CHAPTERS 15 & 16

Chapter 15

            The darkness surrounded Monica once more as she fell into a deep sleep.  Once again, she was in the darkness that felt of pure evil; evil so great, it would have frightened a much more seasoned angel than Monica.  It wasn’t long before she found herself face to face with Kathleen once more.

            “You’ve lost again, Angel Girl,” The demon of darkness smirked, her eyes dancing with glee,

            “Now that Andrew is here with me, maybe you will feel differently about joining us.”

            Monica felt a deep panic welling up inside of her even as she struggled to remain calm,

            “Andrew is not truly with you, Kathleen.  Andrew is of God, just as I am and nothing you can say or do can change that.  You’ve tried before when you dragged me to hell with you, but you didn’t win, Kathleen, and you won’t win this time.  God always wins in the battle of good and evil.”

            Kathleen looked truly hurt for a moment before she laughed,

            “So, did my friendship mean so little to you that you don’t even care that I’m here now?”

            “Your friendship meant a lot to me, Kathleen.  I’m only sorry that it didn’t mean more to you.  I tried to help you, but you were unwilling to listen to me or to the Father.  I’ve carried guilt with me for years over your decision, but I’m not going to do that anymore, Kathleen.  You made your choice, but you cannot make mine for me, or Andrew’s for him.  Our love of God will sustain us, just as it always does.  He is always in control, even when our existence seems to be dark.” Monica replied, gaining strength from her words,

            “God still loves you, Kathleen, even after all the terrible things that you have done to hurt others, and deep in inside, so do I.  Even after all of the terrible things you have done to try to hurt me and my friends.”

            Kathleen rolled her eyes as she shook her head,

            “You know all that ‘love’ talk does nothing for me, Monica.  You cannot change what will happen.  Either you will be coming with me, or Andrew will be-the choice is up to you.  You can give your soul to spare your friend, or you can lose him to the darkness, just as you lost me.”

            Monica looked Kathleen squarely in the eyes, her heart filling with solid resolve,

            “No, Kathleen, you’re wrong.  I will not go with you, and I will fight to save Andrew from the evil that surrounds you.  You will not win this battle, Kathleen.  Friendship is stronger than all evil and God is stronger than even friendship.  With both God and friendship on our sides, neither Andrew nor I will lose.”

            “You’ll have to chose!” Kathleen glowered, her patience growing thin.

            “As always, Kathleen,” Monica said softly, gaining strength from her words,

            “We chose God.”

            “Sorry about your luck,” The demon smirked, getting ready to make her exit for now.

            “There’s nothing lucky about it, Kathleen,” Came the soft reply.  A gentle smile graced the angel’s face as Kathleen vanished from her sight in a huff.

            Monica now understood the words that her Father had given her when this all began.  Andrew’s anger and hatred of Kathleen had been just the opportunity for Kathleen to begin a battle for his soul, all the while knowing that Monica would do everything in her power to help the Angel of Death.  This was the fight that she had to fight….

            …Andrew awoke from a sound sleep and gave a small groan.  He had drifted off in the chair beside of Monica’s bed, his head resting on the bed itself and now his human body ached in places it had never ached before.  Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked up at his friend, and fear gripped his heart. 

            Monica was so still.  He had been accustomed to her tossing and thrashing as she had dreamt in her feverish sleep, but now, she looked so peaceful.  Andrew had seen humans look that way many times before and it usually meant…He shook the thought from his mind.  Angels couldn’t die, he was sure of it.  His hand trembling, he reached up to lay it across her forehead and that was when he realized that her fever had broken.

            A smile spread across his face as relief filled his heart.  She was finally resting peacefully, her body now healing from the illness that had held her in its grasp.   He reached to stroke her tangled hair, and softly kissed the top of her head.  Concern filled him then as he heard the words she murmured in her sleep.

            “I know what I need to do now…”

Chapter 16

            The sun shone brightly on the snow the following morning as the storm had finally passed.  The woods surrounding the cabin were quiet and peaceful, other than the sound of the tree branches crackling under the weight of the snow. 

