CHAPTER 7

"Are you sure you aren’t making her up, Angel Girl?" Tess asked again, with a slightly tired grin in place, "You are the only one who has seen this little girl after all, and I can assure you, I must have walked all over God’s creation today looking for her."

Andrew chuckled softly, "If she is, Tess, then she is making up Faith’s father as well, so I don’t really think that is the case."

The older angel had returned late, tired, dirty and grumpy, though her bad mood had been alleviated with knowing that Andrew and his salad assistant already had dinner on the table. The angels had swapped stories over roast beef, baked potatoes and cauliflower and now it was growing late and all involved were feeling rather tired.

"I didn’t get lost in the woods chasing a rabbit," The little angel assured her supervisor with a weary smile, "Will you be looking again tomorrow?"

Tess scowled and nodded her head, "I’m not sure of what else to do and a little help," She gave a pointed look towards the ceiling, "would be much appreciated. Though you seem to be the one getting all the help lately, Monica."

She looked ready to protest, still uncertain as to if she wanted to be involved at all, "On that note," Monica replied, with a pointed look of her own at Tess, "I’m heading to bed."

Andrew’s eyes immediately questioned whether or not she would be able to sleep or if she wanted company but she gave a small shake of her head. "I’m exhausted so I don’t think any bad dreams are going to be keeping me awake." She gave each of her friend’s a quick kiss on the cheek before she started up the steps, Lucy eagerly following her.

"So," Tess stated after they had heard the soft click of Monica’s bedroom door, "What do you make of this little run in with Faith’s father today?"

He shook his head, "I’m not sure. He scared her half to death, that I do know, but she seemed to calm down fairly easily, which surprised me."

"So now how does she feel about being involved? I’ll be honest, Angel Boy, looking for this little girl has been like looking for a needle in a haystack and I’m getting the impression that Monica is the eye of the needle."

"She seemed more sure of herself after she told me what had happened, but she may have already changed her mind." He wasn’t sure of how he knew, but he had been watching the flurry of emotions on her face for their quiet drive home, "I think she may still want to keep her distance."

*****

At two am, Monica paced the deck just outside of the cottage, the cool feel of the worn wooden planks beneath her feet somehow soothing her soul. She had been driven from her bed by another dream, very similar to the one the previous night. She had hesitated outside of Andrew’s door momentarily before coming downstairs and into the night to try to sort out the feelings that the nightmare had inspired, but what she had uncovered was anything but settling.

She had been chasing Faith again and her father chasing her and once again, his face had turned into that of McArthur. She awoke just short of screaming, and her fear had turned once more to anger. But after calming some, she had looked at the dream again and didn’t like what she was realizing. She was subconsciously placing Faith’s father and Douglas McArthur in the same category and while she didn’t believe so much in dream interpretation, as God told her what she needed to know, what she denied in her waking hours was not being silenced in her dreams. Despite all her willingness to give the man the benefit of the doubt, she was coming to realize that he was dangerous. She knew it in her heart, despite what her mind argued and this knowledge put one little girl in possible grave danger.

Faith had eluded her twice during the daylight hours, but now Monica found herself wondering if it would be possible to better catch her when she was asleep. Surely come darkness, the child must be holing herself up in the hunter’s cabin until the sunrise when she would have the safety and guidance of light.

Thus her pacing. She knew that the still unrecovered picnic basket was not far, and the little cabin no more than several hundred feet from the basket. She also knew that God was always with her, but so far she had lost her nerve twice. She had lost her way in the woods once in the waning hours of the day, and to venture in at night, on purpose, frightened her. Monica was sure she could find her way, but what she wasn’t sure was what or who would find her along the way.

The little angel had already changed from her nightgown into jeans and a light sweater and the flashlight was already being held in her slightly sweaty hand. She knew she would have to venture quietly and carefully and once again the thought of waking Andrew filled her mind, but she rejected it. She was facing her fear and she wanted to do it alone.

*****

Her first steps off the porch were the most nerve-wracking. Once she had committed herself to going to the cabin her heartbeat actually calmed down, even though she was marching straight towards the woods that had frightened her so much the day before. Her flashlight gave off a rather weak light at best, but paired with the moonlight it was enough for her to be able to find her way back to the picnic site.

