And so Cassie and Azazeal found their way to happiness with relatively little drama. Oh, yes, there had been the fights about immortally from both sides ("How dare you make me immortal!" and "How dare you not make me immortal!") and there had been some tension when Azazeal realized how much it hurt not to feel needed, but there had been no time apart, no destructive behavior. The same could not be said for Ella and Malachi.

They weren't actually the most difficult of couples but Ella was an odd combination of fiery playfulness and icy emotions. The initial heat of their relationship and had lent itself to many wild and dangerous, though not really dangerous for them, escapades, some not so gentle fights, and a few periods of separation. One might think that it was Malachi driving all of this fun and conflict, but it was Ella that had some trouble adjusting to a more normal and reasonable lifestyle. Of course, Malachi's nature, inquisitive and daring to a fault, meant that he was not going to be the voice of reason most of the time, but as they spent more time together, they settled down.

Malachi was a very caring friend and lover to Ella throughout everything and probably didn't realize that his attachment to her was based partly on his need to fix her…in a way. She had come into his life, whether she knew it or not, as someone needing help and he had risen to the occasion. They were never really your typical couple but when they were on their own they could be as loving as Cassie and Azazeal.

Azazeal and Cassie were very proud of Malachi because of how much good he did with Ella (this did not escape their notice) and because he continued to be a huge help with the other fallen angels. Malachi and Ella never had children, Ella not being the motherly type, much to Malachi's disappointment. The truth was that Ella didn't want to have "special" children and she felt that she was too damaged to raise a child properly. Malachi tried to convince her otherwise but she wouldn't hear it. At Malachi's urging Azazeal had even spoken with Ella once about their former war with each other, and she appreciated it, but she could never let those experiences go. She didn't blame Azazeal entirely, but she was never easy with him and actually liked Lucifer better. Malachi made her happy, though, and she felt that she didn't need anything more.

Both Ella and Malachi worked for Bryan's company from time to time, with Malachi showing an aptitude for negotiations and Ella being, obviously, a great security consultant. Malachi was happy despite the lack of children and it could never be said that they didn't bring back the best stories from their exploration of this world.

Thelma had, not long after Sara's birth, disappeared from Cassie's life and it wasn't until years later that she found out why. She had been very distressed by it and didn't like to talk about much, but she had eventually been distracted by her life and felt that Thelma deserved to rest and be happy.

However, when Cassie found out that Lucifer had taken upon himself to "assist" Thelma in crossing over, she was livid. He, of course, didn't really see the problem but told her, with a wink, that Elizabeth would make him pay if she wanted…and Cassie could even watch.

"I could skin you alive," she said infuriated further by his amusement with this situation.

"Well, that wouldn't be any fun, now would it?" he said in exasperation, as if this whole conversation were about his naughty nature and not about Thelma's...well, DEATH, and Cassie was spoiling a perfectly good opporunity to combine a little masochism with a little exhibitionism by being too serious about this.

"You really are that selfish, aren't you?" she spat.

Lucifer paused at this. "I don't know," he said realizing just how serious she was and actually looking slightly sorry for what he'd done, but Cassie stormed off.

Afterwards, Cassie had found out that he had went straight to Elizabeth to ask her about it, saying that he could not fix it, so he did not know what he should do. No matter how hard Cassie tried, she couldn't help but forgive him based on this effort to figure out a solution, which was huge progress for him as far as Cassie was concerned. He hadn't really been in control of himself when he'd "helped" Thelma and besides, he hadn't been the one who had killed Thelma in the first place.

After the wedding, Luke played professional soccer for a while in England but then mysteriously disappeared from public life (people would soon have begun to notice his un-ageing body) to join his brother's company. Luke was the creative force and idea generator behind their endeavors, many of them altruistic, and Bryan was the big picture guy, always driving the overall purpose and direction of the business. The brothers were inseparable, even though Bryan was more serious than his imaginative older brother. When it came to their ladies, however, they were quite easily drawn away to more tender pursuits. Sara also worked at the company managed the details, the angels, and the people, when she had the time.

Sara and Luke eventually had two children, Michael and Angela. Sara had wanted one of each and Luke was incapable of denying her what she wanted. They were both wonderfully talented and had some power of their own, but were not inherently immortal. Once they had reached their parent's "age", they both started to age very slowly and lived remarkably long lives, but to their mother's dismay, neither of them took their grandfathers up on the standing offer of immortally. Both of them started families of their own with human mates and were able to see several generations of their progeny lead happy, successful lives, however Michael and Angela both chose to leave this world in the normal way to be with their beloved spouses who had already passed a long time ago. Sara was, naturally, distraught, as was the whole family, but she allowed her father to comfort her with the knowledge that they would all see each other again…eventually.

Bryan and his angelic mate were a match that seemed strange to almost everyone but Lucifer and Luke. They just couldn't understand why he would choose such a low level angel...and a ballet dancer no less, to fall in love with. But Bryan, being so serious and powerful most of the time had the need for simplicity and beauty in his life and she provided that. While Luke and Sara had always wanted children, Bryan and his angel were more focused on each other and were not concerned that they could not have any. Luke understood because he understood this part of his father, who adored children but who had not really had an opinion about having any himself until Elizabeth had wanted them. Bryan had that strange combination of extreme power tempered with devotion that made him surprisingly easy going though fiercely loyal and focused. Luke had, in contrast, inherited the more creative side to his father's power along with his mother's tendency to skip from project to project. Bryan tended to unintentionally rival Azazeal for the position of leader in minds of the other angels because he was so forceful and purposeful, but he had never had any desire to take control and often deferred to Azazeal to make that very point.

