This is the last part of this little adventure! I hope you'll like it!

In a little cottage of the South Downs, peace slowly returned after the chaos of the last hour.

Resting on their couch was the sleeping form of Beelzebub, breathing with difficulty, a roughly made bandage wrapped around their middle part.

Sat on a chair next to the couch was the Lord of Hell, Satan himself, in a human-shaped form, pressing a bag of ice against the bruise forming upon his cheek, looking down at his clenched fist upon his laps.

In front of them, standing, his arms crossed against his chest was Crowley, the Serpent of Eden, first tempter, a traitor in the eyes of Hell, wondering what in heaven was going on as, in the kitchen, Aziraphale was busying himself preparing tea.

The room was filled with a tense silence as the two-awake-demons didn't look into each other eyes.

The sound of porcelain being transported was heard, and Aziraphale entered the sitting room with a tray in his hands, four teacups in it and a teapot following him.

"There," he said, putting the tray down on the table before filling one cup with the fuming beverage and giving it to the Lord of Darkness, "Honey, lemon or milk in your tea?" he continued with a tense polite voice, and Satan gave his cup a curious look.

"I've… Never tried tea before so…" he took a careful sip, swirling the liquid in his mouth before swallowing it. "I think I quite like it this way."

Aziraphale nodded once before filling another cup, putting two spoons of honey in it, "Now, dear, don't you think you'll be more at ease if you take a seat instead of staying up?" said the angel while pouring himself his cup, adding a squeeze of lemon in it.

Crowley sighed, uncrossed his arms and sat down next the holy being, huffing a little.

"Thanks" he murmured before taking a sip of the cup that Aziraphale had prepared him, inhaling the soft scent emanating from it.

Silence returned, the only sound breaking it being Beelzebub shallow breathe.

Satan was the first one to break it.

"I know that we didn't part in… Ah… Good terms, if I may say." Said the Lord of Hell, putting his cup down, and Crowley raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, really?" sneered the Serpent of Eden, and next to him, Aziraphale gave him A Look.

"Oh, don't give me this look, angel!" exclaimed the demon, "You know exactly what they tried to do to y-me!"

Satan sighed, "A decision that I wasn't notified of, I'm afraid" and Crowley looked at him oddly.

"Oh?"

"Yes. After my… Well, when Adam rejected me as his father, I was sent back into Hell quite… Ah… Weakened. Beelzebub hid this fact from the rest of the demons quite well, but it also means that they had to deal with the immediate aftermath of the failed Armageddon alone. If they wanted to avoid a riot, they had to give to the demon what they wanted…" a pause, "… Blood."

Aziraphale stirred his tea, thoughtful, "Which they didn't get."

Satan let a hollow chuckle escape him, "Yeah, and the consequences bite us in the arse four years later." Sighed the Devil, leaning against the back of his chair, "But then again, we did try to put Hell back into his former way of work. I thought that they'll be clever enough to understand that if Armageddon didn't happen, maybe it was because it was meant to be this way."

Crowley snorted, "You always expected too much of them." He mocked and Aziraphale choked in his cup of tea.

Satan, on the other hand, gave the lower demon an unimpressed look, an almost smirk on his lips.

"I do have missed your witty comments, Serpent" drawled the Lord of Darkness and Crowley openly laugh at that.

Aziraphale simply stared at them.

"Am I… Missing something?"

"Don't worry angel, 's just how our dynamic works." Reassured his partner, and Aziraphale sighed.

"If you say so, my dear." Answered the angel, putting his cup of tea down, "But, well, that doesn't explain how you two ended up seriously wounded into our sitting room."

The Devil rubbed his eyes, " 'Was working on paperwork in my office. I felt something wrong, and I investigated. The only thing I saw before being attacked was Beelzebub bleeding on the ground." He explained, his hand falling into his laps, "Hastur was leading them. The rogue demons, and from what I have seen, he had rallied a vast majority of Hell with him. They still want their war, and it seems like the thought that we, meaning Bee and me, were not leaders good enough anymore…" A bitter smiled appeared on his lips, "And even if it pains me to admit it, I think I can relate with how She felt during the first Revolution."

Crowley groaned.

"I suppose that he became crazier through the years, huh?"

Satan nodded, "Losing Ligur took a great toll on him."

A pause followed this statement.

Aziraphale sipped his tea, Crowley's gaze was lost in the window in front of him, and Satan had his eyes locked on his hands upon his knees.

"So… What are you planning to do?" asked Aziraphale, and the Devil sighed.

"I would plan to take my place back. But with only a wounded prince of Hell, I don't think that the odds are in my favour." He raised a hand, interrupting Crowley to ask his question, "I do not have included you two in this because this is our problem. We understood years ago that you two were off-limits. We won't bother you with this."

Crowley scoffed, "This became our problem too since the moment Hastur decided it was a great idea to lead a Revolution in Hell. He hates me and I suppose that the first thing he'll want to do will be to take his revenge on me for killing Ligur."

"Moreover" added Aziraphale, "It's also our problem now as we are giving a Sanctuary for the time being. We are involved, like it or not. If one of us, either of us, decided to go out of this place, then the protection will shatter and you'll be in danger. So, until Beelzebub is healed, you'll have to deal with us, and even if Heaven disregarded me, I am still an angel, and I must help those who need me."

Satan barked a laugh, "So you are telling me that you, a mere Principality, want to help us? The Devil and The Prince of Hell themselves?"

"Why not?" challenged Aziraphale, letting a little bit of his true power leaked out from his corporation.

Even if didn't have the look, the angel had trained as a soldier under Michael guidance and was posted as a Guardian of one of the Four Gates of Eden. He may be a simple Principality, part of the third Sphere of Heaven's hierarchy, but he was still a warrior.

And believe it or not, even if the majority of the angels Up There believed that Aziraphale is just a soft, harmless being, they couldn't be more wrong.

If he truly wanted it, the Principality could be a fearsome adversary*.

Satan looked at him a long moment before leaning back in his seat, his amusement dying on his lips. "… I suppose that you have a point."

Aziraphale did a smile that quite didn't reach his eyes, "I am glad that we're finding common ground." And there was so much ice behind it that the Devil decided not to Try and Pissed the angel Off in the future.

Next to him, Crowley was giving his partner an adoring look, a big smile on his lips, "Isn't he amazing?" he asked rhetorically.

"Meh." Was the only response Satan could muster, and Aziraphale raised internally an eyebrow.

Sounds so much like Crowley… I wonder if they were close in Hell?

A movement caught his eye, and the angel turned his attention toward it to see Beelzebub beginning to shake in their sleep.

"What the-?!"

The Prince of Hell suddenly gasp and twist and holding their chest as if they had difficulty to breathe.

The three of them were by their said in the second.

"What's happening?" asked Aziraphale, his hand hovering over Beelzebub body, wondering if using an angelic miracle would or not harm the demon more than they already were.

"Dunno angel" mumbled Crowley, next to him. Satan put one hand against the Prince's forehead and frowned.

"Huh."

"What?"

"They were hurt, and thus, were weakened, making them more sensitive to the Balance of Things. Being my right hand, I gave them the ability to sense it so that they could work their way to keep Hell in order. But right now, they are connected to it on a deeper level… I don't know what's happening, but it's a big one."

Crowley frowned and opened his mouth to ask something else, but he was cut short by a blinding light and a scream.

"NO! GABRIEL! PLEASE, SANDALPHON! DON'T!"

*Only two people knew the truth behind this fact, God and Gabriel. The former because She's omnipotent, the later because is the one who created Aziraphale (with Her help, of course). The Archangel had made sure that the angel was strong enough to protect Raphael-now-Crowley if needed, his little brother being, first of all, a healer, not a warrior. Of course, with Raphael's Fall, Aziraphale never could fulfil this role, but the skill remained. After all, he was made to be the perfect match to his little brother who was an Archangel, meaning that a simple, mere warrior couldn't be enough. Oh no. He needed someone exceptional, and Gabriel made sure it was the case. But of course, no one but him, and God, knew that. However, the other Archangels wondered at some point if they shouldn't give Aziraphale a higher place in Heaven (like Power or Virtue) until it was decided it would be a Guardian of Eden.

Michael was shaking.

They were fighting. Brothers. Sisters. Again. They were fighting again.

Michael was shaking.

The sword between her hands was heavy, her hands wet from her sweat, her vision blurry, her mind assaulted by flashes of the past, of a time when brothers and sisters had fought too.

Did she had wanted this war against Hell all those years ago? Did she had wanted to slaughter demons? Beings who once lived with them in Heaven?

Could she have handled it?

The answer was easy: no. Not at all.

War had taken so much from her. She couldn't have handled losing more than she already had.

So why, oh why, this had to happen once more?

Looking around her, Michael tried to spot Gabriel.

Where is my brother?! She thought frantically, but the fear prevented her throat to work the words out.

Running blindly, she avoided rogue angels trying to stab her, ignoring the blood falling from the wound in her left tight.

Two third of Heaven had decided to rebel against them, Michael, Gabriel and God. They rebel to have the war they were denied four years ago. Most of them were second-generation angel raised in the glorious tale of some older angels, which, for a part, also joined the rebellion. Sandalphon was one of them. And it hurt Michael to see the wrath in his eyes when they had once looked at her with unbidden trust.

The third that didn't rebel was devised. Some didn't want to fight at all, mostly angels of the first generation, traumatized by the First Revolution, or the younger angels to scared of their opponent.

As for the remaining ones still fighting against the rebels, loyal to God, they were losing far too quickly, and Michael was panicking.

"Gabe! Where in the nine circles of Hell are you?!" she screamed, tears blurring her sight. There was angel blood on her sword, and she hated it. But she had to protect the younger ones from those who wanted to harm them. It was her duty to do so.

But, how she loathed it!

"Michael!"

The older archangel let a relieved sigh escape her, and she turned around, looking for her younger brother.

He was fighting three angels at the same time, and even she had to admit that even if he was a talented swordsman, he couldn't keep the fight with three equally-skilled warriors at the same time.

Unfolding her wings, Michael rushed to his side.

"For Her's sake, Gabriel, you scared me!" she exclaimed, her back pressed against her brother's, swinging her swords against her opponent, disarming him easily before giving a kick in the stomach.

"Sorry, sister" replied the younger Archangel as his opponent fell to the ground, out of cold, "Thanks, by the way."

She grabbed his wrist and began to pull him behind her "No problem, but now, I have to make sure that you'll be safe."

"What?"

"The younger ones are in security. I told all those who were still loyal to Her who wasn't captured or killed to run away, with those who didn't fight or where wounded. I want you to go with them, so you'll be able to organize the resistance, and maybe you'll prevent them from destroying Earth."

"What?! And what about you?" exclaimed Gabriel, stopping dead in his tracks, causing his older sibling to stop too.

"I'm going to distract them as long as I can so that you will all be able to escape. The Seraphims are coordinating the escape of those who can still run away. I'll do my best to stop them all as long as I can-"

"But you'll be killed!" shouted Gabriel, his fist clenched at his side.

"And I don't want to lose another sibling!" snapped back Michael, tears falling from her eyes. Shaking from the blood loss and the panic. "I already lost two of them back in the First Revolution, and even if I can't remember them, I don't want to lose a third one!" There were shouts behind them, and Michael could see the leaders of the angel Rebellion coming their way, "Now, go!" she cried, pushing her little brother behind her, her sword raised in front of her, "Go to safety, and don't look back!" she begged.

