Angel and the Beast (A Good Omens fanfic)

Chapter 2

A few years later, almost five but not quite, Aziraphale Fell was quietly minding his bookshop, just as he had always done since he first bought it many years ago. In fact, many things were just like they were many years ago in that poor provincial town. Aziraphale didn't mind though, he liked routine. If only the rest of the town were more, well, literate. People entered the bookshop to buy school textbooks, but whatever they taught in the village schoolhouse must have put students off reading for the rest of their lives, for most books that weren't necessary for the simplest of educations remained untouched. At least the general anti-book attitude wasn't shared by completely everyone, and at that moment, the main exception was walking through the door.

"Bonjour Adam! How are you today?" said Aziraphale to the person entering the bookshop.
"Good thank you monsieur Fell!" Adam replied.

Adam was a young boy about 11 years old, known for being a bit of a troublemaker, but Aziraphale was rather fond of him.

Adam spied the package laying on the floor next to the counter. "What's that?" he asked.
Aziraphale brightened, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask him. "That is a new package of books that just arrived this morning!" he said delightedly. "I sent some books that were gathering dust in my shop to one of the nearby villages, and they sent these in return! Do you want to help me see what we've got?"
Adam nodded eagerly, so the two of them sat down, and Aziraphale removed the string and paper from around the books.

It was, quite literally, a mixed bunch. There were some novels, a few schoolbooks, and a couple of children's books. Adam picked up a book with a picture of a dog on the cover
"That one looks interesting!" said Aziraphale, noticing Adam's focus of interest.
"My mother won't let me have a pet dog," said Adam, "she says dogs are filthy animals who belong outside,"
Aziraphale read the title of the book. "The Adventures Of Jacque the Hound. Well, it might not be quite as good as an actual dog, but it couldn't hurt to have a read of it! What do you say?" 

Adam hesitated; He wasn't very good at reading, at least not the way school taught it.
"How about we read it together for now, and see if it's any good?" asked Aziraphale gently. Adam nodded, and handed Aziraphale the book, scooching up next to him.

Aziraphale started to read aloud, slowly and calmly, moving his finger from word to word. However, he had barely moved on to the second page when a shrill, angry voice rang out from the town square outside.
"ADAAAAAM!" the voice yelled.
Adam winced. "My mother," he said.

Adam and Aziraphale jumped to their feet, just as the door slammed open, revealing a fuming woman in the doorway.
"Madmoiselle Young! How are you today?" Aziraphale asked. Mrs Young ignored him.
"Adam Young, how dare you disappear like that!" she snapped. "You are not to go somewhere without me approving of it first do y'hear?"
"Sorry, Mama," said Adam.
"I apologise, Mrs Young, I was unaware that Adam was here without your permission, it won't happen again," said Aziraphale, trying to calm Adam's mother down.
"I should have known I'd find you in here!" Adam's mother continued, only acknowledging Aziraphale with a glare. "If you ask me, this place is a bad influence on you, who knows what kind of ideas you could be getting into your head?"
"Mrs Young, Adam was only helping me unpack some things," Aziraphale protested, but he was interrupted by the sudden presence of yet another person at the doorway of the bookshop.
"Madmoiselle Young! Aziraphale! How lovely to see both of you! What seems to be the problem here?" said the person.
"Bonjour Gabriel," Mrs Young replied, "Adam ran off without my knowing and this is where I found him, getting who knows what sort of ideas into his head!"
Gabriel smiled his usual 'charming' smile, and strode into the bookshop to stand next to Aziraphale. "I do apologize for any trouble Mrs Young, Aziraphale here was just in need of an extra helping hand, but in the future he'll make sure it's alright with you first, isn't that right Aziraphale?"
Aziraphale nodded, avoiding Gabriel's eyes. Mrs Young's expression remained fierce, but was softening slightly around the edges. Gabriel clapped a hand on Adam's shoulder.
"A young boy like you should be outdoors in the wilderness! Not concerning yourself with stuffy old books! No offense, Aziraphale."
"None taken," replied Aziraphale curtly.
"Well this young boy will be staying indoors for the rest of today!" said Mrs Young sternly.
"Oh, do come now Mrs Young!" said Gabriel. "No one is hurt, nothing is broken, and there is so much of the day left! When I was a boy, frequent rides through the woods really told me what being a man was all about!"
Mrs Young humphed, but the lines on her forehead were slowly ironing themselves out. "Fine," she said. "Adam, you may go play in the woods, but be back before teatime, and do not go anywhere else without my permission, alright?"
"Yes Mama," Adam replied. He shot Aziraphale an apologetic glance, before dashing out the bookshop. Mrs Young glared at Aziraphale, nodded at Gabriel, and then followed Adam out the door.

Aziraphale sighed. "I had the situation quite under control, you know," he said.
"I'm sure you did," said Gabriel, in a tone that teetered on the verge of being patronizing. "But Aziraphale, you need to be less concerned with having these situations 'under control', and more concerned with not encountering them in the first place! You see, the other villagers are never going to trust the kind of change you're trying to bring!"
"Change?" Aziraphale asked indignantly. "The sort of change I'm trying to bring, as you so eloquently put it, is the sort that shows people that books don't have to be boring! Knowledge is a good thing, and reading can indeed be an enjoyable pasttime!"
"There's way more to life than books, Aziraphale!" said Gabriel. "Haven't you ever considered settling down, and enjoying all of life's pleasures with a special someone?"
Aziraphale took a step back. Gabriel took a step forward.
"I'm not interested in 'settling down', or in finding a 'special someone'," said Aziraphale.
"Well maybe you just haven't met the right person!"
"Its a small village, Gabriel, I've met them all."
"Well perhaps you should have another look. Some of us have changed, you know!"
"Gabriel, I'm sorry, but I really don't think that we're right for each other. Nobody can change that much."

Gabriel stepped forwards. Aziraphale stepped backwards.

"Oh Aziraphale," said Gabriel, "do you know what happens to unmarried people in this village when they get old and have no one to look after them? Their businesses fail, they have no source of income, and they have to beg for scraps! This is our world, Aziraphale! For simple folk like us, it doesn't get any better!"
Another step backwards, another step forward. Aziraphale could reach out and grab the backdoor behind him.
"I might be the owner of a small bookshop in a small village, but I'm not simple!" said Aziraphale. He opened the door and ducked behind it. "I'm sorry Gabriel, but I'm really not interested in marrying you!" He slammed the door closed and sighed. Aziraphale waited till he heard the bookshop door open and close, before heading up the stairs to his living quarters for a cup of tea.