Looking at her beautiful face, 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 along, remembering the last seven years, letting his memories carry him along with them as they floated through the timeshift in his mind

Angel was woken from his dream by her fingernails digging deep into the palm of his hand. oh my god what is she doing to me! he thought as he gritted his teeth and sat up. She was panting through the contraction, her forehead furrowed with concentration. He tried to ask "Can I"

"Shhhh!" she hissed at him. Angel cowered in his chair. Is this what women in labour are normally like? he thought. He closed his eyes and tried to think of something other than the deep penetrating stabbing pain in his hand. Finally she relaxed her grip on him and he retrieved his hand and rubbed at the four crescent shaped dents on his palm. "I'm sorry. That was a bad one. I didn't want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful asleep." she said. He smiled at her and reached over and lifted a wayward strand of hair from her face. "I do wish I could help you. But I don't know what to do!"

Temperance smiled and reached over and pulled his injured hand to her lips and kissed each of the wounds she had made. "Your poor hand" she pulled a sad face at him and he started to grin and then chuckle. "Just warn me next time you are going to impale me." he responded. "Was it like this the first time?" he added, concern in his voice. Temperance nodded, then frowned "I think so. I can't really remember. There was a lot going on you remember" she said referring to the war that was reigning around them at the time the twins were born. "It was very quick last time, that's what I do remember. But I also didn't have anyone with me." She kissed his hand again "It's much better this time." she added. "I have you" smiling brightly at him.

He lay his hand across her tummy "Your belly is so hard! Is that normal?" he asked. "It's quite normal Mr. Booth. The contractions are working the muscles, tightening them to push the baby downwards" a nurse interjected as she stepped up to the bed. She wrapped a cuff around Temperance's upper arm and turned on a machine. "Just checking your blood pressure" she said. "Could you please sit up?" She then attached a strap around Temperance's body, adjusting it so it sat around her belly.

"What's that for?" Angel asked. The nurse looked at him "Didn't they use a foetal monitor when your other twins were born?" she asked. Angel blushed and looked at Temperance, who answered "Unfortunately my husband was away on business when I went into labour. He missed their birth. So this is his first time." She grabbed Angels hand and smiled at him and said "He's very excited, and I'm very happy he's with me." The nurse nodded "Ah. That explains the deer in the headlights look." she laughed. Temperance laughed with her and Angel blushed again.

She adjusted the strap and then attached the cord to another machine and turned the dials. Soon a strange whooshing sound filled the room. She put a stethoscope in her ears and listened to Temperance's stomach, moving it around until she found the heartbeats. She listened intently while watching a small pocket watch she had attached to her uniform. She stood up and smiled "Everything is coming along well. Babies hearts are strong and they seem well positioned. How are the contractions going Mrs. Booth?" she asked. Temperance smiled "Well the last one was" she gripped the sides of the bed and threw her head back "not as bad as this one!" she hissed through gritted teeth. Angel kept his hand out of her grasp and tried to rub her shoulder "Don't do that!" she grunted at him and glared at him with eyes that reminded him of a demon he once slew.

He withdrew his hand and looked up at the nurse who was smirking at him "You really haven't done this before have you?" she said. Angel shrugged "It seems that nothing I do is right!" he said worriedly. "I assure you, you are not the first husband to be verbally assaulted by their wife during labour. The trick is to know when to touch her and when not to." the nurse said. Angels face screwed up "How do I know that?". The nurse laughed "I'm afraid I can't help you there. Every woman is different, you just have to work it out. Sorry." she added when she saw his crestfallen face.

"Hello. Woman in labour here." Temperance interrupted their conversation, her contraction over. Angel quickly leaned in and kissed her forehead. "What can I do for you that won't make you bite my head off or impale me with your fingernails?" he asked. She shook her head and looked at him with a crestfallen expression "I'm sorry. I can't control it. Things just sort of pop out of my mouth." she said, her hands gesturing something blurting out of her mouth. He smiled, unable to resist her gorgeous blue eyes. Leaning in, he kissed her on the lips "Is this OK?" he asked. She smiled and kissed him back "For now, yes." she joked.

