CHAPTER 3

"Damn, damn, damn!" Alex’s hands slammed down on the steering wheel as the engine of her car sputtered and died. Though the gas light had been on for quite some time, she had been praying that the fuel would hold out just long enough to reach the next town, but as she guided the car to the side of the road she knew her prayers had not been answered.

"We’re out of gas?" Monica’s voice was very, very small as she shot Alex a concerned look.

"Hell, yes!" She leaned back in her seat and laid her head back as well, closing her eyes in frustration as she tried to collect her thoughts. "We’re probably a mile from the nearest town so hopefully another car will come along soon and help…"

"But I haven’t seen another car the entire time," The angel observed worriedly. She didn’t like the idea of waiting for a stranger to come along to help them either. Despite being an angel, experience of late had taught her that not all humans were friendly and someone who seemed willing to help, may not necessarily be good.

"Well, it is either we wait or we walk," Alex sighed, neither option appealing to her all that much. The storm was still raging and the car was already beginning to feel chilly. Walking could warm them up and she had flashlights in her trunk, but if they got lost….

Monica shivered slightly and pulled her coat tighter around her small frame. She briefly thought about trying to let Andrew know she was in trouble, but she stopped herself. If he was working, he certainly wasn’t worrying about her and she wasn’t really in trouble. She and Alex had options, despite the fact that neither of the options was comforting, but God was always with them and surely He would provide. Besides, she felt guilty about always looking to her best friend to bail her out of situations, no matter how accidentally she had gotten herself into them, "It’s getting dark."

"Yeah, we should have been there an hour ago and I’m sure Paul is getting worried. He may even come out looking for us before long," She was hanging onto the surprise for her friend, not wanting to tell her about Andrew.

"Are there blankets in your trunk?" Monica was trying to assess their situation, remembering how miserable it had been to be cold and unable to move.

"Well, there would have been," She admitted ruefully, "Had some jerk not abandoned a litter of puppies on the road the other day. They were so cold and I used the blankets to wrap them up in to take them to vet to be checked and then put up for adoption. The blankets remain in my dryer at the townhouse."

Monica smiled, obviously pleased, "That was so sweet of you."

"Perhaps, but it doesn’t help us now with keeping warm."

"No, but the puppies are grateful just the same."

Alex had to chuckle at the expression of complete happiness on the angel’s face. Only Monica would be so delighted in the face of adversity over rescued puppies, "Okay, we are in agreement that the entire time we have been on this road that we have seen no other cars, correct?" Seeing the angel nod her head, she continued, "Then due to the fact that it will soon be colder than a witch’s….er…broom ride in December in here, and taking into consideration that there is a guard rail for us to follow and flashlights in my trunk, I say we brave the storm and walk into town. We can find a phone and call Paul to come and rescue us as he is good at that. What do you say?"

Monica still looked uncertain, but nodded her head anyway, "Sure. After all, it is only a mile, right?"

"Right." Alex had already donned her abandoned coat from the back seat and she then got out of the car and shrugged into it before retrieving the flashlights from the trunk. By that time, Monica had gotten out of the car as well and Alex handed her one of the lights and then turned on her hazards before closing and locking up the car.

"Now," She began to instruct as they switched on the flashlights, "Stay to the guard rail and follow me. If you need to rest, just let me know."

Another nod and the little angel fell into step behind her friend with a tiny sigh, hoping that out of their two options, they had not chosen the wrong one.

*****

"Where the hell could they be?" Paul grumbled more to himself than to Andrew as he drove along in the snow, "This was not the way I had envisioned Christmas Eve by a longshot."

"We’ll find them, Paul," Andrew encouraged, managing to mask his own mounting concern. They had taken the highway to the place Paul felt certain that Alex would have exited but they had been traveling the road for quite some time now with no sign of her car. What bothered him even more was that he couldn’t shake the fact that Monica was in some kind of trouble, but yet he had not heard her speak to his heart.

