Chapter 12

"Faith Elizabeth Tate," Monica read from the official poster tacked to the post office bulletin board and surrounded by the state wanted posters. "You were right. She’s eight years old and it says here that her father’s name is Gregory."

"Well it’ll be nice to stop calling him ‘Faith’s Father’," Andrew commented with a wry grin.

"She disappeared Easter Sunday and there’s no information on who might have taken her," Monica continued somewhat defeated. She had been hoping that they would find out a little bit more.

"Well I think we’re both guessing that she ran away," Andrew said. "The real question is; who has been helping her?"

Monica shook her head. She agreed that it seemed unlikely that Faith had been taking care of herself since Easter, but the child hadn’t mentioned seeing or talking to anyone else in the forest. It was always possible that someone else had been secretly keeping an eye on her but that only begged the questions: who? and why?

"C’mon, Monica. Maybe if we wander around town we’ll meet up with someone who can answer some of our questions. Maybe the Father has someone in mind for Faith…" he trailed off as Monica looked up at him sharply.

"She isn’t a cat, Andrew. I’m not going to just drop her off with someone."

He quickly moved to placate her by draping and arm around her shoulders. "Of course not, angel, but God must have something planned for her, and a new family sounds like a good start."

He didn’t want to mention the fact that the possibility remained that they were supposed to be working with Gregory Tate to turn him into the kind of father that Faith deserved. They had turned gang members and adulterers around… and whether or not they agreed, God was always willing to forgive those who truly repented.

Unfortunately Monica’s face was troubled and he had a feeling that she was already thinking the same thing. "I promised Faith that I would bring her back a present," she said quietly.

"I saw a toy store just around the corner, and maybe one of the parents will know something," Andrew said as he opened the door for her.

They walked out of the post office and were about to cross the street when Andrew’s spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. "Actually, I think it might be best to go this way," he said as he placed a hand behind his friend’s back and guided her back towards the center of town.

"Angel!" The word was shouted from directly behind them, and before either of them could react, Greg had grabbed Monica’s arm and wheeled her around to face him.

He wasn’t actually violent, but Andrew still had to hold himself back from punching the man. As it was, the angel’s eyes went ice cold and dark as he stared straight into his face. He reached out and wrapped his hand around Greg’s wrist, holding on with an unnatural strength until the man released his grip on Monica.

He did so reluctantly, and his piercing gaze never wandered from the little angel’s face, even as all color drained from it. "I told you that you’d never find her."

He was repeating words he had said to her before, but while they had seemed somewhat crazed and disturbed before, now there was an undercurrent of hostility. The subtle change was not lost on Monica, but she was determined to stand her ground. With Andrew and God beside her, and the knowledge that Faith was safe at with Tess, she found her courage.

"I’m not even looking for her," she said, and it was not precisely a lie since the girl had already been found. "Please, just leave me alone!"

"You’re a liar!" he spat in her face. "I’ve seen you out there. You think I don’t know what you’re digging around for?"

Andrew didn’t think he could hold himself back another instant, and his muscles tensed as he prepared to physically push the larger man away from Monica. Fists tightened and released and a frighteningly familiar surge of adrenaline pumped through his system.

"What seems to be the trouble here, Greg?" The gravelly voice came from an older man who was making his way towards them from the doorway of the post office. He was a physically imposing man, even at the age of fifty, and he wore the badge and gun of his position with the comfortable air of one who had been keeping watch over his town for years.

"I’m just asking them about Faith, Sheriff," Greg answered quickly.

"Well it doesn’t look like they know anything, so why don’t you head on home."

He looked like he was about to argue, but when the sheriff took a step closer he quickly changed his mind. "Yeah… yeah… I suppose I will…" he muttered as he backed away and then turned to walk quickly across the street.

The sheriff watched him go with a look akin to distrust, and then switched his focus to the two angels. "I hope he wasn’t bothering you too much," he said. "Sheriff Benson, by the way." He held out his hand and even Andrew’s disappeared in its bear-like grip.

"No," Andrew replied for the two of them as he could tell that Monica was actually quite shaken. "But it wasn’t the first time we’ve seen him. He keeps asking us about his daughter…"

Sheriff Benson shook his head and pressed his lips together. "Yeah, he’s always saying something about her."

"What happened?" Monica ventured to speak, her curiosity overriding her remaining unease.

"Little thing vanished off the face of the earth on Easter of this year," he said with regret. "He hasn’t been right since…"

Andrew could hear the things the sheriff left hanging in the air unsaid. "You think he…"

"Can’t prove it," he said brusquely. "Not that we didn’t try. Searched his house up and down, in and out. I was afraid I’d find her the same way I found her mother. ‘Fell down the stairs’, he said…" a shake of his head told what he thought of that excuse. "Couldn’t prove that either…"

His words caused Monica to suck in a breath and tighten her hold on Andrew’s hand. "So if she was ever found, she would have to go back to him?"

"Miss, I’m afraid that child isn’t ever going to be found, so whatever nightmare she left behind in that house… Well, one way or another, it’s over." He tipped his hat to the two of them. "I’d better get going, but if he gives you any more trouble, just stop by the town hall. My office is right on the first floor."

He left the angels standing there, staring after him, both reluctant to speak. Monica was the first to break the silence as she stood up straight and turned to face the blond angel.

"I won’t let her go back there," she said with quiet determination.

Andrew shook his head, and although he agreed, he was forced to remind her of why they were there in the first place. "If God wants them back together, Monica…"

"I don’t care." Her words were calm and steady. "I would rather spend an eternity in God’s Country than let her spend one more minute with him."

Though her words were strong, her eyes held sorrow in their depths. She knew that such an act would separate her not only from God, but from him. The fact that she would give up everything that was precious to her for the sake of one small girl only made him love her all the more.

"It won’t come to that, angel. I’m sure it won’t come to that."

"I hope not," She whispered, as she squeezed his hand more tightly, as if she never meant to let go, even if it meant taking him to God's Country with her should the need arise.

*****

Monica watched as Faith colored in the coloring book she and Andrew had brought her back from town earlier in the week. The "present" that the angel had promised the little girl had wound up consisting of not just the coloring book and crayons, but also a doll, a painting set, and a stuffed teddy bear. Andrew had teasingly told her she was going to spoil the little girl, but nothing had been further from the truth.

Faith had seemed reluctant to accept the gifts, though her green eyes had shone in her desire to have them. It had taken all three angels to reassure her before Faith had taken them, but not before bursting into tears as she had hugged them each fiercely. Monica had cried along with her, and even Tess and Andrew had tears in their eyes before the exchange was finished.

The Irish angel was careful to keep Faith indoors and herself as well, not wanting to run any chance of seeing the little girl’s father and Faith seemed perfectly content with the arrangement. Though talking more, she was still rather quiet, though much quicker to show her affection for her newfound friends. She would clamor into Tess’ lap each night for a story, eagerly await a piggyback ride and a tickle session from Andrew and snuggle up next to Monica as she fell asleep.

The days had fallen into a pleasant routine and only Tess was beginning to show signs of discontent. The oldest angel still had been given no word as to what they were supposed to do with the child and she constantly badgered the two younger angels to try and get more information out of Faith. She couldn’t help but to wonder if the assignment now lay with whoever it was who had been helping to keep the child alive in the time before Monica had found her.

Faith finished her picture and looked up at Monica, who was sitting next to her at the table, for approval.

"It’s a lovely picture, Faith," She smiled, reaching for the child’s hand and squeezing it, "You got the colors for the flowers just right. I’ve seen flowers just like them outside in the forest." She gazed over towards the window, feeling a sense of restlessness come over her. She remembered the last time she had been held hostage inside of a house and the feeling was not comforting. She was missing God’s creation outside, but her fear of Gregory Tate made her powerless to change her current situation. She longed to take Faith on a picnic and down to the lake to swim, but the risk was too great, for both of them.

"I was looking at the flowers when the man came," Faith remarked softly as she lowered her head once more to begin coloring in the next picture.

The little angel’s eyes widened slightly, though she kept her voice soft, "What man, sweetheart?"

"The one who wanted to take me to my father. He told me he wanted to take me home, but I got away from him," She replied, almost offhandedly as she focused on the tree she was diligently coloring green.

"Did you know who he was?" She asked curiously.

"No."

"Did he help you while you were in the forest? Did he give you anything to eat?"

"No."

Monica sighed softly as she gazed out the window once more, almost afraid to push the little girl for information, "What did you eat while you were in the forest, little one?"

"You left your picnic basket," She remarked simply before holding up two crayons, "Which one for the bird, Monica?"

She smiled, "The red one would be pretty, don’t you think?" Faith smiled her agreement and Monica felt the familiar flutter in her heart, even as she tried to deny it. She was growing attached to the little girl and couldn’t even begin to imagine not having her around.