            Andrew leaned up against the front wall of the cabin, a cup of hot coffee in his hand, watching as his breath formed the little clouds like smoke in front of him.  His thoughts were miles away and had been for the last 20 minutes that he had stood out here.  He was torn over what to do from here, especially now that he knew deep in his heart that this battle with Kathleen was not over. 

            Monica had awoken this morning, and though still rather weak from her illness, she was definitely feeling better.  She had been delighted to see Stacey and Tess, her memory of them from the other night clouded, and she had been chatting incessantly with them all morning.  Though relieved that his friend was recovering, Andrew had not been able to shake the feeling of deep concern he felt over her words last night.

            “I know what I need to do now…”

            What did they mean and what did she need to do?  He knew it had to do with Kathleen-it all had to do with Kathleen.  He had come outside, hoping the quiet would allow his Father to speak to his heart, but there had only been silence.  Tess had said that this was Monica’s fight, but Andrew was unwilling to allow his gentle friend to fight the demon alone.  There was too much at stake and he knew that from past experience.  Kathleen was not one to give up and from what Tess had told him, Monica would be unwilling to budge on this whole thing. 

            “Andrew?”

            He jumped, startled, as he turned to see Monica.  He hadn’t even heard her come out the door as he had been so consumed in his own thoughts.  Recovering, he smiled gently at her.  She had showered and dressed, and had an afghan wrapped around her as well.  The color was beginning to return to her face and the dark circles of illness that had been under her eyes seemed less obtrusive.

            “You probably shouldn’t be out here,” He said softly, his eyes flickering with his concern for her.

            “I know, but I was worried about you. What are you doing out here all by yourself?” The Irish lilt was soft as her brown eyes looked up at him curiously.

            “I was just thinking,” Andrew replied, setting his cup down on the railing of the porch and stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.  There was silence between the two friends for a moment before he continued,

            “Can I ask you something?”

            “You know the answer to that,” She replied, moving nearer to him when he didn’t turn to face her.

            He nodded his head, his eyes still focused on the snow-covered trees,

            “How do you feel about Kathleen?”

            Monica drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to sum up in her mind what this was all about,

            “I don’t hate her, if that is what you are asking, Andrew.  She was my best friend once, so we have a history together.”

            “Even after all she has done to you, Monica?” He turned to face her then, his expression that of one who was trying desperately to understand.

            “Yes, especially after all of that.  I feel sorry for her, knowing where she is and whom it is she is following and I cannot believe in my heart that she can possibly be happy,” She sighed softly,

            “Regardless of what she has done in the past, the fact that at one time we were friends, serving God together is so much stronger than all the wrong she has done.  A part of me will always love her, Andrew.”

            “You said something last night about knowing what it was you needed to do.  What did you mean by that?” His green eyes searched hers, hoping she would give him the answers he needed.

            Monica looked surprised as she didn’t remember saying anything aloud, but apparently she had.  She remembered the dream, if that’s what it was, and more importantly, the understanding that had come with it,

            “Andrew, I…” Her voice trailed off, not knowing what to say or how much she should reveal to him yet.

            “What is it, sweetie?  Please tell me.”

            “It’s just a feeling I had, is all.  This isn’t over and what is yet to come is going to be hard, for both of us.  I don’t know that for sure-I haven’t been told, but it’s just a feeling I have; a strong feeling,” She swallowed hard, trying to rid herself of the lump that had formed in her throat so he wouldn’t know just how frightened she was,

            “We just need to remember that next to God’s love, nothing on this earth is stronger than friendship, Andrew.”

            Andrew watched her worriedly, knowing her well enough to know that she was battling her emotions right now,

            “Our friendship, or your friendship with Kathleen?” He asked softly, moving to place his hands reassuringly on her shoulders.

            “I’m not sure-both maybe.” She looked away for a moment, her eyes brimming with tears, which she blinked back, knowing she would have to stay strong in the days to come.  When she looked back to him, her eyes were dry, though her voice trembled with emotion,

            “I do know this-I am not going to lose you.”

            Andrew pulled her into his arms for a moment, his heart racing.  There was still so much he didn’t understand, but he wasn’t sure Monica had all the answers either,

            “You won’t,” He whispered softly to her, holding her as tightly as he dared, as if afraid to let her go.