CHAPTER 7

Paul was not at all surprised when Monica didn’t emerge from her room even after the scent of coffee fairly permeated the air. He was, however, slightly amused that Andrew remained in bed as well. He chuckled to himself, deciding that their ride the day before must have tired his partner out more than he let on.

He couldn’t know that Monica had been lying in her bed, conscious but silent, for nearly three hours. Occasionally her eyes would drift closed and she would pass into that place between true sleep and wakefulness, but she always jerked awake within minutes. The Irish angel didn’t move to get out of bed until she finally heard the floor creak and knew that Andrew was up.

Snatching her robe from the foot of her bed, she wrapped it around herself and hurried to her door, opening it at the same time that Andrew’s tousled blond head appeared in his doorway. He seemed to know that she was there, and turned to give her a sleepy smile.

A slight blush rose to her cheeks as she returned it and tiptoed over to him. "Thank you for last night, Andrew," she said. "I guess I’d be even more sore this morning if you hadn’t carried me in from the sofa."

Andrew’s expression changed slightly, and although the smile didn’t entirely leave his face, it became tighter and a little more forced. "Actually, Paul’s the one who found you and brought you back to bed," he disclosed.

Monica’s brow wrinkled and she looked up at him, puzzled, both by the look on his face and what he had told her. "But, I thought… I know you were there last night… I could still feel you this morning," she insisted. "I’m sure that’s the only reason I was able to sleep without dreaming"

He felt his heart warm again at her words. "You’re right. I was there. I snuck in after Paul went back to bed."

"Oh," she replied, beginning to understand. "Well, in that case, I guess I have both of you to thank." She reached over and slipped her hand into his, giving it a tiny squeeze that would have to make do in place of the hug she wanted. "Thank you, Angel Boy," she whispered. "I’m sorry that you had to stay up with me, but I know I wouldn’t have slept through the night without you there."

Andrew felt a crooked grin reappear and held her hand a bit tighter. "You should probably take a nice long bath," he said. "It’ll help loosen up those tight muscles of yours."

She nodded in agreement. "You’re probably right. I know I only fell off a horse, but it feels more like I got hit by a truck," she joked.

Chuckling softly, Andrew turned her around and with his hands resting gently on her shoulders, he gave her a gentle push towards the bathroom, "Then go and soak. I’m sure there will be coffee waiting for you when you are finished."

He watched as she shot a grin at him over her shoulder as he smiled in return before she closed the door behind her. Her spirits seemed better today and he knew that his sleep sacrifice had been well worth the sight of her smile.

*****

"I don’t guess you are up to another ride today," Paul mused, looking at the Irish angel with a smile in his eyes.

Taking the proffered cup of coffee from his hand, Monica returned the smile, "Mentally, absolutely. Physically? I’m afraid not. Though I would still like to take a treat down to Scout and say ‘hello’."

"Of course and I’m sure the big guy would appreciate it. Grab your jacket and we’ll head on down," Paul replied, picking up his own jacket off the back of one of the kitchen chairs.

Monica turned her eyes to the hallway, looking for any sign of Andrew, but she didn’t see him and figured he would still be in the shower. Not really wanting to go without him, she also knew it may look strange to Paul if she insisted that they wait, "Should we leave Andrew a note to let him know where we are?"

He looked undecided for a moment, before he nodded his head, "Sure." Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen from the countertop, he hastily scribbled a note as Monica donned her jacket, "Okay. All set?"

Still feeling a little unsure about leaving without her best friend, she nodded her head as she followed Paul out the back door, her mug of coffee still in her hands. They walked in silence for a moment, before she broke it, turning her eyes briefly to him, "Thank you for seeing me back to bed last night. That was very nice of you."

"Were you having trouble sleeping?" Paul questioned, keeping his hands tucked into the pockets of his leather jacket as they walked.