*****

"Angel?"

She turned around at the sound of Andrew’s voice and managed a smile. She had been gazing out the window that overlooked the lake. Faith had gone to help Tess make cupcakes and she had once again felt restless. She felt his hands on her shoulders and she leaned back into him slightly.

"Are you okay?" His concern was evident and he frowned as she nodded her head, "How about a walk outside?" But she shook her head and now he had a feeling of where to begin, "I’ll be with you, Monica. I won’t let anyone hurt you."

She was quiet for several moments, her eyes still watching the geese who had recently flown in and were now floating peacefully on the lake, "He’s changing, Andrew. I could feel it when we were in town a few days ago. I didn’t feel threatened very much before, but for some reason, I do now." Gregory’s grip on her had been rougher and the look in his eyes colder and she felt an involuntary shudder flow through her at the image that played in her mind.

"So you’re locking yourself away in the house," He guessed, not liking her decision, but on the other hand, not being able to blame her. He also knew that there was another issue at hand that Tess had warned him to prepare her for, "Angel, you do realize that eventually, Faith will have a new home, as soon as the Father shows us where that might be."

"Of course I do," She stated softly, but her voice held strain, "I was permitted to keep a kitten but a little girl is pushing it, don’t you think?"

Her small laugh was strained at best and he sighed as he turned her to face him, before placing his hands back on her shoulders. "Sweetie, the way you fall in love with your assignments, especially children and animals, has always touched me, but this time, I don’t want you to get your heart broken."

"Too late," She replied, forcing a smile, though with now looking into his eyes she could no longer fake the truth.

The deep sadness in her eyes gripped at his heart as he reached up to stroke her hair, "You know, whatever the Father has planned is going to be wonderful, not to mention perfect."

"I know, but it doesn’t change how I feel. Everyday, I watch her come around a little bit more. I’ve watched this little person who first walked in here acting as if she was the hired help become an eight year old girl again. She trusts us, Andrew, where I’m not sure she has trusted anyone in so long and its going to be hard to let that go when the time comes." Her eyes were bright with tears that she refused to let fall.

"She’s worked her way into that heart of yours the same way someone else did awhile back, Angel Girl," He said knowingly, "It hurt you to let Paul go and now you’re thinking about facing the same thing with Faith."

"But I don’t have a choice," She stated firmly, trying to convince herself, "It’s what we do, Andrew. We help them and then send them on their way, on God’s way. Sometimes… sometimes I just wish He made loving them easier when it was time to say goodbye."

"You miss him, don’t you, angel?" Andrew asked gently, referring to the agent that had become her friend.

Monica swallowed against the tightness in her throat, "Every day, Andrew. I miss him every day."

He tugged her into his arms, giving her time to control her emotions. He was certain that being locked up in the house had caused her to relive moments when she had last been presented with that situation and now the two assignments were mirroring each other in many ways.

She loved them both, and would once again have to say goodbye.

Chapter 13

"I’m telling you, Sheriff, she’s the one." Gregory Tate was sitting in the sheriff’s office, leaning forward in his chair, hands clamped on the edge of the desk.

Jake Benson leaned back, putting more room between the two of them. He could never quite get a handle on the man before him. He’d watched him grow up in the town, a bit of a bully, but never an outright problem. There had always been something in his eye, in his voice, in the way he carried himself; something that seemed to speak of trouble but never anything specific.

There had always been gossip, especially during the long, slow winter’s when the tourists were no longer a topic of interest, but again, nothing that he could prove. Ellen’s death had been ruled a horrible accident, and father and daughter had cut a tragic picture in church each Sunday, with little Faith slowly retreating into herself. The mothers in the group had clucked about how sad it had to be for her to lose her mother.

Then when Faith had disappeared the gossip had started up again, but with a grief stricken father roaming the streets, it hadn’t lasted long. Now the man sat in front of him, railing against a perfect stranger. The one thing he knew for certain was that the woman he had met four days earlier had not been the one to take her.

"Are you listening to me? I’ve seen her out there in the woods, doing God knows what. I want you to go up to that house she’s staying in and see if she has my daughter."

"All right, Greg, all right. Calm yourself down. I’ll go up there this afternoon," he said as he stood up, a clear indicator that he meant for Greg to do the same.

"That’s all I’m asking, Sheriff." Greg did stand, and Jake was able to quickly usher him out the door.

He shut it quietly and then sat back down in his chair. He had to admit that the woman and her friend had seemed interested in finding out what he knew about Faith. Maybe they really had found her. Giving his head a little shake he started finishing up the paperwork he needed to file before he could head out to the mountain. If they had her he wasn’t looking forward to taking her back to her father. Better that she stay missing in the woods than go back to him.

*****

Monica looked up from where she was fixing Faith a sandwich when she heard a knocking at the door and her heart immediately jumped into her throat. Andrew and Tess had headed into town awhile ago to pick up some groceries and she had elected to stay at the cottage with Faith, having no desire to run into Greg again if she could help it. But now the knock at the door reminded her of the fact that she and Faith were indeed alone.

"Faith," She said softly, trying to contain the nervousness she felt, "I want you to stay right here, okay? Wait for me to come back."

Faith’s eyes grew wide, sensing the angel’s seriousness, "Is it my daddy at the door?"

"Probably not, but we want to be safe, right?" She waited until Faith nodded her head before she continued, "So you stay right here until I come and tell you it is all right to come out."

"I will," The little girl whispered, nipping at her bottom lip in concern, "Don’t let him take me…"

"I won’t, sweetheart, I promise," Monica’s words were firm and she knew she would do everything in her power to assure no harm came to the child.

The knocking persisted as she walked slowly into the living room, willing Tess and Andrew to pull up outside, but no amount of wishing was making it happen.

Standing up on tip toe, she looked through the peep hole and only felt a twinge of relief at seeing Sheriff Benson standing on the other side of the door.

"Hello, Sheriff," She smiled as she opened the door to him, purposefully blocking his entrance, "Is there something I can do for you?"

He removed his hat, his eyes apologetic, "Miss, I’m terribly sorry to bother you, but I have a small problem on my hands. Gregory Tate has all but been camping outside my door this week, insisting that you know something about his daughter. Now, I’m not saying you do, but in order to shut him up, I just need to take a look around and ask you some questions."

The little angel felt frozen to the floor, though she tried to remain calm and hoped she looked calmer than she felt, "I don’t understand why he would say such a thing…" She ventured, wondering if there was any possible way she could talk him out of coming inside.

"Well, he’s a bit of a strange one, as I mentioned before, so I hesitate to put much stock in anything he says. But he has managed to keep his nose clean, and this way, I can go back to my office and assure him that I’ve done my duty by checking you out," He nodded his head towards her, "So just let me do that and I’ll be out of your way."

Her feet felt like lead as she moved aside to allow him to enter, knowing she had no other choice, though in her heart she was praying furiously for just a wee small miracle. If he found Faith, he would take her away, and very possible to the arms of her father and she had made a promise…

"I’m just going to take a look around…" He smiled at her and she could see that he was nearly as uncomfortable with this as she was, only their reasons were quite different.

"Monica..." She stammered, realizing he had been waiting for her to tell him her name.

"Monica, thank you."

She watched helplessly as he walked upstairs first and she debated racing to the kitchen to tell Faith to hide. That would be wrong though, not to mention deceitful and she hesitated to do it. No, any intervention had to be Divine.

A few moments later, Jake came back down the stairs slowly, a perplexed expression on his face, though he remained silent as he looked around the living room and dining room before he swung open the kitchen door. She blinked back tears and increased the furor of her prayers. She felt as if she had stopped breathing when he came back out of the kitchen…without Faith.

"Do you have any children, Monica?" He asked, his friendly tone of before was gone, replaced by something much more serious.

"No," She answered quickly, telling herself it was not a lie. There were no children here who belonged to her.

He scratched the top of his head, looking more uncomfortable, "Can you maybe tell me why you have children’s supplies here then? I noticed some coloring books and crayons, a doll baby and a story book upstairs on the bed next to a stuffed bear. If there are no children here, then why are these items out, looking as if they have recently been used?"

Monica faltered. To lie would be wrong. She was an angel and lying once before to protect someone had gotten her into great trouble. But to tell the truth endangered Faith. She only had one option left. To say nothing.

He waited a beat and seeing she was not going to answer, he let out a deep sigh, "Look, Monica. I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for these things, so if you could just fill me in, this can all be over and done with."

She gave a small shrug of her shoulders and replied in a voice that was even smaller, "I can’t. I’m sorry."

