Long time, guys! As always, it seems ... thanks for sticking around. You all are the best! I am truly sorry for the lengthy delay, yet again.

Hope everyone is well and that you enjoy this chapter!

-A

Monica's words hung in the air and several seconds of silence followed as Andrew contemplated what to say in return. He found himself struggling to string together the thoughts to even form sentences in his head, let alone speak them aloud and so he was grateful when she spoke again, buying him a bit more time to find the right words.

"I've been waiting here, expecting you, hoping, and still … I can hardly believe you're here now," she whispered, bringing her forehead to rest against his, reveling in the closeness and comfort that just being near him brought to her. For many years, she had been able to count on him to soothe her worries, fears, anything at all that caused her distress or pain and this quality about him was especially obvious to her in this moment. Though there were still many things to worry about, the peace that his presence brought to her heart was enough that she could look passed the uncertainty and not be so afraid, at least for a small while.

"I really hope I don't wake up," she added as an afterthought, pulling away again to study his face, her brown eyes filling with tears again at the memories of countless nights where she did wake up and he was gone all over again, the pain as fierce and raw as it was the moment they were first separated. Andrew's brows knitted together and he brought his thumb to her cheek to swipe away a tear, loathing how evident it was that she was still hurting, despite being here together now. It was then that he finally found his voice.

"You're not dreaming," he said sadly, "I can promise you at least that much." In truth, he could promise her nothing because their situation was precarious and not one thing was certain. Though he longed to just pull her into his arms and promise that he would never let go, promise that nothing could ever take her from him again, promise that she would never hurt … he couldn't. All he could do, all they could do, was try not to question too much and just enjoy these moments that they had been gifted.

As the minutes continued to tick by slowly, Andrew noticed more and more things about Monica that were just slightly different from before. Her hair was longer, fuller, just slightly lighter. Her skin, though still quite fair, was just a bit darker, as though she'd spent a day in the sun and her complexion had been kissed by the rays. He had noticed straight away that the evidence of her time on Earth was completely erased and the slight changes in her appearance made him certain that her human form was brand new. The scars and bruises were gone and her bones were no longer visible the way they had been last time he'd seen her. Andrew had been sure before that she couldn't have been more beautiful, but seeing her now proved those thoughts to be false. The angel sitting before him was the epitome of beauty and he found himself almost in awe of the priceless work of art that she was.

"I can't get the picture out of my head … of you, laying there ..." Andrew continued finally, his voice thick with restrained emotion "and … the only thing I could do was hold you and … and I had to leave you and I knew you were dying … I don't know how I walked away."

There was a beat of silence as Monica gazed at him in absolute horror, having not anticipated that he would have been allowed to be by her side, let alone bear witness to her final human moments.

"Andrew I … I never meant for you to see … you … were there?" She stuttered, tears continuing to seep down her cheeks and he again took her into his arms, holding her as tightly to him as he could.

"I was there," Andrew replied softly, his fingers running nimbly through her long hair, "as long as I was allowed, I stayed with you. Until Adam came to do his job, I stayed. I thought that losing you the day that Sam came was the worst day of my existence, but I was wrong …"

Monica pulled away from his embrace and hung her head in shame as she struggled to breathe through the sob building in her throat, unable to speak of the atrocities aloud. Looking back, she almost couldn't believe herself capable of such things. How many times had she lead her own assignments away from doing exactly what she had done? How many times had she been the one to console Andrew when he had come from an assignment who didn't choose to live? And this time, it had been she who had committed the most selfish act, she who had purposely put him through something that she knew was a source of great pain for him. The weight of the guilt she felt for that, for all the things she'd done, was heavy on her heart.

"Andrew ..." Monica said softly, sometime later, "I'm so sorry I didn't wait for you, I should have trusted you and I ..." She trailed off as more tears threatened to fall from her maple colored eyes. Andrew again felt the sick feeling of hatred in his gut for all the misery she'd seen in the last year. It didn't seem just that she had faired so much worse than him, though when he thought about it, he hadn't truly expected anything different.

"Please don't apologize for that," he whispered back, agonized, wishing more than anything that he could take her pain away and make this whole thing go away, "there is nothing you need to apologize to me for. If I had only gotten to you sooner, maybe I could have done something … either way, it won't change anything."

She looked back to him then, starting into his deep green eyes, taking him in. For thirteen long months, all she had wished for was this moment and now that it was here, now that he was finally here with her, she felt almost helpless in his presence. It was undeniable how hopelessly she was in love with him still. And on top of that, the shame she felt, and the fear of what was to come sat in the pit of her stomach like a block of ice. The feelings of peace and tranquility that she had immediately felt when Andrew had first taken her into his arms was rapidly being replaced by a growing sense of apprehension, so much so that she thought she might be physically sick.

