Chapter Eight

As soon as Monica entered the house, she headed to the bathroom to retrieve the items she had mentioned before and then quickly returned to the kitchen to tend to Paul’s hand. Though it really was a small scratch, it gave the little angel great joy to be able to do something; anything for someone else. She took great care with cleaning the scratch and applying the ointment, thankfully missing the amused glances that were going back and forth between Andrew and Paul.

Once she had applied the bandage over the wound, Paul looked at her with mock seriousness in his blue eyes, "Is my prognosis good?"

Monica gave him a playful scowl that made him laugh and even Andrew chuckled as she replied with a hint of teasing in her Irish voice, "Seems as if you can still lead a full life," Throwing him a wink, he and Andrew both chuckled but they were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone.

"I’ve got it, Andrew," Paul remarked, heading to his study immediately.

"It’s nice to see you smile, Angel Girl," Andrew remarked softly, catching her off guard as she turned to face him.

A faint smile crossed her face as she met her eyes with his, "I’m trying, Andrew. I really am."

"I know, sweetie," He replied gently, "And I know it’s hard, but-."

"Damn it!" Paul’s voice sounded from the study along with the sound of what seemed to be him hitting the desk with his fist.

The two angels exchanged a glance with each other, before hurrying to the study themselves, both of them noting the furious expression on the agent’s face.

"Paul?" Andrew asked, his green eyes glimmering with concern.

Whirling around, Paul noticed Andrew and Monica and he struggled to maintain his composure enough to speak, "Andrew, I need to speak with you privately for a moment."

Andrew didn’t miss the way the little angel’s face fell upon hearing those words, as he watched her face flush with anger. He had a feeling this was not going to go over well.

"Does this have to do with me, Paul?" She asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

He was silent for a moment, before replying, "Monica, I need for you to excuse us for a minute."

His answer telling her all she needed to know, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, frustration eating at her. Paul knew something about the case and he didn’t want to tell her and though she was trying to be patient, all she felt at the moment was angry.

Walking into the kitchen, her hand automatically reached for the doorknob to go outside before she stopped herself and her suddenly out of control feelings caused tears to sting her eyes. The glass on the back door might as well have been bars, as she suddenly felt more caged then she had ever felt before in her entire existence. She could go nowhere by herself, not even outside to calm down, and she felt smothered. Suddenly she desperately missed the quiet moments alone with God’s creation; moments that allowed her to think things through, but those had been taken from her.

Staring out the window, only being able to look out at the fields from the inside, she felt the tears of frustration and hurt fall from her dark eyes.

*****

"What is this all about Paul?" Andrew demanded softly, not liking the fact that Monica wasn’t here to witness whatever it was the agent needed to share.

"Some over eager reporter apparently got a picture of Monica as she was being taken from the house that night…her face is all over the newspapers. If the image McArthur had of her had faded at all, his memory is now being refreshed."

"What?" the disbelief was clear in his voice and on his face. "How could they do that?" He knew that this would only make things even more difficult for Monica and anger and sadness warred for control of his emotions.

"Technically they weren't barred from printing her picture, but the reputable papers know enough not to risk it. Unfortunately the SOB who took the picture wasn’t from one of those papers and now they've all picked it up," Paul's fist pounded the desk again. He looked at his partner and saw that he looked just as angry as he himself was, if not more.

"So now what? They still don't know she's here, do they?" Andrew asked, thinking of how Monica was just beginning to settle down and actually find some small amount of joy in being on the farm.

Paul's eyes turned stubbornly hard. "No. We are not moving her. The last thing she needs right now is another upheaval," he said, echoing Andrew's thoughts.

"Do you want to tell her about this, or should I?"

"Neither," Paul replied tersely.

Andrew was taken aback by Paul's answer. "She's going to ask what happened. We can't just tell her it's nothing."

"Actually that's exactly what we're going to do. She doesn't need to know and she's not going to know."

"Paul…" Andrew tried to persuade him. He knew that there was no way he would be able to lie to his best friend.

"End of discussion." He glanced down at the bandage on his hand. "She's our assignment… and as nice as she may be, we can't forget why we're all here in the first place."

"I don't think any of us could possibly do that," Andrew said quietly, realizing that this was harder for the man than he thought.

"Yeah," Paul said with a short, sarcastic laugh. "You go back and check on her. I have to make some calls and try to do some damage control."

"Sure thing, Paul," Andrew headed out the door, but not before watching, with concern in his eyes, as the agent slumped into his chair and picked up the phone.

Andrew walked back into the kitchen quietly, not surprised to find Monica staring out the back door. Her hand was clutching the doorknob and he let out a sigh, knowing that all the little angel really wanted was to run as far from this situation as possible.

"Monica?" he said gently, feeling his heart clench when she turned her tear-filled eyes to meet his.

"What's going on?" She asked, her frustration currently shadowed by apprehension and outright fear. "Are we leaving?"

Andrew immediately picked up on all of her emotions, including the sorrow that even she wouldn't admit to. "Oh, no, angel. We're not going anywhere," he quickly crossed the room to stand beside her, wanting to wrap her in his arms but unable to with Paul right in the next room.

"But something happened," Monica said. "Something bad. What was it?"

He broke her gaze, not knowing exactly what to say. "Paul doesn't want you to know," he admitted.

"But you know!" She said. "You can tell me."

"Monica, he told me not to tell you. Please don't ask. You know I can't lie to you," his pleading eyes went straight to her tender heart.

She reached out and briefly touched his hand. "It's ok," she said at last. "I won't ask." She turned her attention back to the fields outside, not wanting him to see her distress.

Her efforts were in vain however, as even when he couldn't look into her eyes, he could tell how she was feeling. "Let's go outside for a bit," he said after a minute of watching her.

"Do you think that we could?" Monica asked, a little uncertain, but needing so badly to get out of the house and into nature.

"Paul's on the phone. I'll leave him a note," Andrew replied, almost as anxious to get out as she was. "I think a walk will do us both some good."

She nodded her head, still feeling on the verge of tears as she waited for him to write out the note. As he finished and then opened the back door for her, she all but darted outside, taking in deep breaths to try and calm herself. But much to her dismay, it didn’t seem to be helping much and she only found herself wanting to cry.

Andrew walked beside her in silence, seeing the struggle that was taking place in his friend. He could clearly sense her frustration and hurt and it pained his own heart to think that he had added to that by keeping something from her; something she deserved to know.

He waited until they were no longer in view of the house, before he reached for her hand and held it tightly, her fingers curling around his own, though she never looked up. He was willing to allow her these few minutes of silence, but he wasn’t willing to just let her allow this hurt to consume her, so after a few minutes, he spoke up, "Talk to me, Angel Girl." It wasn’t a demand, but only a gentle request.

The little angel swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears that threatened her eyes at bay, "I feel trapped, Andrew, like I’m in a cage and I hate it. You know I love being with you, but not even that is right at the moment. I have to watch everything I say to you and I can’t hug you when I want to…"

His heart broke at her words as she blinked and a tear made a shiny path down her pale face. To see her hurting like this was almost more than he could bear to see. He immediately stopped walking and pulled her into his arms, not surprised at all when she dissolved into tears.

Andrew held her tightly and in silence, knowing she needed the emotional release from all she was feeling at the moment. He simply rested his chin on the top of her head as he pressed her head against his chest, able to feel both the trembling of her shoulders and the aching of her heart with equal intensity. After a few moments, he responded softly to the things she had said with a simple, "I know."

"I’m sorry…" Monica uttered shakily, as she raised her head and drew in a shaky breath, "I didn’t mean to do that…"

"I think you needed to do that, honey," The older angel replied, meeting his eyes with hers as his hand moved to stroke her cheek, which was wet from her tears. He could so clearly see her sadness, her guilt, her frustration in those large brown eyes, and it only took him a split second to make a decision. He didn’t know if it would help her to do more damage, but he only knew that keeping something from her was not something he was willing to do, "Your picture is all over the papers today, Angel Girl," He said softly, hoping he hadn’t just made a mistake as he saw the shock in her expression.

"What? Andrew, how…?"

"A reporter must have taken it when you were leaving the house with Tess that night," He explained as gently as he could. He saw her dark eyes cloud over then clear as she pushed the emotions to the side once more, and though he didn’t like seeing her do that, he decided that for the moment he would let her handle this her way.

"Paul didn’t want me to know…" She stated softly.

"He didn’t want to upset you, but it seemed to be upsetting you just as much to not tell you anything when you knew something was wrong. I’ll let him know I took that matter into my hands and I’ll deal with him," He replied resolutely.

"This is never going to be over…" The little angel whispered dejectedly as she lowered her eyes.

"It will be over, angel," Andrew insisted, wishing he knew how to make up for this blow that none of them had been expecting.

Monica fell silent once more, and when she spoke up again, it was obvious that she had elected to switch gears as her emotions were no longer able to deal with the current situation any longer, "Do you want to see the kittens?"

It only took Andrew a moment to process what she was doing and he allowed her to take the lead, but if things got worse, he would not hesitate to force her to talk this out, "I’d love to, Angel," Reaching for her hand once more, he allowed her to lead him into the barn.

Andrew smiled as his friend pointed to the kittens, though they maintained a safe distance this time as mama cat was looking more than slightly defensive.

"Aren’t they sweet?" Monica whispered, a small, albeit sad smile on her face.

Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he replied warmly, "Yes, they are," He replied, all the while knowing that even the five adorable kittens didn’t hold a candle to the angel that constantly tugged on his heartstrings.

*****

"You told her?" Paul asked incredulously, his eyes holding a trace of anger as he faced his partner an hour later.

Andrew nodded his head, his expression set as he replied calmly, "She deserved to know the truth. Though the truth upset her, she was already upset to begin with."

"She didn’t need that additional stress, Andrew-."

"If it concerned her and her safety she had as much of a right to know as you and I did. She needs to know what she is up against; not that the two people who are responsible for keeping her safe and that she needs to trust are holding out on her," He stated adamantly, unwilling to back down from having done what he knew was right.

"Well I guess it's a little late for me to do anything about it now," Paul replied, sarcasm and a touch of irritation still in his voice. "When she wakes up screaming I'll let you deal with that too," he couldn't resist a final jab before heading out of the room.

"I plan on it," Andrew whispered under his breath as he watched Paul's retreating back and shook his head.

He and Paul had enjoyed a very good relationship and he hoped that Paul would be able to move past his anger. If the two of them were at odds it certainly wouldn't help Monica's mood. She was feeling responsible for everything as it was, and it wouldn't take much of a leap for her to take on the guilt for their fight as well.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the little angel had been waiting in the next room and had heard just about every word. She waited until she heard Paul's door close and then followed him down the hall. Once she found herself standing outside his room she felt some of her initial courage fade, but she lifted her hand and knocked lightly on the door.

"Yeah?" his voice came from the other side.

"It's me… Monica," she said, as if there could somehow be a question as to her identity after she started speaking. "Could I come in for a minute?"

There was a pause, and she expected him to send her away, but then he answered her, "Yeah, ok, come on in."

His voice sounded tired, and when she opened the door and looked at him she could see that weariness reflected in his face. She could sense that it wasn't so much physical fatigue as it was mental and emotional and she knew that as much as he claimed to enjoy his job there had to be times when it was far from pleasant. This felt like one of those times.

"I heard you talking to Andrew," she said as she sat down at the foot of the bed.

Paul set down the book he had been reading and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Monica. You didn't need to hear that on top of everything else."

"It's alright," she assured him. "I'm sorry that the two of you are fighting about me," she continued, eyes focused on her clenched hands.

"We aren't fighting about you." He let out a deep breath, along with some of his irritation. "Andrew and I had a difference of opinion and I guess he won since you know everything."

"I asked him to tell me," she said, in defense of her friend. "He wasn't going to… he told me you didn't think I needed to know. Please don't blame him for telling me. Blame me if you have to… I shouldn't have asked in the first place."

Paul saw the troubled look on her face even as she tried to mask it with stubborn insistence. The last thing he wanted was for her to get all worked up about something that, when he really thought about it, didn't amount to much of anything. He felt the last of his anger melt away, replaced by a desire to see the woman before him let out just a tiny smile.

"Hey, now," he said soothingly. "No one's to blame. Andrew was right… you did deserve to know. Anyway, I should have known better than to try to keep it from you, knowing how stubborn you can be." He let out a low chuckle and was relieved to see the nervous expression fade from Monica's face.

