CHAPTER 17

"... do you think they'll fall in love easily, Andrew? I guess they have a lot of things in common... And did you noticed how he seemed to be nervous but at the same time he looked at her in a sort of shielding... guardian way?" the little Irish angel spoke, to a very amused Andrew. "Don't you think so?"

After they had left hospital, the two angels and their dearest friend and supervisor headed to the cozy little cabin up in the mountains, their shelter and in a way their little piece of Heaven whenever they were on Earth. Monica and Andrew had watched the sunset from the porch, sitting in a wooden bench, and now he delighted in observing her excitement about the first stars that showed up in the sky and hearing her eternal chattering about the events of the day.

Chuckling at her wording as well as at her conclusions, he reached out and caressed her silky hair as she had used his leg as a pillow for the last half hour. "Well, Monica, they were meeting each other for the first time... I guess under those circumstances it's normal they're nervous..."

"But didn't you notice something else blooming between them? Some sort of... beautiful atmosphere surrounding them... as if... two halves were now complete in just one soul?"

He thought it was too early to go on jumping to conclusions about the two human beings' meeting, but at the same time, the blond angel didn't want to contradict her in anyway. Besides he too thought that the moment Annie and Nicholas met at the hospital had been a moving one. "I believe that in the first moment there's a beautiful friendship coming out of it."

Monica sighed and looked at him with sparkling brown eyes that would always make his heart melt. "I hope so too. And that later on this beautiful friendship turns into something even more beautiful!"

Laughing, Andrew bent down and pecked her on the lips. "Would you like some more coffee?"

"I'd love some!"

"Okay, but not a word to Tess about this tomorrow, are we understood?"

She sat up straight and became serious for a moment. "I cross my heart!"

"Hum. Alright, then." He laid a gentle hand against her cheek, "Come here, give me a kiss..."

After that sweet caress, her eyes followed him as he rose to his feet until he disappeared through the entrance door.

Some time later, Andrew returned with two filled mugs of mocha but despite its delicious smell, which immediately filled the air, Monica was no longer waiting for him in the couch. The angel was standing on her feet, by the steps of the porch, and glowing in her angelic form.

"Monica? Angel, what is it?" he wanted to know, placing the mugs on the bedside table and frowning at the serious expression he could see on her face. For a moment he even thought she was crying.

"I have an assignment." Came the simple answer. Her eyes seemed lost in an invisible spot out in the woods, and only a few seconds later did she turn to him. "And I know you won't like it."

Immediately, Andrew's expression darkened, already knowing what the assignment was, "Phil." He stated coldly and he watched as she nodded her head. A second later, he realized her apprehension at his reaction and he approached her, laying a hand against her face, "I wish it didn't have to be you, baby."

"Me too," Monica whispered, closing her eyes at his touch, "I'm so glad the Father will give me the words because I don't think I could chose very loving ones for the man who shot the one I so deeply love."

His expression softened at her precious words, despite the near hatred he felt in his heart for the human, "Angel. Look at me." He waited until she opened her brown eyes and he could clearly see the pain from the past emulated there, "There is never a better angel to give the truth to anyone, not even to someone like Phil. It's almost over, Monica and you know the Father will be with you," Andrew took her hand into his and pressed their joined hands to her heart, "And I will be right here the whole time."

She smiled tearfully, "You always are."

His gaze held hers for a moment as he drank in all the things he loved so much about her. He knew that despite the protective streak he refused to hide any longer, she had to go this alone. She needed to know just how much he trusted her and he did with his entire being and though he didn't trust Phil, Monica would be in her angelic form and would be safe. Andrew just wished he could swallow down his anger that the mere thought of Phil so much as looking at her, caused him.

Releasing her hand, he stroked her cheek once more, "So beautiful," He murmured softly, "Go, baby and know how much I love you."

"I love you too," Monica whispered, before their lips met briefly and a heartbeat later, she was gone.

x

"Please, please...no..." the sound of a woman pleading was the first thing the little angel heard when she reappeared in the middle of a clearing. She had no idea of where she was, but she had a feeling she was no longer in Utah, which meant that Phil had fled the state in search of safety...and his next victim.

Monica moved quickly and noiselessly through the clearing until she saw them. The girl couldn't have been any older than twenty with long dark hair, similar to her own and to Annie's. Her face was tear streaked and deathly white as Phil stood over her, knife in hand.

"Shut up, Allison," He snapped at her, "I don't want to have to kill you before we have a good time. I much prefer my partners alive."

"Phil, please...you don't want to do this. Oh, God, please help me!"

"He will help you, Allison," The gentle soothing Irish lilt caused both Allison and Phil to look up sharply to see Monica, dressed in a long, flowing white dress and glowing with the light of God, "It is not God's intention that Phil should hurt anyone else."

"What the hell!" Phil backed away a step, not at all sure of what he was seeing, "What are you doing here, Monica?"

The little angel looked into his eyes, this time her own holding no fear of him, "I'm an angel, Phil, who was sent by God to tell you that what you are doing is an abomination to Him who created you. God made Eve to help Adam, so it was never His intention for man to inflict pain and humiliation on one he is supposed to care for. You've hurt too many people; have even killed some of them..."

He snorted in disgust, "Yeah, like Annie and your buddy, Andrew. They got in the way and had to be eliminated, just like the others."

"God gives life, Phil, and it is not up to you to take it away. But you didn't take Annie's life as she is recovering and Andrew is an angel as well, though you had no reason to harm him. Evil has taken hold of your life, Phil, but God can give it back if only you'd let him."

A tiny whimper from behind her and Monica knelt and extended her hand to Allison, "You're safe now, Allison. Go quickly and get help."

"No!" Phil attempted to grab hold of Allison but Monica's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist with the strength of an army of angels.

