2 // Temptation - Video // Late Evening

[serpentinthegarden]

[ The Liberty Inn was playing host to a very, very drunk demon. It had been days since the 'incident' and Aziraphale was apparently doing well... hiding out in the castle and training for the big mission. Crowley was not, neither training or doing well. He slammed the empty bottle back onto the table, knocking the little mirror open as he did so. ]

Just shouldn't have said anything at all... should have enjoyed it while it lasted...

[ He took a long swig from a freshly opened bottle. ]

It's not even like it matters here! It's been over a week! There's no end of the world, no Armageddon... No armies of Heaven or of Hell...

We could do anyth--... literally anything and no one would be around to check up...

[The bartender came around to clean up some of the empty wine bottles and his arm was clung to.]

I can't help that I'm a demon. I can't... it just happened. One day I was creating stars and the next... doing the backstroke in a pool of lava... 

[The poor bartender managed to pull his arm free and finding himself alone and depressed Crowley sighed into his bottle of alcohol..]

Demons don't care, don't love... shouldn't, so why does it hurt so much that he left... 

Comments

[bigbadrose]

[Scoots over and moves to the end and, puts his head in her lap. Drunk snake is a mess.]

Doesn't want to think about the broader implications of defying a very idiotic conceptualization of reality established by clearly corrupted powers, because that would require self actualization; more like. [TL;DR this is why Rose has a crush?? or whatever -- thing for Michael. Because he reinvented the wheel for fun, and when he found broken things he didn't just bury his head in the sand and ignore them just because it's easier to pretend the evidence is wrong, not the system.]

You said yourself. All you did was hang out with the wrong crowd. If God's going to burn an angel over something as stupid as that, then God's wrong. And she should get her ass kicked. Tower of Babylon my ass. I'll fight her single-handed.

[serpentinthegarden]

[ His wings tucked as he was snuggled down onto Rose's lap. She said a ton of words but he found it difficult to catch most of them, but that was ok as he was no longer in danger of faceplanting off the bench. ]

God is God... I'd like to see you tell her she's wrong.

[ He pouted. ]

I could tell her she was wrong.

[ If he wasn't so drunk. ]

Az-- Azri..

[ Nope that name was still to difficult to say right now. ]

He couldn't. Said it once. He's an angel, he can't just not do what he's told...

[bigbadrose]

[She just gently fluffs his hair. It might look silly red, but it was still fluffy like the doctor's.]

[And Rose feels you on his name. She struggles with it sober, and she's not even emotionally attached to him.]

How do you know God didn't give angels and demons free will too?

[serpentinthegarden]

You've never been at what passes for a brainstorming meeting! Heaven or Hell it's the same stale ideas... over and over...

[ The fluffing of his hair seems to temporarily put him into repeat mode like a record stuck in a groove. ]

And over and over and over again..

They have no vision, no imagination... None of them ever ate from that tree either. No knowledge of good or evil. Angels are good, demons are bad. It's very black and white.

[ He frowned, and squirmed a little on Rose's lap. ]

I'm not like them...

[bigbadrose]

Basic. Thick basic.

Aside from loving Aziraphale, what else, yeah?

[serpentinthegarden]

[ Shows you how drunk he is, Crowley doesn't even protest that being in love with an angel thing. Which he would have denied otherwise! ]

Imagination! I have one... They don't.

Think that's a park...

[ Wait that wasn't right. ]

A spark?

[bigbadrose]

But that means Aziraphale has one too, right?

[serpentinthegarden]

Him? No, I... He..

How the Heaven do I know!? If he DID have imagination then couldn't he see what could be??

[ Several of those lovely little scenarios played out in his mind. All with very happy, non-demonic endings. ]

[bigbadrose]

Yes. I'm very certain he does see it.

And lacks the will to make it reality.

[serpentinthegarden]

Lacks the will...

[ This was considered as another swig from his bottle of wine was guzzled. ]

Nah, it's me. I'm a demon... what sort of angel would ever find anything of value in a monster like that?

[bigbadrose]

[She nearly punches him, but decides against it at the last minute.]

Don't say that. You just said yourself, you're unique among demons. You have imagination. And love. AND the courage to pursue both. That latter part being the rarest of them all.

[serpentinthegarden]

[ He grumbled darkly, maybe those growls were words but then again maybe they weren't. ]

It's not enough... I still Fell.

[ Even drunk it turned out he didn't care for the phrase so he quickly amended it. ]

Tripped lightly into the shadows, point is! Angel's can't consort with demons.

[bigbadrose]

Why not?

[serpentinthegarden]

That whole... good and evil concept is a little lost on you, isn't it Rose?

[bigbadrose]

Or maybe I understand it better than you both, because I don't assume labels mean anything, only actions.

Love is a promise. The act of keeping that promise. To protect, hold, and cherish. It always hurts. And it's always still worth it.

No one is undeserving of love, but because it hurts, people are terrified of it.

It's not that Aziraphale can't love you. You said yourself, he doesn't want to fall. That's a bit cowardly, innit?

If God is even worth listening to, then wouldn't she want all her angels to love as many demons as possible and for everyone to help each other?

That is what's good, so if God doesn't want that, then God is wrong. Plain and simple. Not you, not love.

[serpentinthegarden]

That's not how things work! Some creatures, demons for instance are unforgivable! We've been turned away from...

Hang stars with her, listen to her ideas, and God still kicks you to the curb as soon as you start asking inconvenient questions!

There's a very fixed line between angel and demons! We're not meant to cross it. Well... Angels aren't meant to cross it. Demons can dance on the bloody line for all it matters. Only other demons would care...

[bigbadrose]

Why?!