They were almost on them.

"Maybe you don't want to lose another sibling" murmured Gabriel, his voice like steel as he stepped next to her, "But I swore to keep you three safe."

Michael looked up at him completely lost, "Gabe…?"

He smiled kindly at her before kissing her forehead.

"Protect them as I won't be able to do it myself."

The Archangel could feel her sibling using a miracle to make her disappear.

At the same time, the rebels were on them.

Sandalphon was leading them, his sword raised high above his head.

Michael reached one hand to grab Gabriel wrist, but it passed through his arm, and panic polled at the bottom of her stomach.

"No…!"

Her little brother smiled sadly at her.

"I'm sorry."

The last she saw before the world turned white was the younger archangel swinging down his sword at Gabriel, and a burst of blood.

"NO! GABRIEL! PLEASE, SANDALPHON! DON'T!" she hollowed, but already, her brother had disappeared.

What happened next, Michael couldn't exactly tell. She knew she was screaming. Hands were trying to grab her, but she fought against them, clawing, biting, sending blood everywhere, blood from her wounds, from her sword, the one almost dried on her clothes.

She's having a panic attack! Exclaimed someone's voice that she vaguely recognized, but she didn't care.

"Let me go!" she screamed! "Gabriel! He…! He's going to be killed…!" and while struggling against those trying to restrain her, she felt herself losing her breath. And while she didn't technically need to breathe to live, that certainly didn't help her to calm herself.

Michael! Michael, we have no idea what's going on but you need to calm now-

"No! Let me go!" she sobbed, "Gabriel! Gabriel!"

You're tiring yourself-

There's nothing you can do for him now-

Please, try to take a deep breath-

"I said let me go!"

"Michael!"

Powerful arms surrounded her, pinning her against a firm chest, and Michael was enveloped by the scent of sulfur and something else achingly familiar that she shocked on her tears, gripping the fabric that appeared under her hands.

It was the smell of laughter, of not being alone anymore, of loving someone deeply, of a shining smile, of hugs and silent words in the stars, the smell of tears in the eyes of a beloved one returning to their sense before disappearing in the darkness below them.

It was the smell of something missing finally clicking into place, even if she couldn't understand it, and it felt right.

"Lucifer?" she murmured so slowly that only she and the one holding her heard it, as she felt the stranger stiffen against her.

How do I know this name? And who is this person? Where am I?

Where is Gabriel?

It was too much for her, and the next moment, she passed out.

When Michael regained her senses, she was lying against a mattress, a soft blanket upon her. There was a pounding pain in the back of her skull and something akin to burning in her left tight.

When she blinked, the light was so bright that she let a little moan of pain escape her.

"Oh, dear, wait for a second please." Said a voice, then snapped their fingers and the brightness of the room lessened.

"… 'Ziraphale…?" she mumbled, trying to get her spirit, pushing with her arms against the mattress to sit up.

"Yes, Michael, it's me, but you should take it easy." Murmured Aziraphale, putting his hands against her shoulder to prevent her from getting up too quickly.

"What happened?" asked the Archangel, too confused to resist the Principality as he helped her against the pillows.

"We were hoping that you'll be able to explain to us… We were quite confused when you suddenly appeared into our sitting room, shouting like a mad angel, in a complete state of panic."

Michael frowned a little, then the pain in the back of her mind exploded, and she was assaulted by memories of the last hours.

Panic rose in her chest, and she began to shake.

Aziraphale used a little miracle to soothe her, "Now, Michael, don't. You're still exhausted and you don't tire yourself more than you already are." He said with a soft voice, "Try to take deep breaths through your nose. Like this."

The angel took a deep breath, and Michael mimicked him, holding her breath as he did, and expiring at the same time.

They repeated a few times the exercise until the Archangel's hands stop shaking.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes." Nodded Michael, and Aziraphale grab something from the night table, giving it to her.

It was a glass of holy water, and the Archangel drank it bottom-up.

The holy feeling following it helped to settle the storm of confusion and sadness raging in her chest.

"Thank you…" she murmured, and Aziraphale smiled at her.

"You're welcome. Do you think you'll be able to stand up?"

Michael nodded once, feeling far stronger now than a few moments ago, and she balanced herself at the edge of the bed, testing the feelings in her legs as she put her feet on the ground.

With a snap of his fingers, the glass disappeared, then Aziraphale stood up, dusting his trousers. "Then maybe we should head to the sitting room so that you'll be able to explain to us what happened."

Michael frowned a little as she felt the atmosphere of the house, "There's something evil here…" she murmured, and the Principality nodded.

"Yes. Even if I… Ah… am not exactly in good terms with Heaven, we suppose it was better that it was me to be at your bedside once you woke up, instead of one of them." Explained Aziraphale while presenting her his arm to lean upon if needed, "It seems fair to warn you that we are the only two angels here. The other three are Crowley, Beelzebub and Satan."

Michael looked at him with disbelieving eyes, "What?!"

The Principality sighed, "Things went… Pear-shaped in Hell… A rebellion of a sort… I suppose it the same in Heaven?"

The Archangel didn't answer him, looking down at her feet, lost.

"… Come on. They're waiting for us. We'll drink a nice cup of tea and we'll try to make heads and tails of this whole situation." Said Aziraphale soothingly, and Michael, holding his arm, followed him in silence.

In no time, they were into the sitting room. Beelzebub was awake, but still dozing in the couch, Crowley and Satan speaking in a low voice. The three of them raised their head toward the angels, and Michael, instinctively, tightened her grip on Aziraphale arm.

There was a long silence.

"Isn't that a lovely reunion?" tried to cheer the Principality, but it fell flat against the animosity electrifying the room.

After all, no one could erase with a snap of fingers six thousand years of mutual hate. Michael might have used "background" connexion to deal with certain… issues, but it didn't help the fact that in what they believed was the Great Plan… That they were meant to fight each other until death.

"Satan." Said the older of them all, "Fancy meeting you here. I thought that I'd had the chance of slipping my sword under your nice little neck, but seems that I was wrong."

The Lord of Hell gave a big, toothy, grin, "Sorry to disappoint you." And there was something in his red eyes that the Archangel couldn't understand…

And for a split of a second, it was as if she was staring into deep green eyes…

"… f tea, Michael?"

The Archangel blinked. She hadn't registered that the Principality had guided her toward an armchair.

"Huh? I am sorry Aziraphale, but I didn't listen to what you were saying."

The younger angel smiled at her, "Don't worry. It's a normal thing to be kind of lightheaded after a panic attack, even more, when it is as strong as the one you had. I was asking you if you wanted tea?"

"Oh, yes, with a hint of milk, if you please."

The Principality smiled at her then walked toward the kitchen, leaving her alone with three demons*.

Looking down at her laps, she saw that her hands were still shaking, and she clasped them tightly to stop the movement.

"… We won't harm you, you know?"

Michael looked up to see the concerned (?!) gaze of Crowley upon her.

"Huh?"

The Serpent of Eden grimaced, making a wide gesture toward her hands.

"No need to be scared. We won't try to harm you. As long you're here, under our sanctuary, you'll be safe."

Safe.

She was supposed to be safe in Heaven.

Gabriel, Uriel, her missing siblings… They were all supposed to be safe.

She was supposed to make sure they were all safe, but even that, she couldn't do it properly.

A nervous, wet chuckle escape her, and the Archangel brought one hand against her mouth to muffle the sobs that were trying to escape her.

Her other hand clenched into a tight fist, her nails digging into her palm, and if there was a little blood in it afterwards, no one mentioned it.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she swallowed hard her feelings, blinking her tears away while letting out a shaking breath.

In front of her, the two demons were looking at her with funny looks.

"I'm not scared." She eventually said in a hoarse voice, before adding, "… Of you. Not of you." She sighed a low breath, "In any other circumstances, I wouldn't have trusted the word of a demon, but, well, I suppose that in this situation, you're my best bet."

Crowley nodded, "Makes sense."

Satan had leaned back on his chair, still looking at her curiously, and Michael tried to ignore the Devil's gaze on her.

And the strangest part was that it didn't seem unfamiliar to her.

The silence returned for a while until Aziraphale came back with a trail and four cups of tea.

Michael took hers, thanking wordlessly the Principality before taking a sip and sighing with delight as the warm liquid fill her being.

"Didn't know that Archangels like tea." Said Crowley as he drank his cup.

"Not working on Earth doesn't mean that we can not enjoy some earthling things. I like tea, Uriel prefers music and Ga… Gabriel is more the running type." Eventually answered Michael, before frowning, "What happened to them?" she asked, motioning at the Prince of Hell with her chin.

Crowley grimaced, "They were stabbed in the back by Hastur with a Hellish Blade. We healed them the best we could. Fortunately, the wound wasn't that deep so they won't die from it."

"Hastur did that?" asked the Archangel and Satan sighed, rubbing his eyes.

"Yes. He… Wasn't happy with how things turned out after the Failed Armageddon-", and Michael could hear Crowley in background coughing an "Armageddon't", receiving a glare from Aziraphale and an exasperated look from the Devil, "-and even if we, Beelzebub and I, really did our best to return Hell to its previous state of work, well… Seems that more demons that we thought couldn't wrap their head around the fact that maybe it was how Her Plan was supposed to happen."

Michael had a bitter laugh, "Heaven and Hell have more in common than what I thought…" she murmured before taking another sip of her tea, "It's more or less what happened in Heaven. Sandalphon was leading them. Fortunately, the Seraphims didn't rally them, but they didn't want to fight into another War against angel either. And the more I think about it, the more I think that they didn't want another War at all. It is my case, though."

Aziraphale raised an eyebrow at her, "You didn't want the War against Hell?"

The Archangel sighed before looking down at her laps, "I did want it at some point but then… I realised that some things were more important than a pseudo need for revenge. Moreover, what I saw in the last hours reminded me so much of back then… And I realised that I couldn't have handled killing demons." She looked up at Crowley and Satan's face, "You were one of us, once and I… I…" she bit her lips then shook her head, "Anyway, a large majority of Heaven rebelled against us, and those who didn't, only a few were ready to battle them. I had to fight to protect the others, those who didn't want to fight at all, to make sure that they'll be able to escape."

Suddenly, she clenched her fist against her tights as anger filled her voice "I had planned for Gabriel to go with them so that they could find a way to resist against the rebels. I had planned to distract them long enough so that they'll be able to run away far enough so that they wouldn't be in immediate danger, but… But this idiot had to…! To-!"

She was shaking from anger and guilt, and she could feel her holy power leaking out of her body, electrifying the atmosphere as tears fell from her eyes.

"He sent me here when I told him I plan to use myself as bait to allow them to escape! It was my duty to protect them! To protect him! But no! He acted as if he was the oldest one! What a joke! I am the eldest of all the Angels, so it was my duty to do so! I know that I did a poor job at being a big sister for six thousand years, but I try my best to fix the mess I created! And then, he acted like a reckless fledging! And he might be dead for all I know! Even after I told him that I couldn't handle losing another sibling, he had to act so stupidly-!" She choked at the end of her ramblings, letting all her guilt escaping her as she sobbed, "The last thing I saw was Sandalphon swinging down his sword at him, and I couldn't protect him…! For all I know, he… He might be…"

"Michael" a soft touch followed her name, and the Archangel looked up to see that Satan had put his hand upon her knee (when did he kneel in front of her?), looking straight into her eyes with a stern look**, "I know what it might look like, but as you say, he might be dead, as he might be still alive. You're wasting energy at panicking, and it certainly won't help you to stop the other angels to get the Armageddon they still want." He grimaced, "As much as it pains me to admit it, I think that you are a great strategist – look at all the time you manage to thwart evil plan in one way or another – so snap out of it, and we might be able to plan a counter-attack against both Heaven and Hell."

