Let's go back home shall we? We should be able to get back before my parents wake up if we're quick."

It was still early in the morning, and once Adam's parents woke up, he would be allowed to open his birthday presents.

Adam started towards home, Dog at his heel.

"None of those angels or demons wished me a happy birthday. Rude."

Dog barked in agreement.

Everything was how Adam felt it ought to be.

Heaven had filled with angels and Hell had filled with demons. All of the demons had their powers back, as did any angels that had been injured by Hellfire.

Memories of another life came flooding in for all of them, dreamlike yet perfectly vivid.

A moment of horrible disorientation, and then Crowley found his feet once again on solid ground. He looked around. The tarmac had been replaced by lacquered wooden floorboards.

Crowley tensed, standing alone in the centre of a strange but familiar room.

As well as having just been teleported, 6000 years of additional memories had just been crammed into his head, leaving him overwhelmed. They were the memories of another version of himself from another universe. He staggered to a leather sofa behind him and then sat down heavily, trying to make sense of everything.

The other Crowley from the other universe owned a flat just like this one, so Adam Young had recreated a copy of it in this world. Memories came back to him, of sitting here and staring at the huge television screen on the wall, watching the latest television shows on Netflix while drinking wine.

He owned this flat now.

A framed drawing on the wall caught his attention. An early sketch of the Mona Lisa. He remembered buying the drawing from the artist himself. He had met Leonardo da Vinci! He'd had lunch with him in the sunshine! They'd talked for hours-

No. Another version of himself had done those things. Those memories might feel real, but they were not his, not really. He hadn't met any of the humans that the other Crowley had met – except bike-girl.

With a shock, he realised that he had known Aziraphale in the other reality too.

Memories flashed before his eyes. The both of them together in the Garden of Eden, at the crucifixion, at the Globe theatre. In taverns and in marketplaces. They'd found each other despite being enemies. They'd been friends. They'd loved each other, and though they hadn't dared to confess it out loud to each other, they hadn't needed to, they'd both known how the other felt.

He remembered standing on the wall when the first drops of rain fell, he remembered Aziraphale shielding with a wing, protecting him even back then. He remembered how that simple act of kindness had made him feel.

Tears came to his eyes. He stood up, and started to explore the flat, trying to distract himself from this flood of emotions. The knowledge that Aziraphale had been there for him in two separate universes meant everything to him.

The flat was huge and extravagant. It was odd to know a place inside out like this without ever actually having set foot inside before. A sense of excitement grew in him as he realised that all of this belonged to him.

Crowley walked among the plants in his plant room, marvelling at how big and luscious they all were. These plants put those he had in his garden at Aziraphale's house to shame, but he still found himself longing to be in his garden. Even more than that, he longed to see Aziraphale.

This flat was incredible, but it was too big and empty. He longed for the cosy comfort and safety that only Aziraphale and his bookshop could bring.

Aziraphale's bookshop wasn't far from Mayfair so he could easily drop by for a visit. He suspected that Aziraphale would be glad to see him, and besides, Crowley wanted to make sure Aziraphale was okay after all that had happened.

Then he remembered that the bookshop had burned down. But if Adam Young could create this flat for him, then surely he could put Aziraphale's bookshop to rights too? He desperately hoped so. Adam had said he wanted everyone to go home.

On his way to the door he brushed against a large overhanging leaf. He pushed it aside, but then he grabbed it to get a better look. He frowned at a brown spot in the centre of the leaf.

Crowley tutted. "How did you get into this terrible state?"

The plant trembled, as did several of its neighbours.

"Not to worry," Crowley said. His hand hovered over the leaf and the spot vanished. Crowley smiled, delighted. "There you go. Good as new."

Crowley patted the leaf fondly, and then he was on his way.

Aziraphale yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself stood in the middle of his bookshop. Instinctively, he looked around for Crowley. He called his name, but the demon was nowhere in sight.

Without even thinking about it, Aziraphale reached out with his powers, searching for Crowley, realising in the process that he was able to perform miracles again. His senses told him that he was alone in the building. Where was Crowley?

His new set of memories told him that the other universe's Crowley lived in Mayfair. He had his own home and his own life. But that flat didn't exist in this reality. Adam had said he would send everyone home – but where would that be for Crowley?

As Aziraphale looked around the room, he tensed, his eyes going wide. This wasn't his bookshop. It was ever so slightly off.

