Unlikely Caseworker
Summary: Monica's new caseworker in training is an outspoken angel who doesn't take orders. Luckily, Gloria and Tess are close by to give Monica support.
A/N: So, over the Christmas season, ABC Family advertised Unlikely Angel with Dolly Parton. It seemed like something I would like, so I checked it out.
Basically, it's a great Christmas movie, and I think any TBAA fan would enjoy it.. However, it's also okay if you've never seen, or don't want to see, the movie. In the movie. Just treat the characters from the movie as your usual OC's.
Dolly Parton stars as a recently deceased self-absorbed country singer, who needs to bring a broken family – consisting of a widowed dad, a teenage daughter, and a pre-teen son – closer together in order to earn her angel wings. She not only succeeds after she steps in as a nanny (sound familiar?), but also brings together the widow and his female coworker, who has liked him for a long time. The family forgets her, but she remembers them as she is accepted into Heaven as an angel.
The movie reminded me a lot of TBAA, so the next natural step for me was a crossover fanfiction. Don't worry, though – all of the angels will make an appearance. Monica most prominently, but Gloria, Tess, and (later on for two scenes) Andrew will come in at certain times.
Chapter 1
About a week after Christmas, Monica had lunch with Gloria in the food court of a mall. It had been about a year since Monica was promoted to the young angel's official supervisor, and the two had grown closer than before, if that was possible. More often than not, Monica saw parallels between her early relationship with Tess and her current one with Gloria.
The sentiment helped relieve some of the hurt she felt from missing Tess so much. The elder angel still spent most of her time in Heaven, so Monica only saw Tess when an assignment called for it…which wasn't often. As for Andrew, she missed him as well. He only worked with them if the assignment happened to need an Angel of Death, and even then she might not see him much.
At the moment, the Father wanted the two to be in this mall as part of the next assignment. Monica had figured the assignment was for Gloria too, so she invited the young angel for lunch.
But as Monica finished off her White Chocolate Latte from the Starbucks stand, she was receiving word from the Father that she had made an incorrect assumption.
The two would be receiving different assignments. And therefore be separated.
Monica was hoping the caffeine from her latte would give her courage to tell Gloria the bad news.
"What's the matter, Monica?" Gloria asked, as if reading her supervisor's mind. The angel was just finishing her dessert, ice cream in a cup from the Carvel stand. "You've been quiet the whole lunch. Is there something about our next assignment that you're not telling me?"
At that, Monica downed some more of her latte before answering, "Well…yes. It's not…our assignment."
Gloria frowned and put down her near-empty ice cream container. "W-what do you mean? We…we won't be working together?" The young angel already had her lip quivering and her eyes moist in anticipation.
That did not help Monica's anxiety at all. Monica lowered her eyes to avoid looking at Gloria's pitiful face. "Yes, unfortunately. Y-You'll be working on your own assignment with another supervisor."
"What?" Gloria exclaimed in panic, the tears falling as she grabbed Monica's hand. "The Father is giving me another supervisor? No! You're my supervisor, Monica! I don't want another one!"
Monica shook her head and tried to give Gloria a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Gloria. The situation is only temporary."
"Still…can't I work with you on your assignment, then move onto mine?" Gloria pleaded, not calmed much.
"No, I'm sorry," Monica insisted.
Gloria frowned, then formed her mouth into a full-on pout. "Then who is going to be my supervisor? Is it someone I know?"
"You could say that, little angel."
The two angels' eyes widened at the all too familiar voice. They then turned to find Tess standing next to their table, a huge smile on her face and happy tears in her eyes.
"Tess!" Monica exclaimed and jumped up to hug her former supervisor. "It's so good to see you! I had no idea you'd be coming!" She couldn't believe it. Just when she didn't think she could miss her any more, Tess showed up. It was further proof that the Father's timing really was perfect
Tess laughed and hugged Monica back. "Good to see you too, angel girl. The Father thought it would be a nice surprise," Tess explained as the two pulled apart. "Besides, He thought it would be easier for Gloria to be apart from you if her temporary supervisor was someone she was familiar with. And don't I get a hug, little angel?"
Gloria grinned as she stood up and hugged Tess. "I miss you, Tess."
