When she opened her eyes she couldn't see a thing. She was blinded by a bright white glow and it took her a bit to get used to it. Slowly she realised she was looking out on a gate. It was giant and white, with a golden frame. She looked around, but could see nothing else then a void, a white room that was ever stretching outward at all sides. She looked up at the gate again and swallowed.
"I-I am dead..." she whispered.
She thought about what had happened at Stonehenge and bit her lip. "Well that was stupid." she murmured. "Oh, I am so sorry... My family, my friends." she sighed now. "I hope this wasn't for nothing. I hope they'll manage to heal humanity and guide it... Yet it seems like my role is done."
She looked back up at the gate and took a deep breath, then took a step forward to walk at the gate. She stopped dead in her tracks however as she heard a voice come echoing to her.
"It doesn't have to be my child." the voice said. The voice was indescribable. It wasn't like anything she had heard before. It was like multiple voices spoke at once, neither male nor female.
She looked around but couldn't find the source of the voice, so she just stared at a random spot. "How do you mean?" she asked.
"You are a very particular human being. You gave up your life, not even specifically to save your friends, but in an attempt to save the hope for a better future." the voice explained.
"I did... but it doesn't matter anymore, I am dead anyhow. Say can I ask a question? Am I... Am I talking to god?" she asked carefully.
"I am what many of your kin call god, if that is a good enough answer to your question." the voice answered.
"But... Then why are you talking to me? I am sure not everyone who has died gets a welcome commission like this." she said with a frown.
"You are correct." confirmed god.
"Hmm... Well it's an honour, I guess." she said. "But why? Am I that special?"
"Samantha. What you just did is a thing many of your kin claimed able to do, but none would actually do. You gave up your life without a second thought, because you had hope for the whole of humankind. You hope for a bright future. The balance and purity in you are unique."
Firstly, Samantha remembered her name. For some reason she had forgotten it. Secondly, she nodded, but let out a sigh. "I believe there is still a chance for them. But it doesn't matter anyhow. I am dead and I cannot contribute to that hope anymore."
"When you died, your friends Crowley and Aziraphale both preformed a miracle to try and save you. However, they weren't powerful enough to stand up against an energy this ancient." god explained.
"They did? Well I am very glad they tried..."
"However.", continued god. "I can give their miracles the extra push it needs to bring you back. Samantha. I have a task for you. I want you to go back to earth and follow your vision. For it is right. You will lead Aziraphale and Crowley in a quest to better the world. This is your destiny."
Samantha looked startled, not knowing what to say.
"However, do understand this will make you immortal. This means you will see your current human family pass away, as will you with your friends. You will see the world change and if you make a mistake, you'll forever live with that one. Being immortal is no dream, but it can be if used wisely. I give you the choice. Step forward through the gate and enter heaven. You'll forget all you have been through and start over clean. Or you'll step back and accept my offer, and I will send you back to earth." explained god.
Samantha thought for a while, then nodded. "Even if I have to live forever with the consequences of my actions, this means I'll at least have the chance to change humanity, to try and lead them the right way. I'll do everything in my power to try and make that a reality." she said eventually, sure of her words.
"I hoped you would say that." said god and the voice seemed proud. "In that case the only thing you'll have to do is step into the beam with which you came here.", as god said that, the light beam appeared behind Samantha.
Samantha looked behind her and nodded, then hesitated and looked back. "Can I ask a question?" she said hesitating. "Or will something bad happen to me like what happened to Crowley?"
God hummed. "Mind you, I didn't make Crowley fall because he asked too many questions, regardless of what he might think about that. It was because I knew he would eventually grow unhappy in his state as he was. It was for his own good."
Samantha nodded. "All right then. I want to know, are Aziraphale and Crowley on the right track? Are the Archangel and Lord of Hell wrong to try and execute them for their actions?"
"They are." said god. "The vision of the hell and heaven is a wrong interpreted view. I will have the chance to explain them through you. Hurry my child. The world is waiting for you."
Samantha nodded and walked to the beam. "Thank you. Thank you for everything." she said and she stepped in.
