AN: Oh yay! I'm so glad there's been some interest. Well, the story's moving right along, so hopefully I'll be able to churn it out without forgetting. lol. Anyway, here's another chapter. The ones afterward will be longer. I hope you let me know what you think, and enjoy!

II

In the beginning, God created Adam and Lilith. Born from dust and the Earth itself, they were an experiment to be later named Man.

Still fussing with aesthetics, God decided to mix things up a bit. Adam would be male, tall, slender, and filled with rolling muscle hidden beneath a dark, dusty layer of skin. He would be adorned with parts other male species had, but with a brain intelligent enough to identify things, to learn, and absorb information. His jaw would be strong and sharp, his eyes dark but keen, and his hair… no. No hair. Instead, it would be closely shorn, only casting a shadow of hair.

He was perfect.

For Lilith, the female of the Human species, God went for something a bit different. Instead of the dusky skin, she chose something a little lighter, wrapped around a voluptuous frame. Lilith's shape was softer, from wide hips capable of bearing a thousand children, an ample chest to nourish them, and narrow waist. Where She hadn't given Adam hair, God chose long waves of sun-colored locks for the female.

They were to be the first draft for humanity.

Adam was a hunter and gatherer, while Lilith was meant to be a nurturer, but it became clear early on that she had little interest in the task she'd been given. Contention rose between Adam and Lilith as time-not-yet-time persisted. It had become so bad, in fact, that Lilith was soon banished from Eden and replaced with Eve, made from Adam's own rib, and much more subservient.

Aziraphale knew Lilith. He'd met her once before, when God turned Her back on The First Woman, shunned her and turned her into the demoness that now sat before them.

Lilith leaned her head a bit to the side and Aziraphale knew he'd been spotted. The very air shifted.

Lilith dropped her feet to the floor with a loud thud and rose.

"I remember you," she said with a soft, delicate voice. "You were the one who banished me, aren't you?"

Lilith glided around the desk and soon stood only a few feet from Aziraphale. He opened his mouth to speak, but immediate words weren't forthcoming. Instead, he stammered and forced an awkward smile or two as he tended to when being confronted.

"Technically," He was sure to stress, "I merely saved Adam's life."

"Oh," Her condescension was undeniable. Lilith arched a thin brow. "You were just saving his life."

"Well, you'd have killed him." Aziraphale was almost desperate to explain himself, though he had no idea why. She was a demon, now –apparently. Yet, he had flashes of the woman she once was in his mind. "Wouldn't you?"

"Gladly," she told him, sending a shock of ice down his spine. Aziraphale's face dropped. Crowley's attention shot to her. Clearly, neither of them had expected her to say that. "In a few rather inventive ways."

"Oh, dear Lord." Aziraphale mumbled.

"And his little wife," Lilith replied. She turned her attention to Crowley. "Why are you here? And with an angel, no less."

"Need your help for something."

"Is that so?" She didn't seem amused, and in truth, Aziraphale didn't blame her. They were being rather rude, intruding on her as they were. Lilith leaned against her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "With?"

"Armageddon." Crowley instilled the necessary tone to illustrate how dire the situation was, but again, Lilith couldn't seem bothered.

"Is that what that was?" she asked far too casually for Aziraphale's liking. "Felt a shift. Wondered what it was. Why would you need my help? It feels like it's already underway."

"That's what we're hoping to stop," Aziraphale said.

This time, both of her brows rose over the rim of her sunglasses. Aziraphale was unnerved at seeing his own reflection in them. Not even Crowley wore mirrored lenses, but he didn't have to worry about it for long.

Lilith tenderly gripped the outermost edges of a lens and slid her sunglasses down her narrow nose. Bright red eyes shined back at him, the reason for the glasses in the first place.

"And… that's bad," she said slowly and uncertainly.

"Well… yes." Aziraphale stammered.

Confusion took her while she removed the glasses entirely. There was no need to conceal her real eyes any longer, not in their company, though Aziraphale had to admit that they made him uncomfortable. He'd grown used to Crowley's eyes through the centuries upon centuries despite their reptilian appearance. Lilith's, on the other hand, were red and not just simply red. They were the color of Hellfire, a pulsing shade that encompassed two irises, barely surrounded by white, and lacking a pupil.

She truly was a beautiful "young woman" with a perfectly shaped face, full lips, defined cheeks, and all other things human's found attractive –all save those eyes.

Unsettling, to be sure.

"I thought this was what everyone was waiting for?" She continued to pry, once again crossing her arms. "Isn't it? The Big Battle to End all Battles."