"I miss you too, baby," Tess replied.
When the hug was over, Monica put her arm around Tess' shoulders. "I miss you so much! It's been a whole six months since your last visit!"
"I know, and it's been too long…but I'm here on business," Tess explained. The three of them sat back down at the table while she began to tell them of their next assignment. "Gloria, I'll be your supervisor for your next assignment…" As Gloria opened her mouth, undoubtedly to ask questions, Tess continued, "And that's all you need to know for now. The reason for this is that Monica will need to focus on her new caseworker."
A small yelp of panic emerged from Gloria, who surely feared that she'd been permanently replaced. Shaking her head, Tess quickly added, "Calm down, little angel. Like Monica was told, the situation is only for this assignment. Another angel is up for a caseworker position, and the Father wants Monica to guide her until she proves she is worthy for her own permanent supervisor."
Monica raised an eyebrow at that. "Why me?"
"The Father thinks that you're the only one who will be able to handle her," Tess answered with a soft chuckle. "Ruby is one of those angels who was a human before she became an angel. She's extremely headstrong, independent, and, well…blunt."
"Oh," Monica said. She had heard of these types of angels before. While those like Gloria were created as angels, there were those like Ruby. These angels were humans, but earned their wings after they died. The rare few of those had done some good deed to become a caseworker angel. "Why did God make her a caseworker?"
"Because she had to earn her wings, and she did an excellent job of it," Tess explained. "While she had to prove herself to enter Heaven, God was so impressed that he believes that she's caseworker material. But, like I said, she's not a caseworker yet."
Her brow winkled in thought, Gloria asked, "So, Monica's only her supervisor for this one assignment, right?"
"Right. Don't worry, little angel, you won't have to share Monica for long," Tess said with a laugh
While she patted Gloria's hand in reassurance, Monica asked, "When will I meet Ruby? And what is her assignment?"
"God will tell you her assignment when you need to know," Tess answered, "And you should be meeting Ruby soon." She stood up and turned to Gloria. "We better get a move on, little angel. The Father wants me to tell you the details of your assignment."
Gloria frowned, but knew better than to object and stood up. "Okay. Bye, Monica! I'll miss you!"
"I'll miss you too," Monica assured her and stood to give the young angel a hug. "I'll see you again soon," she promised "You'll be fine on your own."
"If you say so," Gloria sniffed. She gave Monica one last glance before she turned to Tess. "Where are we going?"
Tess smiled. "You'll find out when we get there." She then turned to Monica. "I'll be checking in on you. See you soon."
"See you soon, Tess," Monica replied as she breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she knew it wouldn't be another few months before she saw Tess again.
As she began to miss them already, Monica sat back down in her seat to wait for Ruby while she watched her two best friends fade into the crowd and disappear.
Monica frowned and stared down into her empty disposable coffee cup. It had been almost twenty minutes since her friends left, but there was no sign of the mysterious Ruby. Since she had time, she was beginning to wonder what she was getting into. Tess had used words like "headstrong" and "blunt," usually the makings of a difficult angel to train to be a servant of God. In so many words, Tess had even labeled Ruby "difficult" herself by saying that Monica was the only one God thought fit to "handle" her.
While Monica was very flattered by that sentiment, it didn't do much for her nerves.
Maybe I should get another cup of coffee, Monica wondered. She began to go through the list of available Starbucks flavors in her head as she got up to go…
And nearly ran into a short, busty blonde woman.
"Shoot, I'm sorry!" the woman exclaimed in a thick Southern accent. "You'd think after two years as an angel, I'd have this transporting thing down pat. Hi, I'm Ruby – you're Monica, yes?"
Monica stepped back out of Ruby's personal space, speechless for the moment. Well, more like overwhelmed. She paused to take in Ruby's bold make up against her pale skin, hair piled high, and short dress that accentuated her upper body. On top of everything else, Ruby's voice was loud…loud enough that people turned to stare at her odd-sounding statement. She's an angel? Monica thought in disbelief.
Then she chided herself. True, Ruby was nothing like anyone Monica had seen before. But that didn't mean Ruby couldn't be an angel. Angels came in all different types, just like humans.