"You will not harm her."

The angel's grip on his arm and the fact that Allison was running away to probably call the police, caused Phil to jerk his arm away. Turning around, he ran through the clearing as fast as he could and into the surrounding woods. Surely his eyes must have been deceiving him because there was no way that Monica chick was an angel!

Looking over his shoulder to see if she was following, the man came to an abrupt halt as he ran into something.

Or rather, someone.

Phil barely had time to regain his senses when the back of his head came in swift contact with the nearest tree and when his eyes met those of the angels, it was impossible to miss the barely restrained anger in those green eyes.

Andrew had Phil by the shirt collar and though he knew his behaviour wasn't very angelic, he seemed unable to help it. Every emotion he had been feeling from the moment he had seen Phil shoot Annie now came flying to the surface; the realization that this man had intended to hurt his Monica, the helplessness he had felt after Phil shot him and was then trying to rape the little Irish angel, his absolute terror and fear for her as she had lain unconscious in the hospital.

"You're not going anywhere," Andrew stated coldly, his hold never loosening on the man, "And you'd do well to not only ask God for your life back but to thank Him that you never got the chance to harm a hair on Monica's head, because if you had, you'd really be dealing with me right about now."

Phil managed a bark of laughter, "If you're an angel, man, you sure aren't acting all that angelic."

"No, I suppose I'm not, but nothing makes me angrier than someone who preys on innocents and Monica is an innocent. She was created by God with the most beautiful heart I've ever had the privilege of knowing and now, even knowing what she is, you don't bother to listen to the words she has for you! You owe her that; you owe God that after all you've done!"

The human's lips curled into a cruel smile, "There is no woman, regardless of what she is, that I feel any need to listen to, unless she is screaming."

The rage inside the angel's body caused him to tremble, unable to fathom the evil that could be inside of one man. The fleeting thought came through his mind that if God didn't intervene, he'd be spending some time in God's country yet at the same moment he drew back his fist.

"Andrew."

The soothing Irish lilt stopped him from going against his angelic nature, as he felt her gentle hands rest on his back and for a moment great shame filled him. As an angel, he should never harm one of God's children, even one who had gone so far astray that he may never find his way Home, but Phil's crimes against women, the crime he had tried to commit against Monica, had nearly gotten the best of him.

"Angel," He uttered hoarsely, as he dropped both his hands, barely noticing as Phil sagged against the tree, his relief evident.

Though Monica tenderly placed her hands around his upper arm, squeezing gently to calm him, her attention once again focused on the criminal she had been sent to, "God's forgiveness is always open to you, Philip and I have a feeling you'll have plenty of time to ponder that fact. The good news is that you won't be hurting anyone else for a long, long time."

A rustling in the woods behind them caused Phil to look sharply beyond the angels as two police officers aimed their weapons at him.

"Freeze! Put your hands in the air!"

Once again, Phil laughed, "You don't want me, buddy! These two think they are angels! They're the ones you need to be taking away!"

Sadly, Monica's eyes met with his, "They can't see us, Phil. Only you can. Remember what I said; God can be reached, even in prison."

The two angels watched as Phil was finally apprehended and led away and only then did the little angel turn her full attention to the one she loved with all her heart.

"Andrew..." She moved around him to face him, looking up at him with worried brown eyes, "Are you-."

"I'm sorry," He murmured, shaking his head in disgust, "I shouldn't have come. I was just worried even though I knew he couldn't hurt you this way. I just...the thought of you being anywhere near him...and I almost...Oh Father, what have I done?"

"You did nothing wrong," Monica insisted as she reached up to caress his cheek, "Except for maybe love me too much."

"No," Andrew whispered, taking her hand from his face and bringing it to his lips, "There is no such thing as loving you too much. The things I feel for you, Angel, they run so deep that sometimes I just lose control of myself, especially with anyone who means you harm. That man...he wanted to take something from you that no one had any right to take and even though you are all right and you got away, well, just the thought of you being around him..."

Seeing the helplessness in his eyes, Monica moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling her face into his chest and breathing in the scent of him, "I love that about you," She murmured after a moment, once he had naturally wrapped his arms around her, "You always make me feel so safe," Squeezing him tightly, she moved just enough to be able to look up into his face, "Maybe one day, if the Father permits us, we'll be able to be joined as one and then I can give myself to the only one I'd ever want to...you."

The love that filled his eyes was enough to take her breath away, "Monica, you are so precious to me, baby. If that day ever comes, I promise I will make it so perfect for you, but I don't think anything will ever feel as perfect to me as the feeling of holding you in my arms." He watched as she blinked back happy tears and marvelled at how she had just so simply turned everything he had been feeling completely around. He had been so angry and ashamed of his behaviour and with nothing more than a few simple words spoken with great love, Andrew felt as if all were right in the universe again. She had the ability to center him and he wondered now how he had ever stayed away from her for two months.

As if reading his mind, Monica bit her lip briefly before she spoke, her dark eyes pleading, "Andrew...promise me that no matter what happens, no matter if we argue or things don't go the way we mean them to go, that we'll never be apart like that again. I was so foolish and so confused about so many things that I thought some time apart was the answer, but it wasn't," Her eyes welled up with tears at the memories, "I'd much rather work it out with you at my side than to work it out without you, because without you, I lose part of myself..the best part of myself."

Andrew's finger lightly traced along her cheek, "I promise you, my angel. Unless we are on assignments, I will be at your side, loving you just as perfectly as I am right now, and I do love you, Monica, with my entire heart."

"I love you too, Andrew, so much," Her eyes, bright with happy tears, gazed into his, "Can we go somewhere? Just us for awhile? Until we are assigned?"

"There is nothing I would rather do, baby," He kissed her softly and then rested his forehead against hers, "Close you eyes."