"It won't be long now Temperance. I wish I could do this for you. If I could just, " She patted his hand, another wave of pain gripping her and sending her to a place where no one could follow. Her head bent down low, her breathing laboured and hard. Her face is bright red, her teeth biting into her bottom lip. Her fingers digging deep into the palm of his hand. It's a pain he takes gladly for her. It's all he can do.

Finally it passes. She lifts her head and gazes into the dark brown eyes, so full of concern, inches from her own sparkling cornflower blue, weary now, the bruises under them dark. "It's over" she smiles wearily. "That was a bad one, wasn't it?" he asks, his voice cracking with emotion. "Yes, but I'm fine now. Don't look so scared. It's perfectly normal. I have done this before don't forget" she says with a smile.

Angel leans in close and rests his forehead against Temperance's. "I know, but I wasn't there to see it, and it's hard to watch you in so much pain. I want to take it for you." He says. She laughs "Just what every woman in labour wants to hear, and would gladly give away I'm sure. It's a perfectly normal bodily function Angel. I'm going to be fine, and it will be over soon" Temperance responds, I hope she thinks to herself. She lays back against the pillows that he has freshly fluffed for her. "Thanks, that's better." she smiles at him. Angel adjusts his position next to her, leaning close to her, wanting to lay next to her, but knowing that the hard faced nurse on the other side of the room would send him packing if he tried.

He sits quietly, watching her beautiful face relax, he senses her breathing has slowed, become more rhythmical, she has fallen asleep for the moment. He lays his head on her pillow, next to hers. He closes his eyes, just for a moment. This day was one he never thought would come. It was the culmination of a series of events that had rocked his very existence and changed his life forever. He lets himself drift, trying to remember the last few years,

back

back in time he floated

the years flashing past his eyes so fast he can't make out anything

and there he was, back at that day

Angel and Booth were preparing for the fight of their life. Angel had been right when he had told Booth and Brennan that trouble was coming. He had no idea how bad it was really going to be. He had tried to make Booth take Brennan and leave Washington. But Booth, being Booth, would have none of it. He had insisted that his place was by Angel's side. They were linked, just as Angel had told them, bonded through time, conjoined at their very core. How could he leave when Angel needed him most. And so he stayed.

Wolfram & Hart had been tracking Angel for years. He had always suspected. No, known it. The few years he and Cordy had enjoyed in Washington without the feeling of being watched were wonderful. They had lived like relatively normal human beings. Well, as normally as a higher being and a vampire could, anyway.

Then they had met Brennan and Booth. Their worlds had been turned upside down, their lives shaken. The whole Shanshu prophecy had raised its head again, and they had finally found the meaning of it. Booth was the key. Angel and he had forged a strong friendship. Well, eventually. The beginning was strained. Booth was a man of facts. Of truth. Of reality. Of black and white, good and bad. The whole idea that Angel even existed was so far outside his realm of normal, well, let's just say that Booth struggled. But, their bond eventually overtook all the disbelief, suspicion and the fear. They had realised that they were two halves of one being, born hundreds of years apart, destined to stand shoulder to shoulder.

Angel had been drawn to Temperance from the moment he had met her. He loved Cordy, with all his heart. She had been his world, fought with him, cared for him, protected him, championed him. But Temperance was something else. She grabbed at the core of him. There was no denying there was some deep connection between them. It was the way she looked at him, into him. Like she saw who he was, and not what he had been. He had fallen in love with Temperance. It was as natural as breathing, well if he was human and could breathe.

He never spoke of his true feelings for Temperance to her, or to Cordy. It would have hurt her too much. And he would never do anything to hurt that wonderful girl. Cordelia Chase was his day and his night, his sunshine. She was the one person who had always made him smile. Her absurd cooking ideas, the way she always tried to spice his blood, the terrible coffee, the fierceness in her eyes when she was angry, the pure abandonment of her when they made love. Yes, Cordelia Chase was everything to him. But Temperance Brennan?, she was his soul mate.

The months had slipped by relatively uneventfully. Cordy had continued to make terrible coffee, Angel had continued to drink it, slipping off occasionally to visit Booth & Temperance, for their company, and for a good coffee. Booth had continued to struggle with some aspects of Angels mortality. But they had slowly forged a friendship. They realised that they truly were connected. Their sensibilities, their moral codes, their determination to right wrongs, and help those that needed it, bonded them.