"Well, I…I didn’t want to have another nightmare and risk waking you both up again," She explained honestly, diverting her eyes to the path which led down to the barn.

Paul stopped walking and laid a hand on her shoulder to turn her to face him, "Monica, waking us up should be the least of your worries. I’ve protected witnesses dozens of times and I’ve seen many a nightmare from them; some not as bad as yours was and some worse. But trying not to sleep for the sole purpose of not inconveniencing anyone shouldn’t even be an option for you. Are we clear on that?"

Monica blushed slightly as she nodded her head, "Crystal clear, Paul," She replied with a small grin.

He smiled in return, his hand brushing a stray piece of hair from her face, without even thinking about it, but the natural action left him feeling slightly embarrassed as he removed his hand from her shoulder and resumed walking.

The little angel’s brow furrowed for a moment, before she remembered to walk in order to keep up with him. His abruptness puzzled her but she elected to shrug it off, "So, do you ever get tired of protecting people?" She asked curiously, anxious to maintain that comfort level between them, "I mean, endangering your own life in order to help someone else can’t be something to take lightly and here you do it over and over again."

Paul shrugged his shoulders, as he smiled over at her, "No, I suppose it isn’t something to take lightly and I don’t, but it’s just what I do and I have no regrets about it for the most part. I meet a lot of interesting people, who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time," He raised his eyebrow slightly in her direction, "And I find I enjoy getting to know them and spending time with them and if at the same time, I help them by keeping them safe, then all the better."

"It’s a wonderful work ethic," Monica observed as they reached the barn and she stood and waited for him to open the door and run a quick security check. She marveled at the fact that he could be completely engaged in conversation and still always remember her safety and she was sure that was one of the things that made him such a remarkable agent.

Once he gave her the "all clear", she entered the barn and as had become her custom, headed right to Scout’s stall, grinning as the horse gave her a friendly nuzzle, before she offered him the mint she had tucked away in her pocket, "I think I’m going to miss this big guy when all this is over."

"You’re welcome to come and visit anytime you’d like, Monica," Paul assured her, his voice holding warmth.

Before she could reply, there was a rustling from around the corner and in one swift maneuver, Paul had grabbed hold of the little angel, tackling her already sore body to the ground, his hand covering her mouth, cutting off her cry of protest.

They were perfectly still for a moment and hearing that the noise had subsided, Paul whispered to her in a tone that was barely audible, "Don’t move."

The words were a direct order and ones that she didn’t plan on disobeying, though she felt herself beginning to tremble, as her brown eyes filled with frightened tears. Her first impulse was to run, but Paul had advised her to stay where she was so she forced herself to do so.

Getting up, Paul had his gun already drawn as he quietly and slowly made his way nearer to the corner in the barn. He paused for a moment, before in another swift motion, he turned the corner, the weapon in his hands leading the way, but he immediately lowered it when his eyes came to rest on the culprits of this particular scare.

His soft laugh brought a bewildered look to Monica’s face. "What is it?" she whispered, still a little shaky and a lot sore.

"C’mere, Monica and I’ll show you."

The little angel slowly pushed herself up and walked uncertainly towards the sound of Paul’s voice. She trusted him of course, but she couldn’t imagine what he wanted to show her. She rounded the corner at the end of the aisle and saw him kneeling in front of the bales of hay that were stacked there.

"Paul?" her voice was still questioning, but as soon as he moved a little to one side a bright smile appeared on her face. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, getting down on her knees beside him.

There on the floor in front of them, nestled into a mound of loose hay, were five of the most adorable kittens the angel had ever seen. Their eyes were barely open and their tiny paws were still too weak to allow them to move very far from their nest.

"They’re the sweetest wee things I’ve ever seen," Monica declared, stroking one tiny head with the tip of her finger. "I can’t believe we didn’t see them yesterday."

"Well, they don’t look more than a day old. Chances are, they weren’t even here yesterday. Their mom probably snuck in during the night."

