Crowley was pacing the bandstand like a caged lion. He only stopped as he saw Aziraphale approach.
"Well?" he said impatiently.
Aziraphale looked confused, so Crowley clarified: "Any news?"
The angel looked away nervously.
"Um..." he stuttered, "What kind of news would that be?"
Crowley glared at him; he was too impatient to wait for Aziraphale to say something else.
"Well, have you found the missing Antichrist's name, address and shoe size yet?" he asked as he started to pace the stand again.
Aziraphale blinked in confusion, "His shoe size? Why... Why would I have his shoe size?"
Crowley stopped and shook his head, "It's a joke. I've got nothing either."
Aziraphale looked around unsure. They had nothing. Maybe it should really happen. It was Her plan after all.
"It's the Great Plan, Crowley," he said sadly.
"Yeah. For the record," Crowley yet again started his walk around the perimeter of the bandstand, his voice agitated, hands flapping around, then he got to the middle and looked up yelling: "Great pustulent mangled bollocks to the Great blasted Plan!"
This couldn't be. He refused to believe it. She sent him here for what? What was he to do? Was he really supposed to just follow the supposedly great plan?
Angels next words tore him out of his own thoughts: "May you be forgiven."
He looked at the blond man in astonishment.
He shook his head again. She told him that she trusted him and his decisions. And he liked Earth. He didn't want it to end. Not yet. What would even happen to him anyway?
"I won't be forgiven. Not ever," he said, and wanted to add 'there is nothing to forgive', but instead he said: "That's part of a demon's job description. Unforgiveable. That's what I am."
Aziraphale looked at him with pity in his eyes.
"You were an angel once," he said hopefully.
Crowley looked at him in disbelief. Is Aziraphale really pulling that one out?
"That was a long time ago," growled the demon, "We find the boy. My agents can do it."
But Aziraphale shook head, feeling hopeless.
"And then what?" the angel almost whispered, "We eliminate him?"
With that they started bickering about who should be the one to kill the Antichrist. Neither of them wanted to kill anyone, let alone a child. They argued until Crowley got so frustrated, that he threw his hands up.
"This is ridiculous. You are ridiculous," he barked out, "I don't even know why I'm still talking to you."
Aziraphale half glared, "Well, frankly, neither do I."
Crowley stared at him for a second, then shook his head, "Enough, I'm leaving."
He was about to leave, when Aziraphale panicked and stopped him.
"You can't leave, Crowley," said the angel, "There isn't anywhere to go."
He looked sad and thoughtful.
"It's a big universe," Crowley spread his hands to make a point, "Even if this all ends up in a puddle of burning goo, we can go off together."
Aziraphale looked hopeful, "Go off together?"
But then he shook head softly, as if to get out the traitorous thoughts.
"Listen to yourself," he scolded Crowley.
But the demon wasn't ready to give up just yet, "How long have we been friends? Six thousand years!"
They were friends, weren't they? They had known each other for… literally since before the beginning of the time.
Aziraphale frowned at those words.
"Friends? We're not friends. We are an angel and a demon. We have nothing whatsoever in common," the angel sounded more like he tried to convince himself than the demon, "I don't even like you."
However, Crowley smirked, unphased by Aziraphale's unkind words, "You doooo."
Aziraphale looked away, "Even if I did know where the Antichrist was, I wouldn't tell you. We're on opposite sides."
Crowley walked to the angel, emphasizing his every word, "We're on our side."
"There is no "our side", Crowley," Aziraphale yelled in panic and shook his head vigorously, "Not anymore. It's over."
Crowley stared at him in shock. Did he really mean that? He wanted to just go back to those assholes in heaven and fight it out?
"Right. Well, then..." the demon turns around and starts to walk away, only calling out a sort of goodbye: "Have a nice doomsday."
- GO - GO - GO -
Crowley was pacing his apartment. He didn't know what to do. Stay? Go? If so, go where?
Crowley grabbed the globe and levitated it between his hands. He looked at it thoughtfully.
"Would they battle it out only in one part?" he murmured, "I quite doubt it. Knowing those pricks, they really will turn all to burning goo."
Crowley let the globe float away. Then he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He didn't know what to do. Both sides wanted the war, but he… he was fond of Earth. But was that enough reason for him to meddle with the supposed Great plan?
"Is this even Your plan?" he said thoughtfully as he watched the globe float around the room, "Maybe this is why you let me come down. But I don't know how to stop it…"
Crowley quickly turned on his heel and grabbed his astronomy book. Opening it, the pages started to fly around.