"I’m sure she would have come this way," He had left a note at the farm in the event the two females arrived with instructions for Alex to page him, but his pager remained ominously silent, "What is it about these two and cold temperatures?"

"Paul, the last time was a bit out of their control," The angel reminded him, knowing he was referring to their being held hostage in the barn by Devin Jackson. He sighed, "I have a feeling though that this time has their names written all over it."

"Yeah, if I know Alex she wasn’t about to stop just because of a ‘little snow’, as she likes to put it."

"And Monica isn’t much better."

Paul flipped the windshield wipers on to high, and grimaced when it barely affected the swirling picture in front of them. "Why didn’t I insist on flying her out here?" he muttered to himself.

"Because she’s much too independent for you to order around like that."

The agent shrugged his agreement and was silent for a minute before speaking again. "I just can’t get this knot out of my stomach, Andrew. I’m sorry."

"I told you, if something was wrong, I’d know it," Andrew reminded him, although he was a little worried himself. He hadn’t heard anything bad from Monica. He hadn’t heard anything at all. That alone was enough to set him on edge.

"I don’t know what I’d do, Andrew…"

"Paul!" the angel cut him off.

"I can’t help it! You know why I’ve pushed off even thinking about taking that next step with Alex, and now, here I am with a ring in my pocket and it’s like my worst fear is coming to life! If anything happens to here, so help me, God…"

"That’s right, Paul. So, help you, God," Andrew interrupted. "He has helped you before and no doubt he will help you again. It’s nearly Christmas, Paul. One of the times of year when you should have the most faith. Can you at least try to keep that in mind?"

"I’m trying, buddy. Believe me, I’m trying."

They continued on in silence, but Andrew noticed that Paul’s hand often went to his chest pocket, where the ring was stored. He turned his attention out the side window and tried to ignore the increasing uneasiness in his own heart. Where were they?

*****

Alex Bennett had been raised in the DC area, and she wasn’t a stranger to cold weather or snow. She had even spent winters on the high school ski team, and camped overnight with her brother in the mountains one new year’s eve. None of that had prepared her for the bone-deep cold that was creeping through her entire body. She was moving her legs by pure will, and wasn’t even sure if all of her toes were still attached.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Monica stumble, but the angel was trudging forward again before she could even put out a hand to steady her. They hadn’t said anything for the past fifteen minutes but they both knew what the other was thinking. The car was far out of sight, the town seemed even further away than when they’d started, and the constant snow made even staying on the road difficult. Alex had started praying for someone to pass by, and she hoped that Monica was doing the same. It never hurt to have someone with an "in" on her side.

Monica noticed Alex looking at her and hoped that she didn’t look as lost as she currently felt. It wouldn’t do for an angel of God to be the one in need of faith. The truth was that she had complete faith that they would be fine. The problem was that she wanted "fine" to take place sooner rather than later. Her feet were cold and wet, her ears were bright red and her nose felt like an ice cube. Patience was never her strong suit.

"So, what did you get Paul for Christmas?" the angel asked, as much to fill the time as anything else. The silence was almost overpowering and only mad her feel more lost.

"Well I bought him a new wallet to replace that battered one he’s been carrying around, but his big gift is a weekend ski trip up in Vermont. He mentioned that he went there once when he was a kid. We’ve been on little trips together before, but this is the first surprise vacation."

"I’m sure he’ll love it," Monica said enthusiastically. "Do you know what he’s giving you?" She grinned a little mischievously. "You were looking at those wedding dresses pretty intently," she teased.

"Monica! Don’t be silly! We’ve barely talked about that, and usually I’m the one who mentions it and he’s the one who changes the subject." Alex kept her voice light. It was something she had noticed about him, but they really hadn’t been dating for too long. She was sure that things would improve.

"He’s probably just a little scared," Monica reasoned. "I understand that men can be that way sometimes."