The Archangel chuckled a little, wiping her eyes, "If I had been told that the Devil himself would be the one trying to calm me, I would have smitten them right on their spot. But thank you, I suppose."

Satan winced, "Please, don't thank me." and the statement made Aziraphale giggled.

"What's so funny, angel?" asked Crowley, looking at his partner with an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing, my dear, but for a second, he sounds so much like you that I found the similitude funny. Didn't know that it was such a popular trait of character Below."

"Ngk." Both grunted the Serpent and the Devil before looking at each other with an alarmed look, making Aziraphale giggled harder and Michael to crack a lopsided teary smile.

"Anywayyyyyyy," cut Crowley, trying to get the discussion back on its track, "So for the moment, we have Sandalphon and an unknown number of angels rebelling in Heaven, same in Hell with Hastur. Both sides want an Armageddon that might be supposed to not happen and might work together to make it happen. Some angels run away somewhere and Gabriel is presumed missing. And, as it seems, it's only the five of us who'll have to work and find a way to prevent it from happening, I suppose?"

Aziraphale nodded, "I think that summarises it all quite well, my dear." And Crowley groaned before letting himself fall into his seat.

"We are fucked!" claimed dramatically the Serpent, and Aziraphale huffed next to him.

"Seriously dear, there's no need to be so pessimistic."

"I'm not pessimistic, I'm realist, there's a huge difference. All I am saying is that against what is certainly the entirety of Hell and a good third of Heaven, there's next to zero chance that the five of us will be able to do something against them all."

A long pause followed the statement, all lost in their thought.

After a few minutes, Aziraphale raised his head.

"How are feeling, Beelzebub?"

The Lord of Flies shifted in the couch, trying to sit up, "As fine as I can be." They said between clenched teeth, "The scar itched like Hell, tough." They paused a second, "No pun intended" they added as an afterthought.

"That's because you're healing," stated Crowley as he made his way by their side, "But let me take a look at it for a second."

Beelzebub resettled themselves, allowing the red-head demon to have access to their wound as he passed his hands over it, a blue-white glow emanating from them.

"Seems everything is fine, and I can make the correct assumption that you'll be completely healed tomorrow morning at this pace." He added with a movement of the hand, sending a little wave of power toward the wound, and the demon sighed with relief.

On the other hand, Michael was looking at him oddly.

"How did you do that?"

"Huh?"

"That" explained the Archangel with a wide movement of the hand, "I mean, sure, there are demons who can heal, but I'm certain that is not the way your kind usually do it."

"I…" a frown appeared on his face, "… Don't know… I always…" his frown deepened and he looked helplessly at Satan for an answer, "Surely…"

The Lord of Hell shrug, just as lost as the Serpent, "Now that she mentioned it, it's true that it is an unusual way of healing…"

"But I…" Crowley looked helplessly at his hands "I learnt to heal this way…"

"No, no. You're doing it wrong." Said a warm voice, "You are too impatient, little brother, and you might do more harm than good. Here, let me show you." And soft hands guided his as he learnt how to heal one of Her creations.

Crowley gritted his teeth as the memory flashed into his mind, but as soon as it came, it disappeared, leaving behind it the bittersweet taste of nostalgia.

Aziraphale put his hand on his shoulder, "Are you alright, love?"

" 'M fine… I suppose that it's the backlash of the last few hours…" eventually answered the demon, rubbing his eyes with one hand, "Guess that's something new we have to search about."

Michael shook her head, "Our main priority is to stop the riots in Heaven and Hell. In other condition, I would have suggested contacting the Metatron to maybe obtain some kind of answer or hints… But we can not take the risk that Heaven found out our localization through the link." She sighed, "Our best bet is to rest for a while, and then to look out for the angels still loyal to Her… Maybe seeking out some kind of contact to Hell, to see if there's still someone that could help us down there…"

Satan nodded, "Sounds like a plan."

"Maybe it'll be wiser to wait until tomorrow before trying something," Cautioned Aziraphale, "I mean, I think today had been tiresome enough, and I suppose it won't do any harm if we wait a few more hours before doing anything."

"As ever, you're the voice of wisdom, angel," smiled Crowley before clapping his hands, "Well, let's see how we can accommodate you all for the night, shall we?"

*Well, two and a half, Beelzebub being still a little out from their wound, and such…

**Neither of them noticed Crowley's shocked face and Aziraphale wondering one's. After all, it was the second time in less than four hours that Satan had been able to shake Michael out from a panicked state, and he wondered if there weren't more to it than what meet the eyes.

Life as ex-antichrist was, for the most part, pretty uneventful, or at least, it was how Adam perceive his own experience of it. But then again, it wasn't as if there was another ex-antichrist to compare with.

All in all, Adam could simply say that his life as the antichrist was the one of an average fifteen years old British boy*. He still spent an awful lot of time in Hogback Wood with the Them, their games slowly changing into group work for their classes or Serious Talk. Pepper had very good points about the whole "#meetoo" movement, as well as her interest into political matters and geopolitics lead Adam to guess that she was reaching in a career about one of those themes, and Brian new interest into climatic problematics already paved their way toward brilliant future. Wensleydale, for his part, was still influenced by his parents' ambition to see him following a brilliant Medicine career, but the young man had, at many occasions, confided to his friends that he felt more attracted to the humanitarian field.

Adam hadn't a clue about his ambition, even if he showed a sort of interest toward theology his future wasn't his main concern, as his prefered to live his life day-to-day, and not worry about what tomorrow may bring to him.

That's why he never really bothered to think about the possibility that Heaven or Hell might want to find a way to restart the Armageddon. So when he opened his door this morning, he truly didn't expect an angel jumping at him with ropes and a bag in his hand, and a crazy look in his eyes.

"What the fuck?!"

"Adam Young! Mind your language!" came the outraged voice of his mother from the kitchen, as said boy dodge the mad angel before punching him in the stomach and sending him into the nearest wall. The impact made several frames to fall from it.

Dog barked.

"Sorry, mom! I promise I'll fix it as soon as I can!" a fist missed his head from a few inches.

"What are you-?" inquired Deidre Young when she heard the commotion, coming into the hallway only to find her son struggling against a stranger dressed in white.

Through the centuries, women were represented as weak and fragile beings, a vision made by the men while writing history or theological books, and that women should be the inferior of those men. And even if recent decades showed a big change of mindset, this representation stuck.

Truth was that women weren't that weak. Even God prefered presenting-themselves as a She because said women possed something that the men could never have.

The Wrath of a Mother.

Adding to it the fact that Mrs Young had several years of martial arts behind her, the stranger didn't hold a chance against her, and it was only a matter of seconds before Deidre Young discorporated with bare hands the angel.

She watched with wide eyes as the angel disappeared before her eyes, golden blood on her hands, shaking.

Adam raised on his feet, "Wow, mom, remember me to never get on your wrong side."

The next moment, she had engulfed her son in her fierce hug, talking fast.

"Oh my God! Adam! You're not hurt, are you? I can believe this man tried to attack you! In our house! I can't believe that people like him still- wait… did he just vanish into thin air? How? And is that…Blood? Why is it golden-?"

"Okay, mom, you don't have to worry about it. In fact, nothing happened at all, you know? I was simply taking Dog out for a walk." declared Adam, emphasizing the statement with a movement of the hand. The next second, all traces from the fight had disappeared, the frames back on the wall, his mother cleaned from any kind of blood, blinking at him with a confused look on her face.

"Oh yes, that's right. Well, see you later then?"

"Of course, mom." Smiled the young man before kissing her cheek before running outside, Dog on his heels, "Love you!"

"Love you too!" called back Deidre before closing the door and returning to the kitchen, shaking her head, a little lost.

Looking up from the couch in the sitting room, Arthur Young took off his headphones cask from his hear, pausing the video he was watching, "Are you alright, dear?"

"Oh, huh yes, I'm fine…" was her confused answer, "Is just… I didn't remember that my hand was hurt…"

Arthur Young raised one eyebrow at her, "Can I have a look?"

Deidre did so, and her husband took it delicately, "… Maybe you punched the wall while you were sleeping." He suggested before kissing her bruised knuckles.

"Maybe," she chuckled, and soon enough, the incident was forgotten.

*Well, without mentioning the few sequels (a.k.a nightmares) from the Armagedon't, the not-quite-hellhound bound to him, the few remaining powers left to him and two celestials being known nowadays as his surrogates uncles.

"Hey, this is Anthony Crowley, you know what to do. Do it with style."

Adam held back a grunt.

"Hey, uncle Crow! I hope that I don't disturb you. Could you call me as soon as you can? Because I've just been attacked by an ang-"

"What?!" hissed Crowley voice through the phone as the demon picked up., "You're okay?!"

"Yes, I'm fine, just a little surprised," sighed Adam with a small chuckle.

God, he was happy to hear his voice.

"You'll have to explain to us what happened. Give me a moment so that I can put it on speaker."

The young man waited until another voice greeted him.

"Now, my dear, can you tell us what happened?" and the angel's tone soothed his nerves a little more.

"Someone knocked on the door. So I went to open it. Next thing I knew, this weirdo was jumping at him. It was very quick, tough, I defend myself until my mom came to see what all the noises were about. You should have seen her. Next thing I knew, she had discorporated him."

On the other hand, Crowley laughed his lungs out, "I knew this woman had it in her!"

Aziraphale shushed him, "Is she okay, then?"

"Yeah, quite shocked, though. I had to erase her memories then I went outside and I called you as soon as I could."

"You did well, dear," and Adam could hear the tightness in his uncle Az's voice.

"Is… Did something happen? I mean, why would an angel try to attack me?"

There was a sigh.

"Maybe because you are the antichrist," stated an unknown female voice.

Adam choked, "What-?! How?! Who are you?!"

"I'm Michael, first of all the angel, Leader of God's army."

Adam made a few incoherent noises, trying to process the situation.

Of course, his uncles had told him about Heaven's hierarchy, and all about other angels used to treat Aziraphale and…

"What the fuck?!"

"Language!" exclaimed Aziraphale and Michael at the same time as Crowley roared another laugh in the background.

"That's not funny!" snapped Adam, "Last time you tell me about her, you didn't use the kindest word and now she…!"

"I know how it sounded like, dear, but-"

"No but!" cut the ex-antichrist, "They hurt you! How can you stand to let one of them near you?!"

"… I suppose that apologies are not what you want, but I'll give them to you nonetheless. I know that what I did back then was wrong, but I was too prideful and angry to understand it. It took me some introspection to finally open my eyes, and even now, I'm not sure if I have forgiven myself. But I'm trying to do things right now. I'm not asking you to like me, or to forgive, but simply tolerate me if it's agreeable?"

Adam stayed silent a good minute, before sighing loudly, "Fine. But don't you dare harm one single hair of them." He declared with all the severeness he was able to muster.

"That's fine with me," agreed Michael, and the young man could see the nod in her voice.

"I suppose there's no other celestial or occult beings that might have harmed one of you with you, right?" sarcastically wondered Adam, and the silence that followed was an answer enough.