Another sigh. He knew that Monica hadn’t kidnapped the girl, but if she was hiding her now, that was something that he needed and wanted to know… for his own peace of mind if nothing else. "If that’s the case, I’m afraid you’ll have to come with me down to the station. It would definitely benefit you to cooperate and save us all some trouble."

He was met with silence once more and he gave a little shake of his head, "My car is just outside."

Inside, she was trembling and a nauseated feeling had crept into the pit of her stomach. She allowed him to escort her outside, being careful to not look back at the cottage for any sign that Faith had come out of hiding.

*****

"We’re home, baby," Tess called out as she came through the front door, closely followed by Andrew, both angels laden down with bags of groceries. Faith had a hearty appetite and the older angel now felt more prepared to feed it.

Andrew frowned, finding the house to be quiet…too quiet. He had expected to find Monica and Faith drawing at the table or maybe curled up on the couch reading a story, but he wasn’t seeing any of that, "Monica?"

"Andrew!" Faith burst through the kitchen door and the blonde angel had to drop the bags he was carrying quickly in order to catch the fearful child up in his arms.

"He took Monica!" She cried out and he felt his heart drop to his stomach.

"Who? Your daddy?" He tried to keep his voice calm for her sake, but his eyes showed Tess the intensity he was feeling.

"No, the Sheriff! He took her away!"

Tess exchanged a more than slightly concerned look with Andrew, "Why didn’t he take you, baby?"

"He couldn’t see me, but he took Monica! Andrew, you have to help her! Tess, please!"

As she burst into tears, Andrew hugged her tightly to himself, his mind racing with the implications of what had happened. Faith must have hidden when the Sheriff arrived and his eyes focused on the assortment of children’s toys that dotted the living room, having a feeling he knew exactly what had happened.

*****

The car rattled over the narrow road that led back to town, every dip and pothole rattling the metal grate that separated Monica from the Sheriff. Her arms were wrapped around her chest, and she was concentrating on what she could possibly say to answer his questions without giving away the fact that Faith was at the cottage. She had watched as the red Caddy passed them and had breathed a short prayer of thanks. Andrew and Tess would make sure that Faith was kept safe. She looked forward and saw the sheriff’s eyes in the rear view mirror. He was looking at her and she could tell that this wasn’t what he wanted to be doing either.

Surprise was her first reaction when he abruptly pulled the car onto the shoulder and got out without even taking the key from the ignition. He quickly opened her door and bent down.

"Y’know, I really don’t think its necessary to have you ride back here. D’you?"

She shook her head and got out, then followed him to the passenger side where he opened her door for her, exactly as if he had just picked her up to take her to the prom. It was an odd dichotomy and Monica was waiting for her thoughts to catch up to his actions.

"Legally speaking, you don’t have to say a word. You didn’t even have to come with me without a warrant, but you know, I think we’re both on the same side," he said as he started the car up and pulled back onto the road. "We both want to help."

Monica said nothing, thinking instead that their ideas of helping were completely different. He had hinted at something bad going on in the Tate house, and now he was trying to get her to tell him where Faith was so that he could send her right back to it. She bit her lower lip, as she remembered what Andrew had told her about following God’s plan no matter if they didn’t understand it. The muscle in her jaw tightened. She didn’t want to go against God, but how could she believe that this was right?

"I know you didn’t take her."

His words made her stare at him, surprised and a little confused.

"You weren’t even here when she disappeared, and besides," he glanced in her direction with a slight grin, "you don’t strike me as a hardened criminal."

"No," she agreed softly.

"Now I’m just talking here, this is all hypothetical, but if that child happened to somehow fall into your possession…"

She felt herself tighten and turned to stare straight ahead again.

"You know that some people would just want to know that she was safe and sound," he continued, "and some people would do what they could to make sure that she stayed that way."

Again, surprise shot through her. She looked over at Jake, her eyes taking in the rugged planes of his face, and the startling blue of his eyes. He was focused on the road but she could see concern and slight regret in those eyes. Was he the man Faith had seen in the woods? She had said she didn’t know him, but maybe she had just been afraid to tell them.

"You tried to help her," she said softly.

"Yeah… once," he said, but the way he said it made her wonder if now he was the one hiding the truth.

If word got out that he had been helping a child stay lost… well the chances of him keeping his job were slim. Monica’s thoughts were racing as she tried to piece things together and decipher God’s will at the same time. She wasn’t sure of much, but she was still sure that she didn’t want to reveal what she knew about Faith. Even if Sheriff Benson wanted to help, there was absolutely no guarantee that he would be able to keep Faith safely away from her father. No, that was her job, and she wasn’t ready to give it up yet. She fell back into silence and stared out the window praying that God would give her guidance when they arrived back in town and the real questioning began.

*****

Andrew was finally able to get Faith to calm down, and he gently set her back down on the floor.

"He asked if she had a kid," Faith said tearfully. "He saw my doll and my bear." She looked up at Tess and Andrew her tiny face filled with guilt. "If you hadn’t given them to me he wouldn’t have known! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!" she cried and then she ran up the stairs and both angels heard Monica’s door swing shut.

"That poor little child. She must have been scared to death with that man in here looking for her," Tess said, shaking her head.

"And now she thinks it’s all her fault." The look on Andrew’s face hardened. "Well she’s not going to think that for long."

He quickly made his way upstairs and into Monica’s room where he looked around, confused. Faith was no where in sight. Then he heard them. The choked little sobs coming from the closet. He slowly opened the door and watched, stricken, as she curled herself into a tighter ball and wedged herself into the corner.

"Faith, I’m not going to hurt you," needing to say those words caused an ache in his heart, and when she raised her eyes and he saw the trust being overshadowed by fear it made him want to find Greg Tate and make him feel that same fear. "I promise you, Faith. What happened wasn’t your fault and no one blames you and no one is going to hurt you."

He reached out to her and finally let out the breath he had been holding as she slipped her small hand into his. He pulled her into a hug and then moved to sit on the bed with her in his lap.

"You won’t let anyone hurt Monica either, will you?" she asked plaintively.

He shook his head. "No I won’t. Don’t worry, Faith. I’ll bring her back. Everything’s going to be fine," he assured her.

"No, not this time," Tess’ voice was stern and Andrew and Faith both looked up to see her standing in the doorway.

"Tess, what are you talking about? I’m not going to just sit here… not this time."

Her expression softened as she remembered his earlier guilt. "I’m afraid you’re going to have to. This job calls for someone with a slightly louder voice… namely, me."

Andrew seemed relieved that Tess wasn’t talking about just leaving Monica with the Sheriff, but he still wasn’t convinced. "Don’t you think…"

"Uh-uh." She glanced upward pointedly. "I’ve got my job to do," she insisted, "and yours is to stay here with Faith."

"You’ll bring her back, won’t you?" the small voice was punctuated with sniffles.

Tess settled her hands on Faith’s shoulders. "I’ll bring her back, child," she said, and then glanced up to meet Andrew’s eyes. "Don’t you worry about that."

Chapter 14

"Okay," Jake Benson began once he was sitting at his desk with Monica sitting rigidly in the seat across from him, "Let’s just keep this simple. Did you take Faith away from her father on Easter Mornin’?"

The little angel relaxed slightly at the first of the questions that she had been so dreading, "No, sir, I did not." She felt some of the tension leave her small shoulders when he smiled at her.

"Didn’t think so, so would you mind telling me why it is Greg Tate seems to have it out for you?" He had seen the way the man had grabbed hold of the little female in town a few days ago and the action was still weighing heavily on his mind.

"I honestly don’t know. I met him one of the first days I was here in one of the shops. He was showing a picture of his daughter around and I was one of the people to look at it. I told him I’d keep an eye out for her and that was the extent of it."

"And you have been," It was more of a statement than a question and she nodded her head but decided against saying anything more, "Have you run in ‘ta Greg since that day? Other than the day we met, of course."

"At the post office one afternoon. He said he had been watching me and that he knew I was looking for Faith, but that I’d never find her…that no one could," Monica eyed him, her expression warming some, "You don’t want her to go back to him, do you?" He cleared his throat and looked around a bit nervously and she smiled, "Strictly off the record, Sheriff."

His lips twitched in a small grin, "Strictly off the record, Monica, that little tike would be better off on her own than with Greg Tate. I never swallowed that load of bull he gave me about his wife, but with no evidence, my hands were tied."

"I’m sure you did what you could," She offered softly, wondering now how she had ever doubted her feelings about the child’s father.

"Sheriff Benson?"

Tess’ voice caused Monica to smile inwardly as she turned around and Jake rose to his feet. It was obvious that the two were sizing each other up as Tess looked none too happy at the moment.

"And you are?" He raised an eyebrow curiously as he awaited her answer.

