Through the fire

by Kimbre and Deyse

CHAPTER 1

It was past 9 o'clock at night when the silence of those deserted streets was broken by the sound of footsteps. She walked in a hurry, trying to escape from the cold howling wind, and eager to find a shelter from the darkness that surrounded her. Heavy clouds had covered the moon and the stars, which that innocent angel used to gaze at for long and peaceful hours. They were like old friends that had always greeted her along the centuries and also a gentle reminder that a higher power watched over all the creatures on Earth. Night and day, throughout eternity.

And even though she knew that, Monica couldn't avoid the nervous sensation that took control of her whenever she walked along that path heading to her temporary home - a small but cozy apartment a few blocks from there. The little angel had passed by those narrow and empty alleys for the last two months, while she was helping a widow recover her faith and joy to live. Monica managed a short smile when she thought that now her assignment was practically accomplished. Mrs Lancaster was more confident and learning to let go of painful memories. Very soon, perhaps on the following day, Monica would reveal herself as an angel of God and deliver His message so that the woman could move on with her life.

Being geographically challenged, the little angel found it difficult to get her way back home right when the assignment started. Sometimes, she would heave a sigh of relief when her beloved Andrew showed up in the corner of Mrs Lancaster's house and walked her to the apartment. And it was exactly the memory of the angel of death's green eyes gazing at her and his loving arms wide open for her that warmed her heart in such a cold and silent night.

After another turn, in another deserted street, she fidgeted with the ring Andrew had given her a while ago. They didn't know when they would be granted with the wedding blessings and therefore be joined forever under God's eyes, but just the thought of it caused a wave of joy to fill her soul. As time passed, Monica learned to deal with and understand his protective feelings, maybe due to their latest and painful experiences, maybe due to the mere fact that their love had grown stronger.

Unfortunately, however, Andrew couldn't escort her along those streets everyday, as much as he wanted to. So Monica had to learn the way back to her temporary home, as she made it daily. That knowledge allowed her to walk faster along the narrow streets. She knew her loving father was taking care of her but she also knew that evil was lurking around and being in human form caused her to be more vulnerable to it.

And when she turned around the corner, her fears were materialized in a terrifying image, which caused her human body to freeze: there were two men just a few steps ahead of her. At a first moment, they seemed to be talking in a low voice but in the next second, Monica saw when one of them pulled up a gun and pointed it at the other.

"No!" she shouted, with her heart pounding loudly in her chest, but before she knew it, two gunshots broke the silence of the night, causing her body to tremble with sheer panic.

The victim, a man in his late forties, fell on the ground, his chest covered with blood. His aggressor waited a little and then shot one more time, and then turned his eyes from him to stare at the frightened little angel who had just witnessed a horrible crime. Monica's first impulse was to rush to the man lying on the street and try to help him, but the image of his attacker coming towards her stopped her from moving. As he came closer, she thought the worst: she had seen everything and possibly would have the same destiny of the other victim. She thought about her dearest Andrew and Tess, and how someone's fate could change in a blink of an eye.

"No! Please, don't..." Monica begged, as the man approached her. He was wearing black clothes and gloves, and his face was hidden under a dark mask. But contrary to what she had thought, he didn't shoot her. The man shoved her abruptly on the ground and her anguished cry didn't stop him. Then he took her hands and forcefully made her hold the gun he was carrying with him. There was some blood on the gun and on his clothes, as the shot had been too close to the victim, and moments later Monica's hands and clothes were also slightly dirty with it.

"Please... let me go... he needs help..." her pleading was heartbreaking. He grabbed her face with one hand and she could hear his laughter, muffled by the thick fabric of the mask he was wearing. "Good girl..."

His voice caused a shiver to run down her spine but much to her surprise the man did let go of her and stood on his feet; running away from her and disappearing in between the shadows of the night.

With trembling hands, Monica looked at the gun and in her hands and clothes dirty with the other man's blood, and immediately dropped the evil weapon on the ground, horrified with the fact it could take a life away. Then, still shocked and with her heart beating faster, she walked up to the other man lying on the ground. He was still breathing.

"S-sir?" she called, kneeling right next to him and reaching for his hand. A closer look revealed he was wearing an elegant dark suit and expensive shoes. He had his eyes closed and could hardly breathe. "C-can you hear me?" she insisted, but he moaned as he opened his mouth to try to speak something. "I'll... I'll try to find help..."

"Monica?"

Another voice in the deserted alley called her attention and when she raised her head it was Adam that she saw. The angel of death was in his angelic form, and the expression on his face was a sad and also a confused one.

"Adam... Please, don't tell me..."

"What are you doing here?" he wanted to know, kneeling right next to her.

"I... I was just passing by and I saw it... I saw it when this man was shot..." she explained, tears falling down her cheeks as she knew what her co-worker was doing there. "I thought I could help him..."

"Oh, Monica... I'm so sorry..." the angel of death said, gently placing a hand over her shoulder.

Monica nodded her head in understanding. "Oh, Father... please, have mercy on him..."

But her whispered prayer was suddenly interrupted by another voice, now a threatening one. "Freeze!"

In a heartbeat, Adam was gone and the gentleman lying on the ground was no longer breathing. It was then that Monica saw a police car parked in the corner, and two policemen coming closer to her. They were holding guns and pointing at her, ready to shoot at any moment.

That image was almost as frightening as the one she had just seen minutes before.

"Put your hands where I can see!" the policeman ordered.

"I... I was trying to help him... This man... he needs a doctor..." she tried to speak, but once they were closer and aware she wasn't carrying a gun, they pulled her to her feet and one of them took a pair of handcuffs from his pocket.

"You're under arrest, madam!" he said, not missing how her hands and clothes were stained with blood.

"What? No, there must be a mistake, I was passing by, this man was shot and he needs help-"

"He's dead!" the other policeman said, as he pressed two fingers against the man's jugular.

"Oh, Father..." Monica whispered, feeling sorry for that poor soul, and then she spoke in a loud voice. "Someone shot him... I saw it..."

"Lady, if I were you I'd keep my mouth shut as you're already in a big trouble!"

"No! I saw it! His aggressor dropped the gun over there!" she pointed at the exact spot where the shooter had knocked her down and one of the policeman rushed to there.

"I found the gun, Harry!" he said.

"He went away after he knew this man wouldn't survive!" Monica tried to explain, but the two policemen weren't willing to hear an explanation.

"Please be silent, madam. We'll take you to the police station and there you'll be able to explain how you ended up here, with your hands and clothes all dirty with blood and next to a dead man."

The policemen escorted her to the police station, not giving attention to what she was saying. They also picked the gun used in the crime with the help of a plastic bag so as to preserve any fingerprint. They left the crime scene after the ambulance had arrived to take the body away to the city morgue.

The local police station was not far and when she arrived there Monica was finger printed and photographed and sent to a cell, which she would share with a few women. They also noticed the blood on Monica's shirt and elected to keep some distance from her. As the little angel was shoved inside the cell, she grabbed the bars and cried. How would she prove she was innocent? Who would confirm her story? She didn't even know who that man was and his murderer was nothing but a face hidden under a mask. His voice, however, kept on playing on her mind and she fought to get rid of it. The gentle, warm-hearted angel of God had already been exposed to too much evil lately.

Tears soon fell from her sad doe-like eyes and she thought about the only one who she would like to see at that moment. The one angel that - Monica was sure of it, had been created by God not only to help the humans but also to be by her side and fill her heart with joy and much love.

But Andrew wasn't there. She had last seen him a week earlier, and she closed her eyes at that sweet memory. She desperately needed it right now as it was all that she had.

CHAPTER 2

Andrew paced back and forth at the cabin, wondering where on earth his Monica could be. Tess had told him when she’d be spending one last night at her apartment before finishing her assignment the following day.

The Angel of Death had immediately headed to his angel’s apartment and cheerfully gone to work to fix them a romantic dinner to share once she arrived as a way of celebrating the end of this particular case. Her assignment had been long; nearly two months, though thankfully it had not been a dangerous one and though he had managed to steal a few moments with her, walking her home at night, the times had been short and not often enough for his liking. Though Andrew would never question doing the work of the Father, his heart had still longed to hold close his sweet Angel Girl and to her hear her soothing Irish voice and her adorable giggle. He also missed her constant chatter and her observations about the world as well as their relationship which seemed to grow deeper with each passing day.

But now, hours later, their dinner had long gone cold and the angel was growing more worried by the minute as to what could be keeping Monica. With anyone else, Andrew would have just thought they had gotten sidetracked, but when it came to the little angel, it could very easily mean she had found some kind of trouble. She never went looking for it, but her tender heart never allowed her to pass by someone in need and sometimes that resulted in her being in a wrong place at a wrong time.

Looking up at the clock, he frowned. It was now long past midnight and his anxiety moved up a notch, “Angel, where on earth are you?”

Suddenly, feeling a presence in the room with him, Andrew spun around to come face to face with Tess once more and the expression on her face did little to comfort his worried heart.

“Angel Boy, we need to talk.”

X

The night had dragged on for one little angel, who had pressed herself up against the wall in the furthest corner of the cell, as if wishing to make herself invisible. Monica had watched as her few cellmates had been released on bail as their families or loved ones had come for them. Of course, most of them had been here for minor offenses, whereas she was being held on a murder charge.

Just thinking about that caused tears to flood her dark eyes once more from both fear and confusion. Though Monica knew that God was always with her, now, she just kept wondering what she had done wrong to be in that alley at the moment she had been there. Certainly, God’s plan hadn’t included an angel being accused of murder!

Pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, the little angel sniffed back a fresh round of tears as she tried to stop feeling so sorry for herself. She knew that angels worked on a “need to know” basis and that God’s plan would unravel in His time, but that knowledge of those things did little to comfort her frightened and lonely heart right now.

The cell was dark and it seemed to match the blackness she could feel in herself as the night stretched into the early hours of the morning. The tired angel longed for sleep that would not come as her human form was both exhausted and too afraid. Monica continued trying to talk to her Father, but though she could feel his love for her, there were no answers forthcoming.

Did Andrew know what had happened to her? Did Tess? If they knew then why were they leaving her here all alone? They must not know yet, she concluded, gazing into the darkness through brown eyes that were welling up with fresh tears, otherwise they would be here; they would be here to tell her it would all be okay and to tell her what it was she needed to do to get herself out of this mess. Instead, she had never felt so lonely and so lost.

The knot in the pit of her stomach felt as if it was growing as it welled up in her chest and pushed her tears forward and before she knew it, a tiny sob escaped her.

But just as the frightened sound escaped her, a soft glow filled the jail cell and through blurred vision, Monica could make out the one angel she loved above all others.

The expression on her face nearly undid him and Andrew wasted no more time in sitting down next to her and tugging the little angel into his arms as he heard her sobs break free. His heart ached at her grief, knowing it was as much from the situation as it was from the solitary darkness she had been in for the last few hours.

“I’m here, baby. I’m here.” Andrew whispered against her hair as he held her tightly to him. She was trembling and her small hands clenched his shirt, even as she tried to force herself to calm down by taking deep breaths to stop the tears, “It’s all right, Angel. I just found out from Tess what happened and I came here as soon as I could. I was waiting for you tonight and I was so worried when you didn’t show up.”

His voice was a soothing whisper that finally caused the tension to leave her body as she knew she was now enveloped in Andrew’s safety, even though she didn’t know for how long, “I’m so glad you’re here,” She murmured tearfully after a few minutes, “Andrew, it’s been awful and I don’t understand any of it.”

“I know,” He replied tenderly, his fingers running through her auburn mane, “I’m not so sure I understand myself yet,” He knew those words were an understatement, for though Tess had explained what she knew about the assignment, none of it made much sense to him yet and he had no idea how to explain it to Monica who was already rattled by this drastic change of scene.

“Was I…was I in the wrong place, Andrew?” Her sorrowful brown eyes looked up at him miserably, “I went the same way home I’ve always gone, but this time, these men were there and one shot the other and then he put the gun into my hands,” Her words were rushed, such was her desperation for someone to hear her and actually listen to her as no one had earlier, “Then Adam was there and he told me he was sorry but now….now I don’t know what he meant by that. Did he mean he was sorry the man died or was he sorry that I was there?” Monica blinked as the painful memories came rushing back to her and another tear escaped her eye which Andrew tenderly wiped away, “Then the police got there and they wouldn’t listen to me, Andrew! They…they think I…that I.…that I killed that man!”

Andrew’s heart ached at her words and her tears and he knew how terrible it would feel to her for someone to think she could ever harm another, “I know, baby, and no, you weren’t in the wrong place; not really. You were just in the same place that evil was and now, well, we have to let this play out and see what the Father has in mind,” He laid his hand against her cheek and caressed it softly, “You know he can take even this and turn it into something wonderful.”

He was trying to convince not only Monica, but himself with those words, as Andrew hated this situation already. Tomorrow, there would be an arraignment hearing, but with evidence mounting up against her, the older angel knew that she would not be set free to await trial, but instead be held without bail. How could he possibly tell her this when she was already so frightened?

Though Monica heard his words, she didn’t know yet how to respond to them as she continued to cling to him desperately, “I hate this place, Andrew. It’s so dark and so…hopeless. I know I didn’t do anything wrong, but this place…it just gets to my soul and makes me feel…” Her exhausted mind searched for another word, but there simply wasn’t one, “hopeless, Andrew…it just feels so hopeless…”

Something about her words scared him. The little angel had only been here a matter of hours, and already it felt like she was losing herself. He looked around the dark cell that contained no windows, no beds, only cold, hard concrete everywhere he looked; from the floors and walls to the few benches. She was exactly right. There was nothing here that could possibly offer even the tiniest glimmer of hope to anyone.

Kissing the top of her head lovingly, Andrew pulled away and took her tear streaked face into his hands, “What is hopeless, Angel, is how in love with you I am.” He told her softly, wanting to do anything he could to soothe her and reassuring her about some things seemed to be the best way to do that. He would just have to let the morning take care of itself for now and maybe by then, they’d have some more answers, “And I know you’re scared, but I’m right here with you and you know that God has a plan, Monica, even for something as terrible as this.”

Monica’s swollen eyes steadily met his, “I love you so much,” She whispered tearfully, “just so much, Andrew. Please, could you just keep holding me?”

His heart breaking at her simple request, he brushed his lips tenderly with hers before pulling her back into his arms to cradle her against his chest, “Try to sleep, baby. There’s a few more hours yet before morning and you need to get some rest. I won’t leave you until the lights come back on, all right, and then only if I have to.” He was already praying that he wouldn’t have to.

“Thank you,” She murmured, her eyes closing exhaustedly.

“You never have to thank me, Angel.”

As he heard her even breathing, Andrew continued to simply watch her sleep in his arms, his own heart terribly worried over the pain in hers. This had to be so difficult for her, for any angel really, but especially for one with such a tender heart. Monica would never dream of hurting any of God’s children and now she was being accused of killing one and her words about feeling hopeless chilled him to the bone. He hoped those words had just been spoken out of exhaustion after a highly emotional night, but even considering her current emotional state, the words were so out of character for her.

“How’s she doing, baby?”

Andrew looked up as Tess appeared with them in the small cell and he gave a frustrated sigh, “I don’t know, Tess. She’s so upset and so confused and so am I. Have you been given any more information yet?”

“Not yet, I’m afraid, Andrew. I wish I did. It looks like we could all use some answers right about now.” The older angel knelt down and ran a hand tenderly over Monica’s head.

“She’s so lost, Tess and her heart is just aching that she’s even being accused of such a terrible act of violence. She said so little but at the same time, she said so much.” Glancing down at Monica once more, he kissed the top of her head repeatedly, wanting to transmit his love for her any way he could right now.

“I have a bad feeling, baby, that this could get worse before it gets better,” Tess stated with a sigh.

“So do I, but I didn’t want to tell her that tonight as she was so distraught already,” Andrew fell silent for a moment, weighing whether or not to tell Tess what else Monica had said, “Tess, she said this place made her feel hopeless. If she has to spend any more time here, I’m afraid of what that will do to her. Was tonight supposed to happen?”

“Tonight was about the free will of some other people, Angel Boy. Monica was right where she was supposed to be for what she was supposed to be doing, but human will got in the way and changed her course.” She rose to her feet once more, “You take care of her and I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ve been asked to complete her assignment with Mrs. Lancaster, but that shouldn’t take me too long.”

As the older angel vanished, Andrew sighed heavily. If Tess was being asked to finish Monica’s assignment, that could only mean one thing.

That Monica was not going to be available to finish it herself.

Feeling her stir slightly in his arms, Andrew brushed his lips against her forehead, “Sleep, my angel. You’re safe right now,” Resting his cheek against her hair, Andrew was unable to help but wonder just how long she would remain safe or even in his arms.

CHAPTER 3

The minutes were like hours, and the hours, an eternity filled with nothing but sorrow to Monica. Even though she had managed to fall asleep lulled by Andrew's loving presence, now that he was gone a nightmare woke her up. The cold-blooded murder she had witnessed on a dark and deserted alley kept on playing in her mind, and chills ran down her spine every time she remembered the murderer's voice.

Lying on the cold floor, knees drawn up to her chest, Monica was staring at an invisible point right ahead of her, wondering what she would do from now on. At first she was desperate thinking that, once again, she was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. But Andrew's loving words did manage to at least bring her some comfort. She was exactly where she was supposed to be and it had been evil that had crossed her way. It could happen to anyone, human or angel.

As a silent tear rolled down her cheek, she heard footsteps coming towards her cell. It was then that the Irish angel realized she didn't even know if it was night or day, if it was sunny outside or a bit chilly like the previous night. Keeping her trapped in that cold and tiny space was like cutting off a bird's wings. As the policeman stopped right in front of her cell she sat up straight, wiping her tears away and looking up at him in expectation.

"Your lawyer is here." He announced, opening the cell.

Confusion clouded over her face as she heard that. "M-my lawyer?"

"Yes. Follow me, please."

Slowly, the angel rose to her feet and, still with her arms wrapped around herself, she followed the old policeman along the corridor and up to a small room. He opened up its door and motioned for her to enter. There was a small table and two chairs inside the room. It had no windows, though, just the cold white light permanently on. But her surroundings didn't call her attention. Standing on his feet and facing the wall opposite the door was a tall blond man. He was wearing a dark suit and carrying a briefcase that was now over the table, and Monica could recognize that silhouette anywhere.

Once she saw him her heart started to beat faster, and before she could say something, Andrew turned around to face her: in his eyes, the green that had always brought her so much hope and reassurance. She didn't waste another second before rushing to his open arms, and once they were holding her tightly, Monica closed her eyes and let the blond angel's love flood her heart, which was already too sad, too anguished.

And Andrew could feel her sorrow; he was able to do so even when she was physically away. All he wished at that moment was to take it away from her heart. Holding her tightly, he kissed the side of her head and caressed her auburn hair with tenderness.

"You have ten minutes." The policeman said, closing the door behind him, his voice calling the two angels to the reality that surrounded them.

Only then, Andrew broke the silence. "I'm sorry I left you. I was called on an assignment and you were sleeping."

"You have nothing to be sorry about... I wouldn't have managed to fall asleep if you hadn't been there."

The blond angel kissed the top of her head and pulled away just a few inches, searching for her eyes. "If I could I'd stay with you all the time, angel, even when you're fast asleep."

"You've done this for me so many times." She replied, placing a delicate hand against his chin.

He took her hand and kissed its palm. "I'll keep doing this for the rest of eternity."

"The... the policeman said I have a lawyer... Is... is it you?" the confused look on her face was so adorable that it managed to soothe away his worries at least for a while.

"Well, yes... I mean, if you accept my services!" He joked and was rewarded with a tiny crying smile.

"S-so... I'm your assignment..." she was suddenly taken by a peaceful sensation at that fact, as she trusted him deeply, with her heart and soul.

