I hope those of you who are still around are enjoying this so far.

Chapter 2

Standing before an Angel of Angel's could be an intimidating experience for anyone, but it was especially so when the aforementioned Angel of Angel's happened to be a former supervisor and old friend. Monica fidgeted restlessly as Tess regarded her in austerity.

"Well, forcing words out of your mouth is certainly a change. Are you just going to stand there like a mute, or what?" Monica wasn't sure why she was feeling so anxious. She wasn't here to be evaluated or reprimanded after all. Even still, Tess's signature well-meant sarcasm was in stark contrast to their current surroundings.

"I'm sorry, I … being in this room makes me a little nervous is all," Monica offered meekly, acutely aware that it was a weak excuse and that Tess would see right through her words.

"Yes, it must be the room and not the fact that you've not been to see me in fifty years," Tess countered gruffly, but with a twinkle in her eye nonetheless. Monica smiled shyly in response, her cheeks flushing red at her former supervisor's words. She knew she needn't have worried. It may well have been an Angel's Angel across the oak desk before her, but more importantly, it was Tess and Monica's anxiety eased gradually as the seconds ticked by. With a chuckle and shake of her head, Tess rose from the great chair in which she sat and came around the desk, enveloping the little redheaded angel in a warm embrace.

"You certainly are a sight for sore eyes, angel girl," she said lovingly, arms wrapped tightly around her petite frame. After several long moments, Tess drew back and looked Monica up and down a few times, "What are you wearing? You look more like an Olympic athlete than an angel."

Monica had almost forgotten that she was still dressed in the clothes she was comfortable running in - compression tights, a sweatshirt and sneakers certainly wasn't the usual attire of an angel, particularly not one at Home.

"Changing seemed silly, I didn't think I'd be here all that long …" she said, trailing off at the look on Tess's face. "Not that I'm not … thrilled to see you Tess, I just have a lot going on and don't usually stay in one place for too-"

Tess's harrumph interrupted the little angel before she could finish her sentence.

"And just what is so important that you're planning on running out of here and back to, hmm?" She questioned, lips pursed with attitude. Monica didn't have a good answer and simply shrugged. Truthfully, she just wanted to be back on Earth as soon as possible. Being Home was nice, of course, but she'd much prefer to be working.

"Well, you're going to have to trade in your trainers for jeans and a pair of sturdy boots, Miss Wings. There's something we need to discuss," Tess said. She moved back around to sit behind her vast desk and indicated for Monica to take a seat in the chair across from her. Monica felt the prickle of apprehension creep back slowly as she thought of her chance meeting with Adam and the conversation they'd had. Perhaps it hadn't been a chance meeting at all.

"Tess, what's going on?" She asked pointedly, lowering herself slowly into the cool, leather armchair. Tess had busied herself with pulling various files and folders out of hidden cabinet drawers, flipping through pages, eyes darting back and forth across blocks of text.

"Baby, we've got some talking to do," Tess replied finally, pulling a single sheet of paper out from one of the many folders spread over the desk, "Sophia has requested a transfer from Search and Rescue to Casework."

Monica stared blankly back at Tess for a moment, blinking slowly, processing the news and trying to catalogue the emotions that surfaced along with it.

"I … didn't even know she was thinking about that, she didn't tell me," Monica said in surprise after several beats of silence, brows furrowed in confusion, "She's so good in Search and Rescue …"

"So were you, when you transferred yourself all those years ago," Tess reminded her gently, "your talent translated very well into Casework and the same will be true for Sophia."

Monica sighed heavily and wondered with a bit of guilt if perhaps Sophia wanting to leave Search and Rescue had anything to do with her. She and Sophia were close, and though they hadn't worked together in the last few weeks, Monica hadn't worried that something might not have been right until then.

"And before you get all itchy and start assigning guilt to yourself for problems that don't exist, she made it clear that her decision to move departments has nothing to do with you and that she'll miss you as her supervisor very much," Tess said, answering the unspoken questions that Monica had. Even still, the news stung.

"I wish she'd told me herself," Monica mused sadly, heaving another sigh, "I would have liked to be included in the conversation, at least."

"Well, I'm including you now. Apparently you're a little tough to catch these days, Miss Wings," Tess said, raising her brows in Monica's direction, "Sophia said she would have talked to you first but that she hasn't seen you in weeks."

