Hello friends! It has been quite awhile since the last update, but I suppose those of you who've been reading my stuff since the beginning expected nothing less from me! ;)

In the two years since I've updated, I made the decision to attempt writing in full before posting, to help with pacing and continuity mostly, but also to reduce the pressure of writing and updating as I go. So often in the past, I'd write and post a chapter and then have no real direction or motivation to continue right away. I wanted the process and experience of writing this sequel to be better. I do have to admit that I'm not finished with this just yet, but I am very close. I wanted to post chapter 3 as a peace offering, and to let those of you following know what's happening. I won't say exactly when the next update will be posted, but beginning with chapter 4, I will be posting one chapter per week through the end of the story!

Thanks again to everyone following and for the reviews and PMs! The support is always greatly appreciated.

-A

Chapter 3

Nestled against the sharp peaks of the snow-covered Grand Teton mountain range was the tiny town of Jackson Hole. Though Christmas had long since come and gone, the string lights and decorations common for the holiday were still hanging on valiantly. It was an unseasonably warm morning in the valley, but the mountains were dusted with a fresh layer of powdery snow from a storm the night before. Between the snow-capped mountains in the background and the scattered remnants of Christmas, the town's main square could have been a holiday postcard from another era, untouched by modern development or passing time.

The central business district was vibrant and alive with activity, though the light of morning had only just begun to creep into the sky. On one side of the road was a theatre, a police station, and a combination general store and post-office. The other side housed a grocery, a clothing store, and a handful of other retailers and eateries. Just off the main road where the valley began to give way to the upward slope of the mountain sat a small cafe. Judging by the number of people crowding through the front door, it was the most popular spot in the square - at that time of the morning, at least.

The little coffee house was bustling with people eager to head up the mountain for a day on the slopes. The shop was part espresso bar, part bakery, part bookstore and decidedly western-themed, as was much of the small town. On the walls hung old photos of cowboys and concert posters from decades passed. Mixed in with the ambient noise of excited voices and coffee bean grinders, the notes of a sad country song floated lazily through the air.

Tucked into a far corner near a large bay window, a lone figure sat with hands wrapped around a mug and brilliant green eyes darting across the pages of a dusty old book. A half-eaten egg sandwich had been pushed aside in favor of the dark-roasted liquid in his cup. It wasn't the taste of the coffee that he enjoyed so much as the smell. There was something about the warm, nutty aroma that he found soothing, especially so on mornings when the sun had to work a little harder to heat the air above freezing. It used to be that hot cocoa was his first choice warm beverage, but in more recent years, he'd found himself craving coffee instead. Now, it was a bit of a comfortable habit.

Just as he was draining his second cup and contemplating a third, an excited voice rang out from across the shop.

"Andrew!"

At the sound of his name, Andrew glanced up from the book and immediately swelled with pride at the look on Nathaniel's face. Even from several feet away, he could see that the younger angel was positively bursting with joy and there were few sights that made Andrew happier.

"So .. how'd it go?" He asked with a grin, though he'd known the outcome of Nathaniel's final evaluation meeting since the night before. Nate rolled his eyes and laughed before pulling out the chair across from his supervisor and taking a seat. He knew that Andrew was only asking as a formality.

"It went fine, great even," Nathaniel responded, "I thought I'd be way more nervous but it was cool, man. They went over some stuff and asked me a few questions and then that was it. I really thought it was going to be … I don't know? Scarier? At least scarier than a regular evaluation. I mean, the one with the spiky blonde hair was a little strange, but otherwise it was totally fine!"

Andrew bit his lip to keep from laughing aloud at the off-handed mention of Ruth. Nate's remark happened to be an opinion shared by many angels, Andrew included.

"I told you that you had nothing to worry about," Andrew offered his charge with another smile, "you've been ready for a long time now and this promotion is well-deserved."

Andrew and Nathaniel had been working together for the last seven years and Andrew had known just a few years into their journey together that Nathaniel was the perfect candidate to supervise his own caseworkers someday. This transition had been several years in the making now, and Andrew supposed that pride wasn't quite enough of a word to describe how he felt knowing that he had a hand in developing one of the best the department was likely to see. His own promotion into supervision had happened so long ago that he hardly remembered the excitement, but Nathaniel's was certainly contagious.