Their basket was still there, but the blanket was gone, and Monica didn’t think that the bunnies and bears really had much use for it. The sounds of the forest were beginning to make the Irish angel nervous. With nothing else but the sound of her own breath, the noise from the insects and frogs and little nocturnal animals seemed unnaturally loud, particularly since the sounds came from every direction. When her foot snapped a twig and sent a small animal scurrying away right beside her she felt her heart thud to a stop in her chest. She closed her eyes for an instant then took a breath, steadied herself, and started moving towards the cabin again.

She had been sure that she knew exactly where it was but she was still relieved when it came into view, the beam of the flashlight glinting off the glass in one of the windows. A few more steps and she was standing exactly where she had stood the previous afternoon, and peering inside the same window. But this time there was something more to see.

Her flashlight picked up the shape of someone curled up on the cot beneath the picnic blanket.

"Faith," the name was spoken with hardly a breath.

The angel walked quietly to the door of the cabin, rather unsure of how to proceed. She didn’t want to frighten Faith, but now that she had found her she couldn’t very well just leave her there. She tried the doorknob and found that it was unlocked. Very slowly she opened it and crept into the tiny one room cabin.

It could hardly be called a cabin really. The floor was bare swept dirt and the walls had chinks in them where the night air wafted through. There was a table pushed against one wall and two chairs, one of which was missing a leg. Monica hesitated in the doorway, unsure of how to approach the little girl. She took a breath and moved to the cot, then sat down very carefully on the edge of it.

"Faith?" her voice was soft and soothing, meant to ease the girl from her sleep. "Little one, wake up," she whispered as she touched Faith’s dirt-smudged cheek.

Faith turned her head towards the contact and slowly her small eyes blinked open. At first they looked content, but then surprise and fear filled them and she scrambled to the far corner of the cot.

"It’s all, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you," Monica’s gentle heart ached at the look of fright that was directed at her. "I want to help you, Faith. Please. You can trust me."

The dark green eyes looked at her with skepticism, but Monica’s kind manner and tender gaze seemed to win the child over. Her little shoulders relaxed and she moved back to the center of the cot.

"Faith, how long have you been out here?" Monica asked as she tucked a strand of grimy blonde hair behind the girl’s ear.

Faith shrugged her shoulders and looked down, either not knowing or not able to answer Monica’s question.

"Are you here all alone?"

This brought a nod and Monica found herself mirroring it.

"Can you tell me how you got out here?"

Another shrug and Monica was beginning to realize that getting the girl to talk was going to be her new challenge. She eased herself closer and reached out to place one hand on Faith’s thin shoulder.

"Can you talk to me? I’d really like to hear your voice," she coaxed.

Faith pressed her lips together and studied her lap, as if weighing her options. She looked up and met Monica’s gaze. "I’m supposed to be quiet," she said softly.

Monica felt a tremor in her soul at the girl’s words. She leaned forward so that her head was level with Faith’s. "You don’t have to be quiet around me," she insisted.

Faith’s expression seemed to say that she was considering her words, but she bit her lower lip and didn’t say anything else.

The angel wanted to get Faith back to the cottage and away from the decrepit cabin, but she wasn’t sure of the best way to do it. It was a bit of a walk back, and she was hesitant to take the girl out in the night. An image of the girl’s father lingered at the back of her mind; an image of him saying that he would be watching her. Was he out there right now? He had said no one could catch Faith, but here she was, sitting right beside her. None of it made any sense.

There was also the matter of Tess to be considered. Technically this was still her assignment. She had asked for help, but sneaking out in the middle of the night was probably not what she’d had in mind. Monica grinned to herself. At least her nighttime wandering hadn’t been in vain. She looked at the door and wondered how long it would be before the sun started coming up.

"I want to take you back to my house," Monica said, "but I think maybe we should wait until morning."

Faith nodded emphatically, her eyes wide. Clearly the little girl had no intention of leaving the cabin while it was still dark out. That made Monica’s decision even easier.

"You can go back to sleep, and I’ll stay with you, okay?"

The suspicion was back in Faith’s eyes. Apparently sitting with the angel was one thing, and going to sleep with her there was quite another.

"I know you’re confused and scared, but I think you can tell that I won’t hurt you. I just want to help you… however I can."

Faith relaxed again and leaned forward to get closer to Monica’s face. "You look like Momma," she said, and then she lay back down, her sleepy eyes still focused on the angel.