He was serious again, staring her deep inside her eyes, so filled with trust that there was no way she wouldn't believe his words. "I'll get you out of here, angel." Andrew brushed a loving kiss on her forehead and guided her to a chair. Permanently holding her hand, he took the other chair and sat right opposite to her. "I didn't want to ask you this, but you have to tell me everything that happened last night. It's important that you remember every detail, anything."

She nodded her head and looked at their conjoined hands. "I'll do anything you ask me to, Andrew."

The angel of death raised his free hand and caressed her cheek, touching her white porcelain skin with usual delicacy. "Then I'll ask you to remember that you're God's child and that He loves you very much. And that I too love you more than my own existence... When times are hard, please keep that in mind, because I don't like seeing that sad look on your face."

Her sad smile reappeared. "That you don't have to ask me... because I never forget it..."

Andrew cupped her face with both hands and dared to cross the distance between them. He first placed a gentle kiss against her forehead and then brushed his lips against hers. It was more than a romantic kiss exchanged between two sweethearts; it was the promise of an everlasting love and devotion, a way to assure her one more time that his heart belonged to her as long as they existed and that he would protect her from any harm or evil for as long as he existed.

When they parted, the blond angel still kissed each of her hands, never breaking his loving gaze at her brown pools, now filled with emotion and sparkling with hope.

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

"There's nothing that makes me more blessed than to know that, my angel..." he brushed a tiny peck on her lips, and then searched for a pen and a pad of paper inside his briefcase. "Please, tell me everything."

x

The two angels spent nearly ten minutes talking and for many times Andrew could see how his sweet and sensitive friend flinched at those terrible memories of the previous night. But as much as it hurt him too, the angel of death had to insist on asking questions so as to find any piece of information that could be useful to them.

But after lots of questions and despite Monica's effort to remember every little detail, Andrew concluded that they had very little to start with. He tried not to show his worry but Monica knew his heart far too much now, and he should know better than to hide things from her.

"I have nothing to prove I'm telling the truth, do I?" she finally asked, tilting her head and looking at him as if she was practically reading his mind - which wasn't far from the truth.

The blond angel sighed deeply and looked at the pad of paper in his hands. He knew that lying to her wasn't an option. "There's very little in your testimony that can reveal you're innocent, Monica. There's no witness and the fact that the murderer shoved the gun in your hands only makes things more difficult for you, as they'll certainly find your fingertips on the gun."

"Can't they do a test to see if I have gunpowder in my hands?"

Andrew shook his head. "You touched the gun too, right after the shooting. And even if we caught the real murderer it wouldn't be possible. This test has to be done within six hours after the shooting at most, otherwise its remains disappear."

He saw her face fall and as she lowered her head, feeling defeated. "Hey..." cupping her chin up, Andrew made her look at him. "I won't let anyone accuse you of committing a crime, baby. Right now, I'll take a petition to the judge and ask him to release you. I'll also talk with the people who knew this man, I trust that their words will help you some way."

"Who was he? Does he have a family? Dear Father, he might have children..." she was immediately worried.

"He was a rich businessman and yes, he does have a family. Two brothers, a son and a wife."

He could see how she was sorry to hear that - her gentle and selfless heart once again hurting at the suffering of others.

"I've said a prayer for his soul, you know... I've asked the Father to keep him at peace... But now... now that I know he has a family, I'll pray for them too."

"I knew you'd say that. And the fact that you don't know them and that they never saw you might be an advantage."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"Proving that you had absolutely no relation with Edward Nowels is the first step to prove that you're innocent. I'll be in the reconstruction of the crime too, and I'm confident that it'll show you didn't shoot that man."

The policeman that had brought Monica opened the door and interrupted their conversation. "You have one minute."

When he closed the door, they looked at each other again and it was as if they wouldn't meet again for a very long time.

"I miss you so much already..." her crying voice and the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes nearly undid him. Andrew pulled her to his strong arms and kissed her forehead repeatedly. "The same goes for me.. But know that you will be in my thoughts all the time, angel."

Their lips collided a second later, and along with that kiss was the salty taste of Monica's tears. Andrew still kissed her cheeks, eyelids and forehead before kissing her lips once again. When the policeman opened the door to take Monica away, the angels' hands remained conjoined and they only let go when Andrew couldn't walk with her anymore. As the door that led to the cells was closed, Andrew's soul ached with the vision of Monica's face: she looked like a scared child that needed him more than ever.

CHAPTER 4

The morning passed by with agonizing slowness until two officers appeared outside of the jail cell just after lunchtime. The little angel had only been able to pick at the lunch tray she had been given, mostly moving the food around the plate, her stomach too in knots to feel like she could keep anything in it. She knew that if Andrew were here, he would have insisted she try to eat, but without his calming presence, she felt as if her emotions were dangling on the precipice of shattering into a million pieces. It was all she could to hold herself together.

Now, gone was the elderly police officer of this morning to be replaced with two other officers, one male and one female and neither of them looking particularly friendly. As she was being taken downtown to the courthouse, Monica managed to stand as bravely as she could while they handcuffed both her hands and feet, leaving only enough chain between her ankles to allow her to walk. She bit her lip so hard it hurt in order to hold back the tears.

The ride downtown was in absolute silence which was fine with Monica as she spent the time in silent prayer, pleading for a miracle that would get her out of this situation sooner rather than later. She longed to know why she was here in the first place but those pleas were only met with silence. The knowledge of God’s love for her was very much present but the answers were simply not forthcoming.

Andrew looked up sharply as the doors to the small courtroom opened and he saw two officers leading Monica inside. The angel’s heart nearly shattered when he realized she was handcuffed and his desperation only mounted when their eyes met only briefly before she lowered hers in shame. Despite their both knowing she was innocent, he could so clearly feel her humiliation and he longed for nothing more than to hold her tightly in his arms, if only he could.

As she was led over to him and she took the seat beside of him, Andrew reached over and gave her knee a reassuring squeeze, silently begging her to look at him, though when she did, the pain and grief that was in her eyes did little to calm him.

“It’s going to be all right.” He whispered softly to her as they waited for the judge to arrive, but he could feel her doubt almost as clearly as he could feel his own.

“All rise.”

Andrew helped guide Monica to her feet with a hand at her elbow as the judge entered the courtroom. As they sat back down, they listened as the charges against the little angel were read and Andrew managed to steel himself against the single tear he watched slide down her cheek.

Monica tried to pay attention when the judge asked how she was pleading and Andrew stood and answered for her that she was not guilty. Andrew then went on to explain how his client had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time, but as he continued talking, Monica could barely wrap her mind around the fact that she was who they were discussing. It all felt strange and foreign and she kept wondering if perhaps she would simply wake up and find out that this had all been a terrible dream.

As Andrew sat back down, the prosecuting attorney rose to his feet and started talking about her fingerprints being on the gun, and how blood had been on her clothing. The judge than asked if there had been any witnesses to the crime and the prosecutor, who Monica thought they had said was named Keith something, denied witnesses.

At that moment, the door to the courtroom opened and a young woman hurried inside and handed Keith a note before she departed. The two angels watched as the man smiled and turned back to the judge, “Correction, your honor. A witness has just come forward and said she was there last night when the defendant shot Mr. Nowels. Witness apparently gave an accurate description of the defendant, but of course, I will need to speak to the witness directly.”

The room suddenly felt as if it were closing in on the little angel as she shook her head, unable to believe what she had just heard, “No!” She cried out, unable to help herself, “That’s lie! No one was there! I shouldn’t have even been there!”

“Order!” The judge looked at her sternly before turning his attention back to his notes, “Due to the nature of this crime and the fact that a probable witness may have just come forward, the defendant will be held without bail. She will be held at the women’s detention center in Brownsville to await trial.”

As the gavel descended and the judge left the courtroom, Andrew, who was trying to come to his own senses with that last bit of information, instantly became aware of just how badly Monica was now trembling. Shooting a pleading glance to the officers and watching as they nodded their heads and faded back a bit to give them some privacy, he grabbed her hands. They were ice cold.

“Angel, listen to me. We will work this out. The Father has a plan. You KNOW that-.”

“Why is this happening? Why are they doing this, Andrew? I didn’t do anything wrong!” The hot tears flooded her eyes and rained down her pale cheeks, “No one else was there! No one! Why are they lying?”

Her questions were so anguished and Andrew felt powerless to soothe her, but he knew he had to try, “Baby, I don’t know, but I’m going to do all I can to find out. You have to trust me.”

“But they’re sending me away…”

The reminder of that frightened child he had seen this morning was present once more and his heart broke. Wiping at the tears on her cheeks even as new ones replaced them, he managed to speak past the tightness in his throat, “And you know I will be there.” Seeing one of the officers indicating his watch, Andrew knew he didn’t have much time, “Angel. My beautiful, sweet angel, I love you so much and the Father loves you so much and I need for you to trust in those two things right now.” Holding her face in his hands, his eyes, filled with such great love for her, met her teary eyed gaze steadily, “Baby, I need you to stop crying,” He felt horrible for even asking such a thing, especially as he knew his asking was more for his benefit than hers; there was no way he could pry himself away from her while she was this upset. But he continued to hold her gaze as she swallowed back tears, “You can do this, sweetheart, and I will be there as soon as I can, either as your lawyer or as the angel who loves you more than anyone other than God.”

Monica managed a slight nod, not trusting herself to speak; it was taking everything she had to not burst into fresh tears and she could tell how upset he was as well. She didn’t want to make this any harder on Andrew than it had to be.

“That’s my girl,” With absolute agony, he gave a nod to the officers who began to approach them. Not wanting anyone but himself to help her, Andrew tenderly guided her to her feet, his green eyes never leaving hers, “I will be there as soon as I can.”

x

The ride to the detention center was long though Monica’s exhausted brown eyes remained fixated out the window of the detention center van. Though her tears were gone, inside, she felt absolutely hollow and horribly alone. She knew that Andrew would be with her as soon as he could be as he had promised, but right now, all she could feel was abandoned. Deep in her heart, Monica knew that wasn’t really the case, but it was still how she felt. Yesterday, she’d had an assignment that was nearly completed and now all of that had changed. Now, not only had she been unable to finish her work with Mrs. Lancaster, but she had no idea of what was going to happen next.

Her troubled mind kept going back to that horrible time that she had been in the wrong place and had wound up in a mental institution. Was that what this was? Just another bad timing situation that had to play out and she wouldn’t even be able to know the reason until the end?

Prison. The thought was foreign to her and if her night spent in that horrible cell was any indication of where she was going, she wondered how she would ever survive. The isolation, the coldness, the pain of untrue accusations, it was all more than she felt she could bear. What made it all even more difficult is that she couldn’t tell them she was an angel and therefore not even capable of committing such a heinous crime.

The van came to stop in front of a tall electric fence and the driver conversed with the guards at the gate. As the gate opened and the cold, impersonal building loomed ahead, the little angel became aware that the horrible trembling was back. Monica shrank further back in her seat as the stone cold reality hit her full force and she was sure that had there been anything in her stomach, she would have been sick by now. Closing her eyes as the van came to another complete stop, she forced herself to take deep breaths to try to calm her racing heart, so that somehow, as the van door was opened, she was able to stand up and carefully make her way out of the vehicle.

The chain between her ankles was awkward and as she stepped down, she nearly stumbled, but a female officer caught her before she fell.

“Thank you,” Monica murmured, but her gratitude went unanswered as they led her through another security gate and then two heavy steel doors that were only accessed with a code. Her papers were handed off to another woman, Officer Hanna, who signed off on Monica’s arrival.

“Okay, Monica, let’s go.” The woman’s face was hard, and the angel had the presence of mind to wonder if it was because she worked in such a cold, hopeless place, “You’ll be checked in by the head warden, and she’s a tough ole broad, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll just shut up and cooperate.”

The angel’s throat went dry and she was only able to give a nod of her head once more. It seemed that with every new situation in this horrible nightmare, she trusted herself to speak less and less. It wasn’t like anyone other than Andrew listened to her anyway.

Officer Hanna slid her card through a reader and another heavy steel door slid open, revealing a small holding area with a few steel chairs, “Sit. She’ll be with you shortly.”

Monica watched helplessly as the officer turned and left, sliding closed the door with an echoing slam that shook the angel to the core of her being. There were again, no windows, and Monica felt her heart begin to pound erratically and her breaths again coming in short gasps, even as the trembling infected every part of her small body. It was all she could do to keep from breaking down into tears.

Staring down at her cuffed hands, Monica struggled to calm herself once more, not even sure what was happening with her human form. She felt almost lightheaded, and she just couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Her current emotional state kept her from feeling the sympathetic gaze that had fallen on her.

“I think you need to calm down a little bit, baby.”

As Monica’s head shot up and her eyes came to rest on her dear friend and supervisor, the tears would no longer be contained, “Tess!”

The older angel immediately came closer and pulled Monica to her feet to lead her into her office, so they could talk privately. She noticed how heavily the young angel leaned against her, as if the weight of the universe was on her tiny shoulders, “C’mon, Angel Girl, settle down or you’re going to make yourself sick, baby.”

“I’m just so glad to see you,” She managed to utter.

“You know the Father would never leave you all alone, baby,” Tess replied matter of factly, though her heart ached at the pain her charge was in at the moment. Her dark eyes travelled to the cuffs on Monica’s hands and feet and with an annoyed “Hmph” Tess fished the key out of Monica’s file and unlocked them. But the angel was further concerned when the simple act of kindness caused another sob to escape the younger angel.

“I know you have questions, Angel Girl, and I wish I had the answers but I don’t. None of this was supposed to have happened and though you did nothing wrong, this thing has been started and it has to play out.”

If Monica was disappointed with this bit of news, she didn’t show it as nothing in her expression changed as she tried to wipe ineffectively at the tears in her eyes. She was drained and physically exhausted and yet she wondered how she could possibly sleep in a cell one more night.

“You know I’ll be around and so will Andrew and no, this is not the nicest place to be, but even in a dark place like this, there is room for the love of one of God’s angels.” Again, Tess noticed her words seemed to have little impact for the Irish angel and she struggled not to worry about the toll this was taking on Monica. The little angel had always been a sensitive one and right now, Monica just looked positively terrified.

Letting out a soft sigh, Tess reached for Monica’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, “I’ll need to show you to your cell, baby,” Feeling something against her fingers, the angel glanced down at the ring Andrew had given Monica a few months ago and the next words she stated were difficult ones, even for her, “Angel Girl, not everyone here is as frightened as you are, and some are just so filled with anger and hatred because of the hand life has dealt them. This ring, baby, is going to be a source of trouble for you, I’m afraid. Now, you know it will be safe with me, but you want to keep it, well, I just don’t know what might happen to it.”

Monica felt as if her heart were being ripped from her chest as her throat became unbearably tight. Yes, it was a material possession, but Andrew had given it to her and right now, it was all she had to hold onto physically as a reminder of his love for her. Yet at the same time, the thought of someone stealing it or taking it from her was also more than she could bear.

Closing her eyes to ward off more tears, Monica reached with her right hand to pull the ring off her left ring finger and then she held it tightly in her hand, close to her heart. The smallest sob sounded as two tears escaped from underneath her dark lashes. Then kissing the ring tenderly, as if she were kissing the one who had given it to her, she then handed it to Tess without a word.

“You know I’ll take good care of it for you, baby.”

But again, all the little angel could do was nod.

CHAPTER 5

Monica kept her head low all the time as Tess conducted her to her cell. The idea of confinement caused a lump to form in her throat and she anticipated all the anguish that would take over her soul once she was left there. When the older angel made a stop before her temporary shelter, though, something did surprise Monica.

"I'm alone in the cell?"

"There were other two inmates here but they were transferred yesterday." the supervisor informed, and watching the doubt that insisted on remaining in the angel's eyes, she added, "And baby, you know you'll never be alone here..."

Monica sighed deeply, seeking in the depths of her soul the courage to face that challenge. "Yes, I know..." she reached for Tess' hand and squeezed it, "Thank you..."

It was almost at the end of the afternoon when the little angel was delivered to the state prison and placed on a cold cell. Monica didn't see it at first, but there was a reason why she was the only one in that small space. Much to her surprise, time passed fast that evening and soon there was dinner time and the siren echoed through the entire prison building, announcing it was time to go back to their cells.

Monica lay down in her bed, with her knees drawn up to her chest and staring at an invisible point ahead of her. And once there was darkness in the corridor, she felt her heart beat a little faster. Darkness always surrounded her in the worst moments of her existence...

But then again, all of a sudden, she felt a pair of strong arms around her, holding her tightly. Her soul was immediately involved by the warmth coming from another angel's love, as powerful and devoted as hers.

"It's okay, angel... I'm here with you..." Andrew's voice whispered against her ear came as a flood of relief to her troubled heart. He was glowing in his angelic form and she immediately turned around to wrap her arms around his torso, head up against his strong chest and eyes finally closed as now she didn't have to be afraid of what darkness could bring - God had sent her a guardian angel to shield her from any harm.

"... I spent the day hoping for this moment to come, so that I could hold you in my arms like this once again..." he said, daring to tighten the hold around her small form a bit more, taking in the great sadness that had invaded her gentle heart.

"Why do I feel so scared, Andrew?" her voice came out as a whisper and she felt the light touch of his lips against her forehead. "I feel such a failure for being so afraid to do my duties as a messenger of God..."

"You should never say that!" he gently, yet firmly, admonished. "You're scared now because this gentle heart of yours has been hurt so many times lately."

"I should let it go by now... Otherwise what do I serve for?"

With infinite patience, Andrew cupped her chin and lifted her head up so that she could look at him. The only source of light was coming from the lamp at the beginning of the corridor and it was enough to allow her to see his green pools gazing at her. They were filled with nothing but trust and deep love.

"I could spend the whole eternity counting the reasons for your existence, but it wouldn't be enough..." he said, wanting nothing but to take that fear away from her heart. "And if you are here, baby, if God sent you here it's because He knows you are the only one who can accomplish his assignment. You and I know that His plan is perfect."

"Then why don't I feel ready?"

"Monica... angel, listen to me... Remember that little girl you saved in a ski station? Remember how you were ready to give up on you in order to save that innocent child?"

The little angel bit her lower lip at that memory and she knew he was telling the truth - she would do anything to save wee Sarah from dying with cold and hunger in that cave, lost up in the cold mountains after an avalanche had trapped them.

"I... I would never let anything bad happen to that little girl..."

"I know that, and so does God. And that's why you're here now, baby. Someone might need you as much as that child, who would have certainly died if it wasn't by the presence of an angel by her side all the time."

"What if I fail?"

He shook his head. "You won't. For I know that here in my arms I hold a very precious treasure in the form of an angel, and I know that this little angel can face the most difficult challenges because she has a wonderful heart, filled with much love. It has touched so many lives before... it has touched my existence too, and in a way that I'll never ever forget."

The power of his gaze was such that Monica felt like he could see deep inside her very soul. The beauty of his loving feelings managed to flood her spirit and renew it, and for the first time since that assignment had started, she felt at peace. Gently cupping her cheek, Andrew brushed a gentle kiss against her forehead and then, watching as she never broke their gaze, he bent his head and slowly crossed the small distance between them. He brushed his lips against hers so gently, so lightly that it really felt like an angel's caress, a reminder of how much she was loved. Now and always.

Invisible to the human eye, Tess watched as her angel babies held each other, when Monica was already fast asleep in the arms of her dearest friend. Andrew, on the other hand, remained with his green eyes permanently focused on his precious treasure, either stroking her auburn hair, partially fallen over his arm, or whispering loving words into her ear, chasing any possible nightmare away. He even chuckled as she unconsciously snuggled closer to his neck, as if begging him to stay a bit more. And Andrew smiled and kissed her forehead, certain that to him she was the most beautiful, the most special, the most loved amongst all God's creations.

When the morning sun crossed the blue sky, the Irish angel who would marvel at the intensity of its rays and offer her prayers of thanks opened up her eyes. Even though she couldn't see the morning colors and the beautiful art work signed by God, she did feel better. Andrew's arms were no longer holding her small form, but the memory of his loving presence and especially of his loving and reassuring words whispered against her ears managed to touch her soul.

