CHAPTER 12

Friday 6:23pm

The lights spilled their golden light out onto the street, catching the snow as it fell, and making it look like there was a party going on inside the townhouse.  All of the cars parked on the street enhanced that impression, but the man driving by knew better.  He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead and pulled his ski cap further down over his ears.

Damnit!  They had found them!  He had been so certain that no one would ever track him to a little known relative and an even lesser known bit of property out in the middle of nowhere.  The blood pumped through his veins faster as he clenched the steering wheel in his fists and ground his teeth together.  This wasn’t how it was supposed to go down.  He had a camera all ready and everything.  He narrowed his gaze as he looked at the house in his rearview mirror just before he turned the corner.

Well, luckily he was well adapted to change.  Hell, that was why he drove past the house on Waverly street every day before heading to the barn.  It kept him informed.  He accelerated as he pulled into traffic headed for the center of DC.  Obviously they would have the barn staked out so there was no point heading back there.  No, he was going to have to do another quick-change and hole up for a while.

As he continued driving his thoughts drifted to the two women he had held captive.  He was sure they had to be feeling the effects of the poison by now.  It had been nearly twenty-four hours.  Slowly an evil grin spread across his face.  Yes, they would be feeling the poison now, and Paul Gatlin would be right there to see it first hand.  A low chuckle rose in his chest.  He hadn’t even considered it before, but the agents had actually done him a favor.  If he thought that Paul knowing they were dying would be a torture, he could only imagine what witnessing it would be like.  Things were working out even better than planned.

*****

“You’re cheating, Gatlin and you know it!” Alex exclaimed as she slapped him on the arm.

He had just won a seventh consecutive Boggle game, and Alex was craning her neck at every angle, certain that he had been able to see her list of words from where he sat.  Paul was outright laughing while Monica and Andrew shared a small grin.  The hours of waiting for something to happen had finally become too much, and Alex had dragged out every game she had ever played.  Paul had rolled his eyes at “The Merry Milkman” and “Hi-Ho Cherri-O” but they had played just about everything else.

Alex and Monica were still plagued with headaches, and the pain had become so intense that Paul had insisted that the doctor give them something stronger.  Now, with vicodan pills fighting the effects of the poison they were at least slightly more comfortable.

“I am not cheating,” Paul insisted after he managed to stifle his laughter.  “I’m just having a run of good luck.”

Alex glared at him.  “Mmm-hmmmm.”

He smiled innocently, then looked to Andrew and Monica for support.

“Uh-uh… you can’t have both of them just because you’ve known them longer.  Monica’s on my side, aren’t you?”

Monica looked over at the younger agent and let a tired smile emerge.  “Well, I can’t say that I actually saw him cheat…”

Alex pursed her lips in mock annoyance.  “Okay then… new game!” she announced as she swept the Boggle game, along with its little hourglass, off the table and into its box.  “Well that’s the last of the games, but I think that there are some cards up in Rob’s old room,” she said.

Paul was about to stop her, and tell her that what she really needed to do was rest, but he stopped himself before the words left his mouth.  She didn’t want to think about what she needed to do.  She wanted to forget all about it.  If playing a hundred games would make that possible for her then he would do it.

“I’ll be right back down,” she said over her shoulder as she left the room.

Once she was out of the room Paul immediately stood up.  “This looks like a good time to go get a progress report,” he said grimly.  He already knew that if anything had turned up, he would have been the first to know, but he had to at least pretend, if only for himself.

“How are you doing, Monica?”  Andrew asked as he looked over at where the little angel sat, still wrapped up in a blanket but looking slightly better.

“I’m doing all right.”  She saw the look of doubt in his eyes.  “Really, I am.”

She was in less pain, but she knew that meant little.  The poison would do its work, whether or not she could feel it.  She glanced at the door that Alex had passed through.  At least she felt that she had made some progress.  Alex was definitely thinking about what she had told her, and that brought her some much-needed comfort.

“If you need anything…”

She reached over and squeezed his hand.  “I have everything I need.”

A minute ticked by, and then another, and the two angels began to wonder what had become of their counterparts.  Andrew suggested that they had probably wound up together in the dining room-turned-headquarters, and Monica nodded her agreement.  She didn’t know if it was the action of moving her head so suddenly or not, but suddenly her stomach clenched.

“I… I think I’ll just go upstairs and make sure Alex isn’t up there,” she said.  “Maybe she just needs help looking for those cards.”

Andrew looked up at her with concern.  “Are you sure?  Why don’t you let me go…”

“No, Andrew.  I’ll be okay and she and I still have some talking to do.”

He was reluctant to let her out of his sight, but he let out a small sigh.  “All right.  Just call if you need anything.”

“I will,” she promised, and then quickly left the room.

She wasn’t sure if she would be able to make it to the second floor.  Her stomach was churning and acid burned the back of her throat.  She didn’t want Andrew to see her like this.  Quickly she rushed up the last three stairs and then the two paces to the bathroom.  She flung open the door and stopped dead, forcing down her own nausea as she saw Alex, pale and sweating, vomiting into the toilet with tears running down her face.  It only took her an instant to drop to her knees beside the woman.

“Easy,” she soothed, rubbing the agent’s back, even as her own insides threatened to revolt.  “You’re all right… you’re all right…”

Alex turned her head slightly and looked at the Irish angel, her eyes red and still filled with tears.  “No… I’m not… and neither are you.”

She wanted to protest, not willing to admit that they were anything but all right, but her sensitive stomach lurched once again, and despite the pounding in her head, she leapt to her feet, remembering a second bathroom off the master suite. The angel barely made it before the heaving began and it felt like an eternity before it subsided, leaving her weak and for the first time since this had started, defeated. Her stomach continued to churn, despite the fact that there could be no more in it, as she sat with her back up against the wall and her knees close to her chest.

