Before anyone says anything. Yes, I know it has been awhile, but shits happens... And there is also the fact that I struggled with this chapter. Spend weeks on this, though I have no really idea of why.

However, I am sorry that it took me so long, but I am really not in the mood to hear. Sorry, if I sound bitter, but again, shit happens.

Anyhow, let me know what you think! :)

Chapter 20: Fantasy?

The bright sun streamed through the windows, lighting everything in its path. It lit the whole room, making every shine like a sparking crystal ball. It was this bright light that awoken the blond woman in the large bed, and it was that light that breached deep into Alex's mind, waking her soul. Her eyelids felt like they weighted a hundred pounds, and it took a few long seconds to open her eyes. They flicked slowly under the sun, only snapping open at the sound of a happy child. Though it was impossible (how could there be a child), there was a small child laughing not far away, and she was laughing loudly. It was impossible to sleep with the loud noise, which only grew with each passing second.

It startled the Blonde awake, and she was out of the bed in a matter of seconds. Her heart was racing a hundred miles per second as her head popped up at the echoing sound. Though Alex had no idea of where or who was making this sound, she couldn't help but smile at it. Even if she could be in the middle of the enemy territory, she couldn't help but feel safe. She had no idea of what Heaven felt like, but hearing that laugher had to be very close to it. She could feel her heart warm up at the sound—though she never considered herself a kid person, but that didn't mean as she couldn't think of anything better than that laugher. No, there was nothing greater than a child's laugh or smile.

Alex shot out of the bed, not giving any attention to the world around her. She rushed into the other room, looking for the source of the sound. As she entered, she could feel everything inside of her fail, catching sight of scene in front of her. Her brain froze, and she didn't know what to make of any of it. It was like someone had taken her reality and replaced it with something else, because that was the only way she could explain what was happening in front of her. Because that wasn't possible.

With the most energy that she had ever seen, Michael had his wings spread out behind him, taking up the entire room. The feather tips of his blacken wings were inches from touching the walls on either side of the room, almost blocking out the light. Even in the shadows, there was a huge smile on the Archangel's face, and his happiness could be read throughout his whole body. She could see the bliss in him as he bent his knees, lowering himself up and down like a lift. However, it was the little girl on his shoulders that caught Alex's attention.

Alex wasn't good with ages, couldn't guess ages to save her life, but this little girl had to be about four, though she could be younger. However, the age of the girl didn't matter as there was no denying the girl's spirt, her being. She was beaming from head to toes. The smile on the girl's face could light up the entire room, while her laugher could defrost the darkest of hearts. Her cuteness could bright anyone's day; her light brown hair bounced around her face in spirals as Michael sprung up and down. Her bright blue eyes sparked as her smile reached her eyes. Her poke-a-dotted blue dress flew up around her as she had her arms wrapped around Michael's neck, tightly holding onto him.

The Chosen One didn't know what to make of the scene in front of her, but she was completely speechless. She couldn't even form words in her head as she looked forward. She could be knocked over by a stick as she couldn't hold back her surprise and shock. Alex found herself breathless as she watched Michael spin in a cycle with a careful, protective look in his eyes. She watched as he flexed his wings, sending a small ruffle of air toward the little girl. No, the Archangel had no interesting in dislodging the girl from his back, which Alex could read in his face, but rather, he was playing with the girl. Playing! And he was happy. Sure, Alex had seen him smile before—in bed… a lot, but she didn't think she ever seen him like this happen before.

Eyeing them, Alex couldn't help but wonder who the hell this girl was and why was Michael playing with her so fondly. And where the heck were they? She didn't recognize this place, hadn't see this place before; she didn't recognize the little girl. Who was this little brunette? Why was Michael playing with her? Why was he so happy? Why was there this flicker in her chest at the sight of her? Alex didn't know who this child was, but there was this feeling in her chest at the sight of her. It was like the little girl was the most important person in the world to him. Alex didn't know why, but she couldn't bear the thought of this girl hurt.

