Chapter 17

Andrew woke with Monica snuggled against him, a smile still playing about her lips even as she dreamed. Never had he even dared to imagine that things would end up this way. When his feelings had first made themselves known the best that he had hoped for was that he would be able to keep them hidden. Then, when he had feared that she was pulling away because of them he had hoped that he would be able to repair the damage and go forward as friends. Now, he was lying in bed with his arms wrapped around the most perfect creature he could ever dream of, knowing that when she woke up she wouldn’t be afraid of the love in his eyes, she would return it.

Very carefully he tilted his head to kiss her hair, while he rubbed soothing circles on her back. He was very certain that if he could only wake up like this every morning, he would never want for another thing. A slight shadow fell across his eyes as he remembered the half-spoken fear she had uttered the night before. She was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to be and do everything that he wanted. His hand stilled as he hugged her closer, suddenly feeling fiercely protective. He would convince her that she was wrong. Just the taste of her lips was like ambrosia to him, and if that was all she could ever give it would be more than he deserved.

A kitten-like yawn alerted him to the fact that she was waking up and he smiled as her eyes fluttered open and a blissful look spread over her face. "Good morning," he said warmly, running his hand up her back to settle around her shoulders.

"Good morning," she said happily.

"You slept well."

"I knew you would be here when I woke up," she said softly.

Andrew’s heart felt so full he wasn’t sure how it was continuing to beat. "I never asked you last night," he said around the lump in his throat, "but may I kiss you?"

She raised her head and looked down at him with joyful tears in her eyes and nodded slightly. One of his hands moved to her cheek and drew her down for a long, slow kiss that asked for nothing other than its own completion. He felt moisture against his thumb and pulled back to see a few stray tears bright against her cheeks.

"Hey, none of that," he said lovingly as he kissed them away.

"I’m sorry," she said with a little laugh. "I’m just so happy… I never… I didn’t think I’d ever feel happy again… and now I’m happier than I’ve ever been."

"Well that’s what I like to hear. Every day, angel. I want you to feel like that every day." He pulled her in for another kiss and then hugged her close, letting her move back to her place against his shoulder.

"I suppose we should think about getting up," he commented as he watched the sun rising higher in the sky and heard Paul making much more noise than necessary in the kitchen.

"I know. I have a lot to do," Monica said with an enigmatic smile.

He glanced down at her. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Angel’s secret," she teased. "Now we both have one."

"Well it’s a good thing it’s Friday, because I won’t have to wait in suspense for very long."

"I’ll try to make it worth your wait," she teased.

"Just being able to spend time with you will make it worth the wait," he said seriously. "All you need to do is be there."

"Well I can definitely promise you that."

"Good," he said on a smile and a moment later he heard a light rumbling sound. "Okay, now we definitely need to get up and get you something to eat. You barely ate yesterday and you can’t do secret stuff on an empty stomach."

"Today I think I’ll be able to eat," she said as she pushed herself up.

"I’m sorry you ever had to feel those doubts, Monica," he sat up and took hold of her hand.

"It’s all right," she said with a sweet smile and a little shrug.

Andrew kissed her on the forehead before getting out of bed and handing her a robe. It wasn’t all right as far as he was concerned, but he was going to do his best to replace those memories with much happier ones.

*****

"Are they ever getting up?"

Alex chuckled as she waited for the toast to spring up from the toaster. "I’m sure they were tired. It was a very emotional night," she reasoned.

"I know, but--" he was cut off by the two angels entering the kitchen.

"Good morning," Monica said with a shy smile. "I’m sorry we overslept."

"Don’t even think about it, honey," Paul said as Alex turned her back and stifled a laugh.

The first thing that Paul noticed was that Monica had come to the table in her nightgown and robe. She hadn’t left her room without being fully clothed in over a month. Andrew was still in his sweatpants and tshirt, hair slightly mussed, but eyes bright and cheerful. Paul couldn’t remember the last time that he had seen them look so relaxed.

"Did you sleep well?" Alex asked as she brought the toast to the table. Paul had already brought eggs and hashbrowns to the table and was busy passing them around.

"Like an angel," Monica replied, with that same shy smile.

Alex reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "I’m so glad," she said, her face completely radiant with her smile.

"I must admit, it’s nice to see you both here with smiles on your faces," Paul said, although he gave an extra glance to Andrew. He still had a few things to say to the angel, he realized, and would have to find the time to say them sooner rather than later. "So what are your plans today?"

"Actually," Monica said just a bit hesitantly, "I was hoping that Alex would take me into town."

The woman’s eyes sparkled at the very idea. "A trip to town? Since when have I ever refused that? We can go just as soon as you get dressed."

The Irish angel smiled her thanks and then took a long drink of coffee. Somehow everything tasted so much better this morning. It was as if she was finally waking up after a very, very long sleep.

*****

Monica was scarcely belted into the car before Alex started asking her questions.

"So where to first? No, wait, tell me everything…. I mean, not everything… but you and Andrew… you’re going to go forward with this, right?"

Monica grinned. "Yes. He asked me out."

"He asked you out?!" Alex enunciated each word. "Oh my God! Oh, sorry about that, I mean, Oh my goodness! Your first date! This is so great!"

The angel couldn’t help but giggle. Alex was almost more excited about it than she was. "What I really need is help with my clothes," she said as she plucked at the bulky sweater she was currently wearing.

Alex had noticed that Monica had abandoned the flannel shirts for the first time, but even so, her outfit was very pretty, but not very flattering. She pursed her lips together as she stared down the road, trying to think of the best store to take the angel to.

"Well, we don’t know where he’s taking you, right?" Monica shook her head, and Alex continued, "But this is Andrew, so I’m sure it will be someplace nice. LBD. I think that’s your best bet."

"LBD?"

"Little Black Dress. It’s a staple for any woman’s closet," Alex said with confidence. "I know just the place. In fact, I know just the dress. I almost bought it for myself, but I already have two, and anyway, it will look much better on you. You’re nice and petite."

Monica’s eyes were opened in child-like innocence. Whatever Alex said, she was sure she wouldn’t steer her wrong.

"Oh, you’re going to have so much fun! This is wonderful. Ahh," she let out a long sigh and glanced over at Monica who was looking slightly intimidated. She reached over and patted her hand. "Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you," she said with a grin.

"I know you will," Monica replied.

"We’ll have ourselves a major shopping spree actually as chances are, one date will lead to another one, so you’ll need an assortment," Alex continued to chatter happily, "I’m so excited for you," She looked over at the angel and saw her gazing out the window at the passing scenery. Reaching over once more, she squeezed Monica’s hand, "You look happy."

Monica turned back to face her friend and smiled, "I am, Alex. After everything that has happened to think that this is the end result…it’s almost hard to imagine. I keep expecting to wake up from a dream."

"Well, I can pinch you if need be to reassure you this is no dream, honey," The agent winked at her and as she did, caught a glimpse of something more, "So tell me what is bothering you? Are you nervous?"

The little angel laughed and shook her head, "Silly as it sounds, I am. I’ve never gone on a date before and I think with most humans, that is a getting to know you time at first. But Andrew and I have been together forever, and we know everything there is to know about each other."

"I think you’ll be surprised, honey. I knew Paul for quite awhile as well, even before we were partners as we both worked for the agency. No, we weren’t as close as you and Andrew have been all these years, but I thought I knew him pretty well before I fell in love with him. But when a man is smitten, Monica, you see a whole ‘nother side to him! And trust me, Andrew has it bad!"

She felt a blush rising to her cheeks as she giggled, "How do you know this? I didn’t know it."

"The writing was all over the wall, Monica, but then I’ve always thought so, maybe even before he did. You were too close to the situation to notice any subtle changes and you had way too many other things you were dealing with, but lets not talk about that."

Monica smiled and fell silent for a moment, debating whether to voice her other fears to Alex. The two had grown so close and from the angel’s perspective of having no experience in this field whatsoever, she considered the agent an expert, "I’m a little scared to be honest. I don’t really know where all this is leading and I’m not sure anything like this has ever happened before…to angels I mean. I feel like…in some ways I know more than I should, but in other ways, nothing at all," She let out a deep breath to calm her racing nerves, "I love him, Alex, but I don’t want to let him down in any way…"

"Now hold it right there," Alex interrupted, glancing over at her friend before she pulled the car over to the side of the road and threw it into Park so she could give Monica her full attention, "I don’t think you could let Andrew down if you tried, Monica. He loves you and anyone with eyes can see that, and he knows everything. He was there for it, he helped you through it, he knows how hard you struggled. I don’t think he would expect anything, so don’t you go into this with any more expectations other than the fact that you two love each other. All the rest of the shit you are worrying about is just that. I don’t think Andrew is expecting anything from you other than what you are willing and comfortable with giving, so don’t you expect more from yourself than he is."

Monica nodded her head, feeling a little bit better about the situation though she knew her concerns would remain in the back of her mind for awhile, "All right."

"You trust him and he is not going to do anything to betray that, honey. He only wants to take care of you and to be able to love you in whatever way you can allow him to. He’s just so damn happy to have you."

She blinked back happy tears as Alex smiled before putting the car back in Drive and pulling back onto the road. The agent was right and hopefully she would be able to put the rest of her fears to rest soon…and for forever.

*****

"Got a minute?" Paul asked as he walked into the living room after spending some time trying to catch up on paperwork in his office. Well, he had been trying to work, but his thoughts were elsewhere, so he figured now was as good a time as any to confront them.

Andrew looked up at the agent and suppressed a grin. He’d had a feeling that now that the truth was out between he and Monica, that he had just taken on more than just a relationship with the little Irish angel, but with her big brother as well, "Actually, Paul, I’ve been expecting you."

Paul raised an eyebrow as he sat down in the chair across from the angel and tried to figure out how to broach the subject of his concern. "So, about this thing with you and Monica…I just want to make sure that you and I are on the same page."

"By all means," Andrew replied, giving the agent the invitation to continue.

He cleared his throat, for some reason feeling awkward about having a birds and bees conversation with an angel, "She’s happy, that much I can tell and I know that means a great deal to both of us. However," He looked Andrew right in the eye, "regardless of everything she has been through, she is still a very innocent little angel and I know, as you are an angel as well, you may be that too, but you’re still male, and we both know how we think…well, how some men think…not you or I necessarily…" He ran a hand through his hair and gave a rueful grin, "Oh fuck this…I’ll cut to the chase…you hurt her, I’ll kill you."

Andrew laughed, unable to help himself, though he knew in part, Paul was serious. When it came to Monica, there were certain things he expected and he knew this as he expected them from Paul at all times as well, "Paul, you have no need to worry, I promise you."

"Yeah, well, maybe not. I know you love her and that you’ve always taken care of her, but your relationship is changing and she may not be ready for much…"

"I know that and I have no expectations, Paul. I’ve told Monica the same thing in regards to her voicing her concerns last night and I plan to keep making that abundantly clear. I want nothing more than to be with her, Paul and being with her can entail as little or as much as she wants. That’s the bottom line," His voice was completely serious and he watched as the agent relaxed, "I know what she has been through and if she is never ready for more than we already have, I’m completely happy with that. All I want is to make her happy, and make her forget the last few weeks, and give her a reason to smile. Nothing more."

Paul nodded his head, feeling completely reassured, "It’s not that I doubted you, buddy, but when one protector is crossing a line, the other has to interrogate…you know how it is. It’s in the rule book."

Andrew chuckled once more, "She is in good hands, Paul. You have my word on it."

*****

"So, you had a good time with Alex today?"

The two angels were snuggled up together in Monica’s room late that night and Andrew smiled as she nodded her head against his chest, "Yes, it was a girl’s day out and a lot of fun. We should do it more often," She knew what he was really asking her. He wanted to know if she had felt afraid at all and she smiled when she realized the truth, "I wasn’t afraid at all of being in town this time, Andrew. I knew I was safe," She moved to rest her chin on her hand so she could gaze up at him, "I’m not fooling myself. I know that there may still be times when I feel frightened…maybe even for a long time, but somehow knowing how you feel about me, makes me not feel as afraid, even when you aren’t with me."

He smiled tenderly at her, as his fingers brushed through her hair, "Had I known that, angel, I would have told you the truth a long time ago."

She smiled, "I think your timing was perfect. I may not have been ready to hear it earlier," She inched up to kiss him gently, thinking she would never get tired of that simple freedom, "When did you know?"

He chuckled softly. He enjoyed the inquisitive expression on her face, a sure sign that she was definitely feeling better about everything, "I’m not sure, sweetie. Maybe when I first realized I was jealous of the attention Paul was paying you back when we first met him," A rueful grin crossed his face, "I didn’t like it, not one bit. I didn’t like having to share you with anyone other than Tess or God."

"And you knew how Paul felt about me back then," A giggle escaped her at the irony of it all.

"Paul mentioned once about how back then he thought he was going to have to duel me for you…I think he’d have had a bigger fight on his hands than he realized had it come to that," He admitted teasingly, enjoying the sound of another giggle from her.

"You owe him a lot. He set me straight last night about a lot of things," Monica remarked, watching as his eyebrows rose in question, "I didn’t want to accept those things at first, but regardless of the things I’m still not completely sure about…about myself…he spoke a lot of truths. I think he may be an angel-in-waiting."

His hand reached out to touch her cheek, "You just give me a little more time, angel. You will be completely certain of all the things he said."

Monica blinked back tears and nodded her head, "I hope so, Andrew. I want that for both of us."

"You’ll have it," He promised, knowing he would find a way.

Chapter 18

Monica was still towel drying her hair as she emerged from the bathroom the next morning. Alex had told her to hold off on wearing any of her new clothes until after the big night, so she was dressed in jeans and a cozy sweatshirt, but at least the flannel shirt had been left in the closet. She wandered back to her bedroom, and then into the kitchen, finally ending up in the living room where Paul and Alex were reading the paper.

"Have you seen Andrew?" she asked. She wasn’t exactly nervous, but at the same time she felt unsettled at not being able to find him.

"Andrew had to run off for a bit," Paul said.

"Run off? He was called away?" her voice rose a bit and Alex whacked Paul with her part of the paper.

"Stop teasing her, Paul!" she admonished. "He just went to do some "secret stuff" for tonight, Monica. Nothing to be worried about."

Paul looked up sheepishly, and reached for Monica’s hand. She still looked a little upset and he felt guilty, a feeling made deeper by the glare Alex was sending his way. "I’m sorry, sweetie. Hey, Alex was just about to start making a picnic lunch so that we could go for a nice long ride. How does that sound?"

The pathetically apologetic look on his face was enough to make Monica smile again. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," she agreed, thinking that it would also keep her from continuing to wonder what Andrew was up to.

Alex, on the other hand was having a hard time containing her sarcastic grin, considering that the picnic lunch she was supposed to be making was something she was just hearing about for the first time. She had to hand it to her husband, he was very good at thinking on his feet.

"Well," she said with just a hint of a grin and a raised eyebrow at Paul, "I guess I’d better get busy on that lunch." She folded her paper and restrained herself from smacking him again as she passed by on her way to the kitchen.

"I’ll help," Monica said brightly, completely oblivious to the spousal politics playing out around her. She turned to follow Alex, and Paul let his head fall backwards against the back of the sofa. One more little disaster averted.