She sat down in her bed and conjoined her hands, closing her eyes afterwards. "Father, please forgive me for doubting that I was capable of fulfilling this assignment, because in a way I was doubting You. If You put me here, it's because You trust me, and because I can be useful somehow..." she prayed, "Thank You for making me realize it... for sending an angel to speak to my heart the words that I needed to hear... I feel so grateful..."

"He knows that, baby."

That sudden but familiar voice caused Monica to raise her head up again. Tess was standing at her cell door and had brought her breakfast. Time passed slowly that morning, but the certainty of an assignment yet to be accomplished made it bearable now. It was finally lunchtime and the inmates headed to a large patio where food was served and where they would eat.

Monica picked up her plate with food and headed to the huge table that lay on the patio. Still with some apprehension, she gazed at all those women walking around and eating their lunch, trying to imagine what terrible thing they had done to be sentenced to live in a place like that, far from home, far from their loved ones. She had been there for a day and even with her dearest friends' loving presence she had found imprisonment hard to bear; but what about someone who had been an inmate for years, trapped like an animal inside a cell with only a few square feet and granted with just an hour of sun per day?

The Irish angel soon spotted an empty place to sit and walked towards it when suddenly a tall and strong woman, with an aggressive, rather threatening expression on her face bumped into her and Monica saw her dish fall on the floor.

"Hey, when I walk, you get outta my way..." she said, and her voice was equally intimidating. Her hair color was fading and she looked older than she probably was, and judging by the way she was staring at the scared little angel it was far too clear that she would have to spend years locked in that prison. "...if you know what's good for ya..." she added and then left.

Monica looked at her food now spread on the floor and then back at the unfriendly inmate. Frowning a little, she thought for a few seconds and then decided to follow the woman and talk to her. But before she did, the little angel heard another voice coming from behind her.

"Don't do it if you know what's best for you..."

Monica turned around and saw a short thin woman. She had long dark hair and the color of her skin revealed that she hadn't been exposed to the sun lately. But what called Monica's attention the most was the great sadness that she could see in the woman's eyes. That look of anguish and despair was the same she had held in her eyes since she had been arrested in that dark alley and accused of a crime she hadn't committed.

"I didn't mean to-" the little angel spoke, but the woman cut her off.

"I know. And she knows that too." Saying that, the woman turned around and started to walk, but something made Monica insist on speaking to her.

"I'm sorry, I..."

The inmate, however, didn't seem the kind of person who enjoyed talking. Much on the contrary. Anyone who looked at her could notice how introspective and shy she seemed to be, and the hint of fear and defeat in her eyes. She walked away from Monica without saying anything else, and the angel elected not to insist, at least now. But with her doe-like eyes, she followed the woman's steps and saw it when she sat down away from everyone.

Something about that inmate had touched her heart.

CHAPTER 6

Andrew had spent the morning getting information on the so called “witness” who had come forward in Monica’s case and what he had found out left him feeling more than slightly unsettled. This was more than a case of the little angel being in the wrong place at the wrong time. No, this was a case of someone counting on her to be there.

Maggie Matthews, the witness, not only was insisting that she saw Monica shoot Edward, but that the angel had been romantically involved with him, despite the fact that he was married. Maggie attested that when Edward had finally decided to call things off with Monica in order to work on his own marriage, that Monica had gotten more than slightly angry and that had led her to take her revenge into her own hands. Of course, Maggie stated that it had been Edward who had told her all of this and now Edward was dead and unable to confirm anything. Maggie had spoken of harassing phone calls that Edward had told her about and that Monica had threatened to tell his wife about their affair. The whole thing was so absurd to Andrew, but then again, he knew the Irish angel’s true nature where a jury did not.

As the blonde angel made the long drive back to the women’s prison, he tried to imagine why on earth anyone would want to frame Monica for anything, but then he realized that it had nothing to do with his little angel. No, it had to do with the fact that she had a routine. Monica had always been directionally challenged, which is why Andrew had made it a point to walk her home the first week of her new assignment. He had shown up the first night, unbeknownst to her, and had watched her perplexed expression and the way she bit her lower lip as she tried to remember the way back to her apartment. He had chuckled softly to himself, finding her indecision adorable, before he had cleared his throat to get her attention. The slow smile that had spread over her face had been beautiful and the memory, even now, warmed his heart.

He had walked her home each night until he felt reassured that she knew the way beyond the shadow of a doubt, and Andrew also knew that she would have never strayed from the route he had shown her. The problem was that the real murderer had picked up on the fact that Monica walked that way every evening at approximately the same time and with that little bit of information, a plan had apparently been formed. Someone had wanted Edward Nowels dead and had found a way to frame Monica and the thought caused anger to surge through him.

Problem was, he had no idea how to prove her innocent.

X

The time before dinner was spent outside; one precious hour to feel the sunshine, to walk or socialize with the other inmates. Monica was focused on finding only one; the woman who had spoken to her at lunchtime.

As the little angel wandered the large courtyard searching for the young woman, she found herself looking up at the guards that were positioned up above them and she shuddered. This is what true captivity felt like and again, she forced her mind back to that place it had been this morning after Andrew had left. She was here to fulfil a purpose and she couldn’t allow herself to dwell in a place as dark as her cell.

Her dark eyes, finally fell upon the woman who had spoken to her that afternoon, warning her about the inmate who had bumped into her that morning. The woman was standing alone in the sunlight, leaning up against the wall with her eyes closed and Monica approached her cautiously, not wanting to frighten her.

“Hullo.” The angel smiled when the woman opened her eyes, “I’m Monica and I just wanted to introduce myself. I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

The woman looked undecided for a moment but finally replied, “Abby.”

“Nice to meet you, Abby. You’re the first person I’ve met here.” Monica tried to meet Abby’s blue eyes but failed.

“It’s not really a place to make friends, Monica.” Abby replied with a sigh, “You’re much better off keeping to yourself.”

“Seems to me like that would make a lonely place even lonelier. It’s nice to have someone else to talk to, don’t you think?”

Abby was quiet for a moment and when she finally looked at Monica, there were tears in her eyes, “No. Because no one cares what you have to say in this place, so talking is nothing more than a waste of time because no one listens. If you’ll excuse me...”

“Abby!” Monica called after her, but her new friend refused to turn around as she walked away. The little angel started after her, but was suddenly stopped as if she had hit a brick wall.

“You again.”

Monica looked up to find herself face to face with the same woman from earlier and she immediately took a step backwards.

“Thought I told you to stay out of my way.” The woman’s eyes were filled with anger as she took a step closer to the angel.

“I...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...”

A laugh came from behind the other woman, “Aw Sheila, she didn’t mean to.”

Monica swallowed hard as she looked from Sheila to her friend, “I didn’t. It was an accident.”

“Two accidents in one day,” Sheila raised an eyebrow, “Looks like you’re pretty accident prone, Irish. That’s a shame really.”

With those words, Sheila gave the angel a rough shove that landed Monica on the hard concrete, knocking the air out of her. As Sheila walked away, the angel struggled to find her breath again, gasping for the air she was desperate to have fill her lungs. A few inmates glanced over at her, but none of them made a move to help her.

Finally, her breathing returned to normal though a few tears escaped her eyes from the lack of oxygen. Wiping at her eyes, Monica looked down at her skinned palms and wiped them on the pants of her orange prison uniform before rising shakily to her feet. The whistle had just sounded and it was time to return to their cells before dinner and for the first time, the angel would actually be glad to be there.

She walked quickly, head down and it wasn’t until she heard one of the guards call her name, did she look up at all.

“Monica, come with me. Your lawyer is here and needs to meet with you.”

She gave a shaky nod of her head as she moved to follow the guard down the hall. She was feeling so defeated at the moment and she knew she would be unable to hide it from Andrew and she so didn’t want him to be disappointed in her.

Drawing in a deep breath, Monica summoned all her courage to push aside the things that had just happened outside. She didn’t want to hide anything from Andrew, but with a guard just outside the door as they spoke, what else could she do? Other than at night, in her cell, Andrew was simply her lawyer as far as the assignment went and he was doing all he could to help her.

As the door opened and his green eyes met with hers, Monica forced a smile that almost immediately faded. Something in those eyes told her that the news was not good, at least as far as her situation was concerned.

“Something’s wrong,” She murmured as she sat down across from him at the table.

Andrew let out a heavy sigh as he reached for her hands, “Well, I did find out some things,” He began, before a puzzled look crossed his face. Turning over her hands, he frowned at the brush burns on her palms as he met his eyes with hers once more, “Angel? What happened?”

Without even thinking, she surreptitiously pulled her hands away, “It’s nothing. Please. Tell me what you found out.”

His anxiety shot up a notch as he watched her pull away physically and emotionally. Andrew knew she was protecting herself; that somehow today she had been hurt in some way and the mere thought of it caused his heart to ache. His eyes glanced up at the small window in the door and he saw the guard glance in at them. Why did Monica have to be so close and yet so far away right now when all he wanted to do was to pull her into his arms and make her confess what it was that she was harbouring in her heart?

Knowing he wouldn’t get any further information out of her right now, Andrew instead told her about the things he had learned today as he watched the distress in her dark eyes deepen.

“But Andrew, that can't be possible. Why would anyone say those things about me? They’re not true and I don’t even know Maggie Matthews.”

“Angel, I know that,” He replied gently, “These people, they knew you were going to be there in that alley that night and they used that knowledge to frame you for this crime. Baby, I don’t think it has anything at all to do with you personally; they just needed someone to take the fall for them and that someone was you,” As she lowered her head, he hurriedly continued, “But even in this, God has a plan and you know that.”

“But I was only doing what I was supposed to be doing,” She insisted weakly, hoping that something she said could make everyone see how insane this all was.

“That’s right, but those people were exerting their free will, Angel,” Andrew desperately wished she would place her hands back on the table so he could offer her some small comfort, but she kept them stubbornly in her lap, “This isn’t over and I’m not finished. Someone out there has to know something about what really happened that evening.”

Monica drew in a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to keep her emotions intact. Finding someone who knew the truth could take a long time and while Andrew searched, she was stuck here with one woman who needed help but wouldn’t talk to her and another woman who seemed to hate her for some reason.

The door opened and the guard barked a two minute warning. Instantly, Monica pushed her chair back and winced at the scraping noise it made over the concrete floor, “I have to go. It’s time for dinner and I didn’t have lunch,” She murmured, her mind still reeling from the things he had told her.

Andrew’s eyes narrowed, “Why not?” He could so easily tell she was holding things back from him.

“I dropped...it wound up on the floor,” She explained, knowing that Andrew didn’t miss her attempt at back-pedalling.

As she stood up and started for the door, Andrew reached out and grabbed her arm. Turning to look at him, Monica nearly gasped at the intent look in his eyes; it was deliberate and full of love and compassion, “I’ll see you tonight.”

Giving a tiny nod, Monica rapped on the door and a heartbeat later, she had been led away.

CHAPTER 7

The difference that twenty-four hours could make was nearly astounding. Last night, she had been so sure of God’s plan in this entire nightmare, but now that all felt different and Monica felt angry with herself because of that fact. She felt as if she doubted, but it wasn’t God’s plan she was unsure of. No, she did doubt herself and her ability to follow through on this assignment that seemed to get more difficult with each passing moment.

She had managed to get through dinner without another run in with Sheila, but the mean spirited inmate had glared at her all through the meal. Abby on the other hand, had completely kept her distance and avoided Monica completely, so the little angel had simply kept to herself until they had all been escorted back to their cells for the night.

Now, she lay on her small cot, curled up tightly beneath the thin blanket and blinked back the tears that wanted to persist. People had lied to get her into this place; God hadn’t placed her here, free will had. Between that knowledge and the deliberate cruelty of Sheila, Monica felt absolutely hopeless, no matter how much she didn’t want to feel that way.

Blinking back the tears once again, her dark eyes gazed into the darkness, “Father, what am I supposed to do? Why did you place me here? I’m not helping anyone. What is it you want from me? What am I supposed to do, Father? What am I supposed to do?”

The tears she had been holding at bay now fell freely and she buried her face in her pillow to muffle the sobs. She felt as if she was coming apart at the seams and nothing she tried to tell herself seemed to matter. She just couldn’t seem to find anything to be thankful for at the moment and that made her feel even more wretched.

Until the one individual that she would always be thankful for surrounded her with a soft glow and his tender hands pulled her into his arms and cradled her up against his chest. She may not have any answers at the moment, but the evidence of God’s amazing love for her was holding her in his arms.

“I’m here, sweet angel,” Andrew murmured against her hair and then he was simply content to let her cry out her grief. He knew that his news today had been a terrible blow to her, but Andrew also had the sinking suspicion that his news had not been the only thing to go wrong today.

He rocked her tenderly as if she was a small child and whispered words of his love and devotion to her until her tears began to subside. Even then, he simply held her and waited until she was ready to talk. He knew her well enough to know it would not take long.

“I’m sorry,” Monica murmured tearfully, as she shook her head in obvious disgust at her own weakness, “I didn’t mean to do that. I just-.”

“Angel,” He whispered, cupping her chin in his hand, “Don’t ever apologize for showing me what you’re feeling. I always want to know, baby”

Diving into the dark green of his gentle eyes, Monica found herself surrounded by peace, reassurance and much love; the unconditional and pure love that would always soothe her spirit through the most difficult times. Deeply moved, and still feeling slightly guilty for not opening her heart to him earlier that day, the little angel raised her hand and touched his face. It was a feather light touch, as if she was both treasuring and thanking his loving presence there, as that cell had recently become the loneliest place on Earth. Only the angel of death had the power to turn it into something different.

"I'm so afraid and so confused, Andrew... I know I've felt like this before but now it is different..."

Andrew took her hand and kissed her palm. Then, he moved to lean against the wall and brought her to him, still cradling her protectively in his arms.

"Tell me what happened, baby. What caused you to lose the confidence that I saw in those pretty eyes of yours only a night ago?" he asked, so softly, so gently that the Irish angel knew once again that she could open her soul to him and trust that he would take care of it.

Sighing deeply, she lowered her head. "I... I met an inmate... I believe she's been here for a while. We spoke briefly and somehow it became so easy for me to see the pain she's feeling inside..."

"Why do you say so, angel? What did she tell you?"

"Not much, but looking in her eyes I can sense much suffering, Andrew. Something tells me she needs help desperately, more than any other person in here."

Andrew was holding her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze; he already knew at least part of what was worrying her. "But she's not willing to make a friend, is she?"

"I'm afraid not..." she finally admitted, but the blond angel was determined to lift her spirits.

"She is not the first assignment who’s acted like this with you, baby. You've had so many difficult ones in the past."

"You're right... Except that in the past I wasn't being accused of taking a human being's life away..."

"Accused of a crime you did not commit, Monica! God knows your kind and generous heart. He made you this perfect loving creature, and all the ones who love you know that you wouldn't be capable of hurting any living creature..."

A tiny smile appeared on the corner of her lips and she gently placed his hand against her heart. "I felt so ashamed, you know... Ashamed for you..."

"Ashamed? Why, angel?" he wanted to know, a bit surprised.

"I didn't want you to see me wearing... prison clothes and a pair of handcuffs... But now... Now, when you appear to me in the middle of the night, it doesn't matter so much..."

Andrew pulled her even closer, tightening the hold around her, and kissed the top of her head. "It really shouldn't. And soon these clothes, handcuffs and this cell will disappear, and we'll be both sitting together in a beautiful place, filled with sun and surrounded by God's wonderful creations. Everything that I know you enjoy so much."

He was rewarded with a broader smile and she was visibly enjoying that thought. But it faded soon, and was replaced by a worried, rather fearful expression.

"Another inmate doesn't seem pleased with my presence here..." she finally spoke, after a brief minute of silence.

"Another inmate?"

"She... she's already threatened me and told me to stay away from her..."

Now Andrew sat up straight, alarmed by that sudden piece of news. He cupped her chin and searched for her eyes, his usual protective instincts already on high alert. Monica tilted her head with disappointment, not missing the tension she could see in his eyes. "You're already too worried, and I knew this would happen once I told you about this person..."

"Who is she, Monica? What did she tell you? Has she done anything to you?" came the avalanche of questions.

Sighing deeply, Monica told him about the latest events involving Sheila and herself, and once she was finished the expression on his face was ten times more worried - there was no way he could hide it from her.

"Monica... angel, you have to let someone know about it, she cannot be threatening you like that!"

"If I wasn't an angel I'd tell you now that no one hears me in a place like this..." she looked at their conjoined hands, "... but I know this is not true and that God and two of His angels are always by my side, listening to me, reassuring me at this difficult moment... But apart from you and Tess, there's no one else... no one else, Andrew..."

Monica's words held so much sadness that it affected him terribly. And the fear that had settled inside the blond angel's heart was such that for a moment he didn't know what to say. All he could do was hold her tightly and kiss the top of her head repeatedly. Now he could understand those sad feelings coming from her soul, as he felt them too.

They talked for a while, and then Andrew made her lie next to him, resting her head underneath his chin. He covered her with the only blanket available there and started a monotonous movement with his fingers entangled through her hair. The blond angel was determined to make her put aside her worries at least for a while, and kept whispering loving words in her ear, even though deep down, he was the one terribly worried about what the future held for his precious angel.

"You are a wonderful angel, Monica, and I have so much faith in you... Please, don't give up... Trust that the Father, Tess and I will always be there for you, no matter what..."

"I always feel your presence even though you're miles away..." she replied, eyes closed and praying for those caresses to last.

"All those 'miles away' won't exist any longer when we get married!" he was trying to make her focus her mind on something else - Andrew knew that all that tension would end up causing her nightmares, besides reinforcing the permanent anguish that was already in her heart.

And he was rewarded with a sleepy smile. "Only you can bring me back some of my joy..."

"Don't tell me that you forgot about our marriage..." he was serious but there was an evident joking tone in his voice.

Her smile grew broader as she knew he was teasing her. Monica searched for his hand and moved her head up to look at him. Her dark eyes were sparkling and despite the sadness in them there was also a multitude of loving feelings. "How could I forget it if the promise of having your love for the rest of my existence is what keeps me standing now?"

"I love you..." after his whispered words were spoken, Andrew crossed the small distance between them and pressed his lips onto hers, so lightly, so gently that Monica felt as if she was transported to another place and time, a lot different from that one; somewhere that only belonged to them - a place where their souls connected and formed a perfect unit. He dared to deepen their loving kiss a bit more and she welcomed his tender touch, that sweet caress that was a permanent reminder of their infinite love.

It took a while before the angel in human form fell asleep but soothed by Andrew's love, Monica finally drifted off to a light sleep, lulled by the gentle movement of his fingers through her hair. In his angelic form, the angel of death spent the long hours imagining a way to take her out of that place before the worst happened. Monica, his precious Monica, had been threatened by an inmate and only God knew what that person had done to be in there. He was anguished, and that night he offered a special prayer for the Irish angel's safety, as she had already been through too much.

CHAPTER 8

Whenever she was on Earth, Monica was used to waking up with the gentle sunrays crossing the window and shining through her room and the singing of the birds announcing the beginning of a new day. But there, at that state prison, the only thing that would announce it was already morning was the loud and anguishing sound of a siren.

Being a constant observer of the human's nature, Monica noticed that the women in that place did things almost mechanically. Going from one place to another, they looked like robots with no soul, no feelings at all. She tried to spot Abby amongst them on the patio some time after breakfast, but the inmate was nowhere to be seen. The Irish angel headed to a more deserted area, where not many inmates were as it was not bathed by the sunlight, so important to them.

Monica scanned the area looking for the shy and sad woman she had met a while before, but instead a threatening voice reached her ears.

"Look who is here... Crossing my way again..."

Monica turned around to face Sheila, and now the inmate was alone.

Despite the fear that was taking over her soul, the Irish angel stared back at the woman. "I don't know why you talk to me like that... I haven't done anything to you..."

