CHAPTER 13

The three of them were seated on the top story of the double decker boat, looking out over the sparkling water and waiting for it to depart, when Monica remembered that she didn’t particularly enjoy being on the water. It had all looked so beautiful and peaceful from the shore, but now, being on the boat as it bobbed slightly on the water, her completely irrational fear crept back. The height of the ferry definitely wasn’t helping matters and she calmed herself by looking out over the sun-tipped water and concentrating on the little cottages that dotted its shore.

“Is everything alright?” Paul asked, spotting the uncomfortable look on her face.

“Oh, yes,” she said cheerfully. “Perfect.”

He didn’t look convinced, but decided to drop it. “In that case, I’m going to give one more pass around the boat before we depart.”

He left Andrew and Monica sitting in their ancient, white painted seats and headed down the stairs to the main deck. As soon as he was out of sight, Andrew leaned over and caught the Irish angel’s eye.

“Are you sure you’re okay? We can still get off you know.”

“I’m fine,” she said, plastering a smile on her face. “I’m the one who mentioned the boat, remember?”

“I remember. I also remember that a certain angel is not as fond of water as she could be,” he said pointedly. “I know you thought you’d overcome your fear, but you haven’t encountered it in a long time. There’s no shame in having it come back, although I promise you that there is nothing to fear.” His green eyes met hers with complete seriousness. Then he blinked and a glint of playfulness entered his expression. “You’re pretty big, but I think that between Paul and I we could haul you back to shore if we had to,” he teased.

Monica rolled her eyes at his joke, but she felt a real smile curling up the corners of her mouth. “I think that I’ll be just fine,” she said with a little laugh. “In fact I’m feeling much better already.”

Only a few more people came to sit on the top deck, and within a few minutes Paul returned and the captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that they were about to depart. They all covered their ears as the loud horn sounded to alert other boats that the ferry was pulling into the channel, and Monica felt an involuntary giggle rise in her chest at the reverberations that passed through her. She looked up at her companions, who were both looking at her with slightly puzzled but very pleased expressions. She was right; this was going to be a perfect ending to the day.

*****

By the time they all piled back into the car, the sun was beginning to set, and Monica was so tired that she was sure she would have no problems falling asleep. It was a pleasant exhaustion though, and she welcomed it. She let herself melt into the comfortable car seat and propped her head on her hand.

“I think that someone got a little worn out today,” Paul chuckled.

“Did not,” Monica replied, knowing that her words made her sound even more like a tuckered out four-year-old. She grinned and looked at the agent out of the corner of her eye.

“Well even if the day didn’t tire you out, it sure had an effect on me,” Andrew said as he leaned forward. “I haven’t walked that much in a long while.”

Monica knew that was another playful jab at her insistence that they visit every store and she had a comeback of her own. “It wasn’t that much walking,” she joked. “Maybe someone needs to exercise more.”

Paul laughed out loud and met his partner’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “She’s got you there, Andrew!”

The blond angel decided to accept defeat gracefully and leaned back in his seat, never letting his eyes roam from the two figures in front of him. Paul hadn’t shown Monica any more undue attention during the afternoon, and the angel tried to tell himself that the situation would work itself out along with the rest of the assignment. He tried, but he wasn’t terribly successful.

His eyes rested on Monica’s auburn hair, newly freed from its straw prison. It flowed over her shoulders and peeked around the edge of her seat, reminding him of the slow waves on the lake. She had ended up truly enjoying the boat ride and had even suggested that they make the trip again if they returned to the town. Of course anything that made his dearest friend happy made him happy as well, but he remembered how chilly it had gotten out in the middle of the lake, and made a mental note to have Monica take some more medicine before she went to bed.

The ride back to the farm was much quieter then the one getting to the town, though the silence for once was a peaceful one. Monica was fighting to keep her eyes open, her recent bout with the cold catching up to her after all of her activity today, and before long her dark eyes had slid shut as she gave in to sleep.

Paul smiled as he glanced over at her before looking at Andrew in the rear view mirror, “I think we tired her out.”