Beelzebub had by now joined the fight himself, scratching at Aziraphale, who kept them on distance with a swing of his burning sword. Crowley had gone to his snake form at full size and had bitten a couple of the attacking demons and angels. He had his eyes set on Gabriel now, a fire burning in his eyes as he shot forward, knocking some of his attackers out of the way. Gabriel was still protecting himself by letting angels attack for him, but he was running out of people to order around.
Gabriel decided he had gotten enough and raised himself to his full strength, forcing Crowley down with a simple wave of his hand, making the snake coil and struggle in agony. "I wished it wouldn't have come to this but you leave me no choice!" growled Gabriel.
Aziraphale looked up in shock as he heard Crowley's tortured hiss and Beelzebub took this moment to jump up at Aziraphale and drag the arm down in which he had the sword. A couple of other demons, including Hastur, jumped at Aziraphale now he was defenceless.
At that moment the rune circle in the middle of Stonehenge started to glow again and the light beam returned in full force. Startled by this display many of the demons and angels who could still stand scattered off. They backed off and left only Gabriel, Beelzebub, Crowley and Aziraphale closest to the beam.
As they watched, a figure appeared to float down from the beam. It stopped about 10 meter above the ground. The figure had a human outline with a pair of wings which touched the edges of the beam. The glowing figure looked toward the crowd and spoke, with a voice sounding like multiple, neither male nor female.
"Archangel Gabriel, Lord Beelzebub. Why are you doing this?" the voice asked commanding.
Aziraphale and Crowley, who had gone back to his human shape, backed off a bit and left the two addressed principles of hell and heaven standing before the figure.
"My lord." started Gabriel after a sort awkward silence and he made a slight bow. "As you must have noticed by now some events haven't played out the way they were predicted. This is the fault of these two outcasts who have been meddling with earth, and each other. We are merely trying to restore a balance."
"By your little planned war, you were disturbing a balance these two gentlemen managed to fix. You two have been blinded by a desire to fight each other because you felt since demons are deemed evil, you should see the end of them all." said god with a stern voice.
Gabriel looked up with a confused look on his face. "Wasn't... that the point of us angels? To banish out all sins and black stains on the world?"
"The fact I made part of you fall, didn't mean I deemed demons as lower creatures than angels are. Instead of trying to destroy each other and the world, take an example to Aziraphale and Crowley. They are the only two who have been saved from your corruption and had a chance to follow their own true hearts. Your truths aren't wrong, because you believe in them dearly. That is why you haven't been downgraded from your positions, yet. Reconsider your actions and it might stay that way." god explained.
Gabriel and Beelzebub looked confused from the golden, winged figure, to Aziraphale and Crowley, to each other. They didn't seem to know what to do with this new revelation.
God now turned to address the other two. "Crowley, Aziraphale. Against all odds you have stayed true to your vision and heart. I will grant you a gift for your actions. You will know how to handle it.", the Devine said and with that, the figure started to descend to the ground. The glow around the figure softly faded and revealed the shape of Samantha, who was set gently on her feet. The light disappeared from her features, yet the wings stayed. They were big black wings with a golden edge. They shimmered with golden sparkles as they softly moved in the sunlight. The light beam now disappeared completely and Samantha let out a gasp, stumbling forward a bit and opening her eyes, to reveal her eyes had gone from her natural ash grey eyes to a bright blue with a golden ring inside of it, like a halo on a blue sky.
Aziraphale and Crowley were completely star struck by the revelation of her assumed dead friend, and her new appearance. They came over to her in a rush, supporting her as she stumbled on her feet.
Samantha glanced up at them now and blinked, having to focus on them. She let out a soft, relieved laugh, then smirked and smacked her mouth a few times as if tasting something nasty. "Ugh, tastes like iron." she exclaimed hoarsely.
Crowley frowned at it for a moment, then let out a laugh that was filled with relief and the tension in his body flowing away. In a wave of euphoria, he pulled her into a tight hug and Aziraphale followed swift, laughing as well.