Sheila gave a few steps towards Monica and the cold look in her eyes caused a chill to run down her spine: only God knew what that woman had been through during her life, but whatever it was, it had taken her soul too far from God's love. One could easily see a lot of anger shining in there.

"Oh, poor you! 'You haven't done anything to me'!" she said, with a mock smile, and then her face became serious. "You might be my passport to freedom again, honey!"

There was no time for Monica to understand the meaning of those words: the woman pulled out a penknife from her pocket and knocked her down on the ground. "No! Please, I-"

She tried to cry for help, but Sheila covered her mouth and placed the sharp blade against her neck. "Shh... Didn't you understand what I said? I have to get outta here and once you're gone, I'm gone too!"

Monica fought to get rid of her but Sheila was twice her size, and was determined to use the weapon - a sudden cut in the palm of her hand caused Monica to panic at the vision of blood. Her ordeal in the woods had left deep wounds in her soul and the little angel couldn't control the fear every time she was exposed to violence, just like that moment. There was a fight, and more cuts, but before Sheila could use her knife again, another voice interrupted them.

"Hey! You two, stop that!"

Two guards rushed towards them and immediately separated the two fighting inmates. One of them was Tess.

"This one is hurt..." The supervisor said, doing everything she could not to show that she and Monica knew each other, even though deep inside she was hurting terribly to see her dearest friend suffering a physical abuse. She helped Monica stand on her feet. "Let's get her to the ward and call a nurse, she's hurt!"

"Okay, you take her, I'll take this one to detention!" the other guard spoke, shoving Sheila along the path. And it was then that she and Monica realized who had warned the security about Sheila's attack: Abby.

And before disappearing from her view, the dangerous inmate gave them another threatening warning. "You'll still hear from me soon! Both of you!"

The prison building had a ten bedded fully equipped hospital with necessary Medical and Paramedical support, and feeling Monica's shaking body, Tess took her to be examined by a nurse. Like a mother, the older angel placed a gentle hand over her shoulder. "I'm here, baby, I'm here..."

The little angel’s mind was whirling with thoughts and pain, but one thing came to mind above all others and she turned panicked eyes to her supervisor, “Tess! Andrew...you can’t-.”

But the older angel was already shaking her head, knowing exactly where her Angel Girl intended this conversation to go, “Baby, you can’t hide this from him; he’s going to know as soon as he sees you. You have more than one knife wound.”

Monica’s eyes turned to her hand and arm and seeing the blood she paled considerably and closed her eyes. A second later, she was swooning slightly.

“Pat! I need you over here!” Tess bellowed for the prison doctor as she helped her young charge to lie back on the bed before she passed out.

The Irish angel struggled to cling to consciousness and once she had lain down, her stomach began to calm and her head began to clear. The doctor and nurse were examining her wounds and someone laid a cool compress on her forehead.

“Well, two of them aren’t too bad, but the one in her hand and the one below her ribs are going to need a couple of stitches,” The doctor remarked as she shook her head. She saw so many inmates come and go through her doors, so many of these women hardened by their lives and the evil deeds they had done to get them here. Most of the time, Pat didn’t feel a thing when treating them; they were mostly all the same.

But at that moment, the auburn haired female opened her dark eyes and met them with Pat’s and the look in those eyes nearly took her breath away. Her eyes seemed to be a mirror to her soul and instead of the hate and anger Pat was accustomed to seeing in inmate’s eyes, there was sadness and hurt, but also acceptance and peace. None of it made sense to her, but she found herself suddenly caring about this young woman just the same.

“I’ll numb you up, Monica and you won’t feel a thing, I promise. In a week, the stitches will be out and you’ll be as good as new.”

“Thank you,” the angel murmured as she closed her eyes once more. She knew she should be happy that Abby had cared enough to get her help. She had seen the young woman standing off to the side, watching worriedly and had instantly known that Abby had been the one to go for help. Surely that was a breakthrough and she should be happy.

But all she could think about was how she had only been in here for three days, yet it felt more like months. How was she supposed to help Abby when she felt as if she herself were losing hope? Exhaustion suddenly felt as if it were invading every part of her human body and with a tiny sigh and the feeling of Tess’ fingers stroking her hair, she drifted off to sleep, unable to keep her eyes open any longer no matter how hard she tried. It was such an odd feeling, yet she had no control over it.

A heartbeat later, with her eyes still closed she was suddenly aware of a delightful intense warmth on her face and the feeling of sand under her bare toes. Opening her eyes to the sound of the surf, Monica gasped to find herself on a beach, a mere inches from the water’s edge.

“I thought you needed a little break.”

The tenderness of that voice caused her to turn around and almost hurl herself directly into Andrew’s waiting arms. As he held her tightly against himself, she only allowed herself to remain in that moment; what was going on in the medical ward of the prison no longer mattered.

“Thank you,” She whispered fiercely up against his chest, breathing in the scent of him.

“Baby, I am so sorry-.”

“No, please,” She begged, tilting her face up to look at him, “I don’t want to talk about what is going on down there. There’ll be time for that later and I know we only have a few minutes.”

Though what he wanted was to talk about it and be assured her heart was all right, he knew she was right. Back down there, her wounds would soon be stitched closed and the God-induced sleep would have to be lifted and force her back into reality again, “You’re right. Come on.”

Pulling away, he took her hand firmly in his own and they walked down closer to the water’s edge, allowing the waves to break gently over their feet and ankles. Monica’s dark eyes were fixed on the ocean and the sky, taking in every moment of which she had been deprived the last few days and every movement and expression caused the blonde angel’s breath to catch in his throat. She was so beautiful and so innocent and didn’t deserve the things she was going through. Yet here she was, smiling up at the seagulls that were flying then diving into the sea in search of a meal as the ocean breeze blew gently against her hair.

Andrew felt as if he needed to say something. He knew that despite her smile and despite the fact that she didn’t want to talk about the things that were hurting her, he knew she needed encouragement.

They walked in silence for a few more moments before Andrew stopped walking and turned to face her. Taking her other hand into his as well, he squeezed them lovingly and watched as she turned her trusting eyes to his.

“I know you don’t want to talk right now about what is going on down there, so just let me remind of how much I love you; of how hopelessly in love with you I am, Angel. I want to remind you of how you are my strength most of the time because you are the strongest little angel I know. I want to remind you that no matter what you are dealing with or going through, that I am always going to be right there beside you, in body, in heart or in spirit. You are never alone, my precious angel, never, even when your existence seems to be the darkest,” Dropping one of her hands, he cupped her cheek in his hand as he saw the tears shimmering in her dark eyes, “I will always be your light at the end of the long nights, baby. Always. This is my promise to you. I may not be able to end them, but I promise I will always be there.”

It took Monica a moment to be able to speak through the tears that were lodged in her throat, “I love you so much, Andrew. Just so much it makes my heart ache.”

They stood in silence for a moment, lost in each other’s eyes, but then Andrew caressed her cheek, “It’s time for you to go back, Angel.”

“I know,” She whispered, before standing up on tiptoe and bringing her lips to his, thankful when he lowered his head to accommodate her. A tiny sigh escaped Monica at the sweetness of their kiss, before it was deepened as their tongues sought access. For the moment it was all forgotten; Abby, Sheila, the crime she didn’t commit; all that mattered was Andrew and the incredible way he made her feel.

Reluctantly, their kiss ended as they rested their foreheads against each others, catching their breath, “I love you.” The little angel whispered once more.

“And I, you...with all my heart,” He replied just as softly, “I’ll see you tonight, beautiful angel.”

“Yes. You’ll be my light in the darkness; I’m counting on that.”

When Monica opened her eyes, she blinked several times before she realized that Tess, the doctor and the nurse were all looking at her worriedly. Her hand was already bandaged and she could feel a bandage below her ribs as well.

The doctor had been right. She hadn’t felt a thing.

CHAPTER 9

In all reality, the attack from Sheila had been a little bit of a blessing in disguise for Monica. Due to her injuries and the fact that she had “lost consciousness” for awhile while the doctor had closed her wounds, they elected to keep her in the infirmary overnight and though she wanted to talk to Abby, the angel was also secretly and ashamedly pleased that she didn’t have to face Sheila again until tomorrow. She didn’t know what “detention” meant actually or how long the other inmate would remain there and she was in no hurry to find out.

Her meals were brought into her and for the first time since arriving, Monica actually ate everything on her plate. She spent most of the day napping off and on, so by the time night rolled around, she was wide awake, but she had a feeling that had more to do with anxiety over Andrew’s late night visit.

Their brief rendezvous at the beach earlier had been wonderful, but she also knew that tonight he was going to want to talk about what had happened with Sheila. The fact was that she had no idea what to tell him as she didn’t know what had been spurring Sheila’s attacks or why the human hated her so much.

It was dark in the infirmary and also quiet, something Monica was no longer accustomed to at night. The other inmates in nearby cells usually made all sorts of noise at night, sometimes even yelling obscenities to each other but now, though the door to the infirmary was locked, she was actually alone.

She blinked, wishing when she opened her eyes, the darkness would be gone and with one more blink it was. Andrew was sitting on the edge of her bed and the soft glow around him engulfed them both. Wanting to put off the discussion that was to come, and also because there was nothing she wanted more, she flung herself into his arms.

“Thank you for today,” She murmured, “It helped more than you know.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Angel,” Andrew stroked her hair and then pulled away and tenderly took her bandaged hand, “I know you don’t want to talk about this, but baby, I need to know what happened.”

Monica lowered her eyes and sighed, “But Andrew, what does it matter? You can’t do anything about it.”

“Yes, I can. I can be here for you and that does matter to me,” He replied matter-of-factly.

Looking into his eyes, she saw his determination and the love he had for her, “Yes, I suppose it does matter. Andrew, I don’t know why Sheila hates me, but she just does. This morning, I was looking for Abby and I wandered off by myself and suddenly Sheila was there and she had a knife. She’s seeking me out for some reason and I don’t know why.”

He could see the frustrated tears that had started to fill her eyes and he pulled her close once more, “Shhh. It’s okay. Did you find Abby?” He quickly changed tactics until she had calmed down a little bit.

“Actually, she found me. She was the one who went for help when Sheila was attacking me. She got Tess.”

“Well, that is a good thing then. Something you said to Abby must have made a difference, Angel.”

“I hope so. I’m anxious to talk to her,” She looked up at him and then looked away for a moment, “Andrew?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Do you know how long detention lasts?”

The fear in her voice and the way she bit her lower lip nearly shattered him, but he struggled to keep his own voice steady and calm, “I would think for what she did to you, it would be more than twenty-four hours.” Seeing her nod her head, he continued, “Angel...baby, did she say anything at all about why she seems to have it out for you? It just doesn’t make any sense, Monica.”

“I know,” She whispered tearfully, hating herself for being so close to crying. Trying to center herself, she thought back on her attack that morning, “She said....she seems to think that I am how she is going to get out of here. She said that once I was gone, she was gone too, but I don’t know what that means, Andrew! I haven’t done anything wrong; I haven’t done anything to this woman!”

Andrew's head reared back in shock and realization. It seemed that the angel of death was sorting the pieces of a giant puzzle together as now things started to make perfect sense to him. A murderer who shoved a gun into Monica's hands so that she could leave fingerprints on it, the crime happening at the same time she passed by that alley, the mysterious witness who had appeared out of nothing stating that she had seen Monica shooting Edward Nowels and now this... The little Irish angel was the sweetest creature he'd ever met in all his existence and another human being suddenly hating her out of nothing seemed too unrealistic.

Unless that inmate already had a target - unless someone had told her to put Monica out of their way.

"Andrew?"

Monica's soothing voice and the confused expression on her face drove him away from his thoughts. And the way she was looking at him, so innocent, so unaware of the terrible and dirty plot that had been set against her, broke his heart. Trying his best not to panic, he kissed the little angel's hand and held it in both of his, pressing it against his heart. His dear Monica. Panic crept over him to think that someone was determined to hurt her - to kill the "woman named Monica" in order to hide another heinous crime.

The little angel kept on staring at him with questioning eyes, not missing the conflict in his own green ones. "What is it, Andrew?"

After the ordeal Monica had been through in her latest assignment, he wished nothing but to spare her from hearing that someone wanted to hurt her. But on the other hand, she had to be alert so that she could protect herself from the woman who had obviously been hired to eliminate her.

Searching for the right words, he held her both hands and kissed each of them. "Monica... angel, I've just realized something very important... and very serious..."

"What is it?"

"This woman... this inmate who attacked you today hasn't turned against you out of nothing, baby. She's being paid to... to take you out of someone's way."

Monica's eyes grew wide at that piece of news. "What? But... but who, Andrew?"

"Edward Nowels' murderer." He caressed her cheek so tenderly, so lightly that an inch of her heart immediately calmed down. "They wanted to kill the man and were looking for a way to get away with it. You appeared to be the perfect second victim, angel. Like I told you, the fact that you witnessed the murderer wasn't just evil crossing your way: everything had previously been set up. And they are still following your steps. This inmate's words to you are the proof that there's someone promising her money and her freedom in exchange for... for erasing any possible evidence against them."

Monica's face fell as she slowly took in what he was telling her. A single tear crossed down her cheek as she spoke again, sadness in her voice.

"I shouldn't be so shocked at human beings' hateful attitudes after what I've been through with Phil... But... I still am..." she finally spoke, with defeat and disappointment in her voice.

Andrew couldn't wait any longer: moved with emotion and at the same time terribly worried about her, he pulled the sad little angel into his arms. He held her carefully not to cause her any pain, but that the same time closely enough so that she could feel protected and much loved.

"You still do because it's part of your true nature, baby. Your soul is innocent and pure and that's because God made you like this. Just perfect... That's why you manage to do so many wonderful things to all the ones who cross your way..." He bent his head down and cupped her face with one hand, keeping his right arm permanently around her body. "That's why I love you so much... so very much..."

Without breaking their eye contact, she raised one hand and gently placed it against his heart. "I have no right to ask you this... But... could you stay around... at least... this night... and whenever you have some time?"

Andrew shook his head and gently admonished her. "You have the right to ask me anything, baby. There's nothing in this world that I'd deny you..." he kissed her forehead again, "And concerning your request, you didn't even have to ask me that, because watching over you, even in your sleep, is my permanent assignment. And I promise you that I'll be a constant..."

"I love you..."she said, after some minutes contemplating his dark green eyes, marvelled at the immense love she could see in them. Their faces inched closer and soon the small distance between them disappeared. A loving kiss broke the sad atmosphere in that small infirmary room; his lips brushing against hers softly, like a promise of never-ending love. Andrew also kissed her cheeks, eyelashes and the tip of her nose, and then reached for her wounded hands, repeating the same ritual of delivering soft kisses along her injured skin. Monica's lips curved into a tiny smile and he could notice a slight blush rising on her cheeks. "Andrew..."

She looked incredibly adorable to him and the blond angel felt as if he had fallen in love all over again. "I hope it doesn't hurt that much by now..."

Monica lowered her head for a moment, blushing even more. Then she turned to look at him again; sweet brown eyes sparkling with love despite the evident sadness he could see reflected in them. "It doesn't..."

The blond angel lay both hands on each side of her pretty face and captured her lips with his own once again. When he pulled away, Andrew straightened the blanket on the bed and gently motioned her to lie back in bed. He too lay next to her and once they were both settled there, Andrew wrapped his arm around her shoulders and brought her close to him. Monica quickly abandoned the pillow and rested her head over his chest.

"You sleep now, my beautiful angel... I'll be here to watch over you, okay?"

"Suddenly I feel so tired... so..." she whispered back, feeling her eyelids grow heavy and lulled by the gentle movement of his fingers through her hair. His presence there had certainly put her heart at ease and only now she could trust that nothing would harm her while she was unconscious.

Andrew kissed the top of her head repeatedly. "Shh... You need to rest, baby... Rest and have sweet dreams..." he said, removing a few strands of hair from her face, "... and never forget how much I love you..."

Some long and silent minutes followed and he thought that she had already fallen asleep when her soothing voice spoke again.

"... never..."

CHAPTER 10

When Monica opened up her eyes on the following day her beloved Andrew had already left. She knew that would happen, it wasn't a surprise to her. But especially considering the latest events, his absence was amazingly more painful to bear. She let out a sigh and looked at her surroundings, wondering what that new day would bring but also remembering that at least she wouldn't have to deal with the inmate who had hurt her on the previous morning. Flashbacks of Sheila's attack kept playing on her mind whenever she closed her eyes like a permanent nightmare, and in an attempt to cast them away she bowed her head and conjoined her hands.

"Father, please, give me the courage that I seem to have lost... Help me, please... I so want to fulfil your assignment... I so want to help this young woman who seems as miserable as I am in here..."

And then she prayed in silence for the following minutes, until a move on the doorknob interrupted her. It was the doctor who took care of her followed by Tess. "Oh, you're awake already! It's a good sign then!" she said, and proceeded in examining the patient that had touched her heart and raised her compassion for other human beings - something she seemed to have long forgotten. Monica looked at Tess and the supervisor's gaze back at her was one of encouragement and that, besides Andrew, there was another angel watching over her.

Some time later, as the doctor predicted, Monica was free from the infirmary and back to stay with the other inmates. It was still breakfast time and Tess walked with her up to the place where food was served and made sure she got a tray with it.

"Now you heard the doctor, you have to eat. This human form of yours has to be strong until this situation is over and you know how angel boy and I worry about it!" the supervisor spoke, the tone of her voice a severe and caring one.

The little angel let out a tired sigh as they walked. "I know... I know how much you two worry about me and sometimes... sometimes I feel ashamed of causing so much trouble..."

Tess' frowned at hearing those words. She stood before Monica and made her stop walking. "Now you listen to me, Miss Wings! Don't you ever think of apologizing because of that! Yes, we worry very, very much about you because we love you! Besides, you're here doing God's work, which makes Andrew and I amazingly proud of you!"

Those words, spoke in a harsh, scolding way, warmed the Irish angel's heart and caused a tiny smile to appear in the corner of her lips. "I love you so much, Tess..." she said, tilting her head and looking at the supervisor with admiration and gratitude.

"And don't I know that?" she replied, matter-of-factly, causing Monica's smile to grow wider. "And I cannot hold you here, we're in public, and among the other inmates."

"I know..."

Tess's face then softened as she realized it was time to leave her dearest friend. "You take care of yourself, baby. I'll be watching over Sheila's friends so that they don't get in your way."

As the supervisor left, Monica found herself alone again, standing amongst strangers who didn't care if she existed or not. She made no difference in there - at least, not at first as no one would have thought that an angel of God had been sent to that prison in order to perform a miracle.

And on that morning this miracle seemed a bit closer to be achieved. The Irish angel spotted in between the many inmates, hidden in a corner and invisible to the others, Abby.

"Excuse me... may I sit here?" Monica asked, carefully approaching the solitary inmate. Abby shrugged her shoulders and the angel took a seat in front of her. Carefully placing her tray on the long, decayed wooden table, she spoke again. "I wanted to thank you for what you did for me yesterday..."

"You should stay away from Sheila. She doesn't like you and that means you have a problem." The woman replied, not facing her back.

"When I first came in here I thought no one cared... I felt... extremely lonely and prayed to God asking for reassurance... And after yesterday's episode I realized that I was wrong... that someone was still capable of caring..."

Abby stopped eating. "Seems you're luckier than me, then..."

"Do you have a family?"

The young woman sighed, obviously that question brought up immediate sad memories. "Yes..."

"And... do they come to visit you?"

She shook her head. "They're far away..."

"Then I trust you're in their thoughts all the time..."

Finally, the young woman raised her head and looked at Monica. "And then I'd say you trust too much..."

So much disbelief and lack of faith did shock the Irish angel, and at that moment she could somewhat see herself mirrored in Abby. That made her want to help her even more. "I do... Even though I have moments of doubt, but then I'm always proved that I'm wrong and confronted with reassurance."

"Wish I could say the same..." Abby said, more to herself than to Monica.

