ans in the United States and Canada will already have witnessed the sad and yet still 'hard to believe it's happened' final episode of Angel with the remainder of the world waiting closely behind for the inevitable to happen. After 5 incredible years of breathtaking, heart-breaking yet on occasion sidesplitting television, the book has finally closed on the story of the vampire with a soul and his quest for redemption. The timing therefore could not have been more perfectly placed for the running of this year's Flashback Weekend nor could the guests have been any more apt. Three days before the series finale was due to air, David Boreanaz, the man who brought incredible depth and life to the tortured 251 year old vampire Angel headlined the event held at the Holiday Inn, Rosemont, Chicago alongside perhaps two of his most deadly on-screen nemeses ever Christian Kane (Lindsay McDonald) and Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan). Not forgetting Angel's origins, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's resident rat witch Elizabeth Anne Allen had been invited to the fray along with Sunnydale High's fish-bait swim coach Charles Cyphers. Angel demon Scott Schwartz and the man of a hundred faces yet non-seemingly his own, Camden Toy (Uber-vamp, Prince of Lies, the Gentlemen) completed the line-up for what was to prove to be an incredible weekend and a spectacular way to say 'Thank You' and 'Goodbye'!

VIPS AND VIDEO NASTIES!

Chicago may be known around the world as the 'windy city' yet over the two and a half days of the Flashback Weekend event it would have been better known as the wet and stormy city as the heavens opened constantly leaving a scene reminiscent of the forthcoming blockbuster movie, The Day After Tomorrow in its wake. Although the weather played havoc with travel schedules and the news constantly warned about flash floods, it didn't appear to stop the arrival of hundreds of fans for the opening registration on Friday 14th May. Tickets had been sold as either Ultimate, Gold or Silver packages with one-day tickets for the Saturday or Sunday also available. Autograph and photo tickets could be purchased separately dependant upon your own personal choices and budget. Each registration bagde was also color coded so the staff and security could easily identify which type of ticket had been purchased and therefore who had access to where and this was the first indication as to how well organized the event was. Those fortunate enough to hold an Ultimate ticket were granted various privileges throughout the weekend but the most poignant on Friday night was the first glimpse of the weekend's guests at that evening's VIP party.

Camden Toy (Prince of Lies/Uber-Vamp)

Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy Madison)

As the doors to the VIP room opened, the Ultimate ticket holders and those who had purchased a ticket for the limited reception were asked to seat themselves at a table but to leave two chairs free at each. It was already widely expected that David would not be attending on Friday evening but every other guest would be and would need somewhere to sit if they were going to come and chat. With the exception of a lovely lady from Kentucky by the name of Carol, CityofAngel.com's UK staff writer Sue Grimshaw found herself oddly enough sat amongst a plethora of her fellow countrymen aptly nicknaming their table as the 'Brits' table. As each guest entered they took turns in sitting in the empty seats joining in conversations about anything and everything and enjoying the commodities of the free bar. If there is one person that it is always a pleasure to talk to then that it is Stephanie Romanov who more often than not has a funny story to tell and a kind word for everyone. True to form Stephanie introduced herself greeting those she had met before like old friends. The first thing she mentioned is that she is currently trying for a baby with her husband before proudly showing off a charm that she wears around her neck.

Apparently, once the charm snaps, this is supposed to be a sign that the would-be parents efforts have been successful. She laughed as she tells how strange it had become around the house. "I'd be like honey I'm ovulating, it's time to go and make a baby!" she said slyly confessing just exactly what time of the day is favorite for making the magic happen. (If Stephanie disappears at 3:00 in the afternoon, especially at weekends then you know where she'll be!) As well as wanting to enhance her family, Stephanie is also redecorating her house, a job she now wishes she had never started as it has turned into a logistical nightmare. She is also somehow managing to find the time trying to produce a film as well as having two other projects on the go. She then told us of a dream her husband had about her, where he had dreamt that Stephanie was kissing someone else although who it was she was supposed to be kissing she didn't divulge (depends whether she was in the mood for pizza or spaghetti and to get that reference you will have to keep on reading). He said that in the dream, he got so mad with Stephanie for being with someone else that he kicked her repeatedly in the head. "At first I thought, 'Owww,' but then realized it was so sweet that he said that," she beamed, "I thought to myself, 'Awww, he loves me!'" But who wouldn't love Stephanie? She has proven time and time again that she is every inch a lady and hopefully it will not be too long before the love she shares with her husband is soon shared with a child of her own.

