Rebecca was pacing the living room just as she had been for the last few hours waiting to hear from Jake. The rest of the family had gone off to their bedrooms, all except Max who was sitting on the couch watching her.

"Sit down, Rebecca. You are making me nervous." he said. She looked at him and saw that his legs were bouncing and shaking and he was puffing his cigar for all it was worth. She forced herself to sit down next to him.

They had been forced to burn Georgia's body to keep anyone from finding it and the bite marks on her neck. Max had not shed any more tears for the woman. It was her fault his daughter was now missing and very possibly dead. If she had lived he would have killed her himself.

"Can you talk to them yet?" Max asked.

(Jake... Angela.. Can either of you hear me?) Rebecca waited but there was no reply. She looked at Max sadly and shook her head.

Suddenly the air in the living room seemed to ripple and Lane, Angela, and Jake appeared in a heap on the floor.

"OH my god!" Rebecca and Max said in unison jumping to their feet. Lane and Angela were both naked and dirty. Jake was lying motionless and he was covered in dirt and blood with a wound in his chest. Angela and Lane stood up and Max quickly grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around his daughter before hugging her tight against him.

"Oh my, Angel, I'm so glad that you're ok." he said. Angela let herself get lost in his arms for a moment. The familiar warmth of her father and the smell of his cologne and cigars comforting her.

"What happened to Jake?" Rebecca asked as he knelt over her fallen son. Angela pulled away from Max and looked at Lane who looked nearly dead on his feet. She grabbed another afghan off the couch and tossed it to him. He wrapped it around himself and smiled at her.

"You know you were enjoying the view."

"Lane, you're charm is just too much." Angela said dryly. Then she laid her hand on Rebecca's shoulder.

"Tyler shot him... Some kind of silver filled round."

(Evan, Kent Greg get down here down and help me. Bethany bring Lane and Angela some clothes.)

"He's going to be ok." Rebecca said as she looked him over. "He just needs to rest." Kent, Greg, Evan and Bethany were in the living room in a heartbeat. Angela grabbed Evan's arm.

"Kaylee...?" she said. He smiled at her.

"She's safe. She said her Aunt Angela told her to hide...Thank you, Angela." Angela sagged with relief. Bethany held Angela's blanket up as Angela pulled on her clothes. Kent did the same for Lane.

Once they were both dressed Angela walked over to Lane and stood beside him wrapping her arm around his waist. She could see how weak he was and didn't want him to fall over.

(Thank you) he said.

(You're welcome.) she replied.

Angela sat by Jake's bed for hours. Kent, Evan and Greg had carried him up to the bed. Angela and Rebecca had stripped his clothes off and cleaned his wounds. Rebecca had left the room then saying that Jake just needed rest and he would be fine.

There was a knock on the door and Angela told them to come in. Max walked into the room.

Angela stood up and hugged her father. He had been crying and Angela didn't know what to say.. She had never seen him cry.

"Mom....?"

"She didn't make it." he replied. Angela waited for the pain of her loss to hit her heart but it didn't.

"Daddy I'm so sorry your hurting for her." she said. Max shook his head.

"I'm not crying because of her.. If she had lived I would have killed her myself. I'm crying because she almost made me lose you, Angel." Angela hugged him again and finally let herself cry into his chest for several long minutes.

She pulled away and dried her face with her hands.

"So did Rebecca tell you about the family?" she asked nervously. Max nodded looking over at Jake lying in the bed.

"She did. I didn't really have a choice but to believe and accept it." he said. "That boy nearly died saving your life.. That tells me all I need to know."

"You hear that big brother?" Lane said coming into the room. The few hours since Angela had seen him last has left him looking just like his old self. His body had filled back out and he had showered and shaved his face.

"Glad to see you looking better." she said. He offered his charming smile and then walked over to his brother.

"Come on, big brother. You kicked some major ass.. You saved the girl. Everyone is happier than hell that you're alive but worried to death because you won't wake up. It isn't like you to be so damn dramatic and drag something on this long." Lane scolded.

