Lucifer saw Aziraphale's discomfort.

The demon smiled. "You can't help him, he's locked you out. Twisted the laws of physics. You're here and not here. Honestly. Sit down, have some tea, it'll help calm your nerves. If it makes you feel any better, this lot have been on my radar for years. Violence. Debauchery, and not all of it consensual. Doesn't sit right with the angelic code of conduct." He noticed Aziraphale blanche. "Which one was it?"

"S...sorry?"

"Which one hurt you?"

The angel just stared at him, afraid to say it.

Lucifer stared back, almost analysing him. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say; Gabriel. Sounds about right. You're his type. Gentle, unassuming, least likely to fight him off because he's the boss. Do you trust Crowley?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in his answer and Lucifer's lips twitched. "You trust a demon?"

Aziraphale suddenly felt worried that he was getting Crowley into trouble.

"Ohhhhh, I see. You actually love him." The demon's face lit up with a grin. "Well. That makes all this even better! If you trust him in general, then trust him now. This is what he was moulded for, reborn for but it's not him. Not the real him. This is many millennia of self loathing, of thinking he's less than worthy of anything because he Fell, of finally rebelling against the ones who threw him out. And to be honest they were pretty shitty reasons to toss him out.

He got it worse than any of us; he fought so hard not to become a demon that they doubled down on his torture. He refused to accept what he was to become. He had all that power in Heaven, they tried to harness it in Hell. I had a plan for him but the first chance Crowley got he fucked it up, probably on purpose. So I sent him to Eden as a snake in disgrace and he met you. Probably the best thing that's ever happened to him."

"That's not much of an endorsement compared to the rest of his demonic experiences," Aziraphale pointed out. "Could hardly be the worst could it?" He gave a resigned sigh and sat, putting his sword away and sipped his tea. He was beginning to like Lucifer.

Lucifer barked a laugh and Crowley suddenly noticed his presence.

"Not to worry, brother. I just came to lend a hand but you seem to have everything well under control," the Prince called out.

Crowley's amber eyes flicked between Lucifer and Aziraphale with a twinge concern.

"Eugh, he still doesn't trust me after all these centuries," he told the angel. "I told you before. I don't care who you're getting your jollies from," he said louder for Crowley's benefit. "In fact I couldn't care less."

Lucifer grinned at Aziraphale and snapped his fingers strengthening the shield Crowley had put between the angel and the action. "Wouldn't want any of that Hellfire straying in this direction," he said pointedly, still grinning. "I know it was you. I must admit, it intrigued me; an angel posing as a demon. At first I thought it was just about self preservation but now….. You're a strange pair," he finished thoughtfully.

XxXxX

The redhead demon huffed as he turned back to Gabriel and Michael his anger instantly reignited.

"You all become so corrupt," he hissed, circling them. "You're all so convinced that you're infallible, that everything you do is right. You think you're serving some 'greater purpose' when She doesn't ever talk to you. She doesn't give a shit about any of you. She goes on playing her games, never telling you the rules. It's no wonder you go rogue. No wonder angels fall," he looked directly into Gabriel's eyes. "You become the worst versions of yourselves but you're so busy looking at everyone else's faults you never see your own until you become diseased on the inside: rotten to the core."

Gabriel gave a pained chuckle. "When I get out of these, you are so dead. And who'd protect the sap then? You should have taken my offer."

"You and I both know there's no way back. You were going to terminate me the instant I arrived." He walked round behind the angel, his fingers trailing over his feathers before he grabbed a handful and yanked them out causing Gabriel to cry out.

"Either way you're as good as extinct. You think there won't be retribution? You can't attack Archangels. And believe me, we won't spare your boyfriend. He's mine," Gabriel taunted.

Crowley hissed, planting a foot between his shoulders and pushing, forcing the Archangel facedown on the ground before sitting on his back. He pinned Gabriel's wings to the floor with his knees before leaning forward to whisper in his ear.

"How dare you lay your hands on him," he hissed, his breath hot and the Archangel's ear. "How dare you even think that you could touch him. That you were worthy to! Did he beg you to sssstop? Did you feel like a big man? Forcing yourself where you didn't belong. Where you weren't welcome. Did you brag about it or did you keep it to yourself?

Do you know, on Earth, it's considered one of the most brutal crimes? It ensures a place in Hell for the perpetrator. Why should you be any different?"

"You can't judge me! I'm the Archangel Gabriel. I don't answer to you," he spat.

Crowley hissed in his ear and wrapped a hand around the base one of his wings and stood, pulling.

Lucifer saw what he was about and shielded Aziraphale with his wings. "You don't need to see this."

A bloodcurdling scream filled the air as Gabriel's wing was ripped from his body and deposited with a wet thud.

Michael screamed too, terrified of what was coming for them.

Crowley looked round at them and hissed, his eyes glowing red, fire sparking from his fingers.