The day was spent very pleasantly, riding and laughing, with Paul and Alex continuing their familiar banter through all of it. They ate lunch in the same spot where Monica and Paul and Andrew had first picnicked together almost three years earlier. When Monica thought about that time it was hard to believe that it had been so long ago. She only thought about Andrew every other minute or so, and considered that rather good considering that she was sorely missing his presence. They all continued their ride after lunch, going deep into the forest and following an overflowing creek that crossed the property. It wasn’t until Alex gave a little gasp that they realized how late it was.

"Oh no! It’s almost four o’clock. Okay, everyone turn around, we’ve got to get back… hurry, hurry!" the woman exclaimed.

Paul chuckled. "Alex, what’s the big rush? I thought they weren’t going out until seven?"

Monica was thinking the same thing, but she wisely kept it to herself as Alex looked at him with exasperation.

"That’s only three hours away! We still have to get her showered, dressed, made-up and ready! Now move, move, move!"

He was still chuckling, but he wheeled his horse around and spurred him into a trot as Alex and Monica did the same. Gone was the leisurely pace, but suddenly the butterflies were back in the angel’s stomach and she pushed Scout to go faster. What if Alex was right? Maybe they didn’t have enough time! She and Alex ended up passing Paul as they reached the pastures and broke into canters. Of course, Paul lost some time then when he pulled his horse to a halt in order to throw back his head and laugh. He wasn’t laughing quite as hard when he saw that his wife had left him to deal with the horses as she and Monica ran up the path to the house.

Twenty minutes later Monica was towel drying her hair for the second time that day, and Alex was laying clothes out on her bed. The black dress was short, but not too short, and low-cut, but not enough to make the angel self-conscious. It was strapless, with a scoop neckline trimmed in subtle black beads, just enough to bring a little sparkle, and scattered over the rest of the dress were more beads, which glinted slightly in the waning sunlight. The hem had another row of beads and Alex had even managed to find a pair of strappy shoes that matched. The young agent felt as if she was about to send her little sister off to the senior prom. She left to let Monica get dressed and when the angel hesitantly walked into the living room Paul was the first to notice.

His eyes widened and he looked her up and down, feeling that now familiar surge of protectiveness wash over him. Yes, he would definitely have to kill Andrew if he so much as laid an inappropriate hand on her. He cleared his throat and Alex turned around and saw her standing in the doorway, hair loose around her shoulders, eyes bright but slightly nervous.

"You look beautiful," she said with a smile. "Doesn’t she look beautiful, Paul?"

He stood up and moved to kiss the angel on the cheek. "Stunning."

"Okay, now on to phase two. Make-up," Alex said as she sprang from her chair and led Monica back down the hall to the bathroom.

She had managed to convince the angel to get just a bit of lipstick and eye shadow and applying it only took a matter of minutes. She took a half step back to admire her handiwork and nodded in satisfaction.

"Yep. If his jaw doesn’t drop to the floor, I’ll be very surprised," she declared, pleased when Monica giggled at the thought.

Only moments later there was a knock at the door and Alex glanced down at her watch. "That must be him!"

Monica went to answer the door but Alex grabbed her wrist firmly. "You can’t get the door! Go wait in your room, I’ll come and get you," she insisted.

"But I’m all ready now," Monica said, puzzled.

"I know, I know. Just trust me. This is how it works on first dates," she said with a wink, and then gave Monica a tiny shove to her room.

Paul already had the door open and Alex wasn’t sure what he had said, but the angel was standing there looking almost as nervous as Monica had earlier in the day.

"She’s just finishing up, I’m sure she’ll be ready in a minute," she said as she took note of the roses Andrew was holding.

"I don’t know about you, but this feels awfully weird," Paul finally said as they stood in the entryway staring at each other. "I mean, hell, it isn’t like they’re just meeting for the first time!"

Alex rolled her eyes as Andrew relaxed and grinned. "That’s not the point," she said with a sigh, and then looked at the two of them again and gave in. "Oh, all right. I’ll go get her."

Paul kept himself from laughing until Alex had left the room. "They’ve been in there for almost three hours!" he exclaimed.

When Monica appeared a moment later, Andrew decided that it had been worth every minute.

"Be back by midnight," Paul whispered to Andrew under his breath, only half-joking, before he gave Monica a hug. "Have a wonderful time," he told her, and then went to find his wife.

"You look… exquisite," Andrew said, slowly, as if searching for the perfect word and still not quite happy with his choice. "I mean, you always do… but…" he smiled, unable to even continue.

Monica’s eyes were sparkling and she pointed to the roses he held. "Are those for me?" she said with child-like excitement.

"Oh, yes, of course," he stammered as if just remembering that he was holding them. He handed them to her and watched as she buried her nose in the dark red blossoms, her smile growing wider, and her eyes closing blissfully.

"They’re beautiful," she said softly.

"I have something else for you too," he said as he carefully took the flowers back and set them on the table by the door, knowing that Alex would take care of them. He handed Monica a flat velvet box and watched as her cheeks flushed and her delicate fingers traced the soft material. "Aren’t you going to open it?" he teased.

She grinned and slowly pushed the cover open, the creaking sound giving way to a dull snap as it opened all the way. Inside, was a delicate necklace, a heart pendant made of tiny emeralds and suspended from a gold chain. Monica had to blink quickly to keep tears from obscuring her vision of it.

"It-it’s beautiful," she breathed as she gently removed it from the box. It had to have been very expensive and the thought suddenly occurred to her that whatever money Andrew had spent on it had come directly from God. She felt a little sob catch in her chest at the realization that it was another sign that He approved.

"May I?" Andrew asked as he held out his hand, and Monica nodded and handed him the necklace before turning around.

He carefully brushed her hair to the side before lowering the pendant and then fastening the clasp behind her neck. He gently brushed the soft skin there and couldn’t resist bending to place a delicate kiss just above the clasp.

"What on Earth is going on here!"

Monica jumped so much that she nearly stumbled, and Andrew had to reach out a hand to keep her on her feet as he watched the color rise in her cheeks.

"I think I asked you angelbabies a question!"

Andrew had always thought that Tess had impeccable timing, but this was not one of those times. He felt completely speechless for a moment, but Monica looked as if she wanted to bolt from the room, so he decided he’d better start talking, "Glad to have you back, Tess," He remarked with a wry grin.

The older angel looked slightly more than disgruntled, "Someone needs to start explaining something."

"A lot has happened," He offered, winking at Monica to put her more at ease. This was not the way he wanted this evening to begin and he offered up a silent prayer for Divine Intervention.

"Obviously," She replied, eyeing the blond angel up and down. A lecture was on the tip of her tongue, when unbeknownst to her, Andrew’s prayer was answered. The words spoken to her caused the annoyed lines in her face to soften and an expression of almost awe to replace it. A moment later, she was shaking her head in wonder, "In all my days…I suppose if the world ended tomorrow, I could honestly say that I’d seen everything."

Andrew relaxed and even felt bold enough to wrap his arm around Monica’s shoulders, "I take it that it has been explained?" He was unable to help but grin. It wasn’t often that Tess had so little to say.

"Yes, not that I wouldn’t like to hear it from the two of you…" She began, but then she smiled, "But not tonight." She was still feeling rather amazed by this unexpected turn of events, but she felt tears moisten her eyes when she looked at her young charge, who had finally started to relax. There was a happiness in the little angel’s eyes that had not been present when Tess had last been here and that fact alone brought more peace to her heart then she had felt in quite some time.

Stepping over to the youngest angel, Tess laid a hand against her cheek, "You look beautiful, baby. Have a wonderful time tonight."

Blinking back tears, Monica nodded her head as she moved her hug her supervisor, "Thank you."

"You’re welcome and Andrew, you take good care of her," She added as she pulled away and gave the angel of death a hard look.

"Only the best, which is what she deserves, I promise," He replied warmly, looking down at Monica, "Shall we?" He held out his arm to her and smiled when she took it and nodded her head.

As the two angels departed, Tess shook her head once more, "Lord, you do move in mysterious ways," She muttered but then looked up at the setting sun and smiled, "But this one, certainly must be one of Your greater miracles."

*****

Andrew opened the passenger door of Paul’s car and holding onto Monica’s hand, guided her inside, before closing the door behind her and walking over to the other side of the car. She was nervous and he suppressed a smile, finding it endearing, though he was also not completely at ease and the near run in with Tess hadn’t helped. He wanted this to be night the little angel would remember for a long time, and he wanted to do it right.

Monica glanced over at him shyly as he pulled out of the driveway, "I don’t think I thanked you for the roses and the necklace," She said softly, as her fingers moved to touch the delicate heart around her neck.

He smiled as he briefly met her gaze, "It reminded me of you, angel; delicate, beautiful and perfect."

She nearly corrected him, but thought better of it. She had agreed to let him convince her of all the things he and Paul had been telling her. It was just hard at times to hear them and to believe them about herself. She felt a slight blush rising to her cheeks and she ducked her head slightly before stealing another glance at him. He looked quite handsome in his black suit and tie and she felt her breath catch in her throat. It still felt odd to think of him that way, and to feel the things in her heart when she had those thoughts. She was still terribly nervous about where all of this was going, but was determined to stay in the moment and allow tomorrow to take care of itself.

Sensing that she was lost in thought, Andrew reached over and linked his fingers through hers, "You okay?"

Monica nodded her head and emitted a small giggle, "I’m nervous. I’ve never gone on a date before. You’ve at least had some experience with an assignment or two."

"Yes," He admitted, squeezing her hand reassuringly, "But never with someone I had given my heart to."

The tears rushed to her eyes unbidden and she blinked them back once more as she smiled and settled back to enjoy the ride.

****

"Andrew…" Monica’s voice was scarcely a whisper as the waiter led them to a table; a very private table, alone, on the beach right next to the lake. The only illumination was a candle surrounded by a hurricane glass that sat in the middle of the elegantly set table. The starched tablecloth was crisp and white and the only item on the table that was not of that color was contained within the white budvase; a beautiful red rose. "You did all this?"

He smiled as he nodded his thanks to the waiter before turning to the little angel and taking her face in his hands, "Finish the sentence, angel. Yes, I did all this…for you."

She was unable to stop the tears that welled up in her eyes this time, though she bit the inside of her lip to try to keep them from falling. He had put forth such effort and for no other reason than to make her happy, because he loved her. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, "I love you so much," She whispered tearfully into his ear.

Andrew’s hand rubbed her bare shoulder soothingly as his other arm wrapped around her tiny waist, "I love you too, sweetheart," He replied softly, once again promising himself that he would convince her that she deserved all this and more. Just before he pulled away he kissed her tenderly, feeling the warmth of her body as she pressed up against him to return his affection. As they reluctantly parted, he pulled out her chair for her and as she sat down his hand remained on her shoulder, "Are you warm enough?"

"Yes. It’s a beautiful night," Monica smiled as she wiped at her eyes carefully, "If you don’t stop making me cry, Alex is going to be upset that I ruined her makeup job."

He chuckled softly as he sat down and then reached for her hand, "The makeup wasn’t really necessary as you are beautiful without it, but you are breathtaking tonight, angel." He knew it was true as he could barely take his eyes from her and sitting across from her at the small table felt like miles away. Just being away from her all day today had been agonizing, but the smile on her face made the separation today worth while.

Monica blushed at the sincere compliment, "Thank you, but Alex did it really…" She stopped as she felt him squeeze her hand.

"God did it, angel," He told her gently, "Alex just accentuated what was already there to begin with," He saw her blush deepening and the almost thankful look on her face when the waiter approached with a bottle of champagne on ice. He smiled at the surprised look on Monica’s face as he moved to pour them each a glass. He waited until she had taken hers, before he raised his slightly and appeared thoughtful for a moment, "To a beautiful night," He said simply as he brushed his glass with hers and held her gaze as they took a sip.

The bubbly liquid caused a warmth to rush through her, even after one taste and after another venture of a small sip, she began to feel more relaxed, "I think Tess was a bit surprised." She grinned as she set her glass back on the table and ran her finger idly around the rim.

"I would say so," Andrew chuckled, "And I don’t think she was the only one."

Monica giggled, remembering how she had felt as if she and Andrew had been caught doing something wrong, "I’m sure Paul and Alex are being given the third degree right about now. Thankfully, Alex has no fear, though at times, I think Paul is still slightly intimidated."

"Well Paul probably has the right idea!"

Another laugh from Monica made Andrew’s heart beat faster. Despite the unusual start, this was turning out to be exactly the night he had planned.

Dinner was filled with more shy smiles from Monica and loving looks from Andrew as they worked their way through three courses and on to dessert. For once it was Andrew who was having the hard time eating. He didn’t want to look away from her long enough to concentrate on his food.

At first conversation was almost awkward, as Monica was nervous, and neither of them was quite sure what to say. They had been best friends for so long, they had shared so much, and now suddenly they found themselves tongue-tied. Monica wondered if this was what Alex had meant when she said that things would be different. Then, as if in an answer to a prayer, a firefly had flown down over their table, circling and blinking out it’s delicate light. Somehow seeing it flitting around had made them both laugh, and the next thing they knew they were talking just the way they always had.

After dessert of cheesecake with strawberries and cups of hot cappuccino, the two of them sat staring at each other as the candles burned down and the music from the restaurant drifted out on the breeze. Andrew’s eyes were lit like stars as he watched Monica delicately take the last sip of her coffee. Over the course of the evening he had only become more infatuated with her. Every movement was catalogued and stored in his mind as precious and sweet.

"Are you still warm enough?" he asked as he placed a strong hand over hers on the table.

She nodded as she set down her coffee cup and smiled. "I feel wonderful."

Andrew’s eyes motioned towards the shoreline and he squeezed her hand. "I was thinking we could take a little walk along the beach," he suggested.

Monica’s eyes lit up but then she looked troubled as she looked down and poked one foot out from under the table. "I’m not exactly wearing the right shoes."

Andrew bent over and quickly unbuckled the straps on both shoes. "I think that bare feet are perfectly acceptable," he said as he stood up and offered her his hand.

Their table was positioned on the harder sand not too far from the restaurant’s back deck, and Andrew dropped her shoes beside it and led her down to the softer sand, and near the shores of the lake. His fingers were intertwined with hers and she smiled up at him as they walked along the water.

"Have you had a good time?" Andrew asked as he looked off over the lake, feeling suddenly nervous.

Monica stared at him, astonished that he would even wonder. "Andrew… this has been one of the best nights of my life," she said, eyes bright with tears. "I… you… this has made me feel…" she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. "You have made me feel perfect," she whispered and felt his arms tighten.

"Angel, you are perfect, and beautiful, and so precious."

"When you’re holding me like this… I believe that," she said as she tilted her head and gazed into his eyes.

He ran one hand through her hair and bent his head to kiss her. "In that case, I guess I’ll never be able to let you go."

*****

"Paul, it’s only twelve-thirty!" Alex exclaimed as she grabbed onto her husband’s shirt and pulled him back to the bed.

"I said midnight," he said, with a stern look on his face.

Alex started to laugh and covered her mouth so that the sound wouldn’t disturb Tess who was sleeping down the hall. "I hate to be the one to break this to you, but you’re not her father," she said once she had her laughing down to a snicker.

