The choice (spin off story, does not follow the series started in "The broken road")

The choice

(by Kimbre and Deyse)

The events in this story take place in between the years 2000 and 2001.

Prologue: The calm before the storm

The angel of death walked along the fields of Heaven with a sad look on his handsome face. The constant gentle sunrays that would shine forever and the soft breeze that spread the flowers perfume everywhere didn't seem to have any impact on him. When Andrew was chosen to be the angel that escorted God's children to their eternal Home, he felt extremely honoured. But soon, the blond angel realised that in many occasions, accomplishing this assignment would mean carrying a heavy burden. And that was one of these occasions.

It was a fact that violence was part of humans lives, as it was one of the most "efficient" ways evil could work on Earth. But in his angelic mind, it was hard to accept that a human being was capable of committing so many atrocities to another human being. Andrew had just taken a young child Home because one of those terrible things the Father's children would do to another.

But what he didn't notice was that a pair of soft brown eyes was following his lonely steps. When the angel of death stopped to contemplate the view ahead of him, with curvy green hills in the infinite horizon, a soothing and very familiar voice took him out of his reverie.

"I counted the stars and made a list of everything you've taught me while we were in human form..." Andrew turned around to see Monica tilting her head and eyeing him with so much tenderness and affection that his soul was immediately filled with warmth and peace. Besides God Himself, only His sweet and beautiful angel was able to put his heart at ease like that. "That's how I waited for the moment our paths would cross again." She added.

The slight smile on her pretty face was more than an invitation to him and on the following moment, he was holding her in his arms, breathing in her sweet perfume. Monica smelled like wild flowers and holding her was like being granted with the purest and most precious treasure. "All the moments we spend together support me when times are hard, you know that, baby?" he said, his voice was hoarse with emotion.

Still smiling, she nodded. "It works the same way with me..."

Andrew kissed the top of her head repeatedly before speaking again. "Please tell me you don't have to leave soon..." he was nearly pleading.

Monica gently pulled away and searched for his troubled green eyes. "Actually I do..." before the sadness in his heart increased, she quickly added. "...and you're coming with me!"

The way she was smiling nearly undid him, and the blond angel reached out to cup her cheek. "Anywhere you want me to as long as it means us being together..."

As he tried to return her smile, Monica gently lay a gentle hand against his heart. "I can feel there's much sorrow in here right now... And I cannot allow it to stay for so long..."

Andrew reached for her hand and kissed its palm. "Your presence is a powerful force against it..."

The angel of death held her gaze for a few seconds, eyes locked in each other as if hypnotised by a strong connection that would grow even more along the years. Hand in hand, the two heavenly creatures left their Father's fields and reappeared somewhere else - in another emerald green land which would always bring a lot of joy to a certain Irish angel's heart.

"The spring arrived earlier this year, you know?" Monica told him, and like an excited child, she grabbed his hand and dragged him along the Ireland fields, leaving him to contemplate the most beautiful feature in that landscape: Monica. The Irish angel's auburn hair was flying with the soft breeze; long and perfect locks gently brushing his face once in a while as her soothing voice and lovely accent filled the air. Andrew would listen intently to her eternal chatter for long hours. It amused him the way her soft brown eyes sparkled as she spoke about her recent discoveries and experiences, and the world that surrounded them in general. She was barefoot and wearing a white sleeveless dress, her image a genuine heavenly one.

And it was then that the angel of death realised - or merely accepted the fact that words could never express how much and how deeply he loved her. His feelings had broken the barrier of the friendship and reached its completeness.

What had been torturing him was knowing that perhaps she couldn't return them. But then again, hiding what he felt was becoming incredibly difficult.

"Was it a little girl?" she asked, as they walked slowly along the lake bank.

"Yes. The fire consumed the school building too fast. She... She couldn't make it to the hospital."

"But there was an angel of God with her all the time..."

"All the time. As painful as it was..."

They stopped walking and she looked deep inside his green pools. It saddened her to see so much sorrow in them. "I can imagine how terrible it was for you."

"Being an angel of God is not easy sometimes..."

Monica reached out and stroked his handsome face. "Andrew... there's something you should know about it..."

"What else is left to know when I've already been informed that those responsible for the fire will never be caught?" the bitter tone of his voice was heartbreaking.

"Your presence there had a healing power."

"I... I don't understand..."

"The little girl you brought Home stopped suffering at the moment you stood close to her. Her wounds, her pain... it all ceased long before she passed away, and it was because you were there with her. The Father used you as a bridge, and through you, He managed to take her pain away."

She could notice the surprise and evident emotion all over his face, and Andrew held the Irish angel as tightly as he dared. "Thank you, baby..."

"You don't have to thank me for anything, Andrew... The look in your eyes has said enough."

The blond angel closed his eyes and dared to tighten the hold around her a tiny bit more. And they fell silent for long peaceful minutes, allowing the strong connection between them convey their immense love.

"So... I've been granted with the blessing of your company for the entire day?" Andrew broke the silence as he stroked her long reddish hair.

"Actually, you still have to listen to a little story about a cup of mochalatte, a very grumpy supervisor and an equally grumpy bar tender..." She had finally cheered him up as he chuckled at those words.

Andrew pulled away and cupped her cheek. "You're really a gift, Monica... I guess that when the Father chose me to be an angel of death He already knew you'd be my guardian angel whenever I felt weak and in doubt."

The slight smile on her face was so beautiful he couldn't get enough of it. "And how many times have you been my protector?"

He placed a gentle kiss over her cheek and held her gaze for another long moment, and slowly the smile on both faces faded away as a strong wave of tenderness and deep love invaded their hearts. The feelings were so intense now that Monica felt she could hardly breathe and at the same time they brought tears of joy to her eyes.

"How could I not? Being close to you, angel, is second nature to me..." he said, watching overwhelmed with tenderness as she leaned against the palm of his hand, her innocent and sweet smile causing a lump to form in his throat. "... I love you so much..."

He said it. Before he could even think, words had escaped from his mouth and revealed the truth he'd carried in his heart for years. The secret had been disclosed, and now he would have to face its consequences.

But his deepest fears were shattered when her pretty brown eyes stared at him.

"I love you too..." came her soft and spontaneous reply a moment later, and it was then that she too realised the feelings that had lain dormant in the depths of her soul.

The blond angel even wondered if they were talking about two different kinds of love but he soon noticed that the look on her face was changing. Slowly, Monica's smile faded away and she gazed up at him with an expression of surprise in her eyes.

The truth is Monica's heart had also been revealed to her.

"I do... I love you..." she affirmed, now with more certainty. And she could not imagine the joy those words had brought to him. She frowned slightly, as now the implications of that discovery started to fill her soul. "Andrew..."

"Shh..." he gently silenced her by pressing his index finger against her lips. Andrew could see there was amazement and confusion in the spark of those beautiful brown eyes but what really mattered now was that their hearts were beating in the same rhythm. "For a long time I kept these feelings to myself... In a way... I've denied them as I thought angels could not experience this kind of love..."

"And can they?" she looked like a scared child who demanded some guidance.

"I spent years trying to understand what I felt... and no matter how much I thought, I always ended up coming to the same conclusion, baby... That I'm an angel and that I love you... I love you in all possible ways a God's child can love another..." Andrew cupped her cheek and stroked her face with tenderness, causing the little angel to close her eyes and let out a trembling sigh.

Monica covered his hand with her much smaller one and when she opened her eyes again, the power of his gaze left no room for doubt in her heart. A lonely tear fell from her eye and came down her face, and as Andrew wiped it away with gentle fingers, she spoke again - what she said sounded like music to his ears.

"Words... I think they cannot express what I'm feeling right now, Andrew... I think they are not enough to express what I feel... for you..." She moved her head and lay a gentle kiss against his palm, leaving him to wonder if there would be a more perfect moment than that. "...But I love you so much that... God forbid me... right now I feel I've existed only for this moment to happen..."

Andrew couldn't wait any longer - emotion had taken over his soul and when he inched his face closer to her, the Irish angel closed her eyes slowly, all the movements they had never experienced before happened naturally, as nature was following its course.

He laid both hands against each side of her face and she could feel his warm breath just inches away. Andrew still took some seconds to admire the beauty of her meek features and in a way to make that moment last a little bit longer. Then he brushed his lips against hers for the first time - softly like a summer breeze.

Monica felt her entire body trembling and her heart beating stronger as she gently grabbed his wrists - not to pull him away, but instinctively to keep him closer. All his joy, tenderness and affection could now be felt inside her own spirit, sending away the turmoil of confused thoughts. Yes, angels could love - the moment alone was a living proof of that fact.

Noticing that she offered no resistance, and she would never do it, Andrew pressed his lips more firmly against hers, deepening that sweet caress he was now certain he would never be able to exist without. It seemed that both angels had found completeness in their existence on that exact moment, as two halves had finally been joined.

Once their kiss was over, the angel of death gazed at her with pure adoration. "No matter what, baby, I want you to know that this heart of mine will forever be yours." He whispered.

"And so will mine, Andrew... All my love... eternally yours..." she whispered back, and they rested their foreheads together.

Some weeks later...

A veil of twinkling stars covered the dark sky and all the souls on Earth seemed to be lost in dreams of impossible love or unbelievable fortune while the noise of a cricket broke the silence of the night. There, in the woods of Ireland, one could feel closer to God as a peaceful atmosphere surrounded the deserted lands in that warm summer night.

A soft breeze blew lazily through the trees, and the spark of a thousand stars was reflected in the still waters of a small pond settled in the heart of the forest. Dark brown eyes watched the perfect mirror while a soft sigh of contentment escaped her. The Irish angel could spend hours just contemplating the wonderful creations around her, and now in the arms of another angel, she enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere.

The angel of death sitting next to her was certain that nothing felt so perfect as having the sweet and kind little angel leaning against him, resting her head over his shoulder as he kept a permanent hold on her. Of all of his Father's creations, she was unquestionably the most beautiful one, and sometimes he wondered if he deserved her attention, her affection and the love he could see in those sweet doe-like eyes.

"Thank you, Andrew..." Her soothing accent and the way only she could pronounce his name took him out of his reverie and he bent his head as her eyes met his questioning ones. "...for this lovely night."

With infinite love, he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "You were so quiet in there I thought you had fallen asleep, sweet angel..." His green pools were filled with tenderness as he took her hand to his lips.

"Are you saying I talk a lot?"

Chuckling, he gently drawn her closer to him and now kissed her forehead. "What is it you have in your pretty little head, may I ask?"

"Actually... the memories of a day I shall cherish for the rest of my eternity..."

He knew what she was talking about, as those same memories were constantly playing on his mind. "We'll share many moments like this, baby. I promise you that." He spoke, his face was serious now as he wanted her to see the truth in his words.

But Monica knew it. There were no secrets between them and she could feel the intensity of his feelings coming from his heart to hers. "You don't have to promise me that. I trust you with my very soul, Andrew..."

He nodded his head. "When the sun rises we'll go up to Tess. I'll tell her about my love for you, angel... I'll tell her about how your existence makes my existence a beautiful one... About how your voice or your smile can make my world feel complete."

And those words placed a smile back on her face. "Well, I'll tell her about how you touch my heart and my soul... and how much I love you... for the rest of my eternity..."

He didn't waste another moment and brought his face close to hers, pressing a soft kiss against her lips as their hearts beat accelerated inside their chests. Following the same rhythm, joining two souls yearning to be together for the centuries to come.

Chapter 1: The hardest decision

Early the following morning, the two angels walked hand in hand through the meadows of heaven and despite the certainty they had both felt last night, now the aura of nervousness that surrounded the heavenly beings was palpable. This love that the two of them shared was something that had never before happened among angels and both Monica and Andrew were very much aware of that fact. Though they knew Monica’s supervisor to be both understanding and loving, there was still apprehension in their hearts over Tess’ reaction to their honesty.

As they neared the clearing, the Irish angel suddenly stopped walking, causing Andrew to stop and turn to face her with deep concern penetrating from his green eyes.

“Angel?”

“Maybe...maybe we shouldn’t tell her, Andrew. Maybe this is best kept between us,” Her frightened doe-like eyes peered up into his face.

“Baby, it’s going to be all right,” He began, his voice soothing as he rested a hand against her cheek.

“What if it’s not?” Monica’s voice was beseeching, as she worried her lower lip, an action Andrew knew came with her distress, “What if she tells us it is forbidden? I couldn’t bear it, Andrew! I already love you; I know how I feel, so how can she forbid me to do so?”

“Monica,” His voice was firm yet so tender that it silenced her deep concern as she looked deeply into his eyes, silently begging him to reassure her that they were doing the right thing, “You’re exactly right; if what we feel for each other were forbidden, then how could we be feeling it in the first place?” Still seeing the turmoil in her dark eyes, Andrew cupped her face in his hands, watching how she closed her eyes briefly at his touch and then drew in a deep breath as if to center herself once more. He waited patiently, taking in every lovely feature of her face until she opened her eyes again. Only then did he continue.

“My angel, regardless of how Tess reacts, it doesn’t change anything. Her reaction will be her reaction; it will have to do with Tess and not with you and I. But for the record, Tess has always been understanding and I don’t think this time will be any different, and even if it is, it doesn’t change how much I love you. If we’re told its wrong, how can it possibly be true if we are both feeling it? No matter what she says, baby, I promise you, it is all going to be fine.”

Her teary eyes searched his as she nodded her head, “I love you, Andrew.”

“Oh my sweet angel,” the words were but a breath as the angel of death brought his face closer to hers and when their lips met in a tender kiss, he could feel the tension draining away from the small body he held in his arms.

That was until the moment was interrupted.

“What in the name of all that is good in heaven is going on here!?”

The sound of Tess’ less than pleased tone startled Monica badly enough that she nearly fell in her haste to disentangle herself from Andrew’s arms. Only his hand at the small of her back kept her on her feet, though the color had drained from her face.

“Hello, Tess.” Andrew’s voice was unwavering as he caught up the Irish angel’s hand in his own, not missing the way it trembled.

“I believe I asked a question!” The supervisor huffed, her own eyes hardened at what she had just witnessed even as she wondered what on earth to do about it, “And you can begin by telling me that I didn’t just see what I thought I did.”

“Funny enough, we were just on our way to find you,” The angel of death continued casually. Andrew had decided that the best way to handle this situation was to remain calm and unaffected by anything the older angel said.

“Well, funny enough, I found you first and not at all in the way I expected to!” Tess’ patience was obviously running out and her exasperated gaze then fixed on the younger of the two angels, “Miss Wings, I expect an answer to my question!”

Feeling Andrew squeezing her hand, Monica somehow found the strength to speak, “T-Tess, Andrew and I....we were coming to tell you. We didn’t plan this...it just happened. These feelings we have for each other...we love each other, Tess....we’re IN love with each other.”

If it were at all possible, the older angel’s eyes seemed to spark flames in Monica’s direction, “IN love with each other? Monica, may I assure you that you most certainly are NOT in love with each other because that kind of love was not created for angels.”

“But yet it’s happening, Tess,” Monica began but she was immediately caught off guard and not by the gentle understanding she had hoped to find in her supervisor.

“That’s because you both have turned your backs on the Father! He did not create angels to love each other so that fact tells me that the reason this has happened, that the reason you think this has happened, is because you have always been too much of a dreamer, Monica! You always have to find a way to romanticize even the worst of any situations, so you did the same thing here! You took a friendship and dreamed of how it could become more; dreamed of how you could experience the kinds of things you see human beings experience, because you have always been far too curious for your own good!” Anger, frustration and on some level, fear, fuelled Tess’ temper and made her blind to the fact that her words were hitting their intended target, “Now these things you refuse to control are going to be your downfall! You have succeeded in not only destroying your own status in heaven but Andrew’s as well and only God knows what happens to angels who break the rules and decide to give into the sins of the flesh!”

“No, Tess, it isn’t like that-.” The little angel’s voice was pleading.

“Then tell me what it is like, Monica. You’ve just again acted on your impulses; just one more thing I always told you would get you into trouble! Now you’ve betrayed not only me but the Father as well. You two couldn’t even stay away from each other long enough to try to tell me what was going on; or rather, what you think is going on. No, I have to find you two pasted together like a couple of teenagers! Now what do you expect me to do? I certainly cannot condone this...this...whatever it is! You may never have learned before, Miss Wings, but I guarantee you are going to learn it this time that acting on your impetuous impulses-.”

“Tess! That’s enough!”

Andrew’s voice boomed overtop of the older angel’s and his eyes blazed with barely contained fury. He had seen the tears streaking Monica’s cheeks out of the corner of his eye as he had listened, dumbfounded at the horrible things Tess was saying to the younger angel.

“The things you are standing here criticizing about Monica are the things I love most about her. And yes, I said love! I love her, Tess, and if that makes us wrong, then so be it. We’re prepared to accept that. But don’t you dare stand here and blame this on the angel Monica was created to be; that God created her to be. You can be angry over this situation all you want, but DO NOT place the blame on her! We both feel this way and we have simply acted on the feelings God has given us! Do you think we understand where they came from or why? Of course not, yet the fact remains that they are there!”

“The Father would never allow this, Andrew! There is a reason this has never happened before! It is forbidden!”

“So was the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden, Tess, but God loved his children through it and Monica and I are also his children!”

“Stop it, please!” Monica’s tear-laced voice broke weakly through their heated debate and several soft sobs escaped her before she could speak again, “This isn’t solving anything.”

“I’m sorry, Angel,” Andrew turned to face her and placed his hands on her shoulders, hating the fact that she was crying, yet so angry with Tess he could hardly contain it, “But I won’t allow her to speak to you that way. This is not your fault.”

“She’s just upset, that’s all,” The little angel stammered, casting a saddened glance at her fuming supervisor who was listening to all they were saying, “Tess, I’m so sorry, really...”

“I don’t want to hear any apologies, Monica,” Tess snapped, crossing her arms over her chest, “Let’s go.”

Andrew’s hands dropped back to his sides as he turned to look at the older angel, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, “What?”

“You heard me. Monica, let’s go. It’s obvious the way to stop this nonsense is to keep the two of you apart. There are other Angels of Death who can work with us as needed, but for now, you won’t be seeing Andrew for awhile.”

The Irish angel thought for sure she wasn’t hearing Tess correctly and a frantic glance at Andrew showed that his face had paled in color at what was being forced upon them. This could not be happening!

“No, Tess...” She began but was immediately silenced.

“I said, let’s go, Monica!”

“No!”

The outcry that came from the little angel startled both of the older heavenly beings. Monica was an angel who rarely raised her voice and the single shouted word had surprised even Tess into silence...almost.

“Miss Wings...” The tone bordered on threatening, but Monica would not be swayed.

“No, Tess. I won’t allow you to do this. I’m not leaving Andrew. Not unless the Father himself tells me it is necessary.”