"There's me, Beelzebub, Prince of Hell," buzzed a voice through the phone.

"And me… Satan… Your, err, ex-father, I suppose?"

Adam stayed silent for a few seconds before mumbling, "Gave me a second, would you?"

Back in the cottage, the five celestials beings heard the sound of a mobile phone put into the ground, the one a someone walking away on the grass, and then a hysterical scream of hopelessness and distraught teenage boy. They heard him shouting several times into the wood before he came back, picking the phone back.

"Okay, now that's out, you'll have to explain to me exactly what's happening because what the fuck?!"

Adam rubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of all he had learned in the last hour.

"This is insane… Completely insane…"

"We know," sighed Crowley.

"And what's my part in all this? I mean, I was attacked by an angel, so maybe…"

"Maybe it's because you're the antichrist," repeated Michael, "You have the power to destroy the world."

"Not anymore," corrected Adam, "I changed that... Back then."

"It's more complicated than that." Sighed Satan, "You may have decided I weren't your father anymore, but that didn't change your nature… I can feel that even if you reshaped reality, you still keep some of your power."

"Not that it was a conscious choice, though."

"You couldn't have changed that. It's something so ancient that no one could ever erase it from someone's else DNA." Explained the Devil, "Heaven knows that, that's why they try to kidnap you. They might think that they know a way to… force you to use your power to start Armageddon again… It's the only believable theory…"

Adam sighed and let his head fell against the tree he had sat under, looking absentmindedly at the blue sky above him. The air was warm, and this summer was going to be a hot one.

"Then that must mean they're not safe…" murmured the ex-antichrist.

"What did you say, dear?" inquired Aziraphale voice.

"My family, my friends, Tadfield… I suppose that with Heaven and Hell rebelling and all, those attacks are going to be more… Recurrent…" he drew his knees against his chest, his left-hand petting Dog's head next to him, "I suppose I'll have to go to… Extend vacation away from them, so that they'll be safe…"

A long silence followed this statement.

"…I am sorry Adam…"

The young teenager's head snapped up at the voice, eyes wide.

"I know that my words mean little to you but…" continued Satan with a resigned voice, "… But I mean it. I am sorry for all of this. Your family, your true family, the one you chose, never deserve that, neither do you."

Adam bit his lower lips hard, trying to keep all his emotions locked, tears gathering at the rim of his eyes.

"O-Okay… Hum… I suppose I'll have to prepare my stuff, then… Warn my parents, looking for a way to go to London…"

"I'll give a lift, don't worry 'bout that. We're going to call your parents, so the only thing you need to bother with is your safety, okay kid?"

"Okay… I'll see you later then," murmured Adam, trying to ignore the ball of anxiety at the bottom of his stomach.

Once they had hung up, Adam let his head fell against the trunk of the tree behind him, his hand still patting Dog as he looked at the sky.

"I don't know if you'll care about an ex-antichrist prayer, grandma', but…" he murmured at the air before closing his eyes tightly, not exactly knowing what he wanted to ask, "But if you're listening to me, then, please… I just… Fuck…" he grunted before pressing the ball of his hands against his eyes, one tear rolling upon his cheek.

Somewhere Else, She lifted Her head, a sad smile gracing Her lips.

She rolled Her grandson worries between Her hands, transforming them into dust before breathing some kind of calm into the young man. Something was lifted from Adam's shoulder as he let a content sigh escape him.

She nodded. At least, he was at peace for a little while.

She then turned Her gaze toward Heaven and Hell, and She felt sadness filling Her being. But She knew it was a possibility. Even the Most Perfect of All of Her Plan had some flaws. It was one She had hoped would never happen. But then again, She had given them free will, after all*, and sometimes, She wished that they had used it the way Gabriel did. He was, after all, the one who indirectly created it Back Then, thanks to his increasing imagination. She simply had to push it in the right direction.

A frown appeared on Her face at the thought of this particular child, and She turned Her gaze toward him.

My poor, poor child… I'm afraid I involuntary lied to you… I promised you nothing will happen until a long time…

She sent Her presence to the archangel, cradling him against Her chest as She caressed his hair.

I hope you'll forgive me for all the hardships you'll be going through… But sometimes, things need to happen a certain way…

God kissed Gabriel forehead then sent him away, Her hands shaking a little.

She lifted Her head and look at the gears and springs surrounding Her, gazing through the infinite paths of choices for the Plan She had created, watching as the mechanism clicked and ticked and moved to resettle itself into a different sort of machinery. Her eyes followed the energy coursing through the machine, sending sparks of light into the cosmos at each movement of the gears.

Stepping back, She looked at the entirety of Her creation with a sad smile.

From now, it's up to all of you… What the future will be… is ineffable.

*Even if none of Her first creations known about that. She had made it clear about the humans, but She never mentioned to Her angels before.

Gabriel gasped as the pain of crashing down into Earth shook him out of his unconsciousness, a burning pain lacing his left side. Lifting his shirt, he saw his wound and grimaced. With a snap, he miracled a bandage and quickly wrapped it around himself, not worrying more about it.

It was just a scratch, after all*.

With a grunt, he raised onto his feet and look around him.

He was in the middle of a forest, and by the side of the crater he was currently in and the shouts coming to his direction, he knew that humans would inquire about the strange shooting star/meteor/UFO event that just occurred.

Gritting his teeth, he ran away from the voices deep into the night

*Who was he fooling?

The next morning, the Bentley roared in front of 4 Hogback Lane, Tadfield as a teenager with dark blond curl and clear blue eyes opened the door, a small mongrel dog on his heels and a medium-size travel bag on his shoulder.

He trotted toward the red head man who exited the car, giving him a quick hug.

"Thank you," murmured Adam, so that only Crowley could hear him.

"Don't" mumbled the Demon before smiling at Mr and Mrs Young, exchanging a few pleasantries with the couple.

Adam hugged tightly his mother and his father, trying to hide his fear as he told them "I love you".

"See you in one month!" exclaimed Deidre Young as the ex-antichrist wave back at them as the Bentley left his home, Under Pressure playing through the auto radio. Once they were out of sight, Adam let his hand fell into his laps, a worried frown appearing on his fair face.

"I suppose an 'it's going to be alright' is not what you want to hear right now…"

Adam chuckled a little.

"No, not really," and Crowley looked at him from the corner of his eyes with a small smile.

They stayed silent for a little while, a little 'ping' escaping Adam's pocket.

He grabbed his phone, opening a messenger group.

P: Hey Adam! ur not at home?

A: Nope, something happened, and I have to be away from Tadfield a little while…

W: Tyler was grunting about someone's blasting Queen through the streets.

Somethings happened?

A: can't tell u, sorry, but I promise it'll be alright!

P: Be careful, okay?

B: And if you need us, we're only one call away!

A: Thanks guys

Adam shut off the data and put his phone back into his bag. Looking up, he saw that they were already on the M25, thanks to his surrogate uncle reckless driving.

"Is… Is he going to be there…?" eventually inquired the ex-antichrist, and Crowley sighed.

"Yessss…" hissed the demon, his fingers drumming against the wheel of his car, "I… I don't what to tell you but he said that he'll act toward you as if you were just meeting for the first time, without any ties biding you with him and all…" grimaced Crowley, the words sounding even more wrong out loud than in his head.

Next to him, Adam had a hollow laugh, "I'll try to be as neutral as possible, then…" then he looked at the world outside the car, watching as the trees slowly change into London's outskirt building.

He frowned, "Weren't you at South Down for the summer?"

"We are, but Aziraphale asked me to fetch one or two of his books, to see if there's some kind of clue or something like that."

"What about-?"

"Already ask." Sighed Crowley, "Book girl told us that Agnes' book was until the Armageddon. And you already know 'bout the second one. Nonetheless, she said she'll have a look at the former one, just in case there's something useful in it"

Adam nodded, pondering about the information, "Let's see it from the bright side. If good old Agnes had put valuable information in her second book, then she would have anticipated that Anathema was going to burn it and found a way to send it a second one to us in due time. If there's no book, then hopefully the whole situation is not as bad as we thought."

"One can only hope," mused Crowley as he parked in front a familiar bookshop in SoHo, "Wait here, I'll be back in a sec'." and then he disappeared in the building.

Adam let one long breath exit his lungs before snatching his phone and turning on the data.

Opening the search engine and looked for strange happening in the last twenty-four hours. Scrolling down, he found something about werewolf bite, some ghost spotting and…

"CRASH OF AN UNKNOWN CELESTIAL CORPSE AT PEAK DISTRICT

This Tuesday night, around three o'clock, Peak District sky was illuminated by a massive celestial object which crashed in the middle of the National Park. Locals and the police quickly went to investigate about the strange occurrence only to find a giant crater with a diameter of 70 feet and 35 deep with absolutely nothing in it. Several witnesses claimed to have seen something wing-shaped falling from the sky, but still admitting it could be a trick of the light.

The crash-"

Dog barked, snapping Adam out of his reading. Frowning, he patted the animal on his laps, "What is it, buddy?" he asked, but the Hellhound only growled, baring his teeth at something outside the car.

Looking up, the teenager tried to find what had caused Dog to be on edge, only for his gaze to fall upon a cloaked figure observing him with intensity.

The teenager frowned, sending his sense a little out of him, toward the shadow.

As Satan had told him through the phone the day before, Adam hadn't been able to get rid of his power this infamous Saturday, and through the years, the ex-antichrist had found a way to make use of it, even if he tried to rely on them the less possible.

Letting his outer eyes see, Adam stretched toward the figure and…-

Worry, hurt, sadness, care, protect, protect, protect…

"Adam?"

The teenager snapped out of his daze, blinking up at Crowley who looked back at him with a funny face.

"Are you alright?"

"'m fine." Mumbled the teenager, rubbing his eyes before gazing back at the place where the shadow was mere moments before.

Of course, it wasn't there anymore.

"Thought I saw something…"

The demon looked at him a few seconds before shrugging and turning the Bentley on.

"Let's get to South Down. We have to plan our next move…"

"Sure," said Adam, returning to absentmindedly rubbing Dog's head.

Gabriel sighed as the Bentley disappeared at the corner of the street.

It had been a close call, and he was glad to have been able to put the little trace of his presence on the car. Hopefully, Michael would take the hint and know that he was safe, for the moment, at least.

As he turned around, he winced at the pain that flashed through his corporation, letting huff escaped his lungs, one arm cradling the scratch on his side. He knew what it meant, but he preferred to push this particular problem away as he had more urgent matters on the hands.

He walked away from Soho's busy street toward the south of the city. He crossed passed with thousand of faces, and the archangel idly wondered if some of Heaven or Hell were looking for him. After all, he made quite a ruckus before being knocked out and taking a forty-two light-year free-fall toward Earth, and it was a miracle that his landing didn't cause more damage than what he did. Still, he wondered at which point did some of Heaven began to plot all of this rebellion with him being none the wiser. It was the only way to explain why they had weapon infused with Hellfire.

Once he finally reached his destination, dusk had settled on the city, colouring Brixton street with a dark orange glow. Walking through the streets, he looked for the little sign that indicated him he was at the right place.

There!

It was a microscopic mark on a brick, so small that only non-human being was able to see it if they knew what they were looking for, and Gabriel sighed, relieved that he was able to find it.