Temperance's pregnancy progressed uneventfully. Booth was the doting father to be. She continued working at the Jeffersonian, much to Booth's objections. He thought she should be taking it easy. She was heavy with the twins, but that never stopped, nor slowed her down. She had tried going into the field a few times, but Booth had put his rather large sized foot down firmly. He enlisted Caroline and Cam's help to keep her in the lab. She would be fired if she tried to follow Booth out on investigations, Cam had threatened. This did not go down too well with her. She missed the excitement of the chase, the closeness she and Booth had when on stakeouts, the thrill she got when they cracked a case. Now she was stuck back in the lab, identifying bones, injuries, dictating reports. She got bored, but she knew that this was completely out of her control. Caroline had also made herself very clear. And one did not argue with Caroline.

Angel and Cordelia, Booth and Temperance were close. They shared a secret that was theirs alone and it forged a friendship, a bond that was unbreakable. Until that day.

The day was dark. Not like your normal dull stormy dark. This was different. It was heavy, dense. It felt like it was closing in around them. Like someone had thrown a thick blanket around them, trying to smother them.

The sun had been trapped behind a large bank of black clouds that threatened to break open. The rain came eventually, just as the day was ending. Angel had been sitting at his desk following up on a small job he had been working on. Cordelia was upstairs preparing dinner. He could faintly hear her singing off key. He smiled and closed his eyes for a moment, listening to her muddling up the lyrics as she always did. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck bristled. He was not alone. He opened his eyes and there he was. Lindsey McDonald.

Angel leaned back in his chair and smirked "I've been here five years, and you only just decide to visit?". he said, trying to keep his voice light. He folded his hands across his chest and tilted his head to the side, still smirking at Lindsay, who did not fail to recognise the look in Angels eye.

"You think we didn't know where you were all this time? Come on Angel. You know Wolfram & Hart better than that. We were just, biding our time. Waiting to see what sort of life you carved out for yourself here. I must say, you've done a great job. New business, new friends" Lindsey sneered at him. He slowly approached the desk and walked around it, dragging his hand along its edge, until he rounded the corner and stood over Angel. He leaned down and whispered in his ear "You were never safe Angel".

Angel spun around in his chair and stood up, forcing Lindsey to take a step backwards. They stood facing each other, Angel pushed his face into Lindsey's', his eyes like pieces of flint, his brow down low over them "I have never for a minute thought I was safe Lindsay. I'm not that stupid" He took a step and pushed Lindsey out of his way as he walked around the desk and into the centre of the room. He turned and faced the man that had slinked into his office. He stood still, arms folded across his chest, head tilted slightly, staring at Lindsay, but not speaking. A muscle in his cheek, twitching slightly.

"What?" Lindsey said suddenly "You just gonna stand there with that stupid smirk on your face like always? Come on Angel, tell me what you really think. Tell me you are happy to see me" Lindsey chuckled "Cos I know you must be". He followed Angel into the centre of the room, looked around critically. "I see you still live in the 1800's" he commented gesturing to the eclectic mix of artefacts and antique furniture Angel had on display in the room. Sarcasm dripping from his tongue. He turned his attention back to Angel "So how is the lovely Cordelia? Still delectable I trust? I caught sight of her when she came back you know. Yummy"

Angel dropped his hands to his side, his fists clenched tightly, and took a step forwards "You can stop right there Lindsey. Not another word about Cordelia. What the hell do you want? What message have the great Wolfram & Hart asked their errand boy to deliver?" he growled at Lindsay. Lindsay smirked "Don't be so presumptuous Angel. I've moved up in the great big world we call W&H. I'm sitting at the top of the heap now. Sure, I climbed over a few, knocked a few down. But it was all for the greater good. Mine." He smiled at Angel, but his eyes remained steely.

"OK, let's cut the small talk. I don't really care about your amazing rise to fame" Angel said sarcastically waving his hands in the air. "Get to the point. What. Do. You. Want?" clipping each word.

Lindsey smiled and turned his back on Angel, walking over to the window and throwing open the heavy curtains. He laughed, "Still hiding in the dark Angel. How it must irk you that the real people live in the light and you" he turned and flicked a glance at Angel, then turned back to the window "You live in your man made bat cave, hiding the dark. This is a nice little neighbourhood. Do your neighbours have any clue about you? At all?" he asked, still staring out the window.

Suddenly the room was lit up by a blinding flash of lightening. "Ah. That's what I've been waiting for!" Lindsey turned and faced Angel once more. The Storm is coming Angel, and this time, there will be no shelter from it. You, Cordelia. Your new friends. Wolfram & Hart will finally get their man, so to speak. And this" he gestured around himself vaguely "this farce will be no more."