"Being with you again is all I've wanted every day for the last year," Monica whispered, leaning back into his chest, "but I have to admit that I'm really not sure what to think about all this. I tried asking Tess but … she wasn't very clear about that part."

Andrew managed a small smile at the mention of their supervisor.

"Well," he replied, "as much as I would love to stay right here forever and never let you out of my arms again … I think we both know that that's not an option. And by the way … as much as I'm enjoying sitting in a foot of ocean water with you, what gives? Last time I checked, you were terrified of the water."

He was attempting to lighten the mood just a fraction and it worked, for a moment anyway. Monica looked around bewildered, as if seeing the surrounding water for the first time, and then she laughed. It only lasted a second and then it quickly faded into a look of sorrow.

"I guess when you've been through the worst thing you can imagine, irrational fears like this seem silly," she said, splashing her hand through the salt water as if trying to push it away from her. She turned her eyes to meet his and he could feel that she was suddenly very uncomfortable.

He stood and then reached for her hand to help her to her feet as well.

"We should probably find Tess," he said quietly. She gripped his hand a little tighter and nodded as they splashed through the shallow surf and headed up the beach.

"She's usually not far away," Monica said, and sure enough, within a few seconds, Tess's figure was visible in the distance. Andrew slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close as they made their way towards her. He could feel her small frame trembling with anxiety ever so slightly.

"Hello babies," Tess said warmly when they arrived at her side, "you two together certainly is a sight for sore eyes."

Andrew leaned over to kiss the top of Monica's head in an effort to reassure her, but didn't break eye contact with Tess as he did.

"Tess," he acknowledged her cordially, nodding his head in greeting. Though all was forgiven between them, as per their conversation earlier that day, she could hear the slight edge and uneasiness in his voice. This wasn't going to be easy for any of them, including her. She didn't want any more distress to fall upon the pair of them, least of all by the news she had to deliver now.

"You both know how much I love you, I hope. I wish that I could tell you that everything is going to be fine, that we can all resume our normal existences and this whole thing could be forgotten, but I think we all know that things simply don't work that way," Tess began steadily, wishing that she possessed the answers that they wanted to hear.

"Even given the recent circumstances, the issue at hand has not changed. The reality of the situation is plain – the Father is unyielding on this matter. His instructions are very clear. A relationship of this nature is impermissible between angels."

Monica was already shaking her head confusedly before Tess had even finished her sentence.

"Then why, Tess?" She pleaded weakly, "I don't understand why this happened to us if we were just going to be punished for it! I … asked the same question of the Father, but He hasn't answered me ..."

Tess sighed heavily and continued forward with her speech.

"I know you questioned Him baby, and I have an answer for you, though it may not be the answer you're looking for exactly. The Father created you both with hearts as big as the sky, with compassion and love being your main ingredients. You are His children in the truest sense of the word and He wants nothing but the best for His children. However, He wouldn't be the loving Father that He is if he kept all of us in a glass house. Just like his human children, He instilled within His angels a sense of free will. He loves us more than His own existence, but we are not bound to Him with anything more than our own wills to be so. We are free to make choices, mistakes, and to learn and grow, just like humans. For each of His children, human and angel alike, the Father has a plan and a will for us but that plan, due in part to our free will, and in part to circumstances that we face every day, is often changed in light of decisions and choices made along the way."

Andrew was trying his best to listen to what Tess was saying objectively and he was making an effort to not become frustrated all over again by her words. It was all things they both had heard before, things they knew already. This was 'Free Will, 101' once more.

"Tess, please ..." he countered dejectedly, "how does any of this apply to us? How are we going to move forward from this point? That's the question, here ..."

Again, Tess wished more than anything that she had a solution for them, but she didn't. There simply wasn't an easy solution here.

"I know that this doesn't make much sense to you, babies, but it's just how it is. The Father created you, and He shaped your hearts, but He doesn't control your feelings anymore than He controls your actions. Humans make mistakes and judgement errors everyday because they can. Their imperfections are what make them fully reliant on a Father who loves and forgives and teaches. The same is true for angels. We have our callings, our instructions, our assignments to take care of, but sometimes our feelings can get in the way and cloud our judgement. Just like humans, we are capable of making mistakes and, in turn, we must be responsible for ourselves and right our wrongs."

Monica was at a loss with Tess's reasoning of the situation. She was right – it didn't make sense, and it hadn't made sense from the very beginning. But all she felt after listening to Tess was more certain that no matter what they did or said, a resolution that would take this pain and uncertainty away was not on the horizon for them.

