This is an alternate universe in which Crowley never joined the rebellion or became a demon. It is inspired by the theory that Crowley before he fell was the archangel Raphael. I'm sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical mistakes as my native language is Spanish.
I hope you like it and that you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
oOo
Aziraphale remembered him, remembered his eyes full of illusion.
"Let there be light" said the red-haired angel.
He remembered his little moans of pure happiness as the darkness became a sea of colours, explosions, smoke and sparks. A star factory, he had said. He also remembered perfectly the disappointment in his eyes when he told him about the All Mighty's plans. At the time he didn't know who this angel was, he hadn't even bothered to introduce himself. So naïve, so detached from the rest, he was only focused on this marvel he called "Nebula". However, he did remember that angel at the initial meetings about Earth and humans, and he remembered him sitting in one of the stands for the high-ranking angels. First of all, he had been struck by his red hair, standing out among all those gathered there, and then by his lack of attention to Gabriel's words. He seemed to be in another world, probably building this new fragment of the universe.
"I'd hate to see you in trouble..." Aziraphale said.
"Thanks for the help, and for the advice, but I wouldn't worry. How much trouble can I get into for asking a few questions?" Sincere and naive angel...
Aziraphale was walking through the vast corridors of Heaven when he over heard Gabriel and Michael arguing.
"He's asking too many questions, She's starting to get angry. She doesn't like to be questioned, She should not be questioned," Michael mumbled.
"He's young and we haven't been able to give him his purpose yet. He has concerns because the All Mighty hasn't given him his mission yet," said Gabriel in a calm and slightly condescending tone, as always.
"If he continues like this, it won't be long before he joins Lucifer and his band of revolutionaries. We can't afford a rebellion." - Michael replied with a visibly annoyed expression.
"He won't, he's amused with his new toy, the boss has been smart to give him something to do while we finish wrapping up the Earth project. And, if he joins the revolutionaries, he'll get his punishment, simple." Gabriel grinned, showing all his teeth.
Of course Aziraphale knew about the angel's doubts about God's plans. He had also heard rumours of rebellion, though Lucifer had never spoken to him directly, only tried to recruit angels of higher rank or better warrior capabilities in the event of a rebelion. Precisely for that reason when he saw Lucifer talking to his favourite angel he had to intervene.
"Come this afternoon, I'm sure you'll agree on many things and that..." Lucifer fell silent as soon as he saw the blond-haired angel. - What? - he said with contempt.
"Aziraphale, how are you?" said the red-haired angel with a sincere smile.
"Well... I wanted to talk to you, about the position of the Earth, remember?" He cleared his throat, trying not to show the discomfort due to the look of contempt Lucifer was giving him, "I want to make sure that the position is the best to perfectly contemplate all your nebula."
"Oh." - The angel's face lit up, smiling even more if that was possible, "Then let's go. Lucifer, I told you the suggestions would work." - He was so proud that Aziraphale had to smile, it was contagious, it generated such a warm feeling.
"Raphael," said the right hand of God.
Raphael Aziraphale repeated in his head. He wasn't an angel, he was a high level archangel, it all made more sense now. But then, why was he walking next to a common angel like him with that huge smile.
"Raphael!" Lucifer repeated with annoyance.
"Another day, all right?" replied the red-haired angel in a calm tone.
"There won't be another day Raphael, it's now or never." Sharp, cold.
"If She, in spite of everything, has decided to listen to my suggestions, it means that there is no need for secret meetings, we just need direct approaches and some time for reflection."- The archangel replied with a sincere smile before turning around and motioning for Aziraphale to follow him.
To tell the truth, the blond felt his chest shrink as he saw him so excited... Guilt was a worthy price for the sin of lying. And though he felt guilt, he never regretted it. The war between angels and demons began that night, after the meeting of the disgruntled angels led by Lucifer rose up. They fought side by side. When it was all over Aziraphale could only be happy, what would have happened if he hadn't intervened? What would become of the archangel then?
"Aziraphale!" almost shouted the red-haired one "Your wing! Come, let me see you."
"What?" Before he knew it, he was sitting up. Maybe the joy or the adrenaline hadn't let him notice the arrow stuck between his feathers, but it certainly hurt when Raphael pulled it out. "Ouch..."
"Don't worry... It will only take a moment..." he whispered in a calm voice, placing his hands on the wound.
It was only seconds and a strong and intense glow... He closed his eyes expecting discomfort but nothing of the sort, it was a warm, sweet sensation, years later he would compare it to feeling the sun's rays on his skin... So warm, so soft, so pleasant.
He was guarding the integrity of the first pair of humans when he saw movement in the bushes. Carefully he approached, another new creature? He wanted to find out what God would marvel him with this time, the peacock had been quite a spectacle... This surprise pleased him more, even though it was not a new design. A kneeling angel was gathering plants, flowers, some kind of purple poppies. The long red curls prevented him from seeing the face of the picker, but he didn't need to seet for knowing who it was.
"Raphael..." He almost sighed. He turned at the sound of his name, and his face lit up as he realised who it was, "What are you doing here?"
"Aziraphale!" He pointed to Eva, the woman the angel was watching over, "She's bringing another human into the world soon, as you announced," he remembered. "So I'm trying to gather some plants and herbs that will make the process easier."
They talked, Raphael remained in Heaven and Aziraphale had been posted to Paradise, it had been a long time since they had met, they had some catching up to do. Unfortunately, while this was going on, a demon got Eve and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. The humans were expelled from Paradise, but before they left Aziraphale managed to give them his sword and for that he was punished. The angel fell.