Shelves were arranged differently, his desk was too cluttered, and there was an entirely different rug on the floor. But he remembered buying this rug just as vividly as he remembered buying the one that should be there. He had two sets of memories. This was the bookshop from the other reality.

If Adam had replaced Aziraphale's bookshop with this one, then maybe he had given Crowley his Mayfair flat. Adam had said he was going to send everyone home.

Aziraphale ran upstairs, heart pounding, and burst into Crowley's bedroom.

But this wasn't Crowley's bedroom. This was Aziraphale's bedroom, set up similarly to how it had been before he'd brought Crowley home.

When Aziraphale had first brought the unconscious demon home, he had used several miracles to move his own bedroom furniture into the spare room - originally only used to store books and trinkets - so that Crowley could have the larger room with the adjoining bathroom.

Aziraphale walked into the smaller room, and then the sitting room. There were far more books here than there should be, and he was beginning to realise that his other self owned far more books than he ever had. Aziraphale picked up a book from a side table. He let out a shocked gasp when he saw the cover. He'd never seen a copy of this book before - let alone owned one - despite searching for it for centuries. He was hit by the memory of Crowley casually handing it over to him before they went out for dinner over a century ago. Crowley had tried not to show how pleased he was when Aziraphale had practically vibrated with excitement.

Aziraphale smiled as he looked around the room, now understanding why he had so many books in the other reality. Crowley liked to make sure he always got what he wanted.

Aziraphale went back into the master bedroom and looked out of the window at the courtyard below. Crowley's carefully cultivated plants were gone. The bare garden was back, but where the abandoned plant pots had been in his own reality, there was now an apple tree in a large tub. Aziraphale had purchased it from a garden centre after he and Crowley had met in the adjoining café. He'd been amused at the idea of having another apple tree to protect, and Crowley had teased him relentlessly.

But it wasn't his memory - or his Crowley. He wanted his own Crowley here with him. He wanted to protect him. He could move the bedrooms back to how they were, make this bedroom Crowley's once more, and fix the garden…

But would Crowley want to live here? He didn't 'own' him anymore. Adam had said that angels would never own demons again. The world had changed, Aziraphale could feel it. Crowley didn't need Aziraphale anymore, he didn't need his protection or his permission. He was independent.

Crowley was free.

Perhaps his Crowley had never really loved him. Perhaps he'd only ever loved the idea of living somewhere where he was treated with kindness and given some amount of freedom. Perhaps he had only fought so hard against Hastur and Ligur to protect this new security he'd found and the angel that gave it to him. Perhaps he didn't want anything to do with Aziraphale anymore. Maybe Crowley would be more interested in seeking out Beelzebub and the other demons.

But Aziraphale took some comfort in knowing that they had been friends in a universe where Crowley had been free to choose. Crowley would have all those memories. That had to count for something.

Aziraphale sat down heavily on the bed, his foot bumping against a shoe box on the floor. He picked it up curiously and set it down on his lap. Memories from two different realities battled in his muddled brain. He lifted the lid to reveal a pair of pearly white shoes sat in the box.

Aziraphale had been beheaded while wearing those shoes. He'd left his physical body behind, and had been forced to wait a few months before been granted a new body and being allowed back to Earth. He'd always regretted loosing those shoes. How had he managed to keep them in the other Universe?

Aziraphale picked up a piece of paper in the box, assuming it was the receipt. It was indeed a receipt, but not for the shoes. It was for crepes. It all came flooding back. He didn't die, Crowley had rescued him, and then Aziraphale had treated him to lunch. He'd kept the receipt. He'd kept the shoes.

Hands shaking, Aziraphale closed the shoebox and pushed it under the bed. Crowley had saved him from the Nazi's in the church too. Aziraphale thought again of Crowley risking his life to save him from Hastur and Ligur. Crowley always rescued him, no matter what universe they were in.

Aziraphale needed to speak to him, needed to know that he was okay. He must be feeling just as lost and dazed as he was.

Aziraphale dashed downstairs to the desk in his bookshop, and then picked up a small notebook filled with important telephone numbers. He found Crowley's number at the back and dialled it, his heart racing, hoping that this would work, that Crowley was in his Mayfair flat.

Aziraphale wouldn't pressure him, he wouldn't beg to see him. He would just let him know that he was here if he needed him. He just wanted to make sure he was safe.

