Chapter 3

If I should stay... but I'll go...

Monica sighed when she found herself in front of Donald's, the café where she and Andrew had been in two days before.

"The name certainly reminds me of the duck but other than that there's nothing more worth looking at!" Tess told her charge appearing by her side. "Since when you doubt before getting into a café, Miss Wings?"

"Since I behaved badly with one of the waitresses," the Irish angel explained.

"I see..." the older angel murmured.

"I think now I understand why it is so difficult for humans to apologize..."

"I don't want to remind you that you're not exactly human and that human weaknesses are not an excuse for you, Monica."

"I know, Tess..." the little angel sighed. "Would you like to have a cup of tea? I'm buying..."

The supervisor followed her charge inside and to a table. As soon as she saw her, Deborah recognized Monica, and sharing a glance with her co-worker, the blond girl walked to offer them the menus. "Hi," she greeted automatically, "do you want coffee?"

"No, thanks, I prefer a tea..." Tess told her.

"I do take the coffee," Monica said and waited until Deborah filled the cup. "And... hum... Deborah, I really want to apologize. My behavior the other day was completely out of order. I had had a terrible day at work and I know you have nothing to do with that but..."

"But you thought I was trying to hit on your boyfriend," the girl stated still a little angry. That piece of news made Tess turn to see Monica rising an eyebrow as demanding an explanation.

"No!" Monica exclaimed. "Not exactly... In any case, I didn't have the right to be so rude and I'm really sorry."

For a long second, there was an uncomfortable silence. "It's ok," Deborah finally said. "I hope you and Andrew can fix things too. Here are your menus. I'll come back to pick up your order."

Once Deborah was gone, Tess faced her young charge. "Just exactly what did you tell that girl, Miss Wings?" Finding her coffee suddenly too interesting, Monica lowered her gaze and told her supervisor what had happened. "Well, well... You're right in finding it hard to apologize... Is it possible to know what bit you?"

"Not what... who," Monica answered. "Kathleen and Gregory are in my assignment too, Tess! They swear I won't reach Jamal's heart! Kathleen even suggested a deal!"

"A deal!" the dark skinned angel asked.

"Andrew's soul instead of Jamal's!" Seeing the shocked face of the supervisor, the Irish angel continued. "You see now? How could I still be in a good mood after a day like that? I was confused and angry and scared for him! And when I was telling him this, he started to chat with an stranger as if he didn't care about my worries!"

"Angel girl, you know better than that! You know that angel boy loves you more than his own life! Of course he cares about your worries!" Tess said taking her hand. "You know how the demons work. They use your fears to confuse you and to make you weak."

"They certainly do that too well..." Monica murmured wiping a tear away.

"I now understand why Sam told me Andrew could be your biggest weakness..." Reading the confusion in her charge's eyes, she explained. "Sam told me that the day he explained me what your assignment was. Baby, please, remember what you've learned from past experiences with evil! Don't follow their game and don't make deals with them or they'll fool you easily. I wish you didn't have to do this, baby, but the Father had His reasons to give you this assignment. I'll pray for you everyday..."

"Are you going somewhere, Tess?" Monica asked feeling a farewell tone in her supervisor's voice.

"Not exactly but I'm afraid I won't be able to see you often. With you dealing with this assignment, there are many other shorter cases assigned to younger caseworkers and I need to check on them. Like Gloria... you know you can't leave her and her big mouth alone for so long..."

Monica chuckled a little at remembering how Tess was always complaining about Gloria and her inexperienced way of saying some things. "I'm gonna miss you, Tess..."

"I'll try to come soon, baby," the supervisor said squeezing her hands. "Please, take care and don't lose your north, ok? Don't let them make you weak..."

"Hello, baby," Andrew murmured at Monica's ear, surprising her by sneaking an arm around her waist while she was heading to her office.

"What...? Oh, Andrew!" she answered and threw her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

"Well... I thought I could catch you before you started to work and that I could at least kiss you good morning..." He then kissed her and hugged her when they parted.

"Hum... I got to go..." she said releasing him. She had seen Jamal's limousine arriving at the front of the building, Gregory quickly opening the door for the man and Kathleen.

Andrew looked at them briefly and gave her a quick peck. "Take care, ok? I'll see you at night at home..."

Monica nodded and sighed deeply before she walked towards her 'boss'.

Jamal saw the two angels pecking and ignored them, hurrying his pace towards the building. "Hello, Mony!" Kathleen greeted her sarcastically. "You worked things with your blond friend, huh?"

"None of your business, Kathleen..." she replied coldly and tried to keep on walking but Kathleen grabbed her arm and made her stop.

"Wrong answer, sweetheart!" the demon answered madly. "See? It is my business as your friend's soul is highly tempting!"

Both the demon and the angel turned and Monica's heart started to beat wildly when she saw Andrew crossing the streets, hands in his pockets unaware of anything around. As in slow motion, she saw how Gregory accelerated the limousine towards him...

"NO!" the little angel shouted.

"Watch out!" someone shouted as well and Andrew reacted on time to avoid the vehicle; the last thing he saw was the car going away...

Monica couldn't breath until she saw how the car missed Andrew for barely a couple of feet. "Why!" she turned to face Kathleen, her eyes shining with angry and scared tears. "I told you to leave him alone!" She then ran to Andrew who was now surrounded by some people who were asking him if he was ok.

As soon as he saw Monica coming, he opened his arms to receive her. "Shh... I'm ok, angel."

Sobbing, face buried against his chest, the little angel murmured, "I was so scared! He could have killed you!"

