A/N: Yeah, I know, quite a lot of revelations in the past two chapters. But when I planned this out, I wasn't sure if I would be creating sequels. And it was getting pretty long already when I wanted it to be a quick little story. At least this way, all the revelations are cleared for future stories.

So, as you may have guessed, I'm definitely going to turn this into a series. While this may not be my most successful story review wise by far, I've had fun writing for the Touched By An Angel section. Plus, I have to say I've fallen in love with these characters, and I can't just leave them, never to be written about again. However, it might be a while – I have "Reba" and "Charmed" stories to finish off first. Though if I grow impatient, I may just start the next installment while I work on finishing my "Charmed" story.

That said, thank you for the reviews, and reading the story. Enjoy the epilogue!


Epilogue

On the Monday after the night of the meeting, the four angels stood unseen in the side yard of the elementary school. It was early morning, and Tess watched as the children boarded the bus that would take them on the fieldtrip to a nearby zoo. The class' regular teacher returned just in time, and was at the moment standing near the entrance of the bus making sure every child had his or her permission slip signed.

"Well, angel babies," Tess said, a proud smile on her face. "I'd call this assignment officially over. You all did a wonderful job."

"Thanks, Tess," Gloria replied, the other angels nodding in agreement.

Shrugging, Andrew remarked, "I don't know if I would say that this is over, though."

"What do you mean?" Monica asked.

Narrowing her eyes, Tess put in, "Do you know something we don't, angel boy?"

"No, no," Andrew assured her with a chuckle. "I just mean…I don't think that this is the last we'll see of Chris and his family."

The group fell into silence for a moment, contemplating the idea of dealing with this particular family of humans another time. If Tess were to be honest, she would admit that she was getting that feeling too. "Well, maybe."

"You never know what the Father has in His plans," Monica added, her head tilted to the side in thought.

Her eye on Fiona and Chris, Gloria confessed, "Though I hope when that does happen, I don't have to lose at Candyland again."

As she laughed along with the two older angels, Tess returned her attention to the scene she had been watching. Most of the children had already boarded the bus, leaving Fiona, Chris, and each of their mothers alone in the yard. She moved closer so she could hear the conversation, with the other angels following. Just as they approached, the teacher abandoned her station at the bus door and walked towards the two mothers.

Adriana gave the teacher a warm smile. "Hi, Judy. So glad to have you back. How was the wedding?"

"It's good to be back," Judy Wilson replied, nodding to Daphne in greeting. "I'm sorry I left so abruptly. And the wedding was fantastic, by the way." Her gaze resting on Daphne, she said, "I hope the substitute didn't give you too much trouble."

To the teacher's surprise, Daphne chuckled. "Not at all. In fact, you could say she was a real angel."

"Her assistant, too," Adriana said with a knowing smile.

Staring at the two women, Judy remarked, "You two seem more friendly than I remember. I have to say, I was shocked when I got your message last night, Daphne. I never thought you'd be willing to let anyone else chaperone a field trip, never mind…"

Daphne's smile widened as she put an arm around Adriana's shoulders. "Well, I've had a proverbial wake up call over the last week. While Adriana and I aren't best friends…yet…we've had a long talk and resolved some of our old issues. I trust the woman enough to chaperone a field trip."

"Thank you very much. I won't let you down," Adriana replied. Stepping away from the two women, she almost bumped into Tess as she went over to where her daughter and Chris were talking. "Come on, Fi, or the bus will leave without you."

But Fiona wasn't paying attention to her mother. Throughout the course of the morning, Tess had noticed the child's numerous glances in the angels' direction. She's such an amazing child. I'm sure she'll do wonders with her gift, Tess thought, waving good-bye, Monica, Andrew and Gloria doing the same.

Fiona pointed them out to her confused mother and waved back, a huge grin on her face. Bewildered for a second, Adriana's eyes widened in realization. Rather than wave like her daughter and risk looking foolish in front of the teacher, she merely gave them a small smile and nod in acknowledgement. With that, she herded Fiona towards the bus, climbing in after her child.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Gloria asked with concern.

Thinking about the question for only a brief moment, Tess answered, "I'm sure it won't be easy, but…I wouldn't worry about them, little angel."

Then the teacher boarded the bus as well, leaving Daphne and Chris alone in the yard. Daphne was bent down to her son's eye level. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine, Mom," Chris answered, a note of exasperation. "I have God with me. Miss Gloria said so."

Daphne chuckled, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Yes, you do. And I promise I will be here the second you get back. Just stay with Fi and her mother the whole time, promise?"

"I promise," Chris sighed, looking like he was trying very hard not to roll his eyes. "Can I go now, please? The bus is gonna leave."

Smiling at her son with pride, Daphne nodded. "Yes. I love you, Chris."

"I love you too, Mom. See you after school," Chris called as he climbed the steps of the bus, the doors closing behind him.

Daphne stood alone, watching as the bus left the school. Giving a deep sigh, she adjusted her pocket book and turned to go back to her car. She nearly jumped when she noticed the angels appear before her. "Oh!" she said with happy surprise. "I didn't realize that you four were here. I thought you'd be long gone by now."

"We just wanted to check up on everyone one more time before we left," Tess assured her. "How are you doing, Daphne?"

Daphne shrugged. "Alright. After Friday night, I came home to find my parents and brother waiting. We talked through almost the whole night. While our relationship is not perfect by far, we're working on it. And we're planning on going to family therapy."

"And you and Adriana? When did that happen?" Monica asked.

"The next day," Daphne answered. "Chris told me how Adriana found him at the library. I felt like I owed her for checking up on him, so I went to her house to thank her. We got to talking, resolved some of our old issues – which were mostly petty anyway – and realized that we got along quite well."

Smiling, Gloria replied, "That's good. Chris and Fi really get along well."

Daphne nodded. "Yes, they do. Um…" She hesitated, looking at Gloria with regret in her eyes. "By the way, I'm sorry for how I treated you. And Monica."

"It's alright," Gloria said.

Looking at all of them, Daphne gave them a grateful smile. "And I want to thank all of you. From talking with my family and Adriana, I know what parts each of you played in this. Thank you so much. Because of you, Chris is going to grow up with his family around."

"It was our pleasure, baby," Tess replied.

Daphne turned to Andrew. "And you. I can't thank you enough for being there for Chris when he passed away. It's a relief knowing he wasn't alone."

Wearing a modest smile, Andrew replied, "You're welcome."

"Well, I suppose I better be off to work then," Daphne said. "Good-bye."

And with that she went to her car, got in the driver's seat, and waved as she pulled away from the sidewalk. As the angels disappeared from the school yard, a white dove flew over the town and into the distance.