Authors Note 1:Thanks Coolcaramello, and Ka-mia 2286 for these reviews and so many others.

Authors Note 2: Sorry about the slow updates I am now writing two stories (as well as exams). If you wish to read my other story: Allegiance (An AU story about spies, Government conspiracies, and Angel) visit my bio page or the BtVS section. It is already six chapters long

Stella POV: 7 years later

I was cooking green bean stir-fry for dinner when the phone rang. I didn't want to answer it. I was exhausted, after a day of teaching first year students about Spartan homosexual love; I needed coffee not a phone call.

But James wasn't home yet, and I could hardly convince, my three-year-old daughter Clair to answer it, and timothy at age five was even worse. He had a habit of shouting the word "Po-lice" Into the phone whenever he had the chance

So I answered the phone, my hands covered in soy sauce, "Cohen residence"

"This is Phillip Marlow, may I speck to Stella please".

My breath left my body for a second in shock. The detective I had hired last week to find Angel was phoning me already "Specking"

"I made some progress. You mentioned that Liam Summers was an alias, so I wasn't surprised when the name didn't show up in any database. But Lindsey McDonald's, name immediately turned up. He is currently living here in Toronto"

Why would Lindsey be living in Toronto? I mean it's a nice city and all, but it's a long way from cowboys, and country music? "What's his address?"

"9 browning Ave" I wrote the address down, just before I was about to ask for the whine number, my apartment door opened. James entered with a smile on his face, and a soup stain on his shirt. I hung up the phone.

James greeted me with his kiss, the lips now familiar, were still a perfect match for mine.

When we broke, so that I could stir the beans James spoke "Who was on the phone?"

"Wrong number" I said, adding salt to the beans. I couldn't tell him the truth, he didn't know about my father, not the truth anyways. Not the quite man with a body that now appeared to be younger then my own.

James wasn't naïve. he knew about vampires, he has even staked one. But that wasn't the same as accepting that your wife had been raised by one. James thought of me as orphan. My parents were only fragments of stories loved, but dead.

Liam had been at our wedding, but he had just been a face in the crowd nothing more. I had tired to stop him, to get him to stay, but he wouldn't listen. He had tears in his eyes but he didn't stop, he let my brother in law give me a way at the alter.

Then James said, "The beans are burning" I rushed back to the stove and turned it off.

The Next Day:

I dropped the kids off at daycare, half an hour early, and then I drove to 9 browning ave. I parked the prius, in the driveway, and then approached the house. The modern design of the place wasn't quite my style but then again I didn't live there.

I approached the door and knocked. What was I expecting of Lindsay?

That was the last thought I had when the door opened and there was Lindsey his hair graying slightly, he must be almost sixty now, with the same wicked smile on his face.

"Hi, come in" he said treating me like an old friend or Client, rather then the daughter of his ex-nemesis.

I accepted his offer, and followed him through the large dinning room. "Would you like something to drink?" He offered.

"Tea please"

Lindsay nodded "Your just like Wesley in that regard, "

I followed Lindsay into the kitchen. In the kitchen my mouth dropped a little further. On the wall next to the stainless steel stove there was a drawing of a beautiful Asian women. It's not that I knew the women (I didn't), but the artist I knew by the lines.

Lindsey watched my reaction with his measured smile, and intense eyes. I had grown to know that look well during his weeklong stay. The smile told me that Lindsay had orchestrated this, and he wanted me to know that angel was still here in Toronto with me.

"Do you like it?" Lindsay asked

He wasn't expecting an answer and I didn't 't give him one "Is he still around?"

Lindsay poured the tea into ceramic cups before answering. "He left last week"

Of course he did, if he hadn't Lindsey would have never let me in, I took another sip of the tea "so you are friends now"

Lindsay scoffed, then he actually thought about the question " We are more busses partners"

I nodded, what was Angel doing here with Lindsey? Was he looking after me? Or had he just never bothered moving out of Toronto. I could have asked the question out loud but Lindsay wouldn't have answered it.

"Whose the girl" I asked pointing at the drawing again

"My wife"

"Oh" I wanted to ask Lindsay more questions ut hi knew he couldn't, or rather wouldn't answer them. I was about to burst into tears. I let myself out without explanation. . I could always return later

I cried in the car, I couldn't go to work, not today anyways. Maybe I could pull my kids out of daycare and we could play hooky together. As long as it involved ice cream I should be fine.

So I drove back to the nursery school. My attempt to fix my face with make up didn't work.

All the kids were outside playing in the yard. Timothy wasn't there though. I looked around trying to find him. Then I caught a glimpse of something small and red run across the street on the other side of the playground it was timothy.

How did he get out? I screamed to get his attention. He turned towards my voice, just as a car turned the corner barreling at him.

The Next Chapter is The Last Chapter: Some James, Some Lindsey, and some Liam.

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