The nurse straightened the sheets, plumped Temperance's pillows for her and smiled. "Well there's nothing I can do for you right now. We've called your obstetrician. In the meantime our attending doctor will be in to check your progress. You are doing very well Mrs. Booth. You too Mr. Booth." as she patted Angel on the shoulder and walked over to the door. Angel jumped up and ran after her, catching up with her just outside the room. "Nurse! Are you sure she's OK. The babies?" he asked, his face full of concern. "I'm absolutely sure. You just need to be there for her. Do you remember what you learned in your pre-natal classes?" Angels face blanched. "uhh, we didn't go to any. Temperance has done this before, so she didn't see the necessity" he said. The nurse smirked and patted him on the arm "Well you are in for an interesting time then!" and walked off down the corridor leaving him standing in the middle of the corridor.

He felt panic start to rise. "Angel!" Temperance called. He ran back to her bedside as she was leaning back hard into her pillows, her fingers wringing the sheets into balls in her hands. He reached over to lift her hair from her face when she turned and shrieked "Don't touch me!" her eyes bulging from her face, spittle flying from her mouth. Good lord she looks like Lilith! he thought, reminded of a demon he once crossed paths with, then brushed it aside feeling guilty about comparing the woman he loved to a clawfooted winged demon that was part snake. He sat to the side of the bed wringing his hands, unable to calm until her contraction subsided.

"Temperance, please. I don't know what to do!" he said, the concern in his voice raising its pitch. "It's OK. I know I'm being weird, it's just that the contractions are so much worse than I remember. I'm sorry Angel, I don't mean it" she said reaching out and stroking his face. "Pain medication. You need it." Angel stood up, but she reached out and grabbed the back of his jeans. "NO! No pain meds. I'm going to do this Angel. I just have to let my feelings go when I'm at the peak of the contraction. I'm getting close. I can feel it." Another contraction rocked her body, this time Angel grabbed her by the arms and supported her while she arched back into the bed. "Much better" she said "Angel I need to push. You better find the doctor or you are going to have to deliver these babies. Go NOW!" she cried as another contraction gripped her "I'm pushing!" she yelled as he ran into the corridor yelling "Doctor! I need a doctor!"

"Now, deep breath and bear down hard as you can Mrs Booth" the doctor was between her legs, one hand on her stomach pressing down hard to help her contraction push baby number one out. Temperance's face was beetroot coloured as she grunted and bore down. Angel was hovering somewhere between her knees and her chest, not really knowing where to look. Finally the doctor called to him "Mr. Booth, baby number one is crowning, would you like to see?" Angel leaned over to see firstly an odd shock of reddish golden hair bulging out of his wife and a lot of blood. That was all he saw before he crashed to the floor.

Angel opened his eyes and looked around. Nurses were hovering over something and the doctor was still between Temperance's legs. "Ah. Mr. Booth, you've rejoined us just in time for baby number two's arrival!" Angel sat up and squeamishly crawled towards the bed, using the rails to pull himself up. He stood and looked straight into the eyes of his wife, who burst out laughing. "Oh Angel, you never fail to faint at the most inappropriate times!"

Her attention was pulled from him by one final contraction, and the doctor urging her to push as hard as she could. Angel held back for a moment before working up the courage to head down to watch what was happening. He leaned over eyes closed and opened them just in time to watch his new son slither from his mother's body amidst a rush of fluid and blood and some other weird looking stuff that clung to his little blue body. he's blue? "Why is he blue? Is he OK? Shouldn't he be screaming or something?" the questions blurting from his mouth, his eyes wide and worried. The doctor ignored him, cutting the umbilical cord and handing the limp little body to the nurse who quickly turned her back on him and took the baby to the bench on the side of the room. Angel followed, craning his neck to see what was going on. His heart was in his throat as he watched her syringe the baby's mouth and nose. She turned him over and started rubbing his back rapidly, his tiny limbs flailing about.

