Ineffable Family

Chapter 19

CHAPTER 18

PLAYLIST:

Let The Flames Begin by Paramore

The Strength to go On by Rise Against

TW: continuing intense labor, anxiety, danger

Repeated miracles kept the water hot and clean for hours. The contractions came steadily every fifteen minutes, but now Crowley was better equipped to deal with them, along with Aziraphale's constant pain-relieving wards.

"I'd like to walk around, since my back hurts less," she requested eventually. "Maybe we can speed things up."

"All right," Aziraphale said reluctantly, because he could see how tired she was. "Though I think you might be better off resting and conserving your strength."

His worries were ignored. They wandered the upstairs hand in hand.With every contraction, Aziraphale pressed the muscles of Crowley's back, and cast a miracle. At one point, she paused at the door to the nursery and stared at the woefully incomplete room.

"I was going to paint this," she murmured. "A night sky, a waterfall..."

"You can still paint it, after you get your strength back." Aziraphale put his arm around her, guiding her back to their room; hewas determined to get her off her feet for a while. "Is it all right if I examine you again?"

"You'll never have sex with me after this," Crowley lamented as she climbed in bed.

"You won't want to have sex after this."

The exam did not go as well as they had hoped; it appeared that the labor had stalled.

"Six centimeters," Aziraphale reported unhappily. "I'm afraid this is going to be a long haul."

Crowley squeezed her eyes shut; tears leaked from under her lids. "This isn't how I wanted it to be. None of this is how I wanted it to be. It's too early. What if she's not ready?"

"Our baby is going to be perfect. Close your eyes," Aziraphale ordered. "I'm going to help you relax. You need it."

He kissed her, and sent her into a peaceful, and hopefully dreamless, sleep.

As the sun was coming up, Muriel took over the vigil so Aziraphale could have a break. He eschewed his usual hot chocolate for a cup of very strong tea and a scone. It helped steady him.

Paul texted while he was finishing the scone. how's it goin?

6cm.

shit, came the reply. any eclampsia warning signs?

No, Aziraphale was glad to report. That, at least, was going well. Eclampsia could not be treated at home; if Crowley showed signs of it, she would go straight to the hospital, which presented its own set of complications. The last ultrasound had shown wings—how the hell would they explain that to a human doctor?

she vomited, he added to his message.

vomiting frm pain common. keep her hydrated. I'll check back.

Feeling a bit more like himself, Aziraphale made another cup of tea and took it up to Muriel, who accepted it with a smile.

"Thanks, Mr. Fell," they whispered.

"Thank you, Muriel, for all your help," Aziraphale retorted. "You can head back downstairs, if you like."

Muriel left to drink their cuppertea—or to look at it, more likely—and Aziraphale sat on the bed beside Crowley. She was still sleeping, looking peaceful, despite the tear tracks drying on her cheeks.

He stared into Crowley's face—so familiar to him even in another gender—taking in every detail. Then he sighed and went to fetch his phone. Maybe there was something online that could help...

A shriek pierced the air. Her eyes still closed, Crowley thrashed about under the covers, muttering, "Nononono, get away, get away! Let go!"

Aziraphale ran to her. "Crowley? Crowley, darling, it's all right, you're home!"

She woke up, but the panic attack didn't abate. She looked wildly about the room with fully golden eyes, and seemed to look right through Aziraphale. "Get off me! You'll never take her, I'll die first--"

"Crowley." He stroked her hair soothingly. "Darling, look at me. You are safe. I put the wards back up, nobody can hurt you."

She finally focused on him. "Angel?" she asked, finally focusing on him.

"Yes, Crowley, it's me, it's your angel. You are home, and you're safe."

But no sooner had Crowley gained her composure than a contraction stole her breath. Aziraphale let her crush his hand until it was over, casting a pain relieving miracle.

"Do you want me to put you back under?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I need to get up and get this kid moving." Crowley groaned and levered herself up. The pain wasn't as bad, but in this case it wasn't a good thing. "Help me up."

"Darling, I really think you should."

"It's not good for anybody to draw this out. Help me up so I can move."

It said in all the birthing books to listen to the mother at all times, so that's what the angel did. Aziraphale helped her stand, supporting her through another contraction with an embrace and a miracle. When she was steady, he fetched a box from the nursery. "I figure it's time to put the bassinet together," he said cheerfully.

Crowley raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you going to just miracle it?"

"Of course not!" He waved a piece of paper in her face. "There's directions, and diagrams—how hard could it be?"

"Rii-i-ght," Crowley said dubiously. "I was going towalk in the hall, but I think I'd like to see this."

Aziraphale scoffed, and got to work. Crowley paced around watching him for over an hour, occasionally offering unhelpful advice such as, "Maybe that thing goes in that thing."

"I'm glad you find this amusing, my dear." Aziraphale sat down amid the mess of pieces on the floor. "Soon we'll have a baby and nowhere to put her."

"You know as well as I do that neither of will be able to put her down. Do you think--"

"You just concentrate on pushing that baby out, and let me deal with this stupid thing!" Aziraphale shouted. He relented immediately. "I'm sorry, my dear."

"It's okay, angel. At least you're making the time go faster."

"For you, maybe."

Muriel poked their head in. "Do you guys need anything?" they asked politely.

"No, thank you," Aziraphale replied.

"Just let me know." The younger angel started to leave then looked at Aziraphale with a puzzled expression. They snapped their fingers, and left. In their wake, the bassinet assembled itself perfectly. Aziraphale stared at it, looking defeated, whilst Crowley started giggling.

 1. Eclampsia is a condition that causes—among other things—dangerously high blood pressure. It is very, very dangerous and can result in death if not properly treated.