It had been roughly four hours since the lovely dinner. Four hours since some choice words were said. Words that had been echoing in a demon's mind since. Crowley could not recall if he had paid the bill or anything else for that matter. All he knew was that four hours ago he was definitely sober. It seemed the Bentley knew the demon needed space before heading home and had managed, on its own, to find a pub for its owner. Close to last call, the Bentley had honked enthusiastically after spotting Aziraphale down the street, alerting the angel where he could locate his lover.

Aziraphale let out a sigh of relief and found Crowley sitting (slouching) by the bar, in front of around eight or nine bottles of wine. "Honestly," Aziraphale turned to the bartender, "ever heard of over-serving?" The bartender shrugged, making the angel click his tongue in disdain. It was sort of a miracle how one of the patrons sitting at the bar had conveniently noticed how the pub's liquor license had expired. More of a miracle when that patron happened to be a captain in the local police department. With great effort, Aziraphale was able to load Crowley into the car and take him home where their daughter slept the hectic day away.

The angel had run behind his daughter and her friend and consoled her as tears ran down her cheeks. Elliot excused himself, mainly because he felt uncomfortable, and so Aziraphale took Cassi home. They had a heart to heart and the angel assured her, Crowley knew she did not mean any of those nasty words and in turn, he tried to make her understand how Crowley only wished for the best when it came to her. Cassi had asked if Crowley hated himself and Aziraphale had answered with an honest, "I don't believe so but at times I believe he still punishes himself for his fall." Aziraphale had given her a hot chocolate to ease her troubles and had put her to bed as if she was a mere child.

He was grateful how much he knew Crowley and had a hunch he would be in a sorry state and therefore had performed a minor miracle to soundproof Cassi's bedroom, making sure she would not wake. And how he was grateful for thinking ahead.

Crowley's arm wrapped around Aziraphale's shoulder as he mumbled incoherently. "I-I-I lossssst my….my bessst friend one-once…oh, no!" Tears swelled in his eyes, "he-he went back to-to heaven…nononono…he le-left me." He turned his head and beamed. "Aziraphale." he said tenderly, "you ca-came…came back!"

Aziraphale grunted as he managed the last step and opened their bedroom door. "I did, dearest." He sat Crowley on the edge of the bed only for the demon to flop backwards.

"I-I love…love yo-you." Crowley whispered.

"I love you too." Aziraphale said as he began to take off Crowley's shoes.

Crowley choked out a sob and placed an arm over his eyes. "Y-you…you do?"

Aziraphale scooted Crowley's lithe body upwards, making sure his feet didn't dangle off the bed. "Very much." Crowley grunted when Aziraphale lifted him slightly to push off his jacket, afterwards fumbling with his vest. The demon's eyes were fixated on his angel and, out of nowhere, he began to weep. "You're all right." Aziraphale soothed.

"We-we cou-" Crowley gasped for air, "could ha-ha-have be-been usss!" He sobbed.

Aziraphale stopped his movements and stroked his lover's cheek. "We are." He smiled lovingly.

Crowley stopped his sobs and looked at the angel. "I want a kisssssss."

Aziraphale knew his lover well enough to know the demon would more than likely wrap his arms around him and not let go. Which would have been fine if it was any other day but for now, Aziraphale needed to get Crowley ready for bed. He smiled and kissed his own manicured finger, afterwards placing it on the demon's lips. It was a silly thing to do but it satisfied the drunken demon and left him grinning like an idiot. "Lift your hips, please." Aziraphale patted Crowley's thigh as he tried to remove his tight pants.

"Ssssuck my cock."

Aziraphale sighed and walked towards the dresser. "How romantic." He sighed once more and chastised himself for implementing a no miracle rule while doing mundane tasks, including changing into other articles of clothing which Crowley abused. Aziraphale had said they were frivolous miracles but found himself wanting to do one just to get it over with.