Again, Monica found herself flushing at Tess's words. Sophia too was quite independent, and though they worked well together and enjoyed the other's company, they quite frequently went days and sometimes weeks at a time without reconnecting. In Monica's opinion, she was hardly in need of a supervisor at all, which made her own job easier and alone time more frequently had. Admittedly, it was the perfect arrangement and she found herself mourning the loss already, if for no other reason than that Sophia moving on likely meant that she would be assigned a new angel to train and mentor.

"Okay, so what happens now? She's the first of mine to transfer," Monica asked Tess, swallowing hard against the unexpected lump of emotion in her throat.

"As I'm sure you well remember, the training for new caseworkers is quite a bit more involved than other specialties," Tess began, "The direct and long-term interaction with human beings is unique to the position and so takes more time to acclimate. She'll need lots of coaching and support along the way. Thankfully … she'll have you right by her side as she learns."

Monica was sure that she'd heard Tess incorrectly there at the end, but she didn't have time to question as Tess continued on ahead without giving her time to get a word in.

"You'll work a case with her, possibly several if needed, and help to facilitate a smooth transition from you to her next supervisor, who you'll need to coordinate with on the case to make sure things go well."

At the phrase "work a case," Monica visibly bristled and was already shaking her head before Tess had even finished. She didn't remember it happening this way for her all those years ago. She felt slightly guilty to admit that she was dreading working side-by-side with Sophia's new supervisor, whoever it was. Working with other angels, even meeting them, wasn't really something Monica did purposely anymore - hence her comfort in Search and Rescue.

"Tess, that isn't … I mean … I really don't think she'll need me to-"

"It isn't your choice, missy," Tess replied, cutting her off, "we have found over the last several decades that both old and new supervisors working together to make for an easy transfer has worked better and increased the overall rate of success. And lucky for Sophia, you were one of the best caseworkers in existence. The knowledge you can share with her from your many years of experience will be very valuable for her development."

Monica lowered her eyes then, accepting the fact that she wasn't likely going to win this argument. Being told that she would be returning to casework certainly wasn't what she'd been expecting from this little reunion. It wasn't what she wanted, at all. She had put casework and her many years in the department behind her for good when she'd made her own transfer. Monica could feel herself getting upset and blinked rapidly against the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. A wave of uncertainty flooded her at the thought of returning to that sort of work.

"Tess, what if … what if I'm no good at it anymore?" she questioned timidly after several moments of silence, twisting her fingers together in distress, "I made so many mistakes before, surely Sophia needs someone better-"

Tess held up a hand to silence her, but the look on her face alone would have been enough to stop Monica mid-sentence. The lapse in self-confidence that her former charge exhibited now was a surprise to her, given how well she'd performed in the past.

"Angel girl, I'm surprised to hear this out of you. Why on earth would you think you wouldn't be good at it? You were one of the best, and you were told as much many times," Tess lamented, struck by how small and positively rattled the younger angel suddenly appeared to her. Adam had said that she had changed, but Tess hadn't quite been prepared for just how significant that change would be. Having near-zero confidence in her ability to perform well in casework was far out of left-field and the last thing Tess had expected.

"You always used to say that I got too involved, that I was too emotional …" Monica said with a shrug, still refusing to meet her former supervisor's eyes, "and … you were right, I let my heart get the better of me when I should have used my head and because of that, I made a lot of mistakes that could have been-"

For what felt like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes, Tess interrupted Monica's self-deprecating comments swiftly.

"You stop that right now, baby," Tess said, utterly astonished that Monica dared to believe something so wildly incorrect about herself, "your giant heart is what makes you who you are and I won't hear another word of this nonsense. Your ability to empathize with humans, to counsel and to love so freely, that is what made you excel in casework. I may have been hard on you a time or two, but you have to know that I only wanted what was best for you. I wanted to protect you. I'm sorry if you ever felt that I was disappointed in you for that."

Monica kept her eyes on the floor, swallowing the uncomfortable lump that had formed in her throat as Tess spoke.

"Is that really all true, Tess?" Monica questioned, soft voice laced with skepticism, "my heart's the best part of me, so big and full of love?"

"Of course it's true, baby," the older angel chided, shaking her head in disbelief. Still not looking up, the little angel smiled at the words, but it didn't quite reach her tear-filled brown eyes.

