PROLOGUE

The days had fallen into a pleasant routine as Monica slowly got her strength back and Paul and Alex enjoyed their unplanned vacation. Strange as it was, neither couple felt crowded, and in fact they were grateful for the company. They were being treated to one last dose of an Indian summer, and the weather was crisp, but not cold, and Paul walked down the sidewalk to the car slowly, pausing to look inside the shop windows. He knew his wife, and he knew that the few minutes she had asked for were likely to turn into half an hour.

He smiled to himself as he thought about how she had ushered him out of the house. She seemed to have forgotten that he was the one who had reminded the two angels about Monica's doctor's appointment. Alex wasn't the only one who could put two and two together. He hoped that giving them the afternoon together would be enough to hold them until nighttime. He had a new barbeque sauce he was dying to try out for dinner. Most likely they would be leaving soon, now that Monica was almost fully healed. It was a routine that he and Alex were becoming accustomed to. None of them really enjoyed saying goodbye, but they seemed to run into each other with such regularity that it was becoming less painful each time. It definitely felt more like 'see you later' than 'goodbye'.

Looking up he realized that he had reached the car without even noticing. He checked his watch. Twenty minutes. With any luck Alex would be in the check-out line by the time he swung around the block to pick her up. He had the windows rolled down, and breathed in the fresh air as he drove slowly down the street. There were a lot of people in town for the foliage, and many of them seemed oblivious to the notion of cross-walks.

Surprisingly, Alex was waiting outside the store when he arrived and Paul leaned over to let her in.

"Hope you haven't been waiting long," he said as she buckled her seatbelt.

"No, not long," she replied, trying to think of when the best time to tell him would be. Before dinner or after? She was almost afraid that Monica and Andrew would be called away sooner than she expected, and she wanted to share the news with them as well. That decided it. Before dinner. She would manage to corner him in their room. With the way he had been acting lately, that shouldn't take much effort.

The drive home was spent in relative silence, and when they arrived they found a note from the angels, telling them that they had decided to take a ride down to the meadow. Alex's mind immediately began turning in a slightly naughty direction. It would be their first visit to the meadow since their wedding. She smiled slyly, thinking of what had happened the first time she and Paul had revisited the spot on the farm where he had proposed. Then she mentally slapped herself. She was sure that God would not approve of her thinking such lascivious thoughts about two of his angels!

"I'm going to slip into a short-sleeved shirt," she said as they put the last of the groceries down in the kitchen. "It's gotten pretty warm."

"Okay, I'll take care of things in here," Paul said, not even noticing that she took one of the bags with her.

She quickly shut the bedroom door and ran to the closet, hastily pulling out the box that held all their wrapping supplies. Birthday, Christmas, wedding… damn… nothing neutral. She settled on a Christmas paper that was mostly white with narrow red stripes. A few minutes later and she had wrapped the yellow sleeper and placed it on her husband's pillow. She gathered up everything else and shoved it back into the closet, decidedly less neatly than she had found it.

"Pa-aul, d'you think you could come in here for a minute?" she called out, using a tone of voice that she knew would bring him running.

She wasn't mistaken. Within a minute he was opening the bedroom door. "Alex?" he actually looked a little surprised. That voice usually meant she was naked and sprawled on the bed.

"I just had a little something to give you," she said, as she reached over to pick up the gift.

His look turned from surprise to terror as he mentally went through the calendar of their important days. First date? No. Engagement? Nope. Wedding? Definitely not. Her little giggle and the smile on her face wiped away his worry and he took the package into his hands. Alex was known for springing little gifts on him, she just didn't usually go to the trouble to wrap them. Obviously she had been feeling particularly inspired.

"Now what brought this on?" he asked as he slid his finger under the tape and popped it loose.

"Oh, it just called to me," she replied.

He sat down on the bed beside her as he finished unwrapping, and then stared at the little yellow object as if unsure exactly what it was. He picked it up and shook it open, and then read the words that were stitched into the front. "What the heck?" His eyebrows were knitted together and he still looked confused, but slowly comprehension sank in. "Alex?" He turned to face her, his expression turning to wonderment.

She looked back at him with her eyes shining, and a special glow that he had never noticed before. She was nodding her head and he was shocked to find tears springing to his eyes. His arms were around her a moment later and he was pulling her into his lap, hugging her as tightly as he could.

"Are you sure? How do you know? How long? How did this happen?"

Alex started laughing at his last question, and the tears that were in her eyes broke free as she grinned at him. "I think you know exactly how," she answered, "and yes, I'm sure. I went to the doctor and he confirmed it. I'm seven weeks pregnant, Paul. We're going to have a baby."

"A baby." He repeated the words almost reverently and then pulled her close again, releasing her an instant later. "Oh my God… am I holding you too tight? Are you all right?"

She laughed again at his horrified expression. She couldn't imagine loving him more than she did at that moment. Her long fingers brushed the side of his face as she gazed into his eyes.

"I'm perfect, and you could never hold me too tight."

He relaxed then and pulled her close once more, before kissing her tenderly and when he pulled away, Alex could still see the expression of awe on his face, "Baby Gatlin," He said softly, laying a hand against her stomach.

"You’re pleased then, I take it?" She teased gently.

"Pleased? Baby, ‘pleased’ doesn’t even begin to describe it! I’m thrilled…ecstatic…more than happy…" He tilted her chin to meet her eyes as he whispered, "And so hopelessly in love with you."

Tears sprang to her eyes once more as her breath caught, "Paul…"

"It’s the truth, sweetheart. I love you so incredibly much and each day I don’t think I can possibly love you anymore, I find out that I can. Like today," His heart had never felt so full and when he kissed her once more, it was with much more passion. By the time they had resurfaced, they were both breathless, but a moment later, he was looking concerned once more, "Is this okay? Is making love to you okay? Because if not, I can swear it off for eight months-."