"We don't want it to," Crowley said sharply, diverting her Hellfire gaze. "Look, if it's all the same to you, we'd rather the world keep spinning."

"And why come to me? I've nothing invested in this war. Truthfully, I hope it happens."

A very real chill raced down Aziraphale's spine. She was so cold and callous. It was as though no humanity remained within her, and given the length of time she'd been a demon, it was possible. How she began life no longer seemed to matter.

"You can't mean that." Aziraphale couldn't keep the dismay from his voice.

She stared at him as though she couldn't believe he'd said something so stupid.

"A chance to see all of their children perish and watch God's precious world burn?" she asked with a sarcastic, cruel laugh. "I'd relish it."

Aziraphale was utterly flabbergasted, truly dumbfounded that she could be so callous. Crowley was simply angry.

"We'll lose everything. Your precious plants," He swept his arm around the room, showcasing everything. "Your animals, all of it will be gone. If Heaven wins, we all die. If we win, it will be Hell on Earth. Is that what you want?"

Her face twisted into a scowl, still disarmingly beautiful when it should have been ugly to see.

"How dare you come into my house demanding my help stave off the Apocalypse, something that's been written since The Beginning, with an angel who helped banish me." She snapped back angrily. Aziraphale could see the two demons were losing their tempers with one another. "We've met once Crowley, decades ago, and you somehow think that entitles you to a favor?" She scoffed and shook her head. "Fallen, you're all alike."

She shoved herself away from the desk and turned her back on them. She silently dismissed the two as she headed for her chair, but Crowley hadn't finished. He was seething, and for the briefest of moments, Aziraphale had become afraid that he'd do something rash, something the angel couldn't prevent.

"Listen to me." He slammed his hands down on her desk seconds after she regained her seat. Lilith stared up at him warningly. "I have known you longer than anyone walking this Earth and I am asking you for help."

Lilith leaned forward in a challenging manner, resting her arms on the lacquered surface. She and Crowley were inches apart, but neither of them seemed willing to submit to the other. Aziraphale knew Crowley never would and he highly doubted Lilith was of a compromising or weak constitution.

"Don't lie to me, Crowley," she said to him calmly. "I've known that angel longer, so don't lie to me, alright?"

Crowley snatched his glasses from his face and dropped them onto the desk with a gentle clack. He stared at her unblinkingly.

"Look me in the eyes," he said in a somber, yet angry tone. "And tell me you don't know me."

Lilith's brows had tugged together the instant she saw them. Aziraphale noticed the shift and the way she leaned back. Confusion was a powerful emotion and it could make a human react any number of ways. From his experience, it made a demon react in one: violence.

But she didn't. She didn't do anything, in fact, except stare at him. Aziraphale watched as a bevy of emotions crossed her face and recognition was amongst them. Crowley must have spotted it too because he stood upright a moment later, looking down at her from his stance.

"The Serpent," she said. Her voice had lost all of its confrontational edge. "You were The Serpent."

Crowley cocked a brow rather arrogantly and nodded. Lilith slumped, sinking into her seat. Her gaze drifted to something else, something in the distance, while she thought.

Minutes passed, and the longer time continued, the more fearful Aziraphale became. Her answer wasn't forthcoming and it worried him greatly, but every time he looked to Crowley, he saw nothing but calm. He envied it, or at the very least, the ability to fake it.

"What do you need?" Lilith finally asked in a somber voice.

The wave of relief that swept though Aziraphale had been immediate, so strong a smile formed on his lips.

"You have people?" Crowley said. He was back to business as though the divergence of topic never happened. "Powerful people?"

"Some," She nodded, finally meeting his gaze.

"We're looking for a boy, born eleven years ago yesterday near Oxford," he told her.

"Is that all the information you have?"

He nodded and she didn't seem pleased. Aziraphale understood. It truly wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. How was one meant to find a single child out of hundreds of thousands? It did seem hopeless sometimes, but Aziraphale always held hope in his heart.

"I'll see what I can do," she said.

"Oh, thank you." Aziraphale said quickly, showcasing how much better he felt in that moment. Her fiery gaze landed on him and her expression remained unchanged, but he thanked her multiple times regardless.

She seemed as comfortable with his gratitude as Crowley did when it was offered.

"When you leave, go to the left," she said to Crowley. "No need for the angel to faint stepping through the club."

Crowley smirked. He reached for his sunglasses and gave Lilith a small wink before he slid them into place. Lilith was unmoved by the action and watched them leave silently.

Aziraphale was glad for the detour she offered, especially when the nice, cool air of London graced his face again. As he basked in it, he heard Crowley speak.

"Come on," he said, beckoning Aziraphale to follow, which he did.