Seeing the blond guy was in one piece and sensing they needed to be alone, people around them kept on walking and went back to their occupations. Some minutes later, when he felt Monica was much calmer, Andrew pulled away and cupping her face made her look at him. "Monica, please promise me you'll be very careful. I'm fine but worried about what they could try to do to you..."

"He wanted to hit you, Andrew!" she said, new tears forming in her eyes.

"But he didn't!" the angel of death told her firmly. "I'm sure he wanted to shake you and they did! Now you have to be calm to go back there! Remember you can not look weak in front of them!"

"I'm not sure I'll be able to handle this..."

"Yes, you will!" he kissed her forehead. "You're the best and God chose you for a reason! They will try to make you mad and scared, but as much as you let them do that, they will take you away from your assignment! I'm ok, I'll be twice careful since this moment, but you have to keep your mind on your assignment... not in me."

Looking directly into his green eyes, Monica saw how deep his love for her was and how he would be by her side, no matter what. "I'll try."

"Good. Now go back to work. I have to be with an old woman in ten minutes. I'll see you at night." He bent his head to give her a light kiss and let her go.

"You look much better today," Jamal told Monica that day in the afternoon when they were in his office. "You're still worried but you look definitely better..."

"I-I... Yes," Monica stuttered.

"I saw you in the morning with this blond guy... Your boyfriend, I presume..." the man ventured. "That was what was wrong yesterday?"

Monica looked at him for a second and then lowered her face. "Yes," she managed to murmur.

For a long moment, Jamal said nothing. He just looked at his secretary from head to toe sighing deeply once or twice. "There was a time when I was like you, you know," he said and Monica met his gaze again. "Love ruled my life. I was sad or happy according to what love had in mind for me."

Sensing this was perhaps a way to start her trip to the man's soul, the angel tried to know more. "Have you ever been in love, Jamal?"

The man met her brown eyes and Monica could read a story of suffering that was still fresh. "Yes, once," he said never breaking her sight. "She was an angel for me! She could've asked me anything in this world! My life itself wouldn't have been enough for me to give her!"

"And what happened? Did you get married?"

The man chuckled sarcastically. "I was in love like a fool! Like an idiot is better to say! She left me! She said I was a poor nobody and she deserved better. I never saw her again... but I swore I would never be a poor nobody!"

Little by little, Monica had been understanding Jamal's life as if she was turning upwards the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle: the man had been hurt and his hunger for money and power was nothing but his way to defend himself from pain and humiliation. "Did you ever fall in love again?" she continued to ask.

"Love is a waste of time and money, Monica!"

"I beg to differ..."

"Naïve," the man chuckled again.

"No, Jamal, I'm not naïve... This world was made with love and living without love is not living..."

Jamal's mouth curled in a mocking smile and although he had a thousand arguments to fight Monica's, he somehow couldn't think on the exact one. Then a knock on the door interrupted them and Kathleen and Gregory went in.

"Ready to call this a day?" the female demon asked. "What were you talking about?"

"We were discussing love," Jamal replied and Kathleen didn't miss the sudden spark of regret in his dark eyes. "But wei have enough for a day. It's late, and I'm tired and hungry. Gregory we'll go in five minutes. Monica, go get your things. We'll drive you home..."

"Oh, it's not necessary..." the angel tried to say.

"I said we are driving you home. So go get your things," Jamal concluded.

Kathleen and Gregory followed Monica out of Jamal's office and as soon as they were in the hall, the female demon faced the angel. "Just exactly what were you doing, Monica! Didn't you understand when I told you to give him up!"

"I can't, Kathleen. He's my assignment," she tried to sound calm and confident. "God sent me to save him and that's what I'm going to do."

Gregory chuckled sarcastically. "You think you'll do it, don't you little angel? Guess what? You're wrong! That's why we are here!"

"He's not lost! Not if I can help him!"

"You don't get it, right?" Kathleen interrupted her. "You shouldn't help him! He sold his soul to the Devil and he will go to him!"

"I won't let that happen!"

"You will! Or we are taking Andrew instead!" the female demon said and saw how horror appeared on Monica's face.

"No..." she answered weakly. "You can't! Leave him alone!"

"What happen this morning wasn't enough proof that we will take him, little angel?" Gregory added. "I missed him this time because I was just showing you... and him. But next time, you won't shout loud enough!"

"Andrew is not part of this!" Monica had promised him and Tess she wouldn't let them make her weak, but this was too much. She couldn't bear to see him suffer. How could she make the demons stay away from him?

Kathleen seemed to be reading the angel's expression as what she said next made perfect sense with Monica's thoughts. "There's a way for you to save him, Mony. I promise we won't touch one of his blond strands if..."

"If?" the angel asked, her resistance destroyed now.

"...if you break him up."

Monica's heart broke at the mere thought, still her head was spinning and she seemed not to think properly. "W-what!"

"See... Pain is a pleasure for us as well as torture. You can choose for him, pain or torture," Gregory said wrapping an arm around her shoulders that the angel quickly got rid of. "And don't think we can't hurt him! To make him fall... we just would have to corner him in a high place and take him unaware..."

"I think you still remember when the master told you how to do it in the desert, right?" Kathleen asked.

The Devil's voice was still clear in Monica's mind, telling her to climb to a high cliff, urging her to jump... 'I'll be waiting to catch you...'

"...once he's falling we'll catch him and have him for the rest of eternity..." Kathleen added.

All of a sudden, the situation hit her: she would be losing him one way or another. Her only option was to spare him from physical pain, torture and... and eternity in Hell. "Don't hurt him..." she murmured weakly.

"Well! She thinks!" Gregory mocked her.

"I'll tell him to go but don't hurt him..." she pleaded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"When?" Gregory asked.

"You have three days, Monica," Kathleen stated. "We won't wait more than three days."