Okay, I'd like to thank all of my readers for waiting so long for this update.

You are really great!

To make up for my previous lack of an update, I made this chapter longer than normal.

I'd like to note that I've skipped ahead in time to a little over a year after Steve and Angel got married. I had terrible writers block on filling the time between, so I skipped it.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Steve sulked as he sat outside on the porch. When Angel had announced she was pregnant eight months ago, he had been ecstatic. They had both been thrilled to be adding a new member to "their" family. They were still thrilled, but Steve was not what one would call happy.

Today they had discussed names for their first child. The ultrasound had shown that it would be a boy. They had talked about names in the past, but today they had decided to do it in earnest. It had not gone well.

The only name that Steve liked was Mark. Somehow it had just gotten stuck in his brain as the best. Angel didn't like it.

"Don't you think it's a bit plain? I mean, it is a nice name, but the last person named Mark that I knew had to have been the most boring person in the world." She'd said.

"Mark is a fine name. It's good, sturdy and other kids won't pick on him about it." Steve had rejoined.

"I appreciate the name, but this is our son we're talking about. He should have a special name. Besides, children always find a way to pick on each other."

"Mark is a special name, and you shouldn't be biased to it just because you met a boring guy."

"He was a pimply faced janitor that kept hitting on me all the way through med school."

"Well, that doesn't make him boring to me." Steve retorted.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that you're being hormonal and overly emotional." Steve snapped back.

Steve rubbed the bridge of his nose. For a woman so very pregnant, Angel had chased him out of the room with surprising dexterity before she slammed the door shut and soundly locked it.

He really shouldn't have made that last remark. He didn't even know why it was so important to him. He just knew that he wanted his son to be 'Mark.' He growled as he scuffed the toe of his boot in the gravel as he began to walk around the grounds.

Almost absently, he noticed that the path was not quite as level as it had been when he was the groundskeeper. Belatedly, that led his mind to the fact that he didn't really have a job. Since he'd been fired for marrying the 'Boss' Daughter,' he had spent his time volunteering at the local shelter, but it didn't quite scratch the itch that he had to be active.

Then, of course, there was the fact that Angel's father only half accepted him. According to Angel, this was a very fast improvement on her father's part. This apparently translated into the idea that, her father was actually trying to accept her choice in a husband. Her mother, on the other hand, had sent a card when she got the wedding announcement and a telegram when Angel announced her pregnancy.

As much as Steve disliked his father-in-law, at least Mr. Thronson had actually had a reaction to his daughter's marriage that reflected concern for her well being. Angel's mother gave the impression her daughter was a little above a telemarketer.

He sighed; he seemed to have a plethora of depressing subjects to think on. He might as well start brooding on his lack of memory and make the day complete.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Jesse Travis sighed as he plopped down on his couch. Groaning, he reached down to untie his shoes. He swore the shift's he did at Bob's were actually worse than working the ER. An annoying trilling noise broke through the half asleep doctor's senses. His body picked up on the fact that it was the phone and began to move towards it a few seconds before his brain actually notified him of that fact.

"Hello?" Jesse's tired voice asked.

"Hi, Jess." Amanda's irritatingly perky voice responded.

Jesse frowned. He needed sleep. He would never think of Amanda that way if he wasn't already irritated.

"What is it you want?"

"Oh, I was just calling to make sure you remembered to bring something for show-and-tell tomorrow."

"Show-and-Tell?" Jesse's voice conveyed that he was completely lost.

"Yes. You remember Mark's little project for the sick kids? The one where all the nice doctors bring in something special and talk about it?"

"Oh, yeah. Ummm, it's my turn tomorrow?"

"Yes, it is. You know, Mark didn't think I would have to call you. He said something about you being a mature adult. I told him that any man that owns pajamas with a yellow cartoon sponge on them is not 'mature'."

"Thanks Amanda. Oh, by the way, Sponge Bob is very sophisticated."

"Whatever you say, Jesse."

"Goodnight, Amanda."

" 'Night Jesse."

Jesse hung up the phone and sighed. Resolutely, he stalked over to his closet. He had to find something meaningful and somehow he didn't think the kids would appreciate him bringing in the doctor's lounge coffee pot.

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Steve sighed as her drove the car into town. Angel sat beside him not talking. Things had been tense since the night before. She had barely said goodnight and good morning to him. Now, he was driving her in for her hair appointment. Being pregnant made it uncomfortable to drive, so Steve volunteered to drive her. Normally, it was a much more pleasant drive.