The phone rang and rang, and Aziraphale wondered if Crowley knew it was him and was purposefully ignoring him anyway.

There came the sound of a car pulling up outside and mounting the curb. Looking up, Aziraphale saw a vintage car through the window. He had never seen that car before today, but he instantly recognised it all the same.

Crowley was just emerging from the Bentley when Aziraphale stepped out onto the pavement.

Crowley waved at him, a grin on his face. "Hi, angel!"

Aziraphale beamed. "Hello, Crowley."

Crowley gestured towards the car. "What do you think? Isn't she stunning? I can't believe she's all mine! And she plays Queen!" He patted the bonnet lovingly.

"She's beautiful," Aziraphale said.

"I drove the car with my mind!" Crowley explained excitedly. "And I've got an entire flat. With plants and all sorts!"

"That's wonderful. How about you come inside and tell me all about it?"

Aziraphale pushed open the door and stepped inside. "I'll put the kettle on and we can- Um…" He stopped and turned, suddenly unsure of himself. "If you want to, of course, I wouldn't want to presume. You're free now, Crowley, but you will always be welcome here. And that bedroom will always be yours if you want it. Would you like a cup of tea?"

Crowley nodded. "A cup of tea would be great. And if you're sure it's alright, I would like to stay here. The flat is great but… it doesn't really feel like home."

Aziraphale smiled. "Of course you can."

They went inside, and moved straight to the kitchen.

"The garden…" Crowley said, staring out of the window and looking upset.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I should have told you. Adam changed everything to be like it is in the other universe. I'm so sorry." Aziraphale had been feeling so overwhelmed by everything that he'd forgotten to warn him.

"Bloody kid - going and erasing me... Has my bedroom gone too?"

Aziraphale bit his lower lip. "I'm afraid so, but I can use some quick miracles to put everything back to how it was. Perhaps you can wish your garden back too?"

Crowley glanced out of the window at the garden. "Nah, it wouldn't be the same. Besides, your apple tree is cool. You should keep it." He hesitated, then let out a surprised laugh. "I remember you buying that! Isn't it funny having someone else's memories? And I still have the fern I bought that day. I saw it in my conservatory just now. It's almost three times the height it was when I bought it!"

"My goodness!" said Aziraphale. "You can do whatever you like with the garden here. You can plant new things if you like."

"Thanks, angel. I've gotta say, I'm glad the bookshop is okay – I mean I know it's different, but… when Satan came to fetch me he burnt the bookshop down. I thought it was gone for good! I didn't know how to tell you. It's a relief to have the bookshop back - even if we never got to eat those strawberries we were growing."

Aziraphale was lost for words, he appreciated Adam's interference all the more.

They made a pot of tea and then retired to the backroom, which was now more suited to visitors. Crowley settled on the sofa while Aziraphale took the armchair. No wonder the sitting room upstairs was so full of books – in the other universe, this was where he and Crowley liked to spend their time.

They talked for hours. About Crowley's journey with Beelzebub to Uriel's house, and about all of the other angels and demons. They talked about their lives in the other universe, and what their futures might hold now. Everything still seemed so new and uncertain.

Then they decided to have dinner.

"How about we go to the Ritz?" Aziraphale said. "I've always wanted to take you there."

"I can drive," Crowley said.

"Thank you, my dear."

Crowley stood, and then he offered a hand to Aziraphale to help him up. After a moment, Aziraphale took it, feeling a blush come to his face.

Crowley led him from the room, still holding his hand, and then he stopped in the middle of the bookshop, looking down at their linked hands. Crowley's eyes searched Aziraphale's own. "Is this okay? If it's too much… or if I'm going too fast…"

"This is perfect," Aziraphale said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I love you, Aziraphale."

"I love you too."

Aziraphale stepped closer to Crowley, moving in hesitantly, and when Crowley looked at him with bright and eager eyes, Aziraphale couldn't resist any longer. He closed the gap between them and pressed their mouths together. The kiss was short and chaste, but it took Aziraphale's breath away all the same. They drew apart, and the look of pure delight on Crowley's face made Aziraphale's heart soar. Crowley squeezed his hand and then led him outside to the waiting Bentley.

Gabriel had been stuck in Heaven for several days, and most of that time had been spent in his office.

Thanks to Adam, Gabriel's office had morphed into the much larger office of his other self, who spent most of his time here, spending as little time on Earth as possible.