Christian Kane was the next to join the Brits table, wearing an orange t-shirt, a necklace seemingly made out of shells and what looked like a fishing hat. He seemed a little tired but bravely admitted to also feeling a little hung over, a condition he blamed on his dislike of flying! He confessed that it had taken 17 shots of Jack Daniels to calm his nerves on the flight from Los Angeles and he was lucky to make it at all as the flight after his had been cancelled. At the table, sat on either side of Chris were two huge KANE fans, Ruth and Aamna who asked Christian about how KANE's latest album was progressing. He told them that they were working on a few new songs and that they had a new addition to the band, Melanie who plays the violin. He was jazzed about the gig at the Pickwick Theatre the following evening. "With the whole band on stage, it's a different kind of show than the one we did in London," he says, "There is higher energy, the only trouble is that I have to check there are no kids in there as Steve [Carlson] and I tend to do a lot of cussing on stage."

Christian Kane and Camden passing through the crowd

The aforementioned Mr. Carlson was the next at the table and once he was there he didn't want to leave. He happily introduced himself and shook hands with everyone pausing as he remembered faces of those he had met at Senior Partners in London back in November. He told everyone that he had had a blast and really enjoyed himself in London as well as the trip he'd made to Amsterdam a couple of days later (although he firmly denies that he partook in any of the wares that Amsterdam has to offer). So if he enjoyed it that much, does that mean he'll be making a return trip to the UK for the forthcoming White Room with Chris at Halloween 2004. Steve shook his head, "Not so far, no," he admits, "As I haven't been asked. The one thing about me is I get invited to these things with Chris and then I do something and don't get invited back! But then again Chris does a good job of doing that for himself too!" The table of girls assured him that the UK would welcome him back with open arms as he had made quite a few fans himself back in November and it is easy to see why. Steve was relaxed and open talking about how he was visiting his father the following day and seemed quite settled where he was on a table full of ladies. At one point, Buffy actor Charles Cyphers came to the table in his attempt to chat and be sociable. He said hello to everyone and introduced himself expecting to sit down but Steve wasn't moving.

PUTTING THE FLASH IN FLASHBACK WEEKEND!

Angel Puppet, a highlight of the Dealer's Room

The Saturday morning program kicked off relatively early with the photo sessions as they were taken on a digital camera which meant the photographer could immediately call back someone who may have inadvertently closed their eyes on a shot. Elizabeth Ann Allen took the first session of the day and then came the opportunity to have a photo taken in between two of Wolfram & Hart's finest, Lilah and Lindsay aka Stephanie and Christian. At the Senior Partners event in London, Christian described Stephanie as his 'favorite person in the world' and just as affectionately Stephanie has described her feelings for Christian as that of a brother. Their easiness around each other was evident as they openly welcomed fans into their little world. At one point Christian, once again feeling a little worse for wear but looking good nonetheless, seemed a little bothered as to whether he should wear his t-shirt inside his jeans or out. He asked for Stephanie's opinion showing off his washboard abs and revealing the top of his boxers. Stephanie then started to comment that she was falling out of her bra and began to adjust herself sparking a comment from Christian that 'her boobs looked like they should be shooting things out of them like a femmebot from the Austin Powers movie.' "It's good," he says, "I like it." Meanwhile, while they are having this underwear discussion, a patient fan waits for them to finish their discussion so she can immortalize her meeting with them.

Christian conducted his own solo photo session straight after his collaboration with Stephanie and then came the moment that most had been waiting for, the first glimpse of the man who had successfully carried his own series for five seasons and who had made the act of brooding an art form. Looking relaxed wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, which only helped to accentuate his healthy tan courtesy of a well earned holiday in Mexico, David wore a smile that could melt the polar ice caps. It is fair to say that during his last fan event in Brighton in August 2003, David appeared awkward in front of his fans, almost nervous and far from happy, yet in Chicago he was completely the opposite, sharing jokes and generally making everyone feel at ease.

