(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

[dontcallmegabby]

After three days, he was beginning to wonder if this was all rather a bad idea

[anthony_crowley]

Gabriel had finally stopped. Crowley assumed he'd found Belial, but he couldn't rejoice in the idea; didn't want this confrontation. He would be severely injured again and for no reason but the preservation of all their existences. Well, he'd give as good as he'd get, anyway, and he couldn't claim that he wouldn't enjoy that part at least. It had been too long since he'd been able to let go entirely on opponents that he didn't need to be careful around and who probably wouldn't kill him outright. It'd be a nice change from all the fruitless verbal arguments at any rate

[dontcallmegabby]

Stark anticipation heightened Gabriel's senses: unlike Crowley, the archangel had not fallen into the habit of sleep, and the confrontation in the air banished his contemplative weariness and stirred him to vigilance more than a night's rest could have. Gabriel had no real desire to fight Crowley, of course - realistically, he'd been the one patching the demon up afterward, lately. But he understood that that might be just what the demon was prepared for - might be what the angel had driven him to - and while he knew he should be able to overpower Crowley easily if it came down to it, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

"Crowley," he said in return. "Fancy meeting you here." The irony of the statement seemed to fall flat in the empty street; he expected the demon was likely in no mood for his humor. That didn't stop him, however, from summoning up a near-smile and gesturing to the chair opposite his. "Do have a seat, won't you?"

[anthony_crowley]

Gabriel was toying with him and Crowley wasn't going to stand for it; he'd had enough of being treated like an idiotic third-class citizen for having had the audacity to attempt to help in the first place.

Furious, he stepped forward, grabbed the archangel's shirt collar, and hauled him to his feet. "I haven't followed you for three days jusst to engage in casual civilities," he hissed, no longer actively tired, but dusty and travel worn. "Is he here or not?"

[dontcallmegabby]

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Gabriel could hear Belial's words from what seemed ages ago, accusing him of living in sheltered world. It had been true, to some extent: for at that time, Gabriel had had his concerns handed to him alongside his duties. They had been shared with most all of Heaven, and rarely had a shadow lurked nearby that he had had to face alone

[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

[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.