"I have to go find Mother," he said, looking around on various star systems and nebulas, "But where is she now?"
Crowley pointed to a page, which stopped so he could look at it properly, "The moon. Hmm, no. Too close. We would have noticed if You were on the moon."
The demon walked around searching for… he didn't know what he was searching for, it was not as if he could see the God on those photographs, but he searched anyway.
"Alpha Centauri," he plucked one page out of the air, and then threw it away, "That's always nice this time of year."
He grabbed another page, "Beautiful nebula. Look at that. I helped build that one."
Crowley shook his head, realizing, that he was getting distracted. He wanted to find God, but he won't find Her just staying here. And two will find Her faster than one. Hopefully Aziraphale will get on the board, if he apologizes.
So, the demon quickly grabbed his car keys and ran out of the door.
- GO - GO - GO -
Crowley turned to park besides the bookshop and immediately spotted Aziraphale heading towards the shop. So he stepped onto the brakes and practically leaped out of the Bentley.
"Angel! I'm sorry," the Demon immediately called as soon as Aziraphale turned to him, "I apologize. Whatever I said, I didn't mean it."
He could practically see the relief wash over the angel's face. That was a good sign. Now to convince him to come with him into space to look for God.
"Work with me, I'm apologizing here," Crowley smirked, "Yes? Good. Get in the car."
And he pointed to the Bentley.
Aziraphale blinked.
Then he frowned in disappointment, "What? No."
Oh, so it wouldn't be that easy, huh?
"Angel, just listen," Crowley was getting frustrated, as they didn't have much time. Who knows how long will it take them to find God. Even if they travelled superfast and used miracles to move around.
"We have to go," he tried to say, but words were failing him, he just pointed to the sky, "Alpha Centauri. Lots of spare planets up there. We have to find…"
However, Aziraphale interrupted him: "Crowley, you're being ridiculous."
"Look, I-I-I'm quite sure if I can just- just reach the right people, then I can get all this sorted out," Aziraphale looked at Crowley hopefully. He was sure if he talked to the Archangels one more time…
Crowley frowned, frustration now clearly showing on his face. He knew that the angel had so much faith in the Archangels, it was unhealthy. They were toxic and Aziraphale refused to see it.
"There aren't any right people," Crowley tried again, "There's just God, She is the only one that can… We have to…"
"Crowley, just let me talk to them," Aziraphale said in a voice that said that he was finished discussing the topic.
Crowley stared at Aziraphale in awe, "You're so clever. How can somebody as clever as you be so stupid?"
Aziraphale looked sad, but he said anyways, "I forgive you."
"Oh..." was all Crowley managed to get out.
He knew that the conversation was over. The angel didn't want to come, he was probably too scared of the Archangels, or actually wanting the Armageddon to happen now. He says he forgives him now, so hopefully he will forgive later, when he stops the Armageddon.
"I'm leaving, Angel," the demon stalked towards his car, "And when I'm off in the stars, I won't even think about you."
And with that he jumped into the car and peeled it out of there, leaving stunned Aziraphale staring after him longingly.
- GO - GO - GO -
"Shit shit shit shit," Crowley cursed as he threaded through the London traffic.
He couldn't believe it. Aziraphale just gave up. He just wanted to talk to the Archangels, which wouldn't solve anything. Or did he really want the world to end?
Crowley stepped onto brakes and as he stopped, he leaned onto the steering wheel. He started doubting himself. If even Aziraphale, who up to this point wanted to save the world, was picking the Heaven's side over Crowley…
Crowley straightened and sighed deeply. Then he noticed familiar surroundings. He was parked by a church. Thought it looked different, because the original was now gone… he was quite sure it was the same place, that the demon saved Aziraphale from the Nazis.
Crowley got out of the car and slowly approached the church. He didn't even know why he wanted to come in. Maybe it was the nostalgia, maybe something else. He felt lost and humans say that they get their answers in a church. Which was ridiculous. Besides it was unwise of him to go in, as the concentrated ground burned his feet like a beach in Florida.
He stopped at the door, feeling stupid to even consider going in. But in the end, he didn't have anything to lose, so he stepped inside.
The demon winced as he immediately felt the effects of the holy ground. But he pushed onward, into the reconstructed church. He stopped at the front, where was the cross with the crucified Jesus Christ.