Samantha giggled startled and hugged back, then struggled a bit. "Ugh guys you are constricting me.
Aziraphale let out a soft grin. "That is mostly Crowley." he said as he let go now.
Crowley let go too and he looked at her with a deep frown. "Fuck, you scared us to death! We thought we lost you for good! Never do that again or I'll personally come and get you back from the dead just so I can kill you again myself, do I make myself clear?"
Samantha let out a giggle. "Yes you are Crowley. Loud and clear." As she said that she looked up past the two and saw Beelzebub and Gabriel just kinda staring at the scene which had unfolded in front of their eyes. She frowned and glanced at Aziraphale. "What happened here since I... Well since I died?"
"Well... Obviously we were destroyed by losing you. Gabriel and Beelzebub were furious you managed to offer yourself for our life and a battle started. We were almost overthrown when the light beam returned with a golden figure in it, which we now know was housing you. God spoke, to them, and to us. It spoke that our leaders had lost sight of the true meaning behind the fall of the demons and that we, Crowley and me, were the only ones saved by this disillusion. To thank us god gave you back to us, it seems." explained Aziraphale.
Samantha nodded. "All right, then I have something to say to them." she said while walking up to Beelzebub and Gabriel. Gabriel even took a hesitating step away as she approached.
"What are you..." whispered Gabriel in awe.
"I don't know what I have become, but I can tell you with what task I was send back here with. I am here with the hope and vision to guide humanity to balance and a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them, so they won't destroy themselves. I understand god has spoken to you. Think about the things that have been told and learn from your mistakes. I don't believe you have any purpose lingering around here for longer than you already have. Retrieve to your place and rethink your actions. This isn't an order, not at all. This is an advice I hope you will take from me.", Samantha said, standing strong before them.
Beelzebub seemed about to snap something to her, but after a glance at Gabriel, who looked unsure and defeated, Beelzebub smirked and took a step back. Silently she commanded the demons to follow him and he retrieved back to hell.
When Gabriel saw his colleague leave, he glanced back at Samantha one last time, before nodding silently and backing off, commanding his angels to follow him. They disappeared back into heaven.
Samantha watched them leave while Aziraphale and Crowley walked up to her. She turned to look at him and smiled.
"Watch out with your wings dear. You almost hit Crowley." said Aziraphale helpful.
Samantha frowned. "Hold up, wings?!" She turned to try and see the wings and with that swatted a wing right into Crowley's face.
"Oy! You goof he just said watch out with them." laughed Crowley and he took a step back.
Samantha looked at Crowley now and almost hit Aziraphale, who was smart enough to take a step back. "Oh sorry." she said ashamed.
Aziraphale grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder to make her stop turning. "Yes, you got wings now. You didn't know that yet?"
Samantha shook her head and tilted her head just enough to spot one of her wings. "I... I have wings." she whispered star struck. "Like actual wings. Oh my lord." She tried moving them and ended up stumbling back with a squeak, startled by the strength of them.
"Wow there, slow down. Birds don't learn to fly in one day either." said Crowley amused. He glanced at the scene, which was still frozen in time. "But uh, wouldn't you rather try and put them away for now? I don't think time should be stopped for this long."
Samantha nodded, then frowned. "How do I even do that?"
"Well, you feel your wings and picture in your mind if you want them shown or hidden. Just picture them hidden and focus your energy on it. Concentrate." explained Aziraphale as clear as possible.
Samantha hummed thoughtful and closed her eyes. She focussed on the wings, which made them spread fully first as she got a bit of a feel for them, then she bit her lip and focussed on having them hidden. After a few tries she managed.
"Great job dear. Now, I would suggest you do the same to your eyes. They don't look human like this." he explained and miracled a mirror for her to see.
Samantha gasped. "That... looks amazing." She had to blink a few times to make sure it were really her own eyes.
"If you can't manage your eyes you could also borrow a pair of sunglasses from me. Personally I like it better to have them just hidden behind glasses. But it's your own choice." offered Crowley.