Leaning on the wall behind him, he began to wait. He knew that he was early, but it wasn't as if he had any other place to wait now that he was at the rendezvous point. Moreover, walking around for more than two hours had exhausted him, a feeling he had rarely felt, but then again…

Closing his eyes, he decided to let his physical form rest, letting his celestial one on alert, waiting for the right moment.

It was later, much, much later in the night that Gabriel saw the one he was looking for. Returning into his body, he sent a little wave of his presence out of him, and he had a little smile when he saw the figure stopped for a moment before continuing his walk, passing just an inch next to him, and Gabriel began to follow the figure a few feet behind it.

They walk in silence for half an hour until the figure ushered him into a disaffected building, and the Archangel felt the cool feeling of Heavenly wards glided over him.

"Thank the Almighty, you're alright." Said Cahethel once she was sure they were both out of reach of unwanted attention, squeezing the archangel hands between his.

"I am, even if I have to say that my journey to Earth wasn't a pleasant one," chuckled the purple-eyed before turning serious again, "How many?" he inquired, trying to hide the tremors in his voice.

Cahethel face fell, "One hundred died during the attack, and forty-four later, their wounds being far beyond any hope of healing."

Gabriel closed his eyes as he sent a prayer to Above, wishing for the rest of those poor souls.

"Come on…" said the seraphim, "The circle is just there, it would lead us toward the system were we are all hiding."

Gabriel nodded silently and follow the other until they reach a clear spot inside the abandoned mansion where a circle of light gleamed in the dark. The Archangel smiled softly when he recognized the pentagram.

It was one that Gabriel had created with the help of Michael and Samael to reach Raphael when he was somewhere deep into the universe, creating stars or nebula. The four of them then used it on a more regular basis to communicate or transfer messages.

After the Fall, Gabriel tried to forget about it, hiding every mention of how drawing it somewhere deep in Heaven's archive, hoping that no one would ever find it again.

Seems that the other angels were curious enough to look for it, and even if it still hurt to see it, the Archangel was glad that it had helped to hide everyone somewhere safe.

"Where are we going?"

"To Alpha Centauri" answered Cahetel and Gabriel had to hold back the urge to laugh.

Sometimes, he wondered if Fate just simply like to mess up with him. Shaking his head, he followed the Seraphim and gritted his teeth as Heaven's power interacted with the wound on his side, making it even more painful than it normally was. He let a long breath escape him, and the next moment, they disappeared in a flash of light.

When the car stop in front of Aziraphale and Crowley's cottage, Adam took a deep breath through his nose, trying to hide the shaking of his hands.

The demon next to him patted his back, a small smile on his lips, "It's going to be okay, kid. He won't try anything, and you have nothing to worry about him."

"I know" breathed the ex-antichrist, "It's just… All I could think of is back then… When he tore the ground apart and…"

Feeling the distress of his master, Dog licked his hand in a comforting manner, and Adam sighed.

"Better rip the band-aid off now than later, right?"

"It'll be less painful this way." Agreed Crowley and both exited the car.

With his suitcase in one hand and Dog on his heels, Adam passed the door that the demon had left open and-

"He didn't!" exclaimed a buzzing voice with a burst of loud laughter.

"Oh, I'm afraid he did, dear," answered Aziraphale, and even without seeing him, Adam knew that the angel had this smug grin on his face, the one that meant trouble, and Crowley groaned.

"I knew it was a bad idea!" he claimed, "I'm gone for a few hours, and you're already plotting with Hell! What's about all the fuss of being on the opposite side?"

"Now, love, there's no need to worry," there was a 'clink' and Adam could perfectly picture the angel putting his cup of tea back on the little plate he held in his other hand, pinky raised and all, "I was simply telling them about this delightful time back in Chilli when you-"

"Stop! I think they heard enough!" cut the demon, his tone mocked-hurt, and Adam, as he had put his baggage in the hallway, began to make his way toward the sitting room, "And if you dare to tell them more, then you'll leave me no choice but to mention Paris."

"You wouldn't…"

And in the background, the buzzing voice was still laughing at the top of their lungs, and Adam saw it was a little brunette with blue eyes laying down the couch (Beelzebub, if he was guessing right). Next to them, sitting on a chair was a woman with very short hair that he knew was Michael, and finally, leaning against the fireplace was… Was…-

"Adam! You were so silent that I didn't see you, dear!" exclaimed Aziraphale, raising from his chair to greet him with one of his warmest hugs, "How was your summer until now? Did you enjoy your break? I know how High School can be stressful and-"

"I'm fine Uncle Az" laughed Adam from the angel embrace, "But if you continue squeezing me like this, I'm afraid you're going to choke me to death."

Aziraphale chuckled before relaxing his hug, but not letting the teenager go yet, his right cupping the younger one face, looking at him with a small, reassuring smile. And Adam could feel his throat tightened.

"I know that things are going to be… Weird for a couple of time, but we'll do our best, so everything will turn out right in the end, okay?"

The teenager nodded, and he took a deep breath as Aziraphale step aside, and the teenager went into the sitting room.

Satan straightened from his spot against the fireplace, his gaze fixated on Adam, looking at him strangely.

The teenager swallowed.

"I'm afraid that we didn't have the change to properly introduce ourselves last time. I am Adam Young, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He extended his hand toward the black-haired man who eventually shook it.

"Satan, Lord of Hell," he coughed, "Err… I know that we didn't have the best start, but I hope we'll be able to work well together nonetheless."

The younger nodded, before turning toward the other two who introduces themselves, then he settled on one of the empty chairs as Aziraphale came back with a new pot of tea and some biscuit to nibble at.

"Well, let's get down the business, then?" said Aziraphale, and Adam hid his giggle in his cup of tea when Michael swatted Crowley good-naturally behind the head when the demon began to hum under his breath something along the line 'to defeat the Huns'.

It's weird, he thought, watching the two bickered a little, Satan adding his little bit of mischief in their mock-argument, as Beelzebub and Aziraphale rolled their eyes at them, I can't believe that they were all sworn enemies just a few days ago, drinking his tea slowly, lost in his thoughts, he mused, It's like they were all meant to be together.

A sudden thought crashed into his mind before he had the time to stop it, and he frowned at it.

And still, there's something off… Something missing… Or unbalanced, maybe?

Days flew by in South Down as the strange team began to work on a plan of action. They discussed Heaven and Hell's history, of what could have triggered the rebellion, of who seemed to be part of it, of their owns strength and weakness. They also kept an eye out to any suspicious event that might occur, fearing that Heaven and Hell made their first strike to begin Armageddon sooner rather than later.

The small relief of knowing that they need time to recover from the (let's be honest, very few) loss from their coup ease their worry as much as they emphasize it as they had no idea when the other shoe would drop.

Meanwhile, Michael had found about Gabriel's mark on Crowley's car, easing her anxiety, knowing that her only remaining brother was safe for the time being. She ignored Crowley's annoying comment about her little brother, supposing that the demon didn't have move on the way Gabriel had treated Aziraphale for the last six thousand years.

Quite honestly, Michael was confused about it too. She knew that Gabriel was detached of the other angels and a loner wolf very concerned about his duty to Heaven and God and the Ineffable Plan and that he could be, somehow, condescending toward other angels, but she never pictured him as the bullying type.

From she had sawn from the few glimpses she stole during Aziraphale's former report to Gabriel, she could have sworn that her little brother deeply cared about the Principality well-being.

It was a paradox that she couldn't solve, and she had already lost (too) many hours trying to make heads and tails of it.

So she put it in the back of her mind, knowing that more urgent matters needed to be solved before she tried to resolve the riddle that God's messenger was.

It was three weeks after Adam's arrival at the cottage that they were found.

Hell sent an assault on the house, and the fierce battle that followed left Aziraphale with a black eye and Satan with a sprained wing.

(Michael locked eyes with an angel just before his chest was pierced with her sword. She only saw a madness she never thought could exist within one of them that she knew that those eyes were going to haunt her for millennia).

Half of the little village had been destroyed, and it took way too many miracles to erased the poor human's memory, and the two angels of the group had to chant one or two blessings for the poor souls that had been caught in the crossfire.

(Adam was mute for two whole days after the incident, and it was Satan who, awkwardly, successfully brought him out of it while trying to comfort him).

Crowley was the one to heal Satan's wing, and as she watched them, the older of al the angel had been hit by a strange sense of déjà vu. Again.

Oh, Michael was quite familiar with those feelings, having them regularly those last few years when she was with Gabriel, but she never could have taught that she would get them with two demons, no less.

And it was bothering the Oldest of all of Her creations because it meant a scratching feeling at the back of her skull that she couldn't get rid of. It meant having flashes of a past long gone that she wanted to remember so dearly yet forget at the same time.

But for the moment, they had to move on. To act before it was too late.

The madness she had seen in the angel's eyes meant only one thing. Heaven had found a way to cut itself from Her. Maybe thinking it was for the better. But the truth was that it was going to bring only pain and devastation to all of them.

And Michael could only hope to be able to save all of the younger ones before they were lost forever.

"Heaven had found them" declared Cahethel, and Gabriel raised one eyebrow at the statement.

"They had found who?"

"The two renegades and the antichrist." Clarified the seraphim as he fell on the chair next to the purple-eyed one.

Gabriel thinned his lips as dread began to pool at the bottom of his stomach, "And?"

"They managed to escape, leaving a few dead angels behind."

Cahetel was as tired as him. The Archangel could see it in the slight tremor of his fingers as he rubbed his eyes.

"May they rest in peace in the Light of the Almighty" murmured Gabriel, feeling a mix of sadness and relief at the news.

At least, his siblings were safe.

"New problem, how are we suppose to get in contact with them now that they are on the loose?" sighed the seraphim, "I mean, now they might be anywhere in England, if not in the world!"

Gabriel chuckled a little,

"You're such a drama queen, Cahetel." He shook his head, "Leave it to me, and they'll be here soon enough so we could discuss what to do to act before it's too late."

The two discuss a little more until they agreed to let the archangel go on his way to find the missing beings.

It was with a certain amount of dread that Gabriel left the safe place in Alpha Centauri. There, the burn wouldn't spread, but he knew that once he'll put one foot on Earth, it'll only be a matter of time.

Not that he cared about his end, but he wanted to be able to see the end of the war with his eyes before the journey to the other side.

A shuddering breath, and the next thing he knew, he is in the middle of Manchester, a sharp pain shooting from his side, and it took all his self-restraint not to fall on his knees as the wound seemed to re-awaken from a long sleep. Drawing upon his Grace, he tuned out the pain. With a long breath, God's messenger used his inner power to find the receiver of the message he had to deliver.

And the next moment, he flew off toward his family.

"What are young doing here-?!"

"I… I thought… Oh, God…-"

"Please, Crowley calm down-"

"Like HELL I'm going to calm down-!"

"Maybe we should find somewhere safer to have this discussion-"

"I zee zhat being on ze run zuits you-"

"Very funny-"

"You FUCKER, you are going to pay for-!"

"Crowley!-"

"I command you to put this sword back to realm from where you took it from-!"

"You can't order me not to skin this bastard alive-!"

"As if I'll let you hurt him-!"

To say that Gabriel reunion with his family was a little hectic could be an understatement. Minus for all the drama with Crowley, they were very quickly found by some demons who wanted for their apocalypse to begin and thus, need their Antichrist.

The archangel had seen them first, as the rest of the group had him the back against a wall. That's why he allowed a smirk to grace his lips for a few seconds.