The office was huge, containing extra desks and filing cabinets, but Gabriel's favourite addition to the room was a large motivational poster of Julie Andrews whirling around in a field – it had pride of place on the wall. Whenever things were getting a bit much he would look up at it and hum 'My Favourite Things' to himself.

Heaven was in turmoil after all that had happened. He was stuck in meeting after meeting, and the mountain of paperwork seemed never-ending. He missed Beelzebub, and not just because she used to help him with the proofreading.

It was a relief when he was finally free to go to Earth. He went straight to his house, only to find that it no longer existed. In its place there stood a row of shops. He walked along the street, his stomach in knots.

Where was Beelzebub? Was she still in Hell? Perhaps she came here looking for the house, found it gone, and then gave up on him. Gabriel had spent so long feeling responsible for her and worrying about her that it hurt not knowing where she was. What if Satan was blaming her for his plan failing? Gabriel was just weighing up his chances if he tried to singlehandedly storm Hell when he spotted someone waving at him from a café window. It was Beelzebub. She was sat at a small table against the window.

Gabriel let out a shaky breath, and then dashed into the shop. It was jarring to see her in public unchaperoned.

"Took you long enough," Beelzebub said around a mouthful of doughnut as Gabriel took the seat opposite her. "I've been coming here every day. You wouldn't believe the number of pastries I've been forced to eat."

"Forced?"

She smiled. "It'd be rude to just sit here for hours without buying anything." Beelzebub took a bite of a doughnut covered in sprinkles, her eyes closing in bliss.

Gabriel rolled his eyes while resisting the urge to pull her into a hug. "I got away as quickly as I could. It's hectic up there."

"I bet it is. Hell is absolutely manic. I'm exhausted."

"And yet you still have time for donuts."

"Of course I do. Try delegating for once, Gabriel."

Gabriel jutted his chin out. "If you want a job done properly - do it yourself."

Beelzebub rolled her eyes, and took the last bite of her donut.

"How are things with Satan?" Gabriel asked. "And what about the demon you shot on your way to Uriel's house? Is he kicking up a fuss?"

"Nah, he doesn't know it was me! I told him some angels jumped us, and one of them shot him." Beelzebub picked up another donut. "And don't worry about Satan. At first he was pissed off with the Antichrist for not doing as he was told, but he's cooled off a bit now. He was all set to send an army of demons to storm heaven, but we talked him down. I mean, demon-kind have only just been freed – the last thing we need is to have half of us destroyed in a war." Beelzebub leaned forward in her seat and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Between you and me, a lot of the demons were quite fond of the angel they were with, so they're far more interested in checking up on them than fighting them. Seems a lot of angels bought those they were friends with before the fall."

Gabriel nodded, feeling relieved. He suspected that many angels were equally worried about their demons - though few of them would dare admit it to another angel.

Beelzebub continued. "Things might not have gone the way Satan intended, but he's enjoying being in charge of Hell and ruling over all the demons. He always did like to feel important."

"Didn't he just," Gabriel muttered. Gabriel had never liked Satan even when he was an angel.

Beelzebub gestured at him with half a donut. "By the way, I strongly suggest that you keep Sandalphon in Heaven - unless you want him dead. A gang of the demons that he tortured are calling themselves the 'Sandalphon Extermination Squad.' They're prowling around Earth looking for him. I mean, personally, I'm all for his complete and utter destruction, but these are volatile times and I don't want to start a war."

Gabriel nodded. "Thanks for letting me know. Sandalphon is currently confined to his quarters in Heaven, and he's been demoted. If that's any consolation to them."

"I think they'd still rather he be burned alive in Hellfire."

"Fair enough. Is Crowley part of this gang then?"

Beelzebub shook her head. "Not as far as I'm aware. He's on Earth, shacked up with Aziraphale. I spoke to them a couple of days ago."

"Oh," said Gabriel, trying to hide his surprise. It had only just occurred to him that no one had actually gotten around to checking in on Aziraphale. He was the only angel that hadn't been teleported to Heaven by Adam. He should probably visit him later.

"The Manager of the DRH is in the shit too." Gabriel said. "He was giving Sandalphon discounts so that he could 'discipline' demons, and he was turning a blind eye to all the discorporations. Needless to say, he won't be setting foot on Earth either."

"That bastard," Beelzebub spat. "I'm guessing the DRH has vanished?"