"The name is Tess and Monica is my friend as well as my client. If any charges are brought against her, I’ll be the one representing her as I won’t stand for some small town court appointed lawyer," she stated firmly, before her eyes flew to the little angel. Some of the annoyance left her expression at the fact that Monica seemed to be all right and actually very calm.

"I see. Well, Monica and I were just having a little non-official chat," He exchanged a smile with the little angel and she grinned up at him.

"Have any charges been brought up against her?" Tess demanded, still in her business with no nonsense role.

"Nope. Nope. Not at this time, though there is still the matter of the toys in the cottage that we haven’t discussed," He watched as Monica’s smile faded and he felt as if he were watching her physically retreat into herself. He drummed his fingers on his desk for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought, "Of course, I hadn’t thought of this before, but I suppose it is possible that those toys had been left over from last season’s renters…"

Neither angel said a word as Jake continued his musings, "Yep, yep, highly possible and with your lawyer present and no formal charges against you, I can’t very well ask you to confirm if that is true now, can I?" His eyes held a twinkle and he noticed the tiny grin was back in place on Monica’s face.

"No, I suppose you can’t," She replied, trying to sound solemn.

"Well," He gestured to the door, "Then I supposed we’ll just leave it at that then, ladies. If I have any other questions, I know where you are and if you…need me for anything you know where to find me," He walked them both to the door and held it open for them, "Have a nice day and Monica, I’m sorry to have disrupted your afternoon."

"Thank you, Sheriff," Monica told him sweetly as she followed Tess out the door and onto the street. Once they were walking in the direction of the caddy, she linked her arm through Tess’ and smiled up at her, "Thank you."

But Tess waved off the words with her hand, "Nonsense, Angel Girl. You had things well under control before I ever arrived. I just hope Andrew is holding up all right on his end of things as Faith was pretty upset over your being taken away."

"I still cannot believe Jake didn’t find her, Tess…"

"Let’s be truthful, Monica. Do you really believe he was looking all that hard?"

"No. I suppose he wasn’t. He’s a nice man and I think he has been helping Faith in the woods… he admitted to trying to help her once."

Tess nodded her head, "Then there is one mystery solved. Now all we have to do is find out what the Father’s intentions are regarding this child and we can all move on." She tried to sound cheerful, but she didn’t miss the silence that crept over her young charge as she climbed into the car.

*****

"Monica!" Faith cried out as she sprang up out of Andrew’s arms and straight into the arms of the angel.

Andrew rose to his feet as well and met his eyes with hers, "You okay?" His tone was light, but his expression held the concern she had come to depend on.

"I’m fine," She smiled at him as she hugged Faith tightly.

"I’m so sorry he took you away because of me," the child murmured sadly, clinging to Monica with all the strength her little arms could muster.

"None of it was your fault, Faith," She replied, though she was already certain that Andrew had tried to convince her of this, "And I’m home now, so everything is fine."

"I was scared," the words were only a breath against her ear.

She smiled sadly, "I was a little scared for a minute too. I thought he was going to find you." Monica felt Faith shaking her head.

"Uh-uh. He didn’t see me."

"I know, and you were very brave, and you told Tess and Andrew just what happened so they were able to help us both." She gave Faith one more tight hug before setting her down on the ground.

"Andrew wanted to go get you, but Tess wouldn’t let him," Faith said innocently, while Andrew coughed discreetly in his place beside the wall.

"Oh, he did, did he?" Monica asked teasingly.

"Uh-huh."

"Well, I’ll tell you a little secret," the angel said conspiratorially. "I would have argued with her too."

Faith started giggling and Tess gave a good-natured chuckle. "Well I guess I see where I stand," she said. "But I guess we also know who gets her way around here." She raised one eyebrow, gave each of them a look and then headed into the kitchen, ignoring the stifled laughter that followed her.

"So, now that we’re all back together again, what would you like to do?" Monica asked, happy to see that Faith seemed to be bouncing back quite well after her scare.

"Andrew taught me how to play Chinese checkers while we were waiting for you to come home," Faith said eagerly. "We could all play that."

"Okay, that sounds very nice," Monica replied as she looked up and smiled at Andrew.

"It’s up in my room. I’ll run and get it," Faith said and she was already running before the last sentence left her mouth.

*****

Monica finished tucking Faith in, surprised and grateful that the girl was already asleep. She had been afraid that the day’s events would catch up to the sensitive child. As she stared down at the tiny, innocent face she felt compelled to drop to her knees beside the bed.

"Father," she whispered, "I know that whatever you have planned for this child is something truly special, but right now I am just asking you to continue watching over her and keeping her safe. Please help me to know what to do for her… whatever that may be."

She opened her eyes and saw a pair of wide green ones staring back at her with all the seriousness in the world within their depths. "I’m sorry I woke you, sweetheart."

"Were you praying?"

Monica smiled kindly. "Yes I was."

Faith nodded. "My mommy used to pray like that too, and at Sunday school we learned prayers too."

"I’m sure your mommy was praying for you to be happy and healthy," Monica said, "and sometimes a mother’s prayers are the best kind."

The girl was quiet for a moment and then her eyes brightened. "Jesus loves me, this I know, For the Bible tells me so," her sweet voice made Monica smile. "I think he does love me, don’t you? Mrs. Winter taught us that song and I don’t think she could teach it in church if it wasn’t true."

Monica carefully brushed the hair off of Faith’s forehead. "Of course, Faith, and God loves you too… more than you can imagine."

Faith pressed her lips together for a moment and Monica looked at her, puzzled. "I don’t think He does," Faith said at last.

The angel’s eyes opened wider. "Why would you say that?"

Silence filled the room and Monica was afraid Faith wasn’t going to answer, but then a very small voice answered. "My mommy got hurt… really bad… and she was lying on the floor. I covered her up and I prayed really, really hard for God to make her better, but He didn’t."

"Faith, I know it may seem like God didn’t answer your prayers, but He was with your mother and He was with you… the whole time, sweetie. He was there." Faith said nothing, only stared back at her with uncertainty and a hint of fear in her eyes. "What is it, sweetheart? What’s bothering you."

Once again it didn’t seem like Faith was going to answer. Her lips were tucked in as she worried them between her teeth. Finally Monica’s gentle expression appeared to settle the little debate in her mind.

"My daddy said that God took my mommy, because he told Him to." she whispered so quietly that Monica had to lean forward to hear. "He said He would take me too if I ever talked about it. He said that God listens to him and talks to him, and He doesn’t like little girls."

Monica was struck speechless as her stomach suddenly twisted into a knot. How could anyone say such things to an innocent child? And how could she possibly undo all that had been done? She pulled herself up and sat on the bed, gathering Faith into her arms.

"Faith, what your father told you… those things aren’t true. God loves you so much. He just wants you to be happy, and to know how much he cares for you."

The little girl looked up at her trustingly, but there was doubt at the corners of her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes, really. I know that He’s watching over you right now, and He’s going to help me make sure that you stay safe and loved always."

"I feel that way now," Faith murmured, as her eyelids grew heavy. "I want to stay like this with you and Andrew and Tess." Her words began to slur together and within a few minutes she was asleep again.

Monica continued to hold her tight, tears pricking at her eyes. She hated that Faith wasn’t going to get her wish, but she had to take her own advice and trust that God would guide them all.

Chapter 15

Andrew opened his eyes slowly and peered at the clock on his nightstand. The restlessness he was feeling in his heart coming from his dearest friend contradicted the fact that it was just nearing five o’clock in the morning. He was already pulling on a shirt when he heard her bare feet hit the stairs.

They had talked late into the night and Monica had filled him in on the things Faith had told her about God, and her parents and he felt another trickle of rage at anyone instilling that kind of fear in a child. Monica had been deeply troubled by all that had been said as well as the almost certain knowledge that Gregory Tate had indeed killed his wife, so Andrew wasn’t all that surprised to find her awake and staring out the window when he descended the steps.

Hues of deep lavender were just beginning to shoot across the darkened sky as he approached her and took her hand, "Come on," He said softly as he led her to the door.

She nearly hesitated. Other than her ride into town with Jake the previous day, she had not dared to venture outside, but now she relented. The feeling of Andrew’s hand in her own allowed for feelings of security to rise to the very tip of her soul and she gave a little squeeze as he led her outside and down onto the dock.

She shivered slightly as the early morning air was quite chilly and her nightgown provided little protection, but a second later, Andrew had wrapped an afghan around her shoulders that she hadn’t even realized he had grabbed and she smiled thankfully at him. A moment later and they were both sitting in the oversized wooden chair that Tess normally occupied.

