(Untitled)

[anthony_crowley]

Date: March 27, 2001
Status: Private - Crowley and Gabriel
Setting: London
Summary: The first leg of the journey, continued from here

Comments

[anthony_crowley]

Gabriel would likely never know Crowley's motivations for the things he did. They were complicated and largely self-serving, except when they were not. Without more of an idea as to the depth of his relationship with John, the understanding he had with Adam, his true position in the convoluted ranks of Hell, and to some extent, the price of his estrangement from Aziraphale, the Messenger could not know why the demon would likely never betray him.

Crowley remembered being utterly vulnerable in his hands; recalled Gabriel's faint stirrings of pity and sympathy for the Enemy, regardless of how poorly they were received, and two relatively companionable drunken evenings when perhaps the gap between the greatest of angels and least of demons was not so vast to be entirely unbridgeable. It wasn't enough to entirely overcome an eternity of enmity, nor the impotent frustration of the last three days, but it was a start.

"That... could work," he admitted grudgingly. "I thought I was following his trail, but I was, in fact, following yours after you'd encountered him first." It sounded like Crowley was rehearsing his story, getting the feel for it in his mouth. "But then, what did you do and where, and why were you after him?"

[dontcallmegabby]

Gabriel shrugged, leaning back in his seat. "Heaven got word that an upper level demon broke away and wanted... information. Knowledge about Lucifer, or any unrest in Hell. It makes sense that they'd send someone they know can stand up to a Crown, as they don't know how he'd react." The explanation spilled forth without him really thinking about it; it seemed plausible enough that the angel was a bit surprised that he hadn't in reality received such an assignment.

"As for what happened to draw your attention... well. Breaking away from Lucifer isn't necessarily the same thing as betraying him to the other side. Perhaps he reacted badly, or simply wasn't willing to negotiate with an angel." Memories of those occasions when he and Belial had been at odds seemed quite distant now to Gabriel, and yet somehow more real than those few months they'd spent together before all this had torn their delicate bond. In that moment, none of it was pleasant to recall.

"Does that work for you?"

[anthony_crowley]

"No. Heaven shouldn't know about Belial's desertion," the demon argued. "Last thing he needs is the other side coming after him, too, even if he's invisible to them as well. That's the only thing protecting him now."

Crowley wracked his brains for a creative and plausible explanation. "What if you overheard the Antichrist telling someone else where to find him and get the valuable information he held about Hell's plans? Then, taking the initiative as you knew yourself to be at least his equal, you followed immediately, worried that you'd miss the event if you went through the usual channels. There you found him, but your cover was blown somehow and he fled. I felt the shock and followed the trail, finding only you at the end of it. We battled, I lost, his trail is cold, back to square one."

He raised an eyebrow, challenging Gabriel to find a hole in his construct.

[dontcallmegabby]

"I think, whether you say I heard it from the Antichrist or anyone else, that the assumption will be the same. Once we leave here, Heaven will know what I know." Gabriel was sober about this point: he hadn't exactly been open about his relationship with Belial, but he had never directly lied about it, and he didn't care to start now if he could possibly avoid it. However, he needed some reasoning for his unexpected detour, as well.

"I could say I'd been keeping an eye on him while we were both at the manor." Quite the understatement, perhaps, but not entirely untrue. Like Crowley, he spoke almost as though he were rehearsing the words for future recitation. "He left suspiciously, without warning, so I followed as soon as there was sign of him. And then you, like you said, followed the trail only to find the wrong being. That puts both of us back at the beginning, I believe."

[anthony_crowley]

Taking his time to carefully think through all the possible angles, Crowley eventually nodded. "Yeah, that covers both our bases and keeps him protected as well. We'll go with your idea."

Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet again wearily, gazed at Gabriel a long moment, and tried to stay loose. "All right, let's just get this over with. Hit me with your best shot and get the fuck out of here."

[dontcallmegabby]

Gabriel blinked, and looked up at Crowley with an appalled expression, as though the demon had just suggested that he go and do something deplorable with his trumpet. "Surely you don't actually want me to... fight you?"

[anthony_crowley]

Crowley looked at him like he was stupid. "Yeah, unless you were planning on telling Heaven that you found the Serpent and had a lovely conversation then sent him on his way with a pat on the head. Enemies, remember? I won't even fight back. C'mon, Messenger."

[dontcallmegabby]

"Don't be ridiculous," Gabriel said with a frown. "I've spent far too much time patching you together to just attack you without reason."

[anthony_crowley]

"You have a reason, idiot," Crowley sneered, wondering how long it would take to goad the archangel into it. "If you ever want to fuck Belial's glittery arse again, we have to save it first."

