Uriel's heart sang with joy as Pestilence held her close to himself. For a moment she simply enjoyed the closeness, then set her head on his chest to be even closer to him. His hand was still caressing her hair. Once again she imagined that he was truly aware of who she was and still did this, that this caring, almost -- dare she even think it? -- yes, almost loving attention he was paying to her was directed at the angel Uriel and not just a random woman he'd met in a bar. Of course, she knew her dreams were futile, but that didn't stop her from dreaming.

"Oh, yes, I will," she replied, smiling tiredly. For one thing, she felt so very exhausted right now that she might actually fall asleep -- the combination of sex and the weak Presence was wearing her out. For another thing, she wanted to have the luxury of lying beside Pestilence for the whole night without having to fear the consequences at least once. In the Manor they had stayed in each other's beds a couple of times, but it had always been with the fear that they might be discovered, and usually the guesting party had left before dawn to avoid discovery. Here, however, she needn't worry. Nobody was going to find her here.

Even if it was the only time in her existence that she did so, she could, for once, fall asleep in her beloved's arms.