It was quite a task to put Crowley's pajamas on him, a faded-out Queen shirt and some black warmups. "There we are." Aziraphale kissed Crowley's forehead when he noticed the demon had fallen asleep. The angel then began his night routine, although it was more along the lines of going downstairs, making a cup of tea, and picking out which book to read through the night. He had checked up on Cassi and was thankful she had not woken up. "Dear?" Aziraphale asked as he entered his room again only to find it empty. As soon as he placed his tea and book down on the dresser, he was pinned to the bed. "Crowley." He grunted.

Glossy eyed, Crowley looked down at Aziraphale, still quite drunk. "Another!" He demanded.

"Another what?"

Crowley leaned his head down. "Another child." His lips tickled Aziraphale's ear. "Thisss one is defective."

Aziraphale sighed and patted Crowley's back. "What would that accomplish exactly?"

"We ssstart from scratch." The demon wrapped his arms around his angel and settled his head close to his heart. "Maybe twinssss…you raise them, and they will be nothing but angels."

The angel was silent and ran his fingers through Crowley's hair. "And what will I say when they ask where their dad has gone, hmm?" Crowley shrugged. "Exactly."

"I'm not a good father."

"Of course you are. You're an excellent father."

Crowley shook his head slowly. "She…she doesn't hate you."

Aziraphale placed a kiss on Crowley's hair. "No but she doesn't hate you either. It was something said at the heat of the moment. An example would be that time at the bandstand where I told you I didn't even like you. Do you recall?"

Crowley exhaled. "It hurt my feelings."

"I know and I have apologized but you know I didn't mean it, right? I loved you then and, like I said, it was a heat of the moment thing." He ran smooth circles on his demon's back. "Our daughter doesn't hate you."

"I'm frightened." Crowley paused for a second. "I know you are thinking of going to heaven to investigate and…what if you don't come back? Whether it be because they don't let you or because they des-" he shuddered at the thought of a world without Aziraphale. "And they also want our daughter to do what exactly? I do not know but I do know, it will not end well in our favor. I can't…" He hugged Aziraphale tighter. "I can't lose you both."

"Crowley," Aziraphale's voice was soft, "you will not lose us." He pulled Crowley off him far enough to meet his eyes. "I know it's hard for you to fully accept us. I know a part of you still believes this is not real but, oh," he gently caressed Crowley's cheek, "this is real. Our love is real. Our daughter, our home, all of it is real and you are deserving of it. We are not going anywhere, love. I promise." He whispered.

Crowley said nothing but placed his head back on Aziraphale's heart. He didn't know if it was the thumping ringing in his ears, the soft humming coming from the angel, the way soft fingers ran through his hair, or the combination of all three that put him to sleep.

Crowley winced as he sat up and was blinded by the light shining through the window. "Ugh." He rubbed his eyes with his palm, wishing the throbbing in his head would go away.

"Drink this." Aziraphale stood next to the demon's side of the bed and handed said demon a cup of tea. "Ah," Aziraphale swatted away Crowley's raised hand, "no frivolous miracles and that includes miracling away a hangover."

Crowley scrunched his nose and looked up. "You know I don't like ginger tea."

"I would appreciate it if you drank it, please." He handed Crowley the tea and fully opened the curtains. "I made you a pot of coffee and," he walked back to Crowley and kissed his temple, "drew you a warm bath."

Crowley begrudgingly drank the tea, laid on his side, covered himself, and decided it best to stay in bed instead.

The bed dipped as Aziraphale sat next to him. "She's not home."

"Hm."

"Thought it best you two needed space. She's with her friend."

Crowley poked his head out. "The nephalem?"

"Now, don't be rude, he has a name."

Crowley covered himself back up. "She's supposed to be grounded."

"I know and she is."

"Grounded means they cannot have any fun. They stay in their rooms and listen to, I don't know, grunge I presume."

"Erm, I'm not quite sure what that is." The angel placed a hand on the demon's covered shoulder. "Come now, the bath will get cold." The demon said nothing but shrugged. "Jolly good then, I would just have to take it on my own." He stood. "More room for me."

Crowley immediately uncovered himself. "You whot?"