But who was this girl? Why was Alex so attached to her by sight alone? Why was Michael so attached? Did he know something? Why were they here? Did something happen? Alex couldn't remember for the life of her how she had gotten here. She couldn't remember what she was doing or where she was before here, but did that really matter? That didn't change anything. Even if she had no idea of what was happening or where she was, this place was safe. This place felt like home. For once, Alex was happy, and she didn't want to be anywhere else. She wanted to watch these two for the rest of her life, even if she had no idea why. She felt—

"Daddy!" the girl laughed, closing her eyes, as Michael's wing retracted to a folded position, almost enclosing the girl.

"Ready, Little One?" he asked, barely giving the child a second before he spun. He reached his hands up and over head to the little girl on his back. Grabbing the child under her armpits, he held tightly and flipped her up and over his head. He held her slightly away from his body as he wrapped his wings loosely around them, barely letting lights through. Using his speed, he spun around, creating a slight breeze around them. It wasn't strong enough to fling her around, but the soft wind send the girl's cotton blue dress and curly hair into the air, while her laugher floated through the air.

Alex watched the two, unable to keep herself from smiling—not that it was a hard fight. Even if she had no idea of what was going on, she had no worry in the world. In fact, she didn't know why anyone wouldn't want to smile at the sight before her, even if it was unbelievable. Who cared about the rest of the world, when she could stare at these two for the rest of her life? With these two, it felt like she was living her own personal heaven, though she had no idea as of why. What was so special about the child? Again, who was this little girl? And how did she have Michael wrapped around her finger? How—

"Mommy!" the little girl cried, as Michael came to a complete stop. The Archangel held the girl close, keeping her safe in his arms. Though it didn't look like it, he was ready to protect the child with his life. "Mommy."

Alex's brain went into overdrive as the child called out for her, identifying Alex as her mother. Her mother! What the hell? The last time she checked, she was only a few month pregnant, and there was no way that she could have given birth, not much a four year old child…Unless, she was out cold for a few years…though that couldn't be possible—not that anything was impossible in this world. Her forehead was pounding at that though, and there was this weird feeling in her stomach, feeling like she was close to puking. To make things worse, her tattoos were itching- burning, and it took all that she had not to scratch at her shaky arms. Could she have been out for four years?

The girl pushed out of her father's arms, and she wasn't taking no for an answer. Not caring for her father's wishes, she kicked her legs, ready to fight her way out of his arms, as she zeroed on Alex, giving her mother her full attention. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, seeing the blonde, and she couldn't wait to get out of Michael's arm to get to Alex. "Mommy!" she called, loudly—though there was some worry laced in. "You've been sleeping awhile. Are you sick? Please, don't be sick, Mommy!"

Still struggling to find her words and get her bearings, Alex blinked a few seconds, while remaining completely silent. It took a full weight of the girl rushing her to snap her back to reality, but even then, her mind felt like it was playing tricks on her. "What?" she uttered, not able dodge the girl in her mind set. Being a lot stronger than she looked, Alex was almost knocked over on her ass as the girl collided with her, hitting her with more force then Alex expected. It left the Chosen One Speechless for a few long seconds—not that she wasn't already speechless.

Feeling her mother buckle under her weight, the child looked up, blue eyes meeting blue eyes. Worried was laced into her expression, as her attention was glued on her mother. "Is it the tattoos, Mommy? Are they itching again?" she asked, softly. She looked close to tears as she held onto Alex, her hands digging into her. "Are they? Those stupid tattoos."

Alex's mind was in a tail spin. How could this girl know that? That her tattoos were itching? How could she know anything about the tattoos? And why did she keep calling her mommy? How was she her mother? That wouldn't be possible. And why didn't she want the girl to let her go? Why did the thought pain her? It was like a knife to the gut. "H-how did you know?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Michael's eyes wandered to the Blonde before dropping to the little girl. "Our daughter is quite perceptive, sentient and cognizant." There was additional meaning behind those words, but the Archangel didn't explain as he simply smiled.