"Warm enough?" He asked her lightly as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

She nodded her head as she breathed in deeply, even as her eyes took in the lake, which she was just able to see through the darkness. The mist was rising on the water as the crickets played their final serenade of the evening and the entire scene filled all her senses and soothed her restless spirit.

After a moment of amiable silence, she finally spoke, "Thank you." There had been an apology on the tip of her tongue for waking him, but she knew he neither required nor needed one and he would probably only scold for her offering it to begin with. He gave her a gentle squeeze in response and she smiled, knowing what he was doing. He was giving her time alone with her thoughts, outside where she had longed to be, while taking away the element of fear with his presence.

The minutes ticked by before she finally spoke again, "Everything feels nearly perfect, doesn’t it?"

He started to raise his eyebrows in surprise before he realized that her comment really didn’t surprise him at all, but he could still hope that he was wrong, "How so, angel?"

"With Faith being allowed to stay with us like this. I mean, if the Father had wanted her found, then the Sheriff would have found her today, but he didn’t which means she can stay with us longer." She leaned her head against his shoulder in contentment, "It just feels like it’s the way it is supposed to be and none of us are in a hurry for her to leave anyway."

His eyes widened at her words, spoken so nonchalantly. Though he knew Monica had a tendency to collect things; seashells, kittens, agents, he really didn’t think that three angels adopting one human child was part of the plan. "Angel Girl, this assignment isn’t over yet and there is still work to be done in order to find out what God’s plan is for Faith. Actually, we should probably head into town later to see if anyone else knows anything about her,"

But she was already shaking her head at the suggestion.

"We have plenty of time, Andrew and I promised Faith we would paint today."

He had to wonder at times how her heart ever kept up with her quickly changing emotions, even as he heard warning bells going off in his own head. He also wondered if maybe she had read one too many fairytales to the little girl, "Monica, painting isn’t going to find Faith a family."

"As far as she is concerned, Andrew, she already has one," The little angel argued softly.

"Perhaps, but you and I know the truth," His voice was gentle, but even so, he felt her sadness wrap itself around his heart.

"Just let me pretend a little bit longer," Monica whispered after a moment.

"Pretending is only going to serve in hurting you more when it’s time to face the truth, angel," He advised, but he could already tell that she had withdrawn slightly and he emitted a little sigh.

"She told me I sang like an angel," She said quietly, her voice laced with sadness, "No one has ever told me that before. I know that isn’t the truth, but with the innocence of a child she doesn’t realize what the truth is. I miss feeling that way."

His heart ached at her admission, now understanding that she had found something in Faith that she longed to recapture within herself. She had come so far since her two extremely difficult assignments, but not so far that she couldn’t recognize the things that had not been "fixed".

"I know," Andrew replied after a moment, pulling her closer to him, "But don’t give up hope that you will get those things back. God is working in your heart all the time and you know He makes all things possible."

Before she could think of how to reply to his words, a voice that sent shivers up her spine disrupted the quiet.

"You’d better watch yourself, angel! Jake may not be able t’ see through you, but I can! I know what you’re up to and this is the last warning I’m givin’ ya!"

Andrew’s eyes darted around as he felt Monica press into him fearfully. He couldn’t see Greg Tate anywhere, but obviously the man could see them and he felt his anger begin to resurface. The trembling he could feel coming from his best friend only intensified it and he rose to his feet, all his senses on high alert, "And I’m warning you, Greg, that you’d better not come within a mile of her and that is the only warning I’m giving you."

He heard the footsteps and Monica’s startled cry before he could turn around, but as he did he saw that Greg had hold of her arm as he had walked up behind them.

"You were sayin’?" His voice was ominous as held on fast to the little angel’s arm, even as she struggled to get away.

It took Andrew two strides to come face to face with the man, his angry hands grabbing Greg by the shirt collar, startling him enough to release his hold on Monica.

"I was saying that you’d better not come within a mile of her!" Andrew shouted as his hands tightened around the rough fabric of the denim shirt.

His voice was shaking with the rage that coursed through his body. Too many people had tried to hurt his best friend and he had been unable to do anything about it. This time was different. This time the person was right in front of him and for the first time he didn’t feel anything holding him back from acting on the intense feelings of anger and frustration that he had been holding onto. For over a year he had harbored them in a dark place deep in his heart, waiting for them to disappear, but now it was obvious that they hadn’t.

Taking a step forward he forced Greg to stumble backwards and then he pushed him into the tree at the end of the dock. He let go of him just long enough to get a bigger grip before shaking him and pushing him against the tree trunk again.

"You like to threaten innocents? Is that what makes you feel like a real man? You bully and abuse everyone around you and when they’re gone you start in on someone you don’t even know?"

Andrew’s face was only an inch from Greg’s as he continued to shout. He didn’t even feel his own arm pulling back. It was as if he was watching someone else’s hand swing forward and strike the red-faced man in the jaw, sending his head snapping back against the hard wood.

"Andrew! Andrew please! Please stop!" Monica was nearly in tears as she moved up behind him, her trembling hand reaching out to grab him but not daring to touch him.

She had seen him angry, but never anything like this. In the past he had always had an inner restraint, but now that restraint was gone and she didn’t know what to do. A sob caught in the back of her throat and her fingertips barely brushing his shoulder.

"Please… please stop!" she whispered brokenly.

Her words managed to penetrate through the cloud of madness that had wrapped itself around the blond angel. He released his hold on Greg and stepped back as if he had just been burned. Meanwhile Greg just stared at him, contempt in his eyes and a satisfied smirk on his lips. He raised his hand to rub at the side of his face.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about, but you just bought yourself a bunch of trouble, boy," he said.

Andrew took a breath and another step back. "Maybe I have, but not from you." He looked over his shoulder at Monica and felt his heart sink, then turned back to Greg. "You’re on private property. Now get out of here."

"Yeah, I’ll leave, but you people don’t own the whole mountain. You got the first punch this time," he sneered at Andrew. "It won’t happen again."

He turned and there was silence save for the clomping sound of his heavy boots across the dock. Andrew watched him until he vanished into the thick underbrush and then he turned around, dreading what he would find. His stomach twisted even more when he glanced around Monica and saw Faith in the cottage, standing by the window, just one eye peering out, wide and frightened. When he looked at her he saw her turn and run away. His jaw clenched and he shut his eyes. He didn’t know how he was going to explain himself to Monica, never mind a traumatized eight-year-old.

When he opened his eyes a moment later, Monica was staring at him as if she had never seen him before, and he couldn’t blame her for her shock. In all the times she had claimed failure on her assignments, in all the times she had doubted her abilities… she had never once done something to hurt a human being. On the contrary: she was far more likely to sacrifice herself. Knowing that, he couldn’t understand how she could even stand to look at him.

"Monica… I… I…" he didn’t even know where to begin but suddenly he didn’t have to because she was rushing forward and throwing her arms around him. He had to mentally shake himself to even believe what was happening.

"Please… I don’t want to talk about it right now," she whispered, and he didn’t think he would ever be able to hear her say the word ‘please’ without wincing.

"But, Monica…"

"Just for a few minutes, Andrew. For a few minutes I just want to forget."

Her words cut deeply. It wasn’t just the last ten minutes she wanted to forget. She wanted to forget everything. Somehow she already knew what had driven him to strike out and she wanted pretend none of it had ever happened. How he wished that pretending could make that true for her. Instead he just held onto her tightly, waiting for her heartbeat to slow down and for her to relax against him.

"I’m so sorry, Angel," he said at last, his voice thick with emotion. "I never meant for that to happen."

He felt her take in a shuddering breath before speaking. "Of course you didn’t."

"I wasn’t even thinking… I just felt this anger welling up inside me and suddenly I couldn’t hold onto it anymore."

Monica eased herself out of his embrace and looked up at him sadly. "You’ve carried it with you for a long time," she said quietly. "You’ve done so much to help me and I never even asked about you. I guess I wanted to believe that you were fine."

He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Not your fault, Monica. That’s what I wanted to believe too."

She gave a sad little laugh. "I guess this pretending stuff really doesn’t work out in the end, does it?"

"No… I’m afraid it doesn’t."

Suddenly a horrible thought occurred to the Irish angel and the color drained from her face. "What is the Father going to do about this?" her voice was very small.

Andrew’s expression was one of grief and resignation. "I’m not sure. I guess we’ll find out."

She started shaking her head and her chin quivered. "I don’t know how I could bear it if He sent you away from here."

He rested his hands lightly on her shoulders. "Monica, you’re stronger than you think, and we both know that whatever He decides, is no more than what I deserve."

The screen door suddenly opened and then slammed shut and they looked up at the cottage and saw Tess striding towards them. "Well you’ve got that right, baby," Tess said, her voice tinged with annoyance. "But apparently He has decided that you’re better off dealing with your feelings here, where it’s harder to control them, then out in God’s Country where it’s easy to remember all the reasons why angels were created… But just let me give you a hint… beating up the human population was not one of them."