Tess gazed at Andrew’s stoic expression and then to the tearful defiance in Monica’s eyes. She was not accustomed to such blatant disobedience from her charge, but then again, this was not just a mishandled assignment. No, this was much more than that, “All right. I’ll give you both an option then. Monica can either come with me now or you can both remain on earth, completely human until this can all be sorted out. It will take time to speak with the angel’s in charge and it all has to go through proper channels before the Father is advised of what two of his angels have done.”

Andrew once more grabbed up Monica’s hand in his own. He couldn’t ask this of her; to stay on earth in human form, being exposed to all the dangers humans faced every single day. The thought of his little angel being that defenceless nearly made his stomach twist violently, while at the same time being separated from her was a thought he could not even imagine, “Tess, you are hardly being fair about this. What kind of choice is that?”

“The only one you have, Andrew,” She replied calmly. She knew him well. He would never want to place Monica in any danger as the Angel of Death has always been very protective of her. What Tess wasn’t counting on was Monica’s stubborn streak.

“Then I’ll stay here,” The Irish angel’s words caused Andrew to turn to face her once again.

“Angel, no. You need to go with Tess,” His expression showed his misery at the mere thought of what he was saying, “We’ll work this out, baby, but not like this.”

“The only way I’m working this out, Andrew, is with you,” She uttered as the tears continued to flow from her dark eyes, “How can we work anything out if we aren’t even allowed to see each other? Now that we know how we feel about each other, I couldn’t stand it, Andrew! Not being with you? I can’t!”

“Monica, there is too much down there that can hurt you. If anything happened to you-“

“I’ll be with you, Andrew and together we can get through anything, right?” Her liquid eyes searched his, still seeing his doubt and concern.

Reaching out, he wiped at the tears that persisted in falling, “Angel, are you sure?”

“Other than the Father’s love for us, I’ve never been so sure of anything in my entire existence. I love you and I want to be with you. God will take care of us as he would never turn his back on us, unlike others who won’t even try to understand,” Monica cast a heartbroken glance at her supervisor.

His hand cupped her cheek tenderly, “You wouldn’t be doing the Father’s work, Monica, the work you love so much.”

“We have no way to know what he has planned for us, Andrew, but we do know that whatever it is, it will be divine.”

Their gazes locked and Andrew felt certainty fill him at her words and at the trust and devotion in her sweet brown eyes. Tess was not making logical decisions and she was not acting on any word from God, not yet anyway. No, he had no idea where they would live or what they would do, but together and with God’s help, they would figure it out and go where they were led until things became clearer to all involved.

Leaning in, he kissed the little angel’s cheek, then took hand firmly into his once more as he turned to face Tess, “We’ll stay.”

For a moment, Tess was speechless. She had never expected this! First an angelic romance, then angels willing to live on earth as human beings! What was her existence coming to? But she also knew she could not back down now. They had made their choice and she had to follow through with it while she decided what to do about this in the long term.

“Fine,” Tess stated coldly, not meeting either of their gazes, “I’ll be in touch.”

Before anymore could be discussed, the two angels vanished and then found themselves reappearing on earth at dawn in a city. Traffic was already heavy and the sound of car horns mingled with the conversations of people on the sidewalks on their way to work. There were suitcases at the angel’s feet and Monica’s panic stricken eyes jerked up to meet Andrew’s as tears pooled in her eyes at the stark realization.

“Andrew...what have we done?”

Chapter 2: At your side

The two angels were now in human form, and facing perhaps the most difficult moment of their entire existence: they would have to learn how to live like humans as Earth would be their temporary home. And their love had been put on judgement by the one angel they trusted the most. Monica and Andrew expected that Tess would be understanding and offer some guidance so that they could understand and deal with the feelings they were feeling for each other. But instead, she had been judgmental and selfish, unable to see that they needed a word of comfort instead of irrational threats.

"Andrew..."

Monica's frightened voice and the way she was looking at him nearly undid Andrew. She had made a choice based only on her love for him, and Andrew could never let her down. The angel of death gently cupped her cheek with his palm and stroked her skin with his thumb. "Angel, I want you to know one thing... I'll always, always be with you, okay? We'll always be together no matter what!" the power of his gaze did transmit the certainty that she was hoping to find, and it somewhat made the little angel relax a little.

She let out a tired sigh and covered his hand. "I know..."

Silent words were exchanged just by the look in their eyes and Andrew moved his hand to wipe a silent tear that rolled on her face. "I love you."

Monica dropped her suitcase on the ground and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you too, Andrew... I love you so much..."

He was quick to return her embrace and held her for dear life for some moments. It was then that Andrew noticed there was a café across the street. He kissed the top of her head and spoke again. "Let's get you something to eat, angel."

They grabbed their suitcases and headed to the café, and despite the fact that neither of them felt hungry, the warm chocolate and mocha both had asked for, along with two delicious sandwiches, were welcome. The restaurant waiter, a young boy who worked there part time, gave them some information on how to get at a good inn, and after he took the address, Andrew give him a tip and they left the place.

"I wonder if they'll have vacancies, Andrew..." she spoke, once the taxi was parked in front of the pretty little building.

He paid the fare and took Monica's hand. "I know they do, baby. And if they don't, we'll just look for another inn!" And his soothing smile came as a relief, as well as the fact that they had vacancies.

X

Monica’s cosy bedroom had a view to an internal garden filled with roses and other flowers. The furniture was pretty and in good condition, and consisted of a single bed, a wardrobe, a bedside table and a desk placed near the window. There was a small bathroom too and it was from it that the Irish angel emerged, now dressed up in a warm pair of pyjamas drying her wet hair with a towel.

She walked up to bed and sat at its edge, her eyes lost in an invisible spot ahead of her. The warm shower somewhat made her human form feel better but deep inside, she was feeling empty and lost and terribly frightened. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she suddenly rose to her feet. There were many things Monica didn't know, but she certainly knew where to go.

Andrew had spent the last hour sitting on his bed, his green eyes now lost in the darkness of his bedroom as a turmoil of thoughts took over his soul. There was a lot going on his mind and what worried him the most was his beloved angel, as he could feel what was in her heart. But a light knock on the door took him out of his reverie and he rose to his feet to open it.

Monica's crying face nearly undid him. "Andrew..."

He didn't waste any moment before pulling her to his arms in a warm embrace.

"I'm sorry..." she said, in between light sobs.

"Shh... It's okay, angel... it's okay..."

He gently motioned her to come inside and closed the door behind them. They sat down in his bed and Andrew wrapped his arm around her small shoulders once again, kissing her temple lovingly. Monica snuggled close to him like a little girl who searched for a shelter from the storm going on inside her heart.

"Please, let me stay..." she begged, and he tightened the hold around her a bit more.

"Of course you can stay, sweetie..." He kissed her forehead.

"Thank you... I... I guess I won't be able to sleep, you know... wondering if the Father is disappointed at us... at what we did..."

With patience and infinite tenderness, he cupped her chin up and searched for her sad brown eyes. "Monica... My sweet angel, look around us... The mere fact that we were granted with a shelter from the cold outside and money to provide our food and clothes is a proof that despite what Tess and the others think, He is with us."

"I know... I know He would never abandon His children but... Do you really believe that He can understand what's in our hearts? I want to believe it so but... when I think about everything Tess told us I-"

"What Tess thinks stopped mattering at the moment she judged us instead of listening to our reasons. Search in your heart, angel! Only there you'll find the truth."

"And what if my heart is so confused that it tells me the truth I want to hear but not the truth I need to hear?"

"It's a fair question. I believe that you must hold on to the only certainties you have in your existence, so that time brings you the answers you're looking for."

Monica looked deep inside his green eyes, her sparkling ones shining with tears but also with affection. "My certainty is the love I feel for you, Andrew."

Her voice was a crying one but he couldn't help smiling at those words. Amazing how the little angel could bring so much joy to his world even in a complicated moment like that.

"And I promise you I'll honour it every moment of my existence."

Her eyes were pooling and she looked so amazingly beautiful in the shadow of the dim light coming from the nightstand. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her, nothing he wouldn't face to win her heart, and the mere fact that the precious angel was lying in his arms right now was the proof that their Father approved of the feelings that now inhabited their hearts.

Otherwise He wouldn't have blessed him with Monica.

Andrew lay a gentle hand against her cheek and brought his face closer to hers. The moment his lips touched hers was sweet and came as a breath of fresh air in between so much confusion. Andrew's kiss soothed her spirit and filled her heart with so much love she let go of all her worries and fears for the moment and accepted and welcomed his caress.

Andrew still kissed her forehead and moved to make them both lie down in bed. Monica never wanted a pillow and after he covered them with a blanket, he held her tightly against him once again. "Try to sleep, angel... you're so tired, I can feel it."

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep, you know..." she whispered back, leaning against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeats.

The angel of death stroked her soothing auburn strands and kissed the top of her head. "When human beings sleep it's a way they can battle their own ghosts. To them, sleeping is a break from themselves, it's a way they can fight their problems. That's why on the following day these same problems are not as frightening as they were before. And we are in human form, so let us try some of this, angel."

Sighing deeply, she nodded her head. "You're always right. And sleep may be a way to have some peace of mind, but I want you to know that I'm well when I'm in your arms..."

Smiling, he took her hand to his lips and kissed its back. "The only way I'm well is when I have you in my arms, so that I can protect you and tell you how much I love you again and again..."

And finally, those words brought a slight smile to her lips. "I love you too, Andrew. For always."

As the hours went by, the blond angel watched when, little by little, Monica started to relax as her body fell limp in his arms and her eyelashes grew heavy. Eventually, she gave in to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep. Having that sweet creature in his arms was indeed a present and he had the responsibility to take care of her for the years to come.

During the rest of the night, Andrew remained awake and a few times he chased away a nightmare that threatened Monica's sleep.

Only when he realised that his dearest friend's sleep had become a more peaceful one did he allow himself to rest for some hours. Yet, on the following morning, when the first sunrays started to shine through the window, Andrew carried his precious cargo in his arms to her bedroom and gently deposited her in her bed. He knew she would be well for a while and most importantly, there was something he needed to do. For both of them.

Chapter 3: New beginnings

Monica woke up with a confused look in her eyes, and if Andrew were to see it he would probably be amused. The Irish angel remembered having gone to Andrew's room on the previous night, she remembered her anguish and fear and how her dearest friend had put her soul at ease with his soothing voice and typical tenderness. Then, she remembered falling asleep in his arms and the way he chased away the beginning of what could be a nightmare.

But now she was back at her room and judging by the position of the sun coming through her window, she had been there for a few hours. Monica sat up in bed and concluded that Andrew had carried her back in his loving arms. Sighing deeply, she looked around her and then through the window as a new sunny day started, and then she bowed her head and conjoined her hands to offer a prayer. Monica prayed for guidance. She prayed for Andrew and even for Tess, as in her heart there wasn't room for resentfulness because she loved the supervisor dearly.

Her prayers and Andrew's loving words on the previous night gave her the strength to rise to her feet and start living the life she had chosen. There was nothing to lose - she and Andrew didn't know what the future held for them.

She changed her clothes and was getting ready to go down and perhaps have some breakfast. Monica imagined Andrew could probably be asleep and elected not to disturb him for a while, as he was tired. But a slight knock on the door took her out of her reverie and she found her beloved angel of death standing at her doorway.

"Andrew... I thought you were sleeping..." she said, her eyes shining just because of his presence.

Smiling, he took her both hands and kissed each of them. "No, angel... I confess I left early for a few hours. But there’s something to tell you."

"What is it?" her eyes grew wide with anticipation and apprehension. There had been a lot of tension going on already.

"I have a job. I'll be working as a fire-fighter, angel. I'll keep on doing the Father's work!"

If Andrew had been hoping for excitement he was sorely disappointed, but he had also anticipated her probable reaction.

“A fire-fighter?” Her voice was small and her brow furrowed with deep concern. Though she could see the excitement in his eyes, she couldn’t find it in herself to meet it, even though that fact caused her heart to ache.

“I know what you’re thinking...” He began, but didn’t get a chance to continue.

“Do you? We’re human now, Andrew and you will be placing yourself in danger every single time you go to work. Why this, Andrew?”

“I was just passing by the fire station and I started talking to one of the chiefs, Monica. I told him I had experience as a volunteer and he was interested, so we sat down to talk.”

“But you have experience as lots of things, Andrew, but none quite so dangerous as this!” Hot tears filled her eyes and she turned away quickly to hide them from him.

“But Angel, this was the opportunity that presented itself,” He replied softly, hoping his tone would calm her.

Still not facing him, the Irish angel now turned human, crossed her arms protectively in front of herself as she took a deep breath, “I know that, but...” despite her best efforts, she couldn’t keep the tremble out of her voice, “I don’t know what I’d do down here all alone if anything happened to you. I can’t bear the thought of it!”

Steady hands on her shoulders turned her to him and guided her into his arms. Andrew could feel the fear coming off of her in waves as she held onto him tightly, her face buried against his chest. Their new situation was going to take time, he knew that, but trying to reassure his angel was going to be a fulltime job for at least awhile.

Moving toward the bed with her in his arms, Andrew sat down and tugged her down into his lap, his hand stroking her back soothingly. When he heard her finally begin to calm, only then did he start to speak softly to her.

“Angel, I know how scary all of this is. We’re in a situation we never dreamed we would be in and it isn’t one we have ever been in before. We’ve only been in this new life for less than twenty-four hours, but already we have a place to stay temporarily and clothing and an income. Something tells me, sweet angel, that it is not just dumb luck that these things have happened. God is still watching over us and I don’t believe it is in his plan for a second to separate us, now or ever.”

Monica pulled away enough to look up into his eyes as he wiped at the tears on her cheeks, “I’m sorry. It’s just that the thought of you being hurt...it scares me so much, Andrew. I’m trying to trust the Father, I am but it’s so hard when I can’t stop thinking that we have done something wrong to end up down here like this in the first place.”

“Do you know what I think?” His voice was a tender whisper which continued as she shook her head, “I think that the lesson is not ours to learn. What if the lesson that is being taught isn’t for us, but for Tess and those who would judge us?” Andrew watched as her eyes widened slightly, “If we believe that these feelings came from the Father to begin with, we can’t also believe that we are being punished for having them in the first place.”

“I had never thought of it that way,” she replied solemnly, knowing that what he was saying was making perfect sense.

Andrew laid his hand against her cheek, “Baby, I don’t expect you to not be afraid, because in many ways, I’m afraid. But we have to keep trusting, because what happened yesterday? There was no trust in that conversation with Tess. Now, I love her every bit as much as you do, but I don’t believe for a second that she was acting on anything of higher authority. I believe she was acting out of her own fear and her own ignorance and I don’t want us doing the same thing. We need to trust Him, no matter what.”

Monica laid her smaller hand over his that was against her cheek, “I will. I’ll do my very best, Andrew and I’ll trust you as well as I already do, with my entire heart. Yesterday, when we were given our ultimatum, there was no choice there for me. I had to be with you. I couldn’t allow Tess to separate us. Imagining that was far worse than imaging being fully human. At least fully human, I can still do this.”

Her dark eyes were shy as her other hand reached up to stroke his face, before she inched up to kiss him tenderly on the lips. Her eyes closed in complete bliss as Andrew pulled her closer and she could feel the trembling of his hands as he murmured “I love you” between each kiss as the mounting passion between the two of them continued to grow. There was no guilt now, no hiding what they were feeling for fear someone would see and it was as if they both realized at the same moment how close they could easily come to losing control.

Andrew broke away first, not missing how large Monica’s pupils were nor how startled she suddenly looked over her own emotions. They were both breathing heavily and it took a moment for their racing hearts to slow.

“We need to be careful.” Andrew finally spoke firmly, even as he caught up her hand in his and kissed it tenderly, “We’re fully human now and so are our feelings for each other; our love for each other. I don’t want us to do anything that isn’t right in regards to our love.”

“The things I feel for you, Andrew...” Her eyes were still wide as she continued to process the range of intense yet loving feelings that seemed to flow through her entire being, “But no, I don’t want to do anything wrong either. What we’ve been given is a gift from the Father; it has to be and it has to be treated with respect.”

“Exactly,” He had already decided that he would never place them in a situation where they could potentially give in to their human feelings. He had always protected her and he would continue to do so in all things, even their love unless the day came when they could be....

He wondered if they would be here long and if they were, would marriage even be a possibility. There was nothing he wanted more. He loved the little angel with his entire heart; he always had. Now he just had to learn how to keep her safe in an all too human life in a very large city.

Chapter 4: New York City

The two angels spent the afternoon exploring the city and Andrew didn’t miss the worried look that flickered in Monica’s dark eyes from time to time. New York City was by far one of the busiest places he had ever seen and though Monica had been there a few times on assignment, she had never been truly comfortable with it. Parts of it fascinated her; watching the people and the many street vendors trying to make a living by selling trinkets and artwork along the sidewalks, but the cars and the constant honking of impatient cab drivers made her flinch.

They stopped for lunch and coffee in a little bistro, at a table by the window. Andrew bought a newspaper at a little market next door and together they perused apartments in the city, preferably close to the fire station so that Andrew could walk to and from work. They quickly realized that more was going to be needed.

Monica gave a small sigh and sat back in her chair, her hot mug of coffee steaming in her small hands, “The apartments here are very expensive.” Her voice was small and worried. She had seen more than one homeless person curled up in a box shivering or in the archway of a building and thought her gentle heart ached for them, she didn’t want to see she and Andrew wind up with them.

“They are,” Andrew remarked, his brow knitted together with tension, “My starting salary is good and can easily pay the rent on a couple of them, but we still have other things to consider, such as food and other necessities.”

Silence fell between the two angels for a moment, before Monica reached across the table and slid the newspaper her way, turning the pages until she found the “Help Wanted” ads.

“Angel, no,” He could hardly bear it. It wasn’t that he wanted to be the sole provider for her, but the thought of her being out there, alone in the city nearly undid him. He had always been protective of Monica the angel; it was something ingrained in his soul, but he was quickly finding that Monica the human, he could easily be in danger of smothering with his innate need to keep her safe.

“Andrew,” She gave him a pointed look, “If we are going to make this work, and we are, then it is going to require two incomes.”

“I’ll take a second job-.”

“And then when would I see you exactly?” Her dark eyes implored him, but she knew she had just won this part of the argument, “Yes, you could work two jobs, but then what is the point of us being here if we won’t be together much anyway?”

His sigh was impossibly long but then he met her gaze and knew she was absolutely right, “Forgive me, Angel. This city is so big and there are times you seem so tiny, that it makes me forget how determined you are and how capable.”

“That’s right and don’t you forget it,” Her quirky grin caused a chuckle to escape him and relief filled her heart when he took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Well, let’s have a look then.”

Andrew moved his chair closer to hers and together they scanned down the tremendous list of jobs, immediately crossing some off as definite “no’s and others they circled as possibilities. He occasionally cast secret glances at Monica when she was deep in thought, reading the ads. She looked adorable, in her straw hat and pretty yellow sundress. Her bangs and the long hair around her face, swayed delicately with each little movement she made and he found his breath snatched away more than once. Yes, they would make this work, whatever it took. He would make certain of it.

