Chapter 5

        30 minutes later...

        "...There they are, Tess!" Adam remarked, picking up his glass of

        sparkling apple cider and nodding toward the door, which Andrew and

        Monica were just now walking through. Adam grinned as he noticed that

        andrew had his arm wrapped securely around Monica's shoulders and his

        cheek laying on top of her curly head.

        "I'll go over and let them know that Sam's about to make a toast, okay?"

        Adam turned toward Tess, who appeared to have a worried look on her face,

        and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder,

        "I'll be right back..."

        Moving his eyes toward his two friends who were heading in his direction,

        Adam rushed forward, a grin on his face.

        "Hey, you two," he greeted them, wrapping a companionable arm around

        Andrew's shoulders, not noticing the two pairs of tear-stained eyes

        before him,

        "Tess was wondering where you've disappeared to because Sam wants to make

        a toast to you, Monica, and he's getting impatient."

        Lifting her tear-stained, brown eyes to meet Andrew's green ones, the

        Irish angel gulped as she realized that the answerr to her unspoken

        question was so visible in her friend's sad eyes:

        Now was the time to let everyone know...and the start of changed lives

        for all of them...

        *****

        "...I know you'll do excellent in this new position, Monica," Sam

        continued in a raised voice to be heard in the large room, the entire

        group gathered around one another in honor of Monica, who stood beside

        Andrew, keeping a tight grip on his hand,

        "Myself and everyone here and, it goes without saying, the Father, too.

        We all have faith in you that you will be superior with your new charge.

        Here's to you, Monica."

        The older angel lifted up his glass of apple cider, shot a wide smile

        around the group of angels and slowly lowered his glass, waiting for

        another to continue.

        Andrew quickly glanced over at Monica and gave a deep breath, slowly

        releasing her soft hand. Giving his head a slight nod to assure her that

        now was the time, the Angel of Death raised his green eyes and searched

        for a face in the crowd.

        Finally finding who he was searching for, Andrew caught an older-looking

        angel's light blue eyes and waved her over. The angel smiled brightly

        back at Andrew and threaded her way through the crowd to stand beside the

        young Angel of Death. Her bright, red hair trailed down her back, tied in

        a french braid and her skin shone beautifully; although she looked older

        than Andrew and Monica, she also appeared somewhat younger than Tess.

        Watching the angel walk up and stand at his side, Andrew felt a few more

        tears spill from his eyes again as he faced the crowd, ready to do what

        he had done with Monica almost an hour ago.

        "Uh...I have an announcement to make," he began softly, glancing around

        at his friends, his eyes landing on Tess and Adam,

        "If you don't mind..."

        Waiting a few seconds in the now quiet room, the angel sucked in a deep

        breath and tried his hardest to pull himself together for this.

        "You all might be wondering who this woman beside me is..." he continued,

        nodding at the red-haired angel at his side,

        "Friends...this is Rose. She's an angel, too...an angel I've gotten to

        know well these past few weeks. She--she's also one of the supervisors in

        Search and Rescue. And...my new supervisor, too...Everyone, the day the

        Father promoted Monica...so was I. I asked Him if I could be moved to

        Search and Rescue. And He agreed...."

        Closing his green eyes, now flooding with hot tears, Andrew forced

        himself to continue on,

        "After tonight, I'll no longer be an Angel of Death...I'll be working

        with Rose as my Search and Rescue supervisor..."

        As soon as the words came out of the angel's mouth, a soft murmer was

        heard amongst the crowd and Tess' shocked voice ringing out over the

        other's.

        "What???"

        "Andrew, you can't mean this," Adam interrupted before Tess could go any

        further,

        "Man...you're telling us that you're leaving me as an Angel of Death??

        You AND Monica are leaving?! I don't believe this, Andrew..."

        "Make that three leaving, Adam," Tess broke in on the flustered angel's

        words, feeling her heart breaking at the news that was being revealed

        before her. Her and her "Angel Babies" were being separated...and now it

        was her turn...

        Catching the pairs of eyes that turned her way, the supervisor gulped

        loudly and tightened her grip on her apple cider glass, trying her best

        to keep her hand from shaking,

        "Just yesterday, Babies...I was asked to become the director of the angel

        choir. And--I've accepted the position...I'll be moving from a supervisor

        to choir director starting in the next two days..."

        Keeping her teary, brown eyes on Monica and Andrew's faces, Tess knew she

        would fall apart if she didn't have them in her arms in the next few

        seconds.

        Quickly heading in her friend's direction, lightly setting her cider

        glass on a nearby marble table, Tess reached her two charges and, without

        saying a word, grabbed them both up in her strong, shaking arms and held

        them as tightly as she could ever hold anyone. Gently stoking each of her

        Babies hair at the same time, Tess quietly whispered in each of their

        ears.

        "Angel Babies...always know how much Tess loves you both with her whole

        heart," she choked out, gripping them tighter,

        "You both will succeed with your new lives and never forget: If you ever

        need me or if you two need each other badly, you'll know where to find

        us...Oh, my Babies..."

        Still holding onto her best friend's necks, Tess looked sadly over

        Andrew's shoulder and glanced at Rose standing off to the side, grinning

        a bit sadly at the scene in front of her,

        "Take care of my Angel Boy for me, okay?" Tess requeted, her voice

        getting choked up as she lovingly stroked the short, blonde hair of the

        Angel of Death.

        Meeting Tess' saddened, brown eyes, Rose stepped forward a bit and spoke

        with her whole heart in a clear, friendly voice,

        "I promise you, Tess," she answered earnestly. "Andrew will be in good

        hands. You have my word and the Father's on that one..."