CHAPTER 9

It was just past eleven o’clock, and Monica was beginning to feel the effects of her previous night’s relative lack of sleep. However, the rest of the people in the bar appeared wide awake, and she had her work cut out for her keeping up with them, even with Beth and another waitress circulating in the crowd. She noticed that Tess had begun to watch her more closely, and she knew the other angel was waiting for her to make some sort of attempt at talking with David, other than to ask if he wanted more peanuts to go with his beer.

She had just steeled herself for the inevitable when a cheerful face came into view through the crowd. A smile instantly appeared as she caught his eye and he moved towards the bar. The smile wavered a bit as she saw that the only free seat was next to David.

“Hi there, Monica… I guess you’ve been keeping busy,” Andrew said as he sat down. He knew full well who he was sitting next to, but he didn’t let his knowledge show.

“It’s been like this all night. I guess Beth wasn’t kidding when she said it would be packed.”

“Well I’m sure you’re enjoying the music at least,” he grinned, noting the way she was absentmindedly tapping her foot in time to the song.

“Better to have me listening than singing,” she teased, and Andrew laughed.

“Oh brother,” David sneered. “What is this? Another one of your boyfriends? You must really get around.”

Monica instantly tensed, and the color rose to her cheeks turning them bright red, but she said nothing. Andrew looked like he was going to be somewhat less successful at containing the sudden rush of emotions that swelled up within him, but Monica quickly shook her head, and he stopped himself before he said anything to the drunken man.

“I see Tess is here,” he avoided even looking in David’s direction. “I think I’ll go join her.”

“I’ll bring you a drink in just a minute,” the little angel murmured, hoping that the change in seating arrangements would be enough to calm David down.

It seemed to work, because within five minutes the man was back to shoving his glass wordlessly in her direction. Andrew, was another matter. He was having considerable difficulty not walking right back over and telling David exactly what he thought of him.

Another half hour passed, and Monica knew that if she didn’t say something soon, it would be too late. Tess was clearly eyeing her, and with the crowd beginning to thin out she no longer had the excuse that she was too busy. Andrew gave her an encouraging look, and she walked over to her assignment, full glass in hand.

“Here you go,” she said as she passed it to him and removed the empty.

“Yeah, thanks,” he responded. It was the most courteous he had been all night, and she wondered if the drinks were actually mellowing him out at this point.

“I… I just realized that I think we must be neighbors,” she said. She knew it was sort of a lame segue, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“Oh really?” he seemed only marginally interested.

Monica was glad that he was interested at all. “Yes… I think I spoke to your wife this afternoon. Kristin?”

David raised his head at the mention of his wife’s name. “You talked to her?”

“Yes… well… and helped with a little unpacking. That can be tough when you’re carrying a wee babe around inside,” she said with a grin, feeling that he was finally opening up.

“Yeah…” a shade of something almost approaching regret passed over his face. “I haven’t been home a lot lately…”

Monica had her eyes focused on his, waiting for him to give her just the smallest opportunity to help and encourage him.

“Whoa! Watch out!” The words were said at least two seconds too late, as a younger man tumbled into David, sloshing his drink over his shirt.

The hopeful feeling disappeared in an instant as David’s face turned angry and he swung around and shoved the other man away. He then turned back to Monica, eyes hard and cold. “I’ve got an idea… why don’t you mind your own damn business, like I told you to yesterday!” He shouted, even as Andrew rose from his seat.

“Hey, man… I’m really sorry,” the younger man said. He was really no more than a college kid, red faced from a little more beer than was good for him.

“Didn’t I already get rid of you?” David’s face had tightened in anger, and he stood up and swung his fist straight at the kid’s jaw.

His fist never made contact, and instead he found himself looking up into Andrew’s fierce green eyes.

“You again?” he swung his other fist and managed to make contact but it didn’t even seem to phase the blond angel.

It did serve to attract plenty of attention, as the kid’s friends decided to get involved. Andrew shouted at them to keep back, but he lost that battle, along with his grip on David’s hand.

“What on earth is going on over there?” Paul said, craning his neck to get a better view.