“Seems that way,” Andrew grinned, as he settled back into his seat to enjoy the scenery before the lasts bits of light began to fade from the sky. He was almost feeling peaceful at the moment and it was coming as a great relief to him, until Monica shifted in her sleep and her head came to rest against Paul’s shoulder. He felt himself bristle once more despite the fact that he knew what she had inadvertently done was innocent enough, but Paul wrapping arm around her shoulders to keep her from sliding down further in the seat nearly put the angel over the edge.

Paul smiled as he glanced down at Monica, who was fast asleep up against him, the straw hat still loosely held in her other hand. He had been unable to help himself as he had put his arm around her, feeling the warmth of her cheek against his chest. She was slowly but surely endearing herself to him, even though he was trying to keep his feelings at bay, not wanting anything to distract him enough to mar his judgment lest he should get careless. He couldn’t bear the thought of any harm coming to her and his carelessness had only interfered with his ability to do his job one other time. That would not happen this time.

As Paul parked the car, Andrew was the first one out of it and he opened the passenger’s door, shooting a smile at Paul, “Let me give you a hand here,” Gently, he gathered the little angel into his arms and carefully lifted her out of the car, feeling her head fall back against his shoulder, though she never awoke, “I’ll get her to her room,” He offered, hoping he wasn’t coming across as possessive as he felt at the moment.

“Thanks, Andrew,” Paul replied, feeling a combination of disappointment and gratitude to have a few moments alone to sort out his thoughts for his assignment.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Andrew carried his best friend into the house once Paul had unlocked it and turned off the security system, noting that Paul had immediately headed to the stables just to make sure everything was secure for the night.

Carefully, he laid the sleeping angel down on the bed and watched as she stirred slowly and sleepily opened her brown eyes.

“Andrew…”

“I’m right here, angel,” He smiled at her sleepy expression, “Why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll get you some water? I want a few more cold tablets in you tonight after how chilly it was on the boat.”

She nodded her head tiredly, though as he departed, a small smile appeared on her face at the memory of today. Reaching for the bag Andrew had carried in for her, she pulled out the cat and kitten figurine and placed it on her nightstand, her fingers moving over it lightly for a moment, before she got up to change into her nightgown. Today had tired her out and without even waiting for Andrew, she pulled down the quilt and crawled under it, her head nestling against the pillows.

That was how Andrew found her minutes later and a tender smile appeared on his face as she looked up at him sleepily, “Not so fast, Angel Girl,” He teased gently as he handed her the pills and waited for her to sit up to give her the glass of water he had carried in with him.

She took them obediently before lying back down and she grinned as she felt him pulling the quilt up snugly around her.

“Warm enough?” Seeing her nod her head, he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, “I’ll be back shortly to stay with you, so you can rest easily.”

Reaching for his hand, she laid a tiny kiss against his palm, “Thank you for today.”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for, angel. It was Paul’s idea…”

“But your being there made it perfect,” She whispered contentedly, as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Andrew’s heart warmed at her words, his jealousy temporarily forgotten as he smoothed her hair back from her face and spoke softly to her sleeping form, “You make every day perfect for me, Monica.”

*****

The shrill sound of the alarm pierced the early morning air, and Paul and Andrew flung their doors open at exactly the same moment, their expressions startled and still half-asleep. When they turned to look at Monica’s room and saw the door wide open they became even more alarmed. They were both feeling a sense of dread, and in the split second it took to see that Monica’s room was empty, that feeling intensified. A loud thudding noise, followed by sudden silence made them spin back around to look towards the other end of the hall. Paul’s gun was already in his hand and he sprinted towards the noise, with Andrew only half a step behind.

Andrew couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so afraid. The loud noise, the early hour, and the rush of adrenaline, all combined to put his senses and his emotions into a hyper-alert state. Once look at Paul was enough to tell him that he was feeling the same. The only difference was that Paul had been working as an agent for years, and he had learned to push everything that he was feeling into the background and concentrate only on what he had to do. It only took seconds for them to arrive at the kitchen door, and Paul’s eyes had a steely glare in them as he rushed through the door with his gun raised.

