Their "talk" did not go well. Azazeal was no longer interested in letting her in on what was going on and what he had been doing over the past few days, insisting that "This is not your battle to fight, Cassie." This, of course, infuriated Cassie, who felt smack dab in the middle of the whole thing and now she could not be sure that he wasn't planning to follow the original plan. However, as he had always predicted, she was too attached to the boy to try to harm him and she knew that leaving would not be effective. They left each other furious and retreated to separate corners. Later, Azazeal drifted back to her side, as he always did, where he delicately and elegantly put himself back in her good graces. Now that her anger had cooled, Cassie could not help but feel that he was trying to protect her rather than control her, but she did not fully trust that feeling.

They spent several weeks in an uneasy truce, with Azazeal coming and going, and Cassie playing the mother. He was all action while she watched and waited. Despite the fact that they were not on the same page, they managed to remain tender lovers. It appeared that this aspect of their relationship was not affected by the uncertainty of their situation. For Cassie, she gave in because she actually wanted to trust him now and believe that he would not betray her. He was much more human to her now then ever before, having spent day after day with him, but she didn't let herself forget what he was…for very long anyway. For Azazeal, she was the release from his concerns and the reason for all that he was doing, even if she would not have agreed with him. He would not give her up.

With all the activity Azazeal seemed to be involved in, Cassie was beginning to worry that he seemed to be ignoring Malachi. He still doted on the little boy, no longer a baby, when he was home, but was always quickly distracted. Eventually, she was both comforted and worried on a few occasions upon coming back into the room to find Azazeal with Malachi on his lap or sitting cross legged on the floor with the boy teaching him some trick or other. When she would make her presence known the lesson would end and he would invariably leave in a guilty or arrogant manner depending on the day.

One day when Cassie was playing with Malachi at the near by park, she turned around to see "Larry" watching her from a little ways off. They looked at each other for a moment and then she motioned him over. She did not actually expect him to come over but he did and they sat together on a bench and watched Malachi make a mess of himself in the sandbox.

"If you're going stalk me, I really think I should know your real name," Cassie said.

With a smile he said, "No human knows my real name." He looked a bit sad then and added, "Besides you couldn't pronounce it. The story of my existence," he chuckled.

Cassie turned to him with a questioning look.

"I am referred to in human writings as the Morning Star, so my name has become Lucifer."

"Aha!" she smiled. "And Satan?"

"Well, that's actually a title. It means adversary," he said rather proud of himself.

"Hmm."

After a moment, he became serious and asked, "What is your lover planning?"

"Don't you know?" she asked smartly.

"He has not told you, has he? Interesting!"

"I'm glad this amuses you."

"Don't be angry with him. There are many things you cannot understand. This is not your fight."

"That's what he said. Are you working together or not? Why do you question me about him and then defend him?"

But he simply smiled, got up and walked away.

Lucifer joined her every once in a while at this park and would follow the same ritual of waiting to be invited over once she noticed him. Malachi was getting bigger and bigger each day and was talking now, sort of, but he rarely acknowledged his mother's friend. If Azazeal had been there the boy would not have let him alone, but Malachi seemed to know that this man was not a playing partner.

It was strange to her that he would spend this time with her and Malachi without threatening them, but she decided that she was amidst beings that were far more powerful than herself and she would pick her battles.

Despite saying that she would not understand, Lucifer ended up answering many of Cassie's questions about the fallen angels but he would not discuss Him. She now knew that there were two main groups, Azazeal's and Lucifer's, and a few smaller ones. These angels of various choirs and responsibilities were all thrown in the abyss for various offenses. On an individual basis some could come to earth but could not remain for an extended period, it was not comfortable. Azazeal became an exception when the Egyptian priests banished him, but now he had to have a sacrifice to remain. Malachi's birth had only freed Azazeal's Nephilim, but the rest of them remained trapped. This is why the End of Days had its appeal. Once it started all of the fallen angels would be free and the battle between good and evil that was foretold would still be better than remaining in the abyss. Azazeal had agreed to help them all exchange for their help in having the son he needed to free his followers.

"So the fallen angels just want to be free? That's it?" she asked.

"Well, it's a little more complicated than that but essentially, yes."

"Why can't we just figure out another way?"

He grinned and laughed, "Such a typical human reaction, let's just find another way. I love it."

"I thought you hated us."

"It's not that simple. I do not understand you. I have a natural love of humanity but I am not like you and I have reason to resent you." He paused.

