CHAPTERS 8 & 9

CHAPTER 8

Sitting in bed, and despite the exhaustion evident on her meek face and the fever that consumed her human form, Monica could notice that Andrew wanted to tell her something and she could sense the conflict in his emerald eyes. "Andrew?"

The way she tilted her head and looked at him was so intense that he felt immediately defeated. But he would have to vent his thoughts eventually, so the sooner the better. Now holding her hand with both hands, he sighed deeply. "Angel... I... I was thinking about your being ill... I guess I know something that might heal you."

"What is it?"

It took him a few seconds to suggest that, but he had to. "I was wondering if maybe... if you went back Home, you-"

"Oh, no... No, please, don't ask me this, Andrew!" her crying and pleading voice broke his heart.

"Monica, sweetie, in this human form you're exposed to all sorts of dangers and illnesses a human being is... you're so fragile, baby!" he spoke, with anguished voice, "And what hurts me more is the fact that I can't do anything for you! I wish I could feel what you're feeling, I wish I could just take this illness away from you and feel it myself so that you didn't have to suffer, but... I can't!"

Monica lowered her head and started to cry, sobbing quietly as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "...I don't want to be away from you..." she murmured, grabbing his shirt desperately.

"Monica... my angel... being away from you is my worst nightmare, baby. But seeing you so weak and ill... it hurts much more!" he spoke against her hair, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"If I go Home... they'll forbid us to see each other, Andrew!" she replied, with fear in her eyes.

"But if you stay, you might continue feeling ill and weak..."

"As long as I'm with you, I won't mind."

"But I do, baby. I do mind it!"

"Please, don't make me do this! I will heal... I've... I've been ill before... in the island, remember? You had almost no medicine to treat me, but you did it and I healed!"

"And yet, here we are... with so many resources out there and I'm not able to do the same..." he spoke, against her perfumed hair, terrified at the possible conditions of her human body.

The little Irish angel broke down and cried against his chest, dreading to think about what would happen to them once she left Earth behind. What if she was never allowed to return? What if she and Andrew were committing a terrible sin and then punished so as to never see each other again?

But to the blond angel there was never a greater suffering than watching her suffering. Monica was the one and only creature who had settled in his heart forever, his eternal soulmate. "Your fever isn't breaking... And you've been ill like this for weeks, I know that... I've noticed how you've lost weight..."

"You're asking me to go Home so that I can heal..." she murmured, never facing him and with her eyes full of tears, "... yet, if I go there and I'm not allowed to see you again, my soul will have never been so ill..."

Andrew gently pulled away and framed her face with both hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs, even though fresh ones insisted on falling. "Angel... nothing will keep me away from you. And you know why? Because your soul is the other half of my soul." He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "Never forget that, baby. And always remember that wherever you are I will find a way to go to you. Why do you think I felt you needed help this afternoon? Why do you think I can feel it when you're not okay or when you're sad?"

"Because the Father made you like this... Just exactly like me..." came the simple reply, as she knew deep inside of her the truth in his words.

A bittersweet smile appeared on his face. "Yes... So fear not, my angel. Wherever you go, you'll be taking my heart with you."

Andrew pulled her closer for another tight embrace, and they spent long minutes like that, exchanging loving words in the most complete silence. When they pulled apart once again, their eyes locked with each other, hypnotised by the multitude of feelings emanating from their hearts. Soon, he crossed the distance between them and their lips met in a soulful kiss.

"I'll do what you're asking me..." she whispered, as they rested their foreheads together.

Andrew gently pulled away and helped her to stand up on her feet. Holding her both trembling hands he spoke again. "Are you ready, angel?"

"Yes..." her crying voice hurt him terribly much, but there was no way back, that was the right thing to do now. Soon, he was in his angelic form and ready to fade away from that bedroom, on that apartment located somewhere in Salt Lake city.

But it was then that he noticed something strange. A terrifying fact that only now came to evidence. Monica's clothes - a lilac dress and a white cardigan, never changed. Her beautiful human form never gave place to an even more gorgeous appearance. And the fever that consumed her never let go.

"Andrew..." she murmured, her entire body trembling with fear.

"Angel... Monica..."

"I... I can't turn into my angelic form..." Monica looked at her own body with horror and then back at him, she looked like a frightened child. "I can't become an angel again!"

CHAPTER 9

A terrified Monica stood before Andrew's equally scared eyes; his heart broke as he saw the panic and fear written on her meek face. The Irish angel's hands were trembling as both of them questioned why she wasn't able to turn into her angelic form.

"What's happening to me, Andrew?" she asked, with a crying voice, "Why can't I become an angel again?"

Frowning with deep concern, he squeezed her hands and searched for an explanation to that strange phenomenon. Even though he too didn't have any answers, Andrew could see the panic written on those pretty but sad brown eyes, and the least he could do right now was to put her little heart at ease for a while.

Sighing deeply, still glowing in his angelic form, he made her sit at the edge of the bed. "Angel, please, calm down..."