“Father,” She uttered breathlessly, “This hurts…please…”

“Something’s wrong.”

Andrew’s statement caused Paul’s head to jerk up from where he was reading Rob’s story in the post, “Where are they? Still upstairs?” The angel nodded and a split second later, the two of them were sprinting up the steps, taking them two at a time. Paul stopped at the entrance to the bathroom, sympathy and fear filling his eyes at the sight of his partner.

“Go,” Andrew instructed, before he continued on his search for the little angel.

“Alex,” Paul entered hesitantly, seeing she was trying to catch her breath, “are you all right?”

She wanted to tell him yes. She wanted not to cry, but the pain and the nausea had her feeling like surrendering to much more than those two things.

He dropped down beside of her as she helplessly began to cry and without giving it a second thought, wrapped his arms around her and pressed her head to his strong chest as she abandoned her strength for the first time since she had known him.

Alex relaxed up against him, his hand in his hair soothing her weary heart as he offered her quiet strength. Even once she had managed to stop her tears, she made no attempt to move from his arms as she rested her hand against his chest, “I’m scared,” She whispered finally, “Paul, I’ve never been so afraid.”

“I know,” He replied softly, daring to kiss the top of her head and relieved when she didn’t object, but even snuggled a fraction closer. Yes, things were changing and he was determined she not die now that they were. Her next question caught him completely off guard.

“Monica said that God is with me. Is He?”

“Yes, honey,” His voice was firm and filled with conviction, “He’s here in more ways than you realize and He knows you and Monica are hurting and that because of that, we all are.”

“I want to believe what you both are saying, but…”

“It’s hard,” He finished for her, his fingers brushing against her pale cheek, “It was for me too, Alex, but the changes since I have accepted it have been amazing.”

“I want that kind of peace, now more than ever,” She pulled away enough to look up at him, “But I don’t know how…”

The look in her eyes tore at his heart and he found himself stepping out onto a limb without abandon, “Then let’s ask Him for it, Alex.” He saw her uncertainty, but he was determined to help her anyway he could. He was helpless to make her body feel better, so he would do all he could for her spirit. He wrapped her hands up in his own as he closed his eyes, and for the first time, since the dinner with the angels a year ago, he prayed aloud, “Father, Alex is searching for You and I’m asking for You to bring her the rest of the way. She needs Your peace now, Lord, and to be able to feel Your love and strength while she is so afraid. Touch her, God, as only you can. Show her the way to You.”

She didn’t know if it was indeed Divine Intervention or not, but something about Paul’s simple words calmed her and she drew in a deep breath, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She suddenly felt even more aware of his closeness and though she was loathe to pull away, she knew she had to, “You need to check on Monica and I need to brush my teeth.”

He nodded his head as he rose to his feet, pulling her up with him, “I won’t be long.”

She watched him go before reaching for the spare toothbrush she always kept at her parent’s house. She had already made up her mind. If she was going to die, she was going to kiss Paul Gatlin first and hope that one kiss lasted her for the rest of eternity.

******

“Monica?”

She looked up from where she was sitting on the floor to the desperately worried eyes of her best friend. The tears were still streaming from her reddened eyes and one hand was lying against her stomach as if willing it to settle, “I’m sorry…”

He blinked back tears at her words as he sat down beside of her and cupped her cheek in his hand, “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, angel.”

“I didn’t want you to see this…”

“Monica, please, don’t think you have to hide anything from me. It’s hard enough knowing what is happening to you, but to not be able to be there and help…” He shook his head as he wiped away her tears with gentle fingers, “Don’t hide from me, sweetheart, please?”

Monica nodded tearfully as she drew in a trembling breath, “Is Alex all right?”

“Paul is with her,” He assured, reaching for her hands, “Can you stand?” Seeing her nod once more, he stood up and helped her to her feet, watching her pale a little more. “Let’s go see if the doctor has something to take the edge off your nausea.”

She sighed softly as she allowed him to lead her to from the bathroom, wondering how many more pills it would be before medication would no longer take the edge off the feeling of dying.

*****

”Still nothing?” Andrew asked some time later as Paul came back into the living room. Monica was resting up against his chest, the exhaustion finally having caught up to her but he could tell she was sleeping no more peacefully then Alex was on the other sofa.

“The guys are still working on Jackson’s buddies down at the prison but they are confident the men will crack eventually. I just need for eventually to be a little sooner,” He replied wryly. Approaching Alex, he moved to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, watching as she stirred slightly before stilling once more, “There has still been no word on Jackson and my guess is he figured out that the farm was under surveillance. He won’t be returning there anytime soon.”

Andrew nodded his head, his jaw clenched in frustration, before he gazed down at the sleeping angel and his expression softened slightly, “With everything she is going through, she is worrying about upsetting me.”

The agent smiled, “She’s stubborn that way, but I thank God for that stubbornness. She has Alex questioning things.”

“Really?” His eyes shot up to meet with those of his friend.

“She allowed me to pray with her. She isn’t there yet, but the ground work has definitely been laid.”

“People want to believe more when their lives are in danger,” Andrew observed, “I’m just sorry that either of them are going through this.”

“I’m not losing her, Andrew,” His eyes shone with resolve as he looked back to his partner.

“Monica told me you were ‘in like’. Is that changing?” He grinned, despite everything, enjoying Paul’s ever so slight embarrassment.

“I’m dangling on the precipice of something more. Hell, I’ve spent half my life on that cliff.”