CHAPTER 5

When Monica next opened her eyes she was relieved to see sunshine pouring in across her bed. The daylight didn't actually fix anything, but it was infinitely better than the long, dark, night. The rising sun also gave her permission to get up and do something other than lie in bed with her dark memories.

Andrew's presence had allowed her to fall into a more peaceful sleep for the latter part of the night, but she still felt a deep sense of weariness that she doubted any amount of sleep would help. She knew that Paul and Andrew were probably nearly as tired as she was and was very quiet as she put on her robe and padded softly into the kitchen. Aside from Andrew and the Father she was beginning to think that coffee was her best friend. She was soon settled at the table, warm mug cupped in her hands as her eyes stared out the window into the distance.

That was where Paul found her only a few minutes later. He saw the blank look in her eyes and silently poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down next to her. She remained quiet and he glanced over at her a few times, trying to think of what to say to break the ice.

"Looks like another nice day," he finally said, giving himself a mental slap for the inane small talk that had sprung from his mouth.

Monica looked up and her expression changed as she saw him rolling his eyes at his own remark. He was trying so hard, and she wasn't giving him much to work with. "It does look nice," she said, with a tiny smile. "Good thing too… remember you promised me a ride today," the angel was determined to lighten the mood. She had already made enough mistakes for one week, and the least she could do was try not to make the situation harder than it needed to be.

Paul's face broke into a wide grin at her show of enthusiasm. "That's right, I did. Why don't you go get yourself ready and I'll see about waking up that lazy partner of mine and getting some lunch together."

Monica gave a little laugh at Paul's reference to Andrew. If he only knew that his partner had sat up comforting her long into the night. Inwardly she thanked God for allowing Andrew to be with her. She honestly didn't know how she would be able to manage if he wasn't there.

"Hey, I'm awake here," Monica and Paul both turned to see Andrew standing in the doorway, blond hair still damp from the shower.

"Oh, so you aren't such a lay-about after all," Paul joked.

"No… but I do think I am more of a night person," he replied.

Monica smiled and mouthed a quick 'thank you' that only the other angel could see.

Within half an hour they were all dressed and heading down to the barn. Paul carried a picnic lunch packed into two saddlebags and Andrew had a blanket slung over one shoulder. Monica ran ahead of them and was the first one to the barn. She was about to pull the door open when she remembered herself and let her arm drop to her side as she waited for her two protectors to catch up.

As usual, Paul was the first one in and after he gave the all clear the others joined him. Monica went straight to Scout's stall and Paul grinned.

"I take it you want to ride him?" he said, one eyebrow creeping upward.

The angel turned and produced a particularly pathetic expression, lower lip out, big brown eyes looking up through long lashes.

"Okay, okay," Paul agreed. "I think I can trust him to take good care of you."

Monica smiled happily and gave the big horse a friendly pat before placing a small kiss on the end of his velvety nose. Paul managed most of the tacking up, but Monica and Andrew kept busy tightening straps and following his instructions. Before long they were leading the horses out into the bright sunshine.

"I'll give you a leg up," Paul said as he approached Monica and Scout, leaving his own horse tied to the nearby fence.

He completely missed the look on Andrew's face that clearly said that he had expected to be the one to help her up. Monica was unaware of it as well, and she gladly let Paul boost her into the saddle as Andrew gave his head a shake, wondering where that strange feeling had come from.

The blond angel put it to the back of his mind as he watched Monica’s face break out into a smile that warmed him like the sun, as she finally found herself astride the horse and she reached down to stroke Scout’s neck lovingly. He and Paul mounted their own steeds, before the threesome set off at a leisurely pace.

They rode in silence for awhile, before Monica turned her eyes to Paul once more, her eyes a combination of hinting and hope, "Paul, I think Scout would like to pick up the pace a wee bit. Do you suppose that would be all right?"

Paul’s lips twitched in a smile as he looked over at Andrew as the partners surveyed the area, which was really nothing more than a huge open field, though there were woods off in the distance, "Stay clear of the woods, but otherwise, have fun."

Grinning from ear to ear, the little angel urged Scout on until he was at a fast gallop, loving the feeling of the cool, crisp air against her face, as her long auburn hair trailed behind her as she crouch lower in the saddle. The speed, combined with the air and the open field made her feel free and the sheer power of the horse’s body beneath her own left her in awe as well as made her feel as if she were one with him.

Andrew and Paul watched her ride off in the distance and the agent shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips, "She’s something else." He remarked with a chuckle.

"Yes, she is," Andrew replied, trying to keep the deep affection that he had for the little Irish angel from his voice.

"Hard to believe that there is someone out there who wants to hurt her, though I’m not about to let that happen," His eyes held a steely resolve as he spoke those words.

