He took her to a remote location, one where Arvin Sloane, or his men in the Covenant, could never find her. He hired the best chefs, assistants and doctors that money could buy. He waited on her hand and foot, and made sure that she was content, every moment of the next five months. He could not help it...he was in love with Sydney Bristow.

The second to last change in their relationship occurred when they were married, two months after their disappearance from society. Jack Bristow and Irina Derevko were notified of the union, but could not be in attendance. They were in a safe location, struggling to work through their problems and many differences. Jack was learning to trust Irina again, and she was learning to tell the truth. It was not easy for either of them.

Julian, however, was in bliss. They were married in small church, by a priest he knew he could trust never to reveal their whereabouts, or their marriage. Of course, Arvin Sloane would discover what had happened soon enough, for he had a way of uncovering all secrets, but Julian wanted to revel in his own joy for a while.

Sydney was just beginning to blossom at the time of their marriage. When he said that he would love her forever, he could not help but smile when he glanced down at her burgeoning abdomen. Now five months pregnant, her stomach stood out like a sore thumb from the rest of her slender body. He smiled when she vowed to love him forever, in sickness and in health...against all odds. He knew that she meant it by the way her brown eyes sparkled, and he noticed, perhaps for the first time, that her eyes had a little green in them.

After they were married, they settled into the life of a married couple easily, despite the threat of the Covenant that still loomed over their heads. They both realized, without speaking a word, that it was far from over. They knew that this was only the calm before the storm. Neither of them knew how long they would be allowed to live in peace, but they would cherish every moment.

When Julian felt it was safe, and had clearance from the guards surrounding the property, he would lead Sydney out of the house, and they walked around the grounds, hand in hand, talking and laughing. They talked about their wishes for the twins, despite the overwhelming concept that their children's destinies had been predetermined. There was the unspoken confusion of the prophecy, which had only spoken of one child. The question echoed in their heads: Which child would it be?

Three months passed and they were happy with the lives that Julian had created for them. They were no longer Julian and Sydney Lazarey. Those names were simply too risky. They easily became William and Amena Atherton, both born and raised in a small village in England. Julian had chosen the name for Sydney because it meant 'Honest Woman', and that was probably why he loved her so.

He was surprised and remarkably, frightened when his wife went into premature labor in the beginning of her eighth month. Twelve hours later, a daughter and a son were born, in that order. Anna Elizabeth Atherton was an hour older than her brother Nicholas Aidan Atherton. Julian smirked at the thought of Anna as an older child, poking fun at her brother because he was younger. When he glanced up at his wife as she held onto them tightly, he couldn't help thinking that he had never seen her look more beautiful than at that moment.



The twins were taken to the nursery, and Julian smiled when he was notified that they had both fallen asleep as soon as they were laid down to rest. He stepped over to where his wife was resting.

"Honey," she whispered quietly.

"Yeah," he said. She sat up a bit, calling him by the name he had not heard in quite a while.

"Julian," she whispered, grasping his hand in her own, "Thank you for holding my hand." Julian smiled, despite the simplicity of her thanks.

"Anytime, dear. That's what I'm here for...forever," he said, smiling. Sydney smiled back, but it soon faded into a frown he never wanted to see again.

"This will never end," Sydney said, looking toward the door. Julian sighed, lifting her hand to kiss it softly.

"It will end Syd. It's our responsibility to raise them right, and then release them into the world. We can't fight destiny. Look at us. You never would have married me, let alone let me live, if it hadn't been for Milo Rambaldi," he said, laughing ironically. She sighed, her lips curling into a soft smile.

"Yeah. I suppose we could thank him for some things," she said. Julian's eyes glowed at the sight of her smile, and she shuddered when she noticed determination in his eyes.

"I will protect you, and our children, no matter what it takes Sydney. I made a promise to myself that I would make sure that you would never cry again. Never," he said. She smiled at the statement, cupping his cheek in her hand.

"I love you," she said simply.

"And I love you."



A month later, 'Amena' and the children were home, and 'William' made sure that they were as comfortable as possible. The first night that the twins were at home, safe in their cribs, he watched them as they slept, in absolute awe of the lives he had a hand in creating.

They looked nearly identical, with dark, glossy hair like their mother's, and blue eyes that were clearly inherited from him. He marveled at their miniature hands and feet, touching them softly. He imagined them as toddlers, as teenagers, as adults...he concocted their personalities in his head. He predicted what they would like, what they would hate, what they would argue about...the loyalty they would feel toward each other, forever.

His dreams were interrupted when he felt the familiar touch of his wife's hand, as it rested on his shoulder. He could almost feel her smiling, and when he turned around he found that he was right.

"You're going to wake them up," she said, putting a finger over his mouth before he could speak. He kissed her finger softly, and allowed her to lead him from the room, and he reached back and closed the door behind him quietly.

"I was doing the same thing earlier," she whispered, leading him to their kitchen.

"Doing what?" he asked, trying to appear innocent.

"Imagining what they'll be like," she said, smiling wistfully. He smirked, squeezing her hand softly.

"How did you know?" he asked, as he let go of her hand. He watched her as she poured them both a cup of coffee, and then sat down next to her at their kitchen table.

"I know you, Ju...William," she said, catching herself.

"It's okay. Call me by my name," he said, smiling.

"Julian," she said, sighing, "I miss calling you that."

"I miss calling you Sydney," he said, then adding, "It will be over someday, Syd. I promise you. It will be over."

Moments passed at they sipped on their coffee in silence, but Sydney smirked when she noticed a mischievous gleam in Julian's eyes.

"What?" she asked. He stood up suddenly, putting his hand out before her.

"I was thinking, we never had a dance...at our wedding. Our relationship is anything but normal," he said. She took his hand, nodding in response.

"Right," she said.

"I just want to dance with my wife. I think it's long overdue," he said, smiling, as he kissed her hand. He led her to the middle of their living room, and left her for a moment to turn on their stereo. Sydney smiled as a soft melody floated through the room.

For you, there'll be no more crying,
For you, the sun will be shining,
And I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right

To you, I'll give the world
to you, I'll never be cold
'Cause I feel that when I'm with you,
It's alright, I know it's right.

Sydney smiled as she danced in her husband's arms, stroking his back softly. He ran his hands over her face and through her hair. He kissed her forehead softly, whispering in her ear.

"Forget everything Sydney. All that matters now, is you and me," he said. The melody continued around them.

And the songbirds are singing,
Like they know the score,
And I love you, I love you, I love you,
Like never before.

And I wish you all the love in the world,
But most of all, I wish it from myself.

As a beautiful piano melody floated throughout the room, Sydney looked up at her husband, lost in his soulful blue eyes. She saw truth, peace, love...everything that she had ever wanted in life.

And the songbirds keep singing,
Like they know the score,
And I love you, I love you, I love you,
Like never before, like never before.

Sydney smiled as the song ended, pulled away from him, and placed a kiss on his lips.

"I love you," she whispered softly.

"I love you too. Everything's going to be alright," he said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

As they continued to sway even after the music had ended, they nearly forgot about the prophecy, about Rambaldi...about Sloane. They nearly forgot who they were pretending to be...who their twins would become. They simply couldn't think about all of that now. There would be plenty of time to worry about that later. For now, they were safe in one another's arms, and their twins were newborn babies, content and completely harmless...asleep in their cribs.

For now.

THE END

A/N...The song credit belongs to Fleetwood Mac...the song is called Songbird. Beautiful song.