"I prefer to think of it as knowing my mind," she said with a glint in her eye.

Paul was waiting for the smile to follow, but it never did, and he inwardly cursed himself for expecting one and for caring so much about not getting one. "Why don't we head on into the kitchen and I'll see about fixing some lunch," he said as he swung his legs off the bed.

"That sounds lovely," Monica said, relief filling her heart, and when she smiled she saw a matching glow enter Paul's eyes.

Chapter Nine

The next few days passed with agonizing slowness for the little Irish angel, though she tried diligently to make the most of her situation as well as keep her emotions intact. Her feeling of being jailed was continuing to grow with each new day and there were moments she found herself pacing, much like a tiger in a cage, who kept hoping for that miraculous moment when freedom would be at hand.

Andrew and Paul were bending over backwards to try and keep her spirits up, despite the fact that at times they felt as if they were walking on eggshells with her. It wasn’t that she was being disagreeable; quite the contrary, but there were moments when the petite angel looked and felt like a bomb waiting to explode.

Ever since the picture in the paper fiasco, Paul had tightened the reigns on her, and though Monica loved the outings with the horses, the days of galloping ahead were now over for her and she silently mourned this fact. Though they had been brief, they had still been moments when she felt like a free spirit and she had treasured them greatly. But she had uttered not a word of complaint when Paul had laid down the new ground rules, knowing she had to accept them and not wanting to make any trouble.

What was making things even more difficult was that with the new threats to her safety, Paul had become even more protective and Monica was finding stolen moments with Andrew were becoming harder to come by. The agent was sleeping much lighter and just that night, when she had tried to sneak into Andrew’s room, just to pour out her heart, Paul had heard her door open and had been there instantly, asking if she was all right. She had muttered something about getting a drink of water, before heading back to bed, too frustrated and her heart too heavy to be able to sleep.

She tossed and turned for as long as she could stand it, but the bedroom itself seemed to be closing in on her and her world, which had once felt so full of endless possibilities, now seemed miniscule and she felt like she couldn’t even breathe.

Exhaustion battled with common sense and won, as she quietly crept out of bed and over to the door, pausing to listen for any movement from Paul’s bedroom. Hearing none, she slowly opened the door an inch at a time, praying it wouldn’t creak. She breathed a sigh of relief when her prayers seemed to have been answered and she took great care on closing the door behind her once more.

The little angel moved unostentatiously down the hallway and to the kitchen, hardly daring to breathe as she unlocked the back door and hesitated. She knew Paul would be furious if he found out she had gone outside, and possibly Andrew as well, but she was an angel after all; the Father would care for her and right now, her lungs felt as if they would burst if she couldn’t have a few quiet moments of fresh air. It was difficult enough not being able to talk to Andrew the way she wanted to be able to, but this feeling of being a bird in a cage was more than she could bear at the moment.

Silently, the door opened and as she closed it behind her, she inhaled the night air in a rush as if it was her first living breath. The cool air awoke her senses and she felt herself come alive for what felt like the first time in days. Though the night was chilly, she welcomed it as she grabbed the flashlight from the porch and crept quietly onto the dew-dampened grass, before she picked up her pace and headed down the hill to the stables. Only when she knew the flashlight would be out of range to reflect in the house, did she turn it on to light her way.

Though the angel hated the darkness, she calmed her nerves as she entered the stables and heard Scout whinny softly in greeting. Approaching the horse, she smiled sadly, resting her forehead against him, “Hello, Scout,” She told him softly, “I thought maybe you were as lonely as I am right now, so I decided to pay you a visit,” She drew in a trembling breath as she shivered slightly, having worn no more than her nightgown in her haste to escape, “Paul and Andrew are wonderful company, but I’m afraid your buddy Paul is smothering me a little at the moment. I know he has his reasons, but I’m missing my best friend at the moment and the house was closing in on me, Scout. This is just so much harder than I thought it would be…so much harder.”

Scout nuzzled her shoulder gently as if urging her to speak her heart and the words came out in a rush, “This is all such a mess, Scout. Why didn’t I leave that night? That would have stopped all these dominoes from falling in the first place. I’m an angel, Scout; an angel! I don’t want to be anyone’s assignment, or have my picture plastered all over the newspapers, or have to be trapped in a house with my best friend, who I can’t even talk to right now-.” She took in deep breaths, trying to calm her rapidly fraying emotions, “I’m trying to accept this as where I am supposed to be, but I don’t want to be here; not like this.”

Wearily, she sank down to the floor and leaned back up against Scout’s stall, wiping at her tired eyes as she felt the horse’s hot breath against her hair, “It’s like you are the only one I can talk to right now, Scout. I can’t even face God right now; not feeling the way I do.”

“But that’s exactly when He’s with you the most.”

Monica gasped and her head whipped around to see Andrew standing in the doorway, barely illuminated by the beam of light from her flashlight. She shut her eyes and willed her heart back to a normal rhythm as she waited for him to close the distance between them.

“I’m sorry, Angel Girl,” he said as he hurried to her side. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “I guess I should know by now not to sneak up on you.”

Monica still said nothing and he could see that she was trying to calm herself down. He crouched down beside her and stretched one long arm around her shoulders. “You’re ok, Monica. Nothing’s going to hurt you here.” He paused. “Well, except for Paul when he finds out you came out here alone in the middle of the night,” he dead-panned, hoping to get a smile out of his best friend.

Instead she let out a choked laugh that turned almost immediately into a sob. Andrew was dismayed at her reaction and went to draw her closer but she stopped him and pulled away, putting her hands to her face to wipe away her tears and try to stifle her crying. She had seemed so fragile the last few days, but she had never come to him and he had assumed that she was beginning to feel a little better about things.

“Monica, talk to me. What’s wrong? Why are you pushing me away?”

“I’ll be alright,” she said weakly. “Just give me a minute.”

“Give you a minute?” Andrew exclaimed. “Angel, I’m right here… why won’t you let me at least hold you.”

Monica sniffled and held back the rest of the tears that longed to fall. “Because you aren’t here… not really,” she said tearfully.

“You aren’t making any sense… of course I’m here. I’m here with you every minute of the day,” he insisted.

She shook her head violently. “No! Andrew the agent is here… not my best friend. I can’t touch you… I can’t go to you… I’m afraid to even look at you sometimes because I think I won’t be able to keep from running into your arms if I do. Paul nearly caught me trying to go to your room tonight,” she cried, “that’s why I came out here instead. I just had to get away and be able to talk to someone about who I really am and what I’m really feeling.”

Andrew felt like every tear was coming from his own heart, but he looked at his dearest friend with dry eyes, knowing that she needed him to be strong enough for both of them. “So you came here to talk to Scout,” he guessed and watched as she nodded her head, her auburn hair sweeping forward to obscure her face.

“I just couldn’t lie there any more,” she said softly.

He moved close to her again and this time she didn’t fight him when he reached around and pulled her close. “I’m sorry we haven’t been able to talk, Monica,” he said. “You know I’ve wanted to… but you’re right… it has been hard.”

“And I don’t know when it’s ever going to get easier,” she whispered.

“We’ll work something out. We will. I don’t care if we have to lock Paul in his room and pretend the door got stuck. You aren’t going through this alone and I don’t want you to feel like you are.”

The image of Paul futilely pushing against a locked door was enough to bring a thin smile to Monica’s face as she nestled against Andrew’s shoulder. The blond angel looked down and saw it and smiled himself, wrapping his other arm around her. He knew that things were far from being alright, but at least now perhaps they could get better.

“So what else did you tell Scout?” He asked softly after a moment, needing to know the depth of her hurt.

“I told him I was lonely; mostly for you, even though you are right here, you still feel just beyond my reach most of the time, Andrew. I’ve wanted to talk to you so badly, but every time I try, Paul is right there. I like him, I do, and I understand his position but I feel like I’m being suffocated by him right now,” Bringing her trembling hands to her face, she seemed to be physically trying to push back the tears as she rested in his arms.

“So talk to me now, Angel,” Andrew whispered, his fingers brushing through her hair tenderly as he willed her to open her heart.

“I want things back the way that they were,” Her words were both a statement and a plea for him to make it so, all the while knowing he could not, “I want to have assignments, not be the assignment. I don’t know how to do that, Andrew, and I keep making a mess out of it.”

“Monica, you have done nothing wrong. The things that have happened are beyond your control, so stop trying to control them. As far as you being able to talk to me, I will work something out. I promise you, I will, though I have no idea of what yet,” He did his best to reassure her, before he added as gently as he could, “But while we are on this subject, you know you need to take to the Father all that is in your heart as well.”

She closed her eyes, hearing his words, knowing they were truth, but also knowing she couldn’t do what he was asking of her yet, “I can’t yet. I still feel responsible for all of this; for Josh dying. I know you are right, but I just can’t do it yet.”

“Monica, you weren’t the one who killed Josh…”

“And I wasn’t the one to stop it either,” She interrupted sadly.

“Angel, you weren’t meant to stop it,” He argued gently, wishing if nothing else, that she could accept that much.

“Then why be there?” Her voice held an edge to it that shocked him somewhat, though he knew the words were directed at herself and not at him.

“Take it to God.”

“I can’t.”

Andrew sighed softly, knowing her stubborn streak was winning the battle tonight, “You can, you just don’t want to yet.”

There was silence in the stables for a few moments before he spoke up again, “We should get back. You’re shivering and the last thing your human form needs is a cold.”

Monica nodded her head in resignation as she allowed him to help her to her feet, feeling more tired than she would ever admit, even to him. Picking up the flashlight, she followed him out of the barn and back up the hill and her weary heart fell to her stomach as she saw the kitchen light on and Paul’s distressed face looking out the window.

“I don’t know if I can do this tonight…” She whispered tearfully, though she had known all along that her outing could very well hold repercussions.

“I’ll think of something, Angel Girl,” Andrew replied as the approached the back porch.

“No, you won’t. I’ll tell him the truth,” She tried to put as much bravery into her words as she could despite the fact that she felt anything but brave at the moment.

“Where the hell have you been?” The agent demanded. Though his eyes held anger, Andrew could clearly see the concern beneath that and he just hoped that Monica could as well.

“I needed some air,” She stammered nervously, hoping he would consider putting off this conversation till the morning, “Andrew found me and no harm was done.”

“This time!” Paul countered irritably, “I have to hand it to you, Monica. For someone whose life is at stake, you are the most brazen witness I’ve ever tried to protect.”

“Paul, please,” She pleaded her voice weighed down with exhaustion, “I can’t do this now. I just can’t.” Feeling Andrew wrap a quilt around her shivering form, she shot him a grateful look, as Paul continued his worry-laden rant.

“My job is to protect you, Monica and you are doing your best to make that impossible! Can you even make me understand why it is you are so determined to put your life in danger?”

Giving up the fight, the little angel starred at the floor, feeling like a reprimanded child, but not having the energy to get angry. Her tears were dangerously close to the surface once again as she struggled to blink them back.

“Paul, I really think we should continue this in the morning,” Andrew stated softly, clearly seeing Monica’s defeat and wanting to give his partner’s anger time to diffuse.

“I just want to understand this, Monica,” Paul continued, not liking what he saw in her face, but he had been worried sick when he had once again found her missing.

She briefly raised her eyes to meet with his, the sadness there unmistakable, “You’ve never been on this side of things, Paul. If you had, I wouldn’t need to explain it to you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to bed.”

She didn’t give him time to reply as she hurried from the kitchen and back to her room, closing the door firmly behind her. It was only when she climbed into bed, that she allowed the silent tears to dampen her pillow.

Chapter Ten

Paul was woken the next morning by the sound of rain beating against his window. Clouds had moved in overnight, and now they had opened up, pouring out everything they contained and turning the landscape into a grey and dismal place. He watched a single raindrop trickle down the glass, like a fat tadpole wriggling its way to the windowsill, and wondered at how the weather could match his mood so perfectly.

His mind inevitably turned to the events of the previous night. After Monica had departed for her room he had only lingered in the kitchen long enough to see the disappointed and frustrated look on his partner's face before stalking off to his own. He hadn't been able to sleep, however, and had spent long hours staring into the inky blackness and trying to make sense of his thoughts and feelings. He had promised himself that he wouldn't push her or overwhelm her with rules and precautions, but that was exactly what he had done. He had kept such a tight hold on her that it was a wonder she hadn't snapped days earlier. Exhaustion had eventually overcome his body, but now his thoughts took up right where they left off.