Pain, that's all he remembered. His wings, his body, screaming until he felt his throat tearing. Everything burned, he felt his skin burning and peeling away from his body. Then he woke up. The place was dark, dank and smelly. His ears were ringing and he didn't know if it was because of the torment or because of the hundreds of flies surrounding the being that now sat on a throne.
"Aziraphale, you have been condemned to become one of us. As part of the divine punishment you will be a demon of a lower rank," Beelzebub sentenced, "However, our lord wishes to reward you."
"Re... Reward me" he uttered in a hoarse voice, disconcerted.
"Thanks to you and your absent-mindedness we accomplished one of our goals. The council has decided that you can decide to change or keep your name and that you will be sent back to Earth so that you can see how the race you helped to banish from paradise evolves," she said. "So, what will your name be?" She smiled, a crooked smile, with rotten, black teeth.
Aziraphale had fallen, he was no longer an angel, everything about him had been transformed. His wings, his name, his eyes, his powers, he felt a deep pain, a sense of emptiness as if something deep inside him had been ripped away... He couldn't identify what, but he was sure it was gone. At least his favourite angel was all right... even if he would never see him again. Once again he was grateful that he had saved him from that torment.
When Aziraphale fell Eva was only three months pregnant, now she was about to give birth. Aziraphale decided to keep her name, it was all he had left of the life he had known and would never have. Still, he would rather live on earth than in hell, he hated every second he spent down there. He taught the humans how to find their way in the night... the moon and the stars marked the paths, he had learned so much about the stars while talking to Raphael... so many treasured memories that he went over and over again.
Eve screamed... bringing new humans into the world was supposed to hurt or was it part of the divine punishment? The blond demon watched from a distance, his black clothes making him blend into the starry night. He couldn't intervene, not unless it was strictly necessary. There must have been no one else... There were no other humans, but a figure was approaching the pair. The tall figure was dressed in warm grey robes and a kind of cloak covered his hair, he knelt next to Eva, carrying a basket with plants and utensils. That was all he could see from a distance, as he began to approach he felt the divine energy emanating from the figure.
"Don't be afraid, nothing will happen to you," said the angel. He would know that voice anywhere. "I will watch over you."
A red curl escaped from her veil as he took a few leaves, flowers and some kind of round, green fruit and crushed them in a wooden bowl. He strained the substance with a cloth and held the bowl out to Eva. It couldn't be, he wasn't supposed to be there.
"Drink... You will feel better, it will all pass son." Eve looked at Adam and he nodded. Then the woman drank. Raphael took a piece of linen and gently dried her forehead.
There were no complications. The child cried with the first breath of air, Adam and Eve laughed, hugging their firstborn. They asked the stranger his name, where he came from, but he revealed nothing, only handed them some blankets and gave directions to take care of mother and child before leaving.
When the red-haired angel was far enough away not to be seen by the humans, the demon appeared.
" You shouldn't be here" cold, dry, blunt voice... He had had a hard time hiding the joy of seeing Raphael.
"Aziraphale"
The archangel walked towards him with a smile and the intention of hugging him, but the demon backed away. Raphael grimaced in disgust and lowered his arms. He then turned his attention to the other man... They had not seen each other since his fall.
He wore a black robe with navy blue accents and his hair was more tousled than usual, his blue eyes, more intense than ever, glowed in the partial darkness and a bushy beard covered part of his face. Aziraphale expected contempt for he was fully aware of the archangel's scrutiny, he could see in him the changes wrought by divine punishment.
"Go before someone finds out what you were doing, angel," he tried to sound cold. Raphael, however, did not move. "What are you waiting for? Get out of here."
"How are you feeling? Are you hurt? Do you need anything?" he asked ignoring him completely.
"What?" The angels despised the fallen, they even refused to look them in the face, they never tried to recognise who they used to be, it was as if they had been erased from their minds and now they only saw them as the most repulsive and vile beings on the planet. Not Raphael, Raphael looked at him worried.
"Did it hurt?" asked the archangel looking him in the eyes again.
"I don't need your pity, angel," he yearned. Several times he had imagined a reunion, but he always imagined disgust in his gaze and now he could only find sincere concern, which made everything more difficult.
"You did not deserve to fall, you only helped those who needed it," the archangel declared, "What could they have done? Alone, naked against the weather, against beasts… You..." He sighed, looking at the motionless demon with regret. "You only did what you had to do, protect them." He placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice. "Aziraphale, what have they done to you?"
The demon couldn't talk. He felt a lump in his throat, felt his eyes sting with the first tears about to fall. No one had ever cared for him like that. No one, not in heaven or hell. His voice, his actions, were like a balm. He never wanted to fall, he was only trying to protect the humans, they had not been fair to them. They had not been fair to him. But Raphael understood him, Raphael calmed him. He could only let himself fall slightly, resting his forehead against the archangel's shoulder. The archangel wrapped his arms around him, silently. It began to rain and the demon waited for the drops to cover his tears. He kept his eyes closed and could not see how the archangel's white wings protected him from the storm.
oOo
I hope you liked it. Please let me know what you think in the comments.
I have two options, to go straight to the contemporary events and introduce the past in flashbacks or to go through the different scenes of their past up to the present.
I look forward to your opinions. Best regards. Sincerely, Morgan.