"I know that you don't have the best feelings for me at the moment." He said with a pointed look at Crowley and Aziraphale, "And I can understand why. But I fear the situation requires that we work hands in hands."

The Archangel snapped his fingers, and the next moment, he cut the throat of the demon who was targeting for Satan's back, swallowing a gag as putrid blood stained his clothes.

Even after all this time, he still hated killing another being, but he had sworn to do anything to protect his family, so moth be it.

Almost casually, he wiped the blood from his sword with the jacket of the demon at his feet and glance at them, "As it seems that you hate this situation more than you hate me, and as my final goal is to put some order into the Order of things and put an end at this madness, our interests converge, so maybe you should help me get rid of them before they send the cavalerie."

This declaration seemed to jolt them out of their shock and soon enough, the seven of them run away from the macabre scene they left behind them, more demons on their heels.

"Shitshitshitshitshitshit!" cursed Crowley, getting a 'Language!' from Michael and Aziraphale and a muffled laugh from Adam.

Laugh which quickly died on the Antichrist lips when a hole of nothingness appeared in front of him, and it was a near miss as Gabriel grab him by the collar before he could fall into it.

(The tree demons chasing them didn't have the same chance as they fell into another hole which appeared mere second after the first one, and if someone tried to listen more carefully, they could hear them even now.).

The group had to avoid more of those holes ten or so demons before finding a safe place to hide.

Letting his back rest against the nearest wall, Gabriel vanished his sword from the ether he had taken it from with a sigh, trying to ignore the lancing pain.

"What in Heaven was that?" half-shouted, half-demanded the Devil, shaking from the adrenalin burst.

"I have no idea but… It looked like the void that existed before Heaven was created…" finally answered Michael, once the shock faded away from her eyes, "I never thought I would see it again…"

"What are you talking about…?" asked Beelzebub, completely at lost.

"Michael was the very first of us all being created." Answered Aziraphale, letting Michael gathered back her minds, "She lived for a long time alone with Mother and knew what was there before She created our world."

"Well summarized, Aziraphale." Nodded Michael with a small smile, "Those holes reminds me of the void that existed before Creation. But some of it bursts out of nowhere? I have no idea."

"If I may," cut Gabriel, his hands raised in the universal sign of surrender, "We studied those happenings with some others angels and demons in the rebellion – don't look at me like that, it's Michael who organized it for Heaven's side, as for Hell, I suppose some of them manage to escape then find out about it, anyway – they supposed that by Hastur and Sandalphon's actions of trying to start the Armageddon when it was supposed to not be disturbed the balance of things, which, quite literally, tear the reality apart. What we were witnesses today may happen again in the future, and it may cause victims amongst humans."

Satan sighed then fell on the ground, rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands, "Heavens, this is a mess…" he murmured and Adam frowned up at him

"Any ideas of how stopping those holes from happening?" he asked the Archangel who merely shook his head.

"Unless we manage to bring Heaven and Hell back into their previous ways of existence, and thus bringing back the balance of things, there's very little we can do to prevent those from appearing."

Beelzebub groaned.

"Well fuck!"

"I missed you."

"I missed you too, sis."

A pause.

"Do you truly have to be such a pain?"

"What do you mean?"

A sigh, "Try at least to be civil with them. And stop picking on Aziraphale."

A scoff, "Why would I? he's a traitor."

"Some could say you are as well."

"…"

"It's like I don't know you anymore, Gabs… Are you keeping information from us? From me?"

"Nothing that could endanger our goal."

"Tell me, please"

"I can't."

"Oh my god! Sats, don't ever scare me like that! Why are you lurking like this?! You know what switch lights are, don't you?"

"Oh, haha, your witty sense of humour always amazes me." Deadpan Satan as Michael made her way toward the sink, filling a glass of water, "So, Michey, what are you doing at this hour of the night?"

"I could return you the question." Retorted the angel, drinking her glass in one go before putting it on the kitchen table of the house they were currently occupying.

"Touché." chuckled the Devil.

He moved to sit on the couch in the sitting room – which was also the kitchen lost in the middle of China, but whatever - and was surprised when Michael let herself fall on it next to him.

Both beings sat in silence for a long moment, and Michael tried to think too much of the situation, of Sandalphon's betrayal, of the new friendship she had found with the demons at their side in this adventure, of Gabriel's strange behaviour, of the reality tearing itself literally apart (a hole of nothingness had swallowed an entire quarter of Tokyo earlier this day, taking with it billions of lives in less than a second) when the Devil spoke up.

"Why did you call me that?"

"Hm? Called you what?"

"Lucifer. You called me Lucifer when you had this panic attack."

Michael furrowed her brow, thinking of this particular moment when everything went loose when she thought she had lost the last member of her small family.

"I… Guess…? I don't remember the whole event. All I can tell you is that… You remind me… someone… Someone I knew a long time ago…"

Satan moved toward her, leaning his shoulder against the Archangel's. He didn't know what had pushed him to do that, but it felt right.

"You know… When the fall happened… She erased our memories of all those who had fallen. To protect us, I suppose, from the heartache of losing those dear to us… I suppose this Lucifer was someone dear to me…"

The Devil hummed, processing her words before the silence fell between the two of them once more.

"You know, for a time I consider to use this name as my new one as King of Hell…" he murmured, not looking at her, "But something deep inside me hushed to me that this name was too precious, too valuable for me to taint it with something so foul as the title of Devil… I can not stand others being calling me this way, and I made sure that no one in Heaven ever heard about this name. Then you came and you called me like this, and for the first time since the Fall, it seems to fit."

He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath

"Which left me wondering. Do you think I may be this Lucifer?"

Michael took a good minute to think about this possibility… And her mind could only provide her with a blank, making her growl under her breath as she tucked herself against the Devil side.

"Maybe, but I can't truly think about it. What she did to our memories and all prevent me but… If it's the case…"

She didn't finish her sentence, but Satan didn't push her to. He simply moved a little to be more at ease while making the angel more comfortable, putting his arm around her shoulder.

Both stayed silent a long while, so long that they didn't notice they had fallen asleep in each other's arms.

And it felt right.

"Thank you, I guess."

"Then I'm more than very welcome from saving your life, Crawly."

"Don't push your luck too far, Gabriel, and my name's Crowley."

…

"You zink youzelf funny?"

"Oh, you have no idea!"

A dry laugh, "I ztill don't know if I want to zmash your faze and your ztupid zmirk on ze ground or laugh with you."

A strange look appeared in the Archangel eyes before it disappeared a fraction of a second later.

…

"So… Gabriel?"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering if could help me with this particular problem."

"What kind of problem the King of Hell would have enough trouble to ask me some help?"

"Don't be an arse, Gabriel." Growled Satan, "I'm trying to be civil."

The Archangel snorted but followed the Devil. Once he had his back turned on him, Gabriel let a melancholic smile flash briefly on his lips before hiding it behind his well-crafted mask.

It was Adam who put some of it together, a few months later.

"Gabriel?"

Said Archangel was sitting at the very end of a pond, facing the Fjord they were currently in, playing with a small ball of light which quickly turned into a butterfly.

"Yes, Adam?" asked the angel, barely raising his gaze to meet the Antichrist's, trying not to lean too much on his hurt side.

"Why are you lying?"

Gabriel went stiff, "What do you mean?"

"You perfectly know what I mean."

After a few seconds of silence, made a movement of the hand inventing the young human to sit next to him. For a few moments, both stared at the water in front of them, ignoring the chilling air this October morning.

"Well?" asked the Archangel, and Adam sighed.

"It's just… Something seems wrong. There's this… The paradox between how you act and how you feel. You give us this picture of a heartless bastard, but each time I look at you, and by that I mean truly look at you, all I can see is a broken being trying desperately to keep his world together, and I just can't understand you…"

The young Antichrist huffed angrily, one hand passing through his hair as he glared to the sky.

"All I am certain about is that you are lying to us when you act as if you were hating us."

A few more moments passed in silence between them before Gabriel shifted toward the young human.

"Look at me." Asked Gabriel, and Adam comply, turning his head toward the Archangel, and the second his blue eyes met the other purple ones, went still.

And he saw.

Everything.

What he saw into the Archangel eyes went for an eternity, and yet last only a second.

He saw joy.

He saw pain.

He saw desperation.

He saw sadness.

He saw hope.

Adam returned to the present with a shuddering breath and tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Gabriel…" he murmured, and the Archangel gave him a sad smile.

"Don't worry, I'm used to it after all this time." He chuckled before grimacing when the Antichrist moved toward his injury.

"I'm afraid there's nothing you, or anyone else, can do about this one."

"But…"

"I made my peace with it since the moment the sword slashed my side." Explained Gabriel, "And I'll forever be grateful to you if you keep all this between the two of us."

"But-!"

The archangel covers Adam shaking hands with his own, "It's fine. I only need to know that they are safe. It's all I ever needed and I'll ever need. As long as I can be certain that they'll live to see the world after this new War, there's nothing else I could wish for."

Raising on his feet, the Archangel didn't try to hide his pain, knowing that he wouldn't fool the Antichrist, and patted Adam on the shoulder.

"You are a good man, Adam Young, ever for a spawn of Satan" he joked, "I know that I can trust you with this little secret of mine."

Gabriel walked away, feeling the eyes of the human staring at his back until he disappeared behind a tree toward the abandoned cottage where they had sought refuge into.

Adam sighed, wiping the tears that had escaped him with his sleeves then looked up at the sky.

"Hey, Grand Ma'." He murmured to the air, "I suppose you already know about all this… Please… Protect him… He deserved to be happy…"

And She hears him and a sad smile makes its way on Her face.

Gabriel leaned against the wall, watching with a small smile the scene in front of him.

Raphael was speaking animatedly, making wide movements of the arms as Michael, stoic as ever, made witty, sarcastic retorts. Aziraphale said something in a low voice at Samael, and the latter had a malicious smile that only meant that a prank was on its way and they had to prepare themselves if they didn't want to be collateral damage.

Leliel and Adam were sitting on the ground with cards spread the two as they play a game of Exploding Snap*. There was a feeling of peace and ease in the air, and Gabriel enjoyed it from where he stood.

It was easy to imagine what things could have been. Imagine them all with pristine white tunics and radiant wings of light. It was easy to imagine them smile at him with pleasure and love in the Light of their Mother.

It was easy to let himself imagine thousands and thousands of what if he had the time to considers through all the millennial he was alone with his memories.

Shaking his head, he returned to the present moment.

Things were going more smoothly between him and the rest of the group. Michael still made a point of being with him and snapping at Crowley from time to time while gritting her teeth at every snarky comment her fellow Archangel made.

Gabriel himself began to feel tired of the little charade, but he knew that at this point, it was far too late to try to explain the truth.

Adam, sticking to his word, never mentioned their little chat. However, he made a point of interacting with him a little more.

Aziraphale was still civil to him, Beelzebub seemed to try to ignore his presence, making his heartache, and Crowley was colder than the void around Heaven before they filled it with stars.

All in all, it was the best Gabriel could hope for at this point, and knowing that his time was coming closer each passing day, he was waiting anxiously a word from Alpha Centauri telling him they had found a way to end all this madness.

The past months had been a dance between all the people involved, be it from Heaven or Hell's battalions wanting their war, the resistance, their little group and him. Always drifting from one to others, hoping to save what could be saved and praying for the loss of too many, trying to keep reality in order while waking up with the news of more and more part of the world suddenly disappearing into thin air.