He gazed out the window at the low-lying fog that hovered above the fields, dreading the fact that that the bad weather was going to keep them all cooped up in the house. Rolling over, he looked at his door, knowing that Monica was probably lying awake in her own bed right across the hall.

He hated knowing that he had given her yet another reason to be upset, but he didn't seem to be able to control his protective instincts when it came to her. It was more than that, though; he couldn't seem to control his reaction to the possibility of her being in danger. The result was that he ended up saying and doing things that he knew only drove her more and more into herself and led her to take risks just to have a few moments to herself.

He thought of the exceedingly sad expression on her face as she told him that he couldn't possibly understand how she felt. He knew she was right, and he couldn't imagine being in her position, but she didn't know what he knew. She hadn't seen the things he had seen. Things that had taught him that any risk was too great and that there was no such thing as safe.

As he tried to convince himself that all of his current problems stemmed from that terrible knowledge, there was a small part that knew that wasn't true. The truth was that just as a simple smile from Monica could warm his heart, the idea of anything happening to her was enough to stop it. Pushing those feelings far into the darkest recesses of his heart, he rolled out of bed and let out a tired sigh. Unfortunately he couldn't hide in his room forever, and he doubted that she would be able to either.

He trudged into the kitchen and saw that Andrew was already there, sitting at the table and drinking a cup of coffee. Knowing that nothing that had happened the night before was his partner's fault he felt badly about the dirty looks he had thrown his way before going to bed.

"About last night…" he started to apologize.

Andrew held up a hand and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Paul. You were upset."

Paul let out a low groan as he sat down with his own coffee in hand. "Yeah… we'll see if Monica sees it that way," he said with regret.

"I think she'll understand more than you know," Andrew stated. "She knows your main concern is her safety."

"Hmph… but she thinks that I don't know what she's going through."

"Well do you? Really?" Andrew asked, raising one eyebrow.

"No, I don't, but I do know what happens when people in this situation get careless." He stared down into his coffee, studying his reflection in the dark liquid. "Believe me when I tell you that I'm not about to let that happen to her. Not her."

Andrew froze briefly, hearing the change in Paul’s tone and wondering if he should question it. He already had a nagging feeling that he knew what this was about, “I’m sure you haven’t let anything happen to the majority of the people you’ve protected, Paul.”

“That’s true,” He remarked quietly, still communing with his cup of coffee, “But she’s different, Andrew. There is something about her that makes me not only want to protect her, but need to protect her…” He hesitated as if wondering if he should share more or if he had already shared too much, “I’m just as anxious for this assignment to be over, because then…I can ask her out.”

It was by the grace of God alone that Andrew didn’t look as shocked as he felt. His mind was spinning and he knew that there was nothing he could say to the agent to dissuade him from his growing feelings for the little Irish angel, however, this was the last thing Monica needed. She was already guarding each word she said to him and to know the truth about what Paul was feeling, would only cause her to measure each word with him as well and overwhelmed would not begin to describe how that would make her feel at the moment. Struggling for words, Andrew managed to keep his voice level, “How do you know that there isn’t already someone in her life?”

“The only person she needed to explain her absence to was her friend, Tess,” Paul replied evenly, “If there was someone else, he would have been there or at the very least she would have called him,” He sighed softly before adding, “I know it is far too early to act upon what I feel, and she has enough on her plate already, but I can’t imagine losing her when all this is over.”

The angel nodded his head, at least able to understand that much. To lose Monica would be a terrible thing for him to bear and he wasn’t even sure he could. The little angel was a part of him. “I think it is a wise idea to not have this discussion with her now,” He stated carefully, watching as the agent nodded his head in agreement. Though he had nearly crossed a line with Paul a few days ago by choosing not to keep something from his friend, he knew that this was one thing he would keep to himself for the time being.

*****

Andrew had been right on one account and wrong on another.

When Monica awoke she was fully aware that her outing in the cool night air had left her with a nasty cold. That much was true. However, as far as it being the “last thing she needed” went, she couldn’t disagree more. It was an excuse to stay in bed and not face Paul and that was all she cared about at the moment.

She had dozed off and on all morning, and now her bleary eyes could just make out by looking at the clock on the nightstand that it was just past noon, and she still had no desire to rise and it had little to do with the pounding of her head or the scratchiness of her throat. After last night, she was in no hurry to be confronted by Paul again and her heart was still unbearably heavy with all the problems that rested upon it.

Though talking to Andrew had helped her a little, and she held a glimmer of hope that he would indeed find a way for them to be able to talk unsupervised, nothing was really resolved and the glimmer of light at the end of this particular tunnel seemed so far away. The entire situation left her feeling weary, and she closed her eyes once more, only wanting to sleep in self defense, but a soft knock on the door caused her to open her eyes as her best friend stuck his head in the room.

“You planning to sleep the day away?” He asked, a teasing glint in his green eyes as he saw her offer in return a faint smile of her own.

“Could I be so lucky?” Monica replied, tucking her hands under her cheek as she watched him enter the room and close the door behind him.

He had immediately detected the hoarseness of her voice as he walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, his hand instinctively moving to her forehead and feeling how warm she was, “You caught cold,” He stated as she nodded her head and smiled sheepishly, “Angel, what am I going to do with you?”

“Keep me, I hope,” She chided softly, hearing a chuckle emerge from him.

“I was getting worried when you didn’t get up after I brewed a fresh pot of coffee. It has your name written all over it.” He rested his hand on the bed on the other side of her small body.

“Hiding away in here all day didn’t sound like a half bad idea, to be honest,” She remarked wryly, “Where is Paul?”

“Checking the grounds, but I think he wants to talk to you,” Seeing her chagrined expression, he added reassuringly, “Though he isn’t happy about you leaving last night, he isn’t angry anymore, so you have nothing to fear. He only wants to keep you safe, Angel Girl, and you scared him last night. That was where his anger was coming from.”

“I know. I just couldn’t face it last night is all. Not with everything else I was feeling,” She explained, moving her hand to cover her mouth as she let out a dry cough.

“Alright, that’s the second time you’ve coughed,” Andrew said, narrowing his eyes and attempting to look stern. Unfortunately his teasing expression was more comical than anything else, and Monica went into a little series of coughs as she tried to keep herself from laughing.

“I’m sorry, Andrew,” she said, grinning at him from under her dark eyelashes.

“Sure you are… laughing at my best Tess imitation,” he said, unable to keep a smile from his own face.

“It was a very good one,” Monica tried to placate him.

“If it had been that good you would have trembled in fear, not laughed,” Andrew chuckled, “but that doesn’t matter, because even if I can’t look like Tess, I can still act like her.”

That statement did bring a look of trepidation to the Irish angel’s face and Andrew laughed again.

“Don’t look so scared, Angel Girl,” he said. “I’m talking about tea. People with colds get nice hot tea.”

“But I’m not a person, I’m an angel,” Monica said, tiny grin back in place.

“The same goes for angels with colds,” he replied, giving her hand a little pat. “So you just stay right there and I’ll go fix you some, and if you’re very good maybe I’ll even bring you a nice piece of toast.”

Monica stuck her tongue out at his attempt to be funny, but Andrew felt completely successful. She had smiled, and even joked with him… a definite improvement.

Paul entered the kitchen just as the blond angel was pouring the tea. He shook off his wet jacket and hung it up before walking further into the room and watching his partner’s actions.

“Tea?” he said. “What happened to the coffee?” He knew that Andrew had just brewed a fresh pot to entice Monica from her room.

“It looks like she caught a bit of a cold last night,” Andrew said. “This should be better for her throat.”

“She’s sick?” Paul repeated his partner’s words. “Does she need anything else? Medicine? A doctor.”

Andrew let out a brief smile although inwardly he was already wondering how long it would take before Paul’s feelings became known to the little angel.

“Tea should do the trick for now,” Andrew told him. “I told her you wanted to talk to her… maybe you should bring this in to her.”

“I don’t know. It’s pretty obvious she’s been hiding in there at least partially to avoid me. I don’t want to force anything…”

Andrew laid a friendly hand on Paul’s shoulder. “It’s alright. She knows you were just upset.”

“Alright,” Paul relented, “I guess it’s better to get it over with anyway.” He picked up the steaming cup of tea and headed to Monica’s room.

The door was part way open, but he knocked anyway. “Are you up for another visitor?” he asked.

Monica pushed herself into a sitting position and took a deep breath. “Of course,” she answered. “Please come in.”

He entered and quickly assessed the situation, noting her rumpled sheets and the flushed look on her face. Obviously it hadn’t been a particularly restful morning even if she had spent most of it sleeping.

“Andrew said this would help your cold,” he said as he thrust the cup towards her, somewhat awkwardly.

Monica could see that the man was suddenly unsure of what to say to her, and she knew that he was probably feeling a bit guilty about what he had said to her after her unscheduled trip to the barn.

“You could sit down for a minute,” she said softly, as she took the cup.

“Well… I really came in her to apolo--”

“Please don’t,” Monica interrupted. “You were right to be angry. I never should have gone out alone… at least not in the middle of the night,” she said with a tiny grin.

It was an infectious expression and Paul broke into a wide smile as he sat at the end of her bed. “I must admit, Monica… between the riding accident, and making yourself sick… usually we just have to protect our assignments from the bad guys, not from themselves,” he chuckled.

A slight blush rose to her flushed cheeks, “Well, I’ve been called ‘accident prone’ on several occasions,” She admitted, relieved that the tension between them seemed to be diminishing.

Paul grinned at her before his expression turned serious once more, “I do need to apologize for laying into you like that last night. I could tell you were already upset and I made matters worse and that was never my intention,” He saw her nod her head slowly and he continued, “But with that being said, and I’ll make the lecture brief,” He winked at her to soften the blow of his words, “You really do need to be more careful. Monica, if he had been out there someplace last night, there would have been nothing Andrew or I could have done and the thought of that is enough to keep me awake at night.”

She lowered her head for a moment, feeling terrible about the worry she had caused him when he had been so nice to her, “I am truly sorry, Paul.”

Tentatively, he laid a hand on her leg from atop the quilt, “I know you feel trapped and I am truly sorry for that. I can only imagine how that must feel for you and I wish that there was a better way to keep you safe, but there just isn’t.”

“I know that. I do.” She reassured him, raising her head once more to meet his eyes, “I won’t do it again; not without an escort.”

He nodded his head, his eyes showing his gratitude, “Maybe once you are feeling up to it, we can have an outing. There is a little town not far from here. It’s a bit touristy, plenty of little specialty shops and boutiques. I think you would enjoy it.”

Despite not feeling well, the angel’s face lit up in a smile that lit up Paul’s heart, “Really? We could really do that?”

Chuckling at the fact that she looked like a little girl on Christmas Eve, he nodded his head once more, “I think with a little planning, it can be arranged.”

Andrew stood in the doorway, a small grin on his face at her smile, despite the fact that Paul had been the one to put it there this time. He knew that the important thing was that it was there at all, “I found some cold medicine in the bathroom. It will probably knock you out for awhile, but the rest will do you good.”

“Yes, doctor,” Monica replied, her giggle only stopped by a fit of coughing, though she didn’t miss the look of concern in her best friend’s eyes.

“I need to go and make a few calls,” Paul stated as he rose to his feet, as he smiled down at the angel, “You rest up.”

“I will.” She promised before he left the room, leaving she and Andrew alone once more.

“Here you go, Angel Girl,” Andrew sat down on the edge of her bed once more and handed her the tablets and a glass of water, waiting until she had taken them to take the glass and set it back on the table, “Now, it’s time for you to lie down and get some sleep so this doesn’t get any worse and you can enjoy the field trip Paul is planning,” He smiled as she obediently laid back down and allowed him to pull the quilt snugly around her small form. His hand habitually reached to stroke her tangled hair as her dark eyes began to sleepily close.

“Thank you, for being here. For being there last night,” She murmured wearily.

“Angel, there is nowhere else I’d ever want to be,” He replied softly as she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Eleven

“I think this cold is a blessing in disguise,” Paul remarked a little while later as he came out of the study and joined Andrew in the living room, “She is sleeping better than she has since this whole thing began.”

