nightingales: A good omens fanfic

Chapter 5

Once Crowley enters Fells Bookshop Muriel comes quickly to him, asking "Where's the book?" in a panicky tone. "Relax Muriel, it's right here." He says, flaunting the book in his hand. "Can I please have it back?" the angel asks. "Yeah yeah." he says, handing the book over to them. "So-" Crowley is interrupted by someone entering the shop. "Hello Muriel." Aziraphale says in a happy tone, A tone he hasn't used in a long time. Crowley freezes up at the sound of his voice. "Mr. Fell, you're back." Muriel says, peeking out to the left of Crowley. "Yes, but not for long, I've just come to check in." Aziraphale says, with a smile on his face. Muriel steps out to the left and walks towards Aziraphale. "I'm sorry sir, do you mind leaving, my friend and I have some catching up to do." Aziraphale says to Crowley. "Angel, it's me." Crowley says, still not turning around. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" Aziraphale asks, now confused. Crowley turns around. "It's me, don't you remember." Crowley says, taking off his glasses. "I'm sorry, what's your name, I don't mean to be rude." "Anthony." Crowley says, realizing the miracle he had done. "I know an Anthony, but it's not you." Aziraphale says, now weirded out. "Could you please leave?" Aziraphale says after an awkward silence. Suddenly Crowley hugs Aziraphale tight, not letting go, tears filling his eyes. "Please stay." Crowley says in Aziraphale's ear. Aziraphale tries to push the 'stranger' off of him, but he just hugs tighter. "Please, get off of me!" Aziraphale yells, finally pushing Crowley off of him, making him fall onto his knees. "Now would you be so kind as to leave my shop!" Aziraphale yells, not looking at Crowley. Crowley gets up off the ground, brushing his shoulders off. He puts his glasses back on and storms out, not saying a word more. Aziraphale watches him go.

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After Crowley storms out, he goes straight to Nina's coffee shop. He cuts the line, going straight to Nina, telling her "He's back." "Crowley, I'm very busy, and I can't hear you." She says, going to the French press. Crowley goes to the back of the counter with her and tells her again, "He's back." "Who?" She sighs and looks at him, instead of doing her job. "Aziraphale." Crowley says, leaning onto the table. Nina runs to put a sign saying "back in 20" on the counter. "Go tell Maggie to go to the bookshop, after that, drive back to your flat, don't think about him." Nina says, leaving the shop, Crowley follows swiftly after.

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"Muriel, do you know who that was?" Aziraphale asks, straightening his bow tie. "He's come into the shop a couple of times I guess." Muriel discreetly covers the truth, as they cannot lie. "Well, have you seen Crowley at all?" He asks. "well- " Muriel gets cut off by Nina who has just walked in, saying "Mr. Fell, it's good to have you back." "Oh, hello Nina, how has the coffee shop been?" He asks her with a smile coming to his face. "It's been good." She says, not knowing how to make small talk. Good for Nina, Maggie walks into the shop, saying "Hi Mr. Fell, how have you been?" with a smile on her face. "Why I've been just superb Maggie, how about you?" He asks her. "Well we've been doing splendidly." She says. "Now, I need to ask you both something very important, have you seen Crowley, I'm worried he's done something very dreadful." "No, we're sorry, last time we saw him he drove away with his Bentley, we're not sure where he went." Maggie says, for all three of them. "Oh well, thank you anyway. If you see him please do tell Muriel, they have ways of contacting me." Aziraphale says. "Well, I'll see you guys later, I have something very important to talk about with Muriel." Aziraphale adds on, signaling for them to leave.

"Muriel, the Metatron has told me something very important, the second coming is happening very soon." He says with urgency. "I need to talk about this with Crowley soon, as this means the end of the world may be coming again." Aziraphale adds. "Well if I see him I'll tell you, as Maggie said, he may not be back for at least hours." They reply, still not lying. "Is there anything else I can do to help though?" Muriel asks. "Not yet, I will tell you if I need you, thank you again Muriel." "Though, about Crowley, you are telling me the truth, he hasn't asked you for anything dangerous?" Aziraphale states. "I'm sorry, I had lied, he came in once though we didn't talk about anything weird. He didn't ask me for anything like holy water and told me not to tell you if I had seen him, I didn't know what to say." They say, looking down at the ground again, obviously sad and angry at themselves. "I'm sorry Muriel, making you choose sides with us." He says, now angered at himself for making someone angry.

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After Aziraphale leaves the bookshop, he goes on a long walk to Crowley's flat, hoping he's there. Once Aziraphale gets to the building, he sees Crowley's Bentley parked outside of the building. "He has to be here, he would never leave without that car." Aziraphale also notices the color of the wheels. "Yellow, I guess he grew on it." He thinks to himself.

Once Aziraphale gets to the door, he realizes that he needs a keycard to get in, he also notices a voice box, for visitors. "Uhm, would you be kind enough to let me in, I have a friend I need to visit." He says to the box. The doors open. "Thank you." Aziraphale says while going into the building.

Aziraphale gets into the elevator, forgetting which floor Crowley lives on. "Oh which one was it?" he asks himself, scanning the buttons with his finger. "When did he tell me this?" Aziraphale thinks.

Crowley and Aziraphale are hanging out in Aziraphale's bookshop, which is somewhere in the early 1970s. "I wish I could stay longer angel, but I have to go check on my plants." Crowley says, looking at his confusing watch. "Oh, are you sure, dear? We still have so much to talk about." "If you'd like, you are always welcome to visit me, I'm on the sixth floor." He says, just before leaving through the front door.

"The sixth floor." He remembers, anxiously pressing the button. Aziraphale gets to the sixth floor. He hurries out of the elevator and goes straight to Crowley's door. The building was very empty and he knew that as Crowley's only neighbor was the old lady on the floor underneath him, who really never left. She was basically the only one who had lived there as Crowley didn't think of his flat as a home, just somewhere to sleep and keep his things. Aziraphale knocks on the door of the flat. Nothing. Again he knocks. Nothing. "Crowley, it's me, I know you're in there, I just wanted to tell you something very important, and that I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to fix heaven, I know I can do it, but I need your help." "Please Crowley, I'm trying to work with you." He adds on after a long silence. Aziraphale is met with quiet. He leaves the building with a sick feeling in his stomach.