CHAPTER 3

As the sun began its slow descent behind the mountains, the silence permeated the red Cadillac. Neither angel had spoken much though Andrew had continued to cast concerned glances at the little angel, whose dark eyes were fixed out her window. He could feel the ache deep in her heart and was frustrated that he had no way to alleviate her pain and he was angry that those who had imposed this hurt upon her in the first place.

It was bad enough that a human had recently hurt her but to be rejected by some of those she most trusted was the ultimate betrayal and one Andrew was not certain she was equipped to handle. His only relief was that the one angel closest to her heart, Tess, had not condemned them and had even helped them. He was sure if the older angel had sided with Ruth and Sam that Monica would be inconsolable.

"Angel?" He was finally unable to listen to the quiet. He missed her happy chatter and was wondering when he might hear it again. It had been too recently that she had found it again.

Wistful brown eyes turned to look at him and watched as he removed a hand from the steering wheel to extend it to her, palm up. Without hesitation, she laid her smaller hand in his and felt his fingers wrap around her own.

"Tell me what you're thinking?" Andrew's eyes returned to the road as he squeezed her hand. Her tone surprised him.

"That I'm not sorry to be here with you," Monica replied firmly, though there was a slight tremble in her voice, "I would rather our fate be this than to be forced to be apart. I'm sure they were wrong. Sam barely wanted to listen. He acted like we just…decided this….like we chose it. We didn't wish for it, we didn't 'covet' it. I've always felt close to you…it was always special and they never questioned anything then."

Her words tumbled out in a flurry of emotion and his own raw emotions made it difficult for him to find the words to reassure her, "I don't think you always felt close to me," His half hearted attempt at teasing seemed to fall flat, but he was stalling. Trying to get his own thoughts in order.

"I may not have been nice at first, but even then you inspired strong feelings in my heart. Looking back at even that time, I can see that we were destined to be soul mates. How can they take something that has always been one of the most special things in my existence and say it is wrong?"

"Because they are only listening to what they believe in their minds to be right. We tried to do that too if you recall. We didn't want to believe that what we were feeling was right and we were the ones feeling it. They are misguided, Angel, by what they cannot understand."

"Then why can't they just admit they don't understand it? Not understanding doesn't make someone right."

"No baby, it doesn't. Maybe they just don't know how else to act." Bringing her hand to his lips, he kissed her knuckles tenderly.

"I would think they could come up with something better than how they acted," She murmured, troubled eyes returning to look out her window.

Frowning in frustration, Andrew's eyes scanned the area for a place to stop for the night. It had been a difficult day and they had been driving for awhile now. He needed to give the little angel some attention that was not shared with the road. She was so rarely angry but now that undercurrent was definitely there. He supposed he was angry too but he was more prone to it than Monica was and he knew she was far from comfortable with the emotions.

Monica looked over at him as he pulled the car off the road, "What's wrong? Are you all right? Andrew?"

"I'm fine, Angel. Just tired. I thought we would stop here for the night. If it gets any darker, it will be harder to find a safe place to camp."

"You're right," A tiny smile crossed her face, "But then you usually are."

"Only when it comes to how much I love you, sweetheart."

Blinking back tears, Monica managed to whisper, "I love you too."

An hour later, they sat up against a large boulder in front of the warm fire Andrew had started. Monica was wrapped up in Andrew's arms and his leather jacket, his cheek against the side of her head.

The blond angel had to marvel at the perfect night that had followed such a horrific day. The millions of stars and the full moon lit up the crystal clear night and though the temperature had dropped considerably the warmth from the fire was temporarily keeping the chill away. In the distance, Andrew could hear the howl of a lone coyote and though the sound made him slightly nervous, Monica had never felt a fear of animals, so she was unfazed by the sound.

Resting in Andrew's arms, the little angel's fingers lightly stroked his own as her eyes remained fix on the dancing flames. They had shared a light dinner of sandwiches and though her fully human body still felt a wee bit hungry, Monica knew they needed to ration their food supplies as they were unsure of how far the next town was or how long it would take them to arrive. She certainly didn't want Andrew worrying about if she was hungry or not, but yet she wasn't sure if any topic was really safe.