Monica looked up, the tiniest kitten cradled next to her cheek, and spoke, "But where is their mother now? They can’t fend for themselves."

Paul glanced around, looking for any place large enough for a cat to be hiding. "She’s bound to be around somewhere. I’m sure she didn’t abandon them."

As if to prove him right, a very large and wild looking cat sprang down from the top of the hay bales and landed next to the kittens. Her eyes were slits and a low rumbling yowl emanated from her throat. Monica, who was already edgy, was startled enough that she nearly fell over backwards. Paul’s steady hand behind her back kept her upright, and she eyed the mother cat with wary, if understanding, eyes.

"It’s ok, little mother," she said calmly. "I’ll put your wee babe right back in bed. Don’t you worry at all." She very slowly lowered the kitten to the hay and was just withdrawing her hand when the cat lashed out with one paw, hissing and meowing at her. Paul’s hand shot out and came between the sharp claws and their intended target.

"Paul, are you alright?" Monica’s voice went up as the agent quickly pulled back his hand.

"Just a scratch," he replied, holding out his slightly bloody hand for her inspection. He eyed the mother cat, who was still looking at them with suspicion. "We’d better leave them alone for now. I think mom there has had about enough of us."

Monica looked at the kittens again and then stood up to follow Paul back to the main aisle. He was holding his injured hand and she turned concerned eyes to his face. "I think we’d better go back to the house and clean that up," she said.

"I told you, it’s just a scratch," Paul said, but when he looked down at Monica’s stubborn expression he knew that he might as well give up and go peacefully. "Alright. I’ll go get a band-aid," he said with a dramatic sigh.

"Good. And we’d better put some antiseptic on it too… and maybe an ointment of some kind… I know I saw some in the bathroom."

Paul rolled his eyes at the little angel’s concern, but inwardly he was smiling. If a small scratch had managed to take her mind off of her own troubles for a time, then it was a price he was more than willing to pay.

*****

When Andrew wandered into the kitchen and was met by an empty room he stopped in his tracks. He knew that Paul and Monica weren’t in their rooms. He had glanced in both of them and seen the neatly made beds. The house seemed so quiet all of a sudden and he wondered how he had missed that before. He knew that there was no reason to worry. They had obviously gone somewhere together, and he was absolutely certain that Paul wouldn’t let anything happen to his Angel Girl. On the other hand, that thought alone… of Paul being Monica’s protector, was enough to set him on edge although he tried to squelch the feeling.

He was about to head back to his room when he spotted the note on the kitchen table. Not even bothering to grab his jacket, he swung open the door and set out for the barn. He hadn’t gone very far when he saw Paul and Monica heading up the hill towards him, and even at a distance he could see the slightly troubled look on the Irish angel’s face. Years of getting to know that face allowed him to see the most subtle changes of expression. Picking up his pace he soon met up with them, his caring eyes meeting Monica’s.

"There are some kittens in the barn and their mother wasn’t too pleased with me playing with them," she said, in answer to his unasked question. "She gave Paul a nasty scratch when he got between her and me."

Andrew glanced over at Paul and saw the slightly amused look on his face. It was clearly nothing serious, and the agent was instead touched by Monica’s caring nature. The blond angel felt a grin pull at his own lips. Only Monica could be so concerned about a little scratch when her own life was in danger.

Monica’s eyes narrowed in mock annoyance at both of them. "You may think it’s nothing, but it needs to be taken care of," she said, "or else don’t bother coming to me when your hand falls off," she finished, looking pointedly at the agent beside her.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok… you win this time. I’ll let you take care of it."

Monica nodded, a smug little smile curling her lips upwards. "Good!" They moved up the path a few steps before Monica looked over her shoulder at where Andrew was still standing. "Are you coming, Andrew?"

Realizing he was still standing there, watching the interaction between his best friend and his partner with a mixture of amusement and discomfort, he smiled, "Of course."