"That is very kind of you Crowley. Let's first see if I can manage." said Samantha and she stared at her reflection. She concentrated on it until her eyes finally had turned back to her ash grey colour. She smiled. "Perfect."
Aziraphale smiled too and made the mirror disappear. "Now let's get off the grass and start up time again, shall we?" he said while taking the lead back to the pathway.
"Agree angel." said Crowley and he sauntered back to the path, followed by Samantha. Then with a flick of his fingers, he made time start up again as if nothing had happened.
"Actually I must say I have seen quite enough of this monument today." said Aziraphale with a sigh.
"Oh yes I totally agree." said Crowley with a smirk. "Let's go somewhere else. Perhaps a nice restaurant. Samantha still needs to eat."
"Actually... I don't think I have to anymore. I am immortal now." said Samantha softly.
Aziraphale and Crowley both snapped to look at them.
"You whot?" exclaimed Crowley unbelieving and Aziraphale opened his mouth to speak too, but closed it again when he didn't find the words he was looking for.
Samantha nodded. "God gave me a mission, so to speak. You two are on the right track and I should be there to help and guide you. I have to follow my heart and vision to help humankind."
"He spoke to you personally?" asked Crowley unbelieving.
"Well, I didn't see him... and it was more like an it. No real female or male voice. But it was just a loose echoing voice in a white room with a big gate to heaven. I got the choice to remain dead, or come back here and help you." said Samantha while looking up at the sky.
"So you chose earth, and us. While you don't know if it is even going to work out?" asked Aziraphale.
She nodded. "If there is a chance we can get this to work out, I'll take it. Besides I couldn't leave you alone the way I did, could I now?"
"It was a pretty stupid move." admitted Crowley.
Samantha chuckled. "Well then I fit in perfectly with your stupid asses, don't you think?" teased Samantha.
"Watch it you. I got an eternity to annoy you now." snorted Crowley.
Aziraphale smiled amused, then hummed. "How about we do that dinner anyhow? Just to let this whole day unravel a bit and so we can talk a bit more about everything that happened?"
"It sounds like a good idea to me.", said Samantha.
Crowley nodded. "I have nothing against it."
"Then let's decide on a spot to dine. Any suggestions?" asked Aziraphale.
Crowley shrugged now. "Let's just drive back to Salisbury and find a place to dine there."
"That sounds fine to me. I am sure we can find something lovely there." said Samantha.
"Then it's decided. Let's take the tour bus back to the visitors centre so you can summon your car there Crowley." said Aziraphale.
"Good plan." agreed Crowley and they walked to the bus stop.
The ride from the monument to the centre was short and when they got out, Crowley had already summoned the Bentley, who was waiting for them on a taxi spot.
Samantha only now realised how tired she was and when she entered the Bentley, she groaned and just laid down on the backseat.
Aziraphale glanced back at her when sitting down. "I understand. I got the same thing and I think Crowley too. I even suspect him to go and nap once we get back to the house, and perhaps I'll join him."
Crowley grinned softly and drove off, making his way to Salisbury. "Shall we drive around till we find something nice?"
Aziraphale nodded. "Let's do that."
And so they did. Crowley drove fast as usual and within 20 minutes they had found a nice restaurant. It looked cosy and fancy, just like the two loved it. Samantha just followed along silently, still trying to catch up to everything that happened. As they sat down and had ordered their drinks, Aziraphale noticed her absence and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you okay dear? You seem troubled."
Samantha sighed. "I am troubled. I mean, all that happened. I just have a hard time catching up to it. And that is coming from a lady who has been hanging around with two celestial entities for nearly three weeks."
"Has it only been three weeks?" pondered Crowley as he hung lazily in his chair. "Feels like longer. But now you are here to stay. Who would have thought that? Not me. I thought you were going to be another human whose life would have come and gone in a flash and I was already starting to brace myself for the empty spot. But this, I could have never imagined this."
Samantha chuckled softly, then sighed. "I will lose so many people dear to me. How am I even going to do this? They will notice I'm not aging anymore and then what? Will I have to fake my own death? Leave the town and never return? I couldn't do that to them."