The girl’s wistful words brought a stab of pain to Monica’s soul and she blinked quickly to keep her from seeing it. She carefully crawled over Faith’s small body and settled in behind her, wondering how long it had been since anyone had held her close and told her she was loved.

*****

Andrew had been up for some time the following morning and felt rather pleased that Monica must still be fast asleep. It was a good indication that there had been no more nightmares. Tess had been up and out of the cottage before even he had awoken, so now, sitting in the kitchen with a full pot of coffee on the burner, he was feeling a little restless.

He already had a morning chat with the Father and he had grown so accustomed to Tess and Monica being around the last year, that he was craving someone to talk to, and he grinned when Lucy wandered into the kitchen. It was a sure sign that a certain Irish angel would soon follow.

"Good morning, Lucy," He reached down to scratch the cat behind the ears and was surprised when she gave a rather pitiful mew in response, "Where’s your momma, Lucy?"

She sat down and looked up at him, her ears back slightly as if not very happy with her current situation and though he was certain he was being completely insane, he got to his feet and headed up the steps.

The bedroom door, which had not been closed tightly to begin with was now slightly ajar, courtesy of one cat paw, and when he peeked inside, his heart thudded to the ground. Her bed was empty and her discarded nightgown was lying at the foot of it. He had been awake since dawn, which immediately told him that Monica had been gone for much longer and as he bolted down the steps, his mind played over every possible scenario.

The obvious answer was that she had gone out in search of Faith, though he couldn’t begin to imagine why on earth she would have ventured out in the middle of the night, especially after the things that Faith’s father had said to her. He knew she was an angel and quite capable of taking care of herself, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t stop him from giving her a thorough scolding when he found her.

Looking out the window, his green eyes searched the surrounding area, but he saw no sign of her, though he did calm a little with the realization that she had not spoken to his heart. Yet, that meant one of two things. Either she was safe or she was physically unable to do so and he concentrated on focusing on the first option. He thought about the words Faith’s father had said to her yesterday about finding her the next time she got lost in the woods and he felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle. The man had better not lay a hand on her.

"Monica, where are you?" He muttered under his breath as he stepped outside and looked around once more. He would force himself to wait it out, at least for a bit. If she was indeed safe, then she had probably just been waiting for daylight to return and once again, he focused on the more secure option.

*****

Monica awoke and blinked her eyes slowly, taking a moment to remember where she was and why and then she felt a gaze upon her. "Good morning," she smiled sleepily as she looked into Faith’s large, green eyes and was relieved when the tiniest of smiles appeared on the girl’s face.

The angel sat up and watched as Faith moved slightly, still holding onto a bit of distance between them, but the child didn’t know just how stubborn of an angel she was dealing with, "Will you come with me, Faith? I want to take you back to where I’m staying. I can get you a hot bath, clean clothes…something to eat."

The look of absolute hunger flickered in the little girl’s eyes and Monica wondered if she had been able to find any food since the half sandwich and potato salad that she and Andrew had left behind from their picnic.

Andrew.

She had been so excited to have found Faith last night that she had given little thought to her best friend who was probably half frantic and half irritated right about now. She berated herself for not having at least left him a note, despite the fact that her intention had never been to stay out all night. She had a feeling she would have a bit of smoothing over attend to once she had Faith settled in.

"You must be very hungry," Monica stated softly and watched as she nodded her head, "Come on then. Let’s head back." She got up from the cot and extended her hand to Faith.

But Faith didn’t move and the angel watched the fear creep back into her eyes as she knelt down beside of the cot, "Faith, I will not hurt you, nor will my friends. I promise you that."

Tears glistened in the little girl’s eyes as she finally found her voice, "You won’t call my daddy, will you?"

Monica closed her eyes briefly. She had not been wrong; her instincts were right on track about this man. She only hoped that Tess didn’t have other ideas, "No," She whispered, reaching out slowly and laying her hand on top of Faith’s, "I won’t call him unless you want me to."

"I don’t want you to," the words were scarcely an audible whisper and Monica had a feeling that Faith had been required to whisper a lot.

"Then I won’t," She replied sincerely before she extended her hand once more, "Let’s get you and me someplace safe."

Faith nodded this time and wrapped her small fingers around Monica’s hand, allowing the angel to help her up from the bed.