There's nothing that's unforgivable! It's only a matter of someone truly meaning it, and the person wronged forgiving it.

If God's so absolute, doesn't she know better? Wouldn't she want as many people as possible to be as happy as possible?

[serpentinthegarden]

[ There in lies the problem really. In order to be granted forgiveness demons would have to ask for it. Good luck finding a demon who would! ]

I'll never be forgiven! It's not the way it works! Have to ask God why but she won't bloody tell you... she never tells anyone anything any more...

She certainly won't talk to me...

[bigbadrose]

[Rose just tugs on his cheek.]

Then how do you know she didn't already forgive you, idiot?

And furthermore, what's with the assumption that loving a demon is the same as falling? OR that it's even wrong!! It's not!

[Tug tug!]

I mean, one shouldn't go and hurt others, but are you? The only one hurting right now is you! So -- [Tugs both his cheeks.] Stop beating yourself up! The only point in such a thing is to do better, and let me ask you this: are you going to change anything?

[serpentinthegarden]

IF she had then I wouldn't be a demon anymore!

[ Crowley squirmed and raised his arms in useless defense against each tug of his cheek. ]

Demons are evil incarnate... if you have been issued with a body... it's part of the job description! Loving one, is wrong... has to be... otherwise way would we have been cast out in the first place?

[ Eventually he rolled, abandoning that soft place on Rose's lap for the ground with a resounding snarl. Was he going to change anything? Hadn't he already. He had that job, nearly collared a pick pocket, been taking care of an Angel... He really was the worse demon. ]

What would you do then, just stomp over and kick him?

[bigbadrose]

[Rose got off the bench, crouched down on the ground to join him instead.]

Love is never wrong, but always foolish.

[She gently tucks her arms around his shoulders and even morely gently fixes his wings.]

I am going to tell you my story of Jack Harkness, and he's nearly as important to me as the Doctor, so listen well.

His real name isn't Jack. He's a conman who assumed the identity of an American flyboy, and later on I think, even worked with the CIA, and did a lot of things he hates in the service of protecting humanity. He was a time assassin. That's the most dangerous, the worst kind there is in the Doctor's universe, and you are never to repeat any of this, understood?

They stole his memories, all very Total Recall, but without the Governor of California. [A beat. Rose has no idea if that is a thing in which universes... But that's nothing new.] And originally he thought he could blackmail me and the Doctor instead.

He stayed behind when the daleks came, and I haven't the foggiest how he got back to 21st century Earth working for Torchwood in Cardiff but he's happier, and he's doing great and protecting people.

I'm not telling you this as a way to say you can do whatever you want, because you already know I think that, and I already know you don't.

I'm saying it because sometimes to thwart evil, you have to work alongside it every step of the way. Sometimes it means being an assassin to be able to stop others, and protect the whole of mankind. Not literally assassination in your case, because you're better than that, and so is Jack now, but the point is...

I don't know Jack's Torchwood as well as my Dad's. I think they were the ones that killed the Sycorax though, and I know if they hadn't been arrogant asses, I never would have been trapped in Pete's Universe, but then neither would my mum, so I can't hate it. Point is, they're not good. They don't do good things. But Jack does.

We can both agree God's kind of beyond complicated, right? For me... It's like Bad Wolf, and why I couldn't just say exactly what to do when, because it would fuck it all up. Not just myself, but then others could too. What if God shoved you into falling, pain and torment and all, not just to help you, but to throw a wrench into others' machinations? What if, just like Total Recall, you even made a pact with God to fall so that you could do what you have to, but part of it is that you can't remember doing that, and she can't tell you?

What if loving an angel is exactly what you should be doing -- and not because God wants you to, because fuck her, let her do stuff herself, blimey. But because that's what you want. Maybe because you're a bit masochistic as far as I can tell. You shouldn't have to apologize for love. If anything, let Aziraphale apologize to you for not being brave enough to be true to the situation.

Keep in mind, this isn't West Side Story. Or Romeo and Juliet. The other angels and demons aren't here. Maybe they just lack imagination or brains, or maybe they're pretty daft and think staying the same is better. It's not. Change is hard, and it sucks, but I wonder if God is still the same, then why did she stop answering?

[serpentinthegarden]

[ That didn't feel right some how. It should have been a uptight, generally proper angel fussing with his wings. Just like it had been only a few days ago. Looking after each other... after showers and naps. ]

You weren't kidding when you said you weren't very religious... You just asked a demon to keep a secret.

[ They weren't known for that. Or for thwarting evil, angels were the ones to do that.

He listened to her story as best he could in his state of mind but the words kept washing over him in very drunken waves. Finally he had to reach up, place a hand on Rose's shoulder, and push himself away. ]

I think... I am entirely too drunk for this.

[ Crowley made the attempt to stand which ended with him tumbling to the side instead. The second attempt to stand up was more successful. ]

I'm just going to go back home, try to sober up. Maybe some of that will make sense in the morning.

[bigbadrose]

[Snorts to all of it.]. Looks like I better get you there. Luckily, I know the cabbie around here.

[Gets him out to the curb, and whistles sharply, holding up a finger in the air and creating ng something's ng of a signal flare all bright show of sparks looking like a rose, because duh.]

[guitar_hero]

[it doesn't take long before the clip clopping can be heard and a carriage appears out of the night pulled by a black horse. The driver is sitting on the jump seat, which has been modified slightly to provide lumbar support, and is reading some sort of novel despite the sunglasses he is also wearing.

The horse comes to a stop and lays his ears back]

Yo. Wotcher beautiful lady and very drunk friend. Need a lift?

[serpentinthegarden]

Oh no.

[ Drunk though he was he did still recognize the cabbie. ]

It's the sing along leader...