Azazeal considered how frustrating it was that he could say anything she wanted him to in any way she wanted him to but it wouldn't make him feel like he should in that moment. Of course, he was getting himself all worked up about this and causing this inability to respond to her all by himself. Cassie was only annoyed that he'd been arrogant in not asking her and stubborn in not apologizing. She did not see his inner conflict for what it was. He was the only one who knew how much he'd been keeping from her and that he was finally feeling guilty enough to let it worry him. And it had all be fine, all this time, until her anger at him for not asking her had reminded him just how much he did want her to always be with him and made him freeze up.

He had been right that when he'd seduced her to have a child that she'd recognized the humanity in him and fallen in love with him, but he hadn't shown her enough for her to really know him. He had chosen to do many things for her that indicated love, but he was so protective of his feelings that it wasn't until the battle with Lucifer that Cassie really started to believe that he loved her as more than just the mother of his child. Even then he'd done what he'd done for her without tell her or sharing any knowledge of himself with her. It was if he could only do things to show his love but could not just stand still and be in love with her. His reaction to her in bed could be seen as an exception but even then, there was the intensity and lack of control to hide behind.

This was why Cassie could still only see his smooth nature as manipulation. She didn't know where it really came from. She didn't really know the true angel underneath who could be more loving than she could imagine, but was afraid to let himself go.

Cassie walked right up to Azazeal and said, "This is ridiculous. I trust you not to do this thing without talking to me first. So, let's put it aside for now and have some more fun. Okay?"

"Alright," he said cautiously.

"Right, what should we do?"

"Whatever you would like."

Cassie thought to herself and decided that they should breakfast in Paris, so off they went.

As they sat at the café, Cassie noticed a girl sitting by herself as she drank her coffee who seemed to be looking for the person who what supposed to join her. All at once, her eyes brightened as she spotted him and the man walked over and sat down across from her. He put his hat on the table and got the waitress' attention to order a coffee for himself. When the coffee came he deliberately added milk and then sugar to the cup, stirring thoroughly. He then sat back, lit a cigarette and finally looked at the girl. He hadn't said anything to her yet but when he did her face slowly fell. Cassie couldn't hear his words but by the look on the girl's face, Cassie knew he must be leaving her. After quickly draining his coffee and finishing his cigarette, he rose, matter-of-factly put on his hat and strode away.

Cassie couldn't believe what she'd just seen and how cruel it had been. She looked over to Azazeal, who had seen it too, and shock her head.

"How could he do that, just like that?"

"It happens all the time," he said.

"But with such indifference?"

"Perhaps it is better to be left quickly than having it drawn out." Thinking to himself that this was exactly what he'd recently worked himself up to being so afraid of, her coming to him one day and being done with him. It was one of the few things in this world he could not control.

"It just not right," she said.

"So you would never do that?"

She looked at him like he must be joking with her because she hadn't see the expression on his face when he asked the question, "Of course not, besides there's no point in leaving you. You'd just hunt me down and drag me back again."

She'd meant it playfully but he was not in the mood to take it that way and was hurt that she would think he would do that.

"Let's go outside in the field," Sara said to Luke, "I want to show you something."

He looked at her, conflicted.

"I want to be here in case Dad comes back," he said.

"He'll know where you are."

He considered this.

"Yes, but…"

"Don't argue," Sara said and she grabbed his hand and dragged him outside.

Luke hadn't been outside since his father had left, but he had seen him twice. He'd come to visit with him but hadn't said much and looked miserable. Luke had told him that Mom really wanted to see him but Lucifer would conveniently ignore this and would talk only about what Luke had been up to.

Sara took Luke out into the field and said, "Now, look up at the sky, okay?"

"Okay," he said obligingly and did as she asked.

It was a perfectly clear and beautiful day, but all of a sudden it started to cloud up and get colder. As Luke watched the sky, more and more clouds rolled in and he could tell it was going to rain now despite the fact that it had just be a wonderful day. He looked at Sara and she looked proud of herself, so he smiled back. He knew that she was doing this to entertain him because he'd been down lately.