"Why don't you shut the hell up." Jake replied a smile pulling on the corners of his mouth. Angela shouted happily and ran to him as he opened his eyes.

"Jake! I'm so happy you're awake." she said. He smiled at her and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"I am proud of you." he said.

"You should have seen her." Lane said. "That jackass kept trying to scare her before you showed up and she is one tough broad. She spit in his face and nearly bit his finger off! Haha! It was like watching you only with boobs and really long hair."

"I always knew my Angel was tough. She was just always too sweet to stand up for herself." Max said proudly.

"She's a great actress too." Lane said. "The way she was coming on to Tyler. I would have believed it if I wasn't such a professional liar myself." Max shook his head.

"I still can't believe she did that." Max said. Lane had already treated the whole family to the gory details of their time in the basement.

"That reminds me." Jake said. Angela looked down at him laying a gentle hand on her cheek.

"What love?" she asked. He put his hands on her cheeks and pulled her face down so their noses were touching.

"Don't... Ever.. Kiss... Another... Man... Again" he said making sure he announced each word slowly. Angela smiled.

"Never." He kissed her passionately and when they separated they realized they were alone in the room.

"So now that you've seen me in all my deadly glory are you still going to marry me?"

"We're soul mates, Jake. I'm not going anywhere." she replied and kissed him again.

888

Jake walked downstairs the next morning and his sisters all jumped on him with hugs and kisses.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again! Why in the world would you charge into something like that on your own? We are family dammit! You should have asked for help." Jordan yelled in her soft pixie like voice. Jake hid his smile by running his hand over his face.

"Now Kent, Greg and Evan are going to be gone almost all day cleaning up your damn mess to keep you out of trouble!" she added her voice raising to yet another even higher pitch.

"You've done it now big brother." Lane said from the couch where he was flipping through channels on the TV. "You've pissed off Tinkerbell." Jordan grabbed a throw pillow off the couch and hit Lane upside the head.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Raquel asked laying her hand on Jake's chest checking for any signs of his wound through his shirt. Jake patted her hand.

"I'm fine."

"Where is Angela?" Rebecca asked walking into the living room. "Her father wanted to talk to her." Jake thought back to the night he had spent with her. They had made love until they were both completely spent and weak and had collapsed in each others arms.

"She's still sleeping." he said hoping his sisters and mother hadn't seen the gleam in his eyes.

"I need to get up to New York.. I need to get the mess cleaned up before any mortals stumble across it." Jake said.

(Evan, Kent, Greg.) Rebecca said. Within minutes each of them was in the living room. Evan had a twin wrapped around each leg.

"Why aren't you guys in school?" Jake asked as Kaylee and Kayleb both ran into his outstretched arms.

"Daddy told us that we could play hookey! Aunt Jordan even played hookey with us." Kayleb answered with a sly grin.

"The three of you need to go with Jake and take care of some business in New York." Rebecca said.

"What about me?" Lane asked glancing over his shoulder at all of them.

"You mister have just spent the last few weeks locked in a cage in a basement while being tormented by some crazy person. You are staying right here and resting." Rebecca said matter-of-factly. Lane sighed and turned back to the TV.

"It'll probably take us a few hours. Don't tell Angela where I am. Just tell her I went out for a run or something." Jake stated.

"The lies start already." Lane said. Jake growled and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Don't push me little brother. Angela told me that you were drunk off your ass in some casino and that's how that damn vamp grabbed you in the first place."

"Lane, I thought we talked about your drinking!" Rebecca declared angrily as she stormed around the couch and stuck her finger in Lanes face. Lane looked back at Jake.

"Thanks a lot." Jake was smiling.

"Anytime." he said and then walked outside. Evan kissed Raquel goodbye and then he, Greg and Kent followed after Jake.

888

"Wake up Aunt Angela! Wake up! Half the day is gone already." Kaylee yelled as she jumped into Angela's bed. Angela opened her eyes slowly, cursing the sunlight coming through her window.

Though parts of her were tingling and deliciously sore from lovemaking the other parts of her were still sore and beaten from her time in the basement.

