Chapter Text
“I told you to buckle up!” Aziraphale yelled at the young men in the back seat.
One of them had been flung across the other and smacked his face against the side window.
“I did!” Miles yelled back.
He managed to climb to his own seat, despite the Bentley doing, yet another, potentially life ending maneuver.
“This fucking car unbuckled my seatbelt!”
Everyone screamed, as said car lifted itself on two wheels, to squeeze between a couple of diesel trucks.
“Well, were you rude to it?” Aziraphale gripped the steering wheel and focused on conversing with the mortals.
Anything to avoid watching what Crowley’s car was barreling towards.
“Rudeness is a matter of opinion!” Miles called back. He yanked the seatbelt over his lap and clicked it in place.
“The only person it tolerates raising their voice is Crowley.” Aziraphale pat the Bentley’s steering wheel, before clutching it again for dear life.
They eased out of the turn and barely escaped death as they merged onto an open highway.
The Bentley was still going unnaturally fast, it’s speedometer was just spinning now, but the road was mostly empty.
This moment of slight ease made Aziraphale aware he was being stared at.
Bethany. The woman with blond curls and pink bedsheets.
“What?” He flatly demanded.
“Sorry!” Bethany jumped and looked forward once more.
Aziraphale rolled his eyes when she couldn’t help but look back at him.
“Are you really an angel?”
“So they say.” Aziraphale sighed.
Bethany smiled far too wide and leaned towards him.
“You’re so beautiful. And you smell wonderful! I knew what you were right away…”
Aziraphale leaned away and looked at her like she was crazy.
“Bethany.” Atticus groaned and slid down in his seat while Miles laughed.
“Ignore her.” He told Aziraphale.
“She’s big on “sincere” compliments. Point out the good in people and all that.”
“I bet you are.” Aziraphale gave Beth a forced smile.
The memory of this damn girl, kissing that damn demon, was affecting him far more on Earth.
He didn’t have time to dwell on such silly things, but his mouth was faster than his brain.
“Did we get a bit carried away with the compliments, when we met Crowley?”
Bethany faltered at that and sat back.
“I…I don’t remember.” She fiddled with her jacket sleeve and bit her lower lip.
“We spoke for hours but I can barely recall a word of it.” She explained.
Aziraphale’s muscles tensed at the image of Crowley sitting on this girl’s bed for “hours”. What could they possibly have in common enough to warrant such a long conversation?
”Muriel said he may have done a “memory wipe”? But he obviously sucks at that type of thing because I still remember….bits.”
Aziraphale huffed, assuming for a moment that she was lying. Crowley was skilled, when it came to miracles.
Unless he was distracted…
“Where are your wings?” Bethany got close to him once more and changed the subject.
“Crowley’s were black, are yours? Or is that because he’s a demon?”
“No! He just likes them that way!” Aziraphale exclaimed, too aggressively.
“You saw his wings? What on Earth were you two up to?”
“Good question.” Atticus grumbled.
“I saw them too.” Miles chimed in.
“A couple of our roommates did as well, right before the bloke flew out the window.”
“Flew out the…? What?” Aziraphale didn’t bother holding on to the wheel anymore.
“And how many people live with you? What was Crowley doing there?”
He completely turned in his seat to face Beth and crossed his arms.
“I sent you to protect him! Not to take him to your hovel and chase him out a window!”
“Sent me?” Bethany matched Aziraphale’s tone.
“Hovel?” Atticus finally laughed.
……
“Do you want to explain yourself before snipping at me?” Bethany had a look of sudden revelation.
”It seems you’re the one with all the power here, so what right do you have to get short with me?”
Aziraphale snapped his mouth shut and faced forward once more.
“What do you mean you “sent me”?” Bethany wouldn’t let him off the hook.
“W…well, perhaps “sent” was the wrong word. It was more of a…push?” Aziraphale tried to speak casually.
“A persuasion, as it were. You wouldn’t have done it unless there was a part of you that would want to…”
Bethany stared at him for a long moment, her face slowly scrunching into a scowl.
“You were the voice in my head!”
“Easy! Please, I just got these back!” Aziraphale rubbed the ear she’d just shouted in.
“This is all your fault! All of it!” Bethany slapped his arm over and over.