TWO WOLFRAM WORLDS COLLIDE

From picture to paper as the photo sessions transformed into autograph sessions pretty much as soon as the last photo had been taken. David, Christian, Elizabeth and Stephanie took root in one room while Camden, Charles and Scott moved into the impressively stocked Dealer's Room for their autograph sessions. During the weekend the Dealer's Room was a regular place to visit not only as an excuse to purchase merchandise or visit with the supporting cast, meet Stephanie's sister or review what was happening with the Make-A-Wish Foundation but it was a chance to see the Angel puppet! Since the episode Smile Time aired back in February, fans have been fascinated by this miniature Angel and so it was hardly surprising that an appearance by the little man made of felt whose nose comes off would be a key attraction. During Friday evening, Smile Time Angel actually posed with life-size cardboard cutouts of Angel, Buffy and Spike. Quite an impressive line up!

"I love the chemistry between Lilah and Angel. There's always this really great tension; were they going kill each other or were they going to make out?" ~ Stephanie

There was a really relaxed vibe devoid of any sense of urgency during the autograph sessions because although there was still a schedule to meet, the guests happily spent time chatting to people as they signed, accepting gifts and posing for personal photos to be taken as they did so. David spoke a little about his plans to come to England to appear in a West End play, Christian spoke of his excitement at the prospect of KANE's gig at the Pickwick Theatre that night and Elizabeth spoke of an her encounter with an escaped lion! OK, just to clarify, Elizabeth didn't actually come face to face with a lion but she feared she had. Poor Stephanie was actually suffering from some allergy problems and her eyes were watering and she unfortunately had the sniffles. Despite feeling poorly it didn't stop her effervescent smile though when asked for a photo. "Wait, wait," she called, "Come back and I'll do a Lilah look for you." She straightened her face and started to chant to herself 'think of something evil, think of something evil.' To help get her in character, her sister Brigitte pinched her and she was also reminded of the image of her husband kicking her in the head and the next thing you knew she had struck the pose of evil lawyer Lilah Morgan. Unfortunately as menacing as the look in her eyes was, in terms of the actual picture she just looked like she really felt sorry for herself because evil doesn't look as intimidating with patchy eyes and a red nose. And on to the talks...

Stephanie Romanov (Lilah Morgan)

In her role as Lilah Morgan, Stephanie had one of the most captivating storylines which started in the Season 3 finale Tomorrow and continued throughout Season 4 until her unfortunate and untimely death at the hands of Cordelia in the mid-season episode Calvary. The storyline referred to is of course the surprising yet fascinating 'relationship' Lilah developed with Angel Investigation's own Judas Iscariot, Wesley Wyndham-Price (Alexis Denisof). As an audience, the fans were shocked at the pairing and so it was only natural that a large proportion of the questions asked of Stephanie related to the unusual liaison but did the storyline have the same impact on Stephanie as it seemed to have on everybody else? "I was completely surprised," she admitted when asked, "I remember negotiating a contract because it was close to getting a new season. I wasn't going to come back because they weren't paying me enough, it was ridiculous and I said, 'You guys have got to up the ante,' and they kept saying this is our last offer, take it or leave it and I said, 'Ok fine.' They didn't tell me about the storyline and I had no idea about the arc and Alexis called me at home and he said, 'Do you not want to work with me?' I was like what are you talking about, nobody's called, nobody's talked to me and then he told me about the storyline. Finally one of the producers who hadn't called, called me and realized I wasn't asking for an exorbitant amount of money and they give the OK but I first heard about it through Alexis. It was very intriguing I thought."

Stephanie Romanov shares a laugh

With Stephanie back on board and the storyline now in place, the most intriguing thing to watch was the chemistry between Lilah and Wesley mature from an untrusting and reluctant partnership based on sex, manipulation and exploitation to a 'relationship' where actual feelings were involved. Considering how cold and calculating Lilah could be, was it a shock that Lilah began to have feelings for Wesley? "It was because I originally scored the arc as she wanted something from him, she wanted information, she likes power. She was just trying to gain power and in the process of filming and actually doing the scenes, Lilah started to care for him which was weird, it was beyond my control, it wasn't anything I had planned and there were actually very tender moments between the characters and that was kind of a happy surprise." Yet Lilah is still evil at the core and will do anything for personal gain. If push came to shove, could Lilah have killed or hurt Wesley if the Wolfram & Hart Senior Partners had asked her to? "That's a very good question," Stephanie ponders yet the 'Lilah' look on her face gives away the answer without the need for words, it is obviously a resounding yes. Innocently she mocks how she may break the news to her lover, "Wesley, I'm sorry," she says sweetly before menacingly making the motion of death.