After dropping her off at the salon, he wandered down to the local café to wait for her. The new Chief of Police Bob Lanser waved him over to his table. Steve smiled and walked over. He had gotten to know Lanser well before the man was elected. When Lanser was only a normal officer, he had often spent time working at the same shelter that Steve volunteered at.

"Hey, Bob." Steve greeted."

"Hey, MacTyre. Having problems with the wife?"

"What?" Steve asked incredulous.

"Don't give me that surprised look. You always look droopy when the two of you fight."

Steve smiled at the man's bluntness. "It's nothing that we won't fix as soon as we both quit being stubborn."

"Good, because I've got a favor to ask of you."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Steve, you know that a lot of people go through the shelter that aren't quite on the up and up."

"So?"

"Well, you're a pretty straightforward, honest type of guy. The regulars at the shelter know you. They trust you as much as they trust anyone, and they might just talk to you. I was wondering how you feel about working with the police department. You know, sort of leaking us information when there's something strange going on."

"Well…"

"You know it will be the best for the people that really need help down there, Steve. If your information helps to keep one bad guy from raping one homeless widow, isn't it worth it?"

Steve smirked. "You sure know how to sweet talk a guy. Alright, as long as Angel doesn't object, you can count me in."

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Jesse grinned as he walked out of the room full of children. Apparently, the gaudy picture frame that Steve had put around Jesse's favorite picture had pleased the children more than any adult.

Jesse frowned. It was a cruel irony that this frame was stuck with Jesse for the rest of his life. After Steve's death, Jesse hadn't been able to rid himself of the hideous thing.

Now, he had to pack it back up and put the clunky thing back into his closet. Jesse stopped. He could always hang it up at Bob's. The office needed something… unusual in it.

Jesse whistled as he strolled into his restaurant. Mark and Amanda were at the counter pouring over some autopsy for some homicide that the police asked Mark to help on. They were eating a late lunch as Amanda had worked late the night before and was heading home early, and Mark had the day off.

Jesse waved 'hi' as he headed to the small office. Jesse pulled open a small drawer on his desk. There lay a hammer a few nails and the now cold Homer Garlin file. Jesse fingered the folder and flipped it open to once again stare at the contents. He sighed as he looked at the message the man had scrawled. Why couldn't the guy have just written 'Joe Jones did it.'? Instead he had drawn a stupid square with a dog and an arrow pointing to the outer edge of the square.

It had to mean something significant. Jesse shook his head went to hang up the picture and frame.

A few minutes later, he was grumbling. He could probably stick a whole rack of ribs inside that frame.

Jesse stopped. His eyes dilated. He ran back to the case file. The drawing was just what it appeared to be: a drawing in a frame. And there must be something hidden in that particular picture's frame. Jesse knew from his own investigation that Garlin had been a dog lover. He also knew that there was a very large picture that hung n his old shop walls.

Garlin's son had taken over the family shop after his father's death. The picture was hopefully still hanging there from the last time Jesse had visited.

Jesse bounded out of his office.

Mark looked up. Before him stood a Jesse Travis he hadn't seen in ages: bright, hopeful and hyper.

"Jess?" Mark asked.

Jesse hesitated. He was almost certain about his discovery, but he didn't want Mark's hopes to be crushed. Plus, he was feeling slightly smug about being the one to break the case. Assuming, of course, that his hunch was true. He wanted the moment to himself.

"Hey, I've got to go… shopping for a little bit. I was wondering if I could stop by your place later tonight? I'd kind of like your and Amanda's opinions on my…purchase."

Amanda smiled "Don't you think it's a little early to be buying an engagement ring, Jess? You've only been out on a couple dates."

Jesse laughed nervously. Not knowing what else to say, he said goodbye and bolted for the door.

"Is it just me, or do you wonder how we put up with that level of energy from him before?" Amanda asked.

Mark smiled. "I don't know how we did, but I know that I'd like to find out."

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Steve smiled the first time he held his son in his arms. He was so tiny, so fragile. Angel looked up from the hospital bed and smiled back at Steve. Steve gently laid his son in his mother's arms and stroked the little baby's hand.

His mind went back to the day that they had decided on their son's name. Angel had come up with a compromise that made them both happy. Thus, their son was christened Marcus Jackson MacTyre.