Alex let out a long laugh and it warmed her right to her toes. "Well you’re right about that!"

They walked on silently and after another ten minutes Monica turned to Alex and then back to the road, squinting and, trying to see more than ten feet in front of herself. "Alex," she said slowly, "shouldn’t we be able to see the town by now?"

The woman had been blowing at her frozen hands and she looked at Monica with just a trace of worry in her eyes. "I thought so, but I guess we must have been a little further out than I thought. It’s so hard to tell in all this snow."

"Oh," was Monica’s only reply.

"We probably should have stayed in the car," Alex said a few minutes later, in response to what she was sure Monica was thinking.

"No, Alex, we would have been just as cold there… maybe colder sitting in one spot all this time. I’m sure we’re probably almost there. Maybe a car will even come by now that we’re closer to civilization."

"Yeah, there’s always that," Alex answered. She let out a long breath and watched it hang in front of her. This was not how she had imagined spending Christmas Eve. A quiet sigh from Monica caused her to turn her head. "What is it, Monica?"

"Nothing really," she replied. "I was just wondering where Andrew is. I haven’t felt him and I’ve been afraid to try. I hate worrying him like that. He’s probably working on an assignment right now anyway."

Alex bit her lip, wondering what to say. Andrew was supposed to be a surprise, but maybe it would spur the angel on if she knew her best friend was waiting for her. She opened her mouth to make, decision made, when suddenly she squinted and held her hand up to shield her eyes. A car was speeding down the road, it’s bright lights cutting through the snow. Things were looking up!

*****

"What if they were in an accident? Would you know?"

"I’d know," Andrew replied to the fourth such question in a quarter hour.

Paul’s hands were tight on the wheel and his knuckles were almost white. With every minute that passed he became more certain that something horrible had happened. The roads were treacherous and visibility was next to nothing.

"What about--"

He was cut off by Andrew exclaiming, "There! Over there… what’s that? I see something!" Pointing to the side of the road about five hundred yards ahead of them he waited for Paul to see.

The agent didn’t say anything, he just stepped on the gas and ate up the road. "It’s them! I recognize Alex’s jacket!" he said as they got closer. Another second and he was slamming on the brakes and sliding to a stop in front of them.

He jumped out of the car with the engine still running and ran through the snow to Alex’s side. Without even a word of greeting he pulled her into a hug so tight it forced the breath from her chest and lifted her toes off the ground.

"Thank God," he whispered. "Thank God you’re all right."

Alex felt a mix of emotions all welling to the surface and she hugged him back and pressed her lips against his cheek before pulling back and swiping at her eyes. "Of course we’re all right," she said. "We’re tough girls."

Paul just laughed and pulled her close again, spinning around until she squealed in laughter.

The gentle scolding that the angel of death had prepared to give to his dearest friend, died on his lips at the look of surprise, happiness and relief that was present on Monica’s face at seeing him. Tears had rushed to her eyes and a moment later, he was holding onto her tightly, having already decided that the questions of why she had not spoken to his heart could wait until later.

"You’re here," She murmured against his chest, her arms wrapped tightly around him, "I’ve missed you."

"I’ve missed you too, angel," Andrew replied, kissing the top of her head, "But right now, I think we need to get you both into the car and warmed up." Paul was already leading Alex in that general direction and now he followed as well with his arm wrapped around the little angel’s shoulders.

"We ran out of gas," Alex was explaining as she got into the passenger’s side of the car next to Paul, "I got stuck on the side of the road and we used up a lot of it getting out. I thought I’d have enough to get to the town, but needless to say, I didn’t," She smiled sheepishly as she basked in the heat that Paul had turned up in order to warm them.

"Alex, you are still nearly four miles from the town!" Paul exclaimed, unable to help but to laugh at her look of surprise at hearing this news.

"Four miles?" Monica uttered as she shivered, the warmth now reminding her of how cold she really was as Paul’s words settled into her mind. She and Alex would have been walking forever had Paul and Andrew not gone in search of them.

