Heading to the Past

Chapter IV

The four of them are sitting in Bessie, as the Doctor drives to pick up Jo. They and the Brigadier are in the front seat, while Aziraphale and Crowley sit in the back seat with Crowley in the middle of it. When they arrive at Jo's house, she is sitting on her front porch and comes running to them. She all but jumps into the car, and the Doctor starts driving to London at once.

*****

It turns out that it was the Cybermen, but they were quickly defeated. UNIT had some guns with golden bullets, stocked up in the Tower of London. The Brigadier quickly gave the go-ahead for people to use them, and the rest of the Cybermen retreated. It turns out that it wasn't even a full-scale incursion. There were only about ten Cybermen, and the UNIT members in London could have handled it themselves. As Crowley drives them all home, the Brigadier is trying not to fall asleep. He hadn't gotten a full night's rest in over a month. The Doctor was upset that they had to wake their boyfriend for no reason when he could have slept. Jo was quiet, she knew she wasn't going to sleep again before work, so she decided to go back to the Brigadier's house with the rest. Crowley pulls into the driveway, and everyone gets out of the car.

*****

Yates had made them all coffee and tea when they got to UNIT HQ that morning. He felt bad that one of the men under him had called them to help with the incursion when it was not needed. Jo and Aziraphale both smiled at him, and the Brigadier just headed to his office. Crowley headed out to work on fixing some of the vehicles. Aziraphale headed to help Jo and the Doctor in their lab.

Crowley puts the record "Abbey Road" by the Beatles on the turn table. Then, he starts on his task for the day. Every one of UNIT's large amount of cars needed an oil change today. He was wearing just his grey undershirt and black jeans. He didn't want any of his good clothes to get all messed up. As he finishes the first oil change, he throws off his sunglasses and puts them on his workbench.

Aziraphale is reading over his notes. He tells the Doctor everything that he has written down so far. From what the notes were, the Doctor was beginning to assume that they were looking at a Zygon-made weapon, but they weren't completely sure about that.

*****

Crowley had finished the oil changes as the sun was setting. He didn't have any more work to do, the oil changes being his assignment today, so he went to the Brigadier's office. He would probably need help, and it wasn't like he was doing anything else. As he knocks and opens the door, an unexpected sight greets him. The Brigadier is crying in his chair. Not sobbing crying, but tears that are on the verge of slipping down his face. Crowley is about to turn out of the room before he hears,

"Wait, Crowley, you can stay. Do you need something or are you done with your work?"

"I finished all of the oil changes, sir. I was wondering if you needed help, so I headed down here," Crowley answers, "Are you okay? If you don't mind me asking, sir."

"I don't know if I am fine. I shouldn't be crying over this, I deal with this almost every day. One of the members of UNIT was found dead next to the weapon that the Doctor, Jo, and Aziraphale are studying. And figuring that out made me realize that one day I am going to lose the Doctor. They are going to die and I won't be able to stop it. It feels like I'm grieving something, even though it never has happened yet."

"I understand what you mean."

"What? How do you understand what I mean?"

"When I sent out the distress signal, I thought I had lost Aziraphale. When I arrived at his bookshop, it was on fire. I thought it was hellfire and that he burned to death. He is the love of my life, we call each other 'husband' even though we are not truly married, we couldn't because of Heaven and Hell. And at that moment, I broke. I sent out the distress signal because I needed someone to help me stop Armageddon. When they found me I was drowning my guilt and feelings in a bar."

Crowley is now also on the verge of tears. But then a strong pair of arms wrap around him, a head of curly hair on his shoulder.

"Angel..."

The Doctor rushes around them and heads to the Brigadier's side.