"So," Nathaniel mused curiously, "what now? They said we'd still work together for a little while yet before I'm on my own with someone to supervise, but they didn't really explain that."

Andrew was nodding before Nathaniel had finished.

"Right, so we will continue to work cases together for the next little bit. The promotion is yours, and so is the title. However, over the last several decades, we've realized that it makes a lot more sense to work transitions in groups. So, starting with our next case, you and I will work with two others - a new caseworker who has requested a transfer from Search and Rescue and her current supervisor, who also works in Search and Rescue but has extensive experience in Casework."

"Four of us on one case, that sounds fun!" Nathaniel said. Andrew grinned at his enthusiasm but it was accompanied by a warning raise of brow.

"Don't get your heart set on fun, bud," he cautioned his young charge, "I've been briefed on the case and … well, all four of us will probably have our work cut out. And it's not just about the case itself. You've been taking the lead lately and doing extraordinarily well, but you'll be taking point and setting the example for our new friend Sophia. You'll both have plenty of support from myself and her current supervisor, so there is no cause for worry necessarily, but this will probably challenge you in ways you haven't seen just yet. And that's a good thing. This should be a wonderful learning opportunity."

As Andrew spelled out the basic terms of the case, Nathaniel's face gradually fell until he looked a little ill.

"Oh," he said, swallowing hard and making a face, "so what you're saying is - the case isn't an easy one to begin with and on top of that, they're going to be watching how I handle leading it and how I do with a new caseworker?"

Andrew couldn't help but chuckle at the panic-stricken look on Nathaniel's face. He hadn't meant to scare the younger angel, only prepare him for the reality of what was coming. His chuckle grew into a full-out laugh when the look on Nathaniel's face grew even more unnerved.

"You're exactly right," Andrew said with a nod, "but again, I'll be right there with you. It'll all be just fine, really. I don't want you to worry until or unless there's something to worry about. You're ready and you're going to do great."

With that, he glanced at the watch on his wrist only to find that the hands were frozen. A dead battery, he supposed. Fleetingly, he thought of the watch shop he passed on his way into the cafe earlier that morning, with an extensive display of old-fashioned pocket watches on chains. Pushing that thought away and ignoring that his own watch was as good as useless, he nodded at Nathaniel and motioned towards the door.

"Let's head out. I'll brief you on the rest of the case details on our way."

The pair stood and made their way toward the door of the cafe. It was getting more crowded inside as the minutes ticked by and the sun rose higher in the sky. More and more people continued to pack themselves into the small shop searching for their fix of caffeine before a full day on the mountain. Smiling, Andrew held the door open for several groups of people. A flash of brilliant copper hair caught his eye among them and he watched as a small woman hurriedly entered the shop and nearly collided with Nathaniel just inside the doorway. She didn't look up, seemingly unaware of most around her, and continued on her way towards the counter to place an order.

"Whoa," Nathaniel said under his breath as the two of them headed towards the old truck that Andrew had arrived in, "I guess some people really need their morning coffee."

"Seriously, do you drink anything else?" Sophia teased her supervisor as she walked up to where Monica was waiting in the square, a giant to-go cup of coffee overwhelming her small, gloved hands. Monica shrugged and smiled.

"I wasn't going to bother this morning, really, but … there's a cute shop over there with a coffee bar and books and-" but Sophia cut her supervisor off before she could finish her long-winded explanation.

"Monica, I think you sometimes forget how well I know you," the younger angel said with a laugh, "you were going to skip it today but … yeah, I've heard that one before."

With that, Sophia stepped forward and embraced the other angel. It had been weeks since they'd last worked together and now, things were changing. Sophia could feel Monica stiffening slightly at her touch so she hugged her even tighter. Her supervisor wasn't the biggest fan of hugs, but Sophia ignored that and hugged her anyway, and often.

Sophia counted to ten and then released the other angel. She was met with glaring brown eyes and a scowl but she knew Monica was only teasing her back. The scowl melted into a smile and Monica had to admit that it was nice to see Sophia. It had been almost a month and though she didn't often crave the presence of others, Sophia was the exception.