"So what is the plan of action?" Andrew asked, as Monica settled in against him in the back seat.

"I think we’re going to stop in town and fill the gas can in my trunk. Then if you are game, Andrew, you can drive my car back to the farm and I’ll drive Alex’s. It shouldn’t take long and we should be home by eight ‘o clock."

"Actually, maybe we’ll stop for a bite to eat on the way home," Andrew offered, hoping he sounded casual enough. He knew what Paul was carrying in his pocket and he wanted to give the couple time in order for Paul to propose. Besides, he and his angelic companion had a little bit of talking to do.

"Ohhh, that sounds like a great idea!" Alex grinned, looking over at Paul, "I am starved!"

"Alex," Paul’s voice was low, knowing exactly what Andrew was doing and after this little scare, he had already decided he was more than ready to take the plunge, "I think they have a little catching up to do, you know?"

"Oh right," She whispered conspiratorially before raising her voice to a normal level, "but I think I can wait till we get to the farm to eat."

The agent suppressed a chuckle. Yes, the best way to get Alex in his mindset was to make her think her think she was part of something important. If she only knew how true that was this time.

*****

Paul was stalling and he knew it. They had arrived at the farm over an hour ago and he had insisted Alex put on something warmer after being out in the cold for so long. Then he had fixed her soup and a sandwich and once she had eaten he had made the excuse of wanting to check on the horses. At the rate he was going, he’d may as well have Andrew propose for him as surely the angels would be returning before too long.

Alex looked up as she heard the back door open and Paul walked back into the house. His expression was nervous, but he had been acting rather peculiar ever since they had gotten to the farm. Though she secretly enjoyed the attention he had been giving her, it seemed a little over the top for him. After all, she was an FBI agent as well and he knew she was able to take care of herself.

"Care to go for a little ride?" He asked her, trying his best to look spontaneous, "That is, if you have any desire to go back out in the cold."

"Sure," Alex replied, moving to grab her coat and following him out the door where she was surprised to see Scout already saddled and waiting at the bottom of the steps, "A bit presumptuous, aren’t you?" She chuckled, though she accepted the boost from him into the saddle.

Swinging himself up behind her, he grinned, "No, I was just really hoping you would say yes," He rolled his eyes at himself, thinking that was the understatement of the year. Gathering the reins, he clucked to Scout and the horse set off through the snow.

They rode in silence for a few minutes before Paul broke it softly, "You know, you scared the hell out of me tonight. All I could imagine was that something terrible had happened to you and that thought was far from comforting."

"What? The tough guy was scared?" She leaned her head back and grinned up at him, but seeing the serious expression on his face, she changed her tone, "I’m sorry. I tried to call you, but I couldn’t get a signal and we weren’t sure of whether to stay in the car or try to walk to town. I guess those nights of sitting half frozen in that stable made the decision for us. Neither of us really wanted to sit in a cold car and wait for something to happen."

"I suppose I can understand that," Paul stated after a moment of consideration, "I just thankful you are both safe." He left it at that as he urged Scout onwards until they reached the edge of the forest. Stopping, he climbed down to the ground and then reached up to help Alex down as well. She looked beautiful, her cheeks flushed from the cold air and her hair free and tumbling around her shoulders. It had grown quite a bit since Devin Jackson had forced the issue of a much shorter style. He resisted the urge to kiss her, feeling sure that if he did, he would just start babbling and his proposal would be nothing like he had planned it to be.

"I want to show you something." Taking her hand, he led her into the woods, no more than a few hundred feet until they came to the base of a large tree. There were boards hammered into the trunk and leading upwards and Alex could tell that they had been there for some time judging by the rust on the nails and wear on the wood, "After you," He grinned, seeing her look of curiosity before she reached up to grab hold of one of the wooden slabs before climbing up. Paul was right behind her, in the event she lose her footing and she smiled to herself at that knowledge.