Andrew lowered his head. "I already knew that, Tess."

"Good. Then maybe you also need to remember that when your feelings become too much for you, you’re supposed to turn them over to God, not let them fester inside!" He had no reply and she walked forward and squeezed his shoulder. "I think you have some talking to do… to everyone," she said. "The good news is that I think I finally know what my real assignment is. It’s the two of you." Monica and Andrew both stared at her, realizing that she couldn’t be more right. "However, at the moment I think you all need some alone time, and I need to go into town and try to discover where exactly this little girl we have acquired is supposed to end up."

With that said, she didn’t wait for a reply but turned around and headed for her car. A minute later and she was rumbling down the dirt driveway, leaving Monica and Andrew still staring after her.

"I think I need to talk to Him," Andrew said slowly. "What I just felt… what I just did… I don’t ever want to repeat either of them."

Monica nodded, unable to speak. She knew that he would only tell her how wrong she was, but she couldn’t stop the sickening feeling of responsibility from clutching her heart. She remembered the first time Andrew had shown signs of anger, and she remembered all the times after that when she had seen hints of it reemerge. They had all had something to do with the messes she had managed to get herself into. He would shrug it off and say that it was a small thing compared to what she had gone through, and maybe he was right, but that didn’t make her feel any better about it.

She swallowed hard and reached out to hold tight to his hand for a moment as she moved to go inside. "I don’t want you to have to feel that way again either," she murmured. "I’m going to find Faith and I’ll keep her busy while you have your talk."

"Thank you, Monica," he replied, blinking a little bit at her slightly awkward behavior. He knew he was going to have to talk to her again, and he needed to talk to Faith as well, but right now he had another appointment to keep.

Chapter 16

The blond angel walked for a long time until he was deep within the woods. Head down, shoulders slumped; he was the aura of someone defeated. His earlier behavior with Gregory Tate continued going around and around in his head and he was still scarcely able to believe that he had actually struck the man.

Not that he hadn’t know fury of that nature existed within him. Andrew was fully aware of the anger that had been dwelling deep in his heart for well over a year now. He had just never imagined that he would act on it and the fact that he had devastated him. The look on Monica’s face and the pleading in her words just added to the disappointment he felt in himself and though he knew he had many amends to make, he knew the One with which he had to begin.

"Father," He said softly, not so much as raising his eyes, "You know what happened back there…I…I should have come to you sooner with the anger that has been interfering with who You made me to be, but I thought I could handle it. Obviously, I can’t, but You knew that all along. Deep inside, I knew that Your mercy and Your grace were the things I needed, but yet I refused to come to You," He shook his head, "I was wrong, Father and I need your guidance with this. I struck one of Your children," He blinked back tears, hardly able to accept the fact that he was saying those words.

The angel fell to his knees upon the forest floor though his eyes remained focused on the ground, "Forgive me, Father and help me. I can’t control this emotion alone and it seems that no one is safe from it. You know I lashed out at Monica last week and then hit Greg this morning, not to mention the fact that I’ve been carrying this anger around with me for so long. I’m sorry. I need Your help and Your forgiveness."

He felt the warmth of God’s love fill his senses and a tear fell from his eye unashamedly as he basked in the light of forgiveness and mercy.

*****

"Faith?" Monica called out softly, trying with everything in her to keep her emotions intact. What had just happened with Andrew and the guilt that was running through the pit of her stomach was making it difficult, but she knew she had to reassure Faith before she could deal with her own feelings, "It’s okay, sweetheart."

She heard the movement from behind the chair in the living room before she ever saw her and the little angel drew in a trembling breath before she walked over to the chair and knelt down until she was at eye level with the frightened little girl. Faith’s eyes were wide and Monica was trying to decipher exactly what Faith was thinking.

"My daddy used to hit me," She whispered tearfully, before she bit her lower lip as if she never should have said the words.

"I’m so sorry, sweetie," Monica said softly, still trying to debate what else was going on in the little mind. But Faith’s next words made her want to weep.

"Does Andrew ever hit you like he hit my dad?"

"No!" Monica shook her head as her heart broke at the insinuation as she gathered Faith close to her, even as the angel blinked back tears, "Faith, listen to me. Your daddy wanted to hurt me and that made Andrew angry. No, he shouldn’t have hit your father, but sometimes…" Her voice trailed off. Sometimes what? Suddenly she had no idea what excuse to give.

"My mama used to tell me that daddy didn’t mean it. Did Andrew not mean it?" Faith uttered softly against Monica’s shoulder.

"No, he didn’t mean it and he was sorry it happened."

"My daddy used to tell me he was sorry too, but then he stopped saying he was sorry."

Monica closed her eyes, fighting against the tears that longed to escape. She had made such a terrible mistake. All along Andrew had been so concerned about her and how she was recovering and never once had she inquired about him, though she had known the anger had existed. His outburst with her last week had been so out of character and a sure sign of the emotions he was still harboring. He had even tried to explain it to her but she had nearly brushed it aside. He had been hurting and she had ignored that fact, concentrating more on her own feelings. She had never before felt so selfish and to tell him that would seemingly make it once more about her. She was the one who had gotten herself into trouble so many times in the past, to the point that men had wanted to hurt her. She should have trusted that God would keep her safe instead of showing Andrew her fear.

"Faith, he is so sorry and he would never hurt any of us. Ever," Her voice was nearly pleading. It would break Andrew’s heart to know that Faith was measuring him up against her father and she knew that the little girl couldn’t be more wrong, but at the moment what Faith had seen spoke louder than words, "How about I fix you some breakfast?"

"I’m not very hungry," the child whispered sadly, "Does my daddy know that I’m here?"

"No, sweetheart. He thinks I’m looking for you," Monica explained as she pulled away to look in her eyes, "But he will not find you and even if he does, you are safe here with us." Faith nodded her head, but the angel didn’t miss the flicker of doubt that was now in her eyes.

*****

When Andrew walked into the house sometime later, he seemed a bit more at ease, though his green eyes showed apprehension as they came to rest on Faith and Monica.

The little girl had fallen back to sleep on the sofa, her head resting in Monica’s lap. He could see worry on the little face and he had a feeling he had been the one to put it there in the first place. Monica’s expression was unreadable.

"Is she all right?" He asked softly as he approached somewhat cautiously.

Monica looked down at the little girl, struggling for an answer that would not make him feel worse than he already did, "She was a bit shaken up."

His heart sank. He had begun to sense his dearest friend withdrawing her feelings from him as he had walked back to the cottage and now he was certain of what he had already assumed to be true, "And what about you?"

She raised her head, but it seemed to be a forced gesture, "I’m just worried about you is all. Did you talk to the Father?"

"He has forgiven me. Now I just need to know if you do."

She shook her head, "There is nothing to forgive."

"Then why have you pulled away?" He asked pointedly. His heart was racing. Had he done more damage than he realized?

She was quiet for a moment before responding softly, "It’s the best thing for you right now. Please don’t question it."

Andrew crouched down in front of her and rested both hands on her knees. "The best thing for me? Monica, how can you expect me not to question that?"

The Irish angel turned her full attention back to Faith. "Because I’m asking you not to," she said flatly.

He leaned back on his heels, at a loss for words. "I… Monica… whatever I need to do…"

She said that she forgave him. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t upset and disgusted over what had happened, and he could only assume that was why she wouldn’t talk to him. When she raised her dark eyes to meet his he saw how wrong he was to assume anything when it came to this particular angel.

"Andrew, I’m doing this for you," she said quietly. "You need to concentrate on yourself right now and not worry about me."

He attempted a weak smile. "But Angel, that’s part of my job, remember?"

"It doesn’t need to be," she replied, trying to inject a tone of cheerfulness into her voice. "God’s watching over me, and I think He’s pretty much got it covered."

Andrew swallowed past the tightness in his throat. "Of course He is… does… but Monica…"

He knew there was much more that needed to be said, but he didn’t know where to begin. The one thing he could sense from Monica was that she felt somehow guilty for what had happened outside and he couldn’t imagine why. She was pushing him away, and while she had done that before out of misguided attempts to protect him, he didn’t remember it ever hurting quite as badly. In the past her retreats had been brought on by outside forces, but this time he had no one to blame but himself. If only he hadn’t hit Gregory Tate, they wouldn’t be staring at each other uneasily now.

"Angel… I’m going to be fine…" he decided to give one more try at getting her to open up. Of course he wasn’t being entirely truthful. God had taken away his current anger, but keeping it under control was something he needed to work on. Even the greatest faith wasn’t a cure-all, and God didn’t just magically fix things.