"Don't worry Samantha. You won't be alone in this. We will help you get through all of this. Focus on the time we have to spend together. Focus on the thing you want to achieve. This will work out." said Aziraphale calming.
Samantha took a deep breath, then nodded and showed a tiny smile. "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Living your life in Charmouth like you did just a few weeks ago, and us probably being dust by now." said Crowley plainly and Aziraphale shivered soft.
"Don't say that please." said Aziraphale with a smirk.
"I am glad we met. Even if I am going to go through a hella lot of bad times, I know what I'll be doing it for.", said Samantha thoughtful.
Aziraphale seemed to realise something and he showed a satisfied smile, making a wiggle and looking at Crowley.
"What?" asked Crowley with a raised eyebrow.
"I told you she was something special. I just felt it, and I was right." chirped the angel satisfied.
"Yes, yes you are. Are you happy now? Do I need to give you a trophy for it?" said Crowley with a sigh.
Samantha giggled. "I guess a kiss would satisfy him as well."
"Well you don't really ha...", started Aziraphale but he was cut off as Crowley gently grabbed the angel's chin and kissed him deeply, before pulling away with a demonic grin on his face, watching the angel turn tomato red.
"Will that satisfy your needs?" the demon asked teasingly.
Aziraphale could only let out an understandable stutter in response. Samantha was amused and hide her laugh behind her hand, then she realised something.
"Oh, you two don't need to hide anything anymore now."
Crowley frowned at her. "How do you mean?"
"Your relationship, your passion. You can now show your passion to each other in public because your higher authorities cannot punish you for it. Because you are right in doing what you do.", explained Samantha.
"Huh", said Crowley and he leaned back. "I guess you are right." He now turned to look at Aziraphale. "And that also means you don't need to worry about falling if you would have sex with me."
Aziraphale hadn't recovered from his last blush or he turned red again and he hushed Crowley. "Don't talk about that out loud in a restaurant. God this is almost as bad as Gabriel yelling 'Thank you for my pornography' through my bookshop." groaned Aziraphale.
Samantha snorted. "He did what now?"
Crowley laughed softly. "I had forgotten you told me that."
Aziraphale sighed and looked at Samantha. "That happened before the apocalypse when I was still working for him. He and one or two others came to me regularly for a check-up. Once he came in, took a big book from the table which was obviously anything bút pornography, I don't even have that in my bookshop, and exclaimed loudly he wanted to buy pornography and we needed a silent moment to discuss it. Only to laugh to himself and say he fooled them pretty well." Aziraphale groaned. "And when they left he did it again. I closed the bookshop for two days after that."
Samantha laughed now. "Oh that is so cringy."
"Yes I know. I didn't like it at all." sighed Aziraphale. "But it happened."
By now their food came up and they were silent for a bit as they enjoyed their food. For Samantha this was a whole new experience, for she didn't feel hunger at all. This made her wonder about what her body would and wouldn't need and how it would work. When they finished she decided to ask about it.
"Say, I already notice I don't experience hunger anymore, so I am guessing I don't really need sleep anymore too, like you two. Is there anything else I need to bear in mind?" asked Samantha.
"Well you don't exactly need to breathe, but if you exhaust yourself you can still for example drown, as I once accidently did when I wasted myself on wine and wandered into the Themes. Though I was hit by a boat to make that happen." explained Crowley.
Aziraphale shivered. "It wasn't funny at all when I saw the pictures. I freaked out because I thought they had murdered him. Luckily this wasn't the case."
Samantha nodded. "Got that. So when I exhaust myself I can grow weak. Anything else?"
"If you bleed you can miracle your wounds to heal but you can still bleed to death if you don't take care of it.", explained Aziraphale. "I don't know where you would end up if you lose your body though. You don't seem an angel, because you don't have a halo, but you don't seem particularly demonic too. I am guessing you would discorporate and would be in need of a new body, but I don't know how that process will play out."
"To be honest I don't feel like figuring that out." said Samantha with a smirk. "I'll just try to avoid dying in the first place."
