Manhunt - by Gaby

“What exactly are you trying to do, Gloria?” Tess asked somewhat upset after the younger angel had tried to kiss Andrew on the mouth.

“I was trying to show some love to Andrew.”

Slightly blushed, the blond angel murmured a ‘Thank you’ before looking at Monica questioningly.

“We saw a couple kissing and I told Gloria that was a demonstration of love, and then you came and...”

“Is it wrong?” Gloria asked confused. “I mean... I’ve seen you and Andrew doing it...” she said looking at Monica.

Both Monica and Andrew blushed at her remark. “Yes, Gloria... Andrew and I kiss like that ‘cause we share a special kind of love.”

“I don’t understand!” the younger angel exclaimed. “You said I knew love, Tess, but then Monica says there are different kinds of love! How am I supposed to get it?”

“What time is it, Andrew?” the supervisor asked.

“5.30, why?”

“Happy hour! Come on. We’ll teach her about love right now!” Tess said taking Gloria from an arm and starting to walk, Monica and Andrew following them.

****

Once Gloria was in Betty’s hands, Monica, Andrew and Tess discussed their assignment when they saw Zoe getting into the lounge. “She’s our assignment,” Monica said.

“Part of it,” Andrew said meeting her eyes.

Tess moved to take a seat by her old assignment’s side and talked to her before Betty started to sing. Monica and Andrew remained where they had first stayed. The blond angel was seated on a high chair by the bar and Monica was standing right at his side. He then reached to take her by the waist and pulled her to make her lean over his lap. “I should be really mad at you, you know?” Andrew told her wrapping his arms around her.

“Why?” she asked surprised.

“And you still ask?” he said in mock indignation. “Do you think it’s not enough that your charge almost kissed me?!”

Monica giggled at his expression. “She didn’t know what she was doing! It’s not her fault you’re so charming!” she said kissing his cheek.

“Suuure...” he replied and tightened his hold on her. They remained there in silent for a minute looking at Gloria talking to Tess and at some couples that were dancing with the slow melody Lou was playing and Betty was singing. Andrew squeezed Monica to call her attention. “Wanna dance?” he asked.

“Sure,” she said looking at him.

They soon joined the other couples, Monica’s arms wrapping his neck and his encircling her waist.

“Gloria, if you need to learn about love, you just need to look there!” Betty said coming closer to the two female angels and pointing at the dancing ones.

“Aren’t they cute?” Tess commented looking at her angel babies. Their foreheads and noses were touching and they were smiling at each other, unaware of anything around.

“I guess that’s really a match made in Heaven!” Betty said.

“That certainly is!” Tess agreed.

“But they are an exception, a real miracle!” Gloria said.

“Love itself is a miracle, darling!” Betty said. “It doesn’t matter if they are angels or humans, love is the biggest miracle of all!”

****

The next day, Andrew and Tess were already at the lounge when Zoe, Penny and Maggie arrived followed by Gloria and Monica. The blond angel couldn’t help a “Wow!” when he saw his dearest friend arriving: short tight skirt, high heel shoes and a bit more of make up. Monica turned to see him and found him practically drooling at her sight. His expression made her smile and blush and she felt a special happiness knowing the effect she could cause on him. Monica and the rest of the girls stayed for a while in their table, the little angel and Andrew sharing loving sighs and smiles.

“Hehehe... Monica’s gotten an admirer!” Penny said elbowing her.

“And you said there was not much to say about you, Monica!” Maggie joined the teasing.

The Irish angel blushed deeply and smiled at the teasing of her coworkers. After some minutes of looking at her, Andrew finally walked to the booth. “Monica, do you want to dance?”

“Charmed,” she answered smiling at him.

“You’re stunning, angel!” he said circling her waist.

She giggled and leaned to touch his chin with her forehead. They danced for some long minutes, completely oblivious of anything else. When Monica went back to their table, Zoe and Penny practically assaulted her with questions.

“Was it the first time or you knew him before?” Zoe asked to a reddened Monica.

“You had it very well hidden, Monica!” Penny said.

“When did you meet him?”

“How did you meet him?”

Monica couldn’t help but smile at their questions. “I knew him of course. He’s not hidden, just I hadn’t told you about him. I met him eight years ago in a wedding.”

“Eight years?!”

“And why aren’t you married?”