Andrew turned his eyes to Paul, feeling a bit unsettled for some reason, yet not being able to put his finger on why, "I think we need to catch up a little bit. She’s getting rather far ahead of us."

"Yeah, you’re right," Paul replied, pulling himself from his thoughts as he and Andrew both urged their horses forward.

After a few minutes of hard riding, Monica slowed Scout to a canter, completely having enjoyed the brisk ride, as her hand moved from the reins to pat the horse’s neck affectionately. But just as she did, a rabbit skirted across Scout’s path, the frightened animal suddenly finding itself in the path of the large horse.

The rabbit startled Scout as well as the horse reared up, just enough to catch the angel off guard, with only one hand on the reins as she felt herself falling. Thinking clearly enough to release the reins as to not pull Scout back as well, she hit the ground hard, coming down on her backside and her elbows as she tried to break the fall as best she could.

Wanting to get right up and soothe the spooked horse, she found the fall had knocked the wind out of her, so she remained where she was, trying to get oxygen back into her lungs, as she heard the sound of horses quickly coming up behind her.

Andrew saw what was happening a split second before Paul did and he let out a shout as he leaned forward and kicked his horse into a gallop. His eyes never left his best friend, and when he saw her struggling and failing to rise he felt his stomach twist. He laid his body low along his horse’s neck, urging him ever faster. The young agent was right behind him, and by the time they reached her they had pulled even with each other.

"Monica!" Paul cried out as he leapt from his horse even before they came to a complete halt.

A small squeak, followed by coughing was the only reply from the angel, and Andrew jumped down and ran to her side in an instant.

"Breathe, honey… just breathe," he whispered, almost beyond caring if Paul got suspicious at his words. He was afraid to move her, but her small body was still struggling just to draw in air and he was beginning to feel desperate.

Paul rushed to her other side and looked over at Andrew. "This isn’t working…"

Finally Monica was able to get enough air to speak. "Just get me up," she gasped as she tried to push herself into a sitting position.

"I don’t think…" Andrew began, but then Paul was wrapping his arm around Monica’s shoulders and trying to help her up. He let out a small sigh of frustration and carefully slid his arm behind her back, to support her.

"Is that better?" Paul asked, looking into Monica’s face and seeing that the color seemed to be returning.

She nodded and took a few more breaths before trying to speak again. A few tears escaped from her eyes, almost as much from the temporary lack of oxygen as from the pain.

Andrew’s green eyes were filled with concern and he surreptitiously took hold of her hand and gave it a tiny squeeze. "It’s ok. Take your time," he said.

Monica nodded again, and then gave her head a little shake as though to clear the stunned feeling from her mind. She let out a long breath of air and let a quirky grin play at her mouth. "That was unexpected," she said, trying to alleviate the scared looks that were pointed in her direction.

Andrew was not so easily distracted. "That was a nasty fall," he said, his eyes scanning her body, looking for any injuries.

"Yeah, it was," Paul agreed. "You just stay put and I’ll run back to the house and get the mini tractor they use around the barn."

"No, really… you don’t need to do that… I’m fine. I can ride back… in fact, I want to have that picnic we packed," she insisted, hating the fact that once again she was causing trouble.

"Monica, don’t be a martyr," Andrew said, cocking his head and meeting her eyes. "I think we’d better get you back to the house and check you over."

The Irish angel stared right back at him, more determined than ever to prevent any fuss. She quickly pushed herself to her feet, ignoring the pain in her arms, and then turned to look down at her erstwhile rescuers.

"See," she persisted, "good as new."

Paul and Andrew shared a worried glance that turned into resignation, and then the two of them rose to their feet as well. Paul gave a little whistle and the horses, who hadn’t gone far, lumbered over to them. Scout even had the audacity to nuzzle at Monica’s shoulder as if asking what she was doing down on the ground.

This time it was Andrew who stepped in quickly to boost her up, and he didn’t miss the slight look of pain that passed over her face as she settled herself into the saddle and picked up the reins. "Monica…" he said lowly, "I still think…"

Her pleading eyes stopped him mid-sentence before Paul heard anything. She just wanted to continue their ride and try to have as good a day as possible. Knowing that it was practically impossible to refuse her anything, Andrew let out a sigh and gave her leg a little pat.

"If you need to stop…" he whispered, and her eyes told him that he would be the first to know.

Though he understood her reasons, Andrew still felt concerned as he mounted his own horse once more, this time keeping a watchful eye on her as Paul took the lead. He could tell she was hurting, though she sent him a reassuring smile as she felt his eyes upon her.

Paul led them to the edge of the woods, where he dismounted and immediately did a quick check of the area. The two angels noticed that he seemed to know this land well and could probably easily tell if there were any recent disturbances and Monica found herself wondering if the farm maybe belonged to him. It was either that, or he spent quite a bit of time here protecting others in her position.