The little girl looked up into her mother's eyes for a few seconds before she dropped her attention to the tattoos on Alex's arm. Without an ounce of hesitation, she softly traced the markings on her mother's arms, smiling as she moved her fingers along the tattoos. "Grandpa has such pretty handwriting."

Alex felt like her heart raced as she watched the girl gently traced the tattoos. To the Chosen Ones, these tattoos were just ugly markings that would haunt her no matter the situation was. "W-what?"

The small, still nameless brunette looked up at Alex and smiled. "Grandpa has a sense of humor."

Michael took a step forward, carefully eyeing his daughter. There was a soft warning in his eyes, but there was also a gentle smile on his face. "My father has been known for a great many things but humor is not one of them… though I suppose he does have one. A large one at that." His warning turned into grin.

Alex's brain was in a tail spin as she listened to her supposed daughter and Michael take. How could they joke about God? And how could her daughter refer to him as Grandpa? Why in earth would she do that? Did she have some kind of relationship with the absent oh mighty father? Was she missing something? And what the hell was this girl's name? "Can you read these?" Alex asked, thinking back to what the girl had said.

Both Michael and her daughter stared at her in utter disbelief, as if they couldn't understand the words coming out of her mouth. "Mommy! Of course, I can read. How can you forget? You're silly. I can't read them like you but I can read a few of them!"

"What?" Alex uttered, feeling her tattoos itch. Even after all of this time, she could never get used to feeling under her skin each time they moved. It was felt like ants were crawling up and down her skin, while biting every few steps. "You c-can?"

"Daddy," the Brunette called, turning slightly to her father. "Is something wrong with Mommy?" Her eyes were filled with worry as she tuned back to Alex. "Did you hit your head? I know when I hit my head my memory isn't good either."

Even if Alex didn't hit her head, it felt like it. Her head was pounding, and it seemed like her tattoos made it worst. It was like someone took a hammer to her head. "I'm fine," she said, through her teeth. Her hold tightened on the girl, refusing to let her go. Alex may not know how she had gotten here or have any idea of who this child was, but this girl called to her. She smoothed her in ways that Alex didn't know was possible. "I-I didn't hit my head."

"Are you sure, Mommy?" the child asked, looking up at her with large eyes.

Michael took another step forward, eyeing Alex. "Little One," he called, eyeing the child softly. "May your mother and I have a moment?" He kneeled down next to the two, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I need to talk to Mommy."

Panic grew in Alex at the thought of the little girl leaving- disappearing, but she pushed it down. She had no idea of who this girl was, and she had no right to cling to this child with no name. What the hell was going on with her? Why was she so emotional? Why was she so weak? And why the hell was she here? Was this a dream? This certainly didn't feel like a fucken dream. This felt real, but how could that be? Sure, she couldn't remember how long she had been out for, but how could she been out for so long? How could so much time have passed?

The little brunette turned slightly from her mother and glared softly at her father. "Grown up things?" she asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Yes," Michael responded, placing a soft kiss to the top of the girl's head.

"But I can come right back?" she asked, a bit of hope in her voice. Even if there was a bit of hesitation in her voice, there was so much inter-strength in her eyes that it could not be denied, and that hope could uplift anymore.

"Of course," he answered, smiling at the little girl.

The child nodded her head before placing a soft kiss on Alex's cheek. "Love you, Mommy." Without another word, the girl was out of Alex's arm and out of the room before the Chosen One knew what was happening. Feeling a sudden emptiness in her arms, Alex found herself speechless for a few long seconds, unable to form a thought. Unable to do anything, she stared at the door the girl had passed through, wishing she would come back.

Michael doesn't wait for Alex to turn and face him, as he kneeled down next to her and placed a kiss to the side of her face. "Alex," he called softly, wrapping his arm around her.

"I'm fine," she said, softly, speaking the only thing she could think of. 'I'm fine' was her go to.