"I guess you're right, Tess ..." Monica murmured tearfully, her voice but a whisper, "my heart is just too big for my own good right? My emotions are getting in the way again? I can't look at Andrew and see just another angel, just a friend … I look at him and I see everything, my whole world, and everything in it, and I love him so much that I don't even have words to explain it and … it doesn't even matter! It's just a mistake that I have to be responsible for and somehow get over and move on from because it's clouding my judgement? I can't do that, Tess, I … don't know how to do that ..."

Andrew was grateful that Tess was quick to respond. Monica's words had once again left a lump in his throat that kept him from being able to speak. He thought his heart might literally burst from the adoration that he felt for the little angel standing beside him.

"Angel girl, I wish I could understand what's in your heart, but you know that I can't. I don't know how many times I can say that. You and Andrew have something special, something different. No one is denying that now. We can all see it. However … the rules are the rules and they won't be bent for the two of you. The one consolation in all of this, hopefully, is that you get a choice this time. Obviously, separating you forcefully wasn't the answer … so now it's up to you to decide."

Andrew's heart lurched in his chest at Tess's last words and he wondered if they might finally be coming to a conclusion with this conversation. As much as he wanted to know what she was getting at, he was equally terrified to find out just what she was implying.

"Decide what, Tess? What choice do we have?" He managed to keep his voice steady as he asked the question, instinctively tightening his grip around Monica again, as if holding her as tight as he could would somehow shield her from feeling any more distress over all this.

Tess took a moment to take a few gulps of air, trying to steady her own voice before delivering the final piece of information to the angels that had always been so precious to her, who had always been like children to her. After this, she knew that none of their lives would ever be the same. Everything would change, one way or the other, all over again.

"You have two options, babies, and you need to listen carefully," Tess explained, her tone wavering just slightly,

"Option one is to remain together. If you choose to do that, you will both be consciously giving up your status as angels and will be made fully human, mortal, and on your own on Earth. You would have no contact with anyone in the realm, including me. The one exception to that would be if, as humans, you ever required the help of an angel, at which time you would be the assignment, much like Monica's recent experience."

"Option two," Tess continued on the same breath, "is to remain angels. However, if you make this choice, things don't go back to how they were. You will both be assigned new departments to work in and new supervisors to work with. Your first year will be probationary and you will have evaluations every three months. Contact with other angels, including mutual friends, as well as myself, will be limited. And … contact with each other, in any capacity at all, will be expressly forbidden. The Father himself will ensure that your paths never cross again."

Monica wasn't sure what she had been expecting to hear, but she was certain that if it wasn't for Andrew's arm tightly around her, she wouldn't still be standing. She turned away from Tess and looked at him, her alarm and confusion mirrored in his eyes.

"I … um ..." Monica tried to respond, to say something, anything, but she was already choking on another round of sobs that literally stole her breath. It was all Andrew could do to keep himself together, for her sake. After all they had been through, it had finally come down to this … an impossible decision that left them to choose between losing everything they had ever known, including their identities, or losing each other forever.

"You don't have to decide right away, you have some time," Tess added. "I have to go now, babies. I love you both and I hope you know that this wasn't my decision."

And then Tess was gone and they were alone again. It was like the day they were first separated a year ago, the day Andrew found out that Monica fell, the day she first started using, the night that he all but had to watch her die all together as one, all over again … and somehow worse. Andrew had never before seen Monica so hysterically emotional before this. It was his first real glimpse into how every day of the last thirteen months had truly been for her. He did his best to lower her gently to the sandy ground when it became obvious that standing was no longer an option. He again felt absolutely helpless to do anything but hold her and try to comfort her as best he could.

"A-Andrew … what … what do we do, what do we do ..." she gasped, clutching at his shirt so tightly that her knuckles where white, her eyes wild, her words almost illegible. It was unfathomable how things could be turned around so completely, so fast. Here they were again, faced with the unimaginable. No matter what they chose, they would be dealing with an enormous sacrifice.

For Andrew, the choice was clear, but he knew that the experience that Monica had just come out of would make choosing to be human again extremely harrowing for her. So truly, he was at a loss as well.

"Shhh, it's ok ..." he whispered, trying to soothe and console, but knowing full well that she probably wasn't even listening, "it's alright, it'll be ok … we'll figure it out, I'll figure it out …"

Though he said the words for her sake, he also said them in an effort to convince himself that all would indeed be alright, somehow. But if he was being perfectly honest with himself, he had never felt more incapable of making a proper decision in his entire existence than in this moment.