Both Azazeal and Lucifer had acted tense and strange in the time between the dream and when Elizabeth gave birth, but to Cassie and Elizabeth's dismay…after it was over, they both got worse.

Cassie had known that Azazeal had been concerned about what would happen if Elizabeth did die and that he was probably trying to figure out what he should or could do about Lucifer. But when it didn't happen Cassie assumed that he would go back to normal. She was correct about his primary concern, however since her perception of the dream was that it was vivid but not anything out of the ordinary, she did not realized that he had actually felt what was happening. Now that the tension was gone, the fear had set in.

She had noticed that he again was watching her throughout the day and that he would hold her and kiss her a little longer, as if not wanting to let go. Finally, one evening when they were alone, she asked him what was wrong.

"I forgot how fragile you are," he said with a small smile.

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"Well, normally I would agree with you," he responded with his cool confidence, but then he said, "but there are some things even I can't control."

"The threat wasn't against me," she protested.

"Oh, but it was, Cassie. That's why it was sent to me as well."

After a pause he added.

"They wanted me to know…what it would feel like to...to lose you."

She looked a bit confused but then it dawned on her and she felt foolish for not realizing it sooner. Both of them must have felt that they were really there and it was really happening. No wonder they'd been acting so strange, but it made sense to her now when she looked back on how they had both been that morning.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere so you can just stop with the long face already," she teased and he smiled. She pulled him close and they were soon sleeping peacefully, but she knew that it would take more than that to make him feel better.

Cassie decided to speak to Lumiel about this as the most straight forward of the angels. He had been in the dream but had only been a character in it, so he had not seen it. She explained to him only that there was some concern that God would act against Azazeal by harming herself and she ask him for his opinion on the likelihood of that.

"Well, casarmi, there is a strategic balance that has been created here with Malachi refusing to bring about the end of days and both Azazeal and Lucifer curbing some of their more…malevolent activities. I see no reason for Him to act in that way. He might be concerned about all of the angels that are mixing with human kind but our numbers are so small now compared to how humanity has grown. We will have little impact."

"But he did make a threat," Cassie said, even though she hadn't planned to revealing that much.

"Interesting," he replied, "What was the threat?"

Now that she'd already said too much she decided to briefly explain the contents of the dream.

"Interesting," he said again, "Well, it makes more sense that he might act against Lucifer. They have been battling…forever, but it is not like him to provoke like that without a specific request for acquiescence or change. He would have either simply done it or threatened and then asked for something. He must have meant it as a warning only. And someone must have interceded."

"Well, that makes me feel better but Azazeal is very concerned."

"He'll see reason. Do you want me to talk to him?" Lumiel said with his usual logic.

"Ah, no, thank you, Lumiel. I'll take from here."

Cassie tried to figure out how she could assure Azazeal that the threat was over, but she couldn't just said, "Lumiel said…" So, she settled for distraction and it eventually worked. She sought him out several times a day just to check in and sometimes to whisper things in his ear she knew would amuse him. She asked to learn more and more from him and the other angels so that in her spare time she could perfect her abilities…and then playfully try to use them against him. She continued to work hard and try to learn all that she could about God and his great plan, by trying to piece together the information she could get from each angel. She hoped these efforts would make her stronger and less fragile, because she had no intention of leave him, by her choice or by anyone else's.

One night a few days later, Azazeal suggested that they take the time away from their hectic lives that he had suggested several weeks ago.

"I think Sara's old enough now. Let's get away."

"But I thought you'd want to wait until she's reached her final age."

"She'll be fine, Cassie," he said, but Cassie knew he would always worry about her. "But she will need some looking after."

"I'll ask Haniel to…"

"Let's have her stay with Elizabeth for a while."

"You're serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you-know-who will also be part of the babysitting crew. And by the way, I still don't understand where the 'you'll never see him again' thing went."

He smiled as if something about this was very funny.

"With Elizabeth around he's no longer a threat and there are no better people to protect Sara."

"I thought a second ago she'd be just fine."

But he ignored her and changed the subject as he was so fond of doing. He moved in and slowly distracting her with soft kisses, he finally said, "Where do you think we should go? I was thinking…" But Cassie didn' t pay attention to the rest.

It had been a two weeks since Cassie had seen Elizabeth and Lucifer and she was beginning to get worried. She'd been involved in her own concerns and had expected them to want some time to themselves, but it wasn't like them to not keep in touch. She convinced Azazeal to take her to their house but he was reluctant to bother them. It was the fact that they needed to ask them to look after Sara that finally convinced him to take her.