"Oh, did I not mention the bath was for both of us?" He smirked and made his way to the attached bathroom.

The demon licked his lips and sprang out of the bed, shedding one item of clothing at a time.


"Out of all the things in the world, no, the universe, you can't stand there and tell me you don't care for chocolate. I mean, even I like it. Me!"

Cassi placed her arms behind her back, "May I please have a scoop of vanilla," she asked politely.

Elliot guffawed. "Vanilla? That's so…so plain, little nephalem."

"Sticks and stones."

With Aziraphale's blessing, the two nephalems would no longer have to hide their relationship, whatever it was. One red haired nephalem would argue they were friends while the other with hazel eyes insisted, they were merely crossing paths.

Elliot took the opportunity to inform Cassi more on their kind and answer any questions she might have. Aziraphale had taken the morning to better understand the young boy, and though he did not particularly enjoy Cassi being completely alone with, he understood she needed at least one familiar being, other than her parents, as a constant presence.

During the months they had secretly met, both came to learn about an interesting anomaly; Cassi became more angelic in a way, while Elliot's demonic self became somewhat tamed. Sure, Elliot still overwhelmed Cassi as she did him, but not to the point where it projected too much.

"That one is free." Cassi pointed at a table out on the patio.

Elliot followed, cold beverage in hand. "Do you parents go on dates?" He sat opposite Cassi.

"Um," she let her spoon get a decent amount of the creamy goodness, "from what they have told me, they have been going on dates for millennia." She let the ice cream melt in her mouth before continuing. "They called them meetings…or lunch." Cassi cocked her head to her side. "This isn't a date." She stated blankly.

Elliot practically choked on his straw. "I know that, little nephalem. It was a mere question asked because of an observed."

"Which was?"

"Last night, at the dinner, I noticed how in tune they were with one another when it came to ordering, pouring wine for the other as if they knew when the other would be taking a sip, um, the way you dad told your papa not to order the chicken because he would not like it solely based on an ingredient it had. Things like that. It was quite odd if you ask me."

"It's called being in love, duh."

Elliot took a sip from his drink and pondered a bit. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. When you love someone that deeply, you know them as much as you know yourself, more even."

"What was their name, little nephalem?"

Cassi scrunched her nose. "Um, how do you mean?"

"You sound so much of an expert; you must have fallen for some poor bugger. Human, I take it?"

Cassi tossed her hair to the back, leaned back into the hair, and crossed her arms. "Um, it might come as a shock to you but just because I emit love, does not mean I have felt it, if you know what I mean. I do love but I've never been in love. Maybe it will come, maybe it will not. I don't know but until then, I'll be holding on to all my first for that particular person.

"Oh, so, by that logic, you've never kissed anyone?"

"Ha-have you?" She stammered.

"Once or twice. Didn't mean anything, I was simply tempting. I am a demon."

"Half demon."

"More demon than you'll ever be, little nephalem." He winked at her and took another sip of his beverage.

"Shut up." Cassi blushed.

Elliot chuckled lightly and looked around. "That bloke behind you," he leaned in and grinned, "I bet he gets stood up."

Cassi turned slightly. "Don't say that." She smiled. "Ah, that's your problem innit? You need to be more optimistic."

Elliot raised a brow. "Like you?"

"Exactly." She smiled brightly. "I get it from my dad."

"He's a bit different than the other demons I've encountered."

Cassi shrugged. "He's the only demon I've encountered meaning, I don't quite have anyone else to compare him to."

Elliot closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "The way you keep insulting me, little nephalem." He opened them while a grin spread across his face. "Keep at it."

Cassi giggled and continued eating her plain flavored treat.


"Dinner will be ready soon." Aziraphale smiled as Cassi walked into the kitchen.

Cassi looked about the messy kitchen and gulped. "You-you're cooking tonight?"

"Of course, darling. I'm capable of feeding my family."

She spotted what looked like bread on the counter. At least, she thought it was bread from the shape of it. It was hard to tell given it resembled a big lump of charcoal. "Ngk…papa, I'm really alright if you miracle something up."