Despite his better judgment and momentarily casting aside his true feelings for a certain Texan scientist, Wesley too became emotionally attached to Lilah leading to one of the highlights from Season 4 in the episode Salvage where Wesley had the grisly task of dispatching Lilah's corpse. "That was a really unexpectedly moving scene," Stephanie comments, "I mean Wesley is actually talking about his feelings in a way that I don't think has been exposed before and the chemistry of the moment was very cool and also the special effects thing on the table, I have to say was pretty cool." So does she think secretly Wesley still carries the signed $1 bill as proof of their relationship in his wallet? Stephanie smiles and says, "Absolutely!" Lilah Morgan is a beautifully complex character yet at the same time a relatively straightforward one. She's evil plain and simple but if Lilah sang for Lorne, what does Stephanie think he'd see? "I don't know what he'd see," she replied honestly, "Probably I would say her childhood and what has brought her to where she is now, kind of lonely and isolated. I have a picture that she was very isolated and had to become a survivor, she had to take care of herself and maybe he would have seen the hard part of her life that made her make the choices that she made, that's my guess." If she were to allow Lorne to read her future, what song would Lilah sing? Stephanie grins, bowing her head, she looks coyly through her eyelashes and sings into the microphone, "Bad to the Bone."

"Come back and I'll do a Lilah look for you."

Lilah may have enticed Wesley to her bed but her main agenda was always bringing about the downfall of Angel. Many of the scenes that Stephanie appeared in on Angel included lead actor, David Boreanaz. "David's great," Stephanie tells the crowd, "I love the chemistry between Lilah and Angel. There's always this really great tension, were they going kill each other or were they going to make out? And definitely I think we had a lot of fun playing off of each other. It's like the ultimate good guy but having come from being a bad guy, the ultimate bad guy. I just love the nature he puts into the relationship absolutely." Lilah did get her 'make-out' session with her mortal enemy at one point enjoying a tryst with the vampire in a fervent clinch on Angel's desk. "Well, by the time it came up I had been working with [David] for a while," she explains, "I had just got married and he had just got married, was having a baby and we just kind of rushed through without any thought because we were kind of nervous about it. It's also one of those things, does she really want to sleep with him, does she not, she gets the opportunity, wants to and turns out it's not even him!" The inevitable question was then thrown into the air, who's the better kisser Alexis or David? Stephanie smiles as if in enjoying the memory of comparison, "Well, it depends," she smirks, "sometimes you're in the mood for pizza and sometimes you're in the mood for spaghetti! It's a really tough job because you get paid for doing what you love and then you gotta kiss these handsome men! I know, I know, somebody's got to do it!"

Lilah Morgan is the antithesis of Stephanie Romanov. Where Lilah is ruthless and scheming, Stephanie is genuine and warm therefore was it hard to play such a character and did any remnants of Lilah rub off on Stephanie? "It's not hard to play Lilah, it's great to play Lilah," Stephanie enthuses, "What was most important to me early on was to make the evilness of Lilah ambiguous so you couldn't point out how good she was or how bad she was. It's like all the true evil, you can't quite see it and you don't exactly see it coming. And as far as elements of me in her, not really. I think what's so fun for me is I said things as Lilah I have never in my whole life said to another human being. I remember filming one morning saying to someone to, 'Shut up, just SHUT UP!' I've never told anyone to shut up in my life. Whoa! So I think that's all good, the sense of fun with Lilah, I've always been a good girl and I got to play the bad girl, it's kinda huge." As a breather, in between Stephanie leaving the stage and David joining it, fans were treated to an excellent display from a group of young girls who are part of an organization called Babes With Blades. They travel the world reenacting and demonstrating routines of martial arts and choreographed fight scenes. As part of their demo at Flashback Weekend, the Chicago based troupe brought to the life the breathtaking fight scene between Buffy and Faith from the BtVS Season 3 finale Graduation Part II. They talked about how routines have to be adapted for stage as opposed to screen giving away trade secrets of how to trick the eye to make it look as if a punch has been thrown. It is all about misdirection because as an audience is focused on the swing of the punch itself, they are not looking to see what the other hand is doing and this is where a strategically placed slap to a thigh or tap on the chest can lead to the authentic sound of an actual punch. The display was amazing and flawless.