Monica arrived back at the townhouse where she, Tess, and Andrew had stayed
in the previous night to find her friends sitting in the living room,
talking. She deposited her violin and coat on the kitchen table, and then
went to join them. "We were wondering when you were getting back," Andrew
said. "That, and I think Tess was getting worried about her car." He
chuckled at Tess's indignant expression before asking, "How was
everything?"
"Fine," Monica replied, sitting down on the couch next to Andrew, "I went out with Dana for coffee after rehearsal."
"And." Tess pressed.
"And, I'm going to be her new roommate. I'm going to look at the house tomorrow afternoon, and then I'll probably be moving in tomorrow night."
Andrew feigned a hurt look, "So you're leaving us?"
Monica rolled her eyes playfully at him, "Yeah. I can't stand listening to you snore through the walls all night."
Now it was Andrew who looked indignant. "I do not snore," he defended.
"Oh really?" Tess asked. She and Monica dissolved into laughter, and Andrew found himself stifling a grin.
"Well in any event," he said, "You can't get rid of us that easily, Monica. Guess who just became the new technical director for the Springfield Philharmonic."
Monica smiled, "So I take it you two will be around quite a bit?"
"Just in case you need us, baby. This is officially your assignment; Andrew and I are just here for backup. He'll be there at all your rehearsals. I don't know where I'm going to be yet, but I've been told that I will know soon."
Monica nodded and turned to Andrew, "Do you know anything about Dana that would give you a reason to be here?"
The blond Angel of Death shook his head. "If you mean like an illness, no. Like I said before, I was just told to wait and see."
* * * * * *
Monica guided the big, red Cadillac down the suburban street, taking quick glances from the road to the piece of paper clutched in her hand. The angel looked around at Dana's neighborhood as she drove, noting the quiet streets and lovely homes. The town looked calm and peaceful, the perfect place to live and raise a family. She turned off of the main street as she passed the center of town - which consisted of a video store, a gas station, a small grocery, and some gift and specialty shops - and drove down Dana's street. She looked back to the scrap of paper in her hand, double-checking the address she had written on it the night before - 506 Pebblebrook Drive. Monica checked the address twice more before she pulled into the driveway, also making sure that the big oak tree Dana had described as being in the front yard was there. Ever since the incident with Terry Hammond and Jacksonville, or the one with Kathleen and her evaluation, Monica had been especially careful about addresses and directions. She shut off the car's engine and climbed out, smoothing her sweater down over her jeans and grabbing her purse before shutting the car door and walking up to Dana's front porch. She rang the doorbell, hearing the chime echo inside the house, before Dana pulled the door open. The young woman was dressed in faded jeans and a sweatshirt, her bare feet sticking out from the bottoms of her pants and blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"Hi, Monica," she said cheerfully. "You're right on time." Dana stepped aside to allow the angel to enter the house, and then led Monica into the living room. "I guess I should give you the grand tour. It should take all of two minutes," she said with a smile. She showed Monica the kitchen, the living room, and the family room before leading her up the stairs to the bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms were decorated as such, and Dana showed Monica which room would be hers.
"This," Dana said, standing in front of a third bedroom door, "is my favorite room in the house." She opened the door, and Monica saw that Dana had converted the master bedroom into a music studio. There was a music stand in the center of the room, and a bookshelf full of music against the far wall. A small desk sat on the wall just to the left of the door, next to an upright piano. Against the wall to the right of the door the two women had entered, sat an overstuffed sofa. Dana's violin case sat on its cushions. Figurines adorned everything that would stand still. There were miniature violins, angels, and angels playing violins placed on the shelves, piano, and desk. There were also framed poems and pictures sitting on the desk and the piano, in addition to those that hung on the walls. Obviously, Dana had put a lot of time and effort into decorating this room, and the fact that the young woman had dedicated the largest room in her home to music told Monica what a big place it held in Dana's life.