Like Azazeal, Lucifer's mood got stranger after they returned home with Luke. For three days, he was quiet and appeared deep in thought, but was loving and very attentive. He would anticipate her need for ridiculously little things, including things for Luke, and would take every opportunity to be close to her…but while he clearly knew that Luke existed, he had still not acknowledged him.

She was getting very worried, but was uncertain how to ask him what was wrong. On that third night, she awoke in the middle of the night and there was just enough light for her to see him propped up on an elbow looking down at her. She smiled sleepily at him and he smiled back.

"I love you," he said firmly but also with a hint that he'd just determined that this was the case, which was obviously not true.

"I love you too," she responded as ardently as she could while still half-asleep.

He pushed her shoulder gently and she obligingly rolled over so that he could hold her.

The next morning she woke late and jumped up, worried about Luke, but she hadn't heard him crying. She went in to the front room to find him asleep on Lucifer's chest while he was watching the news with the volume turned low. She stared at him with a little shock and a little amusement, but she didn't need to say anything.

"I've been paying attention," he said as if she should have known this, "He's fine."

She went to sit next to them and pretended to be interested in the news.

What she'd been unaware of was that after the dream it had been anger, in addition to her, that had kept him together. He'd wanted to destroy things, to ruin things, to kill…but he had not (although there were some suspiciously nasty weather events during that period). Even though he had refrained from taking revenge, the anger that existed had help him deal with the time he'd spent waiting for… that day. She'd not seen it because he'd kept it from her and he'd appeared only protective and concerned to her, but the reality was that he had been furious.

When the tragedy didn't occur…that was when the fear crept in. It was same fear that Azazeal was suffering from but much more personal. And with the fear came the horrible realization that he'd pulled away from her a little but hadn't felt it until now. It was to be expected that he might seek to protect himself but now that it was over he just couldn't figure out how to let the fear go. It was his own mind that plagued him because he knew that she could not perceive the change in him. While he could distinctly feel that she loved him with all her strength, he'd always loved her more. This had never bothered him because it was a simple fact that he, and most of the angels, were capable of depths of feeling that humans could not imagine...given the right circumstances. They just weren't used to anything but what He had asked of them and were therefore easily confused by the complex nature of the feelings that occured when spending this much time with humans.

But ultimately, he decided, quite decisively, that he would not allow "them" to dictate how much he would feel for her. If he lost her, it would destroy him, but he now defiantly determined that that was as it should be. So he'd fixed himself to her as firmly as he could and refused to worry about it anymore.

As soon as Lucifer took an interest in Luke, he was absolutely fascinated. He would watch him for hours and then would sometimes let out a laugh and say "That was you" or "That was me," when Luke would do something recognizable. Elizabeth would only see it occasionally, but she was sure he was right. Lucifer was still on his best behavior, a perfect angel, but after a few days she saw a familiar twinkle in his eyes and knew that in his head he was already planning adventures with the boy. She smiled at this and hoped that they would have fun together, but not too much fun.
When Cassie and Azazeal arrived, Lucifer was a little annoyed but Elizabeth quickly greeted them and pulled Cassie way to talk.

"How are you?" Cassie asked with only a hint of the worry that she felt.

"I'm fine, but Lucifer was very strange for a few days, but it seems to have resolved itself."

"Azazeal was too."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, concerned for them, "I'm sure what ever happened in the dream wouldn't really happen. He's not…"

"Elizabeth," Cassie interrupted. She knew what Elizabeth was thinking because she'd seen it in her face when they'd told her about the dream. Since they hadn't really described Lucifer's reaction, she'd assumed that he'd done something destructive, and ultimately had assumed that that was what Lucifer had been acting so weird about. "I guess I didn't have the heart to tell you," Cassie continued, "but he was devastated. I let you think that he'd become violent…but he was in so much pain he…he just wanted to die, Elizabeth. And he and Azazeal both felt that, clearly, and Azazeal became worried for me, that's all. I should have told you before, but…"

"It's okay," Elizabeth said immediately, but she was now thinking to herself.

After Cassie and Elizabeth had finished talking and Elizabeth had agreed to have Sara stay with them, Cassie and Azazeal said their goodbyes. As soon as they left, Elizabeth turned to Lucifer, put her hands to his face and said, "I will never leave you."

He smiled appreciatively, but said, "That is not in your hands."

She shook her head and said, "He's my God too, remember."

"Do you think you can say enough Our Father's, and Hail Mary's, and Glory Be's to make him listen?" he said shaking his head.

"You just let me worry about that," she said firmly, but with a confident smile that he knew well.

Selith then made one of his rare interjections and announced that he would make sure that she was heard. Lucifer thanked him, but did pass this on to Elizabeth.