"Yes, along with all of the Holy Water tablet supplies."

Beelzebub nodded.

"Are Hastur and Ligur still dead?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah."

"Good," said Gabriel. He would never admit it, but the attack in the bookshop had frightened him. It was a relief to know that Hastur and Ligur were out of the picture. "How's Dagon? Uriel's been worrying."

"She's good. She has a new title - Lord of the Files."

"Like a secretary?"

"No! She's in charge of the archives and the IT department. Don't ever call her a secretary. Eric called her a glorified librarian once and she bit him."

Gabriel pulled a face. He'd seen Dagon's teeth.

Beelzebub frowned. "Did Uriel not get Dagon's email then?"

"Email?"

"Yeah. She emailed her."

"We've been inundated with internal mail. She's probably not seen it yet. Or it went to the spam folder. I'll let her know."

"Thanks."

"What's with the sash?"

Beelzebub looked down at the orange sash across her chest. She pulled at it with sticky fingers. "Oh, yeah. I'm a lord now. There was a ceremony and everything. Lord Beelzebub."

Gabriel didn't know how to feel about this. "Congratulations," he said after a moment.

"I'm pretty important. Satan's right-hand demon."

Gabriel wanted to argue that she was HIS 'right-hand demon.' Satan had stolen her and it wasn't fair! He knew things couldn't go back to how they used to be – even if their house still existed – but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"Shame about the house," said Beelzebub. "I've been thinking about buying a new place. We could have it as a base, you know? We need to sort out things between our respective sides. Negotiate and stuff."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't Satan see that as treason?"

"Nah. I've already made him agree to it. We need to put rules in place if angels and demons are gonna be let loose on the world together. There were unspoken rules in the other universe. Like - for instance - our sides aren't allowed to harm each other on Earth. It would just end in constant retaliation."

Gabriel nodded. This could work. He was able to make important decisions on Heavens behalf, and it sounded like Beelzebub could do the same. "Yes, we can sort things out between the two of us. There's no real need to get anyone else involved."

"Yeah, just you and me – and whoever we delegate work to." Beelzebub grinned. "I'll find us somewhere nice to have as a base, yeah? You wanna stay in the area?"

"Yes," said Gabriel, thinking of the nice little vegan place up the street, and the gym around the corner.

"Good. I'll arrange some house viewings. Can I have your email? I couldn't remember it."

"Sure. I'll put my phone number on there too." Gabriel grabbed a paper napkin and then wrote, 'gabriel .' He pushed the napkin across the table.

Beelzebub clicked her fingers and a business card appeared in her hand.

Gabriel hadn't seen her use her powers in a long time. It was jarring but also nice to see. It felt good to not have to pretend anymore. Gabriel took the card, and saw that her email was, 'lordbeelzebub .'

Beelzebub folded up the napkin and pocketed it. "We need to have a proper trial for Sandalphon and the manager - and a few other angels besides. My lot need to see that those bastards are gonna be punished for the shit they've put demons through."

"Fair enough," said Gabriel. "I'll sort something out."

"Thanks," said Beelzebub. "Well, that's enough business talk for now. Let's chill out for a bit, yeah? That cinema by the river is showing the Sound of Music this afternoon - I know it's your favourite. You fancy seeing it on the big screen? If we set off now, we'll get there in plenty of time."

Gabriel was speechless for a moment. He leapt to his feet. "I thought they only showed brand-new films!"

"They show old films every Tuesday afternoon," Beelzebub explained as she stood up. She picked up the last donut from her plate and took it with her.

"But it's Wednesday," Gabriel pointed out.

Beelzebub led the way to the café door. She peered over her shoulder at Gabriel, and, with a glint in her eye, she said, "It must be some sort of miracle."

Authors Notes:

Just some quick thoughts…

In this reality, everything at the airbase happens in the morning rather than late afternoon (which is when it happens in the book/show) so no one (except Adam who can see everything) has memories of that showdown, or of the body-swap or the hellfire/holywater immunities. Gabriel and Beelzebub probably don't know that Aziraphale and Crowley are considered traitors in the other universe, and if they did I don't imagine they'd let that sway their feelings in this reality, as neither of them would want Earth destroyed in this reality anyway.

And now I want to thank you all so much for reading this story right to the end – it's the longest story I've ever written, and I hope you've enjoyed it! All of your kind comments along the way have really meant a lot to me!