She emerged into a relatively spacious treehouse, though she did have to keep to her knees in order to not bump her head on the roof. There was thankfully, a blanket on the floor and she scootched across in order to make room for him to follow her. Looking around, she could see a few remnants from children; the remains of an old slingshot and a dirty, well worn baseball were on the little shelf.

"My grandfather built this for me when I was a kid," Paul explained, sitting down on the floor across from her, "I spent many a summer afternoon here, dreaming about my future as a major league baseball player," She laughed and he grinned, "How differently things turned out." Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a pack of matches and lit one in order to light the single candle which was also on the shelf.

"Not bad different, I hope," Alex teased gently, watching as the candle cast a soft glow against the wood and against Paul’s features.

"No. Not bad. Actually much better than I ever could have planned," He cleared his throat nervously and reached for her hand, "I never, even in my best childhood daydreams, could have imagined you, Alex."

A slow blush crept across her cheeks as she lowered her eyes self-consciously, "Paul…"

"No, let me finish. A couple of years ago, I didn’t think I would ever even be happy again, yet alone fall in love again, but then you came along and all of that changed. Sweetheart, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be. I knew from that moment when I sat beside your bed, praying to God to spare your life, that I loved you, that I wanted to spend my life with you. Maybe it seems silly, but it was how I felt…how I still feel…" He felt moisture in his eyes and he looked down briefly and blinked to clear them. Her hand to his cheek brought them back up to meet her gaze once more.

"And you know I feel the exact same way," She whispered, a tear escaping her eye, "I love you, Gatlin and these last few months have been the best of my entire life."

He smiled, feeling more confident already as he drew in a deep breath, "Yes. It has only been a few months and maybe it is too soon, but I know that I won’t feel anymore certain than I do right now," He reached into his coat pocket and his hand closed around the velvet box, "Alex, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to make you happy every single day, as happy as you make me and in order to do that, we need to make things official."

"Paul, you know I’m not dating anyone else," She insisted, sure that was what this was all about. She had already made the decision months ago to exclusively date just him as she had no desire to play the field any longer, "You don’t have to worry about-."

Her words fell short as he pulled the open box from his pocket, the diamond setting in the ring catching the candlelight and sparkling brilliantly. Her free hand instantly flew to her mouth as tears filled her blue eyes and fell with a blink, "Paul…"

"I’m thinking really, really official, baby," He whispered, his voice choked with emotion, "Alex Bennett, I want you to marry me. I want you to be my wife," His hand was shaking as he took the ring from the box, "Please make me happier than I could ever have imagined to be and say yes."

Her eyes searched his through tears as a trembling smile crossed her face, "Yes," She said tearfully, her voice catching in a sob, "A million times, yes!"

Allowing a tear to escape, he reached for her left hand and slid the engagement ring onto her finger before kissing her palm softly, "I love you, Bennett."

Alex rose quickly to her knees to fall into his arms, "I love you too," She whispered before his lips met with hers in a tender kiss as the candle traced the silhouette of two souls who would soon become one.

*****

It was toasty warm in the little diner, but Monica still rubbed her arms occasionally, more out of remembrance of the cold than an actual chill. Andrew knew that was the case, but he still wasn’t taking any chances.

"Here, lean forward," he said as he slid out of the booth and moved to her side. He shrugged out of his coat and gently draped it around her shoulders, smiling broadly when she looked up at him with happiness and contentment in her eyes. "Better?"

"Much," she replied, eyes following him as he took his seat again. She wrapped her hands around her coffee mug and raised it to her lips, but her gaze never left him. "I still can’t believe you’re here. I’m so happy that we’re getting to spend Christmas together after all," she said as she set her mug down.