He glared at her, and then rolled his eyes. "I never said I was… I’m more like her big brother… her very protective big brother."

She leaned over and kissed him, then ruffled his hair, pulled back and slapped him on the shoulder. "That’s what I love about you, Paul, ya big goof."

"Hey, you never know what could happen," he defended himself.

"Are you listening to yourself?" Alex replied, her face showing both amazement and humor. "They’re angels! Angels, Paul. I don’t think you could ask for a safer date!"

Paul finally let out a long sigh and fell back against the pillows, pulling his wife close. "Yeah, okay, fine."

Another chuckle from Alex, and he looked down as she muttered, "Sheesh! I can only imagine what you’ll be like if we have a daughter."

He instantly tensed as his eyebrows drew together. "She wouldn’t date ‘til she was twenty-one, simple as that," he declared.

"Yes dear," Alex said and she rolled towards him and kissed him on the cheek. "Whatever you say. Now please shut off the light and kiss me."

Chapter 19

Paul wound up being the third one up the following morning, much to his surprise. Generally, he was the first one out of bed and would have breakfast started by the time Alex would wander sleepily into the kitchen, eyes only half opened for the cup of coffee he would press into her hand. He knew her well; conversation was best kept to a minimum until half the cup was empty, at least if he valued his life.

But this morning, the two angels were already awake and quietly clamoring around the kitchen and the agent stood in the doorway, unnoticed, observing them as he tried to gauge how their date had gone.

As cooking had never been one of Monica’s strong suites, Andrew was standing behind her at the counter as he instructed her in seasoning what would soon be hashbrowns. Paul couldn’t quite make out their quiet whispers and he could hear hushed giggles from the little angel. He watched as, satisfied, Andrew left her to her task, but not before wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek, and Paul didn’t miss the little grin on Monica’s face.

The agent was trying to put his own concerns to rest, but it was still difficult for him. It was obvious that Andrew made Monica happy, and for that he was eternally grateful. But the memories from the last several weeks still haunted him and sometimes kept him awake at night, long after Alex was sound asleep, snuggled up against him. He didn’t want the vulnerable little angel getting in over her head so soon after her horrific ordeal as he had caught glimpses of scars on her soul and though he trusted Andrew, he was not as quick to trust the newfound emotions that were running through the two angels. Monica had a track record of expecting far too much from herself and he didn’t want to see her pushing herself to move things along too quickly.

"Paul. Good morning," Monica’s cheery greeting as she spotted him caused him to stand up straight, not wanting it to look as if he had been spying, despite that truth.

"Good morning," He smiled, taking note that she and Alex had done some serious shopping, as the petite angel was looking more like herself in jeans that actually fit her properly and a salmon colored summer sweater, with delicate buttons extending from the v-neck. She looked both relaxed and comfortable and the absence of shoes was something he had come to expect from her, "Did you two kids have a good time last night?" He teased lightly, only then seeing the emerald heart that Monica had around her neck.

"A wonderful time," She corrected him with a smile, first to him, before she looked over at Andrew and met his gaze, "So wonderful in fact, that we’re fixing you and Alex breakfast. Sort of a thank you for all your help with last night."

"I hope your infatuation with her isn’t making you blind to her previous cooking experience, buddy," He grinned in the blond angel’s direction, "I was just standing here trying to decide if I should dig out the fire extinguisher."

Monica tried to look indignant, but failed miserably as she giggled, "No, he has not yet consented to that, so your house is still safe."

Paul and Andrew chuckled at her honest reply, "We’ll then, I guess I’ll grab a shower and wake the lady," He winked playfully, "And Tess. And in case you are worrying about her, don’t. Between God, Alex and I she is all up to speed."

"Thanks, Paul," Andrew grinned, exchanging a relieved look with the little angel, "At first I was worried we weren’t going to get out the door last night."

"Yeah, with her blocking it, I’m sure you were. She can be a little intimidating at times."

Monica ducked her head to stifle a laugh, remembering her conversation with Andrew last night at dinner. Andrew’s eyes were twinkling mischievously as well, but he simply gave a nod to Paul.

Though the agent had the feeling he was riding on the tail end of some joke, he turned to the hall, deciding not to ask. Changing his mind a moment later, he turned back and stopped abruptly.

The two angels had crossed paths in the kitchen and now Andrew’s hands were cupping her face as he kissed her tenderly and the agent shook his head. Maybe he was wrong to worry, but he couldn’t help but to feel unsettled, thinking that when the time came for two angels to return to their respective duties, Monica would be losing much more than her security.

*****

The chirping of the crickets seemed to be the only sound to signify that any other creatures were even still awake on the warm summer night. Though the darkness still caused her to feel afraid, with Andrew’s arms around her on the porch, Monica felt perfectly safe.

The last two weeks had been a whirlwind of activity that caused her heart to soar, coupled with more temporary good-byes that caused it to ache. Tess had been called away once more, which though it had saddened the little angel, had also come as a bit of a relief. The older angel had been watching she and Andrew closely and neither of the younger angels were convinced that their friend was completely comfortable with their deepening relationship. She was always cheerful and encouraging, but Monica still felt as if Tess had not quite accepted the changes.

Paul and Alex were spending more time in Washington now, which had been at Alex’s not to subtle suggestion. Paul had been taking his "big brother" role rather seriously, though he always did it under the pretense of joking. Monica imagined that being angels confused the issue a bit for her friend as Paul always seemed to be asking Andrew where things were heading between them. It was during one of these interrogations, that Alex had plopped herself down on her husband’s lap and remarked with a grin, "It is SO time for us to go back to work!"

Monica could only suspect that a much longer conversation later that night had followed Alex’s initial remark, as the next morning, it had been decided. The two agents were now in the city most of the week, returning in time for the weekend and the little angel missed them.

"Angel, you’re miles away." Andrew’s voice broke into her thoughts and she looked up at him and smiled but he could sense a trace of sadness in her eyes as he tightened his hold on her, "What is it, Monica? Something is bothering you."

She gave a tiny shrug, unsure of how to answer him. The romance between them was continuing to blossom, but that brought with it a new set of problems for her, though there was only one she felt able to share. "We’ve been here a long time," she whispered, laying her head against his shoulder, "I suppose it will be ending soon."

He instantly knew her fears. As often as they were assigned to work together, they were often assigned to work apart and he had been thinking about it too, or rather, trying not to think about it as he couldn’t imagine leaving her, not now. Not only did his love for her make the thought unbearable, but so did the rape as the very thought of something triggering a flashback when she was alone or possibly with someone who had not known her struggle made his stomach twist into a knot. "Let’s not think about that yet. We haven’t been told anything." Though he too knew that with Tess on assignment and Alex and Paul back at work, that he and Monica were on borrowed time.

She gazed up at him, blinking back tears, "I just wish we could stay like this forever," she whispered as if stating it could make it so.

Andrew kissed the top of her head, then dipped his own to brush his lips up against hers, "Me too," He whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

Though she loved the feeling of his arms around her and could not ever imagine herself growing tired of being able to kiss him, she felt the doubt creep slowly back into her heart again. She felt as if she had been taking so much from him and was giving him nothing in return and for some reason she was terrified of them going on separate assignments without being able to give of herself completely. The problem was that she was equally terrified of doing so. She had wanted to talk to Alex about it, but the weekends seemed to get away from them and she was never able to get the agent alone for more than a minute or two. So she had been left to imagine the worst and trying to steel herself to be able to give it anyway.

"It will all work out, angel," His soothing voice caused her to close her eyes, trying to block out her thoughts, "I will find a way to make sure it does."

"Yes," She whispered, feeling a lump rise to her throat, "So will I."

*****

Two days later, Monica woke early and ventured into the kitchen alone, quickly starting coffee before sitting down at the table with the cordless phone in her hand. She had come to a few decisions during the night, and one of them had been that she definitely needed to talk to Alex.

Andrew and she had fallen into a very pleasant routine, spending nearly every waking moment together, exploring their new relationship and further deepening their very old friendship. One part of that routine was that Friday nights had turned into "date night" with Andrew disappearing for several hours in the afternoon, and arriving at the door at precisely seven o’clock, with roses and an offered arm. This Friday, Monica was determined that the evening would end with more than just amorous kisses.

Friday was only a day away and she just had to talk to Alex before hand. She had been putting it off, hoping that maybe the agent would call to check in, or that somehow all of her trepidation would simply fall away as the day approached, but in fact the opposite had happened. She found herself growing more nervous and was even afraid that Andrew was beginning to pick up on it. She had caught him looking at her with concern during their dinner the night before. She was ashamed to find that she was hoping he just thought it was some left-over feelings from the rape, and then she realized that he wouldn’t exactly be wrong.

Taking a deep breath she quickly punched in Alex’s cell phone number. It was only eight-thirty but she knew that the agent always arrived at the office by eight so hopefully Paul would not be around.

After two rings, "Agent Bennett," was the crisp answer over the phone.

"Alex?" her friend sounded more official and businesslike than she’d ever heard.

"Monica, is that you?"

"Yes," Monica answered feeling somewhat less confident than she had five minutes earlier.

"Is something wrong? What’s wrong? Do you need me to get Paul?"

"No, no… he’s not with you, is he?"

Alex sounded puzzled and concerned. "No, he’s not here. Monica, what’s up?"

"I… I wanted to talk to you."

The agent quickly went into her office and shut the door. "Okay, I’m in my office now. Are you sure you’re all right? You sound like something’s wrong."

Monica chewed on her lower lip until Alex repeated her name again, obviously concerned. "It’s about Andrew… well, it’s about me and Andrew."

"Oh, honey, you didn’t have a fight did you?" Alex could only imagine how that would upset the little angel.

"Oh no! Nothing like that," Monica replied, hardly able to imagine fighting with him.

"Well that’s good, but then what is it? You sound a little worried."

A little sigh came through the phone and Alex gripped the phone a bit tighter. "He’s been so wonderful to me," Monica breathed.

"Well of course he has. He loves you," she said with a smile.

"And I love him… and I want to prove that to him…"

Somehow Alex just knew where this conversation was going. "Monica, you don’t need to prove anything to him. He knows how you feel about him."

Monica didn’t seem to be listening. "I’m a little afraid, Alex. I thought… I thought maybe you could tell me what to do… what to do so it wouldn’t hurt…"

"Monica!" Alex’s stomach clenched, thinking about how the little angel’s one experience with intimacy was filling her with dread over what might happen in the future. She took a few breaths to keep her own heart under control. "Monica, if you’re scared you shouldn’t even be considering this. You are still healing. Please… believe me… Andrew doesn’t want this from you."

The angel felt tears coming to her eyes. Maybe Andrew didn’t want it, but in her heart it still felt like something she had to do. "But Alex… I need to do this…"

Alex sighed. "All right. Monica… it shouldn’t hurt. It should never hurt. That’s not what it’s supposed to be about."

"But before…"

"Don’t even think about that. That wasn’t the way it’s supposed to be, Monica. It’s not supposed to be anything like that. You’re supposed to be relaxed and enjoying yourself."

Monica was shaking her head. She couldn’t believe that was true, even though she was also having a hard time believing that God would want it to hurt so badly. "So if I’m relaxed?"

Alex gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. This conversation was not going at all the way she wanted it to. "Yes, but Monica, please, please, talk to Andrew about this."

"I will, I’ll talk to him," Monica said hesitantly, knowing that it was a lie. If she started talking to Andrew about it she knew he would deny that it was anything he wanted or needed, but that didn’t change the way she felt in her heart. They might only have a short time before they were separated by different assignments and she had to do this before that happened. Now she had two days to make herself able to go through with it.

*****

"I’m fine, Andrew, really," Monica insisted with a smile, as she set down her nearly empty champagne glass. She could tell he was worried. At best she only ever had a few sips with dinner the times he had taken her out and even that small amount had made her feel slightly woozy. But tonight, in order to follow through with her decision, she knew that much more than a few sips were in order.

He had been so patient, never asking nor requiring more from her than kisses and to be able to hold her and the guilt she was feeling was overwhelming. He had given so much of himself to her, even before they had admitted the love they held for each other. He had seen her through her worst nightmare and had been there for her each day, in whatever way she had been able to permit. He had soothed her through night terrors, made her eat when she just didn’t feel able to do it, and held her when she had felt afraid. Now that the rape was more or less behind her and their relationship had been driven to new heights, he continued to give of himself constantly, never asking for anything in return. She owed him so much and the one thing she so wanted to give to him seemed so out of reach.

Every time the little angel thought about becoming intimate with Andrew, her heart would speed up in near panic. She knew it would not be pleasant; it would be downright painful, but maybe if she could just force herself to get through it once, after that it would not seem quite so terrible. She was hoping that the champagne would help with that, as well as do away with any flashbacks she could possibly have.

Andrew watched her carefully, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in his gut that something was wrong. Monica was on her fourth glass of the bubbly alcohol and was beginning to show the signs of being a fairly intoxicated little angel. If the situation had not been so out of context, he would have been chuckling at her giggles and little jokes, but he had known her long enough to see beyond the surface. Something was wrong.

She chattered away on the drive home, once he had finally convinced her that they should go. She had finished the bottle and had looked as if she was considering another one, when he had suggested it was time for them to get back. If she drank anymore she would get sloppy and Andrew knew she would be mortified in the morning were that to happen and he wasn’t about to risk that happening.

His heart sped up at the sudden thought that maybe she had changed her mind about them. He knew that she still loved him, but perhaps she had decided that after the rape, this was just too difficult to continue. The mere thought caused his heart to clench and as he pulled into the driveway, he reached for her hand, needing to ask one more time what was the matter and if he had done something. But he had barely gotten her name from his lips, when she had unbuckled her seatbelt and moved closer to him.

He felt her capture his face in her hands, and before he could even gather his thoughts, she was kissing him with a passion that made him feel as if his entire body were on fire. Relief flooded through him and out as his hands wrapped around her to pull her closer as he kissed her hungrily, knowing he could never get enough of her sweet mouth.

When Monica finally pulled away, he was breathless as her lips moved up against him.

"Let’s go inside."

His heart was pounding and they suddenly couldn’t get into the house quickly enough. Two minutes later, they were in her room, door closed and locked and he had no sooner sat down on the bed than she was on her knees next to him, capturing him in a bruising kiss. His hands were on either side of her head even as her own held his face tightly in their grasp as if not wanting to risk him getting away and as their tongues dueled, he found himself having great difficulty in thinking.

There were alarms going off inside his mind, but at the same time, her sudden passion and urgency left him feeling powerless to seek any answers. He barely acknowledged the fact that her trembling fingers had unbuttoned his shirt, until she was pushing him down on the bed, her body pressed up against him and he was nearly intoxicated himself by her closeness, her mouth…

Andrew’s eyes popped open as he took her gently by the shoulders and pushed her back ever so slightly as his heart began to pound even harder than it already was. Her eyes were closed tightly as if she were trying to block something out, "Angel…"

"Take me, Andrew…please…" She whispered, but her words were trembling and filled with something akin to fear.

He stared at her for a moment, before slowly moving out from underneath of her and moving her so she was lying down on the bed. She had never opened her eyes and her entire body was tensed as if it were anticipating something horrendous. It broke his heart.