A faint murmuring from Faith halted Andrew’s words. The girl shifted slightly and clutched Monica’s hand before sleepily opening her eyes.

"Well, good morning, Faith," Andrew said, keeping his voice light and even although inside he was wondering how she was going to react to him now.

"Good morning, Andrew," she replied and then pushed herself into a seated position and pressed herself close to Monica’s side.

Andrew caught her wavering gaze and held it, ducking his head a bit to keep her from looking down at the floor. "Faith, I’m really sorry about what you saw this morning."

"I know." She bit her lip and studied his face. "Monica said it was an accident and you didn’t mean to do it."

He shot Monica a thankful look and answered, "Yes that’s right, but there’s still no excuse for what I did. It was completely wrong and I’m very, very sorry that I did it, and I’m never going to do anything like that ever again."

Monica looked over at Faith and prayed that the child wouldn’t mention her father’s promises or any of the other things she had said earlier. Andrew already felt so badly, and she didn’t want to see him hurt any more. It was strange that he had managed to knock down a fully-grown man, but a small child held his feelings in the palm of her hand.

Faith peered into his eyes as if looking for something, and then gave a little nod and slid forward off the sofa. She wrapped her thin arms around Andrew’s neck and nestled her head against his shoulder.

"It’s okay," she said softly, and then in a barely audible whisper she continued, "Sometimes I used to wish I was big enough to hit him back."

Andrew closed his eyes and hugged her tightly. "Well you don’t need to wish that anymore. You’re never going back to him and he’s never going to hurt you again."

*****

For the rest of the afternoon Andrew kept looking for an opportunity to talk to Monica alone, but she stubbornly refused to leave Faith’s side. She even sent him to the kitchen to make lunch rather than doing it herself and risking the chance that he would join her.

As far as he could tell she thought that he needed to work out his issues with his past and present anger without being influenced by her, but she had forgotten one very important thing. Even if she refused to talk about how she was feeling, it didn’t stop him from thinking about it and worrying about it. He was the one who was supposed to be holding his feelings inside, not her.

When Tess entered the cottage the first thing she noticed was the silence. Faith was certainly not a chatty girl, but over the time they had been watching over her she had become playful and fun-loving, and her giggles were often heard spilling from one room to another. At the very least the older angel expected to hear the three of them talking, but there was nothing.

"Hello?" she called out. "Where is everyone?"

"In the kitchen, Tess," Monica’s voice guided her.

She walked into the kitchen and saw Faith sitting at the table painting while Monica watched and Andrew cut vegetables for a salad. No one said a word as she entered and the tension was impossible to ignore. She looked at the two angels, who didn’t meet her eyes, and then looked down at Faith. The little girl rested her chin in her hand, stared up at her and sighed.

"They’re fighting," she stated simply.

At those words, Monica and Andrew both looked up, shocked expressions on their faces.

"We’re not fighting," Andrew said quickly, and "Sweetheart, Andrew and aren’t fighting," Monica said at the same time.

"Faith, sweetie," Tess said as her dark eyes sized up her fellow angels, "I think maybe you should run up to your room for a few minutes. I need to talk to Monica and Andrew."

The girl nodded her blonde head and pushed her chair back. "Can you make them talk to each other again?" she asked as she passed by the older angel.

"Oh, there’s going to be a whole lot of talking going on, child, don’t you worry about that."

As soon as Tess heard soft footsteps on the stairs she pointed at Monica and Andrew. "Sit, both of you."

They knew better to argue. They sat down next to each other at the table.

"Now I know I said that the two of you are my assignment, but I didn’t think you’d take it so much to heart," Tess said with a trace of sarcasm.

""Really, Tess, everything is fine," Monica said. "We’ve just been quiet after everything that happened this morning."

"Quiet, eh?" Tess said, one eyebrow rising high on her forehead.

Andrew glanced at Monica out of the corner of his eye but he wasn’t sure what to say. Yes, he wanted them to talk, but telling Tess that the little angel had been avoiding him felt an awful lot like tattling, to quote Faith.

"Well, I’m just going to jump right in then and make a little noise," Tess replied. "I know that what happened this morning has shaken you both, and from what I hear you’re both doing your darndest to protect each other and hurting each other even more in the process."

"Tess, I don’t think--"

An upheld hand stopped Andrew short. "No, you two are going to listen to me now, and you can do your talking afterwards."

Andrew shut his mouth and his shoulders slumped just a bit.

"Now, I haven’t been around today, but I think I can pretty much guess what went on after I left. First, you went to talk to the Father and came back deciding, once again, that what happened was completely your problem and that you would be able to take care of it on your own.," Tess said as she looked at the angel of death. "Meanwhile, you got it into your head that what happened was really your fault, and if only you hadn’t been so needy, then surely Andrew never would have started harboring anger in his heart."

Monica lowered her eyes and studied the surface of the table.

"Am I getting warm?" There was no response. "I think I asked a question," she said sternly, and both younger angels nodded slightly. "That’s what I thought, and that’s what I was afraid of. Andrew, you need to stop thinking that you are the only one who can offer comfort and an ear to listen. Monica is your best friend and she would do anything for you. Why don’t you give her a chance? And, Monica? You carry so much guilt on those tiny little shoulders. Baby, I know that you have seen some horrible things, but everything horrible that happens is not your fault, and it is also not your fault that Andrew puts himself in the role of your protector. He loves you, Angel Girl… what else would you expect him to do?"

Andrew and Monica remained silent although they exchanged glances both with Tess and with each other. Tess was speaking the truth, and it was impossible to deny.

"All right then. I am going upstairs to give Faith a bath before dinner. By the time we get down here, I trust that the two of you will have talked this out." She didn’t say anything else, but pushed back from the table and silently left the room.

Chapter 17

The silence prevailed for a few moments, before Andrew took the plunge to break it, "I should have talked to you."

"I should have asked. You even tried to explain it a little to me last week after our…disagreement. I knew then you hadn’t worked it out and still I barely touched the subject with you." She looked down at the table, feeling too ashamed to look at him, "You’ve been watching me like a hawk for over a year and I just left you to deal with things on your own."

So thankful that she was once again speaking to him, he reached over and cupped her chin in his hand, gently raising her head so their eyes met. "Angel, something tells me that if I had ever gone to you to discuss how I felt, you would not have left me to deal with things on my own."

Monica blinked back tears, though she was unable to control the tremble in her voice, "I’m not feeling like a very good friend right now."

"Sweetheart…"

"No, it’s true. I’m the one who kept getting into trouble and the people I get into trouble with were the ones who made you angry. You are there for me every single time I need you, without question, but the one time you need help with something…"

He watched as a tear trailed down her face and didn’t hesitate another moment in pulling her close, "Monica, all of those situations were beyond your control. You know that."

She pulled away from him and shook her head, "No. This is exactly what I didn’t want to have happen. This is why I pulled away from you today. Once again, you are comforting me."

"Monica, I can’t change who I am and taking care of you is part of who I am. While I know that God does just fine on His own, it is still something I do and do gladly. Paul and I took an unofficial oath, remember?" Not seeing the smile he had been going for, he sighed and changed tactics, "Don’t expect me to sit here and do nothing while you tell me that you are not a good friend and are treating your assignments like they were errors on your part. You changed lives, angel. Paul, David, Kristin, now Faith. Where would Paul be right now spiritually if it had not been for McArthur? Had your paths not crossed he would still be separated from God, full of anger and hatred because of Lauren’s death. But now, none of those things are true. Do you consider that a mistake?"

She shook her head, "No," Came the whispered reply.

"No, of course not. Had you not come along in one of your perceived ‘mistakes’, Kristin would possibly be a single mother, while her baby’s father sat in prison. And more recently, Faith would still be alone in the woods, trying to stay hidden from her abusive father. Even if it was not the road that the Father had planned, He makes good come out of anything and He does that by His grace and in these assignments, with help from His Irish angel, who speaks the truth more beautifully than any angel I’ve ever encountered." His voice softened as he gazed into her teary eyes. "The fact that I didn’t come to you with my problem was my fault, and truth be told, you were the one who helped me to keep my anger intact for so long. Even this morning, Angel, had you not been there…it could have been much worse."

"Were it not for me, it never would have happened in the first place," She was reluctant to release the guilt. Though she knew no one was perfect other than God, Andrew came close to it for her and she couldn’t begin to fathom him doing something of this nature by his own admission. It was actually easier for her to admit that she had been the cause of it then to face the fact that he had been the one responsible for hitting the man.