“Andrew,” The sound of his name, excitedly stated with her gentle Irish brogue, brought him from his reverie, “Listen to this. Wanted, full-time teacher for small kindergarten class uptown Manhattan. Experience and resume required. Please call for interview.”

A grin spread across his face, “You’ve taught before, baby. A resume will be simple enough and there are computers in the hotel lobby. We can call them when we get back and then get to work on your resume.”

She nodded her head eagerly, a smile on her pretty face and Andrew couldn’t resist closing the small distance between them to brush a kiss over her lips, “I love you so much, Angel.”

Her dark eyes twinkled happily, “That’s good to know, Mr. Angel of Death because I love you too. With my entire heart.”

X

The rest of the day was busy. After lunch, they went back to the hotel and Andrew paid for another night while Monica called the number from the newspaper. The woman on the other end of the phone, Mrs. Semler, sounded very interested in meeting with Monica and an interview was set up for the next morning.

For the next hour, the couple sat together at one of the computers in the lobby, with Andrew typing, while Monica rattled off the different schools where she had taught on various assignments. Her angelic mind was still firmly intact as she was even able to recall the names of the principals and the phone numbers for the schools. Andrew already had little doubt that the ad in the paper had been for Monica’s eyes only and that the job was already hers.

The only problem they ran into was a last name. Last names were something they had never had, but just putting “Monica” on a resume would certainly raise eyebrows. They quietly tossed around a few possibilities and then in a moment of curiosity, Andrew pulled out his wallet and found two social security cards. Beside Monica’s first name, was the last name of “Angell.”

“Rather fitting,” He smiled as he handed her the card.

“He’s providing for us, Andrew,” She whispered excitedly, “Every moment I see new proof of his love for us.”

The happy tears in her eyes went straight to his heart, as he caressed her cheek tenderly, “Of course he loves us, Angel. How could anyone know you and not love you?”

The deep blush that colored her cheeks made him laugh as he kissed her forehead lovingly, “Now come on. Print that out and then we have one more place to go today.” Her expression of natural curiosity caused her brow to knit together and her nose to crinkle, though she smiled when he surprised her by kissing her nose affectionately. A tiny giggle and then she hit “Print”.

Chapter 5: A new home

The apartment Andrew had called about was perfect; two bedrooms, a comfortable kitchen and cozy living room. It was just big enough, and just simple enough and what Andrew liked the best was the security man in the lobby. It made him feel better about keeping the little angel safe in the city.

The manager waited in the hallway while the two angels wandered through the apartment. It was furnished, which came as a great relief as money to buy furniture would take awhile. Yes, they would still need linens and sheets, pillows and blankets for the bed, as well as food for the kitchen, and though their funds were certainly not overflowing, Andrew knew there was enough to get them started.

The apartment was on the sixth floor, and he took Monica’s hand and led her to one of the bedrooms and over to the window, “Look angel, right down there, the red brick building? That’s the fire station.” Pulling her gently in the direction of the second bedroom across the hall, he pointed again, “And that is the school where you have your interview tomorrow.”

Her dark eyes danced as she looked up at him, “So close. Just a few blocks either way.”

“I say we take it. What do you think?”

Monica frowned briefly, “But Andrew, I haven’t gotten the job yet-.”

A finger to her lips and a kiss upon her cheek silenced her, “You will.”

She sighed. Andrew was always the one to reassure her; his gaze, either firm or tender, always managed to soothe her spirit and bring inner peace to her heart. With a slight smile, she finally nodded her head in agreement. "I guess we have to start thinking about the decor, then..."

Chuckling at that remark, he wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him. "Hum... and I guess I'll have to find a professional for this job!"

"Oh, well, I wouldn't charge you for that, you know..."

A mock pensive expression appeared on his face. "Hum... I'm not sure..."

Cheerful as always, and somewhat giving him the impression that she was really trying to convince him, she added. "I’ve got a wee bit of experience in that field, you see!"

Her hopeful gaze nearly undid him, and Andrew couldn't hold the "solemn" face any longer. "Okay, I guess I might give you a try!"

Standing on the tip of her toes, the Irish angel brushed a small kiss on his lips, making him more and more infatuated. "Thank you, Mr Andrew-" and then, before he could even reply, she frowned adorably. "What about your last name, Andrew?"

X

"Andrew Heaven!"

The man who worked in the personal department called out the name that was on the list, and one of the four man sitting on the waiting room rose to his feet. Andrew walked inside the small office and waited until the man who had called him took a seat behind the desk.

"G'morning, Andrew. I'm Gary Pryor."

"Nice to meet you, sir."

The chief of the fire department shook hands with him. Then, he indicated Andrew the other chair. "So I can see you've recently served in Salt Lake City, right?"

"Yes, sir, besides other places."

"This is good. We were in need of new people here as the number of emergency calls has increased lately."

The angel in human form nodded. He, more than anyone, knew that evil was always lurking around. "I can imagine."

"Sadly, the number of casualties increased too, and some of them are colleagues. Some of our best men have given their lives in order to save others and it's not easy to find people who are willing to risk themselves for those who they don't even know."

The man's words made him remember his beloved Monica, and Andrew was relieved that she wasn't there with him to hear such thing. The thought of losing each other had been haunting them for a long time, and now that they were in human form it was a much bigger threat.

"I'll sign in your admission after you go through the usual medical exams. As you're new here, you'll have to work some nights too."

Andrew's thoughts were again on Monica, and he could imagine the worried expression on her face when he told her she would have to spend the nights without him.

"You can work for ten hour days, and it will give you three days off." The man smiled for the first time. "You married?"

The question finally brought a slight smile to his face. "I'm... no, I'm not. But there is someone very special who I come home to every night."

"Yeah, I thought so just by the worried look in your face when I told you about the nights out!" the man joked. "Well, Andrew, if everything is alright with your exams you can start on Monday."

Two days. He and Monica had the weekend to start buying the necessary things for their new house, and in the mean time, he would have to put her heart at ease about his new job and its implications. After going through the medical exams, the blond angel left the fire station and walked for three blocks and waited outside the local nursery school, until one of its teachers came out of the building.

Her long auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail despite the fact that the wind had disarrayed some thin wisps, and she had a beautiful pair of sparkling brown eyes that would always capture his gaze and make his heart beat stronger. She was wearing a lavender dress with tiny flowers that went a bit bellow her knees and the smile upon her meek face told him that everything had gone just fine. Andrew didn't know how long he stood there, just admiring her in secret, but he was certain that it was a moment to keep in his mind like many others.

Andrew followed her until the nearest street in silence, with a permanent smile upon his face. She was waiting for the traffic light to turn green so that she could make the crossing and he stood right behind her, his voice reaching her ears a second later. "I guess I've seen a very cheerful little angel passing by just now!"

A broad smile appeared on her face as she quickly turned around to face him.

"Andrew!" the way she pronounced his name was always a joy to hear. A second later, she was wrapping her arms around his waist and receiving a loving embrace in return.

"I was told that there's a very beautiful teacher working at that school, and I came here to see if it's true!" he joked, kissing the top of her head, enjoying the sound of her giggling. He pulled away just a few inches to look at her and added. "But I guess the word 'beautiful' just doesn't do justice!"

"Did you speak to the chief of the fire department?" curiosity and anxiety were written on her face.

"Yep. And I'll start on Monday!" Andrew was smiling and tried to look the most confident as possible.

"Oh... I guess this is wonderful news then!" she too was trying hard to accept that, and had promised herself to trust that whatever happened to them, they would be in their Father's hands. "Actually, I guess I have some good news to give you too, you know?"

Chuckling at her sweet manners, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Really?"

"I too start working on Monday!"

"I had no doubt you'd get this job, angel..." he stroked her cheek. "And I guess it leaves us with just a weekend to work on our new house!"

x

"I guess it's a wee bit to the left, Andrew..."

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes..."

Monica and Andrew had spent two very busy days buying the necessary things for their new home and then tidying them up. Despite the fact that their apartment was already furnished, there were many other items to consider, including food and some small electrical appliances. Saturday had been busy and dedicated to shopping while the following Sunday was reserved to putting the things in their proper place.

And for the last twenty minutes, Andrew had patiently waited for his beloved angel girl to decide where she wanted to hang the beautiful picture they had just bought. The first time she laid her eyes on that vast field, covered with colourful flowers and under the blue sky and with the pond with crystalline waters, she insisted they should have it. She hadn't told him anything, but deep inside, Andrew knew why that view had enchanted her so much: it was the perfect portrait of their Home.

Even though patience to deal with such a complicated and yet fascinating little creature had never been a problem to him, Andrew was under the impression that he should intervene someway, as she had made him change the position of the picture for three times already.

"So I'll get the nails to hang it..."

"Wait!" she said, biting her lower lip and frowning.

"Erm... Monica..."

"Oh second thought... I think it looked better on the other wall, facing the door..."

Sighing deeply, he carefully placed the picture on the floor and against a third wall that hadn't been an option so far. Then, he walked over up to her and took her hands. Monica looked incredibly adorable to him, wearing blue jeans overalls and a white tank. Her hair was tied up in a haphazard ponytail and a few auburn whips were framing her meek Gaelic features, and Andrew wondered if he had just fallen in love again.

"I'm sorry..." the little angel quickly apologised, slightly embarrassed and aware that Andrew was being extremely patient with her. "I guess I'm a wee bit excited about our new home, perhaps because I never had a house of my own, you know..."

Chuckling, Andrew forgot how tired he was as her words amused him dearly. He took her hands to his lips. "Well, we do have a house of our own now, and I promise I'll put you in charge of the decoration, but right now, what do you think of us giving ourselves a break?"

Monica nodded her head in agreement. "I guess you're perfectly right, Andrew. And... to be honest, I'm quite hungry right now..."

"Good! Because I happen to have a little surprise for dinner and I guess it's time to call it a day."

"You're right again... I confess I'm tired and could use a shower right now. I'm afraid I'm not presentable..."

Andrew let go of her hands and pulled her closer to him by the waist. "You look just adorable to me, angel!"

"You would say that because you're a wee bit biased!" she replied, smiling at him, their faces only inches from each other.

"You can replace 'biased' for 'deeply in love', but still, it would be incorrect as anyone who looks at you can see how beautiful you are..."

He tucked the few loosen strands of hair behind her ear and their eyes slowly closed as a loving and languid kiss followed, silencing the two angels in human form for the next couple of minutes.

Chapter 6 – Almost familiar

"Angel?"

Andrew's voice took her out of her reverie and Monica looked up at him. They had been cuddled up on the couch of their new home for a while after dinner, and neither of them had spoken a lot. The only source of light in the living room was coming from the side lamp, but it was possible to see that the painting Monica loved so dearly had been placed on the wall where Andrew had left it before their dinner break.

The blond angel had even thought that she had fallen asleep in his arms and was surprised to hear her voice.

"Sorry, I was thinking about tomorrow, you know..."

He gently stroked her hair. "I understand, baby..."

"I confess I'm nervous..."

He squeezed the hold around her. "I know, angel... but this is the beginning of our new life, the life we chose to live because of our love. And when I think about it I understand that nothing bad can come out of a love that is so intense."

Monica's smile and the lonely tear that feel from her face made him bring his face closer to hers and brush a loving kiss against her lips.

"Do you know what puts my heart at ease, Andrew?"

"What is, angel?"

"You... Your presence... And what I see in your eyes..."

“Well, then I am doing at least part of my job correctly!” He teased, watching as a sweet smile appeared on her face, much to his relief. She had allowed very little of her fear and uncertainty to be known by him over the weekend, but he knew her heart and he knew those feelings were there.

Pulling her closer, Andrew wrapped his arms around her waist and bent his head down to kiss her cheek, “Are you meeting your students tomorrow?”

“No. They don’t start school for a week yet, but I have to organize my classroom and get everything ready for them,” Her brow knitted in concern, “It must be rather frightening for them; leaving their home to start school, something they have never known before. I would imagine they would feel a wee bit lost.”

Andrew’s heart ached at her words, knowing that she felt the same way on Earth and not knowing if she would ever be permitted to return to her Home. At least her students would have all that was familiar to them at the end of the day. He swallowed the emotion in his throat and asked the question to which he dreaded the answer, “Angel, do you regret your decision? The decision to live in here, not knowing when our time on Earth might be over?”

She turned slightly in his arms to look up at his face, “Ah, Andrew, no,” Reaching up, Monica laid a gentle hand against his jaw, “I’m here with you and no matter how frightened I may get, no fear comes close to the love and gratefulness I feel in my heart for that gift. Yes, I could have stayed in Heaven without you, but don’t you see? That would have been my own private hell.”

“Mine too,” He whispered as he held her a fraction tighter, “In fact, Angel, I can’t even imagine it.”

“Me neither,” Monica replied as they fell silent for a moment as her eyes drank in the picture that so reminded her of her other Home in heaven. She wondered if it would ever be their Home again, “Not going back to Heaven ever again, Andrew, would be hard, but the fact is that now, my home is wherever you are and right now, that home is in New York City.”

“Your home, Angel,” Andrew took her hand and guided it to his heart, “Is right here. You worked your way into my heart so long ago, not that it took much work on your part. A smile from you probably about did me in!”

She giggled, but it was interrupted by a sleepy yawn as the weekend of work caught up to her now totally human body.

“I think it’s time we got some sleep, baby. Tomorrow is a big day for both of us.”

Monica nodded as she rose to her feet and looked up into his eyes as he stood to face her, “You work all days this week, right?”

“Yes, as I’m in training.”

“Okay, then you’ll be home not long after me,” She seemed pleased with the information and she was, though she had a feeling that Andrew was holding things back about his new job. He had told her he had a week of training before starting his regular schedule and as he didn’t offer what his “regular schedule” was, Monica hadn’t bothered to ask. She figured she would know soon enough.

“I’ll walk you to work in the morning,” Andrew insisted, “Though you’ll be off work before me. I’ll fix dinner when I get home, okay?”

She nodded again, trying to keep the worry from her eyes. Though they had only been in this new life a few days, they had more or less been together for most of it, and tomorrow, that was all about to change, “Okay. Good night then,” Monica reached up on tip toe to kiss him, wishing with all her heart that she could curl into his arms in his bed, but that was one of the things they had discussed over the weekend. Unless it was an emergency, they were not going to tempt their human bodies with their love for each other. They had both felt a pull they had never felt before their first full day here and though it had been far from unpleasant, it had been enough to frighten them. God was blessing them by keeping them together and neither angel wanted to do anything to disappoint Him.

Wrapping his arms around her waist, Andrew returned her kiss deeply, wishing he didn’t have to release her. Going their separate ways tomorrow was not going to be easy for him.

X

By lunchtime on Monday, Monica was wiping at the sweat on her forehead. She had spent the morning cleaning her classroom, despite the fact that the air conditioning in the building was not yet working and no one would be fixing it until the end of the week. She had all of her windows open, but the air was dry and sultry and even the fan she had dug out of her closet was doing little to help.

She had met a few of the other teachers and everyone seemed very friendly, but too busy to chat much. With only one week until the school would be buzzing with children, everyone was holed up in their classrooms preparing the rooms and lessons.

The little angel stood back and admired her handiwork on the large bulletin board in her classroom that she had been working on for the last hour. She had found plenty of supplies and now Monica nibbled on her lip as she stared at her rather close replica of the same picture she and Andrew had bought for their apartment. The biggest difference was that she had drawn every different kind of flower she could think of to represent how different all children were. There were lilies and lilacs, roses and daisies, gardenias and magnolias. She had felt like an angel possessed as she had worked diligently on her project and when a voice sounded in her doorway, she nearly jumped even as her heart leapt with hope.

“Well, I figured it was time I met the new girl!”

The voice was large and booming and for a split second, the angel was sure that the one she loved like a daughter loved a mother had come to her senses. “Te-.” The name died on her lips as she whirled around to come face to face with the voice.

Though the woman was a smiling African American, she looked nothing like Monica’s supervisor and the little angel had to blink rapidly to force back tears as she smiled, “You startled me.”

“I’m sorry, honey. I sometimes forget how loud I can be and have to remind myself that I’m not always speaking to a room full of rowdy six year olds!” She grinned and extended her hand, “Ella. I teach in the room across the hall so we’ll be neighbours.”

Her disappointment slowly fading, she smiled and took Ella’s hand, “Monica. It’s so nice to meet you, Ella.”

“Oh baby, that is one velvety accent you’ve got. You won’t have any trouble keeping the kid’s attention,” The woman smiled and then her eyes caught the large bulletin board in Monica’s classroom, “My, my, my, Monica. Did you do this?”

“Yes ma’am,” her dark eyes were suddenly nervous. She had worked on her portrait of her heavenly home without even thinking about the fact that other eyes would see it and maybe judge it. The meadows in heaven had always been her favourite place at Home and she couldn’t seem to get the image out of her mind now that she knew she may never see it again. Drawing the meadow was a way to work out the many things that were in her heart right now.

Ella was quiet as she gazed at the picture that had been done in a mixture of crayons and colored pencils, “It’s lovely, Monica. And look at all the different flowers. I take it you are showing the children that even though they are different from each other, put together in a place where they can grow, they can be a beautiful garden.”

“Yes. Thank you for your kind words.”

“Just stating the truth, honey. You have vision and you’re going to do just fine, so don’t be so nervous.”

The little angel grinned sheepishly, “How do you know I’m nervous?”

Ella chuckled and patted Monica’s shoulder, “You nearly jumped out of your skin when I showed up. Calm, cool and collected teachers generally don’t do that,” She winked in Monica’s direction, “But you’re going to do just fine.”

The sound of sirens interrupted their conversation and without even thinking, Monica walked quickly to the open window that faced the fire department, just able to make out the trucks that were pulling out onto the busy street. Was Andrew on one of those trucks, heading off to the danger of an out of control fire? She knew she was going to have to get used to the idea and that she needed to trust both God and Andrew, but when it came to his job, she just wasn’t there yet.

“You’ll get used to that sound, Monica. With the fire station so close, we hear it all the time and after while, it’s like we don’t hear it anymore.”

The angel’s hand rested on the window frame as she watched the truck slowly make its way through the incredibly busy street, “I’ll always hear it,” She whispered, more to herself than to Ella, “Andrew works there.”

“Your husband?” Ella moved to stand beside her new friend. The young woman was trembling slightly as her eyes remained glued on the street though the truck had long since vanished from sight.

“No, my...” Monica didn’t know how to explain Andrew. Boyfriend sounded childish and admitting they lived together made it sound exactly like what she and Andrew were trying to avoid, yet he was so much more than her best friend, “My soul mate.”’

Ella was quiet as she took in everything about this new teacher. It was obvious that Monica was very talented and she was just about the sweetest little thing Ella had met in a long time, but the fear Monica now showed was generally not something one saw in meeting someone new. This young lady wore her heart on her sleeve, that was for sure.

“Soul mate, eh?” Ella wrapped an arm around the angel’s shoulders and led her from the window, “That’s a pretty special title for someone.”