"Monica…"

"Please? It’s all right…I want you…"

Her words were forced and he reached out to gently stroke her cheek, "No, baby. Not like this."

Her eyes opened as she looked at him, her expression one of confusion and almost hurt, "You don’t want me?"

His heart nearly stopped beating. He was caught in the middle of something that was in her mind, and he knew he had to find the way out, for both of them, "That has nothing to do with this. What is this all about, angel? Why are you forcing yourself…" He almost couldn’t say the words.

Tears threatened and any effects she had been feeling from the alcohol seemed to have suddenly vanished, "I…I wanted to make you happy…"

Andrew’s breath caught in his throat as she started to turn away from him as her tears began to fall, but he stopped her and gathered her into his arms, guiding her head to his chest, "Angel, you do make me happy, every moment of every day."

"You’ve done so much for me," She whispered tearfully, "I just wanted to repay you for everything…"

"Monica," He pulled away enough to look into her eyes, "The love we share doesn’t require any ‘repayment’. You show me in a hundred different ways every day that you love me. I could never want for anything more."

"I…I don’t understand…you could have…I would have let you…" Her emotions were so tumultuous she couldn’t begin to understand them. She hadn’t wanted to be with him tonight in that way, but she didn’t understand why he didn’t want to be with her.

Andrew saw the fear in her eyes; fear that her own feelings about herself had inspired and he moved to kiss her forehead gently, "If or when you and I ever make love, sweetheart, you will not be afraid. Not like you were tonight. To answer your question, yes, I want to show you how much I love you, but I am perfectly content to wait until you are ready and if that moment never comes, that is also perfectly all right with me." He stroked her cheek lovingly, "I have all I’ll ever need right here, right now."

Her tears fell freely as she looked into his eyes, "How can you love me so much?"

"Angel, it’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done in my entire existence."

*****

When Monica awoke the next morning it was to the feeling of Andrew lazily stroking his fingers through her hair. She raised her head to look at him and then immediately laid it down again. The sunshine was far too bright and it felt like tiny little men were swinging sledgehammers inside her head. Her little groan made Andrew look down at her with a look of loving concern mixed with just the smallest amount of humor.

"Someone had a little bit too much to drink," he said as he carefully slipped out from under her. He returned a minute later rattling a bottle of pills in one hand and carrying a glass of water in the other. "Here, sweetie. Take these," he said as he propped her up against the pillows and tilted two aspirins into the palm of her hand.

She quickly swallowed them and he crawled back onto the bed. "I guess I did have a little bit too much," she said quietly.

He let her rest for another half an hour until he was sure that the medication had started to work and then he hugged her tightly and whispered, "I think we need to talk about what happened last night."

She shook her head. "I was stupid."

A hand alongside her cheek stopped her movement, and she opened her eyes to see his clear green ones staring down at her. "No. You were not stupid. I just…" he took a breath. "I just want to know if I did something that made you think that I expected something more from you. I know that I sleep in here every night, and I can’t help kissing you every chance I get, but if you need me to stop… if you want us to slow down… We can do that, angel, and I won’t love you one bit less."

She opened her eyes wider at his suggestion. "No! No, you haven’t done anything, and I love things the way they are," she insisted.

"But something made you decide to force yourself into something you didn’t really want."

A tiny shrug was her only reply.

"Monica, we’ve always been completely honest. What made you feel that way?"

There was silence for a few minutes but Andrew waited patiently until she spoke again. "God could call you away anytime now. He could even call me. And… and I don’t know if I’m ready for that," she said tremulously, "and I didn’t want us to be separated without you knowing… without… without…" she broke off, but he could tell that she was still thinking and he gave her time. "Paul and Alex… they’re connected forever… and I know that we are too… I feel you in my heart all the time, but a part of me wanted to give you what they have… so that even when we’re apart, you’d still know how much I want to be with you," she finished with another helpless shrug.

"Angel, I told you last night that I know how much you love me, and you never need to prove it to me, but let me repeat myself. I would never, in a thousand years, doubt your love for me, and I would never, in a thousand years forget how much I want to be with you, all the time."

Monica closed her eyes and concentrated on the steady beating of Andrew’s heart. "See, I told you it was stupid."

"If it’s something you were feeling then it wasn’t stupid," he chastised her. "To tell you the truth, I’ve been dreading being assigned away from you too. When I think of you being out there on your own, with people who don’t know you the way I do… I want to be able to hold you close every day, and knowing that I may not always be able to makes my heart ache."

She opened her eyes and raised herself up so that she could look at him. "I guess that this is when we have to trust that God will do what’s best for all of us," she said softly.

"Yes, I guess it is. But Monica, don’t ever think for a single second that I don’t treasure and appreciate every moment you have given me. Because they are all stored right here," he said as he tapped his heart, "and when we’re apart, replaying them in my head is what will keep me going until I see you again."

Monica smiled and placed his hand over her own heart. "I’ve been keeping a collection myself," she said, "and now I have one more memory to add to it."

*****

Paul was still yawning as he dropped his bag inside the door. "I still don’t know why you insisted on taking the first flight out," he said, holding the door open for his wife.

"I told you, it’s better to get a jump on the weekend," she insisted, although that was only part of the reason. She was petrified at what might have happened following Monica and Andrew’s date. "God help Andrew if anything went wrong," she thought as she looked at her husband.

"Okay, a jump, but five am? That’s more like a leap!"

"Oh, hush up, ya big baby. It’s almost nine now, thanks to traffic, so my plan worked perfectly." She walked towards the kitchen, praying that she would find the two angels there. Well, one out of two wasn’t bad. "Good morning, Andrew," she greeted him as he passed her a cup of coffee.

"Morning you two. Heard you driving in."

He looked fine, not worried, but not particularly glowing either. So far, so good. "Where’s Monica?"

"She’s still in bed. She had a bit of a headache this morning."

Oh no. Not good. Alex tried to keep her own worry under control. "Well I’ll just peek in and say hello," she said, hoping that she didn’t sound as frantic as she felt.

She hurried down the hall and barely knocked before entering the bedroom. Monica was lying in bed, but she rolled over and opened her eyes as the agent came through the door.

"Alex, you’re here early," she said with a smile.

The woman quickly sat down on the edge of the bed and grabbed onto Monica’s hand. "We came on the earliest flight they had. I could hardly sleep. Are you all right? What happened? Did you…" she was dreading the answer to her last unasked question.

Monica lowered her eyes, which did nothing for Alex’s pounding heart. "I tried, but things… he knew it wasn’t right. Nothing happened."

Alex let out a long sigh of relief. "Well thank God! And I really mean that," she said as she glanced upwards. "Monica, when you’re ready… when it’s time… you’ll just know it. There won’t be any ‘trying’ involved. It will just happen."

"I think I know that now," Monica replied. "I guess I should have listened to you to begin with."

"Well that goes without saying," Alex said with a wink, "but lesson learned. Now you’ll know." She leaned forward and pulled the angel into a tight hug. "I love you, Monica. I know that Paul plays big brother, but you really do feel like my sister. I want nothing but happiness for you."

Monica pulled back. "Well at least I don’t think you’ll try to break Andrew’s hand if he touches me," she said with a crooked grin.

Alex laughed. "No, not likely, but you never know. Remember, I’m the one who taught you how to kick a guy where it counts!"

The angel laughed softly, before her expression grew more serious, "Not that I’m planning on anything…I’d just like to know…you said if I relaxed…how can I do that?"

Alex reached for her hands and held them in her own tightly, "Listen to me and listen good, okay? When that time comes, you won’t even have to think about anything like that. I know you might not believe this now, but I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ one day, but when you are with someone you love and who loves you too, the experience is wonderful."

"I don’t see how…it hurt so much…" She was already shaking her head.

"Monica, what happened to you was about someone wanting to have power over you and hurt you, so of course it hurt. Making love…it never hurts and it never leaves bruises…well, unless you are into that kind of thing," She teased, but seeing the confused look on the angel’s face, she rolled her eyes at her own remark, "Never mind that last part. The important thing to know is if this ever happens between you two, it is about so much more than your body. It is about your heart and your soul and your mind, and trusting that person you are with. It has nothing to do with fear or pain. I promise you that."

Monica gave a little nod, storing up that bit of information with what she already knew, "I’m glad I have you to talk to, Alex."

"And you can talk to me at any time about anything," The agent assured her gently before grinning, "And with this subject, I am the much better choice between me and Paul." She teased and was relieved when the little angel laughed.

*****

"You seem a little distracted this morning," Paul remarked, watching Andrew carefully as he poured himself another cup of coffee, "Nothing happened while we were away, did it?"

The angel looked up a bit startled and grinned, "No, Paul. Everything is fine," He replied adding a ‘for the most part’ in his mind. He was still troubled over the assumptions Monica had been making and it told him one thing. She was still doubting things. Still doubting, at least in some small way that she deserved unconditional love. He still had things to prove to her.

"That’s good to know. I almost had a suspicion that Alex knew something was wrong. She didn’t get much sleep last night and being the morning person that she is NOT, a five am flight was a bit out of character."

Andrew looked surprised at the agent’s words, wondering for the first time if Monica had spoken to her and managed to plant some fear in the agent that had caused Alex to come racing back here this morning. He supposed he should feel relieved that the little angel had talked to someone about what she had been considering; he only wished it had been him, "Things seem good between you and Alex, Paul. I’m happy for you."

"What are you talking about ‘good’? Things are great!" Paul grinned as he sat down at the table across from Andrew, "I thought things were perfect before we ever got married and then once that happened…well, things just got better."

"How did that change things?" Andrew inquired, his curiosity piqued as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Well, when you make that promise in front of God and a handful of angels, fucking up the relationship isn’t an option," he laughed with a shake of his head. "But seriously buddy, making that promise between us… we both knew that the other one was in this for the long haul, no matter what. We were always going to be there for each other. I think we both felt that way anyhow, but saying those words in a church…well, it just made it all the more true."

Andrew nodded his head as he swirled the coffee around in his cup thoughtfully for a moment before looking up, "If Monica gets up, tell her I’ll be back in bit. I think there is something I need to do."

Paul watched him a bit warily, "She isn’t feeling well? Is she sick?"

"She had a bit too much champagne this last night and is having her first and probably last hangover," He grinned slightly, "Just a bad headache and I think she is starting to feel a little better."

The agent nodded his head as he watched Andrew walk out the back door, wondering what he was up to, but he dismissed it from his mind for the moment. There was still a little angel he wanted to say hello to.

*****

Andrew wandered the woods for a long time, trying to summon up the courage to talk to God. He still felt a little uneasy about the things that were happening between he and Monica, only because it was something he had never been able to imagine being permitted to happen. But he reminded himself that the Father had blessed him with the things he had needed in order to date her, so maybe his next question wouldn’t be completely dismissed. Not that God ever dismissed him, but now that he was feeling bold enough to ask, he didn’t want the gentle let down of "no".

He came to a little clearing in the woods and looked around him. Everything was now completely in bloom and the fragrant smell of new life still hung in the air, soothing his soul and the things that were weighing so heavily on his heart. The near disaster of last night still troubled him, despite the talk he and Monica had earlier and at times he wondered if the side effects of the rape would ever really go away. He hated that she still doubted her worth, so much so, that she felt it necessary to give something she didn’t want to because she was afraid and what she might be afraid of made his stomach churn. That he would leave her? That he would change his mind? He had never been more certain of anything in his entire existence than he was of his love for her. The thought that she felt like she owed it to him was enough to make him take her into his arms and never let her go again.

He closed his eyes and offered up his voice, hoping he could find the words he wanted to say. He knew that God already knew what he was about to ask, but he felt like he needed to speak it aloud just the same, "Father, she’s still hurting. It may be deep inside, so deep maybe that she doesn’t even fully realize it, but I don’t want her doubting how I feel about her. I know she still doesn’t feel pure, but I could love her purely for the rest of my existence and never want for anything more. You know her struggles, and the things she still hides, even from me and maybe I can’t do anything about those things. Maybe only time and You can remedy them, but I think if You will allow it, I can make her feel not so afraid about us." He felt God’s love shining down on him, giving him the courage to continue, "I wanted to be with her and to be able to tell her that I loved her and You found a way for that to happen. Thank you. I know how much You love her as well and how You have hurt with her through all of this. But by Your grace, she has gotten better and for that I am so grateful."

He took a few more steps, his palms suddenly feeling sweaty and he shook his head at his sudden nervousness, "You know how I feel about her, Father. I love her…I love her so much and I only want to make her as happy as she makes me. I know…I suppose this is highly irregular, but…" He drew in a deep breath, trying to stop his voice from shaking, "I want to marry her and I don’t know what that entails as angels, but I want to make that promise to her, before You, before our friends. I promise You that I will take such good care of this gift…I want to give her all that I am and ever will be. I want her to know that this is forever and that I am never going to change my mind, just like we know that You will never change Your mind about loving us. She already has my promise, Father, now I want her to have it before You and with Your blessing."

His heart was pounding rapidly and as he lowered his head, he offered up prayer after prayer in the moments that followed, never wanting something more. A fraction of a second later, the love that filled him caused him to fall to his knees as he closed his eyes he allowed it to flow through him and over him. Even when the intensity of the feeling subsided, the feeling of God’s great and unconditional love still continued to radiate in his heart, bringing tears to his eyes.

Opening his eyes, he realized something was in his hand that he hadn’t even noticed being placed there and he raised the small box to where he could see it. His fingers trembled as he opened it and he had to blink to be able to see it clearly. The heart shaped diamond was intricate and delicate…and perfect. It was set in gold and Andrew knew it would fit on one small hand just as perfectly. He whispered up heartfelt thanks as he continued to feel God’s love washing over Him.

He had given His blessing.

Chapter 20

He wasn’t exactly sure if he walked or floated back to the house, but he suddenly found himself on the back porch, velvet box still clutched in his hand, ridiculously happy grin still on his face. His first inclination had been to run right back to Monica and drop down to one knee in front of her, but he had almost immediately laughed at the very idea. He wanted everything to be absolutely perfect when he proposed, and that meant not rushing into it, no matter how eager he was.

"Whatcha got there?" Paul’s voice from the doorway made him look up and take notice of his surroundings for the first time. The screen door squeaked as it opened, and Paul stepped out onto the porch, breathing in deeply. "The girls decided to take a quick run into town… after Alex made Monica drink down a really disgusting looking hangover remedy."

Andrew chuckled. "Yes, this will definitely be her last hangover." He sat down on the swing at the end of the porch and watched as Paul, eyeing him suspiciously, took a seat in his favorite rocking chair.

"You were gone quite a while," Paul said, rather pointedly as he looked at Andrew’s clenched fist.

The angel’s eyes drifted to the hand that held Monica’s ring and he smiled at the fact that he already thought of it that way. "Well it’s funny you should mention that," he said, knowing that the curiosity was killing the agent. He had already planned to tell Paul, but now it was amusing to watch him trying to hold in both his protective instincts and his temper at the same time.

"Andrew," Paul said warningly, "if I didn’t know better, I’d say that you were hiding something."

Laughing out loud, Andrew opened up his hand, revealing the black velvet box and watching as Paul’s eyes grew to roughly the size of saucers and then clouded over. He drew his eyebrows together, slightly confused at his friend’s expression.

