Dreams

9 months later

Archangel hung up the receiver and put
his head in his hands. Even after nearly a year he was surprised to
feel the covered lens of his glasses and memories of the attack on
Red Star Control came flooding back. He tried to push them aside but
the phone call he had just received made that impossible. He knew who
was calling before he heard her voice, all calls to him were
screened, but it was a shock even so. She sounded so like Gabrielle;
he had forgotten that. The sisters could be mistaken for twins if you
didn't look too closely and they sounded so alike it was impossible
to tell them apart on the phone. Rachel was the younger sister and
Archangel had recruited her as soon as she was old enough. She had
left the Firm the day she heard about her sister's death.

He lifted his head when he heard a
knock at the door.

“Come in,” he called.

Marella entered, looking exquisite in a
calf length white dress, and perched on the edge of his desk.

“How is she?” she asked
him. It had been Marella who had put the call through to Archangel.

“A mother,” he answered,
“twins, a boy and a girl.”

“I didn't even know she was
expecting,” Marella exclaimed, “who's the father? I
didn't realise she was in a relationship.”

“Neither did I. I can't help
wondering.........” he didn't continue and Marella didn't press
the point.

“What has she called them?”
she asked, thinking it was a safe question.

Archangel took a deep breath and let it
out slowly before answering. “St. John and Gabrielle.”