"I thought immortals healed quickly?" Angela mumbled as she sat up and rubbed her hands over her face.

"You are all healed up. I don't see any boo boos." Kaylee said. Angela stood up and walked over to the mirror and saw that Kaylee was right. Her cuts and bruises were healed.

"It takes a little longer for the soreness." Bethany said walking in the room. Angela smoothed out her tank top and silk flowly pants and pulled her hair back in a pony tail.

"Where is Jake at this morning?" she asked.

"Morning? Honey it's almost one in the afternoon." Angela threw herself back down in the bed and Kaylee snuggled up in her arm.

"Aunt Angela why are you sad?" she asked looking up at her with her wide brown eyes.

"I lost a friend yesterday." Angela replied.

"Did she die?" Kaylee asked. Angela sent a questioning glace to Bethany who nodded.

"Yes honey she did.. A really bad man killed her."

"But Uncle Jake saved you." Angela smiled.

"Yes baby he did."

"From what I hear your Aunt Angela helped save them all." Angela wished she could just forget the night before. Abigail's beaten and broken body and lifeless eyes kept creeping into her mind. The sight of Jake lying helpless on the ground and the shock in Tyler's eyes as she emptied his own gun into his chest. Angela shivered and kissed Kaylee's forehead.

"So where is Jake?" she asked Bethany again.

"He and the guys went for a run." she said. Angela nodded wishing that he had stayed home with her. She really needed his arms around her. She sighed and sat up.

"Kaylee you want to go shopping with me today? I need to go into town and pick some stuff up."

(What do you need?) Bethany asked.

(I need some tampons.) Angela answered. (I should be starting any time.)

(No you don't need those anymore... Best part about being immortal)

(Then how do immortals have kids?) Angela asked tilting her head at Kaylee who was counting the flowers on the comforter.

(Don't know exactly.. It doesn't happen very often.. I mean mom and dad were together for over three hundred years and only had five of us... And Raquel and Evan have been together for fifty and only have the twins.)

"I do want to go shopping Aunt Angela! Maybe I could get a new toy."

"Sure let's go..." Angela said and the little girl jumped from the bed hopping up and down in her excitement.

(I don't have enough money for toys.) Angela said to Bethany with a bit of panic in her voice.

"Guess what, Kaylee? We can all go! We can have a girls day out. Go tell your grandma and your mom and Aunt Jordan." Kaylee ran from the room.

"Of course you have money." Bethany said walking over to the dresser and pulling out Jake's wallet. She opened it, pulled out a credit card and handed it to Angela.

"Are you sure he wouldn't mind?" Angela said uncertainly.

"Oh my god... Hold on we'll find out." Bethany said with irritation.

(Hey big brother.) Bethany said so that Angela and Jake could both hear.

(Is Angela ok?) Jake demanded. Bethany rolled her eyes.

(She's fine. She's an idiot but she's fine.) Jake growled.

(Don't call my mate an idiot. Now what the hell do you want?)

(You might want to change your tone big bro since Angela is listening to our conversation.) Bethany warned him.

(I didn't know.) he said. (What is it that you need?) he asked trying to sound like he was in a better mood. He was currently knee deep in dead rotting sub demons and not in a mood for talking to his sister.

(Well we're getting ready to go for a girls day out.) Bethany replied.

(Get to the point Bethany. I'm kind of busy right now.)

(Well she says she has no money so I gave her your credit card. She says she can't use it.)

(Angela, you can use the card. Please go and have fun. Buy yourself whatever you want the card has no limit.)

(Are you sure?) Angela asked. She had never had anyone hand them their card before and say go at 'em.

(I'm sure. I love you. You need to have some fun... My sisters are always saying that retail therapy is the best thing for a woman.)

(Thank you Jake. I love you too.) Angela said. Bethany crossed her arms and smiled at Angela.

"See sister? Stick with me. I would never steer you wrong." Angela smiled at hearing Bethany call her sister. "Now get dressed and meet us downstairs.