Ruby raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. "You alright?"
"O-Oh, uh, yes," Monica stammered. She cleared her throat and held out her hand. "I'm your supervisor."
Ruby laughed and gave Monica's hand a firm shake. "Nice to meet you! And I love your accent."
"Likewise," Monica replied. She had to laugh as well – her soft, Irish lilt was a sharp contrast to Ruby's Southern twang. "I'm, uh, looking forward to working with you."
"You too! You have a real good reputation up there, I've just been dying to meet you," Ruby gushed.
Monica could feel her face turn red. "Well, thank you. I'm finished with lunch, but if you want you could get something while we talk about your assignment…"
"Oh, no, I love window shopping!" Ruby assured her. "I know Christmas is over, but there are still some pretty decorations up. Let's go!"
They began to walk down one of the corridors adjacent to the food court. Ruby had been right – many of the store windows still had red and green displays. Garland hung across the tops of the shop fronts, and each of the light fixtures wore a big red bow.
The two came to stand in front of a large Christmas tree that reached up to the mall's second floor, lit up by small colored lights and topped with a bright, silver star. It was half covered in homemade-looking ornaments, the other half at the base of the tree in boxes that sat next to tall ladders. A few mall employees stood next to the ladders, evidently on un-decorating break since they were talking and sipping hot beverages from disposable cups.
"So, Ruby, are you eager to be a caseworker?" Monica asked. Ruby had been asking about Monica's supervisor job, and Monica had just turned the conversation around to Ruby's short time being an angel.
Ruby nodded. "Very eager. I can't wait to be around humans again. Heaven's nice and all – sometimes I can't believe I'm there, when only two short years ago I was singing in a dumpy bar. But I do miss Earth and everything that goes with it."
Monica smiled as she saw more of why God chose Ruby to be a caseworker. "Well, if you pass this assignment, you'll be coming to Earth more often."
"Oh, I know, and I'm nervous," Ruby admitted. "When I was alive, I wasn't one for helping people."
"God knows that, but He thinks you have promise. You wouldn't be here if you didn't," Monica assured her.
Ruby smiled at her temporary supervisor. "Thanks, Monica. I keep telling myself that I can do it, but I'm worried I'll let down whoever I have to help. I'm not used to people needing me."
"Don't worry, Ruby. I'll be there with you whenever you need me," Monica told her. "You'll see me during the assignment, as well."
"Oh, so this is your assignment too? I don't really know how this whole thing works, except for that one time I helped a family before I earned my wings," Ruby confessed.
Monica nodded. "Yes. You'll have your role, and I'll have mine." She paused as she received information from the Father. "I've just learned that you will be a math tutor for a rebellious fifteen-year-old girl, and I'll be the wedding planner for her father and her future step-mother's wedding."
At that, Ruby raised an eyebrow. "A math tutor? Me? I barely finished high school!"
Monica had to laugh. She appreciated Ruby's honesty about herself. "That's alright. God provides you with all the information you need to know. I'm no expert wedding planner either, trust me."
"Oh, so that's how it works! Neat, I've always wanted to be able to understand math," Ruby remarked, causing Monica to laugh again. The two rounded the tree and continued to walk down the mall corridor while they talked. "So when do we start?"
"On Monday. The girl, Sarah Bartilson, has been failing and just got a note sent home," Monica informed her.
Ruby stopped in her tracks so quick that Monica had to double back. "S-Sarah Bartilson?" Ruby managed to stutter. "Does she have a little brother named Matthew? And the engaged couple are her father Ben and his co-worker Allison?"
"How did you know that? Did the Father tell you as well?" Monica asked in confusion.
Ruby shook her head, still shocked. "T-That was my family! The one I had to help to earn my wings!" she explained. She began to calm somewhat, but there was still disbelief in her voice. "They were totally broken apart when the mother died. Ben buried himself in work, and the kids spent all their time alone in their rooms. They weren't even going to celebrate Christmas that year, because it reminded them of their mother too much."
"Oh, my, the poor family," Monica said, also surprised by the turn of events. She felt bad for the Bartilsons. They already needed an angel once, and now things were so bad – or were going to be so bad – that they needed angels again.