Even the humans were beginning to take note of what was happening, some of them claiming that "the end is nigh" while the end was already missed. An irony of Fate, for certain, and Gabriel grimaced as his timer made itself known.

He had no idea how long he'll be able to hide this little detail, and from the side look Adam sent his way, he knew that it was a matter of weeks, if not days.

*Courtesy of a little miracle from the Duke of Hell once they heard the Antichrist explaining what it was.

Crowley woke up with a start, still earing the echoes of war cry in the back of his mind.

The last attack was still fresh in his mind, like the gash in Aziraphale's back or the bruise on Adam's cheek.

The Serpent of Eden rubbed his tired eyes with the palm of his hands before gripping his short, copper hair with an annoyed huff, swinging his legs toward the ground.

The cold feeling under his feet brought him back to the present time, and Crowley decided that a little night walk wouldn't do him any harm.

With a snap of his fingers, his nightclothes changed into his usual black attire and he was out less than a second later.

The night air caressed his cheeks, taking away the last memory of his nightmare, and Crowley sighed in relief. After seven months of being in the run, he supposed that it was normal*. Still, he would have preferred to do without them, but he supposed that he'll have to deal with it.

Without any destination in mind, the Serpent of Eden let his feet lead him God knew where, until he was walking on the edge of a river not really for of the house they had chosen as their current location, until the next attack.

The night was calm, and if he was concentring enough, Crowley could point the exact location of a fox hunting down the next meal for their cubs.

It was a perfect night, that was why when he saw Gabriel trying to wash the blood from a very bad looking wound on his side, he could only stare.

And stare.

Then it clicked in his mind, and blood left his face.

"For somebody's sake! What is that?!" he shouted, storming toward the Archangel who went stiff at his voice.

Without thinking, Crowley was at Gabriel side, scanning the wound with his hands, and the soft glow emanating from them, his eyes solely focused on his task, and so, his missed the look of love and longing in the Archangel's eyes.

The demon was fuming.

"How long did you plan to hide this from us?!" he hissed, and Gabriel, in less than a fraction of a second, switch to his 'bastard-mode'

"Why do you care, demon?" he sneered, "I thought that such new would make you ecstatic!"

"Don't. Use. That. Tone. With. Me. Even if I couldn't be more than happy to see you dead, I know some people who care about you and those, I don't want to see them being hurt because of your prideful arse."

Gabriel shut his mouth in an ugly grimace, looking down at the demon with cold eyes.

"I don't need your help" he spat.

"And I fucking think otherwise. So shut your stupid mouth and let me heal you already."

Crowley returned his attention on Gabriel's wound, and once more, missed the look in the other eyes. They stayed silent a long moment, the light of the moon reflecting in the water, and the soft glow of the demon's healing magic enlightening the sharp edge of his face.

Ever so slowly, a look of pure horror made its way on Crowley's face, and Gabriel closed his eyes, moving sharply away from the other grip.

"Gabriel…"

"Don't." cut the Archangel, "I don't need your pity."

Crowley clenched his fists.

"And what? You planned to keep it down until you burn yourself out?!"

"If the answer is yes, what would that change to you?"

"You-" started the demon, looking at his vis-à-vis with wide eyes, "And Michael?! You planned to hid all this to her?! How well do you think she'll react once you'll die from a burn caused by hell fucking fire?!"

"She'll be fine. She has other people on who she can depend on." Said calmly Gabriel, infuriating the demon even more.

"How can you take the prospect of your death so… So… So easily?!"

"I had the time to accept this idea, that's all."

Crowley stared at him for a long time.

"How long?" he asked eventually.

"What?"

"How long do you have this wound?"

Gabriel didn't answer immediately, his gaze lost in the reflection of the moon in the river.

Crowley thought the other was going to ignore him when he heard the soft, almost silent, response.

"Since I sent Michael to you."

The demon stood there, frozen, not quite believing what he just heard.

"But... How…? You should… The fire should have destroyed you a long time ago…"

Gabriel sighed, "I know, but seems like my resolve is stronger than my imminent death. I suppose I'll survive until I fulfil the task I give to myself…"

Turning on his heels, the Archangel made his way back to the little house, patting Crowley on the shoulder the moment he was at his level.

"You'll have to deal with me for longer than you expected, Serpent. I hope you are not too disappointed." Then he was gone.

Crowley, on the other hand, stood there a long while, lost in his thoughts, as the image of an angel smiling down at him haunted him for a long while, the strangest thing being that said angel seemed to look exactly like Gabriel, sending waves upon waves of melancholia into his soul.

*well, as normal it was for a demon, or an angel for that matters, to have nightmares.

Uriel was lost.

Watching around their office in Heaven, looking at the destruction, staring at the madness, Uriel realised something.

They never wanted this.

Maybe they were a second-generation angel, like Sadalphon or Aziraphale, or so many other angels, and that they had lived in the beautiful myth of God's punishment over the rebels and Heaven future victory and destruction of Hell. They grew up lulled by the tale of the Ineffable Plan.

So when an angel and a demon managed to thwart it, well, it was an understatement to say that some of them took the news badly.

For example, Sandalphon. A faithful servant of God, always ready to please, a little maniac on the edge but a perfect representation of what being an angel is.

But as only God is perfect, Her creations are not, and the problem with Sandalphon was that he believed far too much into Heaven's superiority.

So when her brother came to them explaining his mad plan, Uriel had been at lost. They could have tried to change his mind, or stop him, or anything, but they didn't.

Because they believed that Sandalphon wouldn't go that far.

But he did, and Uriel was left behind, trying to keep everything together.

They never could have imagined that War could be so atrocious. They understood now why the elder ones had decided to run away as soon as they could. They would have too, but Uriel needed to keep an eye on her brother.

Because as mad as he became, the hoped there was still a chance for him.

So when came the opportunity to help the rebels, they hesitated less than a second.

"Be quiet." They murmured into Aziraphale's ear, one hand against his mouth as they dragged him into a discreet backstreet of Copenhagen.

The renegade did as he was told, and soon, it was only the two of them.

"I don't want you any harm." They murmured while pushing a piece of parchment into the other hand.

"Be quick and efficient to get there, I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stop Sandalphon.

"What-?"

But Uriel disappeared before Aziraphale could ask a complete question, and he looked down at the parchment in his hand and retained a gasp.

21 October 20xx – 9h13

The Gate's of Stonehenge will be opened.

See that I have some sense of theatrics too.

Please, save us all before they did something truly foolish.

U-

When Gabriel heard what his younger sibling did to help them, he let a little smile make its way on his face.

He had to find a way to repay them too before he died, it was the least he could do for one of the youngest members of his family.

It took them months.

It took them hours of preparation.

It took them a lot of shouts, and cries, and accusations and tentative truces.

And finally, they had been able to attack Heaven.

Uriel, thanked them, had been true to their word, and on the morning of October the 21, at 9:13, the gates of Stonehenge opened, creating direct access for Heaven and Hell.

Oh, their little group and the few that had gone into hiding in Alpha Centauri were, by far, outnumbered by Heaven's and Hell's force, but they had advantages.

Michael, for one.

Days of planning.

The King of Hell.

One Antichrist.

And a lot of luck based on the random appearance of holes of nothingness on Earth, Hell and Heavens.

Crowley, for once, was glad that he had been able to stay calm long enough to work with the angels that wanted, for a time, Aziraphale's death, as their strategy was very efficient.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw Satan and Michael fighting by each other side in a deathly dance of flames and swords. It still surprised him to saw both of them getting so well along, but after more than a year, he supposed that it was a normal reaction that they trusted each other.

Beelzebub and Aziraphale, surprisingly, were a good fighting pair too, may it by words or swords, and more than once Crowley had felt jealous of seeing them being such good friends. Such worries were quickly soothed by his angel appeasing aura and soft words hushed in the middle of the night.

He saw the principality stab one of his attackers in the shoulder, and Crowley was so distracted by the sight of his lover fighting that he missed being beheaded when Gabriel came into his help, snapping him back into actions.

The Archangel had been an enigma since the moment he made his appearance where their little group was hiding.

A jerk, that was what he had been. A condescending arse that spat and sneered at every word Aziraphale said, and more than once, Crowley had to fight back the urge to kill him right on the spot.

(but he knew that Michael wouldn't let him, even if she adored Crowley and agree with the fact that Gabriel could be a little more respectful).

When Crowley had discovered the Archangel's wound and his acceptance to his imminent death, he also discovered a brand new side to Gabriel.

For one, his harsh word and insult were just a façade, one that Crowley couldn't understand, but when he had this epiphany, he realised that the Archangel's eye bore such sadness that it was a miracle that he didn't break from the pressure.

For two, Gabriel cared for them. All of them.

Be it an encouraging hand on Satan's shoulder or a smile to Aziraphale. A satisfied nod to Adam improvement with a sword, the longing glance he sent to Beelzebub when their back was turned or the genuine interest to his own story of the years he had passed on Earth, Gabriel seemed to appreciate, if not liking, or worse, loving, them all.

Once this discovery happened, Crowley realised that he couldn't truly despite the Archangel, as much as he wanted too, he couldn't. Because those realisations had awakened a part of him that longed for someone's love, a missing sibling long lost in the sand of time. Of a brother who taught him how to heal.

And the Serpent of Eden couldn't help but think that Gabriel, but also Michael and Satan, seemed to fit the hole in his chest.

It took them hours, too much blood and too many bodies, but in the end, they managed to take back the control of Heaven and Hell.

Even if it didn't please certain beings.

Uriel, sweet Uriel who helped them, had been appointed at some power position by Sandalphon and was more than happy to give back Heaven's authority to Michael. Satan, on the other end, took an unhealthy joy at decapitating Hastur -May the Lord Have Pity on His soul.

That's why he wasn't on his guard when Sandalphon attacked him, making him see stars long enough that he wasn't able to stop him from reaching Michael, a mad look into his eyes.

The next moment, Gabriel had put himself between the mad angel and the other Archangel, taking most of the blow, the next moment, Uriel knocked the other out with the handle of their sword.

The wound on Gabriel's shoulder wasn't deep enough to be lethal, and the weapon that Sandalphon used wasn't infused with hellfire, so the Archangel should have been fine.

He wasn't, as he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air as the burn on his side made itself known once more.

Michael shrieked with other, and Crowley had rushed to the archangel side, helping the older one to lay him more comfortably to the ground. He could hear precipitated footsteps behind him.

"For God's fucking sake, Gabriel, why now?" he hissed, sending as much healing power into his wound.

"You knew?" asked Michael, tears streaming down her face.

"It was an accident, and this moron asked me to tell no one about it." Spat Crowley, still trying to save Gabriel, already knowing it was far too late.

Someone put his hand on his shoulder, and the Serpent of Eden looked up to see Satan's closed face.

"Stop… You are only tiring yourself… He can not be saved…"

"He's… Right…"

Crowley let his hands fall when the Archangel rasped out his opinion, a feeling of helplessness weighing down his stomach.

"You stupid, prideful arse…" he muttered, and Gabriel let out a sad, hollow chuckle.

"Oh… Raphael… Don't tell me you grow to care about me…?"

Crowley froze at the name, not understanding why Gabriel was calling him that. It wasn't his name, was it? And yet, something deep inside him stirred at the word softly spoken.

But he knew that he couldn't get more answers from the Archangel: his eyes were already far too glassy as his gaze moved to someone standing behind him, an ever sadder smile appearing on his lips.