"Oh, posh, darling girl." The angel shooed her from the kitchen. "Dad's in the garden. Be a dove and ask him to wash up." Aziraphale noticed Cassi's changed expression and cupped her chin gently. "He won't bite." He squeezed her chin and pushed her away gently.

Cassi exhaled and began towards the backdoor which led to their garden. As she opened it, the events of the previous night rambled in her head, more importantly the awful thing she had said to her demon father who had been nothing but kind to her. She knew she needed to apologize, to make their relationship right again. The nephalem finally had her dads in her life and they had provided a steady and safe place for her, overlooking their own problems and safety. She was damned if she was going to muck it all up.

Meanwhile, Crowley was down on his knees as he planted a new plant on the moisturized ground. He wore his gardening boots and apron, had dirt on his cheek, and his hair was up in a half bun. "If you are going to stare," he began as the nephalem's presence had been silent for a time, "at least be helpful." He turned to face his daughter, whom he had not spoken to for almost an entire day. "Extra gloves in the basket." Crowley gestured to the nearby apple tree.

"Oh." Cassi silently walked towards the tree and rummaged through the wicker basket for what she needed. Afterwards, she kneeled in front of him waiting for further instructions.

Crowley eyed her for a second and rummaged through his apron's slots. "Hair." He simply stated.

Cassi took the hair tie in Crowley's hand and did her own fiery hair up in a ponytail.

"Best to plant these now so they can be ready to harvest for the upcoming winter season. Your papa wants you to eat more greens. Um," Crowley wiped some sweat from his forehead with his arm and placed his hands on his hips, "how do you feel about kale?"

"Can't really complain. It's, uh, kale."

"Right." Crowley clicked his tongue, hands back on the plant.

"Dad, I-"

"You know," the demon interrupted, "your papa and I had an issue with communication. For millennia we talked but never really talked. Hold that there." He instructed as he dug the hole a little bigger. "Either one of us didn't elaborate or the other," he patted the soil down with his hands, "hmm…this one will definitely be growing soon, soil is great here. The other," he continued, "would have questions but never bothered to ask." Crowley stood and extended a hand to Cassi. "When he left, I assumed he did so for the wrong reasons."

Cassi followed Crowley to the small greenhouse attached to the cottage. "However, upon his return, we decided to actually talk." He started to put his tools away. "He wanted us to be safe as much as I wanted us to be free. Two different things and yet they go hand in hand, at least for us." The demon leaned on his tool bench and crossed his arms, finally facing his daughter. "I want that for you, Cassi. As much as I want you to be free, I desire your safety as well. You're free to do what you please, free to be with whom you like, free to live your life as you see fit, however, as your dad, it's my duty to make sure you are a hundred percent safe when enjoying your freedom. I don't suppose I'm making much sense." He bit his lip. "Erm, I do get mad and I will probably express the same emotion in the future…but only when I know you're not being safe. What you did was stupid."

Cassi opened her mouth to interject. "Ah," Crowley held a finger up, "it was stupid, Cassiopeia, please…don't deny it. Heaven and hell are looking for you and you run off to another country, granted it's hours away, but another country no less, with a stranger. When you have previously been hunted down by different strangers. Not once did you think he would hurt you and that is concerning. I'm not saying be weary of every person you meet but, please, Cassi, don't be too naive." He placed his hands on her shoulders. "You and Aziraphale see the good in everything and that's great but as a demon, I see, hell, I cause, the bad in this world. Like I said, I only wish to keep you safe…protect you from any harm because you're my daughter." Crowley pulled her in and wrapped his arms around her. "And because I love you." He kissed the top of her head.

Cassi's eyes stung with unshed tears, and she encircled her arms around her demon father. "I'm sorry." She whispered into his shirt. "I promise I'll be good from now on."

Crowley laughed. "Now, where would be the fun in that?" He smirked.


Finally! I apologize, for some reason I was not able to upload at all. Posting chapters as soon as possible. Hoping it doesn't prevent me again.