[dontcallmegabby]

"Do you really think you're going to fool me by being crass?" Gabriel asked. Though he wasn't ready to respond to the demon's taunts, his expression had grown cold. "Just leave, and I'll create a scene once you've gone." He didn't need the other around to use enough energy that any being nearby should notice, and it would still corroborate their story.

[anthony_crowley]

Actually, no. He didn't think he'd fool Gabriel by being crass. But the demon did think he could get him in a bad mood and that part seemed to work fine. What Gabriel didn't seem to understand was that if he walked away easily from an encounter with an archangel, not a single denizen of Hell would believe his story, no matter if the entire city were otherwise destroyed. They had to fight and he had to have real injuries, even if the Messenger didn't want to get his hands dirty. It was faintly pleasant that he actually gave a damn, but this wasn't the time.

Without thinking about who would be available to put him back together again this time, Crowley just lashed out unexpectedly, catching the angel across the face with his claws. There was one shining moment of frozen time and then four parallel gashes across Gabriel's cheek began to bleed.

He had to react to a direct attack, right?

Crowley followed the blow with a low kick, trying to get Gabriel's feet out from under him.

[dontcallmegabby]

The Serpent struck so quickly that Gabriel was not able to completely escape the brunt of the attack; although, as blood welled on his cheek, it was not the wounds but the surge of infernal power that stung him.

He had just enough warning to duck the kick, keeping his balance, and responded with enough of his own powers to knock Crowley backwards without any physical blow: the Messenger was by nature not a warrior, and what experience he had was now ages old, from a time when those who were his enemies had been more clearly distinguishable. He had not the inclination, though if Crowley were to force him...

He glared at Crowley, holding the other temporarily at bay by sheer force of will. "You don't want to do this, demon."

[anthony_crowley]

From his suddenly prone position on the ground, Crowley glared murderously up at Gabriel, barely feeling the effects of the weak attack through the adrenalin rush. "Don't fucking patronize me, angel," he spat. "I am sick and tired of righteous arseholes telling me what I want to do or ought to do. I'm not a child to be ordered about for my own good. I'm a demon. I'm as old as you are, I have vastly more experience of the three planes than you do, and I know what the fuck I'm doing."

He scrambled to his feet. "I've made my choices, Messenger, and I know what side I'm on. If you don't trust me, fine, but if you get in my way I will run you down."

Fighting the impulse to extend his battered wings - they'd be of no help now - Crowley darted to one side and raked at Gabriel's side, aiming a knee into his solar plexus at the same time.

[dontcallmegabby]

Gabriel shoved Crowley away, scrambling back himself. Maybe the demon was right, and maybe he was just burning off excess frustrations brought to a boil over the past few days, but Crowley clearly wasn't going to settle for less than a fight.

"Run me down? I've survived much worse than you, Serpent," he spat, and it surprised him the force and vehemence with which the old patterns of speaking returned to him. But then, it had been a short time in which he had considered Crowley anything but the Enemy...

He snatched up the chair he'd so recently been sitting in and swung it at the demon before Crowley could formulate another attack; the action sent a shock of pain through the new wounds oozing at his side, but made a sickening thud upon contact, letting him know he'd hit his target. Let him have his bruises if he must.

[anthony_crowley]

Forcing himself to stay still and let the chair knock him down, Crowley directed a humourless smile into the ground for the success of his plan. Rolling to his feet, he tried to ignore the sharp ache coming from his ribs. He'd instigated this for the injuries, so he'd just better deal with them.

"Like what? The only thing you've done with demons recently is screw them," he sneered, shoving the angel hard against the rough stone wall of the cafe and pinning him there by the shoulders. He kept his body just an inch from Gabriel's, hoping to prevent the archangel from having the leverage to deliver a knee to the groin and maybe just to disconcert him a little.

It was a far cry from the shaky truce they'd managed in the previous half hour, but Crowley hoped that one day Gabriel would understand why this was all necessary. It was always so much easier when the damn angels just shut up and cooperated.

[dontcallmegabby]

With the sound of shredding fabric, Gabriel's wings sprung forth, forcing the pair of them away from the wall; Crowley stumbled back, giving Gabriel just enough of the upper hand be able to shove them both off-balance. He landed on top of the demon with uncomfortable force.

Pinned to the ground, his white and gold wings arched over them like a misplaced shield. It was a risk, perhaps, to expose the vulnerable limbs. But then, Gabriel knew very well that Crowley could not do the same, as he had patched up the demon's broken wings himself; and perhaps that is what drove him.

"I think you've dug yourself deep enough already, demon," he hissed near Crowley's ear. "Or do you insist on making every situation worse with your vile tongue?"