"Let me see if I can explain. This bodily form I take for you is indeed one of my true forms. You will not find another man who looks like me, but it is not my most basic form. I have this form, as most angels do, in order to make appearances to you on His behalf. I speak to you now as a human and appear human but my true nature is very different."

"What do you look like then?" Cassie asked.

"Oh I think you already know," he said, "But I was glorious," he smiled to himself, "and your lover was magnificent."

Cassie blushed a little.

"It is the same with our existence. We are not like you. We were each created for a specific purpose and that purpose has been taken from us and we have been changed. We are essentially single-minded and the confusion of having our purpose taken away was and still is frightening. We have been working ever since to fill that void and free ourselves of our bewilderment and rage and loneliness."

"What does that have to do with tempting us in to evil?"

"Ah, the all important question. Let's just say that it is merely a side-effect."

"I don't understand."

"I know," he said with a wise smile and left her.

After this last exchange, Cassie came home to find Azazeal waiting for her.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"At the park. You know Malachi really misses y.."

"He was with you, wasn't he?"

She did not answer right away.

"Yes, he sits with us often and he's far more informative that you," she responded defiantly.

"What does he tell you?"

"Oh, lots of things!"

"Cassie you cannot trust him. He would say anything. He may hurt you."

Her immediate reaction was that it was ridiculous, "Oh, he would never hurt me," and that felt so correct to her that it seemed strange because she had been so mistrustful of him in the past. This response made Azazeal angry rather than relieved.

"I love you and I must protect you and Malachi," he said rather forcefully.

"Why? What is it that you're going to use us for?" she responded with a smirk.

He faced changed quickly from anger to sadness and he said quietly, "You don't understand."

"You don't tell my anything," she said as she approached him and put her arms around him.

"Trust me," he beamed.

That night she dreamed of angels and of monsters and of Malachi. She was walking around the town and angels were everywhere mingling with the people. She saw Azazeal, Lucifer, and angels she did not know, so bright and radiant that she could barely look at them, but also saw the same as horribly deformed monsters. They would flash from one form to the other randomly, but she always seemed to know which was which and found that she had names for some of the unknown angels. They looked confused and almost scared as the people looked at them and moved away. She was getting concerned when Malachi, a young man now, walked past her directly to his father. He took his hand, giggled and said, "Stop playing, daddy," and Azazeal appeared as his normal self again. Malachi reached out for another's hand and when their hands met, he too shifted to a normal human appearance. Then, Lucifer in his devil guise put his hand on Malachi's shoulder and also became the man Cassie was so used to seeing. Malachi then turned to his mother and said, "See, mommy, they were just playing." And she woke up with a start.

She looked over at the sleeping Azazeal and reached over to touch his face. He was both an angel and a devil to her. He could be perfectly loving, eerily understanding, and completely available, only to change to a manipulative and arrogant bastard. She was sure that he wanted rest from this but apparently he couldn't. Maybe Malachi was the key.

Azazeal woke and was worried by the look on her face, but she silently distracted him with a kiss and pressed herself against him.

When Azazeal was out, Lucifer next visited Cassie in the church.

"Morning!" she said when she noticed him at the entrance.

"Good Morning," he replied, "Your lover knows that I visit you, I see."

"How do you know?"

"I have my ways," he said in an annoyed tone, as he had just had to get rid of a Nephilim who was guarding the place.

"Why do you call him that, why don't you call him A.."

"Shhh," he said, "We wouldn't want to call him here, now would we."

She gave him a worried glance.

"He won't like finding me here."

"You're both equally bad for me, I'm sure," she said, amused.

"You are not afraid," he said, partially to himself, shaking his head with amusement.

"Should I be?" she grinned a little and continued to play with Malachi.

"Maybe."

He walked closer to her and before she realized it he was directly behind her with is hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him.

"I have come to say goodbye. The battle will begin soon enough and I will not have time for our little visits."

"But Malachi is not old enough to…"

"Yes," he smiled indulgently. "I hope that you are not harmed by our little war. I must seek my fulfillment, but I do not wish take it from my brother. Whatever will happen will happen, as they say."

"I am more worried about what you have planned for Malachi."

"I have enjoyed my time with you more than you know. It has been so long since I have told our story."

He just smiled and turned to go, but suddenly Malachi called to him with a word that Cassie did not understand. He slowly turned back to Malachi with a mysterious look on his face.

"I know what it is that you seek," Malachi said looking directly into his eyes.

"Do you now?" he replied with a hint of challenge in his voice.

"I am sorry for you," was his only reply.