"Then … why do I feel so empty inside?"

The older angel felt her heart clench painfully at the break in Monica's voice and considered what she would say next carefully. There was a subtle hollowness to her that Tess hadn't picked up on until just then.

"I … can't answer that question, angel girl," Tess said delicately, internally admonishing herself for the not-quite-true statement, though it was necessary given the circumstances. In truth, Tess was certain she knew why but didn't dare say anything else about it, for her own sake as well as Monica's.

Monica cleared her throat and drew a long breath of air, hating herself for letting her emotions get the better of her in this room, even if it was only Tess across from her. When she finally raised her eyes to meet those of the Angel's Angel, she made sure that all trace of that emotional moment was erased from her features, as if it had never happened.

"So, the case?" She asked briskly, forcing her voice to sound steady, "I'm assuming you know where and when? You mentioned something about jeans and boots earlier, what's that about?"

If Tess was surprised at all by Monica's almost instant change in demeanor and quick change of subject, she didn't let it show. Her temporary display of vulnerability had told Tess all she needed to know of the current condition of the younger angel's heart. She made a mental note of just how quickly the wall between them had gone up again.

"Yes, jeans and boots," Tess replied with a nod, "and probably a heavy coat too. You're heading up to the mountains, angel girl. I assume you still have a certain affection for animals of the equine variety?"

Monica only shrugged and waited for Tess to continue with the rest of the information she needed.

"Well, I hope the answer is yes because I think the only thing that outnumbers the problems on this ranch are the horses that live there," Tess said, easily falling back into supervisor mode, the tender moment between the two all but forgotten.

"And how long will I be there?" Monica asked, continuing blankly down a basic list of questions, without any sign of emotion in the direction of excitement or otherwise.

"I don't think you need me to tell you that it's all going to depend on you and the others, Miss Wings," Tess said with a tight laugh, "you'll be there until your job is done and you're no longer needed. And please don't forget that your job this time is to teach."

Try as she might, Monica couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course, it was too much to wish for that the case would be short and sweet. She had a peculiar feeling settling in her gut that it would, in fact, be everything but short and sweet. She desperately wished that she could fast-forward through it and get back to Search and Rescue where she was comfortable. She had loved casework, once. Now it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I think I've got it. Ranch. Horses. Teaching. Anything else?" Monica asked, suddenly antsier than she originally was to get out of there and be on her way. The sooner this whole thing was over, the better. Before she had even finished her sentence, she had risen from her chair and started moving towards the door. She hadn't quite gotten there, however, when she remembered one last question pulling at the back of her mind.

"Who is it?" She questioned curiously, "Sophia's new supervisor … anyone I know?"

Tess prayed that the look on her face didn't give away how very unsure she suddenly felt about the entire arrangement in that moment. She took a deep breath and hoped that her voice wouldn't give her away either.

"His name is Andrew," she responded lightly, glancing down at the stack of paper still in her hand, purposefully not wanting to witness any reaction from her former charge, for fear of reacting herself.

The name echoed against the marble walls of the chamber and for a moment, Monica stood completely still, entirely focused on the peculiar way her heart had seemed to skip right out of her chest when Tess had said the new supervisor's name. She swallowed hard, trying to ignore both that and the odd chill that was traveling swiftly up her spine.

"I don't … think we've met," Monica managed to utter amidst the strange onset of feelings she couldn't place. She shook her head and tried to force it from her mind as quickly as it had entered. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the golden pocket watch she'd carried for as long as she could remember. She fixed her eyes on the second hand, counting the even ticks and steadying her breaths in time with the movements.

"Baby … you okay?"

Tess's voice cut through the silence and pulled Monica out of her momentary daze.

"I'm … y-yeah … Tess, I better go, I'll see you later okay, I'll … I'll visit soon," she said in a rush, turning around again and making her way out of the room.

Tess didn't bother calling after her. As the little angel departed without a look back, the Angel's Angel lifted her eyes to the ceiling again in prayer, hoping with every fiber of her being that Adam was wrong to be so concerned and that she was doing the right thing.

XOXO, A

I would just like to take this time to say how much I hate dialogue-heavy chapters for the aesthetically displeasing way they format on this website. Am I alone in this? Anyone? Just me? o_O