"So Casework, huh?" She asked her young charge, brows raised. Sophia grinned sheepishly in response.

"Please don't be upset, I wanted to tell you, really. I just … I didn't want to mention it until I was sure it's what I wanted to do and then it all happened so fast and I didn't see you and I know you've been busy and -"

"Soph, I'm not upset," Monica interrupted, afraid that the angel before her might induce an asthma attack if she didn't stop for breath.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't around to give you the opportunity to tell me. I have been busy, but that's not an excuse to leave you to figure something like this out on your own."

Sophia smiled warmly but she was shaking her head.

"I appreciate that, but I wanted to do this on my own. I wanted to think about it without ... well, it's just I've heard you talk about Casework a lot and I didn't want …"

"You didn't want my opinion of Casework to influence your decision," Monica said quietly, finishing Sophia's thought for her. As she said the words, Monica felt the weight of guilt settle over her. She knew there had been many times in the past, even quite recently, that she'd been less than positive when speaking of her previous vocation. In her own mind, she hadn't so much been speaking negatively of her experiences as much as she'd attempted to avoid mentioning it at all, in favor of other topics of conversation.

In truth, for reasons she couldn't really explain, reminiscing on her own past was not something Monica found particularly pleasant. It wasn't that the memory itself of her time in Casework was bad. On the contrary, she'd had some truly wonderful experiences and had learned so much in her time working with Tess, about the humans and especially about herself. At times, she found herself feeling quite nostalgic for those years, but the nostalgia was fused with a strange and muddled mixture of emotions and mental images that didn't always add up in her mind. Sometimes, in quiet moments with just herself and her thoughts, Monica would experience a peculiar rush of joy or wonder or sorrow, but in trying to place these feelings, she found that she had no clear place or explanation for so much of it, like some large piece of the puzzle was missing. She had once overheard a group of humans discussing something they called "farsickness," in which a person experiences a bizarre sense of missing a place they had never visited, and she thought that this was akin to those inexplicable pangs of longing she felt on occasion.

"I think that you're going to make a wonderful caseworker, Sophia," Monica said, coming back to the present from the recesses of her mind.

"You really think so?" Sophia asked with a timid smile. Monica simply nodded, a sweet smile on her face. She linked her arm through Sophia's and the pair started out of the small town's central square. As they walked, Monica began sharing a bit of the information she'd been given about the upcoming assignment.

"This is going to feel quite different from the work you're used to. In Search and Rescue, it's all about timing and being in the right place at the right time, minimal interaction for the most part. Casework is different, it's much longer term. The assignments can be short and sweet, but more often they last days, weeks, sometimes even longer.

"We'll be working on a ranch called Spear Creek. The owners are Anna and Jacob Campbell. Anna grew up there and inherited the ranch when her father Tim died. Anna's mother Lisa passed when she was fifteen and Tim went shortly after Anna and Jacob were married. Lisa was a champion barrel racer and was a gifted trainer. After she retired from competition, she shifted her focus to rehabilitating injured or traumatized horses. She made a name for herself as something of a horse whisperer and people would bring their horses from all over the country for the opportunity to work with Lisa. For a time, this work kept the Spear family fed and happy. Sadly, Lisa was diagnosed with leukemia and within a handful of months, she was gone. Tim and Anna were left to pick up the pieces and without Lisa's work bringing money in, Tim had to make a few changes. He started a breeding operation and the ranch's reputation combined with Lisa's legacy proved to be financially rewarding. The stock out of Spear Creek was highly coveted at auction and Tim and Anna continued to live more than comfortably. As Anna got older, she took an interest in carrying on the work that her mother did in rehabilitation and took a few clients here and there. She met and married Jacob Campbell in the summer after she turned nineteen. Tim passed away from heart failure just a few months after their wedding.

"And that brings us to the present," Monica said, taking a breath, "the ranch has been struggling financially again in the last several years and our assignment, in very simple terms, is to help the Campbell's get back on track. They've hired a consulting service which specializes in equestrian operations and we're the consultants."

Sophia raised a brow and cocked her head to the side.