"Don’t you dare," She uttered, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him down over her on the bed, "It is perfectly okay…and after that kiss, downright necessary!"

"You’re sure? I don’t want to hurt the baby…I mean, there is no chance that I could…you know…"

Alex giggled, finding him endearing, but she couldn’t resist her reply, "Well, honey, not that you aren’t well endowed, but lets not get cocky about it. You’re in no danger of poking him or her."

Paul’s face turned crimson at her words, even as he laughed with her. Her blue eyes were shining, her expression radiant, and a moment later, he was kissing her once more. A happy sigh escaped her, as their tongues intertwined, probing and exploring gently as he lingered above her. Her fingers had already found the buttons on his shirt as they kissed and soon her hands were running over his strong chest.

Just the feeling of her hands on him nearly drove him wild with his desire for her as he cupped her breast over the blouse she was wearing, loving the low moan that escaped her. It only took him seconds to remove the boundaries between his mouth and her nipples and he was soon sucking one gently, even while his hand kneaded the soft flesh of the other. Feeling her arch towards his questing mouth, his fingers moved down beneath her skirt, seeking her core and he stroked her gently, barely touching the delicate little nub. Her murmurs and cries were beginning to increase in volume and he could feel himself growing harder, his erection painful against his jeans.

Alex seemed to sense his dilemma as she reached down and unbuttoned them, taking the time to free him before grasping him tightly in her hand, working him slowly but purposefully. A groan escaped him though it was muffled against her breast. Raising his head, he moved to kiss her hard once more, whispering, "Good Lord, woman, you make me crazy."

She was barely able to reply as he pressed two fingers into her, "Feelings mutual," She gasped, feeling a slight shudder go through her body and she knew she would be unable to hold back much longer. Paul sensed this as well, and he wasted no time in pressing into her fully, feeling her warmth encase him as he stroked her slowly, taking his time in order to hold her gaze. Though there were a million things he wanted to say, he had a feeling none of them were necessary as he could see his own feelings mirrored in her eyes.

Her breath caught once more as her heart filled with such incredible love for this man, her husband, who was making such tender love to her. Often times, they were quick to get down to the nitty gritty, but this time was different. He was looking at her with such love and affection and she pulled him down for another kiss, before she began to move her hips a bit more quickly against him, urging him on. Paul quickly matched her pace, thrusting into her with long, powerful strokes as Alex wrapped her arms around his neck. As she constricted against him, she released her cry into his shoulder, the sound causing him to immediately follow her lead as he was completed with a groan.

Slipping from her, he pulled her into his arms and laid tender kisses against her face as he stroked her hair, "Yeah, good thing really. Not sure I could go without that for eight months."

Seeing his boyish grin, she laughed softly, "No, me neither." They fell silent for a few minutes, but perfectly content in each other’s arms. It was Alex who finally broke it, "What would you prefer? A boy or a girl?"

"Are you taking orders?" He teased, kissing the tip of her nose as she giggled, "Alex, all I want is a healthy little baby, who looks just like its beautiful mama. I couldn’t ask for more."

Her eyes shone with tears as she smiled and kissed him tenderly, "I dunno, a little boy who is as good lookin’ as his dad wouldn’t be all that bad either." She sighed happily as she nestled closer to him, "Can we tell the angels at dinner?"

"Of course we can, especially since we don’t know how much longer they’ll be staying. Hell, I’d say I miss them when they go, but half the time I don’t even know they’re here."

"I’m glad they get this time together…to just be together. It doesn’t even feel right to me to know that they are apart."

"No, me neither. I prefer knowing Andrew is around to look after her, though she doesn’t always need it. She’s been through a lot…"

"But you can’t tell that by looking at her now," Alex smiled softly, so completely happy for their angelic friends, "She’s been perfectly content the last few weeks."

Hearing the back door open, Paul sighed a bit regretfully, "I’d be content to stay here with you all night, but there are steaks to be grilled and news to tell."

She grinned as she got up, retrieving her clothes from the various places they had been thrown, "And I can’t wait to tell them!"

*****

Alex had planned to wait until after dinner, but she was too excited to keep the news bottled in for that long. Paul had to chuckle when, between salad and entrée she blurted out, "Guess what? We’re gonna have a baby!" Andrew’s fork clattered to his plate and Monica started clapping as an enormous smile spread across her face. Naturally the remainder of the meal was spent talking about the baby-to-be, from finalizing nursery details to discussing name possibilities.

Monica was ready with suggestions, but after she went from Melchior to Nebucadnezer Alex had to gently break the news that those might not be the easiest names for a child to grow up with. Luckily that didn’t even dim the little angel’s enthusiasm as she piped up with Mary, Joseph and little Paul Junior. The suggestion of the latter was enough to make Paul puff his chest out and glow with pride. He was ready to hand out cigars and the baby was only slightly larger than the size of a kidney bean.

"This suspension is looking better and better," Paul joked. "Plenty of time to get the nursery ready now!"

"I wouldn’t bet on it, Paul. The last time Walt called I thought he was talking about you coming back." Alex said.

"Yeah, well he can damn well wait now," the agent replied with a grin.

"I just can’t believe there’s a wee little baby inside there," Monica said as she glanced down at Alex’s perfectly flat stomach.

Covering it with her hand, Alex smiled. "I know. I have to keep telling myself it’s true." She looked happily at her friends and then turned and kissed Paul on the cheek. "I used to think I had it all, and now I know it’s true."

Monica was smiling and she reached for Andrew’s hand under the table. Alex wasn’t the only one who had it all.