Looking back up at the sad clouds, he was suddenly struck by the thought that his father might not come back to his mother and somehow that idea was more frightening than the fact that he might only rarely see his father himself. His eyes teared up and then he heard a small surprised cry from Sara. He turned to look at her but her eyes were fixed on the sky where the sad clouds had turned into angry ones. Just then the sky opened up and the rain began to pour down on them fiercely. They ran back to the house and were covered in mud by the time they got there. Elizabeth was not amused but she didn't scold them, knowing that Luke had acted out of sadness.

"Can we find her?" Cassie ask randomly one morning.

"Find who?"

"The girl that horrible man dumped?"

"Of course," Azazeal said.

When they found her Cassie stared at her, at her desk at work, still sad and heartbroken. (They were, of course, observing her invisibly.) At the end of the day, they followed her to a bar and Cassie said, "I just want to do something for her, find someone for her."

"Well, there are plenty of men here, she's pretty, she'll find someone," Azazeal responded.

But this wasn't enough for Cassie. She didn't know why this bothered her some much but she couldn't let that girl pine for that man any longer. Uncharacteristically, she said, "Can you make a nice guy here approach her, ask her out, or something?"

"If you like, but like I said she's pretty and she already has admirers."

Cassie did notice that a few were looking at her but she was so down that she was giving off all of the wrong signals. Before she realized it she said, "You can get her to cheer up, I know you can, just get her to perk up a little."

Azazeal smiled amused and slightly wickedly, took a drag on his cigarette and sauntered over to her. Cassie couldn't hear what either of them were saying but it only took a few seconds for the girl to brighten and start flirting with him. Cassie felt a stab of jealousy and then reminded herself that she'd sent him over there. How did he do that, she wondered, be so inexplicably charming. And even though she would generally characterize this as just his manipulation, she started to think maybe there was more to it than that.

As he walked back over to Cassie he was smiling smugly.

"She's very nice, she loves dancing, and I can tell she's got quite a thing for sexy lingerie," he announced.

"How do you know that?"

"I listened to her and women always have a 'thing.' She'll be fine once she gets some attention."

He smiled and gave Cassie the napkin with her phone number. Cassie rolled her eyes, but she looked up there was another guy talking to her and she was just as animated as she'd been with Azazeal. He turned to look back at her and Cassie noticed that he seemed happy to have helped now, rather than proud that he'd manipulated someone.

Elizabeth knew that Lucifer sometimes came to visit Luke but the boy complained that his daddy didn't take him anywhere anymore. She would occasionally call his name but he would still only sadly touch her mind and retreat again. Sara caught her starting to cry once and reassured her that he would be back, but that wasn't what Elizabeth was worried about. She had started to think that maybe she was being foolish, maybe she was being selfish. Technically, someone having complete power over him was exactly what he needed and it would stop all of his evil tendencies. She had to at least consider the possibility that this was necessary.

However, despite the fact that she now believed that it was possible, based on his words and actions, she didn't think she could emotionally handle it. Somehow she knew what he would be like. He would have no spontaneity, no fire, no playfulness, no intensity. He would still love her and desire her, but it would be blind and uninspired. He wouldn't get frustrated with her, irrationally worried about her or overprotective, there would be no need. He wouldn't do those cute things he did when he was trying to get her to let him do something she disapproved off, only to sometimes get distracted by her and forget what it was he'd wanted in the first place. He wouldn't entertain and annoy her by telling her all the good and bad things he'd done that day, because he wouldn't do anything she didn't tell him to do. And she wasn't even sure he'd notice Luke unless she asked him to.

How could she look at him each day and know that this used to be the dynamic man that she'd loved, but he had diminished? How could she deal with the fact that she'd loved him because he had loved her so much and that it was this love that made him willing to become this perfectly obedient servant just to stop himself from the doing things that she hated?

So she would cry herself to sleep and hope it didn't come to that.