“Andrew’s a pretty special someone,” Monica replied as a blush rose to her cheeks, “We’ve known each other a long time.”

“All that and no ring on your finger?” Ella raised an eyebrow as she looked at Monica’s left hand.

“No. It’s...complicated,” That was as close as she felt she could come to expressing the situation between she and Andrew, but it was obvious by the expression on Ella’s face that the woman wanted to hear why.

“True love, Monica, should be easy; not complicated.”

“Yes, well, that is what Andrew and I think too, but there are those we are close to who are against our relationship for reasons I really can’t explain.”

Ella was further surprised at the apologetic look on Monica’s face. This one was definitely different, “So you moved here to escape judgement.”

The little angel nodded her head, surprised at how easy Ella was for her talk to. Maybe it was because the woman reminded her of someone else, though this saddened Monica because if only Tess had reacted more like Ella, she and Andrew wouldn’t be trying to find their way through an all too human life.

Ella stood in front of her and took Monica’s hands into her own, “True love, honey, is worth fighting for and those other people, the ones who want to judge you? They don’t matter when it comes to you and Andrew, you hear me? Love sometimes doesn’t come around more than once in a lifetime so when it does, you need to grab hold and fight for it. Love, Monica, it always wins out over all that other stuff. You remember that when things get tough.”

Monica smiled, even as bittersweet tears filled her eyes, “I will. Thank you so much for what you said. It means more than you know.”

Patting Monica’s hand gently, Ella smiled, “I think you and I are going to be great friends, Monica.”

“I think I’d like that. In fact, I know I would.”

Chapter 7 – Count your blessings

By the time the day at the school was over, Monica quickly walked home, bracing herself against the hundreds of other people crowding the sidewalks of the city. Though the warmth remained in her heart from her conversation with Ella, she wasn’t sure anything would ever soothe her nervousness about how many people there were in this city.

She breathed a sigh of relief upon unlocking the door to their little apartment before a look of sheer determination crossed her face. She had decided before leaving work that she would surprise Andrew by preparing dinner.

After changing into more comfortable clothes, Monica put on an apron and tied up a ponytail so that her work could start. Singing an out of tune song, she spread the ingredients all over the counter - they had done supermarket shopping recently and she had found a lasagna recipe on that day's newspaper and it didn't seem too difficult. Pasta, beef, tomato sauce, cheese, oregano, garlic, vinegar and she decided to give it a special touch by adding some pepper.

The photograph above the recipe made things even more encouraging. She was determined that by carefully following the instructions she would be able to prepare him a nice and yummy surprise. With four different kinds of pans, many forks and spoons, she put the ingredients and mixed them according to the instructions. The only problem is that it didn't take a trained eye to see how awkwardly Monica moved the utensils in order to mix everything and adding the other ingredients.

When she was finished, the little angel noticed that it was slightly different from what she could see in the picture, but elected to think that its appearance would change once it was cooked. Monica was going to stick the casserole dish in the oven when she looked at the peppers over the counter and decided to add just a wee bit more.

She moved the stove buttons and adjusted the temperature according to the explanations on the book and decided set the table as it baked. There was tomato sauce and flour on her face and her apron was all dirty with the other ingredients. She was just finishing to arrange the dishes, when a strange smell of something burning reached her nose. Frowning, Monica followed the smell and saw that there was smoke coming from the kitchen.

"Oh, my goodness!"

The Irish angel grabbed a dish towel not to burn her hand when she pulled the stove open. And when she finally did so, more smoke came out of it. Monica tried to sent it away by waving the dishtowel, which only made the smoke spread faster through the apartment. Fortunately for her, Andrew unlocked the apartment door at that very moment.

"Monica?" he called, and the words "I'm home" died in his mouth once the smell reached his nose. Frowning with worry, he rushed to the kitchen, where he found his beloved angel girl trying to put out the beginning of fire she had just started.

"Angel?"

"Oh, Andrew... I... I don't know what happened..." she tried to say, as he took the dishtowel from her hand and finally removed the casserole dish from inside the stove. "... I was cooking our dinner..."

She said enough - Monica was cooking and that fact alone spoke volumes to him. Andrew was quick to put it in the sink, and open the faucet so that water would help to cool down the dish. Disappointment was all over Monica's face when she saw the dinner she had so carefully prepared all burned.

"Are you alright?" he wanted to know, as he turned to her, placing his hands on her shoulders and immediately looking for any sign of injury caused by her disastrous culinary adventure.

Monica shook her head, frowning and biting her lower lip. "I did everything according to the recipe! I promise I did, Andrew!"

Glad that nothing bad had happened to his precious little angel, Andrew tried to smile - funny to think that he had just started to work as a firefighter and the first fire he had to put out was caused in his own home. "It's alright, angel." He spoke, secretly amused at her meek dirty face.

"No, it's not alright... I... I wanted to make something to you, Andrew! Something that would please you once you got home! And... and look what I did!"

Smiling, he tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "You know what pleases me when I get home?" he spoke, gazing at her lovingly, still finding the little pout on her face rather adorable. "A very beautiful little angel who I happen to be amazingly in love with!"

Watching as a blush crept over her face, he bent down and kissed her cheek, in an attempt to cheer her up.

But the little angel let out a frustrated sigh. "I made such a mess..."

Andrew pulled her in a warm embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, Monica. I know what you were trying to do here, angel. I appreciate your surprise!"

"I wonder if my adjusting to human life will be something like this..."

Sensing that her disappointment was not only about a burned dinner, Andrew tightened the hold around her a bit more. "Here's the deal: I'll help you get things settled and you and I will try to do the recipe again, following it step by step, okay?"

Even if her enthusiasm had gone, she nodded slightly. Amazing how under Andrew's guidance, everything seemed a lot easier - everything, from dinner dishes to understanding the universe that surrounded her. And it was on that cooking lesson that she learned that cooking food at a hotter temperature would take a lot less time than she had thought.

"I know it says here that I have to heat at 350 degrees but I wanted it to be ready before you arrived, and I thought I could accelerate the process by rising the temperature a wee bit more since I'd be just in the next room, settling the table..."

She explained, after they had finally savoured a new dinner - almost entirely prepared by Andrew. Once they were comfortably settled in their couch, Andrew cradled the little angel in his arms so that they could relax from the hard busy day and tell each other their impressions on their new journey amongst humans. And it didn't take him too long to realise that the ritual was helping Monica to deal with her new routine. His gentle words always managed to soothe her spirit and put her heart at ease.

Trying his best to keep a serious face, he nodded. "I see. Well, angel, stoves can work real fast sometimes, so it's always best to keep temperature low... it might take a little more time to bake but you won't risk losing your meal."

"I understand..." she spoke, still embarrassed by all the previous trouble.

The blond angel kissed her temple lovingly and smiled. "You didn't tell me how your day was."

She told him about Ella and the lovely bulletin board she had prepared for the children and how she had gotten the idea for it. Then she spoke of her expectations for the next days and how she had planned her first classes. And little by little his precious talkative soul mate was coming back to her own self.

"Andrew?" she called him, noticing that he was quietly listening to her eternal chatter.

Watching her questioning look, he took her hand to his lips. "I was just admiring all the beautiful things you did today, angel. A loving surprise for me. A new friend. A board that reflects so much of God's teachings... who else in this entire world would have thought of it other than someone with such a beautiful heart like yours?"

Feeling a blush rising on her cheeks, she lowered her eyes for a moment. "You're telling me that it makes up for the mess I made in the kitchen?"

Chuckling, and aware that she was joking too, he cupped her cheek with his hand. "I love you so much..." he spoke, tenderly combing her long auburn hair with his fingers, as if committing to memory every single strand and its sweet perfume.

Monica reached out to touch his face, running her slender fingers along his cheek and lips, "You always bring the sun to my heart... even when everything seems clouded and confusing... And I promise you, Andrew, that I’ll make your days happy ones for the rest of eternity..."

"With you by my side, angel, I know my existence will be forever blessed." He replied, kissing her lips softly while stroking her cheek. When they pulled away she smiled shyly and for a moment only, as another kiss started, and Andrew dared to tighten the hold around her a bit more as he tasted her lips slowly, tenderly like a reminder of a love promise that he too would vow to fulfil along his existence.

Chapter 8: A beautiful garden

When the alarm rang on that following Monday morning, lots of excited little voices filled the corridors of the kindergarten school where, from that day on, an angel in human form would work as a teacher. Monica smiled nervously as she saw her little students coming through the door. The bravest ones, waved their parents goodbye at the steps of the school building; others, frightened with the first and drastic separation, had to be taken by the hand, carried by a mom or a dad who promised them everything would be alright.

Monica loved children, and each cute face that she could see was a reminder of innocence and virtue, so common for a heavenly being. The Irish angel hoped that she could keep those qualities inside her heart intact during her brief or long stay on Earth.

And due to the fact that she and those little ones had so much in common, the empathy with one another was almost immediate. Fifteen young, attentive, inquiring and intelligent children listened carefully as Monica explained them what the beautiful board they now were gazing at represented.

"You are exactly like those flowers... Different, but beautiful in your own way... Unique and special, and very important to make that garden a beautiful one!"

They smiled, pleased to hear that.

Monica kept on speaking, her voice now low and with a tone of suspense as if she was telling them a story. "And you see, I have a secret to tell you all: that board isn't complete yet!"

"No?!" they spoke at the same time.

"Oh, no... And it's up to you to finish it!"

"But how, miss Monica?" a little boy wanted to know.

She showed them set of coloured tags with something written on them. "You see those tags I have here in my hand? They have your names, and I'll give them to you so that you can go up to that board and choose a flower. Then, you'll stick this tag with your name on the flower petal so that everyone who enters this classroom knows what a beautiful and perfect garden you form!"

A festival of excited yelps went on as they quickly started to work on their task, closely observed by their first teacher. Some were more talkative, others more concentrated in what they were doing, and others shy. Monica had a good memory and it didn't take her too long to memorise each cute face and their respective names as the class flowed easily and the hours went by so fast that, before they knew it, it was already time to go home.

As they bid their sweet teacher goodbye, a young little girl, with blue eyes and blond hair that came up to her shoulders in large curls came closer to Monica. She was one of the students that the angel had considered shy.

"Miss Monica?" she called her, looking up as now her teacher was amazingly taller that she was.

Monica knelt down in front of her so that both could be on the same level. "Yes, wee Rose?"

With a sheepish smile, the girl handed Monica a sheet of paper, carefully folded. "It's for you..."

"For me? Why, thank you!"

The Irish angel unfolded it and recognised that through irregular lines and colours, the little girl had drawn another flower. "Oh, Rose, it's beautiful!"

"It's cause you're part of our garden too, Miss Monica..." she explained, and those words brought tears of emotion to a way too sensitive angelic heart. "The only problem is that I cannot write your name in it cuz I still don't know how to write..."

She smiled, trying to put her emotion under control. "Oh, sweetheart, that's okay. Very soon, you’ll be able to write many, many words! It's so beautiful! Thank you very much!" she said, gently stroking her cheek.

"Are we really special?" she wanted to know, with a genuine worried expression on her face.

"Oh, yes, dear. All of you! Unique and beautiful like a garden!"

"Me too?"

"Ah, wee Rose... Your name already says how special and pretty you are! And much loved!"

Pleased to hear it, the little girl smiled at her and gave Monica an unexpected hug. The angel returned her embrace and then watched as the little one walked out of the classroom, where the vice-principal was already waiting to take her to the parents.

X

Once Monica had collected her things and inspected one more time the beautiful board she and the children had created, she picked up her bag and closed her classroom door. The work day was over and she realised that the hours she had spent there had sent her worries away for a while. And as she started walking along the corridor, the angel met another friendly face on her way.

"Hey, baby!"

Biting her lower lip, once again trying to hide the memories brought by that term of endearment, Monica smiled. "Hullo, Ella!"

The old teacher was closing her classroom door and, like her colleague, she was leaving the school building. "How were things on your first day?" she wanted to know, and before her young friend answered, she added. "Judging by the spark in your eyes and that shy smile on your face I guess things went better than what you expected!"

Monica nodded her head, as the two walked together towards the exit. "It was... renewing."

"Ah, that's a very interesting word. But I guess I understand what you mean." The woman replied, still finding that her sweet co-worker was as mysterious as she was gentle and kind. "Anyway, it's nice to head home and take a good shower and have a nice dinner when the day is over!"

Hearing that, Monica let out a small sigh as her smile faded away. Going back home would be particularly difficult that night. "I believe a warm bath and good food can be renewing too."

The old lady tilted her head and eyed Monica carefully. "I can detect a slight hint of worry on this pretty face of yours, baby. Is everything alright?"

A new smile appeared on Monica's face, but it was a bittersweet one. "Andrew is working tonight... It's his first night shift, you see."

The old woman nodded, finally understanding what was troubling her so much. "Oh, now I see. And I believe that one young teacher will spend the entire night praying that God can take care of her 'soul mate,' right?"

"You're right." Monica shyly admitted, blushing a little.

"Well, baby, I'll offer my prayers too! But I won't ask the Father to keep him safe, as you're doing it already..." under Monica's questioning face, she kept on talking. "I'll pray that God protects your love... the immense love I can see in your eyes whenever you speak of your Andrew."

"Thank you, Ella. It... It means a lot to hear this... Perhaps a lot more than you know..."

The old lady could detect the presence of tears in her young friend's eyes, but she elected not to go on asking more about Monica's personal life. There were obviously many things going on in her life, but she would voice her thoughts eventually; it was just a matter of time.

Both walked together for a block, and then Ella explained that she lived on the other side of the city, and would take the bus at the bus stop just around the corner.

Smiling more openly now, and looking a bit more relaxed, the angel bid her friend goodbye.

"Have a good night, Monica. I know it'll be a long night for you until you hear from your Andrew, but let me tell you to hold on to the moments you spend with each other so that you can bear the moments when you're apart. Judging by the way you speak of him, I can tell you two have a collection of good memories kept right there in your hearts."

"We do..." she replied, biting her lower lip.

Chapter 9: Lonely is the night

The Irish angel pushed the apartment door open slowly and its darkness confirmed Andrew's absence. She turned on the light and let her bag fall on an armchair; the heavy silence of the living room was also echoing inside her very soul. If Andrew wasn't there, having a delicious dinner or a warm shower or relaxing after a working day didn't hold the same joy.

Monica walked along their home and to the kitchen as Andrew had told her he would leave dinner in the fridge so all she had to do was to stick it in the microwave oven and wait for 5 minutes. When she stood in front of the fridge a small note stuck with a magnet finally brought a shy smile upon her face again.

"My beautiful angel,

Enjoy your meal and sleep tight. Have only sweet dreams and know that you're always in my heart. I love you.

Andrew."

"I love you so much..." she whispered, taking the note and placing it against her heart.

But once she had showered and eaten, the little angel in human form changed into comfortable pyjamas and took a seat by the window, knees drawn up to her chest as curious brown eyes watched the night city sky. The stars were almost all covered by pollution and there was no moon that night. She could hear the footsteps of people passing by, returning home from work just like she had done hours before, and in a way she hoped that one of them was her beloved Andrew.

The hours passed by slowly and soon there were no more footsteps or cars. The night fell silent but Monica insisted on remaining by the window, hoping that soon she would see a tall and elegant silhouette just around the corner heading to the building where she now lived. But it didn't happen, and beaten by exhaustion and worry, she ended up falling asleep, just when the first sunrays were beginning to shine over the New York sky.

The neighbourhood was still quiet when Andrew opened up the apartment door carefully as to not to wake his beloved angel. He figured that she was in her bedroom but as he closed the door behind him and turned around, his heart broke at the image he saw. She was still sitting on the window seat, leaning against the wall and with small arms wrapped around her knees. Except that now she was sleeping.

Walking slowly so as not to wake her, and possibly startle her, he approached the angel, his eyes filled with love and tenderness. Andrew stroked her cheek so gently and so lightly that she would think that sweet caress was part of a dream.

But instead, the little angel’s eyes opened and she immediately found her way into his arms, hugging him tightly, “Andrew...” She murmured, breathing in the scent of him and feeling the hours of worry for his safety finally draining from her body.

“I’m here, baby,” He whispered, drawing her close as he sat down with her, simply giving her a few moments to relax.

“I missed you,” Monica replied tiredly, but at the same time so happy that he was holding her again.

“And I missed you, angel, more than you can imagine. It was such a long day with not seeing you all morning or afternoon and then not at night either.”

“Too long,” She sighed, as her grateful fingers stroked his blond locks of hair at the base of his neck.

“Angel Girl,” He pulled away enough to look into her exhausted brown eyes, “You know I hate being away from you like this, but baby, you have to sleep. You have to be at work soon and your form is no longer angelic and I can tell by looking at you that you haven’t had much sleep. Baby, you are going to be exhausted today.”

“I know,” She replied softly, eyes downcast, “It’s just so hard to be here on earth like this without you...at night especially. I don’t mean to complain, Andrew, you know that...”

“Of course I do,” He replied patiently, stroking her cheek with tender fingers, “But you have always felt uneasy at night even as an angel and now you are fully human, so I’m sure it makes you twice as nervous. Sweetheart, I wish there was some way I wouldn’t have to leave you at night...”

“Oh Andrew, I know that, but it can’t be helped. I just have to find a way to handle it.”

His lips twitched into a small smile, “Trying to sleep in your bed might be a good start, baby.”

A shy smile met his, “I don’t think that will be a problem tonight.”

“How much sleep have you had, Monica?”

“I think the sun was coming up...”

Andrew sighed, knowing that the hour’s sleep she’d had was going to make her day long and maybe even emotional and then again, he would not be here when she got home from work. Though Monica was the one obviously struggling with their new arrangement, Andrew was having his own difficulties; he was simply better at hiding them. He needed to instil the confidence for both of them.

Leaning in, he brushed his lips against hers to center them both once more; a sweet reminder that no matter how difficult this new life seemed, that their love was worth every moment of it.

“Okay,” Andrew stated as they finally pulled apart, “You, go get ready for work while I whip us up some breakfast. You haven’t slept, so not eating breakfast is simply not an option.”

A sweet smile crossed her face at the same time her heart ached with her love for him. He had worked all night long yet here he was taking the time to care for her. She would have to find a way to do something special for him soon...other than attempting to cook.

Chapter 10: The world is stone

By the end of the day on Thursday, Monica was certain she would sleep that night whether Andrew was home or not. Though every morning, she would awaken after only a few hours of restless sleep, she would find him then sleeping on top of the comforter in her room, his handsome face laden with exhaustion from another night shift. The little angel also had a feeling that Andrew spent a lot of his shift worrying about her, but since the first morning he had come home, they’d had very little time to talk; when he came home at dawn, she would finally be catching some much needed rest after finally falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning, and when she would wake up, Andrew was by then fast asleep. She hated it and was more than happy that next week, he would be working day shift.