Angel had not moved from his position in the centre of the office. He frowned at the reference to his new friends. He did not want Booth and Temperance involved. He had to try to find out what Lindsey meant. "You keep referring to my new friends. Any chance you might explain what you actually mean? You know me Lindsay, I don't do friends." he said. Lindsey chuckled. "Nice try Angel. We know all about that FBI guy. Must have been a shock meeting him. Personally I find it quite repulsive. Another face like that in the world? eeesh" Lindsey gestured at Angel and feigned a shiver.

"We are extremely interested in what this doppleganger represents. Why he exists. What your connection to him means to the prophecy" Angels face reluctantly showed the slightest reaction to the mention of the prophecy. Lindsey picked up on it "Oh! You thought maybe we didn't know about that? You must be delusional Angel." He quickly strode up and stood inches from Angel, staring directly into his eyes "We know about it all. We always have done. It was just a matter of time, until you actually found him. And thanks to you, now we have found him too."

Angel reacted like lightning, grabbing Lindsays shirt pulling him off his feet and suspending him inches off the ground, grinding his nose against Lindsay's, staring directly into his eyes. "Make no mistake Lindsay, nothing will happen to Booth. NOTHING. But you? You I can't guarantee. You have been an irritation under my skin for years. I thought I had gotten rid of you. Eradicated you. But no, you just had to come back and start that itch again, didn't you. I could end it right now. Snap your neck before you had a chance to even recognise it was coming. But you know what? I'm not going to. You go back to your bosses and you tell them that if they want me? They can man up and come and get me. Stop sending their little errand boy to deliver their message."

He threw Lindsey backwards with so much force he hit the window and the sound of it cracking then shattering filled the room. Lindsey slumped to the floor, blood running down the back of his head, into the collar of his shirt. He sat on the floor, shocked for a moment. He collected himself and stood up, straightened his shirt and jacket, ignoring the blood on his hands. "OK then. I guess I shall make my leave. But make no mistake. I will be back, and I will be bringing some old friends with me. There are a lot of people who will want to see the fall of the great Angel." He smiled and nodded "A LOT of people." He walked past Angel, who was standing with his fists balled, holding back the urge to grab Lindsey and finish him right now. Lindsey left the office without saying another word. He simply strolled out the door and called up the stairs "I'll be seeing you soon Cordelia!" and then left.

A few minutes later Cordy appeared at the door of the office. "Did I hear someone call my name?" she asked. Angel was still standing, his back to her. She stepped into the room and looked around. She felt the evening breeze hit her face and ruffle her hair "Why is the window op-" she suddenly realised that it was not open, but broken. Shards of glass on the floor, the curtains caught up and blowing outside in the wind and rain. She quickly ran over to Angel, gently placing one hand on his back and carefully stepping around to see his face. "Angel?" she whispered.

His eyes were closed. Tears were coursing down his face. "Angel! Honey? What's wrong?" She reached up and cupped his face between her hands "Angel, please look at me! I don't understand! Are you hurt?" She let go of his face and wrapped her arms tightly around him pulling him close and pressing herself against his chest. "Please tell me what's happening. I'm scared Angel. Please?" She was crying now too. She had not seen him like this for a very long time. She clung to him until finally he unballed his hands and wrapped his arms around her, his hands pressing into her flesh. His lips pressing into her hair. His tears falling onto her head. They stood like that for what seemed like hours.

Finally Angel released her and stepped back. "I'm OK now Cordy. I'm sorry I scared you. Everything is fine. I had a visitor, an unwelcome one." he said. Cordy stared up at him "Who? What happened to the window. Oh my god Angel are you hurt?" She started looked over him trying to find signs of injury. He grabbed her hands "I'm fine Cordy, honest. It was Lindsay. Wolfram & Hart sent him. It seems they know all about Booth and me. He told me that they were coming back for us." He let go of Cordy and walked over to the desk, rummaging through the papers. Then ran across the room to the weapons cabinet. He pushed a button inside the framework and the entire cupboard swung away from the wall.

Cordys eyes were like saucers. She had not seen him open this since they moved to Washington. It was where he kept his most deadly weapons. Items that were mystical, magical and dangerous. "Angel, what are you going to do? Do we have to move again? What about Booth and Brennan?" her voice had reached a pitch that revealed her fear. Angel stood looking at the contents of this hidden vault. "It's going to be bad Cordy. I think we need to get them to leave Washington. I have to keep them safe.

"The babies." He turned his anguished face to her. "They cannot get the babies!"