"It's lovely," Monica said. "It looks like you spend a lot of time here."
"I do. It's where I always come to release after a long day, you know?"
Monica nodded, and then gestured to the piano, "Do you play?" "A little. My mother gave it to me when I moved out. It had been a family heirloom, but nobody in the family knew how to play," Dana giggled. "Go figure," she quipped, as the two walked back downstairs.
Once the angel and human reached the living room, Dana asked, "So, what do you think?"
"I think it's perfect." Monica said, smiling.
Dana grinned and hugged Monica. "Well, let's go get your stuff!"
* * * * * *
Three hours later, Monica and Dana flopped down on the couches in Dana's living room. Even though Monica didn't have much stuff to bring into the house, the two still had to make a trip across town and back to get Monica's things, and then they had to put them all away.
"So, I say we celebrate. We don't have anywhere to be until 6:30 tomorrow, so we can do just about anything." Dana said. She reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the television listings. She wrinkled her nose as she scanned the night's listings, "Well, it looks like we're going to have to figure something out, because TV really stinks tonight."
Monica's face lit up, "Well, there's that Movie Theater down the street, why don't we see what's playing? My treat."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to." Monica smiled. "So, how do we find out what's playing."
Dana looked in her paper and found the movie listings. The two decided to see "Halloween", which was playing at a little classics theater near Dana's house. Dana quickly decided horror was probably a bad idea. Monica was absolutely white through the whole picture, and her fingers had practically imbedded themselves in the armrests before it was over. "Not a fan of horror movies, are you?" She asked the angel after the movie ended.
Monica jumped practically out of her skin, and turned to Dana before saying breathlessly, "To be honest, I've never actually seen a horror movie before.I guess I didn't know what to expect."
Dana's eyes got a little wider, and then she giggled as they stood up. "Monica, I absolutely can not believe you've never seen a scary movie." The two got up and headed to the exit. "Well I guess we should pick up some coffee on the way home, because I know one person who won't be sleeping tonight," she said laughingly, as she shot a teasing look at Monica, who smiled sheepishly and rolled her eyes.
"Fine," Monica replied, sitting down on the couch next to Andrew, "I went out with Dana for coffee after rehearsal."
"And." Tess pressed.
"And, I'm going to be her new roommate. I'm going to look at the house tomorrow afternoon, and then I'll probably be moving in tomorrow night."
Andrew feigned a hurt look, "So you're leaving us?"
Monica rolled her eyes playfully at him, "Yeah. I can't stand listening to you snore through the walls all night."
Now it was Andrew who looked indignant. "I do not snore," he defended.
"Oh really?" Tess asked. She and Monica dissolved into laughter, and Andrew found himself stifling a grin.
"Well in any event," he said, "You can't get rid of us that easily, Monica. Guess who just became the new technical director for the Springfield Philharmonic."
Monica smiled, "So I take it you two will be around quite a bit?"
"Just in case you need us, baby. This is officially your assignment; Andrew and I are just here for backup. He'll be there at all your rehearsals. I don't know where I'm going to be yet, but I've been told that I will know soon."
Monica nodded and turned to Andrew, "Do you know anything about Dana that would give you a reason to be here?"
The blond Angel of Death shook his head. "If you mean like an illness, no. Like I said before, I was just told to wait and see."
* * * * * *
Monica guided the big, red Cadillac down the suburban street, taking quick glances from the road to the piece of paper clutched in her hand. The angel looked around at Dana's neighborhood as she drove, noting the quiet streets and lovely homes. The town looked calm and peaceful, the perfect place to live and raise a family. She turned off of the main street as she passed the center of town - which consisted of a video store, a gas station, a small grocery, and some gift and specialty shops - and drove down Dana's street. She looked back to the scrap of paper in her hand, double-checking the address she had written on it the night before - 506 Pebblebrook Drive. Monica checked the address twice more before she pulled into the driveway, also making sure that the big oak tree Dana had described as being in the front yard was there. Ever since the incident with Terry Hammond and Jacksonville, or the one with Kathleen and her evaluation, Monica had been especially careful about addresses and directions. She shut off the car's engine and climbed out, smoothing her sweater down over her jeans and grabbing her purse before shutting the car door and walking up to Dana's front porch. She rang the doorbell, hearing the chime echo inside the house, before Dana pulled the door open. The young woman was dressed in faded jeans and a sweatshirt, her bare feet sticking out from the bottoms of her pants and blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail.