“D-Don’t shoot!” Monica’s eyes went wide as they swiveled from the floor to the kitchen doorway where Paul and Andrew stood, hearts racing.

Paul shook his head and his eyes continued to dart around as he struggled to bring himself down from the fully alert mode he had gone into the moment the alarm filled his ears. He suddenly realized that his gun was still pointed at Monica and he quickly lowered it, watching her face relax.

She forced back the memory of the last time she had found herself looking down the barrel of a gun, and bent to pick up the battered object she had been staring at when Paul and Andrew entered. She held it out for their inspection, and they saw that it was the remains of the fire alarm that had been hanging above the stove.

“I’m really sorry,” she apologized, sheepishly, her expression changing to one of guilt. However, as she looked them over, taking in the disheveled hair and rumpled night-clothes, she was hard pressed to keep a touch of humor from her face.

“The fire alarm?” Andrew questioned, and it was only then that he noticed the burnt smell that filled the air and saw a two pans, still smoldering on the stovetop.

“You guys were so patient with me yesterday,” Monica explained, “that I thought I’d surprise you with breakfast this morning.” She looked up at them with a sweet, hopeful expression on her face, clearly asking for forgiveness.

Paul looked at her, still astonished that after that rush of panic, the only cause was his own assignment. Then he watched as she bit her bottom lip waiting for them to say something, and he burst out laughing.

“I’d say you surprised us, alright,” he said, reaching up to rub at his forehead as he shook his head incredulously. “I swear, Monica… you are taking years off my life.”

Monica was unable to contain her own amusement and she started to giggle as she pointed towards the stove. “It was going to be so good, too! Eggs and bacon, and pancakes,” she said, indicating the burnt offerings that currently occupied the pans.

Andrew grinned as he prodded at what he assumed was a pancake. “I thought that we had agreed that you shouldn’t cook,” he said, winking at the other angel.

“I know, but I had a good feeling about it this morning,” she declared. “A little voice told me go ahead and give it a try.”

“In the future I would advise against listening to those little voices, unless you know exactly where they’re coming from,” Andrew said dryly.

“Agreed!” Paul joined in.

Monica looked slightly indignant but she couldn’t hold in her smile for long. “I’ll have you know that I have cooked in the past,” she said. “I even invented a sort of coffee pizza,” she continued, catching Andrew’s eye and holding it for an instant.

He rolled his eyes at the memory she was referring to. “Well the next time we’re making pizza, you’ll be the first one to know,” he teased.

She scrunched her face into a little pout, and swatted him playfully on the arm. Things hadn’t gone at all how she had planned, but she felt the same sort of lightness and glee that had accompanied her all through the previous day. She grinned at her two protectors, deciding that sometimes even mistakes had a purpose.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough, children,” Paul interrupted. “Monica, why don’t you go have a seat somewhere other than the kitchen, and Andrew and I will clean up and make breakfast.”

“I could run down to the barn and check on the kittens,” the Irish angel mischievously suggested.

Paul sighed and shook his head at her, even as the smile never left his face. “Fine, fine, fine! Andrew, you go on down with her and I’ll take care of things in here,” he laughed. “Frankly I think I’m the only one of the three of us who really knows how to cook anyway,” he announced.

“Now wait a minute-,” Andrew began to protest, though his eyes held a hint of mischief.

Monica giggled, deciding to leave the two of them to hash this out on their own, “I’m going to go and change. You boys play nice,” Winking in their direction, she happily trotted off in the direction of her room.

She felt completely refreshed after yesterday and was determined to hang onto that feeling of contentment and peace for as long as she could. After all, they were much nicer emotions than fear and sadness and they helped the days to go by quicker and more lightly for all three of them.

She quickly showered and changed, tugging her hair back into a ponytail, before sprinting out of her room and back into the kitchen, pausing just at the entrance, “Permission to enter?” She asked with a grin, an impish expression on her face.

Paul chuckled as he looked over at her, shaking his head at the look on her face, “As long as you promise not to touch anything.” He was still trying to pry take one of breakfast from the pans and it was proving to be no easy task.