Despite their limited conversation, there was no lack of love through actions between the two of them. Andrew always cooked dinner and left Monica a plate of something delicious in the microwave that she could have after work, and Monica in return, would leave him a sweet little note, also in the kitchen next to a sandwich on a plate in the refrigerator so he could eat when he got home before going to sleep. She figured sandwiches were fairly safe, given her limited culinary ability and she was secretly so pleased that he always ate them.

But when Andrew wasn’t at home, sleep for the little angel was nearly impossible. Their situation was still too new and too scary for her to rest easily being alone at night, and every time she heard sirens leaving the fire department, it felt as if her heart plummeted to her stomach.

But it was finally the end of the school day on Thursday and with only one day remaining in her work week, that left Monica happily anticipating a weekend with Andrew. Her first full week of teaching had been exhausting but in a happy way as she loved each of her little students, all eager to learn every tiny tidbit of knowledge she was teaching them. Their sweet voices brought Monica great happiness and their loving hugs were almost as good as one from Andrew. Almost.

The thought brought a surge of ache to her heart as she finished tidying up her classroom at the end of the day, not looking forward to one last night alone at home. Home. The word brought with it such a rush of emotions. On one hand, Home was heaven and she wondered if she would ever see it again, but yet on the other hand, home was where Andrew was and geography didn’t make a bit of difference.

“I hope you plan on getting yourself some sleep tonight, baby!”

Ella’s voice no longer startled the little angel, though it did still bring an inch of sadness to her heart, “Yes, ma’am,” Monica grinned sheepishly at her newest friend, “I’m so tired that I don’t think it will be an issue.”

The older woman looked at her young friend with concern in her eyes. Though different from anyone Ella had ever met before, Monica wore her heart on her sleeve. What Ella already knew is that her friend was not overly fond of the city and she hated being alone at home. No, Monica had not said as much, but Ella would always find her still working in her classroom long after most of the teachers had gone home for the day and Ella was determined that tonight that would not happen. The little Irish female looked about ready to drop as it were.

“Tonight is Andrew’s last night on graveyard shift?”

Monica nodded suppressing a tiny grin at Ella’s use of the word ‘graveyard’ thinking that the former Angel of Death would probably not be amused, “I miss him so much, Ella. I don’t feel as if I’ve spoken to him in days.”

“Well honey, only one more night. Now c’mon and get your things. You need to be out of here at a decent hour tonight so you can be well rested to enjoy your weekend with your soul mate.”

The two chatted on their way out of the building, just comparing notes about their new students and when the time came for Ella to go her own way home, Monica waved to her cheerfully, before continuing on her way the remaining two blocks to her apartment. Without Ella to speak with now, the little angel felt a sadness begin to creep over her heart. She was sure her sorrow had to do with her lack of sleep this week as her human form was not made to only rest two or three hours each night, but nonetheless, she had been feeling this way a lot this week.

As an angel, Monica had never felt alone. Even if Andrew was working someplace else, she would find herself in the company of Tess, other angels or assignments. Even on the rare occasion when she would indeed find herself between assignments and alone, God’s loving presence was always a physical part of her.

That was all changed now. Though in her heart, Monica knew the Father was never far from her, she could no longer feel that absolute certainty that she had been able to feel as an angel and she had marvelled at what humans who believed felt each and every day. No, she wasn’t exactly going on faith alone, as she had stood in God’s presence as an angel, but now...it was just different. And different was lonely.

Furiously, she blinked back tears as she made her way down the final block, trying not to get swallowed up amongst the hundreds of people crowding the sidewalk at this time of day. Head down, tears threatening to push themselves forward, she didn’t know what hit her when she was shoved to the ground and the bag she carried to and from school each day was ripped from her shoulder.

A startled cry escaped her lips and then Monica felt hands helping her to her feet, even as she heard a male voice hollering for someone to STOP. She was trembling all over and her palms ached from their contact with the sidewalk.

“Are you all right?” The voice belonged to the older gentleman who had helped her up from the ground.

“Y..yes...thank you,” She could barely fathom what had happened as curious faces peered into her own as if assuring themselves that the young lady was truly all right.

“I lost him. I’m so sorry,” Another younger gentleman ran up to them, breathing hard from his attempt to catch the mugger, “I didn’t even get a look at him. You should probably find a police officer, miss, and make a report. Or call the police when you get home.”

“No...no, it’s all right. He didn’t get anything important,” Monica just wanted to go home now.

The two men exchanged a glance before the younger one spoke once more, “You’re not from around here, are you?” Seeing her give a tiny shake of her head, he sighed, “Listen, you can’t walk around this city and not be paying attention. I saw you right before that guy pushed you down; you were a hundred miles away and that thief knew it and made you his target. There are dozens more just like him on the street, but if you are paying attention and walking with purpose the chances of them bothering you are much slimmer.”

Seeing the tears swimming in the young woman’s eyes, the older man patted her arm gently, “Lecture over. Why don’t you let me walk you home?”

“No...it’s okay...I live right down here. Thank you for your help, both of you.” Turning away, the little angel nearly flew down the half block, never slowing down until she was inside the apartment with the door locked behind her.

When Andrew arrived home just before dawn, he laid down his jacket on a chair and made his way into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he frowned worriedly. Monica had been leaving him a snack, which he found absolutely adorable, but this morning, there was nothing there. Concerned, he opened the microwave and his anxiety shot through the roof when he found her dinner still inside, untouched.

“Monica?” He called out her name without even thinking, suddenly terrified that something had happened to her; that she wasn’t here. Jogging through the apartment, he burst into her bedroom and found her bed empty.

“Oh Father, where is she?” Andrew murmured, true fear now gripping him as he raced to his own room, and only then did he feel as if he could once again breathe. There she was, asleep on his bed, her small body curled up tightly and still dressed from work the previous day.

Though relieved at finding her, the fear refused to leave him. The feeling that something was just not right would not leave his heart and Andrew carefully sat down on the edge of the bed to peer into her face.

She’d been crying. Her eyes were swollen and he could almost feel the sadness coming off of her in waves, even as she slept. Instinctively, he reached for her hand, and frowned when he felt a roughness on her palm and upon further inspection he saw the brush burns against her delicate skin. His brow furrowed in concern as he moved a hand to stroke the hair back from her face, the simple action, causing her eyes to open with a start.

“Andrew...” Pushing herself up, Monica flung herself into his arms. She felt as if she had not been held by him in a month and all the loneliness and feelings of being so lost now welled up so strongly within her that she burst into tears.

Andrew’s heart was again racing as he held her tightly up against his chest, “Baby, it’s okay. I’ve got you, Angel. I’m right here.”

“I’ve missed you so much...” She sobbed up against his chest, her fingers clutching at his shirt.

“Oh baby, I’ve missed you too. So much, Monica,” He whispered as his hand stroked her hair.

“I...I feel so alone when you aren’t here...and I don’t understand...I don’t understand why Tess....why she would act that way...Why can’t she understand how much I love you? Why...can’t she understand how scared I am here? I don’t...I don’t know what I’m doing any more!”

“Hush, Angel. Please stop crying.” He pleaded softly, “You’re so tired, baby; that’s where part of this is coming from.” Andrew kissed the top of her head again and again, trying to bring some peace to her anguished heart. He had known her emotions would be inevitable, especially this week. It was only their second week here and they had barely seen each other. Add to that the fact that she had not been sleeping and he was actually surprised that she was finally beginning to calm a little bit in his arms.

“Some man stole my bag tonight on my way home,” The confession was but a whisper, but judging by the fact that he tensed up immediately, she may as well have screamed it.

“What?” He pulled away, his expression nearly frantic as he looked her over, “Are you all right? What do you mean someone stole your bag?”

“I’m all right. He pushed me down and took my bag. Another man tried to catch him but he couldn’t.” Her lower lip began to tremble once more, “It was my fault; I wasn’t paying attention-.”

“Did you call the police, Monica?”

“No...” Seeing his distress, the tears began to fall once again, “He must have been desperate, Andrew, to do something like that. Maybe he just needed some help...”

“Baby, he’s not an assignment,” His soft words only caused her to bury her face in her hands as her shoulders heaved with anguished sobs and he suddenly began to understand so much more.

This new life had been difficult for him to adapt to; the week had been hard, but he was slowly finding his way, fuelled by his love for the little angel. But Monica...

She had to feel as if she was trapped in between two worlds. She had such a gentle soul and such a tender heart and she had been torn away from all she loved, with the exception of him and he had been more or less absent from her life this week. His precious angel had been feeling more lost than he ever could have imagined, though guilt ripped through him at the realization that he should have foreseen it and possibly found a way to make it easier for her.

“Oh Monica,” Andrew sighed as he pulled her close once more, “This isn’t’ working.”

Though the words were spoken aloud, he’d meant them more for himself and he only realized he’d voiced them when her tear-streaked face jerked up to look at him.

“I’m not going back!” The words bordered on hysteria, but her token stubborn expression was firmly intact, “I’m not giving you up...what we have....it’s too important, Andrew!”

“But Angel, this hasn’t been fair to you-.”

“Tess wasn’t fair to either one of us. She wouldn’t even listen and that doesn’t make her right.”

“No,” Andrew replied gently as he wiped at her tears with tender fingers, “It doesn’t. But Monica, maybe there is another way.”

“We can’t go back. We no longer have the ability,” She insisted.

“No, but if we ask-.”

A firm shake of her head stopped him from finishing his sentence, “I don’t want to risk it.” The harshness left her eyes and a brief look of fear crossed her face, “Do you?” Her voice had dropped to the frightened whisper of a five year old child.

The smallest of smiles played on his lips as he cupped her face in his hands, “No, baby. The thought of losing you; of anyone keeping us apart...I can’t even imagine it.”

“Then please, let’s not ask. I’ll do better; I promise I will...”

“Monica!” His voice was incredulous as he looked at her sternly, “Do better? Angel, for what you have been thrown into, you are doing just fine. It’s only been two weeks and all things considered, you have done so well.”

His hands felt warm and reassuring against her face and she managed a teary eyed smile, “Well, I don’t know about that, but I do know that if this week is part of the price I have to pay for staying with you, then it was well worth it, even if it was terribly lonely.”

“We have the weekend together,” Andrew encouraged as his thumbs caught the last of her tears, “And I’m off night shift for two weeks, so that should give us some more time to feel settled,” His expression turned more serious as he gazed into her eyes, nearly getting lost in her glassy brown pools, “Angel, I’ll do everything I can to make this easier for you.”

Her smaller hands moved up to lay over his own, “Andrew, you already are.”

Her hopeful expression begged for his touch and Andrew slowly lowered his mouth to hers, feeling the contented sigh that escaped her as the kiss began. It was slow and languid, souls touching and reassuring one another of the reasons they were really here.

“I love you so much, my beautiful, precious little angel girl,” Andrew murmured softly as he rubbed his nose against hers once their lips had parted.

“And I love you,” Monica breathed out the words, eyes still closed, wanting to hold onto the feeling she now had in her heart and the certainty she felt in her soul.

Andrew gazed into her face, seeing everything from her fatigue to the striking beauty of her Gaelic features and he was unable to help kissing her cheeks and eyelids, her nose and her chin before brushing her lips once more, “But now, you need to get showered and ready for work, though I would love nothing more but to keep you here, snuggled up with me for a very long nap. However, you have little students who need you first.”

She nodded her head as she rose reluctantly to her feet and started for the door to go back to her own room to get ready, but before she left, she turned around to face him once more, “Thank you.” Seeing his eyebrows raise curiously, she explained, “Just for always knowing what I need.”

Andrew watched her disappear into her own room, and though tired, he had every intention of walking her to work before he slept. He smiled to himself, always amazed at the intensity with which he loved her, “And you are everything I need, Monica.”

Chapter 11: Counting the moments

During her stay on Earth, Monica learned that time could have many dimensions. Whenever she was with her beloved Andrew, the Irish angel felt that minutes and hours didn't seem to exist. It was as if time itself would freeze to allow the exchange of sweet caresses, loving words and the promise of eternal love. On the other hand, his absence made existence a difficult one and filled with great void.

But on that Friday afternoon, the warm company of fifteen cute "little angels" made time have a third scope: it seemed to fly. Whenever she was with her students, Monica felt that there wasn't anything more pleasant other than opening the doors of wisdom to young minds eager to learn everything about the world that surrounded them. The angel in human form felt honoured that she was given the chance to continue to do God's work by having such a noble profession.

But the day was over soon, and the alarm echoed through the school building making excited voices fill its corridors. Monica received a warm hug from each of her students and watched them leave, smiling to think about how they would spend the weekend and imagining each of them having a great time with their families and friends.

"I can see that they do make you feel better, right baby?"

Ella's voice took her out of her reverie and, as she waved goodbye to the last student that turned on the corner - the sweet and shy little Rose, she turned to look at the old teacher.

"I've always been very fond of children..." she spoke, her smile never fading. "I treasured all the times I had the opportunity to work with them."

"I see..." the older teacher eyed Monica carefully, trying to imagine what kind of past was crossing her mind at that very moment. "Joyful memories, I suppose."

"Oh, yes. What I see in their eyes, especially at such an early age, is a beautiful reminder of God's work."

Ella liked what she heard. Actually she liked Monica dearly, even if she knew so little about her. With a friendly hand over Monica's shoulder, she offered. "I can walk with you up to the corner of where you live, baby."

"Oh, that would be unfair to you, Ella." The Irish angel quickly worried, "It would be darker and way too late for you to go back home!"

"Nonsense! Nobody wants to steal an old woman's bag!"

Monica wanted to say something but let out a small sigh instead. Truth to be told, having some company on her way back home was everything she had prayed for during the whole day. "I appreciate your offer, Ella. But I don't want to be a bother..."

The woman laughed. "Of course you're not a bother, baby! Let me get my purse and I'll join you!"

"I'll get my things too..." the angel replied, feeling guilty and relieved at the same time.

A couple of minutes later, the two teachers walked along the corridor towards its gate talking about their work day and truth to be told, Monica felt more secure having someone with her. The trauma of the previous night would probably hunt her sleep for some more days but she was determined to face all kinds of adversities to remain with her beloved Andrew.

"Hopefully we'll still have some warm days like these for some more time. Summer isn't over yet in spite of what the calendar says!" the old lady spoke.

"I was wondering if perhaps we could do some outdoors activities with them, you know, to take advantage from the warm weather. It would be as if summer vacations haven't ended yet... in spite of what the calendar says!"

"That's a great idea, baby! What exactly do you have in mind?"

"I think we can-"

Monica's words died in her mouth when they crossed the school building entrance door, as a surprise was waiting for her with a broad smile upon his handsome face.

"Andrew..." she whispered, not noticing Ella's questioning eyes. But the old lady smiled when, on the following second, she watched Monica climbing down the steps and flung herself into the blond man's embrace. The casual clothes he was wearing - khaki pants and green shirt, made him look more relaxed and amazingly handsome to Monica's eyes.

"I didn't know you'd be here..." she spoke against his chest, once he wrapped his strong arms around her small form. "You said you'd rest this afternoon from working all night..."

"I wanted to surprise you!" he said, kissing the top of her head.

Monica pulled away and looked up at him with a hint of worry in her eyes. "You didn't rest just to be here?"

Chuckling, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "The chance to be with you is a good reason not to rest!" Noticing that she was still frowning with worry, Andrew kept on speaking, "I did sleep a little during the afternoon. And I thought staying home all over the week was kind of monotonous, and a little change in plans would be good!"

The meek smile that would always make his heart melt was finally back on her lips and she was speaking again. "It's proof that changes aren't necessarily bad after all!"

He returned her smile, aware that there was a greater meaning in her words. And also smiling, Ella approached the young couple; she was glad to see how much love could be conveyed only by the look in each other's eyes. Her presence made them turn their attention to her.

Monica gently disentangled from his arms but kept a hold on his left hand. "Andrew, this is Ella." She said, and then turned to the old teacher, "Ella, this is Andrew. And I'm glad you two could finally meet."

"It's nice to meet you, Ella, Monica speaks a lot about you!"

"It's very nice to meet you too, Andrew. And be sure I've already heard a lot about you! This young lady here holds you in high esteem!"

They shook hands with each other and it took Andrew only a split second to realise why Monica had become so attached to the old teacher. Her physical appearance, the way she spoke, her manners... everything reminded them of Tess.

"She's a blessing for which I'll be forever grateful!" he replied, turning his eyes to the blushing little angel standing by his side.

Smiling, Ella nodded her head and then looked at Monica. "Hum... blessing is also a pretty special title for someone!" she said, with a wink, and then turned to look at Andrew one more time. "But I'm positively sure that Monica's a pretty special someone to you!"

"She is, ma'am!" he replied, squeezing the angel's hand.

"Well, and now that I can see that she's in very good hands, you two will excuse me as I want to arrive on time for my soap opera!"

"Oh, we can walk with you until you take your bus, can't we, Andrew?" Monica was quick to offer, not wanting her friend to walk alone in the streets of such a crowded town.

"Sure we can!"

"Oh, thank you baby, but I guess now it's my turn to say I don't wanna be a bother!"

Monica looked at Andrew for a moment, and saw him nodding his head in agreement. Then, she searched for the woman's hand and squeezed it gently. "You won't be a bother at all, Ella."

The trio walked along the streets and remained with Ella until she climbed on the bus and waved goodbye from the window.

And once the vehicle disappeared in the corner, the Irish angel gazed up at her beloved Andrew with a broad smile. "She's been a great friend, you know, Andrew."

He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. "I have no doubt about it, angel."

"I'm glad we'll be home together so early!"

His smile turned into a mischievous one. "But you and I are not going home!"

She frowned adorably. "Oh, no?"

"Nope!"

"I... I'm not sure I understand, Andrew..."

"I'm taking you to the movies, angel!"

Her eyes where wide open and sparkling with five-year-old excitement as a broad smile crossed her face - the second one he’d gotten over the last ten minutes. Andrew felt like he had won a battle.

"The movies? Really?"

"Yep! I got the tickets on my way here. And I made it sure that the show started only an hour from now cause I'm gonna take you to a café so you can have a snack!" he said, brushing his thumb against her cheek as the slight wind kept on blowing wisps of her auburn hair against her face.

"It means I'm going to have a double mocha latte too?" Monica's eyes were beaming.

He took her hand to his lips. "Yes! Your mocha is waiting for you so let's get going!"

"Andrew..." she remained where she was, despite the fact that he gently pulled her hand.

"Yes, angel?"

She gave one step ahead, so they were face to face now. "I love you!"

Saying that, Monica stood on the tips of her toes and her lips brushed against his in a soft kiss.

Smiling, he cupped her cheek lovingly. "When you first told me that... that was the best moment of my existence..." He said, looking deep inside her soft brown eyes. "Until now..."

He bent his head and kissed her lips briefly but lovingly, and they never noticed as an old couple passed by them and smiled, glad to see that love was still around, even in such a crowded and sometimes hard place to live.

The truth was that Andrew took pleasure in every second he spent with his beloved angel girl. From her eternal chatter in the café, where she savoured her favourite beverage, to the excitement he could see on her face as they entered the movie theater. The movie was a romantic comedy - Andrew had the care to pick something that would light up her mood and put her heart at ease after such a hard week for both of them.