"Someone who is ready to help people like you did yesterday has a lot of potential to believe. When you saw Sheila attacking me you were quick to call for help without expecting anything in return and was aware that your act of kindness could be dangerous to you. And yet, you did help me."

For the first time, the inmate looked at her. "There's no hope for me, you see..."

"Oh, yes, there is. You're God's child too, Abby. All of us are. When I first got here I guess I forgot this fact... but we're all deserving... you are deserving too."

"Thanks for your words, Monica, but... I guess I gave up believing this..." she stood up and started to walk away. Monica also rose to her feet and gave a few steps.

"And I cannot believe that someone who acts the way you acted yesterday could have done something so terrible up to the point to be here..." the angel spoke, causing the inmate to stop. Something in those words did cause an impact.

CHAPTER 11

It was right before dinner that the word came that her lawyer wanted to see her and hope immediately sprang up in Monica’s heart that made her feel extremely guilty. As an angel she should not want to abandon her assignment of helping Abby, yet all she could think about was getting out of here and far away from people who wanted to hurt her.

As she hurriedly followed the guard to the small room, she berated herself for not trusting in God enough, but everything she had ever known now felt different. People kept trying to hurt her and she didn’t understand why these things kept happening. First it had been Jim, who had kidnapped her, then Phil and now Sheila and whoever she was working for. The little angel bit her lip worriedly; did she somehow draw these kinds of humans to herself? Was something in her defective that it allowed such violence to seek her out? Surely this couldn’t be what the Father wanted for her! Yes, she had been in trouble before, but never like this with one assignment after another. Jim had found her because she had walked away from Andrew and she had wound up being in Phil’s clutches because she had not wanted to listen to Andrew’s words of warning, so maybe the problem did lie within her.

As they arrived at the door, Monica shook her head, not liking the places her thoughts were going. What was it about this horrible place that made her feel so lost and hopeless?

Andrew looked up as Monica came into the room and he was immediately struck by the storm in her dark eyes. He couldn’t even put his finger on any one emotion he saw there, but he knew that it frightened him so much that all he wanted was to pull her into his arms and hold onto her so tightly.

“Did you find out anything?” Her voice sounded small and childlike even to her and she knew that Andrew could sense her helplessness. It was suddenly all she could do to not burst into tears. She wanted to be in Andrew’s arms. She wanted to be Home or even at their cabin. Anywhere but here.

He was on his feet immediately, and ushering her into a chair, alarmed with how pale and fragile she appeared. Kneeling beside her chair, he struggled to meet her eyes, “Angel? What is it? What’s wrong?”

Monica closed her eyes to force back the tears, knowing she couldn’t tell him all she had been thinking when she was still processing it herself, yet she hated the words that escaped her lips even more, “You have to get me out of here. Please Andrew. Please.”

His anxiety shot through the roof at the plea that was so unlike Monica. Yes, she had been doubting her abilities lately because of all she had gone through, but this out and out desperation to be removed from her assignment was so out of character for her that he no longer knew what to think.

“Baby, what happened?” Andrew feared that Sheila was back out and amongst the general public again, even though he felt certain that was impossible.

Shame consumed her as she struggled to rein in her emotions, “I’m sorry. I...I shouldn’t have said that. I know you’re doing all you can and that I’m supposed to be here. I just....”

“Sweetheart, what?” His green eyes were pleading with her and he could barely keep up with the wide range of emotions that she had been going through the last few days.

Her helpless expression nearly undid him, “I don’t know,” Monica uttered as a lone tear made its way down her cheek, “I didn’t expect this to be so hard...”

“Listen to me. This is hard and baby, if I could trade places with you, I would in a heartbeat-.”

“I’d never ask that of you,” She insisted brokenly as he rested his hands on her knees.

“I know that, and that’s part of the reason why I would do it without you even asking.” Andrew swallowed hard as he watched her eyes brim with tears that threatened to break free at any moment and he knew he had to center her again. Usually, this wasn’t anything she needed, but here in this place, she was like a delicate bird in a cage who had forgotten how to sing. Her captivity was threatening her free spirit and knowing that lies had piled up against her was making her lose faith in the very race she was trying to help.

“Sweet angel, please listen to what I have to say. Whatever you are thinking about yourself is not true--.”

“I miss you!” The words burst from her lips as tears escaped her eyes, “I want more than stolen moments at night when I’m so tired I can barely stay awake, Andrew! I’m so lonely for you, all the time and it’s all because these people keep wanting to do things to keep us apart! The only time anything makes sense is when you are here! You’re my light in the darkness of this place and when you aren’t here, it is so dark, Andrew! It’s just so dark!”

Suddenly he no longer cared that there was a guard right outside the door. Andrew tugged her into his arms and held her as tightly as he dared up against his chest as he blinked back his own tears. His fingers clutched her back and the back of her head as she cried up against him. No, he didn’t understand all she had told him, but he had understood enough, “Shh, Angel Girl. It’s going to be okay. I promise it will be.”

“What if it isn’t?” Monica sobbed, as she buried her face against the nape of his neck, “What if I never get out of here? This wasn’t supposed to happen, but it has to be this way just the same....and what if there never is a way to prove I didn’t kill that man? Remember that angel in the mental institution? She had been there for years, Andrew!”

Pulling away, he took her face into his hands, “That is not going to happen!”

“But it already feels like years! And if I never get out of here, I’ll never be able to marry you and I want that more than anything!”

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Andrew held her gaze and Monica struggled to control her tears. Their hearts shared a beat and slowly the rhythms began to slow back to normal. He further calmed himself by taking tender time wiping away her tears with his fingers. Only once her sobs had diminished, did he speak.

“I am going to marry you, Angel,” Andrew’s voice was so soft it seemed to touch her very soul, “There isn’t anything in this universe strong enough to keep that from happening, I promise you. Do you hear me? I promise you.”

Monica managed a shaky nod of her head, “I trust you. I do. I just get so scared in here. It’s not like anyplace else I’ve ever been before. No one cares about anyone else and sometimes the apathy here....it makes me feel like I can’t breathe, Andrew.” She lowered her eyes shyly, “I’m sorry I said all those things. You didn’t need to hear them.”

“Yes, I did,” He replied gently as he laid a hand over her heart, “I knew there were things you were keeping in here and I always want to know what they are, Monica.”

She nodded slowly, “I don’t want to feel this way, you know.”

“I know that, and I want you to know how much I miss you too. If I could be here every moment, Angel, I would be, but the next most important thing to being with you is getting you out of here and I’m working on that.”

“I know and I’m so thankful to have you as my lawyer,” Monica managed a tearful smile, “I’d like to think you have a vested interest in your client.”

Her attempt at lightening the mood warmed his heart, even though he could still tell she was barely hanging onto her emotions, “I’d say that is the understatement of the year. But of course, we have not yet discussed the matter of payment for my services.”

A shaky laugh escaped her, “Did you have something in particular in mind?”

Andrew appeared thoughtful for a moment, “Well, maybe a few million...of these,” His lips captured hers in a soulful kiss that nearly stole away her breath.

As their lips parted, the little angel rested her head against his shoulder and breathed in the scent of him, “I love you so much,” She whispered.

“I love you too, baby, with all my heart,” He hugged her close to him for a few more moments. He was sure that the emotions of the last several minutes had not only helped her but exhausted her as well. He also had a feeling that once he was able to get her out of here, he would be spending some time helping the little angel to get back to herself. This experience had been more than difficult for her and it wasn’t over yet. He only hoped he could help keep her focused until it was.

Still in his arms, Monica closed her eyes, only wishing to stay here in this moment forever, but knowing she couldn’t, “So, my lawyer wanted to see me?”

“Mmm hmm,” His fingers brushed through her hair, in no hurry to let her go as they were apparently getting some Divine Intervention as the guard outside the door was nowhere to be seen, “I finally have a place to start, Angel. Edward Nowels worked for one of the largest banks in New York City; The First National Bank of Manhattan. I talked to his wife today and when I told her about this witness stating that her husband was having an affair, she insisted there was no way that was possible. Tina said that if Edward was having a relationship with anything else, it was with the bank.”

Keeping her eyes closed, Monica swallowed hard, “But that isn’t proof, Andrew. No woman would want to believe her husband was cheating on her.”

Kissing her forehead in an attempt to soothe her once more, he continued, “Tina also said that the week before he died, her husband was visibly upset by something going on at work. He told her that he had a feeling someone was cheating the company out of millions of dollars, but he had to prove it. Angel, he never got the chance to prove it that Tina knows of. He died before it could happen.”

The little angel’s eyes sprang open at those words, “So the person who was stealing the money could be the one who killed him.” She raised her head and for the first time today there was a faint spark of hope in her eyes.

Reaching up, Andrew stroked her cheek lovingly, “Yes. That’s what I’m working on finding out.”

“But what about this witness? The one who says I was having an affair with him? What she says is going to mean so much if you can’t find out who Edward was worried about.”

“But that is why I am going to find out who Edward was worried about,” He replied with determination.

“I just wish I knew why this witness is lying about me,” Monica murmured sadly.

“Some people, baby, just want their thirty seconds of fame. Maybe lying about knowing something gets her name into a newspaper and makes her feel better about herself; makes her feel like she is important.”

“But at the expense of someone else.”

He nodded his head, feeling the heaviness of her heart within his own. A light rap at the door signalled that they needed to wrap up their conversation and Andrew noticed the brave face Monica was trying to summon.

Forcing a watery smile, she managed to speak, “I promise I’m not going to cry and make leaving any harder for you.”

“I’ll be back in just a few hours. You know that,” He watched as she nodded her head though he could tell she was biting the inside of her lip to hold back the tears. Glancing up at the door, he then turned his attention back to her, “I know that Tess has your ring and though that is a sign of my commitment to you, sweetheart, the real proof lies here,” Taking her hand, he guided it to his heart, “My heart beats only for you, sweet angel and it is so full of love for you that grows every single day, even when it seems so full that there could not possibly be room for anymore love, it’s there. You hold onto that when nothing else makes sense and you are feeling all alone. Promise me.”

“I promise,” Monica whispered and against her will, a tear fell upon her cheek, which he kissed away.

Helping her to her feet, Andrew met his gaze with hers and held it for a long moment, trying to transmit all his love for her while not showing her any of his worry for her emotional state of being.

Their gaze was only broken when the door opened and they were forced to go their separate ways once more; one to her own private hell and the other to try to rescue her from it.

CHAPTER 12

The siren echoed through the prison corridors and cells, announcing it was time for dinner. The women living in there walked mechanically to the patio, where food was served, under the attentive eyes of the female guards. They were ready to react in case any of the inmates tried to "get smart" with them.

What no one knew was that one of these guards was an angel in disguise. Tess tried to control her anxiety while she waited for a dear friend to appear down in the hall. And fortunately, it didn't take too long for Monica to join the others. Her eyes held much sadness and it was possible to feel her heart was grieving. The two angels exchanged a silent gaze and Tess nodded slightly, as if trying to reassure her that she was not alone in there.

Monica received a dish of food and, as always, headed up to the empty table in an empty corner. She looked around her searching for Abby but this one was nowhere to be seen. The angel started eating, her thoughts miles away from that place, picturing a day and a time when she and her beloved Andrew would be together again. The flavourless food brought her a sweet memory that warmed her heart. She was working for Mrs Lancaster and Andrew usually walked her up to her temporary apartment. He didn't use to stay for too long and one specific day, the blond angel told her he would make her company for only a few minutes. Her initial disappointment was suddenly replaced by joy when she opened up the apartment door and found out there was a romantic candlelight dinner waiting for them.

She was nearly smiling when a sudden voice took her out of her reverie.

"May I sit here?"

Abby was standing right before her and for the first time she didn't seem to be afraid of anyone who tried to come closer.

"Of course you can, Abby. You're always welcome." Monica replied, surprised and wondering if the words she had told her earlier on that same day had had some impact on the woman.

"Thank you, Monica." She took the seat right opposite to the angel. "I know I'm not very talkative but... sometimes..."

"... it's difficult to live in the most complete silence."

She sighed and nodded. "Yes..."

"I know how it feels, Abby... And... if I could be of any help... then perhaps I could give some meaning to the reason why I'm here..."

Abby reached out and placed a hand over Monica's arm. "Thank you."

They started eating and Monica debated in the best way to approach the woman, afraid of saying anything wrong and pushing her away again. All the wanted was help, as an escape from her own loneliness and misery.

But before she knew it, Abby was speaking again. "How have you been after Sheila's attack?"

"I'm... I'm better, thanks. There were some stitches and minor injuries, but I'll be fine."

"Stay away from her and from her friends, Monica. Don't be embarrassed to run if you see them coming closer, as these people... they have nothing else to lose." She warned her, feeling sorry for the angel turned into human form.

Monica bit her lower lip, fearing for her integrity and still shocked at human beings' cruelty. "I will... I promise I will."

"If my husband was here he would probably say that I'm wrong, that it's them who have to fear for being wrong." She shook her head and took one more spoon of food. "Fred couldn't know the consequences..."

And that piece of information raised the angel's curiosity. "Your husband? Are you married?"

"I... I was... Fred passed away nine months ago."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" she said, and it was possible to see the genuine compassion in those brown eyes.

"It seems a century. A day away from the people you love is already too difficult to bear. Nine months... is a painful eternity."

"I know what you mean..." she said, her thoughts again on her beloved protector. "What about your family?"

Abby placed the spoon inside her dish, half of her food eaten, and looked at Monica with great sadness. "It was just Fred, Corey and me..."

"Corey?"

"Our son. He's one year and three months old now..."

"Oh, Abby! A little boy!" Monica's smile faded slowly as a tear fell from the woman's eye. "What is it? Where is he now?"

"Corey was placed in foster care... I haven't seen him since the day I got here, exactly nine months ago... When I was arrested under the accusation of murdering his father..."

Drawing in a deep breath, Monica frowned in surprise and shock. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You? I..."

"I know it's quite common to declare innocence around here, so if you don't want to believe it, I-"

"Oh, no! I do believe you! I'm..." she looked deep inside the woman's eyes, and her angelic nature told her that there was much honesty in there. Once again, Monica saw herself reflected in that poor woman. She was glad that at least this ability had remained intact. "... I know you were not capable of committing such a horrible thing..."

"You're the only person in the world then..."

Monica stared at her for a few moments, still processing the new information and the consequences it could have. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Aren't you going to get tired of listening to-"

"No... no, please... What does your lawyer say? Isn't there any chance to-"

"I couldn't afford one, and although the public defendant who took care of my case tried everything he could, there was no way to prove that I didn't kill Fred that afternoon. I received a phone call at work, a message from Fred, telling me that I should go home because he had found out something terribly wrong at work, and that he wanted to take his family away from the city. I did and when I got there... I already found him dead... stabbed..."

"Oh, Abby... I'm so sorry!" there were tears in the corner of Monica's eyes at hearing such a terrible report.

"The police arrived just after me, and I was found by his body. There was no evidence the house had been broken into... my fingerprints were in the knife as well..." she explained. "Everything seemed to have been previously set up for me..."

"You said that your husband was investigating something at work?"

"Yes, Fred worked for the First Manhattan Bank, and it seems someone was embezzling money from within the company."

At hearing those words, Monica's heart skipped a beat. The First Manhattan Bank was exactly the same bank where Edward Nowels worked!

X

The day passed by with agonizing slowness for Monica. More than ever, she wanted evening to come so that she could be in Andrew's arms again and listening to his loving and reassuring words. But that night there was another reason why she wanted to see him. Abby, the only inmate she had befriended, was in that same prison because of a crime she didn't commit. Her murdered husband worked at the same place Edward Nowels worked. The same Edward Nowels who had also been murdered in a dark alley a while ago. The same man whose death had sent her to prison.

As an angel of God she knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Maybe that was the reason why she was there. Monica had to help Abby, she felt it from the start, when the inmate's story was still unknown to her. Impatiently, she paced inside the small cell with her arms crossed, and finally her protector appeared in his angelic form.

"Andrew!" she said, rushing to him with her arms open. That reception did surprise him, as the blond angel was expecting to find her lying in bed and with the same sad expression that would break his heart. In a heartbeat, he gathered her in his arms and close to him, worry written in his eyes.

"Angel... What is it?" he wanted to know, imagining the worst. What if Sheila had already been released from detention? What if she had threatened Monica again?

She rested her head over his shoulder and closed her eyes for a while, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms - it was her little piece of heaven in between so much sadness. "Please, let me hold you for a while..." she whispered, arms comfortably around his neck and in no hurry to let him go.

"You can hold me forever, baby..." Andrew spoke, caressing her auburn hair with one hand, keeping the other arm tightly wrapped around her small form.

"That would be lovely..." after her reply, they remained there, still, hearts sharing the same rhythm, the same beat. Long minutes later, did she pull away a few inches, to look at his handsome face. "I guess I made you worry with my greeting, I didn't mean-"

"Shh..." he gently silenced her by pressing his index finger against her lips. "I know something happened and that you'll tell me about it soon, but I can see it's not what I feared. That's why I need to do something first..."

As he bent his head and started to cross the small distance between them, her eyes closed again, in expectation for the sweet caress about to come. Monica could feel his warm breath against her skin, and on the following second, his lips brushing lightly against hers. Andrew kissed her for a long, pleasant minute, and after that he pulled her closer to him again. He kissed the side of her head. "We've been away for only a few hours and it's like I haven't seen you for ages..."

"I know... I feel the same..."

The angel of death gently pulled away and cupped her cheek. "You have something to tell me, don't you?"

"I found out something today..." she said, detecting his great concern.

Andrew finally let go of her and took both of her hands. He kissed each of them and led her to sit on the small bed. "Tell me what happened."

"Today, for the first time, I managed to talk to Abby." She said, and the expression on her face was one of a surprised little girl, which only made her even more adorable to him.

"And?"

"She told me why she's here..." after a short pause, she continued to speak. "Her husband was murdered, Andrew, and she was accused of this crime."

The blond angel frowned hearing that. Far from him judging a child of God, far from him assuming someone is bad or good without knowing all the facts, but the first thing that came to his mind was if Monica should let the inmate be close to her. "Murderer?"

"Yes, but she's innocent..."

One of the million things he loved about her was her loving and generous heart, always trusting, always ready to help. But she could be naïve sometimes and he wondered if that was one of these occasions. "Monica, you see, there's a big difference in-"

"She is innocent, Andrew! I know she is!" The Irish angel insisted. "When I look at her... since the first time I saw her, I see... I see my own sorrow reflected in her eyes..."

Andrew let out a sigh. He didn't want her to think he was putting her judgement in check, but at the same time, he feared for her safety in a place like that, where innocent people were rare to find. "I trust in your heart, angel. Even though I've been having difficulties trusting human beings lately..." he said, with all his honesty, and hoping she would understand him.

She did. Monica let go of one of his hands and caressed his face. "I know what you mean, Andrew... I can't say it's easier for me either..."

They were talking about the sad memories of a recent past, flashbacks that would keep playing on their minds once in a while and plaguing their sleep while they were in human form.

"But I have more than only my feelings to base my judgement this time, Andrew. Abby told me that her husband was carrying an investigation at the company where he worked and that he found someone was embezzling money. It was because of this that he was killed, and everything was set up for the police to find her by his dead body."

"Her lawyer, didn't he find any evidence that it wasn't her?"

"The public defendant who assisted her couldn't find anything to prove her innocence." She squeezed his both hands. "Andrew... Abby's husband worked for the First National Bank of Manhattan."

If the angel of death was initially doubting the inmate could be telling the truth, now that piece of news came as a shock to him. "The First National Bank of Manhattan? The same place where Edward Nowels worked?"

Monica nodded her head enthusiastically. "Yes. And what my heart tells me now, Andrew, is that perhaps I found a meaning to my stay here... even if it tears my soul apart to see the sun and the blue sky outside, be deprived of God's creations and especially to watch you leave..."

Andrew let go of her hands and held her in his arms again. "This isn't a coincidence, angel. You and I know that."

She nodded her head against his chest. "I do..."

