Everyday it's a-gettin' closer - English Version

The Return - First Warning

Like a shield, Crowley had his arm wrapped tighter around Aziraphale and behind the sunglasses, the yellow snake eyes began to sparkle. Nathanael's gaze darkened as well, and while Aziraphale looked intimidated towards the door, the youngest angel stood up and walked towards the entrance.

She opened the door a crack and her eyes widened as she caught sight of who had knocked against the wood.

"Muriel?!"

The angel of low rank, stood in front of the entrance with a frightened face. She was not wearing her uniform as usual, but was in her working clothes of heaven. Shirt, jacket, skirt, socks and shoes.

Her eyes first moved nervously back and forth and then stuck to Nathanael like chewing gum. The latter caught sight of a small package in Muriel's hands. Nothing official, though. Nathanael also knew exactly what Heaven's instructions were and the small package looked as if it had been packed in a hurry.

"I-I didn't know where to go...", Muriel stammered out presently, nodding her thanks as Nathanael let her in under the equally astonished eyes of Crowley and Aziraphale. "...But, I can't watch this any longer!"

"Now, slow down, "Constable," Crowley interjected, slowly disengaging himself from Aziraphale and joining the two women, "first, good to see you again, second, how did you manage to get out of your file room?"

Puzzled, Muriel looked to Nathanael. "They know everything - you don't have to beat about the bush," she explained, placing her hands reassuringly on Muriel's. The latter's eyes wandered to Aziraphale, who defiantly stood up and slowly made his way to the group.

"Aziraphale...oh...you are so pale...what have they done to you...?"

Tears gathered in Muriel's eyes, causing Aziraphale to hide his pain, at least facially, and place a hand on her shoulders.

"Later. You're shaking like a leaf, Muriel, what happened?" he deflected and Crowley then took the sceptre as he saw the angel looking around anxiously.

"You're safe here, nothing can happen and no one can hear what you're saying," the demon said unusually gently and Nathanael nodded as Muriel looked at her reassuringly.

"I...as I'm sure you know, I've been relegated to simple office work at the moment because I tipped Nathanael off about Aziraphale," Muriel began quietly, "...but I didn't betray Nathanael, you'll have to take my word for that! For that reason, I don't know how this got into the messenger stand now! I was able to intercept it before it would have fallen into the wrong hands! It is addressed to you, Nathanael!"

As if to relieve herself of an unending burden, Muriel, pressed the parcel into Nathanael's hand and she opened it. A glass rectangle appeared, shimmering slightly in the light.

"Can't you just use mobile phones? Like everyone else?" moaned Crowley and Nathanael placed the box on the counter after she took out the glass. She wiped it briefly with her thumb so that the glass turned bluish and a recorded video message appeared. Metatron's face became visible and while Crowley hissed venomously, Aziraphale took a deep breath and turned pale in the face. As he swayed slightly, he was immediately supported by Crowley and the two female angels, had also soon been at his side.

"I'd best look at it late..."

"...No," Aziraphale, radioed Nathanael in a firm voice. "I will not let him gain power over me again!" Even a little proud, Crowley couldn't help a brief grin. "Nevertheless, you should sit down again, Angel!" he admonished afterwards, and they all made their way to the seating area.

Aziraphale and Crowley moved into the same position as before, while Nathanael, Muriel offered the vacant chair and then sat cross-legged on the floor.

"Do you really want me to?" she turned again to Aziraphale, who nodded. Nathaniel played the message.

"Son," Metatron's voice rang out, "...I don't know what you were told and what drove you to do it...but...are you aware of what you have done? You have just freed a high traitor. You've put yourself in the rim of scum. I will not inform the authorities yet, but I cannot wait forever for you to come to your senses. Please think about what you are doing. We both belong to the same side and you know that the next war will soon take place. You should not quarrel with such banalities. You are my son! One of the colonels! Remember your place. Certainly not with these two! It's hard enough for me to see you destroy my image...don't make me abandon you too. You are my child, my creation. I don't ask much of you. All I ask is to come home and forget the matter...you belong to us!"

Aziraphale, Muriel as well as Crowley flinched as Nathanael broke the glass with her bare hands and threw it carelessly on the floor. As she did so, a few drops of blood splattered on the floor and fine rivulets, snaked from the cracks of her fingers down her skin.

She felt the shocked looks on her cheek as she bent her legs and rested her arms on them. With her uninjured hand, she propped her face up and her eyes grew dim.

With Muriel still staring wide-eyed at her, Aziraphale and Crowley exchanged a quick glance. After the angel nodded, the demon stood up, sat down beside Nathanael and took her injured hand in his.

With a small miracle, he closed the cuts and made the bloodstains disappear.

"He still hasn't accepted it..." whispered Aziraphale affectedly, shaking his head. "I...I don't want to sound disrespectful but...I don't understand," Muriel slowly found her words again.

"As a human, I was a man, Muriel," Nathanael began to explain in a trembling voice, "but I never felt like a man. At the time, of course, I could not say such a thing but...what I showed was not what I was...when I became an angel...I had finally made myself what I finally wanted to be...at least after Aziraphale's encouragement...I was never Metatron's son, Muriel! He may have created me as an angel, but he never saw me!"

During this telling, the first tears began to flow down Nathanael's cheeks, yet she thanked Crowley for healing her and then ran a hand through her hair afterwards.

"You can still go back..." offered Crowley again, swallowing briefly as Nathanael almost pierced him with her gaze. "Hey, not that it'll be said afterwards that we didn't offer it to you," he defended himself immediately.

"Well...I wouldn't want to go back then," Muriel had to admit to herself and Aziraphale could only agree with a nod. Little by little he became more and more aware that he had been hanging on to a false hope all this time.

"And I still wanted to drag you into this...", he spoke his thought aloud to Crowley afterwards and he shook his head.

"Not now..." he formed with his lips, still holding Nathanael's hand in his. Gently he squeezed as he could feel her trembling badly.

"So to me you have always been the female angel Nathanael! Even Metatron's lecture can't change that!" Muriel gushed, her voice now seeming more composed. "That's...how you cheer up, isn't it?", her uncertainty soon visualised itself again.

"It wasn't bad for a start, anyway!" grinned Crowley, slightly amused, "And I've always called you 'little one', after all. At least now in the short time we've actually known each other," he continued addressing Nathanael and she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with a smile.

"I hope I don't have to explain my point of view on that," Aziraphale also joined in and the smile turned into a slight giggle. "No...no you don't, my friend," chimed in now from Nathanael and in turn, she looked at them all.

"Thank you..."