Normally humans addressed him, but Crowley instead wanted to hear from Her. Even though it was a slim chance.
Crowley sighed and looked up: "God, you listening? What's the Great Plan? Is it really this? Did you really sent me here to overlook the second war?"
The silence was deafening. It hurt, almost as bad his feet hurt from the burning. He didn't know what he expected.
He knew She wouldn't answer him, this was not the official channel to contact her, but the official one was guarded by that idiot. Even so, he… hoped that it would help his nerves.
"Okay, I know you're testing them, you said you were going to be testing them," he said frustratedly, "But you said the testing is to grow their character. What character is there to be, if they are dead?"
Crowley looked back up at the ceiling and whispered, "You shouldn't test them to destruction."
Then he looked dejectedly at the ground and whispered, "Not to the end of the world."
"Hello?" a voice coming from behind him interrupted his thoughts.
Crowley spun around and saw older man in priest robe whose eyes widened when saw him.
"A-ah… I…" Crowly tried to come up with some excuse, but the man smiled softly, clearly not angry that the church was intruded.
"Many people come here to seek answers from the Lord," he assured Crowley.
"Yeah, but today the Lord is silent," Crowley murmured, and winced as the burning in feet was getting unbearable when he was just standing in one spot.
"It seems something is bothering you," said the priest matter-of-factly turning towards the door, "Walk with me, my son."
Crowley felt compelled to follow the old priest.
Together they walked out of the back door, into a small garden. There the priest sat down on a bench and patted the spot beside him.
"Now, you can tell me anything, I will try to help find the answers you seek," said the priest gently, as Crowley sat down.
"I…" Crowley started, "This is… Argh, fine. So… My brothers are fighting all the time. And they got violent, like dangerously violent. Our mother separated them and we lived separate for some time. But now they want to fight again, and it will be disaster, and they the whole family to take a side and fight for them and… I don't know…"
The priest listened carefully.
"So, I take it, you don't want to choose between your brothers and want to stay out of the conflict?" he said slowly.
"Pretty much," Crowley nodded, "And I don't know what to do, because mother is not here right now."
"Hmm," the priest mused, "So what do you think your mother would want you to do?"
Crowley made a strained sound, "She was vague as always about it. She said she trusts my decision, but I don't know."
"I think, you already have your answer, but you are scared to reach for it," said the priest with a small smile, "Maybe a quick story will help you."
The priest looked towards the church building, "You know, a long time ago, in the second world war, there was another church standing here. I was just a small boy, but my mother was working for the priest there. One night when she was about to make her rounds, a man visited us. He warned my mother not to go to the church to clean it that night and even gave her some money. That night the church was bombed and destroyed. If my mother went there, she would be dead. My mother took that as a divine sign, and saved the money for my education. I chose to be a priest, so that maybe I could help people like that man helped my mother."
Crowley listened with wide eyes. He remembered the woman and the small boy. But why is he telling him that story?
"W-what does it have to with…" Crowley stuttered.
The priest looked at him, "I recognized you the moment you turned to face me. And I today I want to return you the favour you gave us that night. However, I think you already know, what you want to do. I am here just to tell you, it's okay. If you feel you want to stay impartial to your brothers' conflict, it's okay to do so. But I feel what you actually want to, is for your brothers not to fight at all, because you are kind and don't want anyone to get hurt, that's why are saved my mother too. Your mother already said, she trusts your decisions, so trust yourself too."
Crowley made a strangled sound.
"But… how?" Crowley asked.
The priest stood up, "Have you tried talking to them? Like you talk to me? You came he because you were bottling up the emotions, so I take it, your brothers might be similar. Just go to them and talk to them, like you talked to me."
Crowley jumped up, "I… I have to go."
The priest smiled, "There you go. But I will let you out through the back gate as you didn't seem very comfortable walking inside the church."
Crowley's eyes snapped to the priest: "You are very perceptive…"
"I might not know who you are exactly, but it's been almost eighty years and you still look exactly the same," the priest led him towards the small iron gate.
Crowley hummed impressed.
The priest let him out and Crowley turned back at him, "Well, you can understand, that I can't just tell you who I am right? But is my nose really that big?"
He pointed towards a stained window and the priest looked that way. That particular window was depicting the Archangel Raphael, the healer.
The priest looked back at Crowley with wide eyes, but the demon was already jumping into his car, and peeled it out of there with a screech.
So, the priest shook his head and whispered a small blessing, "May the Lord be with you."