"As always, those words are not good enough, Alex." Keeping her close, he rested his head against on hers, as he tightened his hold on her. "Our daughter. Do you not remember her?" he asked.

Okay, Alex didn't remember the little girl, and it killed her. Killed her. What if this wasn't a dream? What if this wasal real? For the longest time, she had thought-prayed she was dreaming, as she couldn't think of anything worst, but now, she wasn't so sure. Maybe, this was real? Maybe, she really did lost 5 years of her life somewhere, lost five years with her family. Maybe, she really did hit her head and she lost her memory. Lost her past. If that was true… NO! God, no. Did she really lose the last five years? Did she miss her child grow up? Miss everything? Vega? Claire? "Michael."

"Alex, tell me what troubles you?" He asked, whispering to her. "Talk to me."

Alex struggled in Michael's arms softly, trying to get of his arms, as she wanted nothing more than to bust through those cursed doors. She wanted to break down door between her and her child. Her daughter, her nameless child, was behind that door, thinking something was wrong with her mother, and Alex didn't know a damn about her. She didn't know one damn thing about her child! Sure, the girl was still a child, but Alex had missed everything. Everything. She had missed her first cry. She had missed her first smile, her first step, her first word, her first sentence… Her first everything. Unable to stop them, tears fell from her eyes as she thought about everything that she was missing. God, it hurt.

"Alex."

The emotional pain was unreal. It felt like someone had stabbed her in the chest and ripped out her heart, leaving her to bleed out. Damn it. Though being a mother scared her, those were things that Alex wanted to experience firsthand. She wanted to feel her children's first kick. She wanted to be there for all of it, and now, she wouldn't. God, she was angry. How was this fair? How? What the hell happened to her? Did she hit her head? Did she really lose all of those years? Damn it! Damn it all it hell.

"Alex."

God, why couldn't this be a dream? Why? Again, she thought it was—well hoped it was, but this was all too real. She could feel the warm breeze of the summer's air on her arm, and she could feel the heat of the sun on her face as it streamed through the window. She could feel Michael's breath on her neck as he held her close. She could sense her nameless daughter in the other room, pacing, and she could see the birds outside of the window. She could feel it all. There was no way that this could be a dream. This was fucken real. Damn it!

"Alex!"

Shaking her head, Alex took a deep breath as she listened to his voice. It was like-

"Alex!"

Before she knew was what happened, everything around her flickered and changed. It was like someone had hit a switch; the small home that she had found herself in disappeared. Not even a second later, she reappeared somewhere else, and this new room was completely different. It had dimed, as the sun disappeared from sight, casting everything into darkness. Everything around her morphed into something cold and hard. It was like someone stole the warmth from her; however, there was one thing remained, keeping strong at her side, and that was Michael. The ever present Archangel had not moved from her side, keeping a close to the blonde.

"Alex," he called yet again.

Feeling like death, she could feel her body crack as she tried to move. She could feel her body protest in distress as she tried to open her eyes. She could feel Michael's hands as he gently tried to keep her still, trying to protect her from something. "Michael," she uttered, croaking. She felt like she weighted a hundred pounds, and nothing she did worked seemed to awaken her stiff body. It was like she was drowning.

"Alex, focus on me," Michael said, softly, as he ran his hand through her hair, breaking it free from the bun.

Still in a haze, it took Alex a few good, long seconds for her to become aware of her surroundings, and it took less than a second for her to realize it was all a dream. A Fucken Dream. For a few long moments after this realization, she didn't know what was worse: losing her fake, no name daughter to a dream world or that dream being real and losing the first four years of her daughter's life. Either way, it felt like a stab to the heart…No, it felt like someone had ripped put her heart and stepped on it. Stomped on it more likely. It felt like someone had taken their good old time and killed her, as her heart beat heavily in her chest.

"Breath, Alex," her angel told her, pulling her close to his chest.