"And what you found out today, Monica, is precious information. You gave me something new to work on, as we didn't have much to prove your innocence."

The Irish angel pulled away. "May I ask you something?"

"You know the answer for that."

"Take care of Abby's case? She has a wee son, who is living in foster care somewhere, and she's miserable without him, Andrew... He's her only family right now..."

"Of course I will, angel. First thing in the morning, Abby's new lawyer will appear here... And he might also pay his other client a visit!"

His attempt to lighten the mood was rewarded with a teary smile. "It's the best time of the day... along with this..."

Also smiling, he brushed a gentle kiss against her lips. Then he pulled the blanket and made room for her to lie. "Now, off to bed, beautiful client."

Once they were settled and she was resting her head over his chest, Andrew entangled his fingers through her auburn hair and started to caress it, lulling her to sleep so that she could have some moments of peace.

"Andrew..." a sleepy voice spoke.

"Yes?"

"My soul is only complete, if you exist..."

Lost for words, he tightened the hold around her small form and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, angel... with all my heart and my soul..."

X

The night fell slowly and dark inside Monica's prison cell. Andrew remained there, lying right next to her and holding her tightly, chasing away the nightmares that always haunted her restless sleep. His angelic presence there seemed to soothe her soul as she would always fall asleep lulled by his loving words and gentle caresses. The angel of death watched her for long minutes, never getting enough of that image: she looked so beautiful and yet so fragile in his arms that the mere thought of leaving on the following day caused him to feel extremely guilty.

But time was implacable with the two angels as the morning sunrays finally shone upon Earth announcing that a new day was beginning and that it was time for him to say goodbye to the one he loved so dearly. Monica's face was serene and he hoped that it would remain like that at least for some more time. Carefully, he disentangled from her loving embrace and sat down by the bed. "I have to go now, my angel... I'll leave you under the Father and Tess' care, and I know that they will keep you safe until I come back to you again." He whispered, holding her hand against his heart. He kissed her palm and kept on speaking, aware that somehow she would be listening to him. "And I want you to know that nothing brings me greater joy other than coming back to you, so that I can hear your voice and hold you close to me, like I did all night long."

Andrew placed her hand back over her stomach and then straightened the blanket around her small form, covering her up to her neck and rearranging her pillow. After he made sure she seemed to be "comfortable" enough, the blond angel stroked her hair, drinking in every little detail of her meek features, as if keeping it close to his heart so that he could go through the day. He leaned over and brushed a soft kiss against her lips, lightly enough not to wake her up but long enough for him to savour the sweet contact. "I love you, sweet angel... Forever." He whispered, as he pulled away.

Andrew reappeared outside the prison building. The sunrise was beautiful and its gentle and warm rays touched his handsome face as a soothing caress. Only his sweet Monica had the power to touch his cheeks and lips as lightly as that, and he sighed with frustration as she was not there with him to share that beautiful scenario with him. The angel of death turned his green eyes up to the sky and prayed.

"Father, please take care of her... Please, keep the gentle and warm-hearted angel that You and I love so much safe... Use me as an instrument to set her free from this terrible place because confinement is tearing up her soul. Please, show me a way to help her..."

On the following second, his surroundings changed drastically. Andrew was now standing inside an office, still in his angelic form. As it was still early in the morning, there were only two people standing in that small room. One of them was a tall blond man, elegantly dressed with a black suit. The other, a woman in her mid-forties, and judging by the expression on her face, she looked tense.

"You did a good job, Ms Matthews. Your testimony, along with the two policemen's, are the only evidence the police have to solve Edward Nowels' murder." The man said, walking around the room and finally making a stop right in front of her.

"Mr Gibbs, what if they find out that I'm lying? What if-" she nervously tried to speak, but he interrupted her.

"There is now 'what if,' Ms Davis. Edward Nowels was killed by his lover, the woman who was arrested by the police on the night of the crime, and who is now locked inside a state prison, waiting for the day of her trial!" he corrected.

Andrew frowned with great worry at those words: those people were talking about the crime that had been unfairly placed on Monica; they were talking about his Monica!

"And I assume she'll be considered guilty..." she said, rubbing her hands and lowering her eyes so as not to meet his own blue ones.

"This is the plan. You will go to the judge again and you will confirm that you saw the Monica woman shooting Edward Nowels! It was dark at first, and you were passing by the alley when you heard two distinct voices. They were low at first and you realized that there were two people arguing, Edward and Monica. You saw it when she suddenly pointed a gun at him and shot twice. And then, when Edward was on the ground, she shot him once again!"

Andrew watched as the woman nodded her head slowly, “How many more innocents are you going to help put in jail for Jeremy Richards?” There was a bitter quality to her voice now and the angel felt a small surge of hope that maybe the woman would change her mind about lying, “You now have Abby Kopka in jail and now this Monica woman. One day Jeremy’s luck is going to run out!”

Wayne Gibbs leaned over the table to make eye contact, “I didn’t hear you complaining when you cashed in for carrying your part of this. Jeremy is paying you a pretty penny to lie and you had no problem using your earnings to purchase your new home in cash. Watch yourself, Miss Matthews, or you could be victim number three.”

The angel’s stomach twisted into a painful knot as he watched the resigned look come across the woman’s face. The human had gotten herself in too deep and now she regretted it. But with her life hanging in the balance, she felt she had little choice but to send another innocent to life in prison, this time, the innocent being his beloved angel.

CHAPTER 13

Abby Kopka was more than a little concerned when she was instructed that her lawyer needed to meet with her. Her lawyer had been appointed by the state and had been more or less worthless during her open and shut trial. But she followed the guard just the same, head down as to not make eye contact with any other inmates. Prison was a dangerous place and though she had managed not to tick anyone off while she had been here, she only wished the same were true for Monica.

The young woman with the Irish accent was the one and only person Abby had befriended in the nine months she had been here and that came as a surprise to her. She had spent the last nine months trying not to speak to anyone, but Monica had been pretty insistent at first and something about the other woman had touched Abby’s heart. She could see in Monica’s eyes her own fear and uncertainty about being here and when Monica had explained to her about the man she was accused of killing working in the same bank as her late husband, Abby knew she had found a kindred spirit.

As the guard opened the door to the meeting room, Abby found herself face to face with a blond man with the kindest green eyes she had ever seen.

He smiled, clearly seeing her uncertainty, “Hi. I’m Andrew, Monica’s lawyer,” Seeing Abby’s more than confused expression, he continued gently, “She asked me to take your case.”

Abby sank into the first available chair out of fear that her legs would not support her much longer, “She did?”

“Yes,” Andrew watched her carefully. If he’d had any reason to doubt Monica’s words that Abby was innocent, they would have all vanished at that moment; the woman looked completely flabbergasted while at the same time, her eyes held a glint of tentative hope, “She explained to me what the two of you had discussed and it seems that your cases have more than a few similarities.”

Abby forced herself to regain control of her wildly racing emotions. Something about this man spoke of possibility. Looking into his eyes, she could almost see her life free of this prison; she could see herself pushing Corey in a swing and playing with him at the park as they rebuilt their lives, ”Andrew, it’s very kind of you, but there was nothing to prove my innocence the first time around, so I don’t see how...”

Sitting down across from her, Andrew’s eyes grew serious, “Abby. I know that Monica is innocent. I know that you are too.”

“But how can you know that?” Abby’s face registered her confusion. No one other than Monica had ever believed her, now here was this stranger telling her he knew she was innocent!

“I just know, Abby,” Grabbing a form from his briefcase, the angel pulled out a contract, “Now please, let me represent you.”

x

While Andrew continued to work the cases, time passed much more slowly for one little Irish angel. Her first week in prison turned into two months, which felt more like two years.

Her waking hours were spent trying her best to avoid Sheila, who had only spent a week in detention, and the effort exhausted her. The other inmate always found a chance to give the angel at least a shove that would send Monica reeling and though Tess tried her best to stay on top of the situation, she was not always able to do so. Fights in the prison were common, so often times the older angel would be called away and that always gave Sheila the opportunity to attack her young charge.

But what worried Tess the most is that Monica had stopped even trying to defend herself.

The little angel simply accepted the abuse as something she had no control over and it caused Tess to become even more infuriated with the aggressive inmate. But Sheila was keeping her attacks low key for now, as it wasn’t enough for her to be sent to detention. But Tess had a feeling the woman was simply biding her time and that something much more violent was on the horizon. But right now, that was almost the least of her worries.

The physical changes in Monica were frightening; the deep, dark circles beneath her eyes, the way she kept her head down most of the time and how she didn’t even attempt to speak with any of the other inmates, other than Abby anymore. Even Abby seemed concerned with how Monica was coping with confinement as the only time her new friend came to life at all was when she was trying to encourage her about her own situation. Monica always had a positive word to say to Abby, but as soon as they had to part, the angel seemed to slip inside of herself. It caused Abby and Tess to exchange more than one concerned glance.

X

Darkness had settled at the prison and for some reason Andrew was late and though Monica knew in her heart he was probably performing some of his other duties as an angel of death, he had never been this late before.

She was convinced that Andrew’s night time visits were the only thing holding her together anymore. Her gentle heart yearned for so many things that she now felt like she had taken for granted, such as the sunshine and the rain, and the stars and the clouds. She yearned to inhale the sweet fragrance of wild flowers growing in the fields or to stand perfectly still so as not to frighten a wee rabbit.

In prison it was like none of those things even existed.

The minutes ticked away as the little angel sat on the edge of her bed, praying furiously for God to not keep Andrew from her tonight. Surely God knew that she needed to feel Andrew’s arms around her when she went to sleep. Surely God knew how he made her feel so safe and protected, if only for a few hours. When Andrew was here it was the only time she felt as if she mattered to anyone in this horrible place.

As she waited and gazed out into the darkness of her cell, it felt as if the walls were closing in on her as her space became smaller and smaller and suddenly Monica felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Her heartbeats began to accelerate and she felt as if she could no longer control the trembling of her body. What was wrong with her? Her mind and heart were racing and the blood was pounding in her ears as she rocked back and forth on her bed, certain something was dreadfully wrong with her human form for it to be reacting this strongly.

“Angel!”

Andrew’s strong arms were immediately gathering her close to his body, as his own heart beat frantically. He had felt her panic before he had ever left his assignment and all he had wanted to do was to get to her and hold her close. Her shaking fingers wrapped around his shirt, as she struggled to take in air, but now, his sheltering arms were around her and her body began to calm slowly.

“I...I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” Monica murmured against his chest.

“I think it was what human beings call a panic attack,” Andrew replied softly, still trying to soothe her against the trembling that had yet to fully cease, “But baby, what upset you so much?”

She shook her head. She didn’t want to upset him or make him feel guilty at all, “It doesn’t matter...”

Pulling away, a gentle but firm hand to her cheek forced her gaze, “Yes, it does matter.”

Looking into his tender, green eyes, Monica knew she could withhold nothing from him, “For some reason I was afraid the Father wasn’t going to let you come to me tonight,” She whispered, and despite her gallant efforts, a tear escaped her eye and trickled down her cheek into his fingers.

“Oh, my sweet angel, that will never happen,” Pulling her close again, Andrew stroked her hair and rubbed her back. This was getting more difficult with each passing day and he feared for her spirit. Her trial was still two months away, but he had a feeling that day wouldn’t hold a candle to the trials she was facing now. Tess had told him about the little angel’s apathetic way of handling Sheila’s abuse and he had told her about how he had so much trouble getting Monica to go to sleep at night now. Last week, she had tearfully confessed to missing time with him while she was sleeping and he had no idea how to counteract those words. Monica was exhausted and her spirit damaged and all Andrew wanted was to take her far away from this place and hold her in his arms until she was whole again. Once that happened, he was going to marry her and spend the rest of eternity making her smile. Oh, how he missed her smile.

“I think I knew you’d be here,” She continued sadly after a moment, “I know you love me, Andrew.”

“More than words, Monica; more than life.”

“It’s just that sometimes, I get so scared. I start to worry that...” She let out a shuddering breath, only her weariness allowing for such honesty, “I start to worry that maybe God has forgotten I’m here.”

Her words nearly stopped his heart.

Pulling away once more, Andrew cupped her face in his hands, seeing the raw pain in her dark eyes, along with the loneliness and sadness; such sadness it almost caused his own eyes to well up with tears, “Listen to me,” His hands caressed her face, needing to touch her, to reassure her any way he could, “Angel...baby... He hasn’t forgotten you. I promise you He hasn’t. The Father loves his little Irish angel even more than I do, though I often wonder how that is possible, because I love you so incredibly much. He knows right where all his children are and he knows every worry on their hearts, and He will never forget you, He will never leave you or forsake you. You know those words, baby.”

“I know, but this place...it makes me forget them, Andrew.”

“That’s why I’m here to remind you,” Leaning in, he kissed her forehead tenderly, “No one who has ever met you, Monica, will ever forget you. God created you and he is so aware of your hurt right now and so am I.”

“Can I tell you how much I want this to be over? But then I say it, and I feel like such a wretched creature for not being able to see the good where the Father placed me. But I’ve done all I can to help Abby; she has some hope now, thanks to you, but outside of her, there is no one else in here who would listen to me, Andrew. These women are so full of hate or they just no longer care about anyone else and if they aren’t one of those two things, then they are in such despair that no one can touch their grief-.” Her voice trailed off for a moment and her panicked eyes fixed with his as her lower lip began to tremble, “Am I becoming like some of them, Andrew?”

“Shhh,” He whispered, pulling her into his arms once more, “I need for you to listen to me, sweetheart. No, you aren’t becoming like any of them. Not only are you innocent but you’re an angel; an angel who has been placed in a cage for eight weeks now. You did nothing wrong to be here and you have listened and trusted in our Father with scarcely a complaint. Anyone with a heart as good and as gentle as yours; one as full of love as you are, could never become like these women.”

Andrew knew he was running out of answers for her. Like a scared little girl, she had been asking these kinds of questions the past few weeks, as if searching for validation that she still mattered. He prayed every single night that God would give her the strength to endure the next two months when she was so wounded right now, “And for the record, you are the reason Abby has hope now. You are the one who found out about her husband and you are the one who asked me to take her case. All I’ve done is what you asked me to do, Angel and that is what I will always do...as long as it’s within reason of course.”

His attempt to make her smile backfired and caused a ragged sob to escape her, “I love you so much and I’m sorry I’m not stronger. I shouldn’t be acting this way or asking these questions. I shouldn’t be questioning the One who created me and the One who gave you to me. It’s wrong!”

“Monica, all those who believe in Him question Him at times, especially when their hearts are hurting like yours is now. Don’t be so hard on yourself, Angel. The last several months have been more than difficult for you, but you’ve come through it all, just like you will come through this. You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for.” Pulling away once more, he looked into her teary eyes, his own taking in how exhausted and peaked she looked and how pale her skin was from the weeks with little sunshine. He needed to find a way to convince her to sleep more than a few hours tonight, “My beautiful, sweet angel, do you trust me?”

His words surprised her as she swallowed past her tears, “You...you know I do!”

“Then trust that what I’m telling you is true and trust that the reason I know all this is because I know you so well. I know what you are capable of, even when you don’t trust in your own abilities. And the other thing you can trust in is this...”

Framing her face in his hands, Andrew brought his lips and touched them to hers, hearing the small sigh that escaped her. His tender fingers stroked her soft skin and then moved down to her neck, hoping to relax her and to make her forget her troubled heart for a short time.

Monica responded to his kisses and caresses with a desperation she had never felt before. In Andrew’s arms, she knew she mattered. She knew she was loved and far from forgotten and at that moment, her heart felt so full and so grateful for his love that she felt tears escaping her eyes once more as the kisses deepened.

When their lips finally parted some minutes later, the little angel wrapped her arms tightly around Andrew’s shoulders and buried her face against the nape of his neck, her tears dampening his collar.

“My Monica, you are so precious to me, baby,” He whispered as he hugged her tightly to himself, never wanting to let her go until she was free of this place, and only then if he had to. Untangling himself from her embrace, his loving green eyes met with hers as he tenderly wiped away her tears, “You need to sleep, sweet angel girl.”

His words caused her dark eyes to fill once more, “When I’m sleeping I can’t talk to you, Andrew and I need you so much right now. Though you make me feel so safe when I’m sleeping...” Her eyes overflowed with sadness, “When I wake up, you’re gone!”

The lump formed in his throat out of nowhere at her words. Why did this assignment have to be so hard on her? Why couldn’t he have been the one accused of murder?

“Baby, you have to sleep; you’re exhausted,” He pleaded, his voice thick with emotion. Still seeing her tearful expression, his mind raced, “What if I wake you up an hour before I have to leave? That would give us time to talk and you wouldn’t wake up all alone.” His hands smoothed over her hair that was pulled back in what had become a token ponytail.

Monica finally relented as she laid down with him, immediately being ushered into his arms. The panic attack from earlier had further drained her and her weary, swollen eyes were already beginning to close, much against her will.

Andrew held her close, and kissed the top of her head repeatedly, while his other hand rubbed her back and her arm, trying to relax her into sleep, “I love you so much, Angel,” He whispered to her as her eyes began to close, “You’re my whole world, the reason my heart beats, my every dream and my every waking thought. Don’t you ever forget how much you matter to me because I would cease to exist without you. Hold on, baby. This will all be over soon.”

As he finally heard her even breathing, which he was certain would be interrupted soon by nightmares or the hollering of other inmates, he turned his pained green eyes to the ceiling, “Father, protect her. Protect her heart and her soul as I fear for them and for her. Please, see her through this, because any other option I can’t bear to think about.”

CHAPTER 14

The only moments that allowed the women in a state prison to have contact with God's wonderful creations was sunbathing time. In the patio surrounded by high concrete walls and permanently watched by guards, the inmates wandered around with no specific destination; warm sunrays mercifully caressing their faces under the bluest of the skies. But no one seemed to give it any importance. Incarceration had made them less aware of the One who knew what was in their hearts.

But one inmate was fighting not to forget that. Squinting her eyes due to the sunlight, Monica was looking at the blue infinity right above her head and remembering Home. Her lips curved into a slight smile at the memory of her dear Andrew walking towards her, dressed in white and with a broad smile upon his face. She had been sitting by the lake with crystal waters, barefoot, breathing in the sweet smell of the flowers that surrounded her and only the vision of the angel of death took her out of her reverie.

A heartbeat later, she was in his arms, and he was lifting her up from the ground and pressing her against his heart. There was joy beaming in their eyes and on their faces. Delicate kisses and an pleasant chatter in each other's arms, under the shadow of a tree, followed his arrival. Amazingly, these moments had happened only three months ago, before she returned to Earth to start her assignment with Mrs Lancaster. It already seemed a small eternity.

The Irish angel sighed deeply, and tried to hold on to the nights when Andrew would come to visit her in her cell, in his angelic form. Besides that, it was clear that another assignment had started, and although it was certainly one of the hardest she had ever accomplished, being there at least meant being able to help an innocent woman. Abby had been called just a few minutes before the sunbathing time was over, as her lawyer was there to see her. Monica offered a silent prayer hoping that Andrew brought the woman good news.

The loud and sharp sound of the alarm drew the little angel's attention back to the present, and she let out a frustrated sigh. It was time to return to her small cage. Monica stood in the patio as much as possible, somewhat dreaming of the day she would be watching the blue sky from outside those walls, surrounded by much green and in the arms of the one soul that had been created to complete her own.

She was the last one to leave the patio but before she could reach the corridor that led her to the cells section, a threatening voice reached her ears.

"You're not going anywhere now, Irish!"

Monica felt her entire body trembling with panic and her heart pounding erratically in her chest. Sheila was staring at her with an evil look in her eyes and an evil smile. The Irish angel had seen it before, in the eyes of a rapist, or of a cold-blooded murderer. And being in human form caused her to be exposed to it.

"You think I'd forget it was because of you that I was sent to detention?" she said, giving a step towards the angel. Monica looked around her searching for help, but there was no one around. The other inmates were already reaching the end of the corridor and it would probably take a couple of minutes until the guards came to the patio to see if anybody had insisted on staying there.