“I promise,” She quipped, walking into the kitchen, keeping her hands up at shoulder level to prove her point, which only brought another laugh from Paul. A somewhat guilty look entered her eyes as she saw him trying to scrape what should have been scrambled eggs from a pan, “Are you sure you don’t want me to do that? Andrew isn’t ready yet and I did make that mess…”

He cast her a side glance and replied with a grin, “I don’t want you touching anything in here other your fork, Monica, when breakfast is ready. Stick to that and we’ll get along just fine.”

She giggled as she moved to take her jacket off the back of the chair, “I really am sorry.”

Drying his hands on a towel, he took the jacket from her and helped her into it, before giving a playful tug on her ponytail, “No real damage done; not even a heart attack from me, though for a minute there it was touch and go.”

Turning to face him, she smiled once more at his teasing, “Well, you should know by now that I have to keep you and Andrew on your toes.”

He looked into her eyes, his own holding amusement, but it suddenly faded as his growing feelings for her came to the surface. He saw the puzzled expression that slowly crept across her face and he lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed, “Monica, I-.”

“Ready to go, Monica?” Andrew called out, forcing himself to smile, despite the fact that his heart was once again racing, now for completely different reasons. It had only taken him a splint second to realize what was going on with Paul, and his only thought had been to stop it before things could go any further.

Forgetting all about the look that had immediately faded upon Andrew’s arrival, Monica grinned up at him, “Yes. How long before breakfast?”

Turning back to the stove, Paul managed to push his emotions to the side, “About twenty minutes. That should give you enough time to check on your little feline family.”

Andrew was quiet on the walk down to the barn, his thoughts in turmoil, as he tried to decide whether or not he should tell her the truth about what Paul was feeling. He so didn’t want her worrying about anything more, especially the things she said to Paul and the way she treated him, but on the other hand, he didn’t want her caught off guard either and that was what had nearly happened in the kitchen.

Sliding the barn door open, he quickly assessed the situation before he bid her to enter, though he elected not to run the detailed check that Paul usually did. His instincts as an angel were good, and he wasn’t sensing any harm nearby.

“Are you okay?” Monica’s concerned voice filtered into his thoughts as he watched her enter into the barn, a perplexed look on her pretty face.

“I’m fine, angel,” He tried to reassure her as he watched her approach Scout’s stall as she dug in her pocket for the supply of mints she kept there just for him.

Stroking the horse lovingly, she glanced back at him, the worry still evident, “You’re just been awfully quiet, Andrew. If it’s about earlier, I’m so sorry to have scared you like that. The fire alarm went off and my only thought was to silence it anyway I could.”

Smiling at her sheepish grin, he shook his head, “There was no harm done, Monica, and breakfast was a nice gesture, though you should know better,” He winked at her as she laughed and he knew he had smoothed over her concern for the moment, “Check on your kittens, as breakfast will be ready soon. I’m sure they are just as anxious to see you as you are them.”

He watched as she hurried around the corner, a grin still playing on her lips, and he let out a soft sigh of relief. He had almost considered telling her, but had decided against it. She was in too good a mood to be burdened with things she had little control over.

Moving to follow her, his heart sprang to his throat as her frightened scream filled the air and he immediately sprinted around the corner. The sight before him caused his blood to run cold, as he pulled the little angel to himself, pressing her head against his chest to shield her from the sight.

The mama cat was dead, but one look told him it had been no accident. Only someone with no conscience could have killed the animal so brutally, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. Written on the stable wall, in the cat’s blood were the words “Hunting season has begun” and Andrew felt a surge of anger flow through him as he held his dear friend tighter as she trembled so violently it scared him.

“Monica!” Paul’s voice filtered through the barn as he cautiously entered, though it took everything in him to not rush right in, having heard her scream from the house.

“Over here, Paul,” Andrew uttered, his own voice as controlled as he could possibly make it as the agent quickly joined them.

Paul’s eyes narrowed as he took in the scene quickly and wasted no time in giving orders, his voice low and controlled, “We need to get her to the car now, quickly but carefully.”