The Chosen One could hear Michael whisper softly in her ears, trying to calm her, but she was too far gone at the moment for his soft words to work. With sweat pouring down her skin and a shiver running through her body, she was too stressed and panicked for Michael's words to have any kind of effect on her. Feeling distant, it was like he was on a different plane, separated by a thick glass, and nothing that he did worked. What made it worst was the ever moving tattoos on her skin that haunted her.

"Alex," he called again. His voice louder and firmer this time. It was like he was ready for a war. "Listen to me." This time, it was a demanding, though Alex ignored it like she always did. "You need to calm down. Calm down now."

She struggled in his arms as he held her close to his chest. It felt like she had been lit on fire, as she was burning up from head to toe. Sweat was coating every inch of her. Normally, being in her angel's arms cooled her- relaxed her, but right now, it wasn't helping. It was making everything worse. It made everything feel like it was the end of the line, like she had nothing else. It made her feel like she had lost everything, and it felt like she couldn't breathe. "O-our c-child."

Michael's expression softened a bit as his right hand dropped to Alex's stomach. With the gentleness that wasn't often used by the angel, he softly pressed on her stomach. There was a tiny bulge under Alex's clothes, but it was barely noticeable-though still present. Still growing. Still innocent. It still provided some kind of comfort. "He is fine. I will not let anything happen to him."

"H-him?" she asked, feeling saddened by the male pronoun. No, it didn't matter to Alex the gender of the child, as she wanted a healthy child. She wanted a happy child, who didn't have a single worry in the world. She wanted a child, who didn't have to worry about food, clothes or pain. She just wanted a child who knew he or she was loved. Wanted. She wanted the child to have a family, to have someone who was always there for him or her. If the child had that, she didn't care about the gender. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't want a girl as she had an idea in her mind. She had a picture in her head, and that was a little dirty blonde girl, who had the biggest smile that Alex had ever seen. She didn't want to lose that.

He smiled as he placed a kiss to her forehead. "Yes, he. How can our child be anything else?" he said, certainty. There was such conviction in his voice that it was striking.

"Where is your crystal ball?" Michael's certainty almost made Alex laughed, and it snapped her back to reality. It was a well needed snap, even if it made her laugh. "Where are we?" she asked, pushing out of his arms and looking around. Not able to truly break out of his arms, she could barely make out where they were.

"Old casino vault," he answered, as he glanced toward a glass wall. His eyes were focused on something a few feet away on the other side.

Alex pushed against him, forcing him to drop his hand from her stomach, as she heard the rattling of chains and shuddering sounds of a woman. She could see something move in the distance, triggering the night's before events. "Shit," she cursed as she got to her feet. She felt her legs shake beneath her as she took a few steps.

"Alex, you must rest," Michael said, getting to his feet as well. His eyes followed her every step, keeping close to her. "It wasn't long ago that you fainted."

Wait, she fainted? She didn't recall, but not wanting to be told what to do, Alex kept going and didn't even look back. She didn't care that her legs were shaking, and she really didn't care why she fainted. She wanted to know what was going on. However, trying to figure out the past wouldn't help Alex, especially when it was hard to even think. The last thing she remembered was an angry Archangel advancing on an eight ball, and he looked ready to kill. Though she didn't remember anything after that, she didn't think there was anything that could rid herself of image.

"I am fine," she said through her teeth, as she stepped toward the glass doors. Without stepping into the vault, she stared in, eyeing the eight ball. Why didn't Michael just kill it? She knew he wanted to.

As if the eight ball could sense her glaze, it struggled in its chains, trying to yank free. "Please don't hurt me." The Eight Ball harshly thrashed in the shackles, as its eyes shifted between them.

Michael followed Alex, keeping close to her. He watched her like a hawk, studying every detail of her person. His face expressed changed, still examining the woman next to him. "You radioed in and confirmed the eight-ball had been executed," he said, his tone losing its softness.

Alex barely recalled calling that in. "It was a way to buy time."

"It was a lie." He firmly started.

"I made a judgment call," she protested, strongly.

"A bad one." His tone wasn't exactly friendly. He was angry again, but Alex wasn't sure who he was angry at. Her or the Eight Ball? Or maybe, himself?

