A few days later, Azazeal was acting relatively normal again, but while part of him knew that Cassie just didn't understand, most of him had just resigned himself to his situation. Now that the knowledge of what he needed was an unavoidable reality in his mind it was impossible for him not to think of her as being fully aware of his unworthiness and that she was just not ready to forgive it yet. And so he waited, he loved her still, his faults were not her doing, and he didn't want to be anywhere else. He would be here for her, and he would live with the uncertainty, in the hopes that she would eventually find a use for him.

Not really knowing the depth of his sadness, to distract herself from her dilemma with Azazeal, Cassie decided to visit the kids at school one late afternoon once classes were over. It was always amusing to see old friends and have them ask after her and when she was coming back to school, knowing that her second child was now attending school there right now.

Sara had quickly become the most popular girl in school, even though there was the predictable group of girls who pretended to hate her. She was more interested in society, and boys, than in her school work, but she was too smart to get bad grades. She was careful about manipulating people and mostly just used her natural magnetism to have the fun she wanted, but there were occasions where a pushing a teacher just a bit was very lucrative. She and Luke were well known friends and everyone thought that they should get together but they insisted that they were childhood friends and weren't interested in each other.

Luke was king of the school. He was captain of all of the sports teams and by far the best athlete in the school. He was also an outstanding flirt, but was actually much more careful than Sara in his interaction with these young girls. In class, he was generally bored and he hated writing, but whenever there was the opportunity to create something, in art class or for a project, he would always come up with the most amazingly crafted things. He deftly managed the contrast between the jock and the creative genius with a nonchalant humility, which made all of the girls love him even more.

Malachi and Ella had recently relocated themselves back in the area after several months of lord-knows-what in Las Vegas and spent quite of bit of time getting Luke and Sara in trouble. Cassie noted how close her son and Ella were now and was glad for them. Malachi had told her that Ella still had her powers and had not heard from "upstairs" since Raphael had left her alone. He had also told his mother that Ella had had some trouble readjusting to a more normal existence after all of the years of death and pain and intrigue. Cassie was proud when Malachi told her that he was glad to be able to help Ella considering that it was his father than had done much of the damage.

Cassie knocked at Sara's door and conveniently found all four of them there watching a horror movie of some kind that made Cassie glad she would be going home to a angel in her bed.

"How can you guys watch this stuff?"

"Oh, come on mom, don't act all old," Malachi said.

"I've never liked this kind of movie, thank you very much."

"I'll bet porn is your preference," Luke suggested.

"Yeah, probably lots of flesh," Sara jumped in.

"Female flesh," Ella gave Cassie a knowing look.

"You've got something more along those lines, don't you, Sara." Malachi said.

"Hey, no ganging up on me," Cassie laughed, "And besides, porn is so not necessary if you have any kind of imagination," she tried to say as seriously as she could manage with a big smile on her face.

"I like how you think!" Luke said.

Just then Malachi got a phone call on his cell phone and he left, saying that he would be back soon. When he did come back he was counting money in his hand and then after a brief glance at his mother, he folded it and put it in his pocket.

"What's that?" Cassie asked, not being able to help herself.

"Money."

"Where did it come from?" she tried to ask casually.

He smiled, seeming to consider how he should answer, and then said, "I just sold some pot to the guys down the hall."

Cassie leaped to her feet, "You did what?"

"You heard me."

"You can do that."

"Actually, I can and it's quite a good little business."

"Malachi, all of you can do what you like, but those guys…they could get really messed up."

"It's just pot!" Malachi said, looking to Luke, Sara, and Ella for support but none of them were willing back him up, as none of them had known that his little drug supply was not just for them.

Cassie considered for the briefest of moments saying that she was going to tell Azazael and then laughed at herself not only because Azazeal wouldn't care but also because if he did say something to Malachi it would be for her and it would be such a typical mother/father thing.

"Look, I don't want you to be the school's drug supplier, okay, and I don't care that they'll get it somewhere else or that is 'just' anything."

"Fine," he said as indifferently as he could but it still sounded like a son after being scolded by his mother.

Sara had managed to secure an appointment with Lucifer to learn some deviant things. She had made him promise not to bring or tell Luke which he agreed to with an amused smile, saying that he suspected Luke would figure this out for himself. Sara arrived at their home in California and Elizabeth said that she didn't want to know what they were going to be up to so that she didn't have to lie to anyone, but she was smiling as she said this. When Lucifer and Sara arrived at a wonderfully seedy sex club, an appreciative smile spread across Sara's face. She was going to learn a lot here.