With Andrew holding a pack of popcorn, they took their seats and Monica leaned against his shoulder as he placed his arm around her small form, and together they watched as the main characters met and fell in love, and all the things that happened from then on. Once in a while, Monica smiled as she felt Andrew's hand gently caressing her hair, and a sudden kiss made them turn their attention from the film.

The happy ending placed a smile upon the Irish angel's face and, hand in hand, the couple went home with the brief sensation that things would be alright for them - after all, the most difficult had already been accomplished, which was to face an entire realm of angels in order to fight for their love.

"Somebody here has been awfully quiet over the last couple of minutes..." Andrew spoke, as they were approaching the building where they lived.

Monica looked up at him with a slight smile. "I was thinking that this was the best day since we arrived here..."

He kissed her temple. "I want you to think this every day of your existence, angel."

"As long as you're with me..." she said, wrapping her arms around his waist as they finally crossed the building entrance. But when the blond angel pressed the elevator button to the penthouse, she cast him a questioning look.

"Andrew?"

"There's something I want you to see..." he said, smiling mysteriously, and enjoying the curious expression on her face.

They were soon on the top of the building, and only then Monica understood what he wanted to show her: it was one of those warm and rare nights, with a sky filled with twinkling stars and a full moon, and the spark above was somewhat reflected on earth as from where they were, the angels could see the New York city lights spread bellow.

Unconsciously, Monica let go of his hand and gave a few steps ahead, marvelled at what she had just found out. Andrew watched her in silence, never tired of contemplating her beautiful human form.

"Andrew... The stars and the moon... I confess I didn't pay attention to them this night, you see, but now... They're so beautiful! And look over there! It's the bridge!" she pointed, and then turned her face to see some other familiar points. "And the school building! And... And look at the moon reflected on the taller buildings at the distance! Look at the way it shines against the window glasses!"

Chuckling, Andrew gave slow steps, waiting for her to stop and remain in one place so that he could hold her. And when it finally happened, the Irish angel felt a pair of strong arms encircling her waist from behind.

"See? You're already getting familiar with it!" he spoke, kissing her cheek.

"I... I never thought that this place could be so... so beautiful, you know..." Her eyes were still scanning her surroundings as she didn't want to miss any single detail.

"Me neither, to be honest. But the other day, during my night shift, I got the chance to see something like what you're seeing now, from the top of the fire department building. It made me think that if we stop and reflect upon what's happening to us."

"See things from another angle..."

"Exactly."

Monica turned around in his arms, so that now she was facing him. "And what do you see now, Andrew?"

He caressed her face, her delicate auburn strands were flying with the gentle night breeze. "An entire existence by your side, Monica. I will always worry about you, as I don't want anything in this world to harm you, my angel, but at the same time, I made a promise to be your eternal guardian and face any challenge just to be with you."

Some tears of emotion soon could be seen filling her eyes as she heard those words. Monica covered his hand with hers and averted her gaze just for a second, so that she kissed his palm. Then, she was looking at him again. "So you and I see the same thing, because I would go through anything just to be able to look into your eyes again and hear your voice... and feel your arms around me..."

"I love you so much, angel..."

Their eyes were soon closing and faces inching slowly towards each other, and soon their lips collided in a soulful kiss. Now, being in that isolated area and somewhat protected from the dangers of the big city, the only thing that they were aware of was the magical moment that brought them together. The noise of the street had been left behind, allowing them the peace that they had been searching for since from the moment they had arrived there.

With fingers entangled in her soft hair, and bringing her closer to him, Andrew dared to deepen the kiss a bit more. Monica welcomed his caresses with the same intensity, as her hands travelled from his strong chest up to his shoulders and she finally wrapped her arms around his neck. To them, the moment was perfect and would be etched in their minds for the rest of eternity.

Chapter 12 - Settling In

By the time the two angels returned to their apartment, Monica’s eyelids were already beginning to droop. Andrew knew she was more than a little bit sleep deprived after such a stressful and lonely week, so he tenderly urged her to go get ready for bed.

He then waited an appropriate amount of time, before he knocked softly on her bedroom door and grinned when he heard her sleepy, “C’min Andrew.”

She was already curled up in her bed, hair fanned out over her pillow and hands tucked beneath her cheek. It was an image that caused his heart to beat so loudly he was sure Monica would be able to hear it, but of course, she couldn’t.

Andrew sat down carefully on the edge of her bed and moved his hand to caress her cheek with his fingers, “I think someone is exhausted.”

“Mmm hmmm.” Monica grinned up at him before her expression turned hopeful, “Andrew...stay with me. Please?”

He hesitated. They had talked about this; about being careful, but one look into her pleading brown pools and he knew the battle was lost.

“This is not going to become a habit,” He told her sternly, even as he moved to the other side of the bed, and lay down on top of her blankets, though he had to fight to keep his strict expression in place when he saw the little grin playing on her lips.

“Of course not,” She replied, rolling over and abandoning her pillow for his chest, a small sigh escaping her when she felt his arms enfold her, “I’ve just missed you so this week.”

His heart melted at her words, and he moved his head to kiss the top of hers, “I missed you too, baby. Now sleep, Angel. I’m right here with you.”’

The feeling of his fingers running through her dark hair, lulled her off to sleep almost immediately and Andrew smiled as her felt her relax completely into his arms. If only it could always be this simple for her; a movie, the stars, being together. But he knew that human life contained so much more; some of it wonderful and some of it difficult and all his heart longed for was to be able to shelter the little angel in his arms from any of the difficult things. In moments like these, when she lay snuggled in his arms, Andrew actually believed it was indeed possible.

x

Though some days were endless, and others seemed to fly by faster than Monica could ever comprehend, they quickly passed from the warmth of summer into the cooler days of fall, and before too long, the angels realized they would soon need to Christmas shop as Thanksgiving was right around the corner.

Halloween had come and gone and though it was a holiday that didn’t particularly appeal to Andrew, watching Monica gleefully open the apartment door to little trick or treaters, dresses up as pirates, fairies, princesses and a sundry of animals had caused him to somewhat change his mind about the morbid holiday. Watching the little angel’s obvious joy as she fussed over each costume and handed out little bags of treats brought both peace and enchantment to his heart.

As their days in this new life had turned to several weeks, things had become more of a comfortable routine. Their combined incomes allowed them to live comfortably as well as to tuck some money away into a saving account that they never really discussed. There were two things Andrew knew they simply didn’t speak of to each other; one was his working nights. Monica hated it and though she had accepted it as part of the way things needed to be, she was far from comfortable with it. Those were still the nights she lied awake, willing sleep to come though more often than not, it avoided her. The week he worked nights was the week her emotions were on overdrive due to exhaustion, so he strove to reassure her any way he could. He would call her at home, right after she got home from work, and again right before she would go to bed, just to tell her how much he loved her and so that she would know he was all right. It helped as much as it possibly could, but Andrew knew there would never be a perfect solution for her when it came to his night shifts.

The other thing they didn’t discuss was how long they had been here or how long they thought this would last. He knew the repercussions of being here were two-fold for Monica. Deep inside, she was still hurt by Tess banishing them to earth to find their way alone. Andrew knew that his beloved Angel had forgiven her former supervisor as not forgiving was simply not in Monica’s nature, yet he could also see her pain at times, when Ella would say something that reminded her of Tess. Though Ella knew nothing about Monica’s past, Andrew could clearly see the grief that would flash in those mocha colored eyes, before she would subdue it once more.

The other reason they didn’t discuss their time on earth was because they both feared it ending and they would have to go their separate ways. At least now they were together and there was no one down here to tell them that their love was forbidden. Here and now, they were free to be together and that kept them from discussing when and how their current situation might end.

But now with Thanksgiving only a week away, Andrew was presented with an entirely new problem. The fire department didn’t close for holidays and as low man on the totem pole, Andrew was stuck working the day of the holiday, though the good news was that he would be off work for Christmas. Though he would be working a day shift for Thanksgiving, he certainly couldn’t leave the cooking to the culinary challenged Monica, though the thought made him smile, thinking about how much trouble she could get into during his eight hour shift, with as little as a turkey and a stove.

Monica looked up from where she sat curled up on the sofa with her lesson plans for the upcoming week. Though Andrew held a magazine in his hands, she smiled, clearly seeing he was not paying attention to it. She loved these moments; when she could watch him and he wasn’t aware of it. She loved the way his eyes flickered as his mind tried to solve whatever problem he was facing, and the way his brow would furrow with the possible solutions and the silent sigh that would cause his strong chest to heave as he pondered the answer. They were all things that caused her heart to beat a wee bit faster and she closed her planner, quietly laying it on the end table.

“Andrew?”

The sound of the endearing way only she pronounced his name took him from his reverie as he turned to face her, looking a little sheepish over the mischievous glint in her eyes, “Angel. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

“So I noticed,” Monica replied with a grin as she got up from her end of the sofa to snuggle in next to him.

Gratefully, Andrew enclosed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, “All finished with your lessons?”

“Mostly. There is still tomorrow to finish up and this is a short week anyway, with Thanksgiving on Thursday.”

Andrew gave out a short sigh, “Angel, about Thanksgiving...”

“You have to work, don’t you?” Her expression was crestfallen, so he was quick to reassure her.

“Yes but only until four, and I have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off.”

Her face relaxed a little as she looked up into his eyes worriedly, “Then why are you so worried? We can just have a later dinner.”

“Yes,” He began slowly, “That’s kind of what I was thinking...” These were the moments when he was frustrated over their situation. Last year, it had been he, Monica and Tess sharing this holiday, with Tess in charge of most of the cooking. Now, here they were, in this new life and he wanted everything to be perfect for Monica, but with him having to work and not having Tess’ expertise to help Monica with dinner, he wasn’t too sure of what to do.

His hesitation told her all she needed to know, “Oh,” Monica stated quietly as she dropped her eyes to her lap.

She didn’t have to tell Andrew how she viewed her lack of cooking ability as one of her personal failures and he hated that she felt that way. His mind raced for a solution as it was so important to have one, “No, don’t even think that way, baby,” He squeezed her tightly and kissed her firmly on her forehead, “Here’s what we’ll do,” Andrew knew he was taking his life...or rather the life of their apartment into his hands, but there was no other solution, “We’ll get the turkey all ready to go the night before and then I’ll put it in the oven on low before I leave in the morning, so it can cook all day long, okay? We can get the other dishes pretty much ready Wednesday night too and then they can just be heated up when I get home on Thursday.”

Noting how he’d said “We’ll” when talking about the turkey made Monica’s heart ache pleasantly. She never had to explain anything to him; he already knew, “We can grocery shop tomorrow, after church.” She added eagerly, her eyes once again bright with excitement.

“That sounds perfect, Angel,” He smiled, watching her in amusement as the happy smile played on her lips. She was enough to take his breath away.

“Then it’s all settled. I’m so glad you’ll be home for dinner, Andrew.” Her shining dark eyes danced up at him and he could hardly contain himself. Lowering his head and surprising her, he captured her lips with his own in a long, languid kiss.

Monica’s surprise only lasted for a heartbeat before she melted into the tender caress, her small fingers delicately grazing his cheek as his hands got lost in her long auburn locks, “Andrew...” She murmured as his lips trailed down her face and to her neck and a contented sigh escaped her. Her hands sought out his face and she guided him back to her hungry lips and the moment didn’t end until they were both gasping for breath.

Looking up at him, Monica’s hands framed his handsome face, “I love you so much.”

“Not half as much as I love you,” Andrew replied, as his heart finally began to slow back down to a normal beat.

Her eyes gazed into his, memorizing the tiny flecks of gold within his emerald eyes, “Every day,” She murmured, her voice laced with disbelief, “Every day I wonder how I could ever love you more than I already do, but by the time the sun begins its descent, I know that it is indeed possible.”

The emotion in his throat made it impossible for him to speak for a moment as his thumb brushed against her lower lip, “My precious little angel girl,” He said softly, “It doesn’t matter that the sun rises into the sky in the morning or disappears from sight in the evening, because for me, every day begins and ends with you.”

A blush colored her cheeks as she smiled shyly up at him, “You’re such a blessing to me, Andrew. The Father knew all my dreams when He gave you to me, even though I didn’t know the dreams existed yet.”

“I’m going to make all of your dreams come true, Monica.”

“Andrew, you already have.”

Chapter 13: A terrible discovery

Ella watched the young teacher with a slight smile upon her face. Monica's idea to have an open air class was a success and even the weather helped. It hadn't snowed on that week and the sky was blue. Under the gentle sunrays that caressed the now yellow trees of the park not far from the school, excited little ones ran and played freely, but always watched by attentive angel eyes.

Monica was a creative soul and during the time she and the students were there, she managed to entertain them with different and funny activities. During her stay on Earth, her job was her second favourite thing. The first one was obviously Andrew's company.

But that afternoon he was away on duty so the Irish angel had to focus on what she was doing. And soon she noticed that something was not perfectly right with one of her beloved pupils. Rose, who was often sweet and a bit shy, was away from her group. Monica saw it as the little girl moved away from the other children and sat down under the shadow of a tree. She had seen the look in those innocent blue eyes before. Many assignments along the centuries had taught her to know the human heart - perhaps to know even her own angelic heart.

"I'll keep an eye on them, baby. You can go up to that little angel and find out what's wrong with her." Ella spoke, noticing how badly Monica wanted to help.

"Thank you, Ella." With a slight smile, Monica moved away from hers and Ella's group and approached the child.

"Hullo, wee Rose." She greeted, sitting in front of her.

"Hullo, Miss Monica." The little girl politely offered, her eyes downcast with sadness. Monica tilted her head, looking at her with the usual compassion that inhabited her heart.

"I wonder if perhaps you're willing to do something else rather than what your friends are doing..."

This time, Rose shook her head, still not looking at her teacher.

"Hum... So I take it the games were fun?"

Now Monica got a little nod. She reached out and removed a blond curl away from Rose's face, not missing the conflict of emotions on her meek face. "Then why aren't you playing with them?"

"I can't..."

"You can't? Who said that you can't, sweetie?"

"My arm hurts..." she said, and bit her lower lip.

"Oh, wee Rose..." Monica inched closer, sitting next to her. The angel's caress against Rose's curly blond hair was like a caress in the girl's soul. "Your arm? Did you fall or get hurt while you were playing?"

Rose went mute again and limited herself to just shake her head.

"Then what happened?"

"I'm not supposed to tell..."

Those words caused a wave of panic to creep over Monica. "Then do you mind if I take a look at your arm?"

Rose stretched her short arm, as if giving Monica permission to her request. Carefully, the angel raised the sleeve of her sweater and when a red mark against the child's skin came into view, she felt a lump in her throat.

"Oh, honey..." she whispered, frowning with great concern. For the first time, the little girl raised her head and looked at her teacher. "Can you make it stop hurting, miss Monica?"

With tear-filled eyes, Monica held the little girl and kissed the top of her head, glad that Rose welcomed her loving attitude. "I promise I'll try, sweetie. I promise you..."

X

As she waved goodbye to her little students, at the end of that day, Monica kept close attention to the blond little girl that moved with the crowd. When Rose descended the building steps and met an equally blond woman, the Irish angel knew it was time to do what she had been doing for her entire existence: helping people.

"Excuse me... Mrs Sparks?" she said, carefully approaching the two and noticing the surprise on the woman's face.

"Yes?" Rose's mother looked back at the auburn haired lady with questioning eyes.

"Hullo... My name is Monica and I'm Rose's teacher.

"Oh, yes, of course... I'm Nancy Sparks." She shook hands with Monica.

"It's nice to meet you. I... I was wondering if perhaps we could talk for a few minutes..."

"Is... Is there any problem?"

"Is it possible that we could talk in private?"

The woman seemed uncertain. "I... I don't know... What is it about exactly?"

"Well, it's about Rose. I noticed that she got hurt and-"

"I'm sorry, but I'm late." Mrs Sparks abruptly interrupted.

"But-"

"I'm sorry. Maybe some other time."

Monica watched as the woman pulled her daughter along the sidewalk, as fast as possible, as if running away from a scaring threat. Rose innocently smiled and waved her teacher goodbye, leaving the Irish angel to wonder how she could help that sweet little girl.

Two hours after the last student had left the school building, Monica was walking along the New York streets holding a piece of paper with an address. She had obtained the information at the secretary office and was determined to find out the cause for Rose's bruises, and it could not wait until the following day. Andrew was on duty that night so there was no reason to get home early.

Fortunately for her, Ella offered to go together. The old teacher, who was also a mother of three adults, had recently found out that she cared about Monica the same way a mother would towards her daughter, and she knew that despite her intelligence, Monica was way too naïve to live in a big city like that, and needed help whenever her Andrew was not around.

They soon found the apartment building where Rose Sparks lived and the building superintendent allowed them to go up to the 3^rd floor. After waiting patiently for a few minutes, Mrs Sparks opened half door and looked at them with scared eyes.

"Yes?"

"Mrs Sparks, please, we need to talk-"

"Please, go away! Can't you see we have nothing to talk about?"

"Yes, we do! Rose got hurt and-"

"What's going on here?"

A male voice was heard from behind Nancy Sparks, and on the following moment, a tall and strong man pulled the door open abruptly so he could see what was going on outside.

"Who are you?" he asked, staring at Monica and Ella with an unfriendly expression on his face.

"My name is Monica and this is Ella, we are teachers at your daughter's school..."

"And what's going on here? What's wrong with Rose?" he wanted to know, as Monica gave a step ahead and tried to see the little girl inside the apartment. But so far, there was no sign of her.

The angel faced the man with the courage that was not compatible with her size in comparison to him. "Today I noticed she was hurt, and she didn't want to talk about it, so I thought I should let you know about it, or perhaps just confirm how she got hurt."

"She fell." Was the man’s short answer. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I-"

"May I see her?"

Mrs Sparks stood in between them, her face was pleading for Monica and Ella to leave that place. "She's sleeping. Now please go..."

Ella placed a hand over Monica's shoulder. "Let's go, baby..."

She wanted to remain. She wanted to see if Rose was alright, but the Irish angel knew that she couldn't just burst into someone's house like that. Besides this, she had only suspicions and no concrete evidence of what was going on with her student.

"I hope we can talk some other day, Mrs Sparks." Monica said, before looking at the man again. She and Ella watched as he grabbed his wife's arm abruptly and closed the door, not minding their presence in the corridor. The two teachers turned around and started to descend the stairs.

Chapter 14: A promise

When she heard Andrew unlocking the door of their apartment, Monica stood up from the sofa and crossed the small living room. The side table lamps were still on and when the blond angel opened the door he was surprised to see her standing there, wearing a robe over her pyjamas and with her long auburn hair cascading over her shoulders.

"Angel?" he spoke, closing the door behind him and dropping his briefcase on the floor. "It's 3 o'clock in the morning, what are you doing awake?"

She smiled at him, a sleepy and contented smile as now he was finally there. "Imagining what it would be like when you arrived and I could finally hold you!" Monica replied, at the same time she shortened the distance between them and flung herself into his strong arms.