"That had better not be what I think it is," Paul said lowly.

"It’s a ring," Andrew said simply. "For Monica."

"That’s what I thought it was," Paul stood up and paced to the edge of the porch. "Andrew, what are you thinking? It’s much too soon for something like that? And marriage? Can you even do that? I mean, I know the Big Guy is on board with you two dating and all, but marriage?"

The angel’s eyes sparkled with humor and he laughed. "Paul, I just went for a walk in the woods and came back with a diamond ring. Just who do you think gave it to me?"

Somehow, Paul’s eyes managed to grow even larger. "He did?" he asked, pointing upwards as Andrew nodded.

"I wasn’t completely honest with you this morning, Paul. Something did happen last night, and let’s just leave it as Monica thinking that she somehow owed me something that I would never in a million years think to take from her without her full consent."

"Andrew…"

"Nothing came of it, Paul, so you can unclench your fists any time now," Andrew said with a slight shake of his head. Sometimes he tried to get angry at Paul for assuming the worst, but he knew it was only because the agent cared so much for Monica, and he certainly couldn’t fault him for that. "We talked, and everything is fine now, but it got me thinking. It got me thinking about the fact that I don’t ever want Monica to think that she has to do anything more than love me and that love will be returned for the rest of existence. She wanted to prove something to me last night, but now I want to prove something to her. I want to prove that our love is unending and that nothing can possibly change that. So I went to talk to God… to her Father… to ask him for permission to marry her. He gave me this ring as His answer."

Andrew’s voice had taken on a tone of near awe, and Paul sat down on the porch railing and stared at him, smiling. "He gave you his blessing?" At the quick nod from Andrew, Paul was on his feet again and shaking his hand. "The more I think about it, the more right it seems. Congratulations, buddy." He pulled on Andrew’s hand until their faces were close together. "Of course I will still kill you if you hurt her… but I have a feeling that Someone Else will be first in line," he finished with a chuckle.

"Trust me, Paul, if I ever hurt her… I’ll be ahead of both of you."

"So… when… how are you going to ask her?"

The angel let out a low laugh. "I haven’t quite got that worked out yet!" His eyes went suddenly serious. "But if you could kind of keep it from Alex…"

"Say no more! I love her with all my heart, but I think we’ve all seen how excited she can get about something like that," he said with a wry grin. "She’d never be able to contain herself."

Andrew leaned back, feeling completely content and at peace as he looked out over the fields. Paul followed his gaze but then went back to looking at his friend’s face. The angel’s expression told everything that was in his heart and soul, and he was surprised to feel a slight lump in his throat.

"You’re going to make her a wonderful husband, Andrew." Green eyes turned to meet his, and he put his typically tough look firmly back in place.

"Coming from you, Paul, that means more than I can say."

*****

The dinner preparation that night was a festive occasion, which left Alex suspicious and raised Monica’s spirits. Alex had noticed in town that morning that the little angel’s mood was not yet up to par after what had occurred the night before as well as due to her own opinion of herself which was still leaning a bit to the negative side of the spectrum. The agent had tried to coax the information from her on the ride home, but either Monica was not willing to talk or the emotions were so deep inside of her that the angel didn’t understand them enough to speak of them.

But upon arriving home, they found Andrew and Paul chopping vegetables, thawing steaks and roasting potatoes. Where Andrew had not been beaming that morning, now to Alex he seemed downright radiant. Even Paul was more relaxed than she had seen him in weeks and she had cornered him at the first opportunity.

"You and Andrew are up to something, Gatlin, and you’d better start talking."

Paul’s eyebrows shot up in amusement, though the fire in her blue eyes made him want to do anything other than talk, "I assure you, my dear, I have no idea what you are referring to." He replied, though the twinkle in his eyes told another story.

"Paul…" Her tone bordered on dangerous. Her husband had a secret and that knowledge alone was killing her.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he raised his hands in mock defense, "But no can do." He was enjoying getting her riled up finding her expression more cute than indignant.

Her eyes narrowed briefly, then softened as she whispered sweetly, "Tell me…or I’ll cut you off."

He looked startled for a moment, before a look of resignation crossed his face. Seeing her satisfied smile, he sighed, glanced around to make sure the angels were out of earshot, then leaned down and brought his lips to her ear. His warm breath sent shivers down her spine as he whispered softly to her, "You wouldn’t last the night, baby."

The look on her face was even worth the punch she delivered to his upper arm.

Monica didn’t seem as adept at seeing that there was a definite undercurrent as she helped with dinner, but she felt herself starting to relax a bit more. At the smell of the steaks on the grill, she realized how hungry she was as her first and decidedly last hangover had left her with no appetite until the smoky smell of the grill drifted into the kitchen.

Andrew grinned, watching her steal a slice of cucumber from the salad bowl when she thought no one was looking and the simple gesture was endearing to him. He was just beginning to see some occasional glimpses of her free spirit re-emerging and it warmed his heart. The transition was slow, but now present and he was quite pleased.

Reaching into the cupboard, he pulled out a box of crackers and placed a handful in a napkin. Coming up behind her, and putting his arm out in front of her, he offered them to her.

Monica blushed as she grinned shyly, "You caught me."

"You’re hungry," He replied simply, laying a kiss on her cheek, "And I’m glad you are feeling better. Wine with dinner?" He was teasing, but chuckled at the way she crinkled up her nose in distaste.

"I don’t think a little hair of the dog is in order for her," Alex grinned, coming in the back door with the plate on which she had carried out the steaks to her husband.

Andrew laughed, seeing Monica’s perplexed expression, "Hair of the dog that bit you, angel; more alcohol."

"Oh. No, definitely not," She shook her head firmly, "That was a bad idea the whole way around."

Something in her eyes flashed with pain before it vanished, making Andrew wonder if he had imagined it. But a glance at Alex told him that she had seen it as well.

"I’m heading back out to assist as Paul can’t do anything by himself," the agent announced cheerfully, wanting to give the new couple a few minutes to talk. As she headed back out the door, she muttered under her breath, "Though he may get a refresher course on flying solo tonight."

Catching the remark, Andrew managed to pretend to be oblivious and once Alex had slammed out the door once more, he took Monica’s hand and pulled her over to the counter. She was looking at him questioningly, but he didn’t say anything as his hands spanned her waist to lift her up to sit on the counter. Satisfied that he could look directly into her dark eyes, he rested his hands on either side of her, "Something is still bothering you," he observed softly and then waited patiently. He knew she had doubts about things, but he couldn’t address them until they were voiced and though he planned on putting an end to most of her doubts very soon, he had to trust that she would remain as open as she had been of late.

Monica felt her cheeks flush as she worried her lower lip, a sure sign that she was nervous and she didn’t stop until Andrew laid a loving hand against her face and the tender gesture caused her to close her eyes, "Last night…you said it wasn’t the right time and it wasn’t, but…" there was a sudden tightness in her throat, "Was that the only reason why you didn’t want-."

Andrew wanted to shout curses to William Grady hoping they would reach him in hell. Every time he thought he knew the extent of the damage the bastard had caused, he discovered something more, "Monica…"

"I just thought maybe that was why my not being able to do that was okay with you…because he…" She shrugged her shoulders, her fingers toying with the cracker filled napkin. She was silently praying that he would deny it with everything in him. Any other options made her heart ache.

"Listen to me," He said sternly, resting his other hand on her shoulder as the first remained against her cheek, "If that was what you truly wanted, and I believed with my entire heart that you were ready, nothing…nothing would stop me from carrying you down the hall and making love to you all night long. Do you hear me? Nothing." He could tell his words had surprised her, but a moment later her eyes filled with a love for him so powerful it caused his heart to speed up a little more.

"Really?" She whispered, her eyes bright with tears despite the small smile that was beginning to appear.

"Really," He replied, returning her smile, though his eyes remained completely serious for a moment longer, "Despite what you think, sweetheart, about yourself and about what that son of a bitch did to you, if the day comes that you are ready and we make love…it will be your first time. There will be no pain," He kissed her forehead gently, "No fear…" his lips brushed her other cheek and tiny shiver of pleasure ran through her, "The only thing you will feel is my love for you, angel. That is my promise to you," Moving his lips from her cheek, his hand moved to her chin as he kissed her softly.

As their lips parted, Monica laid the napkin down on the counter to wrap her arms around his neck, "I love you so much, Andrew…just so much. I’m sorry I-."

He pulled away and held a finger to her lips, "No apologies, baby. I neither require nor need them. What I do need is for you to keep talking to me about what you are feeling, as there is no reason for you to feel badly when I can do something to help you. You worried all day today about something you were wrong about," He grinned mischievously at her, "Not that your offer last night wasn’t tempting, but it wouldn’t have been right for either of us. If the time ever comes, you will know it to be right and because of that, I will know it is right. Until then, I am quite happy holding you and loving you just as perfectly as I am right now."

*****

The next week seemed to fly by much faster than Andrew expected as he carried the small velvet box everywhere, wondering if the perfect opportunity would present itself. When they drove an hour to the city to see the symphony he considered it, but then, despite how much Monica loved it, the situation just didn’t feel like the two of them. Then, when they were out to dinner in town, with the lights dim, and soft conversation drifting on the air it felt wonderful, but almost too ordinary. He wanted it to be perfect, and special. So when he left particularly early on Friday afternoon, he kissed her gently and smoothed the curious expression from her face with his fingertips.

"Just a few things I have to do before tonight, Monica," he said as he kissed her again on the tip of her nose.

"Maybe I’ll finally finish my book while you’re gone," she teased.

"You do that. And wear something long and comfortable tonight. I want you to be comfortable, and it feels like summer has really decided to take hold."

"You’re always thinking of me," she murmured as she gave him a quick hug.

"Of course I am, angel," he said simply. "I love you."

She watched him drive away and then went back into the house to grab her book. It was going to be a long afternoon without him, but she would try to curb her impatience. The afternoon heat actually led her to fall asleep on the sofa, book in hand, and when she woke up she was startled to discover that it was already six o’clock.

Flying into the bathroom she rushed through her shower and then dashed to her bedroom to get dressed. It seemed like only minutes later that there was a knock on the front door and the little angel hurried down the hall, only briefly looking at herself in the mirror as she passed. She was dressed in a long, flowing white dress with a v-neck and tiny buttons all the way down. It fit her perfectly, with laces up the back that accentuated her small frame. In the store, she had hesitated to buy it.

Somehow, seeing herself dressed in white no longer felt right, but Alex had insisted and now it was the only long summer dress she had. She knew it didn’t make any sense, and Andrew had already told her how wrong she was to think that way, but it was one thing to tell herself that, and quite another to fully believe it. She smoothed out an invisible wrinkle as she walked to the door, trying not to wonder about what Andrew would think when he saw her.

Hesitating just an instant, she opened the door and smiled at the sight of Andrew standing there, single dark red rose in hand. He was wearing simple tan khakis and a crisp white short-sleeved shirt that made him look even more boyishly handsome than usual. She stood, waiting for him to hand her the flower, but his eyes seemed fixated on her and she felt her face flush as she took a tiny step back.

Almost instantly he was reaching forward and pulling her close. "I’m sorry," he whispered. "You just took my breath away." He bent his head to capture her lips gently and then with slightly more passion, holding her close with one hand at the back of her head. When they finally pulled apart she was the one who was breathless and her eyes were shining like twin stars. "Are you ready to go?" he asked as he handed her the rose and took her hand.

She nodded wordlessly and he led her out of the house and down the path, but instead of stopping at the car, he continued around the back of the house and down the path to the barn.

"Where are we going?" she asked, curiosity overwhelming her.

"You’ll see," he replied mysteriously. They continued on to the barn and he sat her down on the bench outside, slipping through the door with a "Wait right here."

He was only gone for a minute and Monica’s heart started to beat faster when the big door slid open and he walked out leading Scout. The horse was brushed to gleaming perfection, and his bridle was spotlessly clean. Instead of a saddle he had only a sparkling white bareback pad cinched around his middle. His ears were pricked forward alertly as if he knew that he was to be part of something important. Monica was on her feet and patting him affectionately as soon as he came to a halt in front of her.

"Okay," Andrew said as he grasped her firmly around the waist. "Up you go." He swung her up so that she was sitting side-saddle and she beamed down at him, waiting for him to join her. A second later he was behind her and she leaned into his chest, feeling safe and cherished as always.

They rode in comfortable silence through the fields and woods until they came to the clearing where Andrew had asked for God’s blessing. There, set in the center of a patch of wildflowers was a round table, covered with a lace cloth and topped with tall white candles and silver covered dishes.

"Andrew!" she gasped as he helped her down from Scout’s back, "how did you do all this!"

He chuckled as he took off Scout’s bridle and gave the horse a pat, letting him go free in the meadow. "Well a couple of restaurants are responsible for the food, but as for getting it out here… I had a little bit of help." He glanced skyward and she grinned happily.

He pulled out her chair for her and then reached for the bottle that sat chilling in the freestanding ice-bucket. Monica was eyeing it somewhat warily but he leaned forward, his breath skimming across her ear.

"Non-alcoholic, angel, but it does taste nice."

She giggled and he poured them both a glass before he sat down and raised his to her. No words were said, they just looked at each other and knew that they were both toasting to the perfect time they had been blessed with. Dinner was pleasant and peaceful, with Andrew serving everything from the wheeled cart beside the table. The day had been so hot that his choice of location had worked in his favor. All the food he had been forced to get was served cool or chilled, from the gazpacho to the grilled chicken salads, but it was perfect and refreshingly light. As the sun slipped below the tree-line and the stars became visible, the two angels breathed in the slightly cooler night air and listened to the soothing sounds of nature that were all around them.

He had just served desert of fresh berries and cream when he pulled out a large thermos. "You didn’t think I’d forget coffee, did you?" he asked, eyes shining in the candlelight.

"Of course not, you think of everything," was her cheerful reply.

"Well, maybe not everything," he said with a wink. "I just want to do whatever I can to make sure you know how much I appreciate you." He reached over and brushed the back of her hand. "You’re such an incredible creature, Monica, and I don’t want you to forget that for a single second."

She blushed and lowered her eyes, but then murmured, "You’re the incredible one, for making me feel so special all the time."

He was beaming as she picked up her cup and took a sip, and then their conversation drifted again, back to Alex and Paul and the wonderful time that they had been having together.

"You’ve been having a good time these last weeks, haven’t you?" he said as he poured out her second cup of coffee. He was sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye and saw the surprise flood her face.

"Andrew, how can you even ask that? Even with everything that came before, this time with you has been the most special, the most precious of my existence. I just wish… I wish that what happened to me didn’t have to be what made us feel this way," she finished with a little shrug, but her hand reached out to squeeze his tightly.

"I wish that too, angel, but trust me, these feelings that I have for you… I don’t think they would have stayed under wraps for very much longer no matter what happened."

She smiled as he lifted her hand to his lips. "I kept searching for a reason, for something that made sense… for why it had to happen to me," she said quietly, although for the first time there were no tears in her eyes as she spoke of it. "At first I thought it had to be to get him off the street… and then the trial…" she shook her head remembering and Andrew held her hand tighter. "When he died… it felt like there had been no reason for any of it… unless it was to lead to his death… and it felt so wrong to think that way."