Monica blushed again and mouthed some words without a single sound. She turned to see Andrew and found him with Billy, who was looking at Zoe. “It seems that now you’re the one with an admirer,” Monica told her blond friend.

“Billy?”

“The delivering guy?” Zoe and Penny asked at the same time.

“Why not?” the angel asked. “You never know who’s the one...”

At the same time, Andrew was talking to Billy intently looking at the four girls in the table. “Go on, Billy, don’t miss your chance!” the blond angel urged him.

“I-I don’t dare to go alone...” the guy stuttered.

“Then let’s go...” Andrew said standing up. Billy followed him and there, the angel talked first. “Monica, would you like to dance again?”

“Yes,” she said turning to see first at Billy and then at Zoe.

“A-And you, Zoe? Would you like to dance?” he finally asked.

“Ok...” the blond woman replied taking his hand and following Andrew and Monica to the dance floor, immediately swaying at the sweet notes of the song.

If you only knew
What I feel for you
If you only lived for me
The way I live for you
I’d be in heaven
My dreams would come true

‘Cause all I’ve ever wanted
Is you
And you alone

A couple of minutes later, Monica and Andrew turned to see the human couple and how Billy looked like in Heaven for the smile in his face. “We’re great in playing Cupid, don’t you think?” Monica joked, her head resting against Andrew’s cheek.

The blond angel laughed at her comment. “Yes, but you know what the best part is?” he asked looking at her eyes.

“No, what?”

“Working with you... being with you... have the chance to have you here in my arms even if it’s a good pretext for the assignment...” he murmured and leaned down to give her a sweet kiss.

“I may disagree...” she said when they parted. Smiling at his puzzled expression, she added, “the best part is to see someone else share something as marvelous as we do... You’ve made my life complete, Andrew,” she whispered looking deeply in his green eyes.

Not breaking her sight, he bent down to kiss her lips again. “You can’t possibly know how blessed I am to have you in my life, Monica. I really don’t know what would become of me without you...”

“Andrew...” she whispered again and then buried her face in his neck feeling absolutely content to be there in his arms.

Much later in the night, when there was almost nobody in the lunge, Andrew, Monica and Penny were still in the booth they had shared, Zoe and Billy in another one, oblivious to anything around.

“I’m sad, you know” Penny said to the angels that were cutely cuddled. “And happy, and envious...”

“Envious?” Monica asked.

“Yes, you all have the one for you...” she said looking at the way Andrew and Monica’s hands were tangled.

“I’m sure you’ll find a wonderful man some day, Penny,” the little angel said.

“Yeah... but not today... and certainly won’t see him if I don’t sleep at least a couple of hours. See ya!” the woman said leaving the table.

“Bye,” both angels said.

“I’ll have to go with Billy, angel...” Andrew said with a sad tone.

“Is he...?” she asked with sad eyes. Seeing him nodded, Monica couldn’t help but to feel sad for Zoe who was now kissing Billy. “Oh, dear...”

****

Andrew had been right about Billy. He had died in the morning, hit by a drunken driver. Zoe had been really sad until Monica had talked to her. Now the blond woman was sharing her life with other people that needed a little bit of love.

Some days later, the four angels walked again along the park where their assignment had started, Andrew’s arm wrapped around Monica’s small shoulders while her arm circled his waist. They stopped when they saw Zoe talking to an old woman in a wheelchair.

“I think I have now learned everything about love,” Gloria announced proudly. The other three angels stopped to pay attention to her. “There’s love between sons and parents, love like that one...” she said pointing at the image of Zoe and the woman, “and love like the one we share, love between friends...”

“Very good indeed, baby,” Tess replied, “but you missed one kind of love...” At the puzzled expression on the younger angel’s face, she added, “but two angels can speak more about it...”

Both Tess and Gloria turned to see Andrew and Monica that were now hugging each other. The little angel’s cheek was resting on his black shirt and her contented smile spoke of the happiness she felt with him. “We could speak a lot about it, yes, Tess...” Andrew replied tightening his hold on Monica, “but expressions of this kind of love are... you know... private... so...” He heard Monica giggling and they started to walk away form their friends. “See you later, ladies...”

Tess shook her head at seeing her “angel babies” go and grabbed Gloria’s arm to walk back Home. “Come on, baby, we’ll talk about that love later...”

“But, Tess... Wouldn’t it be better if we go with them? I could really use the knowledge....” the younger angel tried to argue.

“No, no, baby... You heard them! That’s private...”

THE END