"But I'm confused," Ruby explained. "Last time I checked, everything was fine. I'd gotten them talking again, and even got Ben and Allison together. What went wrong in two years?"
Monica gave her a sympathetic frown. "I don't know."
They continued walking down the corridor, silent as they window shopped. Monica could see that Ruby was concerned for the Bartilsons, but didn't quite know what to say. She wished she could reassure her that everything would be alright, but like with every assignment, the sentiment would be a hallow reassurance.
"Isn't that pretty?" Monica asked in an attempt at distraction. One of the Christmas displays still up, for a home décor store, boasted a holiday-decorated living room, at the center of which was a tall, fake tree.
But Ruby wasn't paying attention. She'd walked over to the CD store, and was staring through the large glass display window. "Oh my gosh…" she whispered.
Monica went to stand next to her, and saw what had startled Ruby so much. Or rather, who – the Bartilsons were spread out over the store. Ben and Allison looked at classic rock, Matthew was glancing at the metal, while Sarah listened to sample pop/rock music with the provided earphones.
Before Monica could stop her, Ruby had run into the music store. "Ruby, wait!" Monica called as she ran after her charge. She had a feeling that the Father didn't want Ruby to run into her assignment until the time was right.
Her feeling was proved correct when Ruby tapped Sarah on the shoulder. "Hi, Sarah! You probably don't remember me, but…"
Monica breathed a sigh of relief when Sarah didn't respond.
"Hey, why can't she hear me?" Ruby asked, her hands on her hips.
"The Father doesn't want them to meet you again just yet," Monica explained as she stood next to Ruby. They watched as Sarah, a blonde teenager small in stature, continued to listen to music and pick up one or two CDs to examine the song list on the back…all the while unaware of the two angels behind her. "He wants us to observe," Monica continued. "Which is why we're now in our angel forms. Humans cannot see or hear us in this form."
Ruby crossed her arms in an immature pout. "Well, that stinks. Why can't I say hello?"
"There must be something the Father wants us to see, which we wouldn't be able to see if we were in our human forms," Monica explained, patience in her voice. Ruby still wasn't happy about the situation, but since there was nothing she could do about it, settled for crossing her arms and watching in frustrated silence.
Monica was proved right again when Sarah began doing something that made the Irish angel's heart sink. After she checked to make sure no one was looking, or that there were no security cameras, Sarah took a CD in her hand.
Then the teen took out a pocket knife, and began to cut out the security tag.
"What? No, Sarah!" Ruby exclaimed in distress. "I don't get it! I thought the shoplifting was a one-time thing!"
Monica glanced at her. "A 'one-time thing'? What do you mean?"
"When I was the kids' nanny, Sarah also shoplifted a CD," Ruby revealed, her brown eyes still focused on the blonde teenager. "But I thought that was just to get her father's attention She shouldn't have that problem now…should she?"
"I don't know," Monica answered. She had no idea why Sarah was rebelling, apparently for the second time. Discovering the reasoning behind Sarah's actions would be Ruby's job. "A lot changes in two years. Sarah was only a wee older than a child the last time you saw her. Now she is almost a woman. Problems become much more complex."
"I guess so," Ruby agreed, as she looked on with a disappointed frown.
Sarah had succeeded in getting the tag off, and in one discreet move stuffed the evidence behind one of the CD rows. With another discreet move, she slipped the CD in her backpack. A proud smile on her face, Sarah went off to meet up with her family.
The angels followed her over to where the four family members had gathered in front of the check out counter. "Did you pick out a CD?" Allison asked.
Sarah shook her head. "No, there wasn't anything I wanted," she lied.
"Are you sure? You haven't asked me to get you anything all day," Ben replied.
"Oh, I just don't think I should ask you for every little thing anymore," Sarah said, a wide, fake smile on her face.
Ben chuckled. "If this is to make up for that note your math teacher sent home, it's not working. You're still getting a tutor on Monday."
"I know," Sarah grumbled.
The two angels traded worried glances. Sarah was shoplifting, and her family had no idea. "Looks like I've got my work cut out for me," Ruby remarked.
Monica nodded in agreement. "Yes, but don't worry. You won't have to work alone."