"Sweetheart, you couldn’t help feeling that way. I don’t think I will ever regret his death."

"I know… but then… when I thought what I was feeling was so wrong… and dirty…" her eyes met with his, "I never felt so alone." She took a breath and held his gaze. "And then we kissed… and it felt like coming home."

"It felt like that for me too, angel. I had never wanted anything more."

"And so now, when I think about all of it… when I think that this was all part of His plan… It doesn’t make the hurting go away, but it makes what I feel now that much sweeter."

Andrew felt tears coming to his eyes and he didn’t know how he’d managed to let the situation go in this direction. He was the one who was supposed to make her cry! He kissed her hand again and then released it and stood up.

"Monica, everything you just said should make this easier for me, but I can’t help it if I’m a little nervous."

Her expression was perplexed and she turned in her chair to face him. What was he talking about? It couldn’t be anything bad, but then what? Or was this about them being reassigned? Had he been called away? A flurry of emotions passed across her face in the brief moments that it took Andrew to step forward and cup her cheek in his hand.

"I know that it hasn’t been that long since we first admitted how we felt, but Monica, we have known each other forever, and we could be together for eternity and I don’t think this would ever feel more right to me than it does at this moment." He dropped down onto on knee, and clutched both her hands in his as she continued to look at him with wide eyes. "Angel, at first I thought that I wanted to do this in part to make you believe now and forever that you have nothing to fear when it comes to my love for you, but I realized that it had much more to do with my own selfishness. Monica," he dropped one of her hands to reach down into his pocket, "I love you so much and with everything that I am I want to make you happy for the rest of existence. I want you to know and I want everyone to know that you are the most precious thing to me, and that now and forever we are joined, my heart and soul to yours."

"Andrew?"

He lifted up his hand and revealed the open ring box, diamond glinting in the candlelight. "Monica, I am asking you if you would please, make me happier than I have ever been and agree to be my wife."

The little angel was far beyond speechless. Never, never had she expected such words to ever come from his lips, and hearing them made her heart ache with its fullness. Tears welled in her eyes and escaped without her notice as she stared down at him, seeing the complete love in his eyes and the hopefulness that graced his features. She still couldn’t seem to speak around the emotions filling her throat, but she managed to nod, and when she saw a tear in Andrew’s eyes she let out a tiny, happy sob.

"Yes… yes, Andrew, I will be your wife, and I promise to make you as happy as you make me every day for the rest of forever." The tears were still spilling from her eyes and her hand was trembling as Andrew took the beautiful ring and held it up for her inspection.

"There’s an inscription inside, angel," he said as he slipped it onto her slender finger. "It says ‘eternity’." He lifted her hand and kissed it tenderly. "and that’s how long I’ll love you, sweetheart."

She fell forward into his arms then and he held her tighter than he ever had before as he drew her down onto his lap. They sat there, lost in a kiss and surrounded by nature and candlelight and bathed in their love for one another and the love that God held for both of them.

Chapter 21

The flames in the fireplace flickered with shades of orange, yellow and blue, their dance nearly mesmerizing as the smell of burning wood filled the living room. It was getting late, but neither angel seemed ready to let of the magic and blessings that had consumed this night and Andrew smiled from where he sat on the floor up against the couch with the little angel in his arms, leaning up against him. She was watching the fire and the blissfully contented smile on her face told him all he needed to know.

Feeling his gaze, Monica tilted her head up to look at him, the tender look in his green eyes causing her heart to fill once more. He could speak of how much he loved her without ever saying a word and she realized he made her feel something she didn’t think she would ever feel again. Beautiful.

She blinked back tears as she smiled up at him, "You told me that the Father gave you His blessing, but do you think Paul will?" Her eyes hinted at mischief and she felt his chest rumble with a chuckle.

"He already knows, angel, not that I asked his permission, but I did tell him," He grinned remembering the conversation, "He was actually very pleased…once I assured him that God was in on it. Had I not, I think he would have punched me."

She giggled, bringing her head to rest beneath his chin once more, "He’s just protective of me, is all."

"That is the understatement of the year, sweetheart," Andrew pulled her closer, his folded hands coming to rest against her stomach, "But I’m thankful for that and certainly can’t fault him for it. You seem to bring out that emotion in both of us," He kissed the top of her head, wondering if she had any idea just how precious and innocent she was to inspire the emotions in both himself and in Paul. He doubted it and just knowing that made him smile, "You will have the pleasure of telling Alex however, providing she has not tortured it out of Paul by now."

A small gasp escaped her, "Is that why she was glaring at him all weekend last weekend?" Hearing him laugh she shook her head, "Poor Alex."

"Poor Alex nothing! If Paul would have told her, she would have found a way to hand you the ring as she would not have been able to wait for me to propose!"

They laughed together, both knowing it was probably true. As they fell again into a comfortable silence, Monica turned in his arms, her dark eyes shining, "Tonight was perfect," She whispered, reaching up to touch his face, "You’re perfect…and I love you so much."

Taking her hand from his cheek, he kissed it softly, "So are you, angel, and I do believe you are starting to believe it. Though none of us are truly perfect other than the Father, there could be no one else, in heaven or on earth who is more perfect for me than you," The loving words were but a whisper as he pulled her close for a kiss that sealed them as the truth.

She closed her eyes as he stole her breath and she felt a flutter somewhere deep inside of her, a yearning she didn’t quite understand. She only knew it was a pleasant feeling and she wrapped her arms around his neck, losing herself in the moment.

*****

"Oh my God!" Alex exclaimed for what had to be the tenth time that morning. Her blue eyes were shining with excitement and happiness as she hugged Monica so hard that both Andrew and Paul were concerned for the little angel’s safety, "This is such good news…no, not just good…amazing…incredible….Monica, there aren’t any words!" She pulled away to look into her friend’s eyes, loving the fact that they were dancing with happiness. Walking over to Paul briefly, she slapped him on the arm, "I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, you shithead!" But she was back to her joyful rant before her husband could even react, "We have so much to do! We have to find you a dress and pick out flowers! Oh! And a cake, we can’t forget that."

Monica was laughing, clearly enjoying the enthusiasm, "Alex, we haven’t even picked a date yet-."

"What? What are you waiting for? Christmas? I don’t think so!" The agent moved to grab the wall calendar from the wall, dragging the little angel along with her to the table, "You don’t have any plans, right?"

Paul looked over at Andrew and couldn’t help but smile at the expression on the blond angel’s face. He was watching Monica as she talked excitedly with his wife, seeming to note every little animated gesture, every girlish giggle and the happiness in Monica’s eyes caused a lump to rise to his throat as well. At one time, he had thought he would never see such joy in her face again. Clearing his throat, he gestured to his wife, "Now we both fully understand the implications had I told her ahead of time."

Andrew laughed and nodded his head in agreement, though his eyes never left his fiancé and he smiled at being able to think of her that way. But she was and he considered himself the luckiest guy on earth or in heaven.

"We’ll do it here, unless you have something else in mind," Alex continued to chirp happily as she mused over the calendar, "And Paul and I will need the whole week before off work so we can get everything ready." She quieted for a moment as her eyes met with Monica’s once more and her voice dropped to a tearful whisper, "You look so happy, honey. You’re going to be a beautiful bride."

Monica blinked back tears of her own as she felt Alex squeeze her hand, "I am happy and still a wee bit in awe of all of this," She laughed softly, "I would have never imagined being able to sit here and plan my wedding."

"Wedding?"

The sound of Tess’ voice caused all heads to turn in her direction and Paul and Andrew exchanged a quick look of concern. The expression on the older angel’s face was not entirely happy, but unfortunately, Monica seemed oblivious to that fact.

"Tess," She smiled, feeling like everything was perfect now that her supervisor had returned. Getting up, she approached her and hugged her tightly, her own joy causing her not to notice the stiffness with which the hug was returned, "Andrew proposed," She explained as she pulled away to show her the heart-shaped diamond on her finger, "Isn’t it beautiful?"

Tess’ eyes fell to the ring, then she looked back at Monica and then threw a hard look to Andrew, "Yes, Angel Girl, lovely, but I think a couple of angels have taken things to extreme in my absence."

Andrew felt the first traces of anger as he watched Monica’s face fall and her eyes widened fearfully, as if she was afraid Tess was suddenly going to snatch everything away from her, "Tess…" He began, his voice holding just a touch of warning.

"That’s a good start, Andrew, now keep going," She replied sternly, crossing her arms in front of her as she looked at him, clearly demanding explanation.

"I thought…I thought you’d be happy, Tess," Monica’s voice was soft and bordering on something akin to grief as she looked up into her eyes.

Tess’ expression softened slightly, "It’s not that, baby and under normal circumstances I would be, providing God had given you both His blessing-."

"But-."

"But these are not normal circumstances in light of everything you’ve been through the last few months. You’re not ready for this, Angel Girl. You’re still healing and where this may seem like the answer, it is far too soon."

"Tess, I really think you need to listen for a minute," Paul interjected, not missing the look in Monica’s eyes after the older angel’s statement. There were tears just beneath the surface and he cursed under his breath at seeing them beginning to emerge.

"I am healing," she argued weakly, her voice trembling slightly, "And Andrew-."

"I know you are, baby and I could not be more pleased about that," She sighed, watching as a tear slid down her charge’s cheek, "But you both need to think about what you are doing and Andrew needs to make certain that this is the best thing for you right now."

"We have," Monica insisted, her voice catching in a sob, "and it is the best thing…I love him…I thought you understood that. You’re supposed to be happy for us, but that may be too much to ask."

"Monica," Tess tried to stop her, but the little angel had already turned to walk quickly out of the kitchen and down the hall to her room. She felt terrible and the glare that Andrew shot at her before he turned to follow Monica didn’t help much.

"Tactful as ever, huh Tess?" Paul couldn’t resist the bitter remark.

"I never meant to upset her, Paul, but it is too soon for Monica to have any idea of what she is doing-."

"You’ve been away, so how could you possibly know?" Alex remarked, managing to keep her anger quiet, "I know you love her, that you love them both, but you don’t always know what is best."

"I know that angel baby, Alex and-."

"Maybe so, but what you didn’t know is that God gave Andrew His blessing. He gave Andrew the ring! So between you and the Almighty, who do you think knows more what is best for her?" Her blue eyes were challenging, "She is healing, Tess, and Andrew has been instrumental in that happening for her. He loves her so much and did even when she couldn’t love herself, but he has made her see that she is not worthless like Grady made her feel. Tess, she is truly, truly happy. Didn’t you see the look on her face when you got here?"

*****

Andrew opened the bedroom door and saw Monica sitting on the edge of her bed, staring out the window. Her shoulders were slumped and even from behind he could see how defeated she looked. He was surprised by how upset he suddenly felt at Tess, but he pushed that feeling aside as he crossed to the little angel’s side and sat down next to her.

"Are you all right, sweetheart?" he asked, resting a gentle hand on her leg.

Her head moved up and down but it was another minute before she spoke. "I know she’s not right, but it still hurts," she was twisting her ring nervously around her finger as she spoke. "I thought she would be happy for us." She paused before turning to look at Andrew and then quickly looking out the window again. "She’s not right, is she? She didn’t make you change your mind, did she?"

The comforting arm around her shoulders answered her question before his words did. "Monica, of course she isn’t right." He stilled her anxious fingers and brushed his thumb over her ring. "That ring was given to me by God, with his blessing." He lifted his hand to her face and tilted it so that he could see her dark eyes. "And nothing in Heaven or on Earth could make me change my mind about marrying you. It’s the best decision I ever made, and I don’t want you to forget that." He leaned in and placed a soft kiss on her lips, tongue lightly brushing over them as she sighed and relaxed into his arms.

A knock on the door stopped them mid-kiss, and they both looked up as Tess slowly opened it and stood in the doorway.

"Do you mind if I come in?" she asked, looking much less indignant and much more apologetic.

"Of course not, Tess," Monica answered, although Andrew was feeling slightly less generous after seeing the devastated look on his fiancée’s face just minutes earlier.

She could see the look of barely hidden irritation in her Angel Boy’s face and quickly pulled the chair closer to them and sat down. "Monica, you know I’m not very good at admitting when I’m wrong, but out there in the living room… that was completely wrong of me. I jumped all over you, and Andrew too without even knowing the facts."

"I tried to tell you," Monica said softly, still a bit shaken by her supervisor’s reaction. Andrew saw that she had started playing with her ring again, and he quickly covered her hand with his own.

The older angel did not miss that tender move and her eyes grew even more remorseful. "I know you did, and I didn’t even give you a chance."

"You shouldn’t have had to," Andrew broke in. "You should have just trusted us."

"You’re absolutely right, Andrew," Tess replied. "I guess I don’t have any good excuse except that you and Paul haven’t exactly cornered the market when it comes to protectiveness." She looked at Monica and smiled. "You know, you and I go back a long ways, and I still remember your very first assignment as a caseworker." Monica smiled back as she thought about those early days. "Ever since that time, you know I’ve always been kind of tough on you, but I’ve also never hid the fact that I love you. You’re my little Angel Girl, and I just want you to be happy."

Monica reached out to take Tess’ hand and squeeze it tight. "I am happy, Tess. Happier than I ever thought I could be."

"And that is all that matters to me. I love you both and if you bring one another joy then I couldn’t ask for anything more."

Andrew’s face had softened as he listened to Tess. It was easy to see the love that the older angel held for Monica, and as he watched her he thought about how Monica was practically a daughter to her. Certainly it wasn’t surprising that she would be a bit hesitant at being surprised with the news that they were suddenly engaged.

"So everything’s all right now?" Monica asked with child-like hopefulness.

"Right as rain, baby," Tess laughed. "Now let me get a look at that ring of yours. All I could see in the living room was how much it sparkled."

*****

As soon as the three angels walked back into the kitchen, Alex and Paul dropped what they were doing to size up the situation and see if everything was back to normal. Their twin sighs of relief were almost visible as the saw Tess with her arms linked through Andrew’s and Monica’s

"Well, now that that’s over with," Alex said with a little grin, "let’s get back to what we were talking about." She grabbed onto Monica’s hand and quickly led her and Tess back to the table where she had two of her old bridal magazines open to different dress pictures.

Paul chuckled as he rolled his eyes and moved to Andrew’s side. "C’mon, buddy. This could take a while and I think you and I are better off down with the horses."

After the newness of the situation wore off, Alex quickly realized that a big wedding was not exactly going to work for the two angels. However, there was still plenty of planning to think about, and the way Monica’s eyes were lit up was reason enough to want everything to be perfect. Half the fun was in the thinking and planning anyway, and Monica was definitely enjoying that.

By the time dinner rolled around, the little angel’s head was spinning with ideas from dresses to flowers, but one thing in particular was stuck in her mind. It was a lovely warm evening and Andrew invited Tess to take a short walk down to the barn after getting a not so subtle hint from Monica. Alex had run to the store to pick up coffee after realizing in a panic that they had completely run out. That left Monica and Paul sitting on the porch swing, looking out over the fields and woods.

"So, is she running you ragged yet?" Paul teased, knowing how excited Alex could get about things.

"Not yet," Monica replied with a smile. "Actually, it shouldn’t be that bad. It isn’t like we’ll be inviting hundreds of guests," she giggled, the sound carrying into the air like sparks from a fire.