“I agree,” Andrew concurred, laying down the book he was reading to look up at his partner, “Being exhausted was really wearing her down emotionally and maybe after some well needed rest, she will be better able to handle her situation.” He appeared thoughtful for a moment before he asked the question that weighed on his mind, “I don’t suppose there have been any leads on McArthur?”

“Leads, yes, but they’ve gone cold unfortunately,” Paul frowned, the question bringing his frustration to the surface, “He’s almost going to have to show himself in order for the case to pick up again.”

Concern flickered in the angel’s eyes, “With that being said, do you think this trip into town is a good idea?” Though he knew Monica was looking forward to it immensely, he didn’t want anything to endanger her well being, including so much as a narrow escape with this man.

“Yes and no,” The agent replied, taking a seat in the chair and meeting his eyes with Andrew’s, “She needs this. That much I can see. The walls are closing in on her and though that is a normal thing in her situation, she needs a change of scene, if only for a few hours. We just need to be extremely careful.”

Andrew still wasn't convinced, but he had to trust that Paul was much more experienced than he was, and that he certainly didn't want to see Monica hurt in any way. "In that case, I'll follow your lead," he said. "When do you think we should plan on going?"

"If her cold clears up we can head there day after tomorrow. It'll be mid-week and that'll cut down on the tourist traffic… make it easier for us to keep an eye on things."

"I have a feeling that with a little trip to look forward to, no cold is going to keep her down," Andrew said with a laugh.

"I think you've got that right," Paul agreed. "It'll be nice to have that stubborn streak directed at something other than me!"

The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon trying to keep themselves busy without hovering around Monica's room. Andrew was acutely aware of having someone else around who had appointed himself the little angel's primary protector. He thought that he had managed to push all of his jealous feelings out of his mind, but knowing Paul's true feelings had brought them right back to the forefront.

He couldn't begrudge Monica any joy, regardless of who brought it to her. However, he did find himself wanting to tell Paul that he would take care of her… that he knew she only liked orange juice if it had all the pulp strained out, and that she needed to have two pillows behind her back to keep her from coughing… all of the little things that he had learned in the years of being her best friend and confidante. He couldn't even explain why he had such feelings since he knew that Monica couldn't return Paul's affection. He steadfastly ignored the prodding thought at the back of his mind that told him that at least part of his jealousy stemmed from wondering what things would be like if circumstances were completely different. That if they were all just humans, going through life, he might be the one going off alone while Monica stayed with Paul.

The evening passed in much the same way, reading, watching the news on television, delivering soup and more tea to the Irish angel, who insisted she was feeling much better and could probably head to town in the morning while trying to control a sneezing fit. Somehow, Andrew managed to arrange to be the last person to look in on her before they all went to sleep, and he could see the peace in her face that they would get to spend a few minutes together uninterrupted. Looks like that made him shake his head over the conflicted feeling in his heart.

"I'm really feeling much better," she said, as he eased her pillows down and helped her get comfortable.

"You're still sick, Monica. You're not going anywhere tomorrow except maybe to the barn… if you're lucky," Andrew said with a smirk.

She pouted and batted her eyelashes at him, then pouted some more when he merely tucked the quilt under her chin and laughed. Clearly he was not going to be swayed by her normal tactics.

"Nice try, but even if I believed you, you know that Paul would never take the chance of you getting sicker."

Monica sighed in defeat. "You're right," she said. "He was actually very sweet today. Makes me feel worse about worrying him."

"Please stop that, angel. I told you before that it's his job to worry… and trust me, it comes very natural to him," he said, instantly regretting his words when she looked up at him questioningly. "I meant that he's used to it," he covered himself.

"So you just concentrate on yourself."

"That's what I've been doing all day," she replied a bit sadly. "I thought that being stuck in this house was the worst thing I could imagine, but being stuck in this room us much worse."

"Well if you get a good night's sleep you should be able to leave it tomorrow."

"And the barn?"

"I'll work on Paul. If it's not raining I'm sure it won't be a problem. After all, you have a little family of kittens who are probably wondering where you are," he smiled.

She grinned sleepily back at him, the cold medication already doing its job and making her drowsy. Andrew smoothed the auburn hair off her forehead and placed a soft kiss there instead. She wriggled one arm free of the blankets that covered her and took hold of his hand.

"Thank you again, Andrew," she said as she squeezed it tightly.

"For what? I haven't actually done anything to help you get out of here," he said.

"You're here… and right now that's all that I need."

*****

By the next afternoon, there was no keeping the little angel down. She was feeling a good bit better, and was more than anxious to get out of bed, though Paul was adamant that they not head into town until the following day.

“But I’m much better,” Monica insisted, so anxious for the change of scenery that she was tempted to beg.

“Paul’s right, Monica,” Andrew replied, and his eyes held warmth even though her crestfallen expression tugged at his heart, “Give yourself another day to take it easy, so you can truly enjoy tomorrow.”

She sighed heavily as she starred into her mug of coffee, before she looked up at them once more, “Can we go to the stables then?”

Andrew and Paul exchanged a glance as she looked at them pleadingly. Though the rain had stopped, it was still a dreary day and rather chilly, and neither one of them wanted the little angel to get any sicker. But the big, brown eyes continued to plead until Paul finally consented.

“Okay, okay, you win. But you wear a warm jacket down there and we aren’t staying long. Then it is inside for the rest of the day. Deal?” He tried to look stern, but her overjoyed expression caused a smile to tug at the corners of his mouth.

“Deal!” She chirped, deciding to take what she could get at the moment as she scurried up from the table to find her jacket, returning with it a moment later, the look in her eyes clearly stating she was ready to go.

Andrew couldn’t hold back a chuckle at her enthusiasm as he shook his head, “Okay, lets go and check on your menagerie.”

Upon arriving in the stables, once Paul had run his normal safety check, Monica first greeted Scout with a kiss and a carrot that she had carried down in her pocket. Andrew almost found the look of adoration in the horse’s eyes amusing, as he wondered how many more hearts the little angel would break once this case was finally over and done with.

She was further delighted to find the mama cat away from her nest and nowhere in sight as she knelt down in the hay to scoop up each kitten in turn, “I suppose you all need names as everyone does, but the question is what to name you all…”

Andrew watched with deep affection in his eyes as his friend chattered away with the little kittens, who were mewing softly in greeting, knowing that only Monica would take the time to name kittens that she would never again see once this case was over. But he also knew that was something she wasn’t even considering, only focusing on the fact that they were here now and that she needed something to call them. He tried to hide his feelings for her from his expression, though he chose to deliberately not look at Paul as he was unsure if he could handle seeing a similar look on the agent’s face.

“Lucy. I think I’ll call you Lucy,” She spoke softly to the little cat in her hand before she deposited her gently back into the hay, before picking up the next one and dubbing him as “Sam”. She continued the ritual, adding Smokey and Angel to her little family, before scooping up the last one and looking at him thoughtfully, obviously perplexed as to what to call him. Nestling his face against her own, she giggled as his whiskers tickled her cheek, before grinning, “Whiskers! Now you all have names!”

Paul shook his head slightly as he watched Monica as if enchanted. She had a innocence that was almost childlike, and it came as a breath of fresh air to him. He had never had a witness anything like her before; naiveté and stubbornness were second nature to her and he found the combination both maddening and endearing.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a low growl, followed by an insistent hiss and he turned his head to see the kittens’ mother had returned from her prowl. Protectively reaching for Monica’s arm, to help her to her feet, he smiled slightly, “I think we’ve worn out our welcome, unless one of us wants to lose an arm.”

Monica cautiously backed away from the nest, as the cat just as cautiously reclaimed it, her eyes narrowing at the unwanted visitors, “It’s okay, girl,” Monica tried to soothe, “No one will hurt your wee babes.”

“We really need to head back,” Andrew decided, as he took Monica’s elbow almost possessively, “It’s chilly out here and you want that field trip tomorrow.”

Nodding her head happily, she followed Andrew out of the barn with Paul right behind her as they headed back to the house, the conversation easy between them as Paul tried to describe the town to his excited assignment.

They spent a relaxing evening together and Monica was in better spirits than she had been since her first ride on Scout. Andrew was glad to see it, but he couldn’t miss the slight look of longing she gave to him as they each went their separate ways to bed. He knew in that brief moment that she still worried about the night, and about the dreams she was afraid to face. Although the day had been relaxing and she had even smiled and laughed a good deal, the two of them had not had a spare minute to spend alone and that seemed to make the difference between a good night’s sleep or a one filled with nightmares.

“Father,” he whispered as he closed his door and leaned back against it. “I made her a promise that I really need to keep.”

In her own room, Monica eyed her bed with unease. It was difficult to believe how such an innocent looking inanimate object could manage to send a fluttery feeling through her stomach. She let out a long sigh and pulled back the covers, hoping that the night would somehow pass quicker. Within a few minutes she was changed and snuggling under the blankets, trying to make herself think of the nice time she would have in town the next day. It was difficult though, because each time she felt her eyelids begin to close she would involuntarily snap them open again, only to stare into the shadowy night and repeat the cycle. They had just popped open for perhaps the tenth time, but this time they were met with a warm, radiant light, rather than the darkness she feared.

“Andrew!” she gasped, seeing him standing beside her bed, an angelic glow surrounding him. “What….” she pushed herself up and looked at him, bewildered. Did he have to leave? Was he being called away? What was happening?

The blond angel saw the flurry of emotions pass over her face and was quick to sit down beside her and grasp both her hands in his. “I remembered that I had a promise to keep,” he said with a smile, “and the Father agreed to help me keep it.” He cocked his head and his grin turned impish. “I can guarantee that Paul didn’t hear me come in here.”

Relief flooded through the little angel and she let him ease her back under her covers. “I thought maybe you’d forgotten, or that maybe you only said it to help me calm down,” she said, referring to the promise made when she had been so upset. She turned her eyes away, feeling a little ashamed that she would ever doubt Andrew’s word.

He wouldn’t let her break their gaze for long, though, and lifted her chin gently, meeting her dark eyes and infusing his own with all the seriousness he could muster. “I would never forget a promise to you, Monica… and I’d never make one lightly.”

“I know that… I do,” Monica whispered.

“Good. Now you close your eyes and sleep. I’m going to stay with you, and if you wake up you’ll see the light of God in this room, angel, not the darkness.”

Chapter Twelve

When the sunlight finally broke through the clouds and poured into Monica’s room the next morning she opened her eyes feeling completely rested for the first time in days. She knew that Andrew had stayed with her through most of the night, his loving presence and the presence of the Father helping to give her only peaceful dreams. She smiled as she glanced at the wall between their rooms. She knew that he hadn’t needed any sleep in his angelic form, but she still hoped that he was managing to steal a few minutes of it now.

“Okay, up and at ‘em!” Paul’s cheerful voice called down the hall and the little angel hurried out of bed flung her door open.

“I’m up! I’m up!” she assured him.

His eyes took on a playful twinkle as he laughed at her eagerness. “Well, you get yourself ready, and there’ll be a cup of coffee waiting for you in the kitchen,” he said.

Andrew’s door opened a moment after Paul left, and Monica rushed quietly to his side, reaching out to grasp his hand and hold it tightly. He smiled down at her lovingly, and neither of them needed to say a word. A tiny kiss on his cheek and she was off again, giving a little wave as she headed into the bathroom.

Naturally, Monica was the first one ready to go, and she did her best to hurry the others along, barely able to keep herself from flying out the door without them. Luckily it didn’t come to that, as Paul and Andrew locked down the house and declared that they were ready to go. Monica raced out to the car and immediately claimed the front passenger seat, shooting Andrew a little wink as she did so.

As they drove to the town she fiddled with the soft straw hat that was perched on her head. She was very used to hats, and loved them, but Paul had insisted that she pin her long hair up and keep it tucked beneath the brim, and she couldn’t quite get used to the feeling.

At last, Paul grabbed her hand and pressed it into her lap. “You need to leave that alone,” he said with a grin. “It looks fine.”

Monica returned his smile with a little half-smile of her own. “I know… it just feels so odd. I guess I’m used to feeling my hair around my neck,” she said.

“I’m sure you are, but that hair of yours is one of your most distinguishing features. I don’t want it waving around like a flag when we’re walking around out there. I was going to have you dye it, but I had a feeling you wouldn’t take too kindly to that idea.”

