A Child of Heaven and Hell (Sequel to Guardian Demon And Angel)

Chapter 4

Aziraphale woke due to the feeling of being watched.  With a bleary gaze he looked to to find a small figure ominously standing in the door way. He startled with fright, which woke him fully. Now with a clear mind he recognized it as Eve.

"What is it Sweetums?" he asked in a yawn. The angel sat up as the young girl slowly approached.

Eve had her quilt wrapped around herself, her grip on it almost deadly. "I had a nightmare," she said, sounding close to tears.

Aziraphale didn't hesitate to pull the small girl into bed. "It's alright," he cooed, "None of that is real. There is nothing to be afraid of." Eve curled into his side for comfort. He held hee close, stroking her back.

A groan came from the other side of the bed. "Angel?" Crowley asked through the grogginess of sleep, "What's going on?"

"Evie had a nightmare," he explained.

Crowley awoke a bit more to comprehend what was going on. "Ya wanna tell us what it was about?" he asked the girl.

Eve just shook her head ever so slightly. It was like her mind was still stuck in the nightmare.

"Come on kiddo," Crowley sighed, pulling the girl further I to the bed, "Lay down and go back to sleep, well keep the nightmares away." She still had an anxious look in her face.

"We'll be right here," Aziraphale assured her.  He patted the mattress between the two of them. "We'll be right in reach."

Eve hesitantly played down, curling herself up under her blanket. Her eyes were wide open clearly no plans to fall asleep.

Crowley, despite being unable to see her face could see how stiff she held herself. He wiggled closeted, wrapping an arm around her. Her body relaxed a bit knowing he was physically there.

Taking insperation from Crowley's action Aziraphale reach the small space between himself and Eve, holding onto her hand. He gently rubbed circles on the back of her hand as he slowly watched her fall to sleep. It wasn't until she was soundly asleep did he fall asleep as well. Crowley of course had barely been awake to begin with.

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Eve sat on the ground in front of the low chair Crowley sat in. She had the susal brush in hand, as well as a comb balancing on the arm rest. Eve's hair whole never appeared overly curly, instead wavy, was still a tangled mess. Every evening Crowley makes sure it gets properly brushed, and styles it as the girl want in the morning.

That evening was one of the easier ones, as Eve had bathed before sitting down to get her rats nests detangled.

"Would you like any braids?" Crowley asked, trying to limit how hard she'd need to pull to take care of the tangles. She was still not quite an expert in regaling the girls hair yet, though very experienced.

"Sure," Eve agreed, distracted by the cartoon that was playing on the TV.

Knowing she wasn't likely going to get much more out of the girl Crowley decided to do twin piggy tails for her. After all it was what she most commonly asked for.

"Mum," Eve called out quietly. Crowley was twisting on an eleatic to the second of the braid. She hummed in acknowledgement, for her to know she was listening. "Can I braid your hair?"

Eve leaned her head back to look into her mum's eyes. Her hair was barely shoulder
length at the time. While not much shorted than Eve's, it wasn't the same hair type, and wouldn't work the same. "Do you even know how?" she asked, realizing she never taught her, and wasn't aware if her previous mother ever had.

"It can't be that hard," Eve said with a shrugg.

Crowley softly laughed, patting the girls head. "Let's make sure you know how to first," she told her.

It took a bit of searching for the to find the proper practicing material for Eve to learn with. They had managed to find some yarn in the back of a storage room from that time Aziraphale decided he was going to learn to crochet, though nothing ever came from it. There was a week of practice before Crowley let Eve anywhere near her hair.

Their positions were now switched. Crowley was siting on the floor before the lounge chair, while Eve sat on it, sitting up straight to have a proper reach. Eve was running her finger through the red lcoks, deciding it into sections. "Not too tight now Monster," she warned, "Don't want to be pulling out may hair."

"I know," Eve quietly grumbled, already intently focusing on her work.

Aziraphale watched the two from the couch, book in hand. He'd watch the Patrice through the week, and warmed his heart seeing the two interact. Now here was mother and child, braiding eachother's hair.

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"Eve," Aziraphale called out. Last he had seen her she had been lounging in her usual spot, chapter book in hand, and Orbi curled in her hair. Now after he finished his chapter, she was missing.

However in her chair still sat he book, ans curled in a corner was her friend. "Oh dear," the angel coed scooping up the snake. "You must be cold. She must understand you like warmth, I don't understand why she insists on carrying you around." Orbi was not against him being picked up, tangling himself around the angels finger.

"Papa!" Eve called out cheerily. "I made coco." She held up the two mugs in her hands.

"I feel it only proper that we trade." He held out the brightly colored snake.

"Didn't he bother you?" she asked her papa. "I told him to stay in the chair.

Aziraphale waited until Orbi had fully slithered over onto Eve's shoulder's before taking back his hand. "Now I was worried he was getting cold," he informed her. "He has such a well heated tank, while outside of it is rather cold to him. I'm sure he enjoys body heat."

"I wasn't gone long," Eve pointed out. She held up a mug of coco to her Papa. It was quite as neatly made as he would have done. How ere they have made coco enough times together he was sure there would be nothing wrong with how it taste. More sweet than usual of anything. "Orbi gets longwly when I'm at school, I don't want to leave him along longer."

"I understand," the angel assured the girl, "However you were the one who agreed to be responsible for him, and you need to remeber that. Letting him be in discomfort isn't very responsible."

"I'll keep that in mind," Eve agreed.