"That’s true enough, but that doesn’t make it any less special. As a matter of fact, it will be the very first angel wedding I’ve ever attended." He nodded solemnly and the little angel elbowed him in the ribs. "Oooh… I see Alex has been teaching you a few things," he commented after he stopped laughing.

"Just a few."

He chuckled softly and then moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "You know that I have given Andrew a hard time where you are concerned and at times I’m sure you think that I am a little over the top in wanting to protect you, even from the one angel who would rather lose his arm then hurt you. But I’ve been watching the two of you the last few weekends and if I had to chose someone for you, I could pick no better individual than Andrew." He smiled, watching how happy tears came to her eyes, "To say that he loves you is an understatement and I know that the good care he takes of you will live up to my expectations."

Monica laughed and nodded her head, "And I know those are some pretty high standards," She smiled, gazing up at him as her expression became more serious, "I want to thank you for everything the last few months. For opening your home to me and for being there for me. It means more than you could possibly know, Paul."

"There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, honey, and there is no need to thank me. Just seeing you smile and hearing your laugh again is thanks enough for Alex and I," His tone was sincere as he squeezed her gently, "I’m just so damn thankful that God directed Tess and Andrew here that night."

"Me too," She drew in a slightly nervous breath as she turned a bit on the swing to face him once more, "There’s something I need to ask you…"

"Anything. You know that."

"I really had two options for this; either you or Tess and the more I think about it, it has to be you, Paul." She saw the curious look in his eyes and she tried to find the right words, "Though God will be present, He won’t be able to do it and well…other than Tess and Andrew…you’re my family…you and Alex. You’re so special to me, Paul and I just wanted to know if you would do me the honor of giving me away."

His breath caught in his throat at her hopeful request and he wasn’t surprise to feel a sudden moisture in his eyes. Smiling, he laid a hand against her face, "You’re pretty damn special to me too, sweetheart, but that goes without saying. I would be honored to be given that privilege."

Her face broke out into a smile that warmed his heart as she threw her arms around him, "Thank you, Paul. Thank you."

He hugged her tightly, completely touched by her request, "I love you, little angel and I just want you to be happy."

"I am, Paul," She whispered, moving to kiss his cheek lightly, "And now everything feels even more perfect than it did before though I wasn’t sure that was even possible."

He chuckled softly as he pulled away and gave her a crooked grin, "We’ve come a long way. It wasn’t so long ago that I was the one in love with you, if you remember."

She giggled, shaking her head, "I remember, but everything has turned out just the way God wanted it to."

"Agreed," He replied lightly, before glancing over at her once more, "I know that I will be handing you over to Andrew soon, but I just want to remind you that if you ever need anything, that I’m always here for you."

She smiled tearfully as she leaned into him once more, "That’s good to know."

******

By the following weekend, nearly everything had already fallen into place and all that was left for Monica to find was her dress. She and Alex had chosen flowers and a cake, though the little angel made it a point to keep things simple. She had never really enjoyed things that were elaborate, but had loved simple beauty and had stuck to that in her selections.

She had been putting the dress off as it was still a source of contention for her, though so far she had kept it to herself, but today she and Alex had a shopping trip to the city planned and they had even persuaded Andrew and Paul to come along using lunch as the bait. Alex had no intention of letting Andrew anywhere near the bridal shops, but he had assured her he had some shopping of his own to do.

Monica awoke that morning early, just as the sun was starting to rise in the sky and she sighed contently. Andrew had tugged her up against his chest during the night and now his arm was stretched across her midsection and this time, she could enjoy the feeling of complete safety she felt at being held close to him, even in sleep.

She rolled over carefully, not wanting to wake him and a soft smile crossed her face as she drank in all his features with her eyes, her heart swelling with love all over again. Unable to help herself, she inched over just enough to brush his lips with her own, her heartbeat speeding up as she watched a sleepy smile cross his face.

"If I keep pretending to be asleep, will you do that again?" He grinned, though his eyes remained closed, causing a giggle to escape her. He was still cherishing the sound when he felt her kiss him once more and this time, he gently pulled her onto his chest and deepened the kiss, though he remained alert enough to make sure she wasn’t feeling any discomfort with the position. He felt her instantly relaxing against him and he moved his hands to stroke through her mane of auburn hair.

She responded to him hungrily, shivers flowing through her body and once again she felt a stirring deep inside of her that caused her heart to race in a pleasant way. This time it didn’t startle her and though she didn’t understand it completely, she accepted it as just being a part of the love she felt for him.

"Good morning, beautiful," He said softly, once their lips had parted and they had both caught their breath.

"Good morning," Monica smiled at him before laying her head beneath his chin, hearing the sound of the heartbeat that mirrored her own.

"All ready for your shopping excursion today?" He asked her lightly, his fingers still continuing to run through her hair.

"I think so," She replied, though he could sense the uncertainty in her voice.

"What is it, angel?" He whispered to her.

Her hand brushed over his tshirt nervously until he caught it in his own and held it tightly, "I’m still a little unsure about…color. White is supposed to indicate purity and I’m not really that anymore."

He frowned, wanting to put an end to this once and for all and praying for the right words. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly, "Sweetheart, you are completely pure in God’s eyes and in mine and nothing changes that. Your innocence and your inner beauty are every bit as prevalent as they ever were and are just a few of the things I love so much about you."

She held his hand tightly for a moment, considering his words, "I’ve never loved anyone before the way I love you."

"And you said yourself that what we share feels perfect," He observed, a smile playing on his lips.

She looked up at him, a grin and peace on her face, "It does. Every single day."

"Angel," He said softly, touching her face with his fingertips, "You would steal my breath away in whatever you chose to wear on the day we get married, even if it was Alex’s red flannel shirt. I know what I’m truly getting and that is the most perfect and pure little angel that God ever created."

She blinked back tears as she kissed him softly, "I love you and I’ll probably tell you that fifty times today, but it still won’t be enough."

"Monica, you tell me that every second in one way or another and I never get tired of hearing it. I love you and everything about you and that is all you ever need to know."

Chapter 21

Tess had been able to spend the week following their engagement at the farm, and she had been so grateful for that. In the course of just a week she had been able to see just how close they had become, and it had brought tears to her eyes on more than one occasion. She couldn’t imagine how she had ever doubted that they were perfect for one another. The look of pure adoration in their eyes when they looked at each other was enough to convince the most cynical heart that there was such a thing as profound true love. The two younger angels had been sorry to see her leave at the end of the week, but she had promised that nothing would keep her away from their wedding and they knew better than to doubt her word.

Somehow the next days turned into weeks and in a blur, a month had passed and the wedding was suddenly only a day away. Even for such an intimate wedding, there had been little details that needed to be worked out, but Alex had managed most of them, leaving Monica and Andrew to simply enjoy their time together as a couple. The only real change had been in the frequent calls between the young agent and the Irish angel in between the weekend visits.

As much as Monica and Andrew loved having all of their friends with them, those weeks were filled with time that they treasured. They gave them the time to be together without the shadow of doubt and fear hanging over them. Monica would never have guessed how much one little ring would mean to her. She had always simply believed Andrew when he told her that he loved her and when he assured her that she had nothing to worry about when it came to that love. Yet somehow, having his promise made real had given her a feeling of peace that manifested itself in a hundred different ways. Andrew, watching as she appeared to open up and bloom again like a desert after a long-awaited rain, felt himself more touched and blessed every day. He glanced over at her as they drove back to the farm after their "rehearsal dinner" as Alex had called it, and wondered at the fact that by dinner time the next day, she would be his wife.

He glanced forward to assure himself that Paul’s eyes were fixed on the road, and then leaned over to kiss her gently on the cheek. Her eyes were sparkling as she turned to him with a smile on her lips. Her hand reached across the space between them and rested on top of his.

"What was that for?" she whispered, so low that even Alex couldn’t hear it over the song wafting from the radio.

"Just because," he replied, and turned his hand over to grasp hers tightly. He didn’t let it go until they pulled to a stop in front of the house.

The two couples walked into the house in silence. Andrew and Monica were thinking about what was to come, and Paul and Alex were thinking about how lucky they were, and about how happy they were that their friends were about to share the same blessing that they had been given.

As they walked into the living room Alex turned and gave Monica a little hug, and then did the same to Andrew. "It’s late and you have a big day ahead of you, so you’d better hurry right off to bed."

Andrew smiled at her indulgently, "I think that you’re the one who needs rest. You’ve pulled all of this together for us."

She waved her hand at him and grinned, "Aww, it was nothing. Sheesh, a wedding with only six participants and one of them is God… and I thought Paul and I had a small wedding!" Monica giggled and Paul wrapped his arm around his wife.

"She’s right, though," Paul said, "You’ll be surprised how tiring tomorrow will be. So off to bed, both of you… and I think that we’ll be following pretty quick ourselves."

"Whatever you say," Andrew said as he once again took Monica’s hand in his.

Alex caught the motion out of the corner of her eye and held up a hand. "Whoa… I just remembered… Andrew, you can’t stay in her room tonight."

"What?" He looked confused and Monica’s hand tightened around his.

"It’s the night before your wedding! You aren’t allowed to see her from now until her big entrance."

"But… but we aren’t… doing anything," Monica said as she blushed.

Paul contained his chuckle at the way Andrew’s eyes shot open, and Alex helped him by poking him in the side as she stepped forward.

"No, I know that… I mean… I don’t know that… but… look, it doesn’t matter. It’s part of the tradition. You just aren’t supposed to see each other ahead of time."

Monica looked up at Andrew with a hint of apprehension in her eyes. "I don’t know if I’ll be able to get to sleep."

Andrew rubbed his thumb soothingly over the back of her hand and then looked over at Paul and Alex. "Well, traditions were meant to evolve. How about if I stay with her until she falls asleep? Would that work?"

Alex nodded, almost sorry that she had mentioned it at all. It was supposed to add a fun bit of excitement and anticipation, but she had forgotten just how different Monica and Andrew were from the average couple.

"That would be fine," she said with a smile. "Just perfect."

*****

"Monica, honey, it’s time to get up," Alex said quietly as she gently shook the angel’s shoulder.

Brown eyes slowly opened and a beautiful smile stretched across peaceful features. Her last memory was of Andrew stroking her hair and kissing her forehead, but she had a feeling that God had played a part in helping her sleep through the night.

"Good morning, Alex," she said with eyes shining.

"Today’s the day," Alex said, excitement in her voice. "Tess got here a few minutes ago and she’s already down in the meadow making sure that everything’s ready. So get yourself showered fast and we’ll head down and get you dressed!" She leaned forward and kissed Monica on the cheek. "I can already tell that I was right… you’re going to be a beautiful bride." She quickly scurried out of the room, tossing another smile over her shoulder as she went.

Half an hour later, Monica was showered and dressed in jeans and a tank top and ready for the quick ride down the field where Andrew had proposed. Although she and Alex had decided on things together, she hadn’t been allowed to see it for the past two days. Alex wanted it to be a surprise. When they rode into he clearing, the little angel’s breath caught in her throat.

In the center of the field, surrounded by flowers, was an archway made of twisted grapevines and supple willow branches. It was dotted with flowers and ivy, cascading down and sending their sweet scent into the air to meet with that of the wildflowers. At the edge of the woods stood two white tents. When Monica noticed two horses already grazing at the far end of the field Monica knew that Andrew and Paul were probably already inside one of them, getting ready. She slid off Scout’s back and let Alex lead her inside the other tent.

Tess was there, beaming a great smile and ready to hug her tightly. "Oh, baby, you already look beautiful," she said.

Monica smiled happily. "If people keep telling me that, I’m going to start to get a swelled head."

"Well start buying new hats now, then," Alex teased, "because I have a feeling you’re going to hear it quite a few more times."

The sunshine poured in through the thin canvas material, casting a soft light on everything within, from Monica’s dress hung on the center pole, to the little dressing table laid out with her flowers, and makeup, and a small box, wrapped in gold paper. She looked at it curiously as she walked over and picked it up.

"Who is this from?"

"Why don’t you read the tag?" Alex said with a grin.

The little angel opened up the tiny card and saw, in Andrew’s neat handwriting, "To my best friend, my soulmate, my beautiful bride… love for always and a day." There were tears in her eyes as she clutched the tag to her chest, and she thought she might have cried if Alex hadn't pushed her gently.

"Aren’t you going to open it?"

She carefully unwrapped the box and lifted the lid. Inside, nestled on a bed of sand, rested a pair of delicate pearl earrings, and encircling them was a gold bracelet. The links were twisted and curled, and embedded within were tiny pieces of tumbled sea glass, in pale green and blue. They carried all the colors of the ocean that she loved and she touched one stone in particular. It was the exact color of Andrew’s eyes. She couldn’t help but think of what had caused the pearls to form, and what had polished the glass to such soft beauty. They had started out as accidents, but there really were no accidents in God’s perfect plan, and with a simple gift, Andrew had reminded her of that once more.

"They’re beautiful," Tess said as she looked over Monica’s shoulder.

"They’re perfect," Monica breathed.

*****

"Knock, knock," Paul’s voice sounded from the other side of the tent and Alex could nearly hear the rolling of his eyes, "Are we about ready in there?"

Alex was just completing the finishing touches on the little angel’s hair, making wispy curls with the battery operated curling iron she had brought along. Due to Andrew’s gift, a last minute decision had been made for Monica to wear her hair up for the most part, but Alex had carefully singled out strands of her auburn hair to curl and leave down. She had added Baby’s Breath to the loose bun on top of her head and with just a touch of makeup, Monica looked positively beautiful.

"Come on in, honey," Alex replied as she finished and moved to pull back the tent flap for him. He entered and she drew in a sharp breath at how wonderfully handsome he looked in his black tuxedo. Recovering, she smiled as she moved to kiss him, "You clean up pretty well, Gatlin."

"I could say the same for you," He remarked with a wink, taking in the pale blue matron of honor dress she was wearing. Her cheeks were already flushed with excitement, but the rosiness deepened as he whispered in her ear, "And I think later on, we’ll be having our own second honeymoon."

She grinned, kissing him once more, "You have a deal," She quickly whispered, before she moved aside.

As his wife moved, Paul’s eyes came to rest on the angel and they widened even as he felt a lump forming in his throat. Her dress was made of a very fine silk fabric in the purest of whites, and it fit her perfectly. The neckline dipped slightly into a heart shape and her emerald necklace was showcased above it. Delicate lace was appliqued to the bodice along with tiny pearls and the spaghetti straps just wide enough to allow a thin line of pearls as well. The skirt was perfectly plain, but fell gracefully over her legs with just a bit of a flair at the end and a slight train in the back. Altogether, it made a beautiful image, and Paul was struck speechless.

Finally managing to find his voice, he reached for her hands and held them gently in his own, "Monica…you’re a vision."

She blushed and lowered her eyes shyly. Raising them once more, she smiled up at him, "You look very handsome, Paul. Is Andrew ready?"

He chuckled, "The poor guy is more than ready. He’s been waiting for this moment a long time, honey, but I left him in Tess’ capable hands. Are you nervous?"