Mike was watching with a slightly better view, and he had seen everything, including the face of a man who didn’t look like he had much to lose. “I don’t know, but I think we’d better break it up.”

The two agents moved from their seats and quickly headed to the bar and after seeing the distressed look on Monica’s face, Paul wasted no time in grabbing hold of one of the rambunctious college boys. Pulling him off of the pile, he smirked at the surpised look on the young man’s face, “I think it’s time for you to head home, son.”

So it continued as he and Mike continued to break up the fight, sending intoxicated students on their way for the night. Throughout all the chaos, Paul didn’t even notice Andrew at first, but once he did, his attention was quickly drawn to where the angel’s eyes were focused. Once the fight had been disapated for the most part, what was left was David beating the pulp out of one last college kid, who never stood much of a chance against the older and stronger man. The boy’s nose had been bloodied and probably broken, but still David persisted, his anger obviously out of control.

It took both angel and agent to pull David off the boy, who immediately retreated in a drunken terror back to his table, a look of pure shock and pain on what could be seen of his face. David was still in his element, his eyes blazing with anger and it was Andrew who pressed the human up against the wall.

“Settle down!” He glowered, his own eyes alight with equal intensity and he didn’t loosen his hold until some of the tension left David’s body, though the anger never left his face.

Shrugging off the angel’s grip, David replied to him gruffly, his voice dangerously low, “Get off of me, pretty boy and go back to your bar wench!”

It was only Paul’s hand on his shoulder that stopped Andrew from snapping altogether, “Buddy, he isn’t even worth it.”

Andrew reluctantly released David, the angel’s emotions in utter discord as once again he was confronted with his desire to hurt another. Trying to reign in all he was feeling, he shook his head as David vanished into the crowd, “You’re right, Paul. Thanks.”

“Looks like someone nailed you,” The agent commented with a shake of his head, “You’re going to have one hell of a shiner by morning.”

Andrew managed a slight grin, only at the words being made aware of the smarting of the area around his left eye, “I think you’re right.”

“No offense, but God sure did pick a winner for Monica this time.”

“None taken,” He replied, as he felt his heart clench at the mention of his dearest friend’s name. His eyes darted back to the bar and he just caught a glimpse of her french braid as she all but raced around the corner from behind the bar.

“Slow down, baby,” Tess’ hand caught the little angel before she could escape and as she turned Monica to face her, the older angel’s expression turned to one of great concern. Her charge’s eyes were filled with distressed tears and she seemed to be struggling to catch her breath from the deep panic that had set in with her, “Where are you headed, Monica?”

Feeling as if she had just fallen off Scout once again, Monica managed to take in air, trying to assure herself that lack of sleep and food was what was making her feel this way, though deep in her heart, she knew it not to be true. She had watched David hit Andrew and her own knees had nearly buckled at the act of violence against her friend. As the fight had broken out and as the rampage had broken out in the bar, she had felt as if the room were spinning and her only thought was to get as far away from here as she possibly could.

“Somewhere else, Tess…anywhere else…” She managed to choke out the words as she shook her head helplessly, “I can’t do this…God assigned the wrong angel to David…or better yet, I’m not sure any angel could help him…”

“Miss Wings, this is nonsense and you know it. The Father doesn’t make mistakes and if he assigned you, then that means you can help him.”

“No! Are you listening to me at all? Not only can’t I help him, but I don’t want to help him and even if I did, he has to want help to be able to listen to it, and he obviously doesn’t want that! I tried, Tess, I did, but I can’t…I can’t!”

“Monica-.”

“No!” She cried out, not even willing to let Tess argue with her, “He’s no better than McArthur was! No one could have changed him either and where was HIS angel, Tess? My guess is he didn’t have one as there was no hope for him, just like there is no hope for David! He’d rather solve his problems with beer and violence then to hear the truth. So if you are so convinced that he is able to hear it, then you tell it to him because I’m finished!”

Tess was speechless as she watched Monica push her way through the crowd and as it swallowed up her little form, she turned eyes to Andrew, who was still across the bar with Paul.

Paul noticed the look exchanged between the two and raised his eyebrows in Andrew’s direction, “Angel?” He asked, nodding his head toward Tess.