"Andrew?"

"Hmmm?" He nuzzled her hair and breathed in the sweet scent.

"What do you suppose happens now? I mean, if we get to the next town? What happens then? How long do you think we'll be human?"

Andrew emitted a small sigh and knew he had to speak honestly, "I'm not sure how far we are, baby. Probably a few days with not driving straight through though we could do that…"

"No. You need to rest. We need to stop when it gets dark," She insisted worriedly, "It doesn't matter how long it takes for us to get there."

"You're more afraid of what happens once we get there," He stated matter of factly, and was answered by the tremble he felt go through her body, "Not being angels doesn't mean we're helpless. If need be, I will find a job and we will find a place to live. I know the Father is watching out for us."

"I can feel it in my heart too," She leaned her head back against his strong chest and closed her eyes for a moment, "I wish I could understand why it is all right by some angels for us to feel other human things, like pain and sadness but yet this love we feel is wrong. Why is it permitted for us to feel some emotions but not others? When Ian…"

Her voice trailed off and Andrew could see the shiny path the tears made against her face. His heart clenched in sympathy, so clearly feeling her betrayal, "Oh Angel."

"No one told me that didn't belong to me. No committee formed to discuss how wrong that was. Why was that okay, but love that doesn't cause anyone pain is a huge problem? And it's not just me…they did this to you too and it just isn't fair…"

As she instinctively turned her body and curled into his sheltering embrace, Monica allowed the hot tears to come once more….

…."She's right, you know," Rafael stated coolly not looking at either Sam or Ruth, "That human ripped her arm open and broke her rib and used his fist against her. Sam? Ruth? Where were you then? Is it so acceptable for a human being to inflict such pain on an angel of God but yet you are both here to pass judgment on them now?"

"That was an assignment," Sam replied, "Humans have free will and I am sorry that Monica was the object of that man's rage. It was wrong but through her, the assignment was able to see the truth."

"Hmph. If only angels were able to see truth so clearly," Tess murmured, her eyes focused on her two friends, watching as Andrew struggled to comfort the Irish angel.

"Tess, need I remind you that you have already been insubordinate enough?" Ruth interjected sharply.

"If being a friend makes me insubordinate, then so be it. Those are my babies out there; two angels who go out of their way not to bring any harm to anyone else, but yet their 'friends' judge them."

"Tess, you know that no one is bringing harm to either of them," Sam replied patiently, "We only need for them to see the truth."

"They already know the truth," Rafael cast the older angel a stern look, "They know that they love each other and they are willing to risk everything for how they feel. Their newfound feelings for each other has not and will not hinder their abilities to do their jobs as their last assignment proved. Seems to me it is hindering their superior's ability to perform their duties as they stand here in the desert discussing how wrong they are as opposed to helping the humans they were created to help."

"Just sayin'," Tess muttered beneath her breath as she cast Rafael a grateful glance.

…."Angel? Angel, wake up, baby." Pressing his lips to Monica's temple, Andrew attempted to awaken her gently. The fire was starting to die and the temperatures in the desert had dropped significantly. The bottom line was that Andrew would feel better with the little angel in human form sleeping in a locked car.

"Andrew?" Her sleepy murmur made him smile as she opened her dark eyes with an expression of confusion.

"It's gotten colder, Monica. We need to move to the car," A chuckle escaped him as she uttered something unintelligible and snuggled back into his chest. Slowly and with great care, Andrew got to his feet, lifting the angel into his arms. The emotional day had obviously left her exhausted and she never stirred until he got her into the back seat of the car.

"Andrew," Her panicked eyes opened once more and searched for him, no longer feeling the warmth of his body beneath her own.

"Right here, Angel," He reassured her as he slipped in next to her and closed and locked the car door firmly behind him. Waiting until she had curled into his arms once more, the Angel of Death arranged the blanket around their bodies. Leaning his head back against the window, Andrew listened to her even breathing as he uttered a silent prayer for her safety and guidance for himself.