The Archangel locked eyes with Michael, "E… Eden…" he murmured.

"What…?"

"Eden… Like to see it…"

She bit her bottom lips, and with a snap of her fingers, she brought them all there, under the Tree of Life. Even after all those years, the Garden was still beautiful as before.

Michael went on her knees, not knowing if her body would be able to support her anymore, and put her little brother head on her laps. Crowley was still trying to heal Gabriel, Aziraphale just behind him with one hand resting on his shoulder. On her other side were Satan and Beelzebub, still covered with blood from angels and demons alike, the fresher being Hastur's

Gabriel, for a quarter of a second, seemed to become lucid, his eyes filling with too many emotions to be named.

"Oh, finally… You are… Here… Samael… Leliel…" he coughed, and golden blood stained his chin, his head turned to the side, his unfixed gaze looking at something beyond the Serpent shoulder, one hand raising slowly, like trying to grasp something "Aziraphale…"

The principality tense at the soft tone in the other one voice, and slowly, took one step forward, taking the offered hand in his "Yes?"

"I'm glad… You are exactly the way I wanted you to be… You are… Perfect for my… Raphael…" Said fondly Gabriel, squeezing lightly the principality's fingers between his own before looking up at the sky of Eden with shiny eyes.

His lips moved, trying to say something more, but nothing came out for a few seconds. His body convulsed, and Crowley sent even more healing power into the wound which refused to heal. The Archangel coughed once more.

"I'm so glad… To have you all here with me…"

Appeasement appeared on Gabriel dying's face when a small smile made its way on his lips.

"Stay safe… All of you…"

The Archangel seemed to want to say something else, but a shudder later, he went still.

Tears were streaming down Crowley's face as flames appeared suddenly, consuming what was left of Gabriel, leaving only behind ashes. Michael raised, trying to keep some of it in her hands, but they flew away before she could grasp even a bit of it. She fell with a sob, crashing into Satan's arm who tried to calm her even when the Devil felt as much shaken as her, the whispers of something lacing the back of his mind. And from the look of it, Beelzebub and Crowley didn't seem to fare better.

Then something strange happened.

Images upon images crashed in their minds. Thousand years of memories coming to them all at once

Like a fog was cleared in their minds.

In less than a second, they saw all the Story from Gabriel's eyes, remembering everything.

And they howled in despair.

Gabriel was floating in nothingness, someone caressing his hair lovingly.

"I'm so sorry, my dear little one…"

Purple eyes fluttered open, looking up at a fair, beautiful face, a blinding sad smile directed at him as the 'tic-tic' of machinery.

"Mother…?" he murmured, cuddling himself deeper into Her arms, seeking all the love and care and feeling of safety he could. "I'm finally dead? I'll finally be able to rest?" and there was some kind of desperation in his voice as he began to cry all his hurt feelings, and She hugged him even harder against Her chest, murmuring a soft lullaby that only Her could sing, the moment stretching for an eternity, and yet, the Archangel had the feeling that it only last for a few second.

Slowly, She pushed him a little away from Her, still held in Her arms.

"I am so sorry, Gabriel…"

"For what?"

"For lying to you…" Shemurmured, "I promised you everything would be fine, and yet, you had to suffer so much…" a low chuckle escaped her, "But, in a way, I'm not that surprised… My creations always had a way to find a new way to throw all my plans at the window"

"Mother?" asked Gabriel, and the question was crystal clear in his eyes. He knew the idea of balance in the Order of things. After all, it was a disturbance of it that caused the death of billions of humans in holes of nothingness caused by the madness of angels and demons alike. Still, he had the feeling that it was something a little different in this case.

"At the very beginning, I thought I could control everything… Shape it at my will without minding possible consequences… And it was the case. But because I decided to add something unexpected, it shapes the way of thing into something that I could have never suspected. I gave you all the seed of free will, and because of that, the world I created began to reshape itself into something that could regulate itself alone, and for that, it needed balance."

"I am a being of light, and my opposite came into being at the same time than I, if not before me, so I was always equilibrated."

Death, was the unspoken antithesis of God, a knowledge that Gabriel was certain he didn't have a moment before.

"Because I always had my opposite and balance, it never crossed my mind that the world I was creating needed balance too. And it found a way of doing it. If Samael began to rebel against me, began to doubt, it was because I never was able to create a Shadow to the Light I was making. My angels needed demons to truly be able to exist, and so I had to make them fall for the universe to be equilibrated."

She sighed.

"I decided to create my Plan more or less at the same time. I can not explain it to you as only I can comprehend to the totality of it, but I created it in a way that balance will always be found…"

She looked down fondly at him

"And you, my dear Gabriel, is the unexpected victim of this decision."

"Am I?"

"I was ashamed of the pain I caused to all of you because I never predicted something so obvious. I wanted to erase your memories to all of you so you wouldn't have to suffer the pain of losing beings so dear to your heart… But for something to be forgotten, it had to be remembered."

Gabriel closed his eyes with a sad sigh, understanding what his mother was telling him.

"What will happen now…?"

His Mother scrapped lightly his scalp with her nails, humming under breath for a few moments.

"I think reality will need a little rebooting, too much had happened, and it couldn't continue on the path it is actually, so a little deviation wouldn't harm anyone, angels, demons or humans alike. As for you, it's your choice."

Gabriel looked up at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, you could decide to stay with me forever in the Light of My Love. Like so many others of your siblings fallen before you. You deserve to rest after all. But you can also decide to return there and continue with your duty. I won't lie to you, I would like very much for you to stay by my side, but I know that there's a lot of people who are going to miss you if you decide to move on."

The Archangel looked doubtful.

"I was a real jerk to them. I couldn't change the way I acted toward them… After all this time… I forgot… I suppose that some of them are even glad that I'm not here anymore."

God hugged him even tighter.

"Oh, my sweet, silly boy…"

It was a strange feeling, remembering a life that he had lived more than six thousand years ago. Still, Raphael had the feeling that everything had happened just the day before.

As soon as their memories, and Gabriel's, had returned to them, Michael had crashed into him, bearing him into a bones-breaking hug, Samael not that far behind her.

Leliel was sobbing big, fat tears, finally remembering their lost love, and Aziraphale, oh so sweet Aziraphale, was trying to soothe them with tears rolling on his cheeks. He never had known them before, but he was a part of their small family too, and Raphael could never thank his big brother enough for bringing him in his life.

Thinking of Gabriel brought a bittersweet feeling to his heart as his memories as Raphael crashed with the ones as Crowley. He wanted to still hate him, but he already knew he was only fooling himself.

He had forgiven Gabriel for a long time before his memories came back.

He supposed he had forgiven him the moment he realised that the Archangel truly care for them, even if he wasn't able to show it.

Michael was still hugging him as if her life depended on it, and Samael was caressing his hair like he had done so many times before. Aziraphale and Leliel decided to move toward them, and it was only a matter of seconds before they were all in a sort of giant hug were everyone cried out their grief and relief for long hours, under the shadow of the Tree of Life, not knowing that two beings were observing them from Somewhere.

She didn't have to ask him for his decision, reading the longing in his purple eyes, and so, she enveloped all of Her creation in the light of Her Love, and then, everything faded to white.

Crowley groaned, sinking more deeply into his mattress, seeking the warm of Aziraphale's body. He heard his angel chuckling.

"Sleep well?" he murmured while pressing butterflies-like-kiss on his cheeks, his smile like the sun when his demon opened his golden eyes.

"Ngk…" he yawned, " Had a strange dream"

"Really?"

"Yeah, but can't remember about what."

Aziraphale laughed at that before getting off the bed, snapping his clothes on and moving toward the kitchen.

"Come on, sleepyhead, we have guests for the day, and I'm afraid that Maelle won't be up to greet them properly if you don't get up soon."

Crowley mocked huff at his husband before snapping his clothes on. Exiting their bedroom, he turned toward the nursery where was waiting their little miracle.

Smiling up at him was a perfect little girl, half angel half demon, with curly light-red hair and cat-like blue eyes, freckles like constellations spread on her face. A little bubble of joy created by the love of two beings who took their sweet time to get together. Gabriel had been kind enough to give them some tips on how to proceed, but it had been all their work.

Crowley cooed at her, scooping her in his arm, Maelle laughed at him in delight.

"Come on, Princess, let's get ready for today." He murmured to her, nuzzling his nose into her soft curl as she let a sweet sigh escaped her.

Their daughter in his arms, Crowley made his way to the kitchen, pecking Aziraphale on the lips before installing the little one in a high chair for her meal.

"Newt and Anathema should be here around eleven, and the Them half an hour later. Your siblings told me they still have some businesses to deal with Up and Downstairs, but it shouldn't delay them too much."

Crowley nodded, going mechanically with his little routine, lost in his thoughts.

Something was weird, because he had the feeling that he had forgotten something important, like a whole year of his life during something big happened, but the life of his, he couldn't remember what.

He shook his head. If he had forgotten, then it might have been unimportant.

The morning went on smoothly, and soon enough, two young humans arrived at their doorsteps, and Aziraphale fused over Anathema, insisting that she should sit because "my dear, in your state, you shouldn't stay up too long" before miracling a cup of tea to soothe her back as her very prominent stomach left little to no imagination to why she had to be careful with her health.

When the Them came, it was with a wave of excitement and new toys for the little Maelle. And like each other time they had come to their little cottage, Maelle seemed to prefer to be in Adam's arms than any other person in the room.

A wave of magic later, a Crowley went to open the door to four supernatural beings.

Michael kissed him on both cheeks with a hug as Samael chose to do simply the latter (as he decided for a year or two to return to his old name). Beelzebub released their boyfriend hand to shake his and went inside, following the two elder of his siblings.

Gabriel was the last one to greet him, and Crowley smiled widely at the Archangel. He was glad to have him back in his life, even after thousands of years apart, but something seemed off with his brother, and the Serpent frowned, worried.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Gabriel jerked out of his thought, the strange look in his eyes disappearing and he gave him a fond smile, "Nothing Raphael, don't worry."

Crowley squinted at him, as his big brother called him this way these only when something was weighing on his mind, but seeing only truth in the other eyes, decided to leave it for this time.

"Well, come inside then. We're all waiting for you."

Gabriel smile widened a little more, and he nodded at his little brother with a "sure" softly spoken.

Crowley held the door open for him before making his way toward the sitting room, leaving Gabriel behind as he hooked his coat on the wall hanger.

Gabriel took his time before making his way into the room, breathing deeply into the feeling of peace and righteousness filling the place. The ghost of a wound still stirred at his side, but he knew he could ignore it, as everything was for the better in the end

Memories of a time that had passed and never existed and yet existing lived in his mind, and as before, he was the only one to remember, but he didn't care

He could live with the weight of it for all eternity.

As long as he had his family at his side, and that they were happy, it was all that mattered.

So yes, Gabriel had many secrets, secrets that had left him, and so many others, broken. He knew that for him, the past could never be forgotten, but seeing the bright and joyful future waiting for him, he decided that maybe it was time for him to be on the mend.

Looking into the sitting room, the only thing he could see were smiles, and he could feel tears tickled his eyes, but he blinked them away.

Instead, he let a smile to appeared on his lips and he step forward.

The future never had been so beautiful before.

And looking down at them from Her machinery, She decided it was good.

And this is it! I hope you enjoy this little story!:D

Reviews are highly appreciated!

Stay safe and I wish you all a great day!

Mitsuki