Through the Years (Ineffable husbands...kind of)

10. 1967, Soho, London

Even after the whole Nazi-church incident, Aziraphale and I kept our distance. It was different than before, really. While things still weren't great between us, or really resolved, there was hope. I figured the angel would reach out to me in her own time, so I didn't try to find her again (although if another opportunity came for me to save her, I would do it without hesitation).

After over a century of trying, I still had not managed to get my hands on holy water. It shouldn't have been that difficult, really, except it was. Because the only way I could get it, excluding my angelic friend, was through a church. And it was very hard for me to go in churches. So, I arranged a heist of sorts, or whatever it was, to steal the holy water. I had just left the meeting I'd called with my partners, and finished talking to the odd Shadwell man, and was walking to my car when it happened.

I opened the car door and got in, my mind still going over the plan. I thought I'd heard a weird sound, like the noise you hear in movies when something good appears, but I thought it was just my imagination. I was getting ready to drive away when I looked over and saw a very attractive blonde sitting in the other seat.

She had a grace, a certain poise or refinement, about her, with her head held high. I was about to demand to know who she was and what the hell she was doing in my car, when her head turned and our eyes met. And I knew it was her.

I hadn't recognized her at first. She had a stylish, bobbed haircut, one with bangs, and that curled very tightly at the end, obscuring part of her face. Her dress matched well, it was a loose, short-sleeved thing in a vibrant shade of pink, with a little blue pattern over it. The hair though, I still couldn't get over it–it was shorter that I'd ever seen on Aziraphale. It was very cute, but I found myself missing her long, exquisite hair.

"What are you doing here?" I finally managed to mumble out, after I had stared at her for longer than I probably should have. Aziraphale looked uncomfortable, to say the least; weary.

"I needed a word with you." She said solemnly. It saddened me to see the girl so serious; I missed my peppy, ridiculous, kind-hearted, warm and open angel, she had been gone for quite some time. "What?" I asked, my thoughts still dwelling on her graveness.

Aziraphale hesitated before speaking again. She looked as though she were preparing to have a painful talk, such as when a teacher must tell a student's parents how poorly-behaved their kid is, and how bad they're doing. Having gathered her thoughts, Aziraphale proceeded, "I work in Soho, I hear things. I hear that you're setting up a...caper to rob a church." Ah. So that was why she was here. Dear Satan, if someone like Aziraphale knew about my plans to steal the holy water, then all of London–no, scratch that–the entire world must have known about it.

I looked away from the angel in annoyance as she continued her little lecture. "Crowley, it's too dangerous. Holy water won't just kill your body, it will completely destroy you." Before she could continue, I cut her off.

"You told me what you think. 105 years ago." As I looked in her eyes, I saw pain. Sadness. Anger. Everything I'd seen before at the park, when we had our fight. This time, there was something else though...guilt, I think. No, that couldn't be right.

"And I haven't changed my mind." Aziraphale agreed, leaving me very perplexed. She continued, "But I can't have you risking your life. Not even for something dangerous." I shook my head in disbelief, that she had the nerve to seek me out, after a century of fighting, after I had saved her from the Nazis, and was spouting out more reasons as to why what I was doing was immoral.

Then, she did something completely unexpected. "So," She began, and reached down to get something. My eyebrows flew to the hairline on my forehead as she said, "you can call off the robbery." and handed me a little plaid, blue and purple thermos.

I glanced at the thermos briefly, and then back at Aziraphale. There was no way. No, it couldn't be what I thought it was, Aziraphale would not do that...would she?

As I looked back and forth between the angel and the thermos, Aziraphale said to me, "Don't go unscrewing the cap." She tried to hand the thermos over to me, which after a moment's hesitation, I gingerly accepted.

Still not believing that Aziraphale would change her mind on something like this, something she was so adamantly against, I asked her in astonishment (once I found my voice), "Is this the real thing?"

"The holiest." The angel responded grimly. She watched me examine the thermos in somber silence, clearly very torn with, and disappointed in, herself, for submitting to my dark desire. I was still in shock though, and had not accepted what was happening, as she had.

"After everything you said..." I trailed off softly. I looked over to Aziraphale, who wouldn't meet my eyes. She nodded her head slowly, her eyes flickering around, anywhere but my face, reminding me of how disheartened she was, with her decision. I looked back to the thermos again, reexamining it now that I could focus a bit more.

I was a bit at a loss as to what I should say to Aziraphale, since this was such a surprise to me. For years, I had been waiting for the feud between us to mend itself, for her to come to me and apologize. That, I had been prepared for; she was the bigger person, being an angel and all. I was not prepared for her to show up looking serious as a funeral and personally deliver the holy water I had so long pined for.

After what seemed like forever, and a bit of awkward mumbling, I stuttered out, "Should I say thank you?" I should have known better than to ask that. I was reminded of all the times when I did something nice for the angel, getting her out of trouble usually or just flat out saving her from being discorporated. She had always been so grateful, but I never let her say thank you; it was time for a taste of my own medicine.

Aziraphale bit and then pursed her lips. She shot a quick glance at me before looking back out straight again. "Better not." She said curtly.

Desperate to find some way to pay the angel back, I scrambled to think of something, anything else I could say, or offer to do for her, and finally decided on, "Well, can I drop you anywhere?" The angel turned her head my way to respond, although she wasn't really looking at me still. "No, thank you." She said, politely, but coldly.

My despondency must have shone through pretty easily, because almost immediately after, Aziraphale added, "Oh, don't look so disappointed." I was very disappointed. She continued, with a distant look in her eyes, "Perhaps one day we could...I don't know. Go for a picnic. Dine at the Ritz." As she said all of this, I couldn't help but take notice of how sad she seemed, despite her attempts to cheer me up, and even smile, which didn't go through to her eyes.

Ignoring everything she was telling me, I persisted, "I'll give you a lift. Anywhere you wanna go." Aziraphale stared at me for a good, long while. I stared back, hopefully. As I looked at her more closely, I couldn't help but remember how beautiful she was. She looked good in everything, be it an ancient, straw-woven robe, French peasant rags, or the latest fashion. And while I preferred her long hair, she was gorgeous without as well. Her eyes were the best though. They held so much emotion, so much trust and kindness. It hurt me to see her eyes filled with tears, which they were at the moment, threatening to spill over any second.

With the last of her dignity, Aziraphale said, "You go too fast for me, Crowley." And got out of my car, and walked away. I watched the beautiful girl, my beautiful angel, walk off in the distance amid the lights and noise of the city. I knew I had to let her go, she wouldn't budge talking with me anymore. But I swore it, from the peaks of Heaven's mountains to the pit of Hell's voids, I would fix our relationship, someway, somehow, because so help me God, I loved that angel.

a/n: yay i finished! i started working on a sequel, the rest of GO with them, but i kind of lost interest in the middle of it. anyway let me know if you liked the story and if anyone wants i would consider finishing the sequel!!