"You're cowards! For 6000 years you've led cushy lives; bossing everyone around like some kind of mafia, belittling them and terrorising them. And it all makes sense now. We stopped the Apocalypse but it was written; 'there shall be a world and it shall last for six thousand years and end in fire and flame.' The world She was talking about wasn't Earth. It wasn't a physical place. It was this. Your world. The world you created from other angel's miseries, of the misery you inflicted. Because She knows what you are. But she can only initiate the fall." A manic grin spread across the demon's face. "It takes a King to bring down an Archangel and I've already got rid of two. When you get down there, you won't even want to remember who you were."

Lucifer grinned. "Ah, here we go. My reason for being here. To make sure they end up where they belong."

Aziraphale looked round at him, fear and confusion plain on his face.

"I admit it's unorthodox to start the torture before they actually enter Hell's atmosphere as it were, but this is what happens. Your wings are ripped from you as you free fall into sulphur. Lower demons never get them back. But it's bloody painful if they do start to grow back and slow. I suppose that's half the fun; making it painful to heal."

"So Crowley is literally sending them to Hell?" Aziraphale was frozen to the spot, he couldn't move, couldn't try to stop him. And he worried, he worried he'd lose Crowley to Hell again.

"They are Fallen angels. It's where they belong. And it won't be easy for them. Much like having police in a prison. When the others find out who they were….." he let the sentence hang in the air. "Ooo I'm going to enjoy playing with this lot when I get back."

"Wh...what about me?"

"What about you?"

"Am I going to….. Fall?" the angel gulped.

"Why would you Fall? Because of Crowley?! Oh you're not even on my list. No one ever Fell for being in love, Aziraphale."

The angel didn't know whether to be relieved or not. He felt sick watching Crowley stalk them like prey, this wasn't his Crowley. This was something else. This Crowley was angry and vengeful and really demonic.

Lucifer watched him as he tried to process what was happening. He was frozen to his seat barely able to move.

"You don't know," Lucifer breathed. "You don't know what's happening here do you? I mean, you know what's happening but you don't know why. Oh my, this is going to be interesting."

Crowley looked at Michael, snivelling in their column of fire and his lip curled in disgust. "You're truly pathetic, aren't you? All mouth and no trousers. Happy to stir the pot and tag along but never get your hands dirty." He strode forward through the fire surrounding them and lifted them by their throat. "I thought about sending you back to them as a warning. But I think they've got the picture by now. You've all been tried and convicted as the worst angels in history. And now it's the fun bit. There's a lovely pit of boiling sulphur waiting just for you. Watch out for the landing, it can be a bit rough."

"No, please! Please!"

Deaf to their cries, Crowley walked forward pushing them back into the Hellfire prison, holding them in the flames until nothing was left.

Gabriel lay panting on the floor, pain etched in his face, fear causing his body to tremble.

"And now for you." Crowley banished the column of fire that surrounded the angel and lifted his head from the ground by a fistful of hair. "Are you sorry for what you did?"

Gabriel spat in his face.

"Didn't think so. You're really not going to like your circle of hell." Crowley tapped a finger to the chain bound round the angel causing Gabriel to scream as they came to life again, burning him. "I told you when you first came to see me. I warned you off but you wouldn't stay away. You forced my hand. When the Fall begins there is no stopping it. The best you can hope for is a small show of mercy if you repent. But you don't look like a repentant type. Oh Lucifer is going to enjoy welcoming you."

He dragged Gabriel up to his knees and forced him to look round at Aziraphale. "I want him to be one of the last things you see, because he was your biggest mistake. Hurting him tipped the balance too far. You're finished."

"Fuck you."

"I'd rather you didn't. Angry beings like you are always over compensating for something. Luckily that's not a problem in Hell. You better get used to being on your knees though." The demon threw Gabriel's detached wing in front of him. "See that? That's all that's left of who you were," Crowley told him before setting fire to it. "'It will end in fire and flame.' Didn't see this coming did you?" He chuckled, stepping in front of him. "Any last words?"

"Go to Hell!" Gabriel screeched.

"I already did, maybe I'll see you there." Crowley hissed. He took a swipe at Gabriel's face with his claws before he twitched his fingers and threw Hellfire directly at him, giving a demonic scream of pent up rage and anguish. The power around him made the floor shake and air around them vibrate whilst the flames increased and engulfed them both as a last moment scream was cut short.

Eventually the fire reduced to nothing, leaving only a pile of ash at Crowley's feet.

It took a few moments for him to collect himself and as he did he swayed in exhaustion. A shiver went through him as he collapsed to his knees, his wings retreating, breathing ragged. "What did I do?"

"Crowley!" Aziraphale leapt forward, running to his side.

The demon didn't dare turn to look at the angel trying to support him.

Lucifer patted Aziraphale on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's get him home."

XxXxX