"What a good idea." said Crowley plainly.
Samantha snorted and stuck out her tongue to Crowley to tease him, but he showed his forked tongue back at her, showing a dark grin.
"Creep.", she teased.
"I can do quite some weird things with my tongue." grinned Crowley.
"I don't need to know that. Just use that on Aziraphale instead of showcasing me." mocked Samantha.
Aziraphale swallowed as Crowley grinned and glanced at him. "I just might."
The three chatted for a while, teasing each other a bit, then they decided to go back home. When they came outside they noticed it had started to become dark. Samantha hummed thoughtfully as they got in the car.
"I wonder if I will try to sleep tonight, and what I will do all those other nights when I don't need sleep."
"Well we can at least spend the first couple of nights to teach you everything there is to know about being a celestial being." said Aziraphale as Crowley started the Bentley and drove off.
"Yeah. We can teach you how to perform miracles big and small. From turning things into something else, to changing your clothes, summoning cars, summoning lights, fire, metamorphoses. That kind of stuff." added Crowley while he speeded up. They were soon out of the centre of the city and back on the highway.
"That sounds like fun. Oh and we could also do that thing we talked about yesterday. About sitting on a bench in the city during the night and watching the night turn into day and stuff." Said Samantha.
Aziraphale nodded. "That sounds lovely. And I just reminded you also need to learn how to handle your wings."
Samantha's eyes begun to sparkle now. "Flying. I can fly now. I hadn't thought about that yet! That has actually been a long-time dream of mine. I never imagined that to be able to come true."
Crowley grinned softly. "You'll love it. At least I do."
"We'll help you figure out how to fly in that case." said Aziraphale with a smile.
The rest of their trip back to charmouth they discussed things to do in the night now Samantha didn't need sleep anymore. She realised she could also use her nights to be creative, or even to take whole online courses or something. There were so many unlimited possibilities.
They soon arrived back in Charmouth and went to Samantha's house first to drop her off. She got out and smiled at the two. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. If it isn't in the daytime, it will be in the night time. Will we meet at your vacation house? Or will you two come to this place and, I dunno, throw rocks against the window to let me know you are here?", she asked.
"We don't really know yet if we'll even be at the house tomorrow night, so I guess we'll just come and pop by your place." said Aziraphale.
"You'll have to be silent though otherwise my mother will get suspicious." said Samantha.
"We'll be silent as a mouse." said Crowley amused.
Samantha chuckled. "Deal. Now have a good rest and I'll see you tomorrow." She waved at them as she walked to the door and the two waved back. Her mother actually wasn't home at the moment. She was probably drinking tea at her neighbours place and she was actually kind thankful for it. This way she could just quietly go upstairs, get into her pj's and fall down on her bed, trying not to think of the whirlpool of things that happened to her that day, and closing her eyes to force herself to sleep.
It didn't go much different with the couple. Once Crowley had parked the car and they had gone into the house, Crowley miracled himself into a black silk pair of pj's and let himself fall on the bed. Aziraphale decided to follow his example, miracling himself an old fashioned pair of pj's, complete with sleeping hat. Crowley glanced up and snorted at him.
"Looks funny angel." he murmured sleepy.
Aziraphale showed him a kind smile. "I just like it like this." he said as he sat down on the bed and softly pushed Crowley over, so he could get some space to lay down on the bed too. Crowley grinned soft when Aziraphale did that and shifted to allow the angel to lay beside him, then he pulled the angel close in a spooning position. He wrapped his slender arms around the angel's body and nuzzled his nose in the angel's white curls.
"Ah. The demon mumbled. "This feelsss nice." he said sleepy.
Aziraphale nodded. "Yes it does... Good night, my love."
"Good night my angel." replied Crowley.
The two closed their eyes and both dozed off slowly and peacefully, finally resting after the tiring day.
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You might have realised I didn't specify god as a he or she. That's because after a discussion with a friend I decided I had enough and decided to refer to god as simply The devine, They or God. You can give the voice a male/female tone to your likings this way. Everyone happy, I hope. ;)