She considered his question for a moment and then squeezed his hands, "Only a little," Seeing him raise his eyebrows she continued softly, "Paul, I’m marrying Andrew…my best friend…there isn’t much to be nervous about in that. Nothing has ever felt so perfect to me before."

"Tess has just started the music, so we’d better get a move on," Alex interrupted gently, blinking back her tears. She knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she and Paul were about to be part of something extremely special and just looking at her friend reminded her of that once more.

Monica gave a tiny nod, before moving to hug Alex tightly, "Thank you for everything. God has blessed me so much; with Andrew and with you and Paul. I love you."

"Ohh, you’re going to make me cry, honey," She replied, hugging her tightly, "You look so beautiful, Monica, and I’m just so honored to be standing up for you. Andrew is one lucky angel."

"That works both ways," Monica whispered in return, her heart fluttering at the thought that in a matter of minutes really, he would be her husband, joined with her for all eternity. She would never want for anything more.

Smiling, Alex pulled away, giving her husband a quick kiss on the cheek, "I’ll see you both up there."

As his wife departed, Paul turned back to Monica, as he found himself searching for some words of wisdom to impart to her but considering she was an angel and she got plenty of direction from the Big Guy, it seemed nearly hopeless. "I know he is going to make you very happy, sweetheart," he said softly, unable to help but to lay a gentle hand on her cheek, "And as long as you two are always honest with each other, about everything, you’ll never go wrong. He wants to share everything with you, Monica, from the hard stuff to the wonderful stuff and I know you want the same thing." He smiled as she nodded her head, her dark eyes shining brighter than the ring on her hand, "I guess we’d better get going as I have double duty today with standing up for Andrew and between you and me, between that and giving you away, I have never been more proud."

"Paul…" She whispered tearfully, touched by his honesty.

"I love you, and you look beautiful. Now, let’s go make all your dreams come true."

*****

Andrew’s heart nearly stopped as he saw Paul emerge from the tent and the agent turned to extend his hand to Monica. As she appeared, the angel felt tears rush to his eyes as emotion welled up in him so strongly he wasn’t sure how he would be able to get through his vows. She had never looked more lovely, more angelic and he smiled as Paul took her arm and then laid his hand overtop of hers as they began to walk slowly towards him, with every step, feeling her love for him that was coming from her heart.

Everything felt perfect. Even the fact that the hot summer weather had broken enough so the cloudless day was completely comfortable was just further proof of God’s approval. Turning his head slightly, he glanced at Tess, who would be officiating the ceremony, and saw the tears in her eyes as she watched Monica and Paul approaching, before he turned his head once again, unable to take his eyes from his bride for long.

As they drew nearer, he could see the trembling smile on her face and the way she struggled to keep her tears in check. As his eyes met with hers, a lump formed in his throat. He felt completely undeserving, and ever so proud to be the one she was entrusted to and he would never take that lightly. That trust and her love were every bit as precious to him as she was and all three would be cherished for the rest of eternity.

He barely heard Tess begin to speak as he was unable to see or feel anything other than his love for Monica and his reverie was only disrupted when Tess chuckled softly and asked "Who gives this little angel’s hand in marriage?"

Paul felt his face flush slightly though he replied with complete seriousness, "Her Father and I do," He still felt a little awe struck at being asked to perform such a task, partnered in it with God Himself. Turning to Monica, he brushed her cheek with his lips, whispering softly, "Be happy, sweetheart, always."

Monica managed a nod through the tears that were now brimming in her dark eyes as she stepped forward. She turned briefly to hand her bouquet of wildflowers to Alex before turning back to face Andrew. At Tess’ instruction for them to join hands, she watched as Andrew offered his and she laid her own smaller hands delicately in them, a small sob escaping her as she felt his close tightly around them. Looking into his loving eyes, all time seemed to stop for a moment.

She loved him so much her heart ached, but it had never felt more full. He had always been her soul mate, the one she could share the deepest recesses of her heart with, the place she could always find peace and love when she was away from Home. He was the one who had helped her find her worth once again and she had found it in his eyes, in a way more enchanting than she ever could have imagined. God’s ways were indeed mysterious, but never had she felt more thankful for them than she did in this moment.

"I love you," the words were but a breath, intended for his ears alone, and her tears fell unnoticed as she watched a single tear escape Andrew’s eye and make a shiny path down his face. Releasing one of his hands, she reached up and swiped at it tenderly.

Andrew caught her hand and kissed her fingertips tenderly, "My angel, I love you too," He whispered to her, before Tess’ strong, albeit emotion filled voice broke gently into the moment. The moment he had been waiting for was at hand when God’s greatest gift to him would be given and the most wonderfully perfect little angel would become his wife.

*****

"They’re so cute," Alex smiled as she stood with Paul in the meadow, watching as the two angels shared a dance, completely oblivious to anything but each other.

Despite all his earlier reservations, Paul smiled in agreement, "At one point, I didn’t think I’d ever see her happy again and now look at her," His expression warmed even more as he watched Monica wrap her arms around Andrew’s neck to bring herself closer to him.

"Everything worked out perfectly," His wife agreed, wrapping her arms around his waist, "For everyone. I’m going to miss them when they leave tonight."

"Me too," He consented, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to tug her closer as he whispered in her ear, "Though tonight I plan on making you forget all about them for awhile as I have my way with you."

"Mmm," She smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes, "Ever since I saw you in that tux I’ve been trying to figure out the quickest way to get you out of it."

He chuckled as he looked into her eyes. "The dress shouldn’t be much of an issue…"

Reaching up, she touched her tongue to his ear as she whispered, "Even less trouble than you think considering it’s all I have on," Then making sure the look on his face was what she had been aiming for, she walked away from him, "More punch, Tess?"

*****

The afternoon turned into evening but no one wanted to leave the perfect piece of nature that seemed to be arranged just for Andrew and Monica’s special day. Luncheon, including a beautiful cake decorated with delicate wildflowers had been planned by Monica and Alex, but after it was gone the table was mysteriously cleared and reset and at dinner time a buffet table appeared at the edge of the clearing. Alex had laughed at seeing it, finally admitting that she had met her match when it came to planning things.

Candles lit the area, around the tables and the full moon and stars provided all the rest of the light they needed. Tess alternated between singing and flipping through the music collection that Alex had provided. She even shared a few dances with Paul and Andrew. The blond angel hugged her tight after their first dance and whispered a promise into her ear. It was a promise to watch over and love Monica with all that he had, the same way her supervisor always had. The words brought a tear to the older angel’s eye. Until that moment she hadn’t realized that part of her reluctance had been due to the fact that she almost felt like she was losing her little girl. Andrew’s promise made her realize that could never happen, and that Monica couldn’t be in better hands.

The candles began to burn down and Alex and Paul disappeared into one of the tents for a moment and came out carrying two packages. As soon as Monica saw them, her eyes lit up. She hadn’t expected anything beyond the perfect day she had been given. Andrew hugged her from behind as the couple approached. He loved how the smallest gesture could bring out her smile and her innocent gratitude.

"Now, you have to admit, you two are not the easiest to buy for," Alex started, as she handed her package to Monica. "It isn’t like you registered anywhere!"

Monica giggled as she set the package down on her chair and started to tear the paper off. The lid soon followed and then she gasped as she saw what was inside.

"I know that you don’t really have a house, so to speak," Alex said as the angel pulled it from the box, "but I thought you could keep this with you somehow. That way, where ever you are, when you’re together, you’re home."

It was a beautiful quilt, fashioned in an Irish Wedding Ring pattern with different green floral materials, and a pale blue background. It reminded Monica of the ocean and fields and Andrew’s loving eyes. He was behind her and he reached forward to touch the material, then gently swiped the tear from his wife’s cheek.

"We love it," he declared, beaming at Alex and Paul.

"She made that with her own two hands," Paul boasted as Alex blushed and her lips quirked into a little smile. "You should have heard the words that came out of her mouth when she made a mistake!"

They all laughed, but Alex rolled her eyes and gave him a shove. "I’ll have you know, I kept a civil tongue in my head. I knew that angels were going to be sleeping under it after all," she said with a wink.

"It’s beautiful," Monica said, the affection clear in her voice. "Thank you so much." She felt another tear beginning to fall, but Alex quickly stepped forward and pulled her into a tight hug before it ever got the chance.

When the woman pulled back here own eyes were shining and she quickly turned to Paul. "Well, go on, your turn," she said, deflecting attention from herself.

Paul’s box was much smaller and he handed it to Andrew who smiled warmly as he took it. The paper was quickly ripped to shreds and the box opened. Inside were two books with brown leather covers, and Andrew handed one to Monica before he started flipping through it.

His eyes grew wide as he saw the pictures inside, pictures of him and of Monica, and of the two of them together. There were even pictures of Paul and Alex and Tess. They all appeared to have been taken at the farm but they weren’t posed and he couldn’t ever remember Paul having a camera. He looked at the agent questioningly.

Paul raised one eyebrow, a twinkle in his eyes, then pulled what looked like a pen from his breast pocket. "Miniature camera. Just one of the many toys you can get when you join the FBI," he said with a chuckle.

Andrew stared down at a picture of Monica laughing out on the porch, her eyes bright, face open and happy. It made his heart thud against the inside of his chest seeing her like that. Knowing that she was his for eternity.

"I know that eventually you might get separate assignments," Paul explained, "and while I hope they never last long, if you have those to look at, it might not seem as bad. And of course we wouldn’t want you forgetting about us."

"Never gonna happen, Paul," Andrew said sincerely.

Paul reached out to shake the angel’s hand but ended up embracing him, patting his back in that age-old male fashion before he broke away and turned to Monica. She nearly threw herself into his arms and held on tight.

"Thank you so much for everything," she whispered.

"You gave me everything in my life that’s worth having, little angel. It’s the least I could do." He pulled back and kissed her on the forehead. "Try not to be a stranger."

"No, we won’t" she insisted.

"Well," Tess said as she stepped forward, "I guess that just leaves my present."

"You got us something?" Monica was smiling again, eyes wide.

"Not exactly. I got you somePLACE."

Andrew and Monica both looked at her with confusion written on their features.

"I think that it’s time for two little angels to begin their honeymoon and their new existence together," Tess said, reaching forward to take their hands in hers.

"Come back soon!" Alex exclaimed.

"Be safe," Paul admonished as he looked in their eyes.

An instant later the angels were gone and Paul wrapped his arm around Alex’s shoulders.

"I’m really gonna miss them," she said.

"Me too. But don’t worry, sweetness… I have a feeling we’ll be seeing them again before too long.

Chapter 22

"Oh Tess," Monica breathed as happy tears filled her eyes. They were standing in the living room of the cottage…the one where she had learned to jump off the dock. There was a fire lit in the fireplace and candles burning on the mantle with soft music coming from the stereo. Everything was spotless and the house seemed to have had a makeover since their last visit, with new fluffy pillows on the sofa and loveseat. In the middle of everything was a little table covered with a white lace tablecloth, with covered dishes and wine glasses set out on it.

"I figured you two might want some dinner," The older angel explained, knowing it was nearly time to leave the newlyweds alone to begin their honeymoon, "This is just a little something from the Father and I."

Monica threw her arms around her supervisor and hugged her tightly, tears bright in her eyes, "Thank you for everything. You helped make today so perfect."

"You two deserved nothing less," She replied softly, pulling away to lay a hand on the little angel’s cheek, "I love you, baby, and I know Andrew is going to take such good care of you."

Looking over at her husband, Monica nodded her head and smiled, "I know it too."

Andrew hugged the older angel as well and a moment later, Tess was gone, leaving the two alone at last. Looking over, he saw Monica looking at him, love and happiness shining her brown eyes and it only took him a moment to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her. His heart had never felt so full and he had never felt so completely at peace. God had given him all he had ever wanted and he didn’t think the awe of that would ever fade.

"Are you hungry?" He asked her softly as he pulled away and laid his hand against her face.

Monica nodded her head, emotion rising to her throat at the way he was looking at her with such tenderness, "I am a little. It was a busy day and lunch seemed hours ago."

"It was hours ago, sweetheart," He smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the table, pulling out her chair for her. Kissing the top of her head, he gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze before taking his seat across from her. Pouring them each a glass of the sparkling cider, he raised his glass to hers, loving the sparkle in her eyes, "To my beautiful wife," He began, his voice thick with emotion, "Who I will love forever, cherish with all that I am and treasure every moment that I have with her for the rest of eternity. I love you, angel."

She blinked back tears as he clinked his glass to hers and she took a small sip. Setting down her glass, she got up from her seat and approached him, slipping in to sit on his lap, so she could wrap her arms around him. Kissing him tenderly, she then laid her hands on either side of his face, "I love you too and you were right…" A tear slid down her cheek as she smiled, "I feel…perfect and beautiful…and worthy… today you made me feel…well, like a princess, Andrew. Thank you for making that so."

He lovingly brush at the tear that had fallen as he tried to choke back his own. Yes, she was a princess in his eyes, and he had just battled the worst possible dragon; one who had tried to steal all that she was, but he had not won. No, she had emerged victorious, with a lot of help from God, from her friends and from the angel who loved her, but mostly from her refusal to allow him to win.

*****

Monica was contentedly watching the fire that Andrew had started in the old stone fireplace, as she relived the moments of the day. It had been perfect in every way and had left her still feeling in awe of how what she had always considered to be the impossible had actually happened. Somehow the words "angel" and "married" just didn’t seem to go together, but though that might take some getting used to, she knew that she and Andrew did indeed go together.

She felt a flutter of nervousness in her heart. She knew what honeymoons generally entailed, but Andrew had made no mention of anything either today or in the days that had preceded their wedding. The thought of intimacy was something that still unnerved her, but she trusted him explicitly and was trying to rest in that trust. The things that Grady had done to her had left her feeling frightened and unsure and those feelings were still just below the surface. What he had done had caused her pain, both physically and emotionally and she simply didn’t know what to expect if a moment of intimacy came to be between she and Andrew. Yes, she loved him completely, but what she knew of the physical act of love was violent and painful and she nearly felt panic rising to her throat.

"Angel?" Andrew watched as she looked up at him, seeing the conflicting emotions in her eyes and he nearly went back on what he had planned. He knelt down beside of her and rested his hand against her cheek, "What is it, sweetie?"

She lowered her eyes shyly, searching for what to tell him before she settled on "I’m scared. I’m not sure of what you expect tonight and I’m not sure if I-."

He held a finger to her lips to silence her, "I’m not expecting anything from you regarding what you are thinking about; not tonight or ever. You have already fulfilled my greatest desire today and knowing that we have been joined under God for the rest of eternity is more than I could ever ask for. I love you, angel; I have always loved you and just having you with me is more than enough."

Monica bit her lip, seeing the love that he held for her in his eyes, "It isn’t you…and I want to be able to share this with you, but I’m still afraid. It hurt so much before and…I don’t want to disappoint you, in any way."

"Monica, angel, you could never disappoint me," He uttered, taking her face into his hands as his thumb swiped at the tear that fell from her eye, "This choice is entirely up to you, but I want you to know that I would never hurt you. What happened to you before was horrible and not in any way the way that God intended it to be for anyone." He had never felt so nervous in his entire existence, but he calmed himself by kissing her gently first, and then taking her hand, "There is something I want to