Andrew held for long, pleasant minutes and kissed the top of her head. He had told her about her sleeping time and that she shouldn't remain awake until late because of him, but undoubtedly her greeting warmed his soul. "Oh, angel... you should be in bed by now..."

"It's Saturday and I'm not teaching so I thought that sleeping could be compensated later on..." she said, giving him a tired smile. Andrew pulled some strands of hair from her face and cupped her cheeks with both hands. He bent down and when his lips brushed against hers, all the worry and stress she had been feeling throughout the day were soothed by his loving caress.

Gently, the blond angel encircled her waist and brought her closer to him, still kissing her lips as if they were a reward for such a hard work day. But to him, Monica was much more than that, she was a blessing, a gift that would forever fill his heart with great joy.

"I missed you during the day..." she sighed, resting her head against his chest once their kiss was over. But soon after that, the Irish angel looked up at him and added. "I mean, I always miss you when you're not with me, but today... I guess I needed a hug like this more urgently..."

Andrew frowned and tilted his head with some concern. "Why, angel? What happened?"

X

Once Andrew had showered and changed into a more comfortable pair of jeans and a green sweatsuit, he ate a night snack that Monica had so carefully prepared him. Making a sandwich and preparing some hot chocolate were a lot easier than an entire meal. Plus, she still had time to prepare herself some mocha. Both grabbed a mug containing their favourite drinks and cuddled up in the sofa where Monica told him about the events of the day.

And not surprisingly, she found him frowning with concern – and with anger. Few things could infuriate Andrew such as cruelty against children, as like Monica, he too was very fond of them. Besides this, she could also see great worry in his eyes due to the fact that she had been face to face with the little girl's father.

"You should call the authorities, Monica... what you're telling me is..."

"But I don't know if my suspicions are true... It... it's hard for me to believe that wee Rose's parents are abusing her... This is... too cruel to be true!"

Sighing deep, Andrew searched her eyes. "Whatever you do, angel, you have to promise me something..."

"Y-yes, but what is it?"

"Don't go back there... not alone or with Ella..."

She looked at him for a few moments, as if processing what he was implying. "Do you think that can be dangerous?"

"Yes. If this is true, Monica, this man should be in prison."

She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around his torso. "I hope I'm wrong..."

He kissed the top of her head and caressed her arm back and forth. "Me too, angel... me too."

It didn't take too long before the blond angel noticed that his lovely companion had fallen asleep against his chest, feeling safe and protected by his loving embrace. Even in human form, she was trying to help and this way, she remained loyal to her angelic nature. Loving and compassionate, ready to voice her thoughts in favour of those who were weak.

Andrew's greatest fear, however, was that now in human form she was weak too, and vulnerable to any sorts of dangers that life could bring. The blond angel turned his eyes to the window, from where he could see the sky turning in hues of purple and orange, and prayed for her safety.

X

Two days later...

"I don't see my mommy yet, Miss Monica... Why isn't she here?"

The worry in the little girl's voice matched the one in the Irish angel's heart. On that Monday afternoon, when all the little students were practically gone, Rose stood at the school building entrance still waiting for her mother. Monica remained by her side, holding her hand and praying that someone would come soon to pick her up.

But time went by and no one showed up. And Monica's heart broke when Rose turned her sad and teary blue eyes up at her and asked a simple but painful question. "Did they forget me here forever?"

"Oh, no, sweetheart! Of course not!" she said, kneeling down in front of her. "Please, don't say such things, wee one! You are so precious to your family!"

"Then why aren't they here?"

Monica reached up to wipe away her tears and caressed her blond hair. "Because something might be keeping them, something against their will."

She tried to engage Rose in a conversation but it only lasted some more minutes. The little girl was scared and anguished and it was hard for Monica to see. The secretary walked over them for the second time and once again there was the same answer. "We tried to contact Rose's parents again but no one is answering..." she informed the young teacher.

"You know where my house is, Miss Monica?" the little girl suddenly asked, sniffling and desperate.

Monica had to make a decision at that moment. The school was about to close and Ella's group left earlier on Mondays so she had already gone home. And soon, the feeble sunrays would fade away and night would fall on Earth. She couldn't just stay there and do nothing.

But on the other hand, she had made a promise to Andrew and she couldn't break it.

"I'll take you home, Rose." The angel said, "I just need to contact someone first..."

x

Monica's heart beat faster with a mix of feelings such as guilt and worry. She hadn't managed to contact Andrew. She was breaking a promise two days after they had discussed Rose's condition, but what could she do when the little one was crying in her arms for fear of not seeing her parents any longer?

Leaving a message at the fire department was what she managed to do before leaving the school building. Monica hoped that when Andrew arrived, they would inform him that she tried to contact him but hadn’t managed to.

"Here we are, wee Rose!" she spoke to the little girl who kept a permanent hold of her hand. Monica paid the taxi driver for the short ride up to Rose's neighbourhood and the two got out of the car.

And it didn't take Monica too long to find out why Mrs Sparks hadn't shown to pick up her daughter at school. When they arrived at the 3^rd floor, it was possible to hear loud voices and insults from the corridor. The angel tightened the hold around Rose's little hand and could feel the girl's panic rising. Besides this, Monica remembered Andrew's words two nights before, asking her not to go back there all by herself - he was right, as now her heart was filled with fear.

"Rose... I... I think we'd better go back, I guess I might call some help as-"

She didn't manage to finish her sentence, though. Suddenly, the door of the Sparks' apartment was pulled open and Rose's father appeared.

"You are always complaining about me but I've told you already you're not gonna cheat on me!" he spoke out loud, and when he saw the young teacher and his daughter standing in the corridor, he seemed to be angrier than he already was. "What are you doing here again?" he fumed, glaring at her.

"Let's go, Rose, I don't think it's a place for us..." Monica gave a step back and pulled the little girl with her.

"Daddy... where is mommy?" she cried, scared at that man's aggressive voice.

Mr Sparks walked up to them and tried to grab his daughter's arm. "C'mon, get inside you too!"

"I won't allow you to touch her!" Monica suddenly stepped in front of Rose and blocked his way.

The look on his face made the angel of God tremble with fear. Monica had seen that look before, and she knew that evil was performing on that human being.

"Who do you think you are, woman?" he shouted, leaving her to breathe the smell of alcohol in him.

"You're drunk and not yourself! For God's sake, Rose is only an innocent child, leave her al-"

There wasn't time for her to finish the sentence. Rob Sparks grabbed Monica's shoulders to try to remove her out of his way, but as she insisted on protecting the crying child from her abusive father, the man ended up losing his patience. His heavy hand fell against the soft skin of her meek face and a streak of blood appeared there a second later. His blow made her lose her balance and fall on the floor and only then Rob managed to get a hold of Rose's little arm. "C'mon, it's time you were at home already! And stop crying, will you!"

"Daddy... no!"

Only then, Rose's mother appeared by the apartment door, and like Monica, she too was wounded on the face. "Let her go, Rob!"

"Shut up you two!"

Before the furious man could make his way back to his apartment, however, another voice was heard through the corridor.

"You're under arrest, sir! Let go of the girl and put your hands up!"

Three policemen were suddenly walking towards him, one of them grabbing a hold of the gun and ready to use it. Certainly they had been called by the neighbours, who were tired of hearing the couple arguing every night and already fearing the consequences of such violent arguments.

"You alright, miss?" one of them asked, helping Monica to rise to her feet. The other one saw that Mrs Sparks had been badly beaten up and called an ambulance.

"Y-yes..." Monica spoke, covering her burning face and looking at the man who had so cowardly beaten her and his wife. He was still shouting and threatening under the effects of alcohol, but a wave of relief filled her heart when the officers took him away. And when the angel turned her eyes to little Rose and her mother, she saw the two holding each other and crying. Perhaps that night would set a new beginning for them.

"I just called an ambulance, you two need to go to a hospital." The policeman informed her.

"Thank you..." Monica heard Mrs Sparks saying, and looking at her with gratitude. "...for what you did for my daughter... for protecting her when I myself failed..."

"You didn't fail, Mrs Sparks... God knows that... All you need is courage, and I'm sure you have it."

Chapter 15: Feeling ashamed

It was nearly 10 PM when Monica unlocked the door of her apartment. Ella was with her, as the older teacher had been informed by one of the secretaries that Monica had offered to take Rose home once her mother hadn't appeared to pick her up that afternoon. Ella had a feeling that something was not right and after a short visit to the Sparks' home she was told what happened just a few hours before.

She met Monica at the city hospital and was relieved to know that Rob's aggression didn't result in anything more serious. Yet, the old teacher could not hide her sadness to see both her friend's and Rose's mother's faces.

Fortunately, at that time, Andrew was still at work and didn't see her arriving with a purple wound on her face.

"Thank you, Ella..." the angel in human form spoke, once they came inside. Her friend had offered to go home with her as Mrs Sparks would spend the night at the hospital.

Monica sank in the sofa with her gaze lost in some invisible point ahead of her. The old teacher took a seat next to her and place a gentle hand over her shoulder. "You don't have to thank me, baby... I wish I had been there with you..."

"You couldn't have guessed, Ella... And it was wrong of me going there all alone... I should have known better..."

"Is there anything you need, baby? I feel bad about leaving you here all alone..."

"I... I'll be fine..." she said, thinking about Andrew's reaction.

"You cannot be fine here all on your own, Monica... You should at least let Andrew know..."

"I'll talk to him... "

"And does he live far from here? Isn't there any way you can contact him?"

Monica was fidgeting with her fingers nervously, not managing to look at Ella's face. "I... I will..."

"I can do it for you, tell me which number to call, he needs to know that, you need his support..."

"Ella..."

"Don't do this to yourself, baby!"

"Andrew lives here too..." she finally spoke, biting her lower lip and only then facing her friend. She could see surprise written all over her face. "Andrew and I... we live together..."

"Oh... I... I didn't imagine..."

Monica was suddenly embarrassed and afraid that her only friend would condemn her like others had done before. "It's... it's not what you're thinking, I-"

But Ella interrupted her by covering her hand. "You don't owe me any explanation, baby. I'm not here to judge you."

Feeling the presence of tears and sudden relief inside her heart, the angel nodded and offered a bittersweet smile. "Thank you... Andrew and I have been judged and taken for granted quite often lately..."

"I can tell that by the look on your face, Monica... But all my life I've tried to live by God's teachings and one of the most precious of them is understanding."

Monica held her friend for a brief moment, as a light sob escaped her. "Thank you..."

"Not for that, baby. Not for that." Ella spoke, and it was then that they heard the door being unlocked for a second time. Andrew was there.

The former Angel of Death’s face went from relaxed to confused, to full blown concern in a matter of seconds and it only took Ella a moment to realize that Monica was already overwhelmed.

“She’s fine, Andrew,” The older woman explained as she rose to her feet and reached for her coat, wanting to leave the young couple alone to talk, “She had a run in with a student’s father, but thank God the man is now in jail and his daughter is safe.”

“Angel?” Andrew approached her quickly and sat down on the couch next to her, his worried green eyes taking in her bruised and swollen cheek and the small bandage that covered the cut made by the man’s ring.

“I’m okay,” Monica murmured shakily, not meeting his eyes.

“I’ll let them know you won’t be in tomorrow, Monica,” Ella stated firmly, “You rest and let that swelling go down.”

“Thank you,” She managed a painful smile at her friend, even as her stomach churned nervously.

“Yes, thank you, Ella,” Andrew replied, though he was unable to take his eyes off the little angel.

“I’ll show myself out.”

Once the door had closed, Andrew raised a hand to brush it against Monica’s cheek, watching as she flinched in pain at the smallest touch, “Rose’s father...he came to the school and did this?”

Still not meeting his eyes, she realized Andrew had never gotten the message she had tried to call him. Not that it mattered; she had promised and he had been right.

“N..no...it happened at his apartment...”

The words were a mere whisper, but Monica felt him tense up immediately as she tried to gauge his reaction. But it wasn’t at all what she had expected and near panic filled her gentle heart when he rose from the sofa and walked wordlessly into the kitchen.

Part of her wanted to follow him, but yet she was unable to help but wonder if he just needed a moment. Despite her rationalizations, her dark eyes flooded with tears at the knowledge she had disappointed him and she wrapped her arms protectively around herself. Her liquid gaze remained on the kitchen door, though the picture on the wall next to it was blurred to a watercolour painting. It was several minutes before he returned and he carried ice wrapped in a dishtowel.

“Lean back,” Andrew instructed, waiting until she rested her head back against the sofa to lay the ice against her cheek.

But as he held it, he uttered not a word and the silence was eating away at her. Monica was unable to stop the tears as they slipped down her face, “I’m so sorry.” She whispered, unable to stand the tension between them a moment longer.

“I asked you not to go. You promised me.” His voice was tight as he tried to reconcile what could have happened to her with the reality.

“I tried to call you but you weren’t there. Nobody came to pick Rose up from school and I didn’t have any other choice, Andrew.”

“You could have called social services, or the police and let them handle it. That’s their job, Monica, not yours.”

“But Rose was afraid and she trusts me...”

“He could have killed you.”

“But he didn’t.”

“And that makes it ok? What about the next time, Monica?”

He was visibly upset and the little angel knew he had a right to be, yet she didn’t know what else to say to make it right or maybe there was nothing to say to make it better. She only knew that she could never remember a time that he had been upset with her and knowing she had hurt him was breaking her heart.

Grabbing the ice pack from his hand, she laid it down on the sofa and stood shakily to her feet, finally meeting his eyes, “I’m sorry. You were right,” Her lower lip began to tremble and more tears made their way down her pale face, “I don’t know how to make it right...just that I want to, but I don’t know what else to say, Andrew. I never meant to hurt you or upset you.”

As she shrugged her shoulders helplessly, the anger left him, not that his anger had ever been with her. Not really. Yes, he was upset, but part of him understood; she had done what her heart had led her to do and it was one of the things he loved most about her.

“Baby,” Rising to face her, Andrew gathered her close and felt her melt into his sheltering embrace as she began to cry in earnest, “I’m sorry too,” He whispered against her hair, before he fell silent, allowing both of them to calm. He could feel the overwhelming emotions that flooded out through her tears; shame, fear, sadness and he led her back to the sofa as he noticed how badly she was trembling.

“It’s okay, angel,” He murmured, holding her as close to himself as he dared, “You’re safe now.”

“You’re angry with me...” She stated through her tears, hardly able to bear the thought.

“No, you’re wrong, baby,” Andrew pulled away enough to look into her face, pain flashing in his green eyes at the sight of the ugly bruise that was already beginning to form.

“You should be. I promised you...and I should have kept it...but I didn’t know what else to do...”

“Hush,” He laid a firm finger against her lips to silence her self-loathing, hating the tears that continued to well up in her dark eyes. His gaze swept over her face, his breath catching in his throat at the tremendous love that filled his heart simply from looking at her, “I love you so much, my precious angel, and the thought of anyone daring to harm you is what made me angry. That man is lucky to be in prison as he is safer there than face to face with me.” His voice was tight, but Andrew knew he meant the words he was saying.

“Please don’t say that. I shouldn’t have been there...then it never would have happened.”

He sighed softly as he carefully chose his next words, “It’s true I wish you hadn’t gone, but I understand why you did. You tried to call me but I was out on emergency, but none of that matters now. What truly matters is that you are safe and in my arms. That’s all I care about, angel. Only that.”

Monica felt his eyes trace over the swollen side of her face and she tried to smile but it was painful, “It looks worse than it is.”

“It looks bad enough to me, angel..."

"He... He was about to hurt Rose... I... I tried to convince him not to-"

"You put yourself in between them to protect that little girl." He spoke, not a tiny bit surprised that such a selfless attitude had come from his beloved angel. Not too sure of what to say, she lowered her head, wishing that things weren't that difficult.

Andrew pulled her to his arms carefully, dreading to hurt her more than what she already was. Once she was leaning in his strong arms, he gently stroked her hair. "You truly have the nature of an angel, baby... Even though you're in this human form, you're possibly the only angel I know who would gladly give up yourself to save another one of God's children..." He bent his head and kissed her temple lovingly. "That's why sometimes I feel undeserving of your love..."

That last statement caused her to turn her head up and look at him with a worried frown. "This is not true... You're as much as deserving of my love as I am of yours..."

Andrew tried to smile, which wasn't easy at that moment. "You'll always have my love, baby. Always."

After some moments of silence, Andrew pulled away with infinite gentleness and kissed her forehead. "You lie down for a while and try to keep the ice pack against your face, angel. I'll prepare something for us to eat."

"You don't need to worry about me I... I'm not really hungry right now, Andrew..."

"I can imagine you're not, but in this human form and being through such a hard day, you need to eat something..." He took her hand and guided her through the corridor, up to her bedroom.

Despite the fact that neither of them were in the mood to eat, Andrew prepared them a sandwich and some fruit juice and they ate silently a while later. The atmosphere between them was better, it was true, but Monica knew that she would have to struggle with the terrible sensation of guilt that was still tearing up her heart for some days. In the silence of the night, the angel in human form snuggled against Andrew's strong arms and closed her eyes. And then she prayed to their loving Father, asking for protection for both of them. Protection against a world of humans that was filled with kind and generous people like Ella, sweet little children such as her students and also with hurtful and dangerous human beings like the man who attacked her.

And finally, beaten by exhaustion and lulled by Andrew's gentle caresses against her hair, Monica fell asleep, oblivious to the fact that the angel of death's prayers were exactly the same as hers.

Chapter 16: The smile on your face

"Andrew is the lucky guy! A whole weekend off this time!"

"Yeah, tell us, Andrew, what will it be? Rangers and Buffalo Sabres?"

Two of Andrew's firefighter colleagues spoke, as the group picked up their personal belongings inside their lockers, after one working day. Andrew laughed at his friends' jokes. Jeff and Mark were two brave men who didn't think twice before risking their own lives to save others.'

Mark was married and his wife was expecting their second child, a boy. Religious and a loving father and husband, He was a great example to his friends and family. Jeff, on the other hand, didn't have any family of his own but a long list of ex-girlfriends. His adventurous and loving spirit was perhaps what attracted women and what sent them away at the same time. Yet, he had a huge loving heart like his friends and was always willing to offer help and support for those in need.

"Oh, c'mon, the man isn't worried about a hockey match! Judging by his hurry in packing things up I bet there's a pretty lady named Monica waiting for him somewhere!" Jeff's words made them laugh.

Andrew shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You guys don't have anything better to do?" The blond angel spoke, still chuckling at his co-workers teasing. They were walking along the corridor towards the exit door, but only Andrew would go home. A week before Christmas and he and Monica hadn't bought the necessary items for the supper. They didn't need much, it was true, but he knew how her eyes would glow at the Christmas lights, and after the episode with Rose's father only a month earlier, Andrew was trying his best to cheer her up. That time of the year somehow helped him.

