PART 2

Dark clouds heavy with rain soon covered the last stars and the wind began to blow more violently as they travelled along the deserted roads that crossed the woods and the mountains.  Soon, strong gusts were bending the huge tree canopies and throwing small branches against the windshield. And then the thunders that they could hear only at a distance became louder and scarier. Lightning and heavy rain finally completed that dreadful scenario. Darkness spread ahead of them and Andrew was finding it more and more difficult to drive in such conditions. Besides the awful weather, he could feel his beloved Monica's anguished heart beating faster. She had spoken one word or two with him during their journey but her silence now was the result of fear and anxiety.

"We'll get there safe and sound, angel," he said, gently placing his hand over her knee.

"Wee Angela doesn't like thunderstorms. She always gets upset..."

"I know... But with Tess holding her in her arms and singing to her, I'm definitely sure our little angel will sleep  peacefully and only have sweet dreams!"

For just a second, Andrew turned his face to look at her and was glad to see her lips curving in a tiny smile.

"Yes... And I cannot think of a better angel to watch over her when we're not around..."

"Neither can I! And I'm sure little Angela agrees with us!"

Another tree branch hit the windshield, making their hearts jump and bringing their attention back to the road and the storm - the rain made it almost impossible to see ahead. Andrew knew what had tot be done, as he could feel Monica's panic increasing in volumes.

He slowed down and pulled over a few feet away. "We can't go on, Monica."

"We'll stop here?" she asked, before another branch flew towards their car, followed by a deafening thunder.

"We have to, it's too dangerous to go on with the weather like this." He said, parking the car away from the road, amongst some bushes. But their worry was far from ending: the wind was so strong that Tess' Cadillac kept on being continually hit by small objects. Andrew was afraid for Monica. He feared the possibility to staying out there, still vulnerable to the weather and so close to the road.

He saw that Monica had closed her eyes and started to pray. Sighing deeply, and without knowing what to do, Andrew looked through the window. It was then that, with the help of the constant lightning, he managed to see a shack hidden in between the vegetation, not far from where they were.

"I guess I found a shelter, Monica!" he said, quickly grabbing a flashlight in the glove compartment.

"What? Where?" She wanted to know, interrupting her prayers.

"Stay here. I'll stay where you can see all the time."

"Andrew..." her voice was placing and he could see fear written in her brown eyes. The angel of death inched closer and kissed her cheek. "I promise I won't go far."

Through the wet window glass, Monica watched as her beloved Andrew disappeared in between the trees and bushes that surrounded them. Now, all she could see was the flashlight blinking through the dense vegetation, while the constant lightning and rays allowed her to catch a quick glimpse of the small shack not far from the car.

It took Andrew just a couple of minutes to return but for the little Irish angel who was waiting for him it seemed a whole eternity. Monica was scared and praying for that thunderstorm to be over soon.

"Father, please, protect all those people who, like Andrew and me, are travelling along these roads. Make them safe and help them find a shelter from the rain..." she whispered, with her doe-like eyes turned to the dark sky. "... and protect us, please..."

The image of Andrew coming back through the same path he had followed minutes before was like a wave of relief flooding her soul. On the following moment, the blond angel was already knocking at the passenger window and speaking loudly to her. "Angel, come with me! I found a place where we can stay!"

Monica nodded her head and left their car, grabbing his hand as if her very existence depended on him. And that wasn't far from the truth.

A small flashlight illuminated the way ahead of them and soon they were at the shack door. Monica noticed that there was a gas lamp on the table that had been previously lit up, and she immediately knew it had been Andrew the one to do it. He knew how much she feared the darkness and how much scared she was right now. And despite the tense situation, he was kind enough to remember that detail.

His attentiveness was only one of the uncountable things she loved about him.

"Come on in, angel." He said, laying a gentle hand over her shoulder and motioning her to enter first. He followed her and then closed the door behind them. Now they were protected against the rain and the storm.

The wooden shelter was small but reasonably clean. There was a small table and two stools on one side, and a small cabinet on the other. The fireplace was on the left and there were many logs next to it. Monica and Andrew's clothes were soaked and dripping and the blond angel was quick to put some logs in the fireplace and burn them with the help of a lighter, which had also been left there. Soon, the heat coming from the fire made the interior of the shack a lot warmer and cosier. Andrew removed his shoes and socks, and stripped down to his boxers. Then, he hung his jeans and sweater on the stools, hoping that they could dry.

And, despite the storm and how much it made her nervous, Monica gasped at the vision of her beloved Andrew: the flames burning in the fireplace allowed her to see the well-shaped muscles on his chest, arms and back, and his strong wide shoulders. The Irish angel let out a sigh, as her lips curved into a slight smile. Her dear Andrew was amazingly handsome and only he was able to make her heart beat faster not from fear of the storm but from pure enchantment.

Much to her amusement, Andrew was so worried in making that small house a comfortable shelter to his beloved angel that he didn't notice her gaze at his strong human form.

"Take your dress off, Monica. There must be a blanket here somewhere." He said, without looking at her, and opened up the cabinet. With the help of the gas lamp, he checked its interior, searching from a blanket that would also help to protect from the cold.

That order, given with genuine concern and no second intentions, only amused her even more. Monica rolled her eyes and, still smiling, she reached out to unfasten the clasp behind her neck, and then unzipped her dress. Andrew found a blanket in the upper shelf and gladly took it in his hands. As he turned around, he saw his beloved Monica placing her dress over the table and now he was the one to gasp with enchantment at the image of Monica's beautiful body. The golden glow coming from the fireplace accentuated her delicate and feminine curves, now covered with only a two-piece underwear. Busy trying to stretch the dress over the table so that it could dry faster, Monica didn't realise Andrew's gaze at her - nor that his mouth had dropped open with admiration.

A loud thunder, though, interrupted that moment of contemplation. The blond angel noticed how the deafening noise caused his beloved to tremble with fear. But on the following second, he was right behind her, draping the blanket over her shoulders and speaking to her again.

"Here, so you don't feel cold, angel."

She turned grateful eyes at him. "Thank you..."

"Come, let's sit here by the fire. That will keep us warm." He gently guided her to sit on the wooden floor, leaning against the wall as they faced the fireplace.

"What about you?" she wanted to know, with slight worry.

"I'm fine, angel."

She offered him a piece of the quilt. "We can share the blanket..."

A smile appeared on his handsome face and he inched closer to her, "Let's do the following: I could hold you tight and this way both of us would feel warmer. Would you allow me to?"

The constant lightning and thunders, and the howling wind caused her to want nothing but to be in his strong arms - a loving shelter where she could really feel protected and much loved. Without saying a word, the Irish angel leaned against his chest and wrapped her small arms around his torso. She closed her eyes, grateful as she felt his strong arms holding her tightly, gently pressing her against his own body. Andrew lay a gentle kiss on the top of her head and sighed, with a slight smile upon his face. He could be gladly holding her like that for the centuries to come.