"But I don't know anything about horses, how will I be able to help?"

"Just like in Search and Rescue, you'll have the knowledge you need when you need it. I'm not so sure yet what roles we'll have but given the nature of the case, I'd imagine each of us will do something a little different," Monica said thoughtfully, remembering the various jobs she'd done as a caseworker, "for example, one of us might help on the business side, another of us could be a veterinarian, that sort of thing."

Sophia nodded in understanding, excitement gleaming in her blue eyes.

"When I met with the committee to talk about my transition, they said you and I would be working together with two others. My new supervisor is … Nathaniel and his supervisor will be there too, but I can't remember his name," Sophia mused thoughtfully, her features scrunching up in concentration as she tried to recall the name of the other angel.

"Andrew," Monica answered quickly, thinking back to her conversation with Tess. As she said the name, Monica again felt a strange flutter in her chest, as if her heart had simply forgotten to beat for a moment. But before she could analyze the odd occurrence, it had passed. Just as she'd explained to Sophia, the information she needed was coming to her mind in real-time.

"He was a Caseworker for a really long time and then was an Angel of Death," she explained airily, "and I'm not sure why he decided to go back to Casework, but he's a supervisor now, of course. Nathaniel is being promoted and you'll be his first."

As they walked, Monica continued supplying Sophia with the knowledge from her own head as it came to her. In the time that it took to explain what details of the assignment she knew to Sophia, and what she knew about the other angels they'd be working with, the pair had arrived in a broad field on the outskirts of Spear Creek. In the distance, there were two figures engaged in a casual game of football. One of them, lankily built and dark-haired, threw the football through the air, greatly overestimating the distance between him and his teammate. The football landed a few metres in front of Monica and Sophia, bouncing to a stop right at their feet. Monica picked it up, turning it over in her hands a few times before taking aim and launching it back through the air towards the other two in the field. The one who had thrown the ball caught Monica's return easily and started jogging forward to meet them.

"That was a great throw," he said as he approached them, smiling widely, "where did you learn to do that?"

Monica returned his smile and shrugged, not sure that she'd ever actually thrown a football before.

"Well, it was great, you'll have to give me some pointers some time! I'm Nate, by the way, and you must be …?" Nathaniel waited expectantly, tucking the football under one arm and stretching out his hand. Monica took it and gave it a gentle shake.

"Monica," she answered serenely, instantly taken by Nate's boyish charm and obvious enthusiasm.

"And you're Sophia," Nate said brightly, turning his eyes towards the brunette at Monica's side, "it's so nice to finally be meeting you, I'm really just so excited to get to know you and to get started …"

While Nate and Sophia continued exchanging animated pleasantries, Monica's attention shifted slightly to the right, where the other figure was slowly approaching. He was tall, muscular, skin evenly colored by the sun. His hair was golden blonde, like the color of wheat in late summer and he was dressed casually but sharp, in a crisp white button-down shirt and light tan trousers, the quintessential uniform common to angels taking a male human form. Though his facial features were strong, his eyes were soft and his lips were turned up on one side in an ever so slightly crooked smile.

For just an instant, Monica felt frozen where she stood, that curious flutter in her chest returning with a vengeance, hampering her ability to draw a full breath. She dropped her gaze away from his face, acutely aware that her own was inexplicably flushing with color. Through her lowered lids, she saw that he had extended his hand toward her in greeting and she looked back up, her stomach dropping slightly in a not altogether unpleasant swoop. Monica wasn't sure when she'd moved her own hand, but suddenly it was grasped firmly in his and she felt slightly faint, a bit clammy, and swallowed hard against an unfamiliar rush of emotion that she had no name for.

"Hi," he said softly, the crooked grin at his lips expanding into a full blown smile, "I'm Andrew."

Another quick note: I've found myself quite nostalgic lately for the communities and forums of old, so I've created a Discord server in an attempt to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. If you aren't familiar with Discord, it's essentially a modern version of a forum or chat room, where people with shared interests can connect. I wanted to create a space for writers/readers in this fan community, and especially for those of us with a soft spot for M/A fanfic. ;)

Anyone is welcome to join! Send me a PM and I will send back an invite code.

xo