Angels mind was racing. he's not breathing! Oh My God he's not breathing! Suddenly a mew like a tiny kitten emerged from the baby's mouth, then louder. His tiny body was shuddering and shivering. The nurse smiled "That's our little man. Well done" and quickly wrapped him in a heated blanket and turned and smiled at Angel. "Your son Mr Booth" and held him out to him. Angel hesitated, then reached out and took the tiny baby gently in his hands, cuddling him close to his chest. He looked down at the tiny squashed face and the clump of reddish golden hair that he had seen on the first baby.

The first baby! He looked around to see a nurse handing another tiny bundle to Temperance who was grinning, and crying. He walked over to her, treading so carefully as if any movement might hurt the baby he was carrying and looked at the bundle she was holding. "What?" he said, as she unwrapped the blanket and showed Angel. "A girl? We have a boy and a girl?" he said with wonderment. She nodded and wrapped the baby up again. "Another boy and girl Angel! They're perfect!" she lifted the baby up and kissed her gently on her tiny head.

Angel held his son out for her to kiss as well. "I can't believe it. I am a father. I have boy and a girl!" He suddenly felt guilt wash over him and looked at Temperance "I mean, I know I'm already a father". Temperance smiled sadly "Don't apologise. I know what you mean, and it's alright. You have a right to be happy, you have created two beautiful babies and now we have four beautiful children together." He smiled at her, the love for this woman practically bursting out of his chest. I have a son and a daughter of my own Mam he whispered to his mother.

He sat down next to Temperance and leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You did so well honey. I'm so sorry I messed up by fainting." She laughed "Well, I'm kind of used to you bailing on me when things get messy. But you recovered just in time to see your son being born. At least you didn't miss him too!" Angel placed his son on her lap alongside of his sister. They looked down at the two babies. Two tiny scrunched up faces topped with bright reddish golden hair, four tiny little hands with perfectly formed little fingers poking up out of their blankets. They opened their eyes at the same time and stared up at their parents. One with dark eyes one with lighter ones. "One blue eyed and one brown eyed? Just like Seeley and Cordy!" Angel exclaimed. "Well it's hard to say for sure Angel, their eyes may change over the next few months, but it does look that way. Except, it's our little boy who has the dark eyes and the girl who has the lighter ones this time!"

They looked at each other with amazement and then stared back down at their two little miracles who both opened their tiny mouths and mewled at the same time. "I guess that means their hungry?" Angel said smiling down at their tiny, strange little faces. "They're sort of wrinkled, aren't they?" he said stroking his daughters face. She turned her head and latched onto his finger sucking strongly. He grinned and turned to see Temperance smiling and crying again. "They're beautiful and perfect, and yes, they are still a bit wrinkled. They'll smooth out soon. You didn't see how crumpled Seeley and Cordy were! I think you're right. Definitely dinner time."

I think I'll feed him first, she seems quite happy sucking on your finger for now." She picked up her tiny baby, dropped her gown and held her son up to her breast. He nuzzled around for a moment before latching firmly onto her nipple and started sucking noisily. Angel watched with amazement. "How do they know what to do?" he said. She smiled, "Instinct. Nourishment is an ingrained instinct. Granted, some babies do have trouble the first time. But Seeley and Cordy were fine. Seems like these two will be as well. Makes feeding much easier."

Angel lifted his daughter, making sure not to pull his finger from her mouth and sad down next to the bed watching his son suckle contentedly upon his mothers breast. He felt an overwhelming pull in his chest, instant, unconditional love for these two tiny people he had helped create. "We need to give them names. I can't believe we haven't even talked about it!" he said. Temperance looked over at him "Well I sort of have been thinking about it.

I'd really like to call him Max, after Dad." Angel nodded "Absolutely, that's perfect". He looked down at his daughter, "What to call you, princess?" he said thoughtfully. Temperance spoke up through his thoughts "Kathy" she said. He looked up surprised. "After your sister. I know you loved her dearly, despite what you. what happened" she faltered, "Well. I know you loved her. What do you think?" she asked him, watching the shadow cross his face, then lift. He smiled widely "Kathy." he tried the name out. He looked at his little girl and said "Hello Kathy. My little Kat." He looked up at Temperance the smile even wider. "Perfect. These are the perfect names for them. Max and Kathy Booth. I love you, you amazing wife of mine." he said softly. "I know" she replied.