Title: "Without Love"

Author: Justine M. Benoit

Disclaimer: All characters from TBAA belong to Martha Williamson and CBS productions.

PROLOGUE

It was a cold day and the fierce winds were biting at her skin. She pulled her long coat around her tightly and shivered. The snow layered harshly about her shoulders, the ends of her shoulder length, auburn hair drenched. She brushed away a few snowflakes that landed on her eyelashes and dripped onto her nose. Her brown eyes pierced the hazy day with wonder.

Why was this assignment so much harder than the others were? Was it because the assignment was all about love? Angels couldn't love and that was what Monica had been thinking so much about lately. No, I've done assignments like this before. But why, now, of all times is it bugging me?

"Angel Girl," an older woman called from across the street. She pulled her scarf around her cheeks tightly as she waved to her charge. Monica looked up and managed a smile as sight of her supervisor came into view.

"Tess," Monica said warmly as she fell into a longing embrace. Tess' strong arms held her steadily for a few moments. "Oh, Tess, I've missed you so much. I prayed that the Father would send you to me. I'm in such a mess right now. I can't get through to Jane," the Irish angel explained. "She just won't go back to Greg. And now, Andrew is starting to show up wherever Jane and I are. I'm afraid she's going to die and I'll go down as the angel who couldn't fix a marriage."

"The point of your assignment is not to fix Jane and Greg's marriage, but to strengthen it, Miss Wings. God fixes marriages and angels do the handy work. If you can show Jane what true love is, she'll do her part and then God will do his. The Latin word for angel is messenger. We deliver the messages and miracles and the Almighty works them," Tess encouraged. She stroked her angel girl's hair affectionately and smiled. "Do you understand now, Baby?" Monica nodded.

"It sure is going to take a big miracle for this assignment," Monica prompted.

"There's no such thing as a 'big miracle', Monica," Tess told the Irish angel. "Each supernatural work that the Father performs is something glorious. You could call a rejected person getting a job a miracle, but then you see someone cured instantly from cancer. Just because a person being cured from a disease is much more noticeable then someone getting a job, God performed it and that means it's special."

"Thank you, Tess," Monica said. She gave her supervisor one last hug and skipped across the street, almost happy that her assignment was taking her into a coffee shop for the time being. She felt the warm blast of air hit her skin as she entered the small café. Right away, her eyes caught sight of a middle-aged woman seated in a small booth.

"Jane?" Monica asked. The woman looked up and slightly smiled.

"Monica, right?" she asked. Her blue eyes scanned the newcomer. Monica nodded. "You work at the school."

"Yes, ma'am," Monica replied. "May I?" She motioned towards the seat exactly parallel to Jane. Jane nodded and gestured in agreement.

"So, can I buy you coffee?" Jane asked, her eyes focused in a magazine.

"That'd be mighty nice," Monica said eagerly. "It's awfully cold and I was looking forward to getting something warm into my stomach." The Irish angel rubbed her stomach and laughed. "How 'bout I buy," she suggested.

"No, I already offered. Here, take this ten and go help yourself. After all, you gave my son straight A's on his report card. Any nice teacher of my son is a friend of mine." Monica laughed.

"He deserved them. He really is a smart boy. You did a good job of raising him." Monica willingly accepted the dollar bill. She smiled and stood up, her eyes already gazing at the mocha latte that was on the menu on the wall.

In no more than a minute, Monica returned to the booth and handed Jane the change. She thanked her and sipped her latte in delight.

"Ah," Jane said. "Even gives the right amount of change back to me. Would you like to baby-sit my son?" she joked after she poured the money into her purse. Monica giggled.

"If you'd like," she said.

"Really, Monica? He's fourteen years old and a troublesome teen," Jane said her voice now serious. Monica nodded sincerely.

"He's a nice boy, Jane. By the way, I don't want to be rude or anything, but can I talk to you about him?" Monica asked politely in her Irish lilt.

"Sure," Jane agreed. "What's up?"

"Well, it's also about you and your husband," the auburn said solemnly.

"Oh, gosh, did he tell you about that?" Jane asked, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She slammed her magazine on the table. "Now what? Did he announce it yesterday at the assembly?"

"No, Jane, actually, he talked to me about it in private and after that, he's been getting A's. Before that, he…"

"I know, I know. Before that he was getting all D's and F's, right?" Jane asked with a sigh. "What did he say about it?" But before Monica could answer, she drew up her purse and stood up. "You know what? I don't even want to talk about it. I'm out of here," Jane announced and quickly paced off and out of the door, only the sound of heels clicking on the floor and bells ringing as the door slammed filling the café.

"Oh, Father, what is wrong with me? This whole assignment no one has listened to me!" Monica exclaimed in a quiet prayer. Just then, the broad figure of Tess walked through the door. The supervisor sat down in the booth, opposite of Monica. Immediately, her eyes met her charges.

"Miss Wings, if it's just me, your assignment just walked out that door and into the cold, winter day. Now, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Monica said, putting her head in her hands. "I just don't know."

"Well, I do," Tess said. "You're going to ask the Father and see what He says."

"Yes, ma'am," Monica said slowly. She shut her eyes and buried her face in her arms and leaned on the table. A few moments of silence passed and finally the Irish angel popped up from her hiding place. "He told me to go back to the school."

"Well, then?" Tess said. She glared at her angel girl with stern eyes.

"Then I suppose that means I have to," Monica said, her cheery Irish lilt gone. She wasn't in the mood for going back there, especially after what had happened.

"Good, Baby, I think you've got it. Now, what's that you're drinking there?" the supervisor asked innocently. Monica couldn't stop from grinning.

"A mocha latte…decalf mocha latte," she added quickly.

"Would this place happen to have doughnuts?" Tess asked. She turned her eyes towards the ground, not wanting to meet her charge's gaze.

"Why?" Monica asked suspiciously, though she already knew.

"Just wondering."

"Yes, Tess, here." The auburn handed her supervisor a few dollar bills and stood up. "I guess I'll be off then."

"I guess you will, Baby," Tess said, giving Monica a look that said "thank you". Monica shot Tess a "you're welcome" look before she turned to walk out the door, again to enter the brisk wind.