The core family ended up being comprised of many generations of increasingly normal "children" springing from Sara and Luke's children, although there were always a few that seemed to naturally find a mate among the remaining unattached fallen angels. Azazeal and Lucifer liked to think of themselves as the primary guardians over the family and were responsible for introducing new members to the full wonders and advantages of the family, so in a way, they were grandfathers many, many times over and the enjoyment they found in this was not lost on Cassie and Elizabeth. Some "children" eventually chose to become immortal but many of those without angelic mates did not. Some parents even preferred that their children not know the full truth behind the family, but of course many of these children ended up finding out anyway. There were of course many other children from the other unions between angels and humans who were also part of the larger family unit and who had their own roles to play and talents to share.

So other than the typical sorrows and tragedies of everyday life, everything would go on generally perfectly ….too perfectly, Azazeal, already had thought several months after the wedding, but that didn't mean he was complaining or that he would let anyone or anything pry this from his fingers.

However, being who he was, he could not help but wonder why this had all worked out so perfectly. Had this always been possible and he and Lucifer, the only ones who had spent much time physically on earth, had just missed it? Had Malachi always been destined to be able to bring this peace as well as the war they had originally wanted? Or had God put all of this together just to stop them from starting their war?

He had many discussions with various angels to get their thoughts on the matter, but it wasn't until Lucifer mentioned to him several years later, dropped casually into a conversation as if it was barely relevant, that he had…felt IT…he had actually felt the divine presence again and it had been inside Elizabeth.

Lucifer wouldn't be specific on how long ago he'd first felt it but Azazeal had a vague idea because he had once noticed Lucifer beaming at Elizabeth like an absolute idiot (who could blame him) not too long ago. Lucifer still had his days were he was too involved in his love for Elizabeth to be of much use on his own, but the look he'd given Elizabeth on that occasion…Azazeal should have known.

"And when exactly were you going to tell me about this?" Azazeal had asked.

"I don't know, old friend. It's…"

But he didn't have to finish his sentence. It was personal, Azazeal knew, each of them would feel it differently, and there was no way for Lucifer to know if any of them would ever find it, but Lucifer was completely convinced that what he had felt had been and was real.

After some thought and two or three tentative attempts and finding it himself, Azazeal actually convened a group of diverse angels to discuss the matter. As this discussion turned to the reason for their fall, it was eventually admitted that each of them had made a choice, even if it was an infinitesimal one, to not do what they had been told to do. Some of them had done more than was asked of them and some had done less, but undeniably they had all made some kind of choice. This realization, however, did not help them in determining why this was reason enough to be thrown out of heaven and what exactly they were supposed to have done then. Obviously, God had not liked their turn to evil, but what had he expected?

When Azazeal talked to Cassie about the strangeness of not really knowing what was going on, she laughed a little and told him that this was how humans lived their whole lives. He had smiled at this and let it run through his thoughts for some time.

Eventually, one afternoon when Azazeal had expertly drawn Cassie away from her work and they moved together sensuously and with the comfortable elegance of familiar lovers…the feeling of the divine suddenly unleashed itself upon him without warning.

His eyes flashed open, as if to get his bearings, and though he saw Cassie, he felt…

Perhaps it was this way because he had been seeking it with much more determination recently but deep down he was scared of finding it. This time he had only been concerned with Cassie and there was no fear.

Cassie, having felt him tense, opened her eyes and looked up at him. Azazeal was doing everything he could to hold himself back, automatic response, probably, to the intensity of what was pulling at him, calling to him. He was not the kind to give up control easily and was always on guard against the unexpected.

Azazeal had casually mentioned Lucifer's experience to Cassie in passing as if she should be informed but to talk about it in great detail would jinx it. So it was not hard for her to recognize the possibility that something similar was happening to him now.

Cassie put her hands to his face, and with a warm smile, told him to ease his alarm, "It's okay. You can't hurt me."

This seemed to be what he needed to hear and with a long, slow moan he let it take him trembling to a place where only awe was possible. And then there he was in an ecstasy of proud and strong love, full of potential, waiting with jubilant anticipation for the knowledge of what might be expected of him, but happy, none the less, just to be with her.

It was amazing and almost, but not quite, embarrassing to feel such intense emotions and angelic ecstasy with Cassie. Azazeal had not really been prepared, despite wanting it, for what it would feel like with a human woman and what it would mean to him. Even with all of the barriers that he'd broken down already, this one had surprised him, but when he had looked at her afterwards, the thought that she had brought it out of him made him smile. There as still a little part of him, however, that did not trust that this would remain a part of his existance.

Later, Azazeal would wonder, as Lucifer had, how much of it Cassie was be able to feel but she was enigmatic in her answers when he asked her about it. She seemed to have felt more that she could express because there was a little twinkle in her eyes when she talked about it, but she just did not have the words to describe it. He was pleased with himself that his love had this effect on her and eventually relaxed in the knowledge that he may feel the divine in her at any time without seeking it.

Many others ended up finding this little piece of heaven as well, and the theory eventually developed that perhaps they had always been intended to find their way back home through these humans.

And in the end they were more right then they knew…

The End

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