“Ow! Ow! Ow! Why are you so comfortable touching people?” Aziraphale swatted her back but not nearly as hard.
“Bethany! He’s an angel!” Atticus started to unbuckle, as if he’d possibly be able to do anything.
“He’ll smite you!”
“Oh, I’ll do no such thing!” Aziraphale grabbed Beth’s wrists and easily held her at bay.
“Listen, missy! You may, possibly, have a right to be upset, but I am driving here!”
“I may have a right?” Bethany struggled against him, to no avail.
“You messed with my free will! I thought it was Crowley, but it was you!”
Aziraphale released her at that and she flew back in her seat.
“I only reached out to Sheila to get answers! To track Crowley down and demand to know what he did to me!” She was seething now, but also on the brink of tears.
“You “persuaded” me, and he fucked with my memory! Why? What’s wrong with you two?”
“A lot, apparently.” Aziraphale shrank down at her words.
“It’s a long story. Too long but I do, sincerely apologize.”
Bethany raised her eyebrows and shrugged at him.
“So what?” The move said.
“Who is Sheila?” Aziraphale asked.
Bethany was glaring out the window now and refused to answer.
“Good lord.” Aziraphale muttered.
“Look, I can assure you, there was no ill intent. I was just…I was just worried for my friend.” He explained.
“Oh yeah! Hey, why are you friends with a demon, anyway?” Miles asked from the back seat.
“Aren’t you like, natural born enemies and whatnot?”
Aziraphale ignored him.
“What if I fixed your memory? Would that ease some of…well…all this?” He motioned to all of Bethany.
“Uh, yeah!” Bethany scoffed at him like he was dumb.
“And you’ll tell me everything you may know about Crowley’s situation?”
“Maybe.” Bethany shrugged and looked back out the window.
“Right. Barely a Miracle, really. A quick fix…” Aziraphale sighed.
He pulled a small amount of power from Heaven and tossed it at Bethany.
……
Bethany wasn’t ready. Her brain felt like it jolted in her skull, as she was hit with a wave of memories.
“Holy…Jesus Christ…” she whispered and slid down in her seat, clutching her head.
“What about Him?” Aziraphale sounded confused, until he looked at her.
“Ah, I imagine that’s overwhelming…”
Bethany was too busy remembering to hear him.
Flashes of Crowley, pacing her room. Getting drunk on her bed and just talking and talking.
Talking about the past six thousand years, specific times in all of Earth’s history he’d lived through.
Crying and getting angry, in between telling the most beautiful story Bethany had ever heard.
About friendship and finally feeling safe. A long time yearning, for something he’d never fully imagined for himself.
It was a love story. One Crowley didn’t see for what it was, until it was too late.
He’d lost everything that mattered, and all it took was…
“He lost you.” Bethany spoke softly.
Aziraphale looked over to see her staring again. This time, she had tears streaming down her face.
“Are you alright, dear?” Aziraphale’s natural empathy finally made an appearance.
“Crowley talked about you so much. He…” Beth hiccuped and wiped her eyes.
“Oh, if only you knew. He said…”
The Bentley interrupted her by swerving into the wrong lane to pass a line of cars.
Once everyone stopped screaming, Aziraphale flushed dark red and held his hand up.
“Best not repeat what was told to you in private.”
“But…” Bethany started to insist.
“But, I don’t need any distractions . Now or in the future.” Aziraphale explained.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Holding back all the questions he had about Crowley’s opinion of him.
“Please, tell me what you can about the people I saw with Crowley. They are witches, I presume?”
“Yes.” Bethany sniffled and nodded.
“Sheila Belvue. She’s the one that captured Crowley. I…I gave her some of his feathers and she did a spell that gave her control over him.”
Aziraphale was gripping the steering wheel in anger now.
“She made him ruin all the food here, and who knows what else. Tonight, she’s supposed to be showing him off to her new coven and…”
“What spell?” Aziraphale asked.
He’d read many books on the occult, mostly out of interest, but also to secretly learn how to protect Crowley.
Demons were surprisingly vulnerable to such things, if a mortal has the proper book.
Bethany hesitated. She covered her mouth with her finger tips and looked back at Atticus.
“What spell?” Aziraphale demanded once more, his voice uncharacteristically hard.
“She branded him.” Atticus told him.
“With holy water.” Bethany softly added.