"Am I losing my powers, Andrew? Am I losing my angelic status?" she wanted to know, her entire body trembling.

Andrew sat down right next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, still holding one of her hands. "Shh... of course not, angel!"

She rose her head and stared at him with utmost fear. "Is this what happens when an angel falls in love?"

That question took him off-guard and for a moment he even considered that possibility. But then, on the following second, he shook his head. "Monica this is impossible."

"No! I think it is possible! It has happened to me once, when I got angry and even threw a man's cell phone in a fish tank, remember? My angelic abilities were severely reduced and it was because all those human feelings that now I'm having again, and-"

"Baby, angel, listen to me..." he gently interrupted her, laying a hand against her face. "First of all, your feelings now bear no resemblance to those on that specific occasion. I have no doubt that this gentle heart of yours carries much love."

His words had some effect on her, and she made a short pause. "And the greatest part is directed at you, Andrew..." she replied, still with a crying voice, and that statement caused a tiny smile to appear on the corner of his lips.

"I do believe it, baby. And I hope you know that this heart of mine belongs to you."

"Of course I do!" she immediately replied, afraid that he could think otherwise.

Still with a slight smile, he nodded his head and kissed the back of her hand, "Well, if I love you so much, then how come I didn't lose my angelic abilities? How come I can turn into my angelic form and fulfil my assignments whenever and wherever I have to?"

Those words did cause an impact on her and she stared at him still deciding if they were right. "Do... do you think there must be another reason for me to be feeling so... ill... so weak?"

"There is another reason for that other than what you're considering, baby, because what you're considering is impossible." He said, tenderly cupping her cheek and gazing deeply into those sad doe-like eyes. "I refuse to believe that a loving Father would just 'punish' his children like that because of their feelings... loving feelings!"

Monica stared at him for long minutes, and even though he could see the storm of so many different and intense feelings in her deep brown eyes, Andrew elected to wait for her to voice them to him. She always did.

"I... I believe you're right... in a way... I know that the Father wouldn't punish me for loving you so much..." she started, her voice was low, her expression determined despite the sadness it held, "... but the truth is that my angelic nature is being affected, and if this is happening because of my feelings... If I cannot go Home and if I fell ill because of my feelings for a fellow angel, then I say there's nothing that can be done, because I'll never stop loving you..." a tear fell from her eye as she bit her lower lip, and the emotion in her dark pools could be reflected in his own green eyes, for the angel of death was suffering as much as she was.

"If this is the price to pay, Andrew, then I'll pay for it... I refuse not to love you... I refuse not to be close to you... because if I do, then I'd be also going against my nature... as I cannot imagine me without you..."

Andrew, more than any other living creature, knew those words were coming from the bottom of her heart. Deeply moved, he pulled her to his arms and held the little angel as tightly as he dared. Closing his eyes, the angel of death kissed the top of her head repeatedly and prayed in silence for a chance to have her by his side; just the mere fact of holding her like that would be enough to make him the happiest soul in the world. How he wished to take away that mysterious disease that was causing her so harm! How he wish to make others stop judging them!

There were so many questions unanswered right now but one thing Andrew knew for sure. Since the love they felt for each other had grown the two angels were confronted with nothing but hateful words and attitudes that were far away from God's teachings. He and Monica had nothing to do with it. Monica's condition had nothing to do with the intolerance of those who did not have the authority to speak or act in the name of their Father.

Long minutes after just holding her, the angel of death pulled away and searched for her eyes, hoping to put her heart at ease even though his own wasn't. "If your human form is ill then we have to find out what's wrong with it. I'll take you to the hospital, Monica. The doctors will know how to treat you better than me."

Monica sighed deeply and looked back at Andrew like a ten-year-old who would put all her trust in him. "You know that this is impossible... Treating me better than you, I mean..."

With a slight smile, the blond angel reached out and wiped her tears away, pressing his lips against hers in a soft, brief kiss. "I want you to stay right here. I'll prepare our breakfast and go take a quick shower, and then we'll leave. Is that okay? Do you think you could eat something?" he spoke, stroking her face and at the same time feeling the warmth of her skin.

Monica nodded her head, even though she didn't feel like eating anything. Andrew rose to his feet and pulled the blanket, motioning for her to climb in bed again. "Stay here, angel. These quilts will keep you warm while I work things out in the kitchen."

As she leaned against the pillows he covered her small form and brushed a gentle kiss against her forehead. Andrew left the bedroom making a mental note to get her some new clothes as the dress and cardigan she was wearing wouldn't help to keep her warm enough. The blond angel was feeling lost. He walked up to the living room, running a hand over his short hair and wondering what was causing Monica's illness. He looked at the sky through the window, worry written all over his face, and was about to start praying when a voice took him out of his reverie.

"Andrew..."

He turned around and saw Tess standing in the middle of the room, with a solemn expression on her face. The angel of death stared at her defiantly - secretly amazed at how his long time friend had turned against him and Monica in such a cruel and merciless way.

And openly ready to protect his angel from anyone who dared to take her away from him.