"Alright," Lucifer started, "it's really very simple."

"Of course," Sara said with smile and a shrug, making fun of how easy he always made everything sound.

"Take him for example," and he pointed out a normal looking young man talking to a woman dressed completely in shiny leather. He looked like a cocky ladies man and very out of place but he was obviously here for a reason. "What do you think he wants?"

"I don't know, maybe he wants to be dominated."
"Are you going to participate or just guess? You need to focus your thoughts and get into his head."

Sara rolled her eyes but did what he suggested. When the images came to her, she inhaled sharply in surprise and turned to Lucifer, her eyes wide.

"You see, it's much more specific isn't it? You have the capability of knowing exactly what your prey wants and being able to give it to them in perfect, graphic detail. Fun, huh?"

Her shock turned to delight and she tried a few more.

"Now, all you have to do is get some practice because knowing is different than doing, but at least you have their fantasy to guide you. Go and wreak some havoc! But remember there is something to be said for a slow build up."

Sara happily went off to carefully experiment, there were rooms for such things, with Lucifer watching over her more closely than she realized. He was quite impressed with her progress, but when she came back to collect him as he flirted with a small group of devotees who were all into very different kinds of bizarre things, he said only, "Be careful how you use this. Not everyone is ready to have their deepest desire given to them."

He took her home and Sara went off to bed with the impression that Lucifer was soon to be in trouble for unceremoniously waking Elizabeth with ideas of doing some unconventionally things. But when Lucifer slipped into bed next to Elizabeth, he only nuzzled at her neck to wake her and let her know he was home.

"Ah oh, I'm in for it now," Elizabeth said.

"Mmm, I have been reminded of all sorts of deliciously nasty things I should do to you. But where to start…where to start."

"Be gentle," she pleaded playfully.

"I'm afraid that's not part of anything I have planned for you," he replied wickedly. When she kissed him, she knew that while he might not be gentle, he would not hurt her. He loved to threaten but had never followed through on anything that put him in a position of absolute physical dominance over her, although he could get rough, and he was not interested in inflicting any real pain. Tonight, she was intrigued to find that when it came to his own body, he didn't want the slightest bit of control and once she had been pleased, he gave himself over to her completely, kissing her hands as she tied his wrists tightly to the bedposts…

(Now that's hot! Sorry, returning to writer mode.)

"What's wrong with him?" Ramiel whispered to Araqiel as they waited for Azazeal to give them their orders.

"I think he's depressed," Araqiel said helpfully with an assuring nod after a moments thought.

"Yes, but why?"

"I'll ask him…," but Ramiel quickly grabbed him.

"Let's just leave it alone shall we."

"But…"

"We'll go to Lucifer. I'm not willing to get into trouble and we'll never get anything done while he's like this."

"You've certainly done a number on him, haven't you?" Lucifer hissed angrily behind Cassie and she jumped forward away from him in surprise. He'd snuck up on her, as he often did, but he was truly angry this time, not just playing.

He had learned from Sara, Araqiel and Ramiel that there was a problem between Cassie and Azazeal and he had taken in upon himself to get involved. When he'd seen Azazeal he knew immediately that the fool had finally admitted to himself that he was lost and needed more than her love. Azazeal was now in a downward spiral of self-effacing despair, because she hadn't caught on yet and he felt that asking was not his place because he was so undeserving. Predictable! And now Lucifer had to pick up the pieces.

"Lucifer, I truly don't know what I've done… I…"

Lucifer's expression softened but he was still annoyed.

"I suppose he's not as blatant as I am but he's still an angel and you've helped everyone but him."

"But…"

"Your love is not enough," Lucifer interrupted, "As sweet as that would be."

"What does he need?" She asked after a pause.

Normally, Lucifer would have admonished her for this question, but getting to the point he just snapped, "He could probably bring about peace in the Middle East, that's how good he is with you humans." But then more evenly, "But really he just wants to be of use to you. It's really very simple."

She thought about this and she began to realize that she'd been a bit foolish in not wondering what Azazael would need, but part of her suspected that she wasn't wrong that this need had really become pressing only more recently. They had had a lot to distract them in the initial months of their relationship.

"And I will also tell you this so that he doesn't have to," Lucifer continued, "He needs to know that you will not leave him, even if he makes a mistake, and that if you run out of ideas, it doesn't mean…what he thinks it does." And with that Lucifer left her.