After Edinburgh
While this is in the same universe as my other Aziraphale and Crowley Through the Ages fics, it can easily be read in isolation.
Summary:
Crowley returns from Hell and reunites with her Angel for the first time since their adventures in Edinburgh.
Notes:
This fic is a gift for NoxNix502, written as part of the GOAD’s 2024 Secret Santa exchange!
Thank you to the lovely xenanigans for his fantastic beta work on yet another one of my fics. You always do such a great job, my dear!
As always, if there is anything that anyone thinks I shoould have tagged for and I did not, PLEASE do not hesitate to let me know!!
After Edinburgh
Hell was not exactly pleased with the fact that the demon they had stationed on earth was going around saving lives. Saving lives was not supposed to be within the purview of demons. However, as Crowley had often told Aziraphale, what many demons seemed to lack was imagination. And so, they readily accepted Crowley’s explanation that the intention behind the demon’s actions was not so much to save Elspbeth’s life, but rather to enable her through ill-gotten wealth to further engage in sin. She was so young, Crowley had insisted, that there was plenty more sin for her to commit over the course of her life, and it would be a shame to have it end too early.
Admittedly it was not the strongest argument she had ever made, but she was still profiting from the good, or rather, bad will of hell after she took credit for the War of 1812.
In any case, after only a few months she was more or less free to return to Earth. Her first stop, of course, was to see Aziraphale.
—
“I’m afraid we’re closed!” Aziraphale called out distractedly as the bell over the shop door rang. After a moment, however, she registered both that she could still hear approaching footsteps, and that the door to the shop had most certainly been locked when she closed the shop earlier.
Finally looking up from her book, her eyes met with those of her favorite demon. “Crowley!” Aziraphale called out in delight.
Uncharacteristically, Crowley was not wearing her sunglasses. This allowed Aziraphale to see the way that the demon’s eyes shone with happiness and relief. “Hey Angel— oof!” Crowley’s greeting was cut off as Aziraphale nearly threw herself into Crowley’s arms.
“My dear, I am so glad you are alright!” Before Crowley was able to respond to the Angel’s exclamation, Aziraphale had already claimed his mouth in a kiss. After a long embrace they pulled apart slowly.
“It was only hell, Angel.” Crowley caressed Aziraphale’s flushed cheek as their eyes met fondly.
“Well, yes, and I know you can handle yourself, but nevertheless I missed you, darling. I love you; you know. I’m allowed to worry for you.”
“Yes, I know. And I love you too, Angel.” Crowley smiled and gently kissed the top of Aziraphale’s head before twining their fingers together. The demon’s smile widened as she observed the blush on Aziraphale’s cheeks. “What have you been up to while I have been gone? I noticed that you have switched up your corporation again?”
“Yes, well, I made a bit of a mistake when opening up the bookshop. My corporation at the time was not exactly youthful, and so people began to question the fact that I was not aging. So I’ve decided to fake my death and pretend to be my own daughter. I’ve started off young this time, so now when I age myself, there will be few people to remember what I look like now for when I de-age in fifty years or so.”
As Aziraphale continued to babble on about her plans for the bookshop, Crowley’s smile and adoring gaze never wavered. Hearing her Angel go on tangents was one of her favorite pastimes. Still, Aziraphale eventually realized that Crowley was no longer listening, and her rambling came to a pause.
“Crowley, dear, are you quite alright?” Aziraphale asked worriedly.
“Oh, hmm? Yes I am. Just missed you, is all. Missed your voice,” Crowley mumbled, finding herself in need of looking away.
“I missed you too, darling. What would you say to us retiring to my flat upstairs? I could make us some tea.”
Crowley’s flush still hadn’t gone away when she nodded, following the Angel’s pull on her hand and her heart as Aziraphale wound through the many stacks of books to get to the upstairs flat and her kitchen.
Once they were in the flat Aziraphale removed her hand from Crowley’s and directed her to the sitting room. As the Angel bustled off to the kitchen, Crowley slowly sat down on what was an incredibly familiar chaise longue. Absentmindedly, she picked up a nearby book and opened it to find that it contained poetry.
As our blood labors to beget
Spirits, as like souls as it can,
Because such fingers need to knit
That subtle knot which makes us man,
So must pure lovers’ souls descend
T’ affections, and to faculties,
Which sense may reach and apprehend,
Else a great prince in prison lies.
To’our bodies turn we then, that so
Weak men on love reveal’d may look;
Love’s mysteries in souls do grow,
But yet the body is his book. [1]
Crowley was so engrossed in the text that she found herself startled when Aziraphale coughed lightly to get her attention.
“Enjoying that one?” Aziraphale gestured to the book with a nod, her hands full with a rather ornate tea set. Not that Crowley would expect anything less from her Angel. For all that Aziraphale was a divine being, she was also a complete hedonist.
“It’s alright,” Crowley shrugged. Aziraphale rolled her eyes before nudging Crowley’s long legs with her thigh, indicating that the demon should move them so that Aziraphale might set down the tea tray and sit beside her.
“Well, I think it’s perfectly lovely. Donne really had quite a way with words, you know?” Aziraphale took care to pour tea for both of them, reciting a small fragment as she did so.
“All women shall adore us, and some men;
And since at such time miracles are sought,
I would have that age by this paper taught
What miracles we harmless lovers wrought.”[2]
“Well he’s not bad, for sure, but I’ve heard better.” Crowley took the cup offered by Aziraphale with a smile. “Thanks, Angel.”
“Certainly no trouble, my dear. It’s just tea. Nothing fancy.” Aziraphale cradled her own tea in hand, averting her eyes quickly.”
“Angel,” Crowley set down her tea and touched Aziraphale’s arm. “It’s not nothing. And I’m grateful for more than just the tea.”
“Crowley…”
“I know that we are hereditary enemies, I know that the world does not want us to be together, and I also know that I love you. I know I should not want more with you, but I do, you know I do.”
“Crowley, darling, you know I want more with you as well. Were circumstances different, I would give you everything.”
“I don’t want everything, I just want you.” Crowley insisted, interlacing their fingers again as Aziraphale put her tea aside as well.
“What would that look like?” Aziraphale asked, frustration appearing at the edge of her tone. “I want you as well. You know I want you. But us being together long term… it feels impossible.”
“Well, I got to thinking. I know you love this shop, but it’s also a place that Heaven knows about— you made it an embassy right? An outpost of Heaven?” Aziraphale nodded at the question. “That means it’s not really safe for me to be here long-term, not a place we can call home together, but I was thinking what if we did have a home? Like the one I have in France, but somewhere a bit closer to home?”
“I— I’m not sure what you are saying? Asking? Crowley—”
“I want us to have a home together. Somewhere off the radar of Heaven or Hell. Not anything big. Just a small cottage in the country where we can be ourselves? We don’t have to live there full time, I just… I want somewhere that we can both call home.” Crowley’s breath was shaky, but Aziraphale was still gripping his hand tightly, lovingly.
“I think…” Aziraphale trailed off slightly, before her voice filled with resolve. “You know, I think I would like that very much. To have a home with you, even if we can’t spend all of our time there.”
“Really?” Crowley asked, exhilarated. While she had high hopes, a large part of her had not expected her Angel to say yes.
“Really.” Aziraphale nodded. “My only request is that I would like to make sure that there is a garden.”
“Oh Angel, I promise you. Our garden will rival the Eden where we met.” Crowley may have been planning to say something else, but whatever it would have been neither of them knew, as she suddenly had a lapful of happy Angel, and any other thoughts had exited her mind quicker than she could think of them.
———
[1] The Ecstasy by John Donne