He sensed what she was feeling and he was unable to help but smile, "Angel, you are not responsible for my wrong doings. The Father forgave me, as there was nothing He needed to forgive you for. I know it was certainly not something you would ever have expected from me. I didn’t expect it either, but it happened just the same and I am sorry. My actions not only hurt the Father, but you as well and that is something I never want to do. Your opinion of me matters more than you know and to think that I have jeopardized that-."

Monica was already shaking her head, "You haven’t!" She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, "You never could."

Andrew held her in his arms and let out a breath he felt as if he had been holding in forever, "Thank you, sweetheart. It means a lot to me to know that I haven’t damaged our relationship with my behavior."

"No. But you need to talk to me, Andrew. You need to talk to me when you feel this way," Her voice was uncharacteristically stern as she pulled away, not missing the slightly amused look in his eyes at her tone, "Tess was right. I am quite capable of listening."

"Yes, you are, angel," He grinned, tweaking her nose playfully, before he looked a bit more serious, "And I won’t forget that again. I promise."

*****

By the time dinner was ready and Tess had returned from bathing Faith, things seemed very much back to normal between the two younger angels, much to everyone’s relief. Faith was much more chipper at dinner and was surprisingly talkative. The angels had all come to realize that the child was amazingly bright, not to mention perceptive, when she did chose to speak freely and she had been keeping them entertained with stories of the things she liked to do best.

"Did you have a lot of babies?" Monica asked her with a smile as Faith had been chattering away about the many dolls she had to take care of that her mother had bought her.

Faith nodded, but then her smile faded slightly, "Well, I did once."

"Once? What happened to them?" Tess frowned slightly, completely prepared to hear a story about her father taking them away from her and not returning them.

"They died." She replied simply as she went back to scooping her dessert of ice cream from her bowl.

Andrew’s eyes widened slightly. This was certainly not a topic he would have expected from an eight year old, "How did they die, sweetheart?"

"My daddy killed them," She whispered, looking up at him. Her little voice was subdued as she continued, "I had to bury them outside so no one would know."

Monica exchanged a little glance with Andrew, "Did they die when you were living with your daddy?"

"Yes." She looked up at Tess and grinned, showing her the empty bowl, "May I please have a little more, Tess? Please?"

"You like ice cream, do you?" The older angel chuckled as she got up from the table and headed to the kitchen with the empty bowl, "I’ll be back in a jiffy."

Though still upset over the things Faith had said, Monica decided to take advantage of the fact that the child was feeling so open this evening, "What else did you used to do with your mother, Faith? Did she ever take you swimming?"

She shook her head, "I can’t swim. I tried once, but I drowned."

Andrew suppressed a small smile, having the feeling that not only did Faith not really know the meaning of the word "drowned" but that she also had an overactive imagination, "Did your mom save you?"

Another shake of her head, "No, it was after I ran away from the man in the woods. I wanted to hide in the lake, but it swallowed me up."

"How did you get out?" Monica pressed gently. Her heart was beating rapidly as she could barely fathom how terrified the little girl must have been in the water. She wasn’t so fond of it herself.

Faith shrugged her shoulders, "I don’t remember."

"Chocolate ice cream, as promised," Tess announced as she came back out of the kitchen and set the bowl down in front of Faith.

"Thank you, Tess," She grinned up at the angel before she happily went back to spooning the treat out of the bowl. Sometime in the last week, the little girl had finally stopped asking Monica if she was allowed to eat, much to the angel’s relief. They all could not help but wonder if there had been times when she had been living with her father that the answer had been "no" and it was not a thought any of them wanted to entertain.

Monica settled back in her chair, her dark eyes still lingering on the child. The things she had said were disturbing and she silently offered up a prayer of thanks that not only had she not drowned, but also that at least for now, Faith had a home.

*****

Faith and Monica stood at the bathroom sink brushing their teeth and looking like mother and daughter in their matching nightgowns. Faith swished water around in her mouth, puffing her cheeks out and making Monica laugh so hard she nearly spit toothpaste on the mirror. Faith gave her a sly look and then demurely spit the water into the sink and stood back, looking as innocent as possible while the angel shot her a mock annoyed look that turned into another laugh.

They were about to leave the room when Faith stopped her and motioned for her to bend down. Monica did so, her expression curious.

"Monica," Faith said with a touch of hesitation, "d’you think that maybe Andrew could tuck me in tonight? I think he thinks I’m afraid of him, but I’m not."

Somehow the little girl had caught on to the exaggerated care Andrew had taken not to upset her. He had been a little bit worried that Faith might be slightly mistrustful, and he had been even more gentle than usual all day, not even raising his voice to call her down for dinner.

Monica grinned and kissed the top of her head. "That sounds like a lovely idea. I’m sure he’ll be very pleased."

Faith smiled and flung open the bathroom door, tiny feet pounding down the hallway and down the stairs to find the other angel.

"Andrew! Andrew!" she called as she ran into the living room and straight to his side. She pulled herself together and said, much more calmly, "Would you tuck me in tonight?"

Andrew felt his heart melt as he looked into her trusting green eyes. "Of course I’ll tuck you in," he said with a broad smile.

Monica couldn’t hide her own happiness as she listened from the top of the stairs. Faith had known exactly what Andrew needed in order to feel better. In some ways the child almost seemed older than they were, and that was extremely old indeed!

Faith climbed into bed, and Andrew smoothed out the covers and settled the soft brown teddy bear beside her. She looked like a little angel lying there with her blonde hair spread across the pillow, and although he kept his smile firmly in place, inside he was shaking his head. He could barely imagine raising his voice to the girl, and the idea of someone hurting her on purpose was practically unthinkable.

"Okay, now where is that little baby of yours? What was her name again?"

"Samantha Marie," Faith said with a little girl’s exasperation. She twisted her body and reached under her pillow, then pulled the doll out, bonnet slightly askew but thumb still firmly in mouth.

Andrew chuckled. "Now what on earth was little Samantha doing way under there?"

Faith shrugged and pursed her lips together. "Hiding?"

"Well I don’t think she has anything to hide from around here," Andrew said lightly as he tucked the doll in right next to Faith. He noticed that Faith didn’t look entirely convinced. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, not exactly sure what she was thinking, just knowing that she was definitely thinking something.

She shrugged again, and then seemed to reconsider as she saw the kindness and understanding in Andrew’s eyes. "He said if I made him mad again he’d bury me out in the backyard with the dolls," she said quietly. "But he forgot one of them. I hid her under my pillow and he never found her. Was I a bad mommy ‘cause I was glad he only hurt them? My mama never let him hit me when she was around."

Andrew felt sick to his stomach but he stroked Faith’s hand comfortingly. "No, Faith, you were a wonderful mommy, and someday you’ll be an even better one." He kissed her on the cheek and then straightened the doll’s bonnet. "And little Samantha here doesn’t need to hide in this cottage, and that’s a promise."

Faith reached up and pulled him back down again and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "G’night, Andrew. I love you."

He closed his eyes for a moment and then stood up and cleared his throat. "I love you too, Faith. Sweet dreams."

He was still marveling at the little girl’s capacity for love as he walked down the stairs and into the living room. It reminded him of a certain angel he knew. "She’s all tucked in and waiting for you, Monica," he said as he sat down beside her on the sofa.

Tucking Faith in was one thing, but it had quickly become apparent that the only one who could actually lull her to sleep was Monica. She would go upstairs and talk or sing to her and twenty minutes later the little girl would be dreaming. She smiled as she patted Andrew’s hand.

"All right. I’ll be back in a few minutes," she said, and then mounted the stairs to fulfill the nightly routine.

*****

"Monica?"

"Yes?" the angel asked as she rocked her gently. Faith was quiet for a minute and Monica looked down into her worried little face. "What is it Faith? You can ask me whatever you want."

Faith tilted her head back to meet Monica’s gaze. "Do you still have my sweater?" She asked quickly and then turned her head and looked down at the doll in her arms. "You said you wouldn’t throw it out, but if you did, that’s okay."

Monica silently rose from the bed and Faith sat up as she watched the angel leave the room. She was only gone for a minute and when she returned she was holding the sweater in her arms.

"I’m afraid the two buttons I sewed on don’t quite match," she said as she offered it to the child.

The sweater looked much better than it had, but it was still a bit worn in places despite Monica’s best efforts to repair it. However, none of that seemed to matter to Faith who latched onto it and hugged it tightly.

"Mama gave me this on my first day of second grade," she said as she looked at Monica thankfully.

The angel scooted back onto the bed and opened her arms again, waiting until Faith was settled before she spoke again. "I guess talking about her tonight made you think about it," she said sadly.

"Uh-huh." There was silence for a minute and then Faith spoke again. "Daddy wouldn’t let me wear it after she died, but I snuck it to Sunday school on Easter. Don’t you think pink is a good Easter color?"

"It’s a wonderful Easter color, sweetheart."