“Unhappy angel is more like it at the moment, I think,” Andrew conceded as he worked his way over to his friend with Paul in tow, “What happened, Tess? Where did she go?”

“She just walked off her assignment, that’s where she went, Andrew,” Tess fumed, frustration clearly etched onto her features.

Andrew hesitated with his response. He was worried about Monica and he completely understood why the little angel had done what she had, but he wasn’t sure he was up to a battle of wills against the older angel. Monica had just been sideswiped with more violence and it was something she was in no way prepared to handle, but he knew that Tess felt otherwise as she only appeared to be seeing things in black and white right now, and Monica was definitely being held captive in a much more shaded area.

“Well, can you blame her?”

The sound of Paul’s voice interrupted Andrew’s thoughts as he turned to his friend and former partner with a look that clearly read “Do you have any idea of what you are setting yourself up for?”

But Paul was not to be disuaded as he continued with a frown, “She’s been to hell and back the last few weeks and tonight was the last thing she needed. I’m surprised she didn’t walk out of here last night when that jerk grabbed ahold of her!”

Though this bit of information was obviously news to Tess, she quickly took it in stride and narrowed her eyes at the human, “Monica is an angel with a job to do and truth to be told, regardless of what she has been through of late. God watches out for her, Paul, and she knows that. She is simply refusing to accept it at the moment.”

“She isn’t refusing anything,” Paul disagreed, shaking his head in diguest, “She’s simply accepting what Douglas McArthur taught her; That there are people in this world who are unwilling to accept help to better themselves. I’ve run into plenty of them in my line of work and I’m surprised that in your line of work, that you haven’t discovered the same truth.”
“God doesn’t see it that way,” The older angel snapped, her concern and irritation with Monica getting the better of her, “And because He doesn’t see it that way, neither should she.”

Andrew’s eyes darted back and forth between the two, wondering if perhaps Tess had finally found her match in Paul as the agent was refusing to back down. Paul had spent weeks protecting the little Irish angel and as was true with he and Monica as well, old habits were dying hard.

Deciding it was best that Tess was temporarily distracted, Andrew backed away slowly, his mind and heart focused on one thing; finding his dearest friend.

Monica slumped down on one of the benches on the bar’s outside patio, trying to control her trembling and still trying to catch her breath from the panic that had overtaken her body. She wasn’t sorry for the things she had said; she had meant them from the bottom of her heart. She couldn’t help David and she had no desire to try anymore if she had even had any desire to begin with.

The sound of voices filtered into her thoughts as she wearily raised her head, trying to see through the darkness as to where they were coming from. She could see no one, but surmissed that they were coming from the back of O’Reilly’s and she strained to hear who it was.

“Just take the money and shut up about what happened here tonight, all right?”

“The jerk busted my nose, man! He deserves to have the cops called on him! My running into him was an accident and he just freaked out on me!”

Knowing the second voice had to be coming from the student that David had attacked, Monica frowned, uncertain as to who the other man was, but she continued to listen.

“Five hundred bucks, okay? Get yourself to the emergency room and don’t press charges. That’s all I’m asking.”

“Five hundred? Why do you care so much about this guy? Is he a friend of yours or something?”

“Lets just say I have a vested interest in him keeping his nose clean. Now, do we have a deal?”

As the deal was sealed, Monica remained silent as they departed, never once seeing her and she reached up to wipe a hand over her eyes. The conversation had confused her, but she had much more pressing things at hand right now then some friend of David’s taking up for him, though the human certainly didn’t deserve it.

Knowing she could not possibly face Tess again tonight, she gazed helplessly down the street, unwilling to walk the distance home and certain that her supervisor would be waiting for her there anyway. Reaching into her apron pocket, she pulled out a fistfull of bills that had been her evening’s tips; money she had planned on using to help Kristin. But she had walked off her assignment and she was sure that Tess would be able to help the young woman far better than she could anyway.

Seeing a taxi coming up the road, she rose to her feet and hurried to the curb to wave the driver over. She finally felt able to breath normally as she climbed in and uttered softly, “Drive. Just drive.”

Settling back in the seat, Monica closed her eyes, knowing this would solve little, but needing an escape, regardless of how temporary it might be.