"Please let me go!" The Eight Ball cried, sensing his anger. "Please!" She was on the edge of panicking. "I won't hurt the child."

"No, you won't," Michael replied loudly. "I will kill you before you even get the chance."

Anger rushed through Alex, making the pain and haze a distant memory. "That isn't just any eight-ball in there," she snapped, getting over the lightness in her head. "That's Claire's mother."

"Vicious and unpredictable all the same," Michael replied, his tone still cold.

Alex knew Michael could go from hot to ice cold in a matter of seconds on a drop of a pin, but it annoyed her greatly. It was like her relationship with the angel was a daily battle. A battle that she didn't want. "…Wait," she said. Her voice stained. "You already knew it was her mother."

Michael gave her a look, something hidden in his words. "Riesen asked me specifically to handle the situation. And he's under the impression she's been taken care of."

Taking care of? Was this all that this was now? This was still Claire's mother. "She knows things about Claire, things that only Claire's mother could know. I think she's still in there," she said, needing to think there was some kind of hope in this world. She needed there to be hope for her future child. She needed it, damn it. She needed it, because without it, that dream was nothing more than a painful reminder.

"No, she isn't." Michael replied.

The Eight Ball's struggle did not stop as it pulled on the chain. "Archangel, I'll leave Vega. I'll go." If it was human, she would be in tears… It would also be bleeding heavily from her struggle with the chains, but it was not. "I'll go right now, and I will not tell anyone about the child. I won't hurt the child."

"As stated before, you wouldn't have the chance," Michael replied, coldly.

Alex could hear the Eight Ball beg for mercy, promising it wouldn't harm the child. It made her feel sick again, feeling like the whole world was on hers shoulder again. She couldn't have that—couldn't handle it, but what could she do? How could she save the world if she couldn't save this one person? How could she be the Chosen one if she couldn't save everyone? There was no one who wasn't worthy of being saved. Plus, how could she gave her child something to live for? By doing this, she was giving her daughter something.

She didn't care that Michael was ordering her to kill the Eight Ball, because she was going to save Claire's mother. She was going to give her best friend that, even if it killed her. Claire was a friend and Alex would do anything for the woman, including dying for her—though her unborn daughter created second thoughts on that…But that was a different story for another time. Right now, she had to be the Chosen One. She had to be the savior that everyone needed, because the world needed her. If she was incapable of helping this one possessed soul, she was not capable of being the Chose One. She was not the type of person to give up.

"Alex I have seen evictions attempted many times before," Michael said, snapping Alex out of her deep thought. His tone was flat, signaling how irritated he was. "Believe me, the dangers not only to the host but to you are indescribable. I don't want to imagine what could happen to our child." For a brief second, his frustration changed into something else, and that expression was a stab to the heart. It was a shot to the head. However, that expression was gone in a brink of an eye, masked by something else.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take," she replied. It was something that she had to do. She had to do this for Claire.

Michael glared at the Eight Ball for a long second before staring at Alex. "And what of our child?"

Alex's mind goes right back to her dream daughter, and for some reason, it was comforting to think of the child. Though she would die if anything happened to her child, she didn't know why that dream world comforted her. It helped her to think about her brunette daughter, even if it was just a fantasy… though it didn't feel like a dream. It felt like a sign. Though Michael thought the child was a boy, all Alex could think of was the little, curly haired, girl who had the biggest smile Alex has ever seen, and she knew she could do it, because she felt ten times stronger just by thinking about her. She felt she could take on the world, thinking of that nameless child. She knew she could do it. "You have little faith. I can do this, and our child will be safe. So you're either with me or against me. What do you say, Michael?"

The end for now

Let me know what you think. I hoped you enjoyed it.

FYI, I didn't name the nameless dream daughter, because I don't know what I want to name the child... I didn't want to name the child and then later hate it.

So if you want to provide names for the future child, I would love that. Would give me some ideas. Boys or girls' names are good.

Until next time.