"You know, when Paul told me you were with Alex I had mixed feelings." He watched as her face fell and immediately reached across to grab her hands before she could bury them in her lap which was her habit when she started to retreat. "Monica, no! Not mixed that way," he said, mentally slapping himself. "Mixed because I was excited to see you, but Paul didn’t tell me you were coming until Alex was already overdue and the storm was going full force."

Monica let out a little breath of air and smiled again. "Alex didn’t tell me at all, but I kept thinking about you just the same."

"Well that brings up another little issue."

"Issue?" She furrowed her brow, perplexed and slightly uneasy at the look on his face.

"I kept telling Paul that Alex was fine, and that you were fine. I told him that I would know if something had happened, and I know that’s true. If something horrible had happened I would have known. But still, the whole time, I kept waiting to hear from you and wondering what was going on. You didn’t even give me a clue that the two of you were in trouble."

She frowned a bit and shrugged her shoulders as she stared into her mug. "I thought you were working, and I didn’t want to interrupt or interfere. It isn’t like you could have just come to my side and I didn’t want you worrying. I guess that plan didn’t work very well since you did anyway."

"Angel, don’t look so upset. There’s nothing to be upset about. It’s just that I had hoped that you would trust me enough to call out to me if you’re in trouble."

"Of course I trust you!" she exclaimed. "You know that! I told you… I didn’t want to bother you…"

Andrew met her gaze seriously. "And that is what I thought was really behind your reluctance. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to interrupt me, it’s that you somehow think you’re a bother to me."

"Well you have to admit that I have been rather… accident prone… the last assignments we’ve been on together," she said slowly.

"We both know that those weren’t accidents. You were where you needed to be, when you needed to be there."

"And you and Tess ended up worried sick about me every time," she insisted.

He grinned crookedly. "Yes, but I was worried sick this time too."

Monica threw her hands in the air. "I just can’t win!"

Laughing, he squeezed her hands. "I think we both won. We won the instant God gave us this connection we share. It eases both our hearts, when we’re apart, and it helps us to be more in-tune with each other when we’re on the same assignment. Don’t ever think that opening your heart to me, even when you’re scared or in trouble is a burden on me because it never has been and it never will be. If it isn’t within my abilities to go to you, at least I can share what you’re feeling from a distance and encourage you along the way. Just the same way you have always encouraged me, even when I’m upset about an assignment."

She remembered a few times when she had felt sadness coming from him and had sent back reassurance and love. It had been as natural as breathing to her and she had never thought about the fact that Andrew felt the same way.

"Is this where I should apologize?" she asked with a tiny grin.

He laughed again. "No. No apologies necessary. I just wanted to make sure you knew where we stand. You’re not a trouble or a burden to me. In fact, you’re a gift… one that I’m particularly appreciative of this Christmas."

Monica let out a tiny giggle and her smile extended all the way to her eyes. "You always say the sweetest things, Andrew. It must be your secret talent."

"Well keep in mind, I’m an angel… I’m only speaking the truth."

"And you know I feel exactly the same way." She took another sip of coffee but her eyes continued to twinkle. She happened to glance out the window as she put her mug down, and she was able to see all the stars arrayed above. The storm had finally moved on, and the night had turned clear and beautiful. "We should probably head to the farm," she commented. "Paul and Alex will think we got stranded somewhere!"

Andrew chuckled knowingly. "I have a feeling that the two of them may have other things on their minds."

Monica’s eyes narrowed as she turned her head back to him. "What are you talking about?"

"Let’s just say that I think someone may be getting an early Christmas present, and it’s small and sparkly just like the snow you two were caught in."

The little angel’s eyes widened and her eyebrows shot up. "Andrew, you don’t mean… Alex was just telling me that she didn’t think Paul was ready!"

"He was on the fence, but only because his fear was holding him back. I actually think this little mishap of yours was the best thing that could have happened. It made him see two things: how much he loves Alex, and that he isn’t doomed to lose everyone he loves."

"In that case, I am glad that my toes are still numb! It was worth it to have the two of them together and happy!"