"Hi, Monica," she said cheerfully. "You're right on time." Dana stepped aside to allow the angel to enter the house, and then led Monica into the living room. "I guess I should give you the grand tour. It should take all of two minutes," she said with a smile. She showed Monica the kitchen, the living room, and the family room before leading her up the stairs to the bedrooms. Two of the bedrooms were decorated as such, and Dana showed Monica which room would be hers.
"This," Dana said, standing in front of a third bedroom door, "is my favorite room in the house." She opened the door, and Monica saw that Dana had converted the master bedroom into a music studio. There was a music stand in the center of the room, and a bookshelf full of music against the far wall. A small desk sat on the wall just to the left of the door, next to an upright piano. Against the wall to the right of the door the two women had entered, sat an overstuffed sofa. Dana's violin case sat on its cushions. Figurines adorned everything that would stand still. There were miniature violins, angels, and angels playing violins placed on the shelves, piano, and desk. There were also framed poems and pictures sitting on the desk and the piano, in addition to those that hung on the walls. Obviously, Dana had put a lot of time and effort into decorating this room, and the fact that the young woman had dedicated the largest room in her home to music told Monica what a big place it held in Dana's life.
"It's lovely," Monica said. "It looks like you spend a lot of time here."
"I do. It's where I always come to release after a long day, you know?"
Monica nodded, and then gestured to the piano, "Do you play?" "A little. My mother gave it to me when I moved out. It had been a family heirloom, but nobody in the family knew how to play," Dana giggled. "Go figure," she quipped, as the two walked back downstairs.
Once the angel and human reached the living room, Dana asked, "So, what do you think?"
"I think it's perfect." Monica said, smiling.
Dana grinned and hugged Monica. "Well, let's go get your stuff!"
* * * * * *
Three hours later, Monica and Dana flopped down on the couches in Dana's living room. Even though Monica didn't have much stuff to bring into the house, the two still had to make a trip across town and back to get Monica's things, and then they had to put them all away.
"So, I say we celebrate. We don't have anywhere to be until 6:30 tomorrow, so we can do just about anything." Dana said. She reached over to the coffee table and grabbed the television listings. She wrinkled her nose as she scanned the night's listings, "Well, it looks like we're going to have to figure something out, because TV really stinks tonight."
Monica's face lit up, "Well, there's that Movie Theater down the street, why don't we see what's playing? My treat."
"You don't have to do that."
"I know, but I want to." Monica smiled. "So, how do we find out what's playing."
Dana looked in her paper and found the movie listings. The two decided to see "Halloween", which was playing at a little classics theater near Dana's house. Dana quickly decided horror was probably a bad idea. Monica was absolutely white through the whole picture, and her fingers had practically imbedded themselves in the armrests before it was over. "Not a fan of horror movies, are you?" She asked the angel after the movie ended.
Monica jumped practically out of her skin, and turned to Dana before saying breathlessly, "To be honest, I've never actually seen a horror movie before.I guess I didn't know what to expect."
Dana's eyes got a little wider, and then she giggled as they stood up. "Monica, I absolutely can not believe you've never seen a scary movie." The two got up and headed to the exit. "Well I guess we should pick up some coffee on the way home, because I know one person who won't be sleeping tonight," she said laughingly, as she shot a teasing look at Monica, who smiled sheepishly and rolled her eyes.