"Stay away from me..." Monica uttered, facing the woman and swallowing hard her own fear.

"And what if I don't?" she said, her face turning serious as she gave one more step towards the defenceless creature.

Monica kept on staring back at her, even though inside her soul was screaming. "I know there's someone asking you to harass me... I even suspect of who it is, and so does my lawyer..."

The laughter that Sheila let out was a sarcastic, frightening one. "Oh, you do? Well, for your information, Irish, I'm gonna do more than just 'harass' you, pretty baby!" she pulled a penknife from inside her uniform. "Let's see if you will survive to tell your lawyer about it!"

Like a hunter who had her prey cornered, the tall and strong woman lunged at Monica with anger and ready to accomplish the mission that she had been paid for. There was no guard in sight - the one that was supposed to be there was strangely late, and for a moment the angel wondered if this guard had also received money to be absent.

Monica leaned against the wall and protected her head with both arms. "No! Please!" She pleaded, even though she closed her eyes and waited for the worst. Her human form had been threatened before, and now she wondered if the painful experience would repeat itself once again.

"Please... I need help! Somebody help me! Tess!" she screamed. But something strange happened: instead of pain, the Irish angel felt her small form being involved by a wave of protectiveness. She couldn't feel Sheila's aggression as she expected. Much on the contrary, there was something - or someone, shielding her from all evil that that woman represented.

Confused, Monica opened up her eyes and saw that there was an angel holding her tightly and blocking the violent blows. Andrew was protecting her human form with his angelic form, and when the scared Irish angel's eyes met his own green pools, he whispered to her.

"It's okay, my angel... No one is gonna harm you. I'm here..."

"Andrew..." she murmured, and the fear for her own human form immediately turned into fear for his being hurt somehow.

"I felt you... I knew you were in danger..." he said, tightening the hold around her small form.

"What the hell?!" Sheila stepped back with a confused expression on her face - an invisible barrier seemed to be blocking her arm from reaching the inmate, stopping her from fulfilling her mission.

Monica's cries attracted the last inmates to leave the patio, and they returned to see what was going on. Along with them, finally two guards also appeared. "Hey, you!" One of them shouted, already picking up her billy club and ready to use it.

Abby had just finished talking with her lawyer and was going to meet Monica down in the patio to tell her about their conversation. But when she was almost there the inmate realised something was going on and immediately feared for her gentle friend. The young woman felt a chill running down her spine when she saw Sheila standing in front of Monica and with a penknife in her hands.

"Why can't you die already?!" Sheila screamed, at the edge of her fury, and noticing the guards would soon stop her, she tried to stroke Monica one more time, using all her strength. But once again, the evil woman was blocked by an invisible wall that collided with her hand. "I don't get it!" she exclaimed, astounded, as the two guards finally reached her and took the penknife from her hands. Two more guards, one of them being a very worried Tess, also arrived and the inmate was finally under control.

"Looks like you won another ticket to detention, Sheila!" one of the guards ironically said, while she handcuffed her.

"It's over now, angel... it's over..." Andrew whispered into Monica's ear, reaching a tear that had made its way down her cheek. He kissed the top of her head and slowly faded away, her pleading and worried gaze breaking his heart.

But what the two angels didn't realise was that Tess wasn't the only one to see their interaction. With haunted eyes, Abby watched as a glowing Andrew reluctantly let go of Monica and stood on his feet, while Tess helped the little angel to her feet. The young woman saw it when he remained by Monica's side, caressing her cheek with tenderness and didn't miss the protectiveness in his eyes. She also saw it when Monica and Tess turned their heads - to a normal human being, it would mean they were just looking around them, but Abby realized that the two were actually looking at the lawyer, as if the trio were exchanging some silent words.

X

"Sheila won't be bothering people around here any longer. Seems our director asked her transferring to another prison, far from here." The guard who took Sheila to detention announced, joining Tess and the doctor who was checking on Monica. Much to their relief, no harm had been done to the warm-hearted young lady.

"Oh, thank You, Father!" Tess exclaimed, looking up to the ceiling and conjoining her hands.

"That's really good news considering that the number of inmates that got involved in a fight with her only increases every day!" the doctor said.

During that conversation, Monica remained in silence and the only thing that stopped her from crying both with fear and nervousness was the fact that Andrew was there all the time. With a worried expression on his face, he kept on looking at her, making sure again and again that she wasn't injured during Sheila's attack.

"C'mon, Monica, I'll take you to your cell," The angelic supervisor ordered, gently taking her dearest friend by the arm.

Tess carried a quiet Monica along the corridor up to her prison cell, strategically located at the end of the corridor, almost isolated from the others. The Irish angel's silence met with the other inmates', as the rumours about Monica and Sheila's fight and the consequent defeat of the stronger woman did have an impact on them, especially on those who hang out with Sheila. Even unwillingly, Monica seemed to have gained some respect among them.

Monica and Tess didn't speak, but there was a silent conversation going on between them, and the hold around the charge's arm was more like a reassuring one other than a security matter. When Tess reluctantly closed Monica's cell door, she gave her a motherly look, and the little angel nodded her head, aware that she wasn't alone.

The old supervisor had to leave but on the following second, Monica felt two gentle hands lying over her shoulders and she quickly turned around to hold the one who had been more than a soulmate. Andrew was her eternal protector, her guardian angel, and it wasn't a secret to anyone that he was honoured to fulfil this assignment. Monica held him for dear life for long minutes.

"I'm so sorry..." she finally whispered, tear-filled eyes tired of so much crying. And those words surprised him.

"Sorry? Sorry for what, angel?"

"For putting you through that... You took Sheila's aggression in order to protect me..."

Andrew carefully pulled away to look at those pretty brown eyes, so filled with sadness and guilt at the moment. "For you, Monica, I would turn into my human form and die a thousand times, and it still wouldn't be enough. Protecting you is a duty, my duty." He said, cupping her cheek with his right hand. "When the Father made me, He already knew that besides a caseworker or an angel of death I'd have this permanent assignment, which I'll gladly fulfil for the rest of my existence!" he tried to make her smile by touching the tip of her nose with index finger, "Of course you were not 'born' then, but I'm sure He already had you in mind!"

A mix of a giggle and a crying sob escaped her, but it was gone as she bit her lower lip. "If you die a thousand times, Andrew... I'd die with you. A thousand times too."

Moved with emotion, he wiped her tears away and brushed a loving kiss against her forehead. And then he held her in his arms tightly, enjoying every second of that brief encounter.

"I have to go for a while, angel. But I'll be back for you at night."

"I know you will... It's the best part of my days..."

"It's the best part of my days too." He said, kissing the crown of her head.

They remained in that loving embrace for another long minute but all of a sudden it as Monica who pulled away. She seemed to be searching for something as her delicate hands touched his face and chest, and then his arms.

"Monica? What is it?"

"A-Are you hurt?" she wanted to know, frowning with great concern. And despite her worry, Andrew couldn't help chuckling. He took her hands in his and kissed each of them.

"No, angel, she didn't hurt me..."

"Thanks to our loving Father... her attack was so violent..."

Monica stood on the tip of her feet and brushed a tiny kiss on his lips. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly once again.

Still smiling, Andrew tenderly combed her long auburn hair and rubbed her arm. "If that's the treatment I'm gonna get, then I'll start pretending a little pain here and there, you know..." he joked, finally eliciting a small giggle from her. She still kissed his cheek before pulling away and laying both hands over his face. "I'll be waiting for you this evening..."

"I'll be here, sweet angel." he spoke, before his lips brushed hers gently, slowly, like a promise of everlasting love. His image gradually faded away, and soon the angel of death was gone.

CHAPTER 15

When dinner time arrived, Monica felt an inch of relief as Sheila was no longer there to harass her. Truth to be told, she feared for her petite human form and was also afraid of the evil shining in the woman's eyes. Even so, the angel lifted her prayers asking God to send one of His messengers to bring some light to such a tormented soul.

Quietly as usual, Monica took a tray with food and went to sit at the last table in the row, hoping that soon Abby would join her. And it didn't take too long before the inmate showed up. However, when Monica looked at her she saw a worried frown over Abby's face, and somewhat she felt as if her assignment was staring at her with fear.

"Abby?" she spoke, as the young woman stood still in front of her, uncertain if it was alright to sit at the same table as the other inmate. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-no... nothing wrong, Monica..." she answered, and finally took a seat across from her. But the Irish angel was worried about the way she kept avoiding eye contact and her lack of words during dinner time. Once she was over, Abby took her tray and excused herself, but before she could leave, Monica lay a gentle hand over her arm.

"Abby? Did something happen today? I can see there is something that is clearly upsetting you, but I'm not sure what..." Monica spoke, trying to see past the invisible barrier that the woman managed to build between herself and the world. She thought she had broken through this barrier.

The young inmate stared at the angel standing before her with uncertainty. She didn't know what to think. She didn't even know what she had seen down in the patio a few hours earlier. But whatever it was, it was real. "No... I'm... I guess I'm just tired... that's all..."

"What did Andrew tell you?"

"He..." she was going to answer to that question, but then changed her mind.”Don't you know?"

"No, he hasn't told me anything about it yet..."

After a few moments of silence, Abby finally asked the question that was troubling her. "I saw Andrew..."

"I know, you were telling me how hopeful you were that he could locate your young boy and-"

"I saw him in the patio, at the moment Sheila was beating you up... or at least trying to." She spoke, now staring at Monica as if trying to solve a mystery, and not missing the surprise at her friend's face. "Who are you, Monica? Who... is Andrew?"

The Irish angel was confused at first, but something inside her was telling her it was an important moment for her and her assignment. She let out a sigh and looked the young woman in the eye. "Please, don't be afraid..."

"Don't ask me that, Monica... I know what I saw today... Andrew was standing among us all and no one saw him, except you..."

"Andrew and I... and Tess... We're angels..."

The beautiful sparkle that surrounded Monica grew intense and she was suddenly no longer an inmate in a state prison. She was a messenger of God.

"Angels?" Abby whispered, more to herself than to Monica. She sat back at the worn wooden bench in shock, now having trouble believing what was going on there.

Her friend nodded her head, and the expression on her face didn't leave space for doubts about her angelic nature. Monica's smile was kind and the look in her eyes, a compassionate one. An atmosphere of peace filled the small space where the two were now sitting, and even the other inmates could feel it, even though they could not see what Abby could.

"And although it took me a while to realize it, I'm here with an assignment, Abigail Kopka. I was sent here because an innocent woman was paying for a crime she didn't commit."

Tears rolled down the woman's face, and she covered her mouth trying to stifle a sob. "God? He knows me?"

"Oh, yes. He saw your tears, and heard your prayers. And He is watching over you and your wee boy, so put your trust on Him. That's... that's what many forget, at the most difficult hour. Sometimes even angels."

"My boy? How is he? How is Corey?"

Monica reached over the table for her hand. "Let me tell you a little about what's been whispered into my heart..."

X

“Angel?”

Monica looked up from where her head rested against his chest and sighed. Two more months had dragged by and the little angel was certain this was the longest assignment she had ever endured. She didn’t often think of “enduring” her assignments as she generally enjoyed them immensely, but this one had been different. Though her tears had dried, they had been replaced with an ache in her heart and soul that at times felt physical and there were moments when she was convinced if she had to make it through one more day in the prison, she would surely go and sit in a corner and scream.

Now, the day she had been waiting for was finally at hand; tomorrow morning was the trial and though she had longed for this day for weeks, now that it was nearly here, it was all she could do to keep from throwing up.

“You should be asleep by now, Angel,” Andrew whispered, as his hand stroked her long auburn hair.

“I think I’m too nervous to sleep,” Monica replied back softly, “Tomorrow we find out if this assignment is over or not and...”

“I know how much you want it to be over, baby,” He squeezed her tightly as he felt a shudder go through her body, “I want that too and we have to believe that the Father does as well.” Andrew had grown to hate seeing her in here and he missed the sparkle that was now lacking from her dark eyes. As the weeks had passed, he had only grown more concerned as Monica had seemed to retreat within herself at times, as if that was the only way she could exist here a moment longer.

If she was set free tomorrow, he was going to make sure that tomorrow night she slept with him under the stars to awake to the sunshine on her face. Maybe then, he would see the spark in her brown pools return.

The little angel was quiet for a long moment and when she finally did speak again, Andrew had to strain to hear her, “What if that isn’t what the Father wants? What if I still have to stay here? Andrew, I know there are other women here who could probably use an angel, but I’m just not sure I can do it. Maybe He wants me to be here until I can be here with a grateful heart, but I don’t know if I can do that here, Andrew. You know I usually am able to, but here....”

A tender finger to her lips silenced her anxiety, “Angel, don’t borrow trouble. Tomorrow will take care of itself, but I want you only thinking good thoughts tonight.”

As she nodded her head, Andrew watched with just a touch of amusement as she closed her eyes and tried to relax. A moment later, a look of panic flitted across her face and she closed her eyes even more tightly and then took a deep breath. A second later, she opened her eyes again on a tiny pout, “I can’t, Andrew. I’m too afraid.”

He understood all too well as he was battling his own demons about tomorrow. As far as he knew Gwen Matthews would still be testifying against the little angel tomorrow and he didn’t know if he would be able to catch the woman in any of her lies. Andrew just kept praying that something good would happen tomorrow as he didn’t know how on earth Monica or himself for that matter, could handle the jury finding Monica guilty.

“All right then,” Brushing his lips against her forehead, Andrew became her distraction, “Where do you think you’d like to go first tomorrow once you are released? Wait, let me rephrase that. Where would you like me to take you first tomorrow after you are released?”

A little smile crossed her delicate though weary features as she closed her eyes, “The cabin. I want to lie in your arms outside on the hammock and watch the sunset and then I want you to teach me more about the stars, while we listen to the crickets sing. I want to sleep out there, Andrew, and then right before the sun rises, I’d like to go to the ocean, to watch the sun rise over the sea...” Her voice trailed off for a moment and it was obvious she was fighting to keep control of her emotions, “Do you suppose that would be all right?”

As he watched a lonely tear run across her cheek, he closed his own eyes, feeling her pain deep in his heart, “Yes, my angel, I think that would be more than all right. What would be your favourite part of all of that, baby?” Andrew wanted to keep her talking; wanted to keep her thoughts away from the trial.

“My favourite? Sharing it all with you.”

His heart ached pleasantly with her sweet words, as he cupped her chin to look into her eyes, “Have I told you tonight just how much I love you? Have I told you that to me, you are every sunset, every sunrise, every star in the sky, Monica?” Inching down, he touched his lips to hers briefly, “For though all those things are beautiful and some of God’s greatest creations, they can’t hold a candle to you, my angel.”

Her soft, brown eyes met with his, and though there was so much sadness in them, he could so clearly see her deep love for him, “Andrew, I don’t think I could have survived these last four months had you not been here every night and you’ve been so patient with me. I know I haven’t made your job easy for you because I’ve been upset a lot, but still you were here every night on top of performing your other duties.”

“Monica, you have been my most special assignment of all assignments in my existence, and it has nothing to do with patience. It has to do with loving you so much, and understanding how terrible this has all been for you. Baby, I’ve been here every night because it is impossible for me to stay away from you.”

Her eyes welled up with tears at his words, knowing she would never grow tired of hearing them, “I love you so deeply, Andrew. Do you suppose....do you suppose that if for some reason, I don’t get out of here anytime soon....do you think the Father would still let us get married...here?”

Her words made him want to laugh and cry simultaneously as he cupped her cheek in his hand, “Baby, nothing will keep that from happening.”

“Do you promise? I feel like I’ve waited an eternity for tomorrow, so that you and I can begin our forever and if something goes wrong, I still want our forever, even if it isn’t going to be exactly the way I’ve imagined it. I just want to be joined with you as one, because you are already such a part of me.”

“I do promise, sweetheart and don’t you stop imagining it exactly the way it is supposed to be, okay? Because I am going to make sure it is perfect.”

Snuggling down into his arms again, the little angel rested her ear over his heart, the steady beat soothing her, “Tell me.”

As she drifted off to sleep, all Monica was aware of was Andrew’s voice in her ear, tenderly telling her all about the day they would be wed, and how perfect it would be. Her last waking thought was that surely he was able to see inside of her heart, because his words were exactly the way she had been imagining that special day.

Chapter 16

The trip to the courthouse in the morning was completely nerve wracking as Monica tried to cling to the feelings she’d had last night as she had been falling asleep. Abby had hugged her at breakfast and told her that she would be praying and then Monica had spent the entire ride to the city doing just that as well.

Being led into the courtroom in handcuffs was still every bit as humiliating as it had been before, though this time, the little angel immediately sought out Andrew’s green eyes and locked her gaze with his as a wealth of information passed between them.

The blond angel could sense Monica’s fear immediately and his arms ached to hold her close. He had spent the morning talking to the Father, pleading with Him to show him a way to prove both Monica’s and Abby’s innocence. He could only hope that now, that way would reveal itself.

The little angel took the seat beside of him and again met his eyes, begging for reassurance which Andrew tried to give her in his smile. He was trying to appear more confident than he felt, but what he did have confidence in was that whatever happened today, God would make something good out of it.

However, an hour into the trial, things were not looking good. After swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, Gwen Matthews stood in front of the jury and told lie after lie about Monica’s “relationship” with Edward Nowels. Gwen stated how she had seen Edward’s car near the alley and had been concerned, so after parking her car, she arrived just in time to see the “hateful Irish woman” shoot him. Though never uttering a word, Andrew could see Monica tearfully shaking her head throughout the entire testimony and unable to help himself, he reached beneath the table and laid a reassuring hand on her knee and gave it a squeeze.

Andrew cross examined Gwen, but the woman never faltered from her story, even though he knew it was ridiculous. He finally ceased questioning her and waited as the prosecution called Tina Nowels to the stand.

Wayne Gibbs kept his questions minimal with victim’s wife, but once it was Andrew’s turn, he questioned her so that the information she had told him before came out for the jury; Tina did not believe for one second that her husband was having an affair. Gibbs then cross examined her, asking her if she had any proof at all that Edward had not been cheating on her, but all Tina could say was that her “intuition” told her Edward was faithful.

By the time Monica was called to the stand, Andrew could clearly see how fragile she was. It had been a long, tedious morning and now she was faced with the hardest part. He questioned her carefully and patiently, allowing her to explain how she had come to be in the alley and what she had witnessed. She was on the verge of tears when she spoke of the masked man forcing the weapon into her hands and how she had pleaded with him to get help for Edward Nowels.

Andrew wished he could have continued to question her for the rest of the trial, but he knew he had to turn it over to Wayne Gibbs. Of course, Monica’s testimony, though the truth, was also weak in light of the murder and Gibbs preyed on that immediately.

“So, you just expect us all to believe that you willingly ran into an alley where a man was being shot?”

“Did it ever occur to you that you could wind up dead as well? I don’t think any other women would have been willing to risk their lives like that!”

His questions were rapid-fire, and he barely gave the little angel time to respond before asking the next one. Much of his case was built around Gwen Matthews but Monica continued to insist she didn’t know the woman, nor had she known the victim.

“So you just expect us all to believe that a woman alone, walking down the street after dark, becomes the scapegoat for a murder? Women don’t walk down the streets of the city at night without protection, but then you had a gun, didn’t you? And you used it to kill Edward Nowels!”

“No! I didn’t!” Exhaustion, frustration and fear all flew to the surface as Monica cried out her answer, “No one is telling the truth!”

Turning to face the jury, Edward Nowels suppressed a smile, “Hmmm...it seems she does have a bit of a temper. Imagine how she would react to having her boyfriend tell her it was over between them. No further questions, Your Honor.”

Andrew’s heart sank as he watched Monica bury her face in her cuffed hands, her entire body trembling and his arms ached to hold her close and soothe away all that was hurting her. Thankfully, the judge adjourned court until after lunch and Andrew quickly followed Monica’s guards to her holding room. Once they were both closed inside, with the guards outside at the door, Andrew knelt down in front of her, trying to read her expression.

“Baby?”

“Why are they doing this?” Monica whispered brokenly, “They’re going to find me guilty Andrew, because there is no one out there to say I’m innocent!”

“Angel, I know you are innocent and so does the Father. Don’t give up!”

“Andrew, I need a miracle to not have to go back to that place!” Though she was trying desperately not to cry, two huge tears welled up in her dark eyes.

He had no idea what else to tell her. She needed to keep her faith that God was in control, but her fear of going back to the prison was stronger right now than anything else. Taking her trembling hands into his own, he closed his eyes tightly, “Father please, we need your help.”

As soon as the words were said, knowledge filled Andrew’s heart and he opened his eyes. Tenderly, bringing Monica’s cuffed hands, wrists slightly red, to his lips, he kissed each one lovingly, “I’ll be back, sweetheart.”

“What? Where are you going?” Her fear was written all over her pale face as she searched his eyes for an answer.

“To get your miracle.”

CHAPTER 17

Gwen Matthews paced back and forth in the room designed for witnesses. The woman rubbed her hands nervously and there was a very tense expression on her face. She was about to lie in front of a judge and an entire court in order to protect a murderer. She was going against everything that was right and honest just to cover a lie.

Ms Matthews sighed deeply. She was also protecting herself from dangerous men, capable of anything to escape from a crime accusation. They were capable of killing her to get what they wanted, and Wayne Gibbs, the murderer's lawyer, had said so himself. She had to protect herself, even if it meant sacrificing the young woman named Monica, who looked devastated and so fragile wearing that terrible prison uniform.

The woman stopped in front of a window and looked outside. The weather was cold and rainy, somewhat reflecting what was happening inside her very soul. All of a sudden, however, she stepped back as a white dove perched on the window frame and cooed.

"The destiny of an innocent and a criminal lies in your hands, Ms Matthews..."

Startled, she turned around to face the man standing right in front of her. She had seen him in the court corridor, before the trial started: he was Monica's lawyer. But there was something different about him - he was surrounded by a beautiful glow, as if he had just come out of a dream; as if he was some kind of vision, and Gwen wondered if she was starting to imagine things.

"H-how did you come in here?" she asked, frightened and quickly looking at the door, which had remained closed.

"It doesn't matter how. But it does matter why I came in here." He said, with a solemn tone in his voice.

"You're the defendant's lawyer, you're not supposed to be here..." she seemed to be looking for an escape.

"Before I'm Monica's lawyer, I'm her guardian angel. And I am supposed to be where God sends me to."

The woman's mouth dropped open and she covered it with her hand. "An... angel? An angel of God?"

"Yes. The One God who assigned me to protect an innocent from the horrors of the prison. The One God who you now hurt terribly by lying and protecting a criminal. The One Who sent me here with a message for you." He stated firmly, looking her straight in the eyes. The power of his gaze penetrated her very soul with all the authority it could muster.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about! I'm gonna call security if you don't leave now!" she threatened, but the truth was that she couldn't move a foot.

"I'd could stay here telling you that you're the only hope for an innocent to be freed from prison... I'd tell you how terribly wrong it is of you to accuse the wrong person and tell lies about her to protect a murderer... But instead, I'm gonna tell you a little about Monica. I'll tell you how wonderful it is to have her in my world... I will tell you about her gentle and selfless spirit, her kind and compassionate heart, capable of forgiving those who have hurt her and betrayed her confidence. Monica has the most generous soul I've ever known..." The expression on his face softened, and he would have smiled if the present situation wasn't so serious. "She's also a dreamer and a fighter. The most courageous person I've ever met... The one who would give up on her own existence to protect another human being. Monica has an intelligent and inquisitive nature, but she's also innocent and has childlike manners that are both amusing and adorable. The smile on her face and the sparkle in her eyes lights up anyone's heart... Or at least, they used to, as now, confined in that prison cell, I see her soul perishing..."

The woman listened to those words in silence, but her heart was aching and a sudden tear fell from her eye.

Andrew gave one step forward. "She's beautiful. So beautiful and so precious that I'm honoured to be able to stay close to her. In fact, sometimes I even feel undeserving to have her trust. And her love."

The angel of death disappeared right before the woman's haunted eyes, and Gwen felt her entire body trembling. She covered her face in fear and in shame as more tears rolled down her cheeks, and then knelt on the floor.

X

Monica remained in another room, closely watched by two security guards. Her eyes were at the door, desperately searching for Andrew. The Irish angel felt her heart pounding in her chest, as the latest events were leading to a condemnation, and the mere thought of returning to a prison cell caused a knot in her stomach. Swallowing hard, she conjoined her hands and closed her eyes, offering her silent prayers, asking God for the truth to appear in that trial. She also prayed for Abby - another innocent victim of a cold-blooded murderer.

But a gentle hand over her shoulder soon interrupted her and made her open her eyes. "Andrew?"

"It's time, angel. The jury will assemble again." He announced, helping her up.

"I'm so nervous..." she confessed, as they left the room and walked through the corridor.

"I know... I'm nervous too, but I trust that our loving Father was intently listening to your prayers just now." He said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I was praying for Abby... and for me, I confess..." she lowered her head for a brief second and then raised it to look at him. "Andrew, if by any reason I cannot make it out of here... will you be around, like you were when-"

"Monica, I don't want to consider that as a possibility." He gently cut her off. "You know I will be by your side forever in your existence, baby, and right after this trial I'll be happily watching you enjoy all the Father's creations which you were deprived from in the last four months."

The trial carried on with the district attorney showing the jurors pictures of the victim in the crime scene. He went on explaining how the murderer had shot Edward Nowels three times, giving him no chance of defending himself. He also remembered that the last shot had been given when the man was already on the floor, bleeding and probably unconscious.

The expression on the jurors faces was one of horror. They frowned as the slides were shown and shook their heads in disapproval, staring at Monica once in a while. The Irish angel lowered her head, feeling the power of their gaze already condemning her for something she hadn't done. Andrew's hand covered her smaller one and he whispered some words of reassurance into her ear, even though it was hard to bear all that pressure. Wayne Gibbs, the true murderer's lawyer, was there too, watching the trial with a smile in the corner of his lips. Everything was going on as planned, and Ms Matthew's testimonial would send the Monica woman to jail, exactly as it had done to Abby Kopka.

Gwen Matthews was finally called and when she entered the court room it was possible to notice she was trembling. Ignoring her nervousness, the judge made her promise to tell the truth and nothing but the truth and then Andrew started an avalanche of questions, all the while praying for the truth to finally be told.

"What called my attention were the... the loud voices I heard when I was passing by that alley..." she stated, her eyes turning from Andrew to the man watching the trial.

"Could you tell if they were male and female voices?"

"Yes, they were. The man told her to stop looking for him and that it was all over between them. He told her to leave him alone..."

"Go on, Ms Matthews..." Andrew felt his heart beginning to sink. The woman was simply too afraid of the threats that had been made against her to release Monica. He just didn’t know how his beloved Angel or he was going to get through what lied ahead.

"And then I saw it when the murderer pulled out a gun... She said... she said that if he didn't want to stay with her... then he wouldn't stay with anybody else..."

"And can you tell us what she did after that?"

The woman looked at the blond angel and once again at Wayne Gibbs, fear written all over her face. "She... she shot him... She shot him three times..."

"And is this woman is in this courtroom now?"

"Yes, she is..."

"Can you show the jurors who she is?" Andrew knew it was his last chance. If Gwen didn’t change her mind now, there would be no turning back.

Gwen Matthews looked at Monica and could feel the truth of Andrew's words: there was something about the look in her eyes that defied logic. They were a reflection of her soul, a soul that had been destroyed by confinement. Then she looked at Wayne Gibbs and trembled at his cold evil eyes, somewhat telling her to go on with the lie he had invented.

She stood on her feet and looked at the jurors, judge and finally at Andrew. "Ms Matthews, can you tell us if the woman sitting over there is the one you saw shooting Edward Nowels?" he asked her calmly, gently.

"She is innocent..." the woman revealed, as everyone stared at her in shock. "The woman sitting over there, Monica, she didn't kill Edward Nowels... I was forced to lie about everything..."

Monica and Andrew looked at each other - he with relief all over his face; she with haunted eyes as she was not expecting that.

"You were forced? By who?"

Wayne Gibbs stood on his feet and was about to leave the courtroom when she pointed at him. "That man, Wayne Gibbs. Please, don't let him leave this building, he's a very dangerous man, and so is the one he represents!"

The guards were quick to block the door and stop Wayne's attempt to escape. "His boss killed Edward Nowels because of money! The dirty money he was embezzling from the company where Mr Nowels worked! And he wasn't the first one! Another man, named Joshua Kopka, was also murdered because he found out the same thing!" she revealed, causing a commotion inside that small room.

Monica felt Andrew gently squeezing her hand as he returned to her side and she turned her eyes away from the woman and from the jurors to gaze at him. "It's your miracle, angel. An answer to your prayers and to your doubts. A way to tell you how much He loves you..." he said, brushing a tender kiss on her cheek now that everybody else had their attention turned to Ms Matthews. As tears of joy fell from the little angel's eyes, Andrew smiled. "... And He is not the only one!"

Monica's heart was almost bursting with happiness and she couldn't wait any longer before throwing herself into Andrew's arms when the judge pronounced the non-guilty verdict, some time later. He held her close for long, pleasant minutes, rubbing her back and whispering loving words into her ear, trying to calm her.

“Abby?” The little angel managed to choke out, not for a moment forgetting her one assignment in this whole horrible situation.

“I need to speak with the judge, baby,” He replied regretfully. He so wanted to get her out of this place, but he knew he had to make sure that Abby’s destiny was also set. But Someone knew what was already in his heart.

“Andrew, I’ve got this one.”

The two angels turned to see Adam approaching them. He was dressed in a dark business suit and was carrying a briefcase, “Our office sent me to handle Abby’s case for you,” He winked at his two friends, relieved to hear a small, tearful giggle from Monica, “The Head of our law firm knows you have other places to be right now.”

Relief filled the blond angel’s heart, “Adam, thank you.”

The older angel nodded his head, “Get her out of here, buddy. The word at Home is that this one has been hard.” He spoke his words softly, not wanting Monica to overhear his concern.

Andrew nodded as Adam passed them on his way to judge, taking the time first to give Monica a gentle squeeze on her shoulder. Then, Andrew turned to one of the security guards, “I need these handcuffs off of her, please. Immediately.”

As the cold metal fell away from her wrists, a tiny sob escaped the little angel before she turned hopeful eyes to Andrew. Her expression nearly undid him. Taking her hand firmly into his, he led her out of the courtroom and once they were alone, they vanished from that place.

Epilogue

The sun was just beginning its descent when the two heavenly beings appeared in the clearing outside of the cabin. The warmth from the sun shone down on them and the little Irish angel breathed in deeply, inhaling the fragrance of the trees and the wildflowers. She could feel the breeze ruffling gently through her auburn hair and Andrew’s hands on her shoulders and suddenly her vision blurred. Only an hour ago, Monica had been convinced that she would be returning to her cell at the prison and now, here she was, seeing and breathing in some of God’s most beautiful creations.

But though that was enough to move her to tears, she knew that there was something more. Turning around to face, Andrew, Monica lifted her hand and placed it against his strong jaw as she struggled to find her voice, “Thank you.” She managed to say through the emotion that was thick in her throat.

Andrew’s green eyes were filled with a love so great it nearly took her breath away, “You never have to thank me, baby and I promised you we’d come here once your innocence was proven.”

But she shook her head tearfully, “No, not just for this...though this is beautiful and I missed it so much. What I really want to thank you for is for being with me through all of this. Andrew, I wouldn’t have been able to endure it without you and you were there every night and every moment you could be, either as my lawyer, or as my protector or guardian angel....or simply as my Andrew.” The tears slipped down her face as her small fingers caresses his cheek, “Other than the Father, there is no one I trust more than you, or love more than you and I need for you to know that now and to never, ever, have any doubts about it ever again,” Her lilt was laced with soft sobs and her heartfelt words caused his own eyes to sting with tears.

But the little angel wasn’t finished yet and Andrew remained quiet so she could speak her heart, “And I know I’ve doubted in the past, since this new relationship between us began and that was wrong of me, because you are my greatest gift and most treasured blessing and Andrew, you always have been, even before I knew I was in love with you. And even though it was wrong of me to doubt, you took all my doubts away; you don’t want to protect me because you don’t trust me, but because you love me so much and I could see that so clearly in your eyes when you would hold me each night at the prison or when you protected me from Sheila,” Monica struggled to hold back her sobs, but they were quickly overtaking her, “The prison tried to take from me the sun and the fresh air, but they couldn’t, because every night...you were there.”

Andrew had to blink rapidly several times to clear his eyes, as he took her hand from his cheek and kissed her palm, before his own gentle hands framed the little angel’s face, “My sweet, precious little Angel Girl, there is nowhere else I would ever want to be, other than by your side. The love I feel for you, baby, it just keeps growing; I don’t even know where it is coming from anymore. To see you locked up like that, Angel, it broke my heart, baby and I couldn’t think of anything else other than anything I could do to set you free. You should always be free to decide what you want, sweetheart; your heart should always be free.”

“Free to love you,” She whispered with a tearful smile, before she launched herself into his arms, holding onto him desperately as she released the remainder of her tears.

“I love you so much, baby,” Andrew whispered against her ear as he held her as tightly as he dared, cherishing the feeling of holding her and knowing that there was no time limit on how long he could do so.

x

As promised, as darkness fell, the two angels laid awake in the hammock outside, snuggled close together as Andrew pointed out the constellations to his beloved pupil. The night air was chilly and the blonde angel had brought out blankets to make sure Monica was nice and warm. The little angel fell asleep with her head resting on his chest and Andrew spent the next two hours simply gazing down into her sleeping face, his heart swelling with love every moment that passed. She was exhausted, and he knew she was sleeping deeply and peacefully for the first time in four long months, though he could still see the weariness of her time spent in the jail etched into her delicate features. Andrew wished he could erase time spent there from her mind, but he knew he could not, and when the beginnings of a nightmare started with frightened murmurs from her, he was only further reminded that it would take time and love to fully heal her spirit, but he had plenty of both.

He kissed the top of her head tenderly, “Hush, Angel. You’re safe now. I’m right here with you where I will always be.”

His words and gentle touch soothed away the dream and he tugged the blankets more snugly around her small body, before finally allowing himself to drift off into a contented sleep.

Andrew awoke just before dawn and without ever waking Monica, he whispered a silent plea. A breath later, he was sitting on a blanket in the sand, the little angel still fast asleep in his arms, not even the sound of the crashing waves causing her to wake up. The Angel of Death cradled Monica in his arms and stroked her hair until just before the sun was ready to peak up over the ocean and he woke her with tender, loving kisses on her face, just in time to watch the sun rise.

As the sky exploded in hues of yellow, orange, lavender and red, the tears trickled down the Irish angel’s face as she whispered, “Only you make all my dreams come true, Andrew.”

“And I’ll spend the rest of my existence doing just that, Angel.” He whispered in return as he kissed away her tears. They watched the rest of God’s miracle in comfortable silence and once the sun had risen in the sky, Andrew looked down into her tired, but nonetheless beautiful chestnut eyes before he kissed her tenderly on the lips, “Come. It’s time to go inside, Angel as you need to sleep a bit longer.”

Though happy, Monica was too weary to argue, not that she would have anyway, and she allowed him to pull her to her feet and guide her back up the beach to the small but cosy little house they sometimes occupied. Andrew noted how she leaned into him heavily, her little body simply worn out from weeks of sadness and pain. He was still deeply worried about her, but his concern was interrupted when Monica wrapped both of her arms around his waist as they walked and gave him a loving squeeze.

“I love you,” She murmured, gazing up at him, “I never want you to forget how much.”

“Never, baby.” He replied, stopping long enough to tilt her chin with his fingertips to kiss her once more, “And I love you.”

Andrew waited outside of her door for her to change into a warm nightgown, before he knocked softly and came into her bedroom once she had bid him enter. He smiled as he watched her open the sliding glass door, leaving only the screen in place.

“I want to hear the ocean while I’m falling asleep,” Monica grinned sleepily before she slipped into bed. A tiny sigh escaped her at the feeling of the comfortable bed and soft, warm sheets as she remembered all too well the horrible hard cot and single blanket from the prison. Just as she started to close her eyes, they suddenly snapped open and looked at Andrew, “You don’t have to leave, do you?”

“No, baby,” He assured her, “I’ve been told to stay right here with you.”

“Then stay with me, please? While I sleep?”

Her hopeful expression went straight to his heart, “Nowhere else I’d want to be, Monica.”

She waited until he had settled in beside of her before she abandoned her pillow for his chest, the soothing sound of his heartbeat beneath her ear lulling her into a deep sleep, knowing she was safe in the arms of the angel she loved the most.

X

Three days later, the Irish angel was slowly coming back to herself, though she was still dealing with some residual emotions. The nightmares still plagued her sleep, though the dreams of Sheila coming after her had finally faded away. Her worst dreams involved being trapped in a place that grew smaller each moment and Andrew had woken up to her screaming the previous night.

But this morning, Monica was smiling as she hurried up the sidewalk and then turned and walked up the path to the small house. The sun was shining brightly and the fall day was unseasonably warm and perfect. Her small hand made a fist as she knocked on the front door and waited impatiently and hopefully for an answer.

“Monica!” Abby cried out as she opened the door and immediately moved to hug the angel, “I didn’t think I’d see you again!”

The angel grinned, “Usually you wouldn’t have, now that you have been proven innocent.”

“I am so thankful to you and Andrew, for getting me out of that horrible place,” The woman’s eyes took on a haunted look that Monica knew at times matched the look in her own chestnut eyes.

“God did it, Abby, so you can thank Him. He just sent Andrew and I to help.”

“Yes, but I’m still sorry you had to go through that whole experience as well.”

Monica thought about her words for a moment before answering, “Well, I’m not sure I’ll ever be grateful for the experience, but I was very blessed to have Andrew with me, and I certainly wasn’t sorry to be helping you.”

“I’m just so glad to be out of there.”

“Are you all settled in?”

Abby nodded her head slowly, but sadness was reflected in her eyes, “I just...I’m not having much luck finding Corey. I called Social Services, but there is all this red tape and he’s apparently been moved around a few times. It could be awhile before I see him again...if I see him again.”

Reaching out, Monica grabbed hold of Abby’s hand, “Well you know, God has an uncanny ability to work miracles, as Andrew recently reminded me.”

“I hope so, Monica,” the human whispered, blinking back tears and trying to smile, “Where is Andrew, anyway?”

“Oh, he’s coming.” Turning around, she called out his name in her Irish lilt.

Abby watched as the tall, blonde angel appeared from around the corner of the house, but her hands immediately flew to her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes and began to course down her cheeks. There, held in the angel’s arms, was her precious son.

“Corey!” The word was a sob as Andrew tenderly deposited the little boy in his mother’s arms and watched how the pair clung to each other.

“God not only has a way with miracles, Abby,” Monica smiled tearfully, “But He has a way with red tape too.”

Soon after the joyful reunion, the two angels walked hand in hand away from Abby’s home, both content with the completed assignment. Though still holding much concern for Monica in his heart, Andrew could also feel apprehension there as well and knew it was coming from her.

“Angel?”

Looking up at him, she managed a smile, “I guess we are soon going to be reassigned,” She stated sadly, knowing that they could easily be assigned apart, and that was what she was most dreading.

Andrew stopped walking as knowledge filled his heart and a slow smile spread across his face, even as his heartbeat accelerated. Looking down at Monica’s adorably confused expression, he cupped her cheek in his hand, “No assignments yet, baby. The Father has something else in mind.”

“Andrew-.”

A finger against her lips cut off her barrage of questions, “Come with me, Angel.”

To be continued