And when Andrew reached the exit, an image standing by the steps outside the fire-fighter's headquarter caused his laughter to subside, and be replaced by an expression of contentment. Monica was wearing a pink turtle-neck sweater and a beige overcoat that went down to her knees. An equally pink beret was framing her meek face and her auburn hair cascaded over her shoulders. Blue jeans and brown leather boots completed her look, and once she saw her beloved angel, she smiled broadly.

A matching smile, along with a surprised expression, appeared on his face. Andrew didn't see it when his two friends looked at each other quite amused. "Angel..." he spoke, once he had descended the steps and was now face to face with her. Fortunately, a month was enough for the purple mark against her face to fade away, and now she was smiling again; her cheerfulness was coming back.

"Hullo, Andrew, I'm glad I got here on time to meet you still leaving work... I was a wee bit worried our paths wouldn't cross, you know!"

Her Irish lilt was like music to his ears and the blond angel took both of her hands and kissed each of them. "You didn't tell me you'd meet me here, angel..."

"I guess this is what makes the surprise element so interesting!" she replied, and judging by the way he looked at her, Monica could tell her it was a very wise idea to go to the fire-fighter's headquarter instead of just going home, after leaving school. Andrew held her loving gaze for a few seconds until he heard his friends approaching them. The Irish angel turned her eyes to look at Jeff and Mark with curiosity although she knew who they were, as Andrew had mentioned them a few times before.

He let go of one of her hands to turn to his friends, and chuckled, aware that they would later tease him for being so evidently in love. "Monica, these are my friends, Mark and Jeff. We've been working together on the same shifts. Guys, this is Monica."

"It's very nice to meet you!" she said, shaking hands with them, and genuinely glad to meet such courageous men.

"It's very nice to meet you too, Monica!" Mark spoke.

"Yes, we've heard a lot about you!" Jeff added, and both of them understood why their friend was so in love.

"Oh, Andrew also speaks a lot about you two, and how you put your lives at risk everyday in order to save others."

"We're a team and our friend here makes a lot of difference!" Mark added.

They chatted for some more minutes and then Monica and Andrew bid them goodbye. It was nearly six o’clock in the afternoon and they would not head home, according to the Irish angel's plans.

"Since it's only a week for Christmas I thought about us doing our shopping for Christmas's eve supper and maybe decorating our house, Andrew. It's... it's a time to spend with the family and as you are my family now, I thought we could prepare our little home and make it beautiful for this special occasion."

With a tender smile, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked along the street. “I may be the only family you have for a while, angel. But this is only temporary.”

The way she looked at him, with hopeful and bright eyes, was moving. “Do you really think so, Andrew? Do you think that the others... Tess, Sam... Do you think we’ll see them again?”

He had to ponder about how to answer that question. The truth was that he didn’t know if one day they would see their friends again – all Andrew could count on was the feeling that someday their angelic friends would realise the mistake they had made by sending him and Monica away. And Andrew didn’t want to give his beloved angel girl false hopes. “I think, angel, that this is the time of the year when hopes are renewed and when miracles happen. You and I know that better than anyone!” He gave her a wink and tried to smile, and was glad to see a matching smile on her meek face. It wasn’t the answer she was expecting to hear, but it was fair and Monica knew that. Her shy smile told him that she had understood the message.

They walked a little and soon, the doors of a big shopping center were open to them and Andrew new exactly the first place he would take her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to taste just a wee bit of mocha, Andrew?” Monica asked him, holding an extra large size cup with both hands and with the excitement of a five-year-old. Sitting on the same booth, right next to her, he couldn’t help but laugh at her image. “We should come back to this lovely cafeteria, you know? I didn’t know there could be such good mocha so close to our house! Plus, they have those packages so people can make their coffee at home! Isn’t it wonderful?”

Andrew fidgeted with his much smaller cup of hot chocolate and nodded, still highly amused. “I’m glad you like it, baby. Here’s the deal: whenever I can, I’ll pass by to get you a cup on my way home, is that alright?”

“Well... it’s a tempting offer... but I’m afraid I might have to refuse it...”

The smile never faded from her face as she said that, and Andrew frowned, a little confused. “Refuse it?”

“It would mean you’d take more time to come home, and then I’d spend more time without you beside me, and this... cannot happen!” she spoke, cheerfully, to his amusement.

Shaking his head, he cupped her cheek with tenderness. “Monica... angel, I...” he started, but stopped in the middle of the sentence, somewhat hypnotised by the glow in her brown eyes.

“What is it?” she wanted to know, with curiosity written on her face.

“I think I’ll accept your offer...”

“Oh, you’ll love it, it’s-“

She had moved to offer him the cup of mocha she was holding but was surprised by his unexpected movement: in a matter of seconds, he shortened the distance between them and brought his face closer to hers. When his lips touched hers it took her just a split second to adapt to that new situation. Monica covered his hand with hers and welcomed that sweet caress with the same love and tenderness. Andrew could feel she was smiling, though, and their kiss turned into smaller ones, leaving to those who were nearby to smile – glad to see a young couple so in love.

They left the coffee shop a while later and Andrew’s amusement continued as they passed by the shops all beautifully decorated with Christmas ornaments. There was a comment for each and every detail that she laid her eyes on, leaving the blond angel to wonder if his love for her could be stronger than it already was. From small pine cone trees to ornaments such as snowmen, elves and mini-Santas, everything called her attention. And Andrew saw Monica’s eyes shine, perhaps with some tears, when the salesperson in one of those stores showed them a glass angel. It had long hair that went down to its waist and a long dress covered its crystal body.

“Look at this, Andrew...” she said, trying hard not to show the emotions that the small object brought out in her. But her beloved companion knew it – during the years they had known each other, he had developed the ability to read her heart.

“It’ll look beautiful on the top of the pine tree that we bought at the other shop, angel.” He said, already picking up his wallet and then looking at the saleswoman. “We’ll take this one, please.”

“Thank you...” Monica said, as the lady took the angel away to wrap it up.

“Not for that, baby.” He said, cupping her cheek and brushing his thumb against her skin. Monica didn’t think twice before wrapping her arms around his neck, in a warm grateful hug.

It was past 9 o’clock when they returned home, carrying lots of bags and happy that they had managed to buy not only some pretty decoration for their small home but also some food. And as Andrew was exactly keeping the rice and beans in the kitchen, he caught Monica alone in the living room, making plans on how to decorate it with the new items.

“I believe we can do this tomorrow morning, angel...” he said, as he entered the room.

“Well... yes...” She placed her index finger on the small dimple under her chin, still considering in which corner of the room the Christmas tree would be placed.

Shaking his head, Andrew gave two steps towards her and Monica was surprised with a pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders. He kissed her cheek and spoke again. “I know how much you love it and I promise you that tomorrow I’ll help you with the decorating, is that alright?”

The Irish angel rested the back of her head against his chest and nodded, with a sigh and smile. “It’s perfect, Andrew...” She turned a little to face him. “You are my best Christmas present, you know?”

Overwhelmed with tenderness due to her loving words, the blond angel gently made her turn around so that they were now facing each other. “I love you so much, angel... And this Christmas is the happiest one of my existence and it’s because of you. You make it special, my angel...” He watched as her cheeks went slightly blushed. “... but then again, it’s your presence that makes every day of my existence a special one.”

“I love you, Andrew...”

Their eye contact only broke when their faces became closer. As Andrew brushed his lips against hers he could feel her body limp in his arms and he dared to tighten the hold around her a bit more. Their romantic kiss went on, with Monica’s hands roaming from his strong chest up to his shoulders, and then resting on the back of his head. Andrew’s fingers entangled in her long auburn hair, stroking and causing a contented sigh to escape from her.

Only when air became an issue did that loving kiss stop, and it was then that she heard him speaking against her ear. “I love you so much, little angel...”

“You never let me forget it, Andrew... Never.”

Chapter 17

Sleep came quickly to the Irish angel that night after such a long day and so much shopping. Though Andrew had insisted they eat a little something, Monica had nearly fallen asleep during the meal, leaving Andrew chuckling and she looking somewhat sheepish.

Though she had been sleeping soundly, Monica suddenly stirred and opened her eyes to the darkness of her bedroom, before she sucked in a sharp breath.

“Tess....” The words were a whisper on her lips as her sleepy eyes gazed at her one time supervisor, friend and mentor. But despite the plea contained in the word, a heartbeat later, the older angel seemingly vanished from the room, if she had even been there to begin with.

Sitting up in bed, Monica rubbed her eyes furiously before looking back to the spot where she was sure she had seen Tess.

But no one was there.

She’d been dreaming. The angel ornament in the store; the one Andrew had purchased for her must have triggered one of the deepest desires of her heart, and now that same heart was suddenly stricken with overwhelming sadness that she had not felt for months. The tears welled up from someplace deep inside the recesses of her soul and all the little angel could do was wrap her arms around her knees and weep over a loss that now felt breathtaking. Never in a million years would she give up what she had gained, yet the loss was still present.

Across the hall, Andrew suddenly bolted awake, but not by any sound that could be heard by a human ear. By a sound that could only be heard by his heart.

“Angel?” His voice was frantic as he knocked only once on her bedroom door before pushing it open and entering. The sight and sound of her crying nearly undid him. The not knowing what was bringing out such heartbreaking emotions in the little angel devastated him.

Wasting no time, Andrew tugged her body into his arms, cradling her close as she buried her face against his t-shirt. He knew better than to ask her any questions yet; Monica was far too overcome with emotion to answer. Instead, he held her close, kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, waiting with all the patience he could muster, so great was his need to comfort her heart.

As the minutes ticked by, her bone deep sobs lessened to a quieter weeping where she could finally hear the beating of his heart beneath her ear. The sound and the reassurance it gave, finally caused her to quiet completely, though she never moved from her nearly catatonic state in his arms, her small body now completely exhausted from the outpouring of emotions.

Andrew swallowed and finally ventured words, softly; carefully.

“Did you have a bad dream?”

Monica shook her head slightly, still pillowed against his chest, “A dream yes. But not bad. Sad, Andrew. So very sad.”

The quiver was still present in her lilted voice and he gave her a tighter squeeze, feeling the shuddering sigh that went through her body. Kissing the top of her head once more, Andrew spoke softly again, “Can you tell me about it?”

She was quiet for a moment before she raised her pale and tear-streaked face up to look at him. Carefully, laying a small hand against his jaw, Monica whispered, “Only if you know what is in my heart first; that I would not trade what we have right now for anything, Andrew; not now and not ever.”

The lone tear that trickled down her cheek with her words caused his heart to race both with joy and with anguish, “You know I feel exactly the same.”

“I dreamed Tess was here. She didn’t say anything...she was just here...standing over there by the dresser and when I called out her name she disappeared.” The little angel felt another knot rising to her throat and she struggled to speak around it, “It just made me so sad...and though I’m ashamed to say it, Andrew...it made me a little...a little angry too.”

Though Monica tried to lower her eyes, Andrew cupped her cheek to stop her, “Why angry, Angel?”

Drawing strength from the compassionate and ever so patient green eyes she loved so much, she blinked back more tears, “Because...because I don’t understand why she said those terrible things to me...about us turning our backs on the Father, and being too curious and that I not only destroyed my status in heaven but yours too...and...”

“No baby. No more,” His heart ached as he drew her close as fresh tears escaped her dark and already swollen eyes, “None of those things were true; you know that.”

“I know, “Monica wept softly in his arms, “I know they aren’t true; that isn’t what hurts...what hurts is that she said them at all! She was my friend!”

Andrew’s heart ached at the pain in her words and over the fact that she had been keeping this inside of her for all these months, but he allowed her to cry it out as he rocked her gently in his arms.

He was unable to keep himself from feeling anger at Tess once again, for hurting the sensitive little angel who would never say such hurtful things to anyone, yet alone someone she loved. But Tess had known the words that would hurt Monica the most and in a moment of anger, she had used them all and they had found their intended target: Monica’s gentle heart.

As her sobs began to lessen once more, Andrew pulled away enough to see her face, tender fingers brushing away her tears and the wayward strands of hair that intermingled with the wetness on her cheeks, “In your heart, you know she didn’t mean them, baby, though that doesn’t take your pain away.”

“If she didn’t mean them, then why hasn’t she checked on us? How long can it possibly take to talk to the angels in charge?”

Her questions rattled him more than he would care to admit as he simply didn’t have the answers she was looking to him to provide, “I don’t know, Angel. Maybe she hasn’t spoken to anyone or maybe no one knows what to do about us, but the fact remains that what we feel is real.”

“Other than God’s love, Andrew, it’s the most real thing I’ve ever felt before. I don’t regret being here with you for a moment, but at the same time...I miss her, at least the Tess I knew before any of this happened.”

“I do too, Angel,” He replied softly, wishing he could draw some wisdom from the older angel in order to bring the peace back to Monica’s dark and soulful eyes. But Tess’ wisdom had been missing in those moments before he and Monica had been sent to earth to dwell, “Sweetheart, I so want this to be a happy time for you...”

“Andrew, it is!” She insisted, her expression now showing great concern, “You make me so undeniably happy, all the time. You always have. I guess that even though this is a happy time of year, it also makes me sad for some things we no longer have, even though we have the things that are most important; the Father and each other.”

Her sweet face was so hopeful that Andrew was unable to help himself. He leaned down and met his lips with hers in a tender kiss that promised his eternal love and when their lips parted, he rested his forehead against hers, “Promise me that when you feel sad about any of this that you’ll talk to me, Monica. I want to know everything you are feeling all the time, so please allow me to help you with the things that are hard.”

She nodded her head, feeling too consumed with her love for him to speak, so instead she inched up to softly kiss him again, “I suppose I should let you get back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”’

“Yes, we should both get some sleep,” Andrew replied matter of factly, though he made no move to leave. Instead he lied back in her bed with her still tucked into his arms and then reached for the blanket to cover them both as he waited patiently for her to nestle her head against his chest.

“I love you so, Andrew,” Monica whispered as she felt him lay a loving kiss against her forehead.

“And I, you. Now sleep, baby. I’m right here with you.”

“I know, and you never let me forget it.”

But Monica had been fast asleep for some time even as Andrew lay awake, his fingers running through her hair and his thoughts far away. He loved the life they had created here in so many ways; fewer separations, none of them lasting as long as some of their assignments had lasted, their time off spent together, the happiness in Monica’s eyes as she chattered away about her little pupils at school, the ability to kiss her without fear of who may see them.

But as much as he loved it, the fact remained that their situation was still up in the air. They had no idea how long they would be here or if they would suddenly be called Home to face whatever those above them deemed the answer to be. The uncertainty was keeping the little angel from relaxing completely. It was keeping her from feeling secure and from being able to accept this new reality wholeheartedly. There was still the possibility that they could be snatched away from each other and the mere thought caused his arms to tighten around her a little more.

This decision had never been theirs. They hadn’t asked for this, so why should they remain in limbo indefinitely? No, it wasn’t fair and Andrew knew it was time for him to act. It was time for Monica to be given a real sense of security.

Chapter 18

The two angels had thrown a little Christmas Eve gathering at their apartment, inviting some of the teachers and fire-fighters they had grown close to over the last five months. Andrew had prepared all the food in advance and had enjoyed an evening not only with their friends, but watching his little angel girl happily interacting with everyone and offering them more treats and coffee.

She was now off work until after the first of the year, where he would return to the fire station the day after Christmas, but he knew Monica had at least two lunches lined up with Ella and a few other teachers and she also planned on some redecorating of her classroom. Andrew was praying to get off work early enough on December 31^st to bring in the New Year with her.

But now their guests had gone home and the last dish had been dried and put away and Monica was standing in the living room looking out over the city with a contented smile on her lovely face.

“Andrew, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the streets so quiet.” She turned her head to look at him, with a trace of awe.

“I suppose most people are home awaiting their Christmas miracles,” He replied softly, his eyes in the soft light reflecting the tenderness he felt for her, “Lucky for me, I don’t to wait for mine.”

Even in the moonlight he could just make out her flushed cheeks, “Andrew...”

“It’s true, Angel. I have all I could ever want right here; right now.”

Smiling, Monica turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, face tilted up to gaze up at him, “As do I. You know, Christmas is always special, but I can’t help but to feel that this one is especially so. I know we are going to be together for it and in past years I wasn’t always so sure.
Plus, I don’t have to hide the amazing things I’m feeling for you this year...the incredible love I feel for you.”

Her words warmed his heart and he reached out to touch her cheek with his fingertips, his eyes taking in every aspect of her face. He kissed her gently and then took her hand and led her over to the sofa so they could sit down.

“Angel...my precious angel, I know that at times this life down here has been hard for you. There are uncertainties here that we have had to learn to deal with, but the one thing I always want you to be certain of is how much I love you.”

“Oh Andrew, you know I am certain of that. In fact your love is the reason I don’t regret being here, even for a moment.”

“Me neither, baby. I wouldn’t trade this time with you for anything. It’s made me understand what love in its truest form is all about. It’s about all those little, special moments that make up our time together and I have realized just how much all those little moments mean to me, “ He drew in a deep breath and watched the curiosity flicker in her dark eyes, as if sensing that everything was about to change, “I also know that at times our future here seems uncertain, but in my heart I have come to know that there is no going back to the way things were before, while at the same time, I don’t want things to remain just as they are either.”

Monica’s face took on a slightly worried expression, “You’re not happy with the way things are between us, Andrew?”

“Not entirely,” Seeing a hint of distress in her eyes, he attempted to soothe the worry lines from her face with his fingertips, “I want to offer you more, Angel...more certainty and I knew that there was only one way to do that.”

Moving from the sofa, he knelt down in front of her, his green eyes now slightly nervous as he took both of her hands into his own, “Monica, no matter what happens, my love for you is the most powerful thing I know besides the Father’s love for us. I’m tired of waiting in limbo, wondering what our future holds and then I realized that no matter what it holds, nothing else matters; only you, us and our love for each other. We’ve been giving an incredible circumstance being here together and I want to embrace that with everything inside of me and that’s why...that’s why I want to ask you to marry me.”

Tears flooded the little angel’s eyes as from his pocket, Andrew pulled out a small velvet box, which he opened, revealing a beautiful diamond ring in a Celtic setting, “Andrew...”

“I know this probably seems crazy to you, Angel, but I have never been more certain of anything in my existence. Whatever the future holds for us, I know we are going to be together as I won’t allow anything less. I love you more with each breath I take. Please, just tell me you’ll consider it.”

The tears broke free and a trembling smile appeared on her lips, “I don’t need to consider it, Andrew. Yes! A million times, yes!”

He felt the sting of tears in his own eyes as he pulled the delicate ring from its box and with shaky fingers, placed it on her left ring finger, “Angel, you have no idea how happy you make me and I am going to work so hard to make you every bit as happy.”

“You already do,” Monica spoke around the tears, “You are my greatest Christmas gift every single day, Andrew.”

Pulling her down into his lap, Andrew kissed her again and again, souls and hearts touching as the clock on the mantle signalled in silence that Christmas day had arrived, but the two angels, locked in love’s embrace, never noticed.