Once he nodded his head, Andrew swung down off his horse and quickly moved to help Monica down, spanning his hands around her small waist until she was safely back on solid ground. Seeing Paul tying off his horse, the blond angel touched her cheek briefly, before moving to follow Paul’s lead, gently pulling both his own mount, as well as Scout over to a tree near Paul. He then retrieved the blanket he had brought along and prepared to spread it across the ground.

"I’ve got it, Monica," He stated gently as she moved to help him, deciding that even if she wouldn’t admit to being in pain, he wasn’t going to do anything to cause her unnecessary movement at the moment.

She fidgeted as she watched Paul carrying over the saddlebags, longing to do something to help. Carefully sitting down on the blanket, she began to unpack the bags, wincing slightly from the pain in her arms, though she did her best to hide it.

"Okay, lets have a look," Paul stated, sitting down next to her and pulling a First Aide kit from one of the saddlebags.

"Paul, really, I’m fine," Monica protested, not wanting a fuss made, but seeing she was not going to get out of this graciously.

"Monica, you don’t take a spill like that and not do a little damage. I’ve taken my share of them, believe me, which is why I always ride or go anywhere for that matter, with a First Aide kit. Now, being stubborn will get you nowhere with me, little lady, so what do you say we get this over with so we can eat?" Paul raised an eyebrow at her and smiled as a blush rose to her cheeks.

Giving in, Monica allowed him to pull up the sleeves of her sweater to look at the brush burns that had happened when she had tried to break her fall, "I feel so silly for having fallen in the first place," She remarked with a sigh.

"There was nothing you could have done to prevent it, Monica," Andrew interjected, once again, not liking the fact that Paul was the one showing this attention, though he felt far from understanding why he felt this way.

"No, there wasn’t," Paul concurred, grabbing a medicated wipe to clean the wounds with, "This is about what I expected, though I’m sure you’ll be plenty stiff and sore in the morning."

Flinching at what he was doing, she tried to find some other topic of conversation, "You seem to spend a good bit of time here; at least, you seem to know your way around rather well…"

Smiling as he worked, Paul responded easily, "The farm belonged to my grandfather and he left it to me when he died. I come here when I can and occasionally bring my work home with me, such as I did in your case," He winked at her to show he was kidding, "I’ve hired a few fellows to look after things as I can be gone for long periods of time, and it gives the police department a place in which to retire their horses, so it works out well all the way around."

"It certainly is a lovely area," Monica remarked, gazing off into the distance where she could just make out the stable in the distance, "I’m sure you wish you had more time to spend here."

"Yes and no," He replied, bandaging one arm and then moving to the other one, "I love what I do for the most part. It may be stressful at times, but I really wouldn’t trade it for anything. The farm is a retreat after a long case, but then again, there are times when it is rather lonely."

Andrew listened in silence as he began to unpack the picnic Paul had fixed for them. Though everything looked wonderful, the knot in his stomach was keeping him from feeling much hunger and he wondered once more what it was he was feeling. Whatever it was, it was foreign to him, but despite the fact that he kept trying to shake it off, it seemed to resurface once more.

Once Paul had finished doctoring Monica, he moved to help Andrew, handing each of them a plate, and the conversation during lunch was light and easy. The food was delicious and Monica even noticed that Andrew was giving more to the conversation now. She had observed his silence, but assumed it had to do with worrying about her after her incident with Scout and she was relieved to see that he was beginning to relax once more.

"So Monica," Paul spoke up as they were just finishing off their meals, "I don’t recall hearing what it is you do. You mentioned Josh Kelley being your assignment and I suppose I’m just curious as to what work you were doing for him."

The angel faltered slightly, the use of the word "assignment" yesterday had been a mistake on her part, spoken in frustration. She exchanged a quick glance with Andrew, before speaking carefully, "I’m a counselor of sorts. Josh was having some family issues and I was asked to intervene to help resolve them. I had just finished up with him the other night," She concluded, not wanting to venture any further, especially not after her nightmare last night.

"So you work there, in the city?" He asked, wiping his hands on a napkin as he awaited her reply.

"It takes me many places," Monica replied, knowing she was at least speaking the truth, despite how awkward it seemed, "I go where the need lies."

"That sounds very rewarding, " he said thoughtfully. "I trust that your boss will understand about this unintended leave of absence." He immediately regretted his words. The tone almost made light of things and he didn't think she was in the right frame of mind to be making jokes just yet

Monica didn't seem upset though as she tilted her head a bit and replied, "Oh, He's very understanding." Her eyes held a little spark that only Andrew noticed and he lowered his head to hide the smile on his face.

He missed the fact that her eyes quickly dimmed as a troubling thought pricked the back of her mind. She hadn't actually spoken to the Father since witnessing Josh's murder. It wasn't that she was afraid that He would be angry with her. He was never angry, only disappointed, and she had been disappointed enough at herself.