The little angel shook her head, eyebrows raised. “No, that’s alright… I’ll get used to wearing it this way.”

He chuckled and gave her hand a squeeze before returning it to the steering wheel, never noticing that Andrew was watching with a troubled expression on his face.

He could tell that Monica had thought nothing of the innocent gesture, but knowing Paul’s intentions toward the little angel made him all the more wary. He so didn’t want Monica suspecting how the agent really felt, as it would add to her plight, not to mention the fact that he just didn’t like it, despite the fact that she was an angel and did not possess the kinds of feelings that humans did. What the two angels shared they both felt went deeper than the love that humans experienced, but he knew that his friend had never before dealt with the situation that lay ahead with Paul and he had no idea how she would handle it when faced with the truth.

He shifted his weight, feeling something brush up against his side and he frowned at the reminder of the gun in his jacket pocket. He had managed, for the most part, to not have to carry it, but today Paul had been insistent that Andrew have it with him. He hadn’t missed the look of worry, concern and fear that had briefly clouded Monica’s eyes as the conversation had taken place, and he had tried to underplay the situation as much as he could for her benefit. In return she had seemed to accept it as the way things just had to be at the moment.

Monica leaned forward in her seat and switched on the radio, turning the knob until she found a country station that seemed to please her as she settled back to animatedly watch the scenery, a contented expression on her gaelic face.

“What? You aren’t going to sing along?” Paul joked as he cast a glance at her and watched as she turned her head to look at him.

A slight blush rose to her cheeks as she wondered if she would ever not feel embarrassed and just a trifle sad at this particular truth. She could feel Andrew’s love for her wrapping around her heart as he was unable to offer her any physical support in response to this question, and she gathered her strength from that, “No. I really don’t think that would be something you’d want to hear.” She managed a slight smile.

“Ah, a girl after my own heart. I can’t carry a tune to save my life, despite the fact that I love music. If I try to sing, it sends any dogs within hearing range to howling in protest,” He smiled at the grin that spread across her face, delighted that his own admission had alleviated some sadness for her.

Andrew nearly groaned aloud at Paul’s point to find things in common with the little angel and the sweet innocence of Monica’s smile at finding a musically kindred spirit which kept her from focusing on what she considered a flaw in her personality. He supposed Paul’s lack of singing ability was better than him being able to belt out the tunes with the country singers on the radio, which though that would have left Monica in awe, it also would have left her a little sad and he knew that so that was what he tried to focus on. However, between the gun, the seating arrangement and Paul’s determination to show his best friend new affection, his mood was not shaping up to be one of his best.

“So, are we planning on getting lunch in town?” Andrew asked, wanting to steer the conversation to something safer.

“I’ve already arranged it,” Paul replied cheerfully, “I made reservations the other day at The Stone Hearth Inn. It’s a bit dark and I requested a specific table that secludes us, but still allows us to keep an eye on the door,” Noticing the slightly haunted look that had entered into Monica’s eyes, he quickly added, “The food there is great as is the atmosphere. You’ll both love it.” He felt relieved as the town came into view and he could further smooth over the stress he had just caused, “Looks like we’re about here,” He remarked, watching as Monica’s eyes filled with excitement.

“Oh! It’s lovely!” She whispered, her eyes taking in the little tourist town that had a deep blue lake as it’s backdrop. With it being Spring, the trees in the town and around the lake were now in full bloom and the leaves and branches swayed gently in the breeze, giving the impression of a lazy yet peaceful early summer ‘s day.

Even Andrew had to smile at the scene, which seemed more like a painted picture than reality, as he realized how badly he had needed an outing as well. The change of atmosphere would be good for him, and even better for Monica, as her enchanted expression was already indicating.

Paul found a place to park and the older angel jumped out of the car to open Monica’s door, secretly throwing her a wink. He had missed the happiness that was now reflected in her smile and he only hoped that the winds of change would continuing blowing in the little angel’s favor.

“Where to first?” She asked, looking over at Paul as he joined them, wanting to be careful to not bend or break any rules today.

Paul smiled as he laid his hands on her shoulders to look into her eyes, “Wherever you want to go. Today is for you, Monica, and the only rule is that you stay with us. Other than that, you may explore to your heart’s content.”

Monica’s expression softened as she blinked back happy tears at the gift of this day and she impulsively threw her arms around Paul in a quick hug, “Thank you. Thank you for this. It means more than you know.”

Paul hugged her tightly for a moment, slightly taken off guard by her actions but quickly adjusting to the situation, “You are quite welcome, honey. You needed a break and I’m glad that we were able to give you one. Now, go and enjoy it,” He felt her pull away and he was careful not to disturb the hat on her head as she smiled happily at him.

Andrew shut Monica’s door, using all of his willpower to not slam it closed. Monica certainly didn’t mean anything with her simple gesture, but there was just something about seeing her arms wrapped around the agent. There was also the fact that Paul could very well read more into the embrace than was intended. He ran a hand through his hair and moved to follow the pair as they headed down the street.

“Grant me patience,” he muttered under his breath, feeling slightly less than angelic and wishing he could do something about it.

The sidewalks were paved in smooth bricks, and large planters full of spring and early summer flowers were positioned along it, sending the heady scent of hyacinths and peonies into the air. Monica stopped at one of them and took a deep breath, filled with not only the smell of the flowers but with air that seemed somehow cleaner and clearer to her here than it did back at the farm.

Andrew felt a familiar warm feeling in his heart as he watched her, and he was thankful to note that some of his less attractive feelings were beginning to fade at the sight of his friend looking so relaxed and happy. He allowed Paul to be the one to guide her along the sidewalk, pointing out the interesting shops, while he trailed just a pace or two behind, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. The angel was also keeping watch over Paul and Monica. His uneasy feelings about the two of them may have been pushed aside, but they were still there, and he was more than ready to interject himself if he saw something he didn’t like.

Monica wasn’t usually much of a shopper. As an angel she didn’t really have a need for anything that the Father didn’t provide, but with all of the little shops laid out before her, for some reason, she felt drawn to each and every one. Paul rolled his eyes teasingly as he opened yet another door. Andrew caught sight of the look and couldn’t help smiling himself. He had to admit that he had never seen Monica quite so interested in little knick-knacks before.

“Look at this!” she exclaimed to them both, and they dutifully went to see what she was looking at.

It turned out to be a tiny little porcelain figurine of a cat with little kittens surrounding it. The shelves were full of similar animal figurines, but Monica had immediately zeroed in on the kittens. She held it up to show them, her face beautiful in its innocent pleasure.

“Looks just like your little friends,” Paul said, thinking yet again that this trip was probably one of his best ideas ever.

“There are even five of them!” the little angel pointed out.

Andrew gave a little laugh. “Yes, but are they named?”

Monica pursed her lips playfully. “They could be,” she decided. “I can almost make out writing on their teeny tiny collars.”

This time, Paul was the one to laugh and he held out his hand. “Okay, Monica, hand it over here,” he said. “Obviously we can’t leave them behind here. I’d just better get them wrapped up for you.”

A little thrill of surprise went through the Irish angel. She hadn’t expected Paul to buy the little thing for her, but now that he was she was curiously pleased about it. Andrew watched as Paul went to the counter with the figurine in his hand. He couldn’t bring himself to be quite as happy as she was although watching her childlike glee was enough to make him push aside his own worries.

They left the shop with Monica holding tight to the bag containing her new treasure. A stronger puff of wind blew in from across the lake and she pulled her jacket just a little closer. Andrew noticed and moved into step beside her.

“Are you getting chilly? We can always get the car,” he suggested.

“Oh, no,” she protested. “I’m just fine,” she turned her shining eyes to look at him. “Anyway, the next shop is just across the street,” she joked, before heading to the cross-walk, her two protectors close behind.

The next hour passed quickly and Monica’s enthusiasm never faltered, so great was her happiness for something new to do and new things to see. Andrew felt slightly concerned with her possibly wearing herself out after being sick, but he didn’t want to dampen her spirits.

“I’m getting kind of hungry,” He spoke up, deciding this was the best way to get her to take a break, “What time is our reservation, Paul?”

“Soon,” the agent replied after checking his watch, “Though with things so quiet today, they can probably take us a little early if that is what you two would like to do.”

Glancing over at Andrew, Monica nodded her head cheerfully. Her best friend and Paul had followed her around for a few hours now without one word of complaint, so as far as she was concerned, if Andrew was hungry, then they would eat, “I could eat a little something myself,” She replied, wishing she could slip her hand into his as that was the only thing lacking from the near perfect day.

“Right this way then,” Paul smiled as he turned to the left and led them down the street as they fell in step behind him this time.

As if sensing his friend’s thoughts, Andrew took a chance and reached over to give her hand a quick squeeze and watched as she turned sparkling eyes to him, “I’m glad you are having such a good day,” He said softly and meant it, despite his thoughts regarding Paul.

Before she could respond, Paul turned around to say something and froze for a split second as he saw the little angel’s hand in that of his partner. Andrew tried to pull away, but Monica held fast and smiled in Paul’s direction, “Andrew was just telling me he was glad I was having a good day,” She remarked, releasing her friend’s hand naturally and easily, “I am and I want to thank you both once again. Today has been lovely.”

Paul’s expression relaxed as her smile was contagious and her eyes held total innocence, “We’re both glad for that, Monica,” He replied, his eyes holding warmth as he looked at her.

“Definitely,” Andrew replied, hoping his voice didn’t sound as nervous as he felt, even though he felt in awe of Monica’s ability to cover the mistake.

The Stone Hearth Inn was at the end of the street, the gray stone building appearing warm and inviting. The two angels held back as Paul went to speak with the host about moving their reservation up a little bit and Andrew leaned over and whispered into Monica’s ear, a mischievous smile on his face, “Good save, Angel Girl.”

She grinned back at him, her eyes dancing playfully, “You’d just better watch it, bub,” She replied, giggling as he rolled his eyes.

Once they had been seated and had ordered, the conversation was easy and light between the three of them, and consisted mostly of Monica’s chipper chatter about the shops, the people and the town. Andrew and Paul both inwardly breathed sighs of relief once again at her happiness; both very glad that they had risked this journey as it would hopefully hold the little angel for awhile longer.

“I noticed that there was a boat that went out onto the lake,” She observed as the waiter delivered their food and she thirstily took a sip of her water, “It’s all so quaint and peaceful.”

“How about a boat ride after lunch then?” Paul grinned, delighted in the excitement that sparked in her eyes. He knew it was a risk to be out on the water with nowhere else to go, but he would make sure to run a detailed security check first, despite the fact that he felt very at ease today. He knew the chances of the killer being here were slim and nothing out of the ordinary had occurred thus far.

Laying her napkin in her lap, Monica exchanged a smile with Andrew before responding, “Paul, that would be the perfect ending to a perfect day.”

*****

He watched as the two agents and the little female left the restaurant, a delighted sparkle in his eyes that bordered on maliciousness. This had been much easier than he had ever thought it would be. An inside contact had revealed the destination of the FBI’s plane last week and from there he had known it would only be a matter of time before the agents made a mistake, though his lucky day had come even sooner than he could have ever imagined.

It was a shame really. She looked so happy and she was a pretty little thing. Nothing the agents could do could disguise her enough for him to not recall those brown eyes as they had starred at him with a mixture of bravery and fear. No, he always remembered the eyes; committed them to memory. Hair could be changed and even physical appearance to some extent, but the eyes never changed. Hers had struck him particularly. Large brown eyes, with long dark lashes; she reminded him of the deer he used to hunt with his father, when he was a child.

A pretty little doe, she was. Graceful and innocent, but she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, so now she had to die. There was no other option.

Hunting season was upon her.

Chapter Thirteen

The three of them were seated on the top story of the double decker boat, looking out over the sparkling water and waiting for it to depart, when Monica remembered that she didn’t particularly enjoy being on the water. It had all looked so beautiful and peaceful from the shore, but now, being on the boat as it bobbed slightly on the water, her completely irrational fear crept back. The height of the ferry definitely wasn’t helping matters and she calmed herself by looking out over the sun-tipped water and concentrating on the little cottages that dotted its shore.

“Is everything alright?” Paul asked, spotting the uncomfortable look on her face.

“Oh, yes,” she said cheerfully. “Perfect.”

He didn’t look convinced, but decided to drop it. “In that case, I’m going to give one more pass around the boat before we depart.”

He left Andrew and Monica sitting in their ancient, white painted seats and headed down the stairs to the main deck. As soon as he was out of sight, Andrew leaned over and caught the Irish angel’s eye.

“Are you sure you’re okay? We can still get off you know.”

“I’m fine,” she said, plastering a smile on her face. “I’m the one who mentioned the boat, remember?”

“I remember. I also remember that a certain angel is not as fond of water as she could be,” he said pointedly. “I know you thought you’d overcome your fear, but you haven’t encountered it in a long time. There’s no shame in having it come back, although I promise you that there is nothing to fear.” His green eyes met hers with complete seriousness. Then he blinked and a glint of playfulness entered his expression. “You’re pretty big, but I think that between Paul and I we could haul you back to shore if we had to,” he teased.

Monica rolled her eyes at his joke, but she felt a real smile curling up the corners of her mouth. “I think that I’ll be just fine,” she said with a little laugh. “In fact I’m feeling much better already.”

Only a few more people came to sit on the top deck, and within a few minutes Paul returned and the captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing that they were about to depart. They all covered their ears as the loud horn sounded to alert other boats that the ferry was pulling into the channel, and Monica felt an involuntary giggle rise in her chest at the reverberations that passed through her. She looked up at her companions, who were both looking at her with slightly puzzled but very pleased expressions. She was right; this was going to be a perfect ending to the day.

*****

By the time they all piled back into the car, the sun was beginning to set, and Monica was so tired that she was sure she would have no problems falling asleep. It was a pleasant exhaustion though, and she welcomed it. She let herself melt into the comfortable car seat and propped her head on her hand.

“I think that someone got a little worn out today,” Paul chuckled.

“Did not,” Monica replied, knowing that her words made her sound even more like a tuckered out four-year-old. She grinned and looked at the agent out of the corner of her eye.

“Well even if the day didn’t tire you out, it sure had an effect on me,” Andrew said as he leaned forward. “I haven’t walked that much in a long while.”

Monica knew that was another playful jab at her insistence that they visit every store and she had a comeback of her own. “It wasn’t that much walking,” she joked. “Maybe someone needs to exercise more.”

Paul laughed out loud and met his partner’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “She’s got you there, Andrew!”

The blond angel decided to accept defeat gracefully and leaned back in his seat, never letting his eyes roam from the two figures in front of him. Paul hadn’t shown Monica any more undue attention during the afternoon, and the angel tried to tell himself that the situation would work itself out along with the rest of the assignment. He tried, but he wasn’t terribly successful.

His eyes rested on Monica’s auburn hair, newly freed from its straw prison. It flowed over her shoulders and peeked around the edge of her seat, reminding him of the slow waves on the lake. She had ended up truly enjoying the boat ride and had even suggested that they make the trip again if they returned to the town. Of course anything that made his dearest friend happy made him happy as well, but he remembered how chilly it had gotten out in the middle of the lake, and made a mental note to have Monica take some more medicine before she went to bed.

The ride back to the farm was much quieter then the one getting to the town, though the silence for once was a peaceful one. Monica was fighting to keep her eyes open, her recent bout with the cold catching up to her after all of her activity today, and before long her dark eyes had slid shut as she gave in to sleep.

Paul smiled as he glanced over at her before looking at Andrew in the rear view mirror, “I think we tired her out.”

“Seems that way,” Andrew grinned, as he settled back into his seat to enjoy the scenery before the lasts bits of light began to fade from the sky. He was almost feeling peaceful at the moment and it was coming as a great relief to him, until Monica shifted in her sleep and her head came to rest against Paul’s shoulder. He felt himself bristle once more despite the fact that he knew what she had inadvertently done was innocent enough, but Paul wrapping arm around her shoulders to keep her from sliding down further in the seat nearly put the angel over the edge.

Paul smiled as he glanced down at Monica, who was fast asleep up against him, the straw hat still loosely held in her other hand. He had been unable to help himself as he had put his arm around her, feeling the warmth of her cheek against his chest. She was slowly but surely endearing herself to him, even though he was trying to keep his feelings at bay, not wanting anything to distract him enough to mar his judgment lest he should get careless. He couldn’t bear the thought of any harm coming to her and his carelessness had only interfered with his ability to do his job one other time. That would not happen this time.

As Paul parked the car, Andrew was the first one out of it and he opened the passenger’s door, shooting a smile at Paul, “Let me give you a hand here,” Gently, he gathered the little angel into his arms and carefully lifted her out of the car, feeling her head fall back against his shoulder, though she never awoke, “I’ll get her to her room,” He offered, hoping he wasn’t coming across as possessive as he felt at the moment.

“Thanks, Andrew,” Paul replied, feeling a combination of disappointment and gratitude to have a few moments alone to sort out his thoughts for his assignment.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Andrew carried his best friend into the house once Paul had unlocked it and turned off the security system, noting that Paul had immediately headed to the stables just to make sure everything was secure for the night.

Carefully, he laid the sleeping angel down on the bed and watched as she stirred slowly and sleepily opened her brown eyes.

“Andrew…”

“I’m right here, angel,” He smiled at her sleepy expression, “Why don’t you get ready for bed and I’ll get you some water? I want a few more cold tablets in you tonight after how chilly it was on the boat.”

She nodded her head tiredly, though as he departed, a small smile appeared on her face at the memory of today. Reaching for the bag Andrew had carried in for her, she pulled out the cat and kitten figurine and placed it on her nightstand, her fingers moving over it lightly for a moment, before she got up to change into her nightgown. Today had tired her out and without even waiting for Andrew, she pulled down the quilt and crawled under it, her head nestling against the pillows.

That was how Andrew found her minutes later and a tender smile appeared on his face as she looked up at him sleepily, “Not so fast, Angel Girl,” He teased gently as he handed her the pills and waited for her to sit up to give her the glass of water he had carried in with him.

She took them obediently before lying back down and she grinned as she felt him pulling the quilt up snugly around her.

“Warm enough?” Seeing her nod her head, he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, “I’ll be back shortly to stay with you, so you can rest easily.”

Reaching for his hand, she laid a tiny kiss against his palm, “Thank you for today.”

“You don’t have anything to thank me for, angel. It was Paul’s idea…”

“But your being there made it perfect,” She whispered contentedly, as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Andrew’s heart warmed at her words, his jealousy temporarily forgotten as he smoothed her hair back from her face and spoke softly to her sleeping form, “You make every day perfect for me, Monica.”

*****

The shrill sound of the alarm pierced the early morning air, and Paul and Andrew flung their doors open at exactly the same moment, their expressions startled and still half-asleep. When they turned to look at Monica’s room and saw the door wide open they became even more alarmed. They were both feeling a sense of dread, and in the split second it took to see that Monica’s room was empty, that feeling intensified. A loud thudding noise, followed by sudden silence made them spin back around to look towards the other end of the hall. Paul’s gun was already in his hand and he sprinted towards the noise, with Andrew only half a step behind.

Andrew couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so afraid. The loud noise, the early hour, and the rush of adrenaline, all combined to put his senses and his emotions into a hyper-alert state. Once look at Paul was enough to tell him that he was feeling the same. The only difference was that Paul had been working as an agent for years, and he had learned to push everything that he was feeling into the background and concentrate only on what he had to do. It only took seconds for them to arrive at the kitchen door, and Paul’s eyes had a steely glare in them as he rushed through the door with his gun raised.

“D-Don’t shoot!” Monica’s eyes went wide as they swiveled from the floor to the kitchen doorway where Paul and Andrew stood, hearts racing.

Paul shook his head and his eyes continued to dart around as he struggled to bring himself down from the fully alert mode he had gone into the moment the alarm filled his ears. He suddenly realized that his gun was still pointed at Monica and he quickly lowered it, watching her face relax.

She forced back the memory of the last time she had found herself looking down the barrel of a gun, and bent to pick up the battered object she had been staring at when Paul and Andrew entered. She held it out for their inspection, and they saw that it was the remains of the fire alarm that had been hanging above the stove.

“I’m really sorry,” she apologized, sheepishly, her expression changing to one of guilt. However, as she looked them over, taking in the disheveled hair and rumpled night-clothes, she was hard pressed to keep a touch of humor from her face.

“The fire alarm?” Andrew questioned, and it was only then that he noticed the burnt smell that filled the air and saw a two pans, still smoldering on the stovetop.

“You guys were so patient with me yesterday,” Monica explained, “that I thought I’d surprise you with breakfast this morning.” She looked up at them with a sweet, hopeful expression on her face, clearly asking for forgiveness.

Paul looked at her, still astonished that after that rush of panic, the only cause was his own assignment. Then he watched as she bit her bottom lip waiting for them to say something, and he burst out laughing.

“I’d say you surprised us, alright,” he said, reaching up to rub at his forehead as he shook his head incredulously. “I swear, Monica… you are taking years off my life.”

Monica was unable to contain her own amusement and she started to giggle as she pointed towards the stove. “It was going to be so good, too! Eggs and bacon, and pancakes,” she said, indicating the burnt offerings that currently occupied the pans.

Andrew grinned as he prodded at what he assumed was a pancake. “I thought that we had agreed that you shouldn’t cook,” he said, winking at the other angel.

“I know, but I had a good feeling about it this morning,” she declared. “A little voice told me go ahead and give it a try.”

“In the future I would advise against listening to those little voices, unless you know exactly where they’re coming from,” Andrew said dryly.

“Agreed!” Paul joined in.

Monica looked slightly indignant but she couldn’t hold in her smile for long. “I’ll have you know that I have cooked in the past,” she said. “I even invented a sort of coffee pizza,” she continued, catching Andrew’s eye and holding it for an instant.

He rolled his eyes at the memory she was referring to. “Well the next time we’re making pizza, you’ll be the first one to know,” he teased.

She scrunched her face into a little pout, and swatted him playfully on the arm. Things hadn’t gone at all how she had planned, but she felt the same sort of lightness and glee that had accompanied her all through the previous day. She grinned at her two protectors, deciding that sometimes even mistakes had a purpose.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough, children,” Paul interrupted. “Monica, why don’t you go have a seat somewhere other than the kitchen, and Andrew and I will clean up and make breakfast.”

“I could run down to the barn and check on the kittens,” the Irish angel mischievously suggested.

Paul sighed and shook his head at her, even as the smile never left his face. “Fine, fine, fine! Andrew, you go on down with her and I’ll take care of things in here,” he laughed. “Frankly I think I’m the only one of the three of us who really knows how to cook anyway,” he announced.

“Now wait a minute-,” Andrew began to protest, though his eyes held a hint of mischief.

Monica giggled, deciding to leave the two of them to hash this out on their own, “I’m going to go and change. You boys play nice,” Winking in their direction, she happily trotted off in the direction of her room.

She felt completely refreshed after yesterday and was determined to hang onto that feeling of contentment and peace for as long as she could. After all, they were much nicer emotions than fear and sadness and they helped the days to go by quicker and more lightly for all three of them.

She quickly showered and changed, tugging her hair back into a ponytail, before sprinting out of her room and back into the kitchen, pausing just at the entrance, “Permission to enter?” She asked with a grin, an impish expression on her face.

Paul chuckled as he looked over at her, shaking his head at the look on her face, “As long as you promise not to touch anything.” He was still trying to pry take one of breakfast from the pans and it was proving to be no easy task.

“I promise,” She quipped, walking into the kitchen, keeping her hands up at shoulder level to prove her point, which only brought another laugh from Paul. A somewhat guilty look entered her eyes as she saw him trying to scrape what should have been scrambled eggs from a pan, “Are you sure you don’t want me to do that? Andrew isn’t ready yet and I did make that mess…”

He cast her a side glance and replied with a grin, “I don’t want you touching anything in here other your fork, Monica, when breakfast is ready. Stick to that and we’ll get along just fine.”

She giggled as she moved to take her jacket off the back of the chair, “I really am sorry.”

Drying his hands on a towel, he took the jacket from her and helped her into it, before giving a playful tug on her ponytail, “No real damage done; not even a heart attack from me, though for a minute there it was touch and go.”

Turning to face him, she smiled once more at his teasing, “Well, you should know by now that I have to keep you and Andrew on your toes.”

He looked into her eyes, his own holding amusement, but it suddenly faded as his growing feelings for her came to the surface. He saw the puzzled expression that slowly crept across her face and he lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat embarrassed, “Monica, I-.”

“Ready to go, Monica?” Andrew called out, forcing himself to smile, despite the fact that his heart was once again racing, now for completely different reasons. It had only taken him a splint second to realize what was going on with Paul, and his only thought had been to stop it before things could go any further.

Forgetting all about the look that had immediately faded upon Andrew’s arrival, Monica grinned up at him, “Yes. How long before breakfast?”

Turning back to the stove, Paul managed to push his emotions to the side, “About twenty minutes. That should give you enough time to check on your little feline family.”

Andrew was quiet on the walk down to the barn, his thoughts in turmoil, as he tried to decide whether or not he should tell her the truth about what Paul was feeling. He so didn’t want her worrying about anything more, especially the things she said to Paul and the way she treated him, but on the other hand, he didn’t want her caught off guard either and that was what had nearly happened in the kitchen.

Sliding the barn door open, he quickly assessed the situation before he bid her to enter, though he elected not to run the detailed check that Paul usually did. His instincts as an angel were good, and he wasn’t sensing any harm nearby.

“Are you okay?” Monica’s concerned voice filtered into his thoughts as he watched her enter into the barn, a perplexed look on her pretty face.

“I’m fine, angel,” He tried to reassure her as he watched her approach Scout’s stall as she dug in her pocket for the supply of mints she kept there just for him.

Stroking the horse lovingly, she glanced back at him, the worry still evident, “You’re just been awfully quiet, Andrew. If it’s about earlier, I’m so sorry to have scared you like that. The fire alarm went off and my only thought was to silence it anyway I could.”

Smiling at her sheepish grin, he shook his head, “There was no harm done, Monica, and breakfast was a nice gesture, though you should know better,” He winked at her as she laughed and he knew he had smoothed over her concern for the moment, “Check on your kittens, as breakfast will be ready soon. I’m sure they are just as anxious to see you as you are them.”

He watched as she hurried around the corner, a grin still playing on her lips, and he let out a soft sigh of relief. He had almost considered telling her, but had decided against it. She was in too good a mood to be burdened with things she had little control over.

Moving to follow her, his heart sprang to his throat as her frightened scream filled the air and he immediately sprinted around the corner. The sight before him caused his blood to run cold, as he pulled the little angel to himself, pressing her head against his chest to shield her from the sight.

The mama cat was dead, but one look told him it had been no accident. Only someone with no conscience could have killed the animal so brutally, but that wasn’t even the worst of it. Written on the stable wall, in the cat’s blood were the words “Hunting season has begun” and Andrew felt a surge of anger flow through him as he held his dear friend tighter as she trembled so violently it scared him.

“Monica!” Paul’s voice filtered through the barn as he cautiously entered, though it took everything in him to not rush right in, having heard her scream from the house.

“Over here, Paul,” Andrew uttered, his own voice as controlled as he could possibly make it as the agent quickly joined them.

Paul’s eyes narrowed as he took in the scene quickly and wasted no time in giving orders, his voice low and controlled, “We need to get her to the car now, quickly but carefully.”

Chapter Fourteen

Monica was shaking so badly that Andrew had a difficult time getting her out of the barn at all. She kept trying to turn around and look at the sunny corner of the barn, imagining that if she did then all that was wrong would simply disappear. She wouldn’t let it register in her mind that it was real and that no amount of wishing or even praying could make it go away. God had no control over the acts of men, especially those who had turned their backs to Him so completely.

“But Andrew,” she cried out again, struggling to go back inside, “the kittens! Please, we have to get them. Without their mama… and Scout! How can we leave him… Andrew,” she was pleading with him and it was enough to break his heart as he held onto her firmly and continued to move up the path.

He cursed himself for ever allowing her to run ahead of him. If he had only searched the barn the way Paul always did then he could have at least spared her from having those horrible images of death in her mind. She had already been witness to enough violence, and he wondered how much else she could be expected to withstand. Then he wondered how much he would be able to stand by and watch, when all he wanted to do at the moment was take her away from everything evil in the world and bring her safely Home.

“Monica, you aren’t safe here… we need to get you out of here right now,” he tried to keep his voice steady and calm as his strong arm around her waist guided her along.

“No…” she shook her head, “Andrew, please!”

Five minutes ago she had been happy and laughing and now her world, already in chaos, had been once again turned upside down like a snow globe, scattering the pieces of her existence to the winds. She felt her legs give out and Andrew’s arms lifting her up as she continued to sob against his chest. She was trying to stop the tears and the horrible shaking that had infected every part of her body, but both things seemed beyond her control and she clutched at Andrew’s shirt, trying to draw strength from him.

Andrew kept turning his head at every gust of wind, at every rustling in the grass, his face set in fierce determination. There was absolutely no way that he was going to allow anyone to lay a hand on one hair of Monica’s head. He had now seen what this man was capable of; he had seen a part of what she had seen, and it didn’t scare him, it made him angrier then he had ever been in his existence.

He finally set her down on the back step, surrounding her body with his own as he opened the back door and ushered her inside. “You have to stay right next to me,” he told her, waiting to see her nod that she understood. “We just need to get the car keys from Paul’s room.”

At that moment, Paul charged through the door, his gun was out again, and this time he barely lowered it even when he saw his partner and his assignment standing before him. “It looks all clear out back. I think he may have come in the night, the sick bastard, but we’re not about to take any chances. Andrew, go grab the keys, and meet us at the car.”

“But my things,” Monica said tearfully, “don’t we have--”

Paul cut her off and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Monica, we don’t have time. Do you understand what’s happening here? He’s found you. He could be outside right now. We need to get you out of here, out of this town, out of this state. We’ll get you new things.”

The Irish angel nodded, doing everything she could to keep new tears from coming out. She knew that she couldn’t afford to be stubborn, it would only put everyone else in danger as well. Allowing herself to be led out of the house she barely noticed that Andrew was already outside, waiting by the car. He tossed the keys to Paul and opened the back door, his eyes still watching for anything suspicious as he helped Monica in and climbed in after her. He didn’t even care if Paul thought it was odd; she needed a hand to hold onto and arms to hold her, and he wasn’t going to let her suffer when he could do something about it.

Paul didn’t say a word though, seeming to recognize that the young woman before him was barely hanging on by a thread, and that she needed something to cling to at the moment. A small part of him wished that he was the one holding her, but he was the senior agent, and he had a job to do.

They sped down the driveway, leaving the cozy house and the rolling fields behind, laying down a path of burnt rubber as they turned onto the road. Paul wasn’t paying attention to any of the speed limits as he drove down the nearly empty road, swerving around any car that got in his way.

“I already phoned ahead and there’ll be a plane waiting for us as soon as we get to the airport,” he said as he looked into the rear view mirror, his own eyes taking on a sad look when he saw the desolation in Monica’s face.

She nodded, still not saying a word, only grasping Andrew’s hand in hers and leaning against him. She wanted to just curl up in his arms and let him deal with everything, but she knew she couldn’t do that. However, he seemed to read her mind, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She looked up at him in surprise.

“It’s alright, angel,” he whispered into her ear. “Just try to calm down and let me handle things for a little while.” Then he reached into his pocket and pulled something out which he placed into her hands.

“My kittens,” she said tearfully, running her fingers along the tiny figures.

“You’d be surprised what an angel can do when he gets a little help,” he said, looking upward and letting the smallest of hopeful smiles cross briefly over his face.

She managed a weak nod of her head, before she rested it against his chest. She was still shaking and the occasional tear escaped her eyes as she felt Andrew tighten his hold on her. She only wanted to break down and sob, but she was trying to keep herself as together as she could, despite the fact that she didn’t feel as if she were succeeding. She felt as if she were completely falling apart and the horrible images in the barn kept flashing through her mind, feeling more like something out of a bad horror movie than something she had witnessed in reality. Her heart broke at the thought of the Scout and the kittens, now without their mother, they would surely die as well.

Her blurred vision gazed at the tiny figurine in her hand, before she closed her hand around it and drew it to her heart, closing her eyes tightly against the tears.

Andrew hadn’t missed her motions and he knew that though her grief over the kittens was great, she was grieving harder for the loss of her security. She had just been starting to calm down and adjust to her situation at the farm and had been finding some joy in the arrangement, but just as quickly, it had been snatched away from her. He had never seen her so frightened and looking so forlorn as he did right now and he was more than concerned that her trembling had yet to cease.

“Where are we heading, Paul?” He asked softly, never releasing his hold on the little angel as his eyes met briefly with those of the agent by means of the rear view mirror.

“Another safe house,” He replied tensely, trying to control his anger over what had occurred today, “Warmer climate, but more security then we had here. We now know he is looking for her and I’m afraid that outings such as yesterday are over as my guess is that he spotted her in town.”

Andrew’s heart saddened at the words which stated that once again his best friend was going to feel like a prisoner, but right now, she didn’t even appear to be listening. He knew her well enough to know that she was withdrawing into herself, trying to find a safe place until she could deal with what was happening and right now, she was lacking the emotional capability to do that.

“How much more security?” He asked, needing to know that she would indeed be safe.

“There will be few more men assigned to the house and the grounds. The house is larger than the farm and there is security downstairs so that when we retire for the night, we will turn the system on downstairs. I’ll show you both how to turn it on and off. The house is being stocked now and anything we need will be brought in, including new clothes for Monica,” Paul returned his eyes to the mirror once more, great concern filling them as he saw her eyes closed tightly, but the tears continuing to fall.

He could only imagine how much this had shaken her and he longed to whisk her away from this whole nightmare. She was clinging to Andrew as if he was the only thing she had left in this world and he was certain that was how it felt to her at the moment, “Andrew, is she hanging in there?”

Andrew gazed down at the little angel, his heart aching for her, “She’s doing the best she can, Paul,” He replied sadly.

The agent nodded his head in understanding as his anger burned once again. The killer was playing with her now. He could have broken into the house last night and killed her, but instead he preferred to torment her for awhile, all the while leaving her hints of what he was capable of and nothing made Paul more furious. To be stalked and threatened was almost ten times worse than being faced with this man. What he was doing would tear down her coping devices, piece by piece and leave her feeling more than vulnerable and he was determined to not allow that to happen to her.

Paul received clearance at the airport and drove the car right to the plane, throwing it in park and only wanting to get Monica safely into the air. There were already other agents present, to make sure that their departure was a safe one and for that Paul was eternally grateful.

“C’mon, honey,” Andrew urged as he helped Monica from the car, noting how she never looked at him and how the hour ride had done little to calm her shock from what had happened, “Paul, get her on board. I’ll be right there…”

At those words, the little angel’s head shot up as she met her swollen eyes with his, the one word coming out a cross between a whisper and a whimper, “Andrew…”

“Go with Paul, Monica,” He replied, giving her a reassuring look, though he could see her distress, “I’ll be right there.”

Paul wrapped his arms around her shaking shoulders and had to all but force her towards the plane as she seemed to be quickly heading towards panic at Andrew not being with them. He supposed she had grown attached to them both as well, and his partner had been her rock during the ride here and that sudden absence was yet another change for her, brief though it might be.

Managing to get her onboard the private plane, he gently laid his hands on her shoulders and pushed her to a seating position on the sofa before quickly wrapping a blanket around her trembling shoulders, “You’re safe now, Monica, okay? We aren’t going to let him near you.”

The only response he got was a slight nod of her head as Andrew hurried onto the plane, not wanting to give his friend much time to worry about him. He was carrying a box, which he sat down on the sofa near her, before sitting down on the other side of her.

“I need to go over a few things with the pilot. We’ll be taking off momentarily,” Paul advised his partner, hating to go when Monica was so visibly despondent, but not having a choice.

As Paul departed, Andrew nudged his friend gently and nodded his head towards the box, “That’s for you, Angel.”

Still not speaking as she didn’t trust herself enough to do so, she reached trembling hands to open the box and the sight that greeted her, caused her to break into fresh sobs.

The kittens.

Andrew hadn’t expected the nearly hysterical reaction from the little angel as she continued to cry even as she picked up each kitten in turn and brought it to her face, kissing tiny noses and looking into innocent and trusting eyes. They blinked at her sleepily, seemingly unconcerned to be away from the only place they had known as home, and two of them began to purr when she held them against her cheek. Finally, after making sure that they were all healthy and unharmed, and nestling them back among the towels that lined the box, she turned to him, her eyes bright with tears that she refused to let fall.

“You went back for them,” she whispered, amazed.

He brushed a stray tear from her cheek and then took both of her hands in his. “I knew you wouldn’t stop wondering about them Angel Girl. I had to get them for you,” he stated simply, as if doing things to make her happy was as natural as breathing to him, and in all honesty, it was.

“But how? You were only out of sight for a minute,” she said, her brows furrowing.

He brief smile graced his features as he said, “I told you, Monica, you’d be surprised what an angel can do with a little help.”

A tear choked laugh escaped her and she felt a few more years leak from the corners of her eyes, only to be quickly brushed away again by the blond angel kneeling in front of her. She wanted to fall into his arms again, but she knew that Paul could return at any moment. The angel had also come to a decision while looking at the kittens, and that decision was to pull herself together and force herself to be strong. She hated knowing that now Paul and Andrew were going to be twice as worried about her, and she didn’t want to give them anything else to deal with. She knew that Andrew probably wouldn’t be very happy with her, but it was something she felt she had to do. There would be time enough to deal with her emotions after everything was over and done with.

“Monica,” Andrew said hesitantly, feeling her withdraw just enough that she was out of reach of his heart. “Don’t.”

“I have to, Andrew,” she said, a bit sadly. “Please try to understand.” She looked at him beseechingly, unable to find the energy to put everything into words, but recognizing that he could already tell what she was doing.

“You’re not going to solve anything this way,” he said, firmly.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the kittens. “They haven’t had any breakfast,” she stated, then looked up at him, her face looking as though a curtain had been drawn over her emotions. “Do you think there’s any milk on the plane?”

Andrew closed his eyes momentarily, hating that it felt as though she was suddenly miles away although only inches separated them. “I’ll go check,” he said, his voice sounding resigned and deeply hurt. He stood up and moved to the front of the plane, and with every step the hurt in his heart changed to rage at the man who was the cause of all of their troubles.

Chapter Fifteen

The plane touched down several hours later and Paul was the first one out, checking the car that was waiting for them, and speaking with the small group of law enforcement agents who were there to greet them. He had been surprised to see the kittens, but almost relieved. They gave Monica something to fret over and mother, and she clearly adored them. What was more surprising to him was the way she practically refused to make eye contact with either him or his partner, and the way she positioned the kittens’ box on the sofa beside her so that neither of them could get near her.

He knew that the horrible turn of events had to be terrifying and nearly unbearable for her. Her immediate reaction had not surprised him, but this new and strange detachment both perplexed and bothered him. It was obvious that she was just forcing her emotions out of sight, much as she had when she had worried that her nightmares would bother them. However, now she was doing more than just hide them, she was trying to pretend that they didn’t exist, and he had a horrible feeling that she would only be able to carry on the charade for a short while.

Inside the plane, Monica carefully gathered up the kittens, who had been roaming freely over the sofa, and placed them back into their box. “There you go,” she said sweetly. “Now don’t you worry, we’ll be at our new home in no time.”

Andrew almost winced at her words, wanting to shake her and then force her to open her heart to him again and stop her foolish act, but knowing that he couldn’t do either of those things. He was at least able to take some comfort in the fact that as misguided as he thought she was, her effort to remain strong and self-reliant was so far successful. She had been calm, if silent, through most of the flight, asking only the most perfunctory of questions, and keeping herself busy with seeing to the kittens’ welfare. He hoped, for her sake, that she was able to at least take her fears and distress to the Father, because she seemed determined not show them to anyone else.

The Irish angel remained quiet for the long drive out to the new safe-house, her eyes fixed out the window at the passing scenery. She saw how different it was then the rolling hills they had left behind, and hated the fact that as much as she had disliked being there, she was twice as unhappy to have been forced away. The new landscape was much more flat and open, and even though the car’s air conditioner was on high she could tell that the temperature outside was hotter than it had been at the farm.

She glanced into the front seat, where Andrew and Paul sat, each with pensive and vaguely distressed looks on their faces. She realized that her change in demeanor was at least partly responsible for those expressions. Turning her eyes to the window once more, she comforted herself with the thought that after a few days they would adjust, and she would be safe within her self imposed prison.

As Paul turned the car off the road, they immediately came to a gate and the agent rolled down his window to enter a code in the small metal box beside the car. The gate slowly opened and Paul pulled the car through and continued to head up the drive.

At first, all Monica could see were trees, shrubs and flowering plants, that brushed up against either side of the car as they slowly crept along. It almost seemed as if they were out in the middle of nowhere, until the large house loomed into sight. It was a two-story Cape Cod, the upper part of the house painted hunter green, while the first floor exterior was white stucco. What immediately caught the angel’s eye was the front porch. It was open and roomy, with two old wooden rocking chairs sitting on one side, while on the other was a porch swing. It all seemed very quaint, though she doubted she would be spending much time out of doors. Not now.

As Paul stopped the car, another man immediately came from around the corner and approached the car, laying his hands on Paul’s door to peer inside at the agent, “Everything is set, Paul.”

“Has anything been found at the farm?” He asked, his eyes holding a glimmer of hope that was quickly dashed as the man shook his head.

“Nothing, but they are still searching the surrounding area for any sign of him. If he’s there, they’ll find him.”

“We’re going to need some things from town. Clothes for Monica mostly and some cat supplies, enough for five,” Though Paul wanted to smile at his reference to the kittens, he just didn’t have it in him at the moment; not with the way Monica had so quickly and silently withdrawn.

“We’ll just need her sizes,” He assured, as he glanced into the back seat, though his gaze was not returned, “I’ll send Michelle, just in case anyone is watching,” He hesitated for a moment, clearly sensing the tension in the car, “Paul, we’re sorry about this morning. Wish it could have been avoided.”

“Me too, Russ, “ Paul replied with a weary sigh, as his friend and colleague patted the door with his hand and then stepped away, allowing Paul to drive up the house and then park the car, “This is it,” He announced, knowing his words were showing his keen grasp of the obvious but he felt like he had to say something to break the silence in the vehicle.

Andrew nodded his head as he opened his door and climbed out before moving to open Monica’s door. Once more she avoided his concerned, frustrated gaze as she gathered up the box of kittens and got out, and this time Andrew let the door close with a “Slam” before he had even realized he had done it. Not that it brought any reaction from his best friend as she followed Paul up the steps and to the porch, stopping as he entered yet another security code before opening the front door.

Monica glimpsed around at her new home, though she really took in little of it. She only wanted to know where her room was so she could retreat and she elected not to waste any time posing the question.

Paul turned to look at her, frustration clearly written on his face though he could do little more than answer her, “You can have whichever one you want, Monica. I’ll need your sizes though so I can give Michelle the information. You should have a wardrobe in a few hours.”

She nodded her head as she noticed a pencil and paper lying by the phone in the study. Laying down the box, she walked into the room and quickly jotted down the information he had requested. Handing the paper to him, she retrieved her kittens with a soft “Thank you” and headed up the steps.

Andrew watched her go; trying to calm his panic with the way that things were going and they weren’t going well at all. If she did this, it would all blow up in her face before long and he knew that. This wasn’t the first time the little angel had attempted to bury her heart as the pain was too great for her to manage and the repercussions had always been extreme. It would catch up to her sooner rather than later and then picking up the pieces would be no easy task.. Today had devastated her; that much was abundantly clear, but this complete disengagement was not what he had thought would happen, especially after the way she had clung to him in the car and now she wouldn’t even look at him.

“I really hope that this passes,” Paul commented as Monica vanished up the steps, “There isn’t anything healthy about what she is doing, though I know she must feel as if she is on an emotional roller coaster with how good yesterday was.”

“She’s trying to protect herself emotionally,” Andrew stated, feeling the hurt welling up in his heart all over again at not feeling her there, “But she’s going about dealing with this morning the wrong way.”

“But is there even a right way to handle it, Andrew?” Paul questioned with a shake of his head, remembering the horrible images he had seen in the barn that day, and knowing that it had been even more traumatic for her, “He’s taunting her and I’m afraid if it happens again that little thread she is clinging to is going to snap.”

“We can’t allow it to happen again,” The angel stated firmly, afraid it would shatter his best friend’s emotionally. Fact was, Monica had never been in a situation where someone wanted to personally do her harm. She firmly believed in the goodness of the human heart, even if that goodness was the smallest spark, and this time she had searched and come up empty. It was a concept she would be unable to wrap her mind around, no matter how much she tried or wanted to be able to. She was also an emotional angel, and the killer was playing upon those emotions in the cruelest possible way.

It still chilled him to think about the cat as he could only pray that this man hadn’t chosen an animal because he had been close enough to see what they meant to her, “I’m going to run up and check on her, Paul.” The need to see her suddenly felt overwhelming, even if she only shut him out once more.

As Paul nodded his head in agreement, Andrew sprinted up the steps, deciding that Monica had chosen the room at the end of the hall as the door was tightly closed, much like her soul was to him at the moment. He opened the door quietly, his heart aching at the sight.

She had fallen asleep on the bed, curled up tightly, her gentle face anything but peaceful. Above her head on the pillow, the five kittens slept as well, forming a small, furry halo above the angel. He approached softly, and took the quilt from the end of the bed, gently covering her with it, before he brushed a stray piece of hair from her face, watching with pain in his soul as she recoiled as if afraid, even in sleep. He was used to his touch bringing her peace, and the knowledge that she had closed herself from even that small comfort was heart breaking.

The setting sun cast long shadows through the room, and touched on Monica's hair, lighting up the reddest highlights. Her face was bathed in the last rays of light and Andrew marveled at her quiet beauty. He shook his head, unable to understand the mindset of a man who could want to hurt such a kind and innocent creature.

He thought about sitting down next to her bed and waiting for her to wake, but remembered that he was no longer her only protector, and Paul would no doubt wonder what was taking him so long. He let out a long breath and resisted the impulse to run the back of his hand along her cheek before turning and walking out of the room.

"How is she?" Paul asked as Andrew walked slowly down the stairs.

"She's asleep," he said. His expression was a cross between sadness and anger that Paul could immediately relate to.

The agent jerked his head once before looking back at the paperwork he held in his hands. "Probably better off that way," he said, a hint of cynicism in his voice.

"Not really," Andrew countered. "The longer she's like this the worse it'll be for her."

Paul looked up suddenly, his eyes hard. "You think I don't know that? You think I wanted it to come to this?"

Andrew's green eyes widened in surprise at the harshness evident in the words. "Paul…"

The agent waved him off, "I'm sorry, man… I'm just…" he took a breath. "Just don't pay any attention to me right now."

"It isn't your fault that this happened," Andrew said cautiously, not sure what Paul's reaction would be.

"It isn't? I'm the one who decided to take her into town. I just HAD to make her happy, didn't I? I should have settled for making her safe," he said, disgustedly.

The blond angel took a step closer and placed a hand on Paul's shoulder. "You did what you thought was right. If he was in the town then it only would have been a matter of time before he tracked her down, with or without seeing her." He pushed his own feelings aside in his desire to give comfort. "And I have a feeling that you aren't the only one who has a hard time not doing everything possible to make her happy," he said with a wry grin.

Unfortunately, Paul was not easily swayed. "Yeah, well not everyone is responsible for keeping her alive," he responded, bitterly, before turning and heading towards the study.

Andrew knew better than to try and follow him, and went to the living room instead. He looked out the window as the sun disappeared behind the trees and sent a prayer up to God for both Monica and Paul. He didn't know how he was going to be able to help either of them if they shut themselves off from everything.

The house was surrounded by the half-light of evening by the time a knock at the door roused Andrew and Paul from their respective rooms. Paul was the first one at the door and he opened it, greeting the agent on the other side with a handshake and an attempt at pleasant smile.

"Michelle got everything she thought your girl would need," Russ said as he handed over five full shopping bags, "and she grabbed the cat stuff too." He set a plastic litter pan down on the floor and looked up. "What kind of witness collects pets on the way, anyhow?" he asked with a grin.

"A very special one," Paul replied, the regret in his face evident only to his partner.

"Well, if she needs anything else, you know who to call. You two need anything?"

"No, we were prepared for this situation… sent things ahead before we even took her to the farm," Andrew said.

"I'll see you guys later then. Don't worry… this place is like a safe. No way is he getting past that gate."

"Yeah," Paul muttered, "and neither is she."