"Those two are disturbed," Azazeal said to Cassie.
"Oh, I don't know," Cassie smiled, "I think they're cute together."
"Cute?"
Lucifer and Elizabeth visited every few days and she and Cassie had become good friends. It was nice for both of them to have another human to talk to who understood their…situation. They could and did compare notes and Cassie learned a lot from Elizabeth who had already begun actually learning the angelic language and many other things from Malachi and Lucifer. She was very quick and unafraid to try new things. This made sense to Cassie because of who she had to keep up with.
She and Lucifer were like young lovers and could be really quite amusing. However, it was a great mystery to everyone what exactly happened between the two of them because while Lucifer liked to joke that she tortured him endlessly, she convincingly swore that she had never harmed him in any way. There was much speculation by all of the angels and their statements and actions were dissected with much delight in the hopes of discovering the truth.
"How can you say that? You know what happened," Azazeal continued.
"I've told you, all she did was tell him to let you have your revenge, if you wanted it. You're the one who couldn't resist and he's the fool who let you."
"But why?"
"You're not like him, so you cannot understand."
"And you can?"
"No, I just know that what Elizabeth tells me makes sense and he's happy, what more do you need to know."
Azazeal smiled and changed the subject saying, "I need to know what our girl will look like," touching her belly.
"We'll know soon enough, I think."
Ardousius had told her, when she asked, that she now knew exactly when Cassie would have the baby. For some reason this reassured Cassie, but she didn't ask to know when. She had asked Ardousius to make sure that Elizabeth and Lucifer where there: Elizabeth for herself and Lucifer because he was the only person she thought could control Azazeal if something were to happen.
"Malachi, aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?" Lucifer asked as Ella walked in the church and over to them as they sat talking about some of the more difficult angels.
"I am not his girlfriend," Ella announced forcefully.
"Oh, my mistake," he said smoothly.
"Lucifer, this is Ella Dee, Ella this is Lucifer," Malachi said.
He stood up and said, "Well, well, well, Ella Dee. I've heard so much about you." He moved closer to her and she took a step back, but he moved out of her way and gestured for her to take a seat next to Malachi. When she did, he sat on the other side of her, blocking her in.
He leaned towards them both and said, "You know, Malachi, I really think you're missing the boat here, she's very attractive," he said looking her up and down. "But I supposed that the fact that she's still under orders to kill you may be a bit of a turn off," then adding seductively, "though I can't say I would feel the same way."
Malachi had known that she was watching him but had not suspected that she was actually still supposed to kill him. He felt a little like a fool, but he had grown attracted to her so he wasn't surprised that he hadn't seen it. Leave it to Lucifer to find the most embarrassing way to let him in on this secret. He was about to say something when Lucifer continued.
"I don't suppose I have to tell you, Ella," his face changing from pleasant to devious, "that if you harm him, you'll have more than Azazeal to deal with."
She smiled sweetly and defiantly, "I'm looking forward to it."
"Lucifer, leave her alone," Elizabeth called from the other end of the church. His eyes glanced to the side unconsciously following the sound of her voice and then they slowly returned to Ella's face. He grinned widely and left them.
In the middle of the night, Cassie woke with a start. She didn't know what woke her but after a few moments a sharp pain in her belly confirmed what she suspected. She slowly got out of bed and just as she walked out of the room, she saw Ardousius smiling at her happily with a new gown to put on for her water had already broken. Another pain struck her and her knees went weak and thought she would fall. She reached out for the wall but couldn't find it and she grew scared because Ardousius was not moving to help her, but then she felt strong hands grip her from behind and hold her up. She smiled gratefully, but she could not see the look of worry on Azazeal's face.
Ardousius however appeared unconcerned and simply turned to lead them to the room she had prepared for this occasion. She had obtained just the right kind of bed and equipment and every other appropriate thing that they might need. Ardousius told her that right now the best thing was to walk around a bit so she detached her from Azazeal, helped her into her new gown, and kept her standing and walking. Both of them were now oblivious to Azazeal presence and he did not move from where they had left him near the door.
Lucifer jerked awake from a deep sleep and smiling turned over to Elizabeth to wake her. She looked up at him with sleepy eyes and he said, "It's time."
A groggy smiled formed on her face and she got herself out of bed to dress.
All of sudden it felt to Azazeal that the room was filled with people, when in fact only Elizabeth and Lucifer had joined them. Elizabeth was already next to Cassie talking to her and reassuring her, while Lucifer stood next to and slightly behind him. The rest presences that he felt, he realized, were actually milling around in excitement in the front of the church. He could do nothing but watch as the age-old process of giving birth to a new life unfolded in front of him.
She was lying down now with Elizabeth sitting next to her, holding her hand, and Ardousius peaking under the sheet that she had draped over Cassie's legs. Each time she seized up in pain, Azazeal's face contorted in distress. The women were calm and undisturbed by this process, but he had not really considered this in great enough detail to have realized what he would see and feel on this day.
He had still not moved from his place near the door and Lucifer watched him carefully from his spot next to him. Azazeal looked at Elizabeth who was smiling and talking to Cassie, but he couldn't not hear anything at all, as if he was blocking out all sound. She was smiling at Cassie even though Cassie was crushing her hand with all of her force. Why was he here and she was there? Why was she strong enough to share her pain while he was not?
He remembered that Ardousius had said that she would make the pain go away but only after a certain point in the process because she would need feedback from Cassie. She had in fact already done it but even without the pain, the effort that it took Cassie push still appeared to Azazeal as suffering. How could he have done this to her? He felt Lucifer's hand heavily on his shoulder and he turned to look at him and found a look of understanding on Lucifer's face, which was, of course, not something you would expect to see.
He turned back to the scene in front of him and abruptly Ardousius revealed the little one they had been waiting for from beneath the sheet. He relaxed as Cassie relaxed and he allowed himself a small smile as Ardousius expertly cleaned and wrapped the child and placed her in Cassie's arms.
Elizabeth turned to them and shook her head at their expressions, then got up to make a place for Azazeal to sit by Cassie. He moved closer, though he did not feel his legs moving, and he sat next to her where Elizabeth had been sitting. Cassie turned to him and said, "Isn't she beautiful?" which was the first sound he'd heard in a long time. He saw to his surprise, that in her excitement and joy she had already forgotten about any pain and stress that she had felt, as if the baby had just appeared out of nowhere. He heard Ardousius telling him privately that it was often this way and that he should say something now. But he could not yet.
Cassie lifted up the child to him and he took her. He looked down at the child and could not help but shed a tear for at this moment it was the only way he could express all the love that was emanating from him.
Lucifer and Elizabeth went out to the angels gathering outside and announced the birth of the baby girl. Rather than a cheer, there rose from them instead a kind of mental hum of joy and welcome. At this, Lucifer, smiled and said, "I guess you can't keep the angel out of us."
A few weeks later, when Aunt Elizabeth arrived, Sara giggled and toddled over to her. Picking her up, she said, "And how are you Princess?"
To Cassie, "How is everything?"
"Good. I think Azazeal finally believes that she's real."
"You should really stop teasing him, you know."
Cassie just smiled.
"I came to tell you that we're going on, well a little vacation, I guess you could call it. So I may not see you for a little while."
"Where are you two going?'
"Everywhere," she shrugged, and Cassie understood that with Lucifer's mode of travel they really didn't need to make plans or arrangements so anywhere was possible.
"So, you finally gave in, huh?"
"He's impossible so, yeah I did."
Elizabeth had refused to give up her house, her job, or her semblance of a real life. She went to work everyday, worked in her garden, and, as always flitted, from hobby to hobby as her attention moved from one thing to another and back again. Also, much to Lucifer's amusement and irritation, he would often find her doing things that he would rather have done for her. What she did choose to ask of him generally related to keeping himself out of trouble, but this once he had convinced her to let him take her around the world. Besides, she could tell that he really couldn't stand not doing things just for her. Of course, what she told Cassie that she didn't tell him, was that part of her reasoning was that taking airplane trips added to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, so she felt that this was a good way to see the world, like she always wanted, and get around that problem. But what he had not told her, was that not only had Selith, her guardian angel, agreed to call Lucifer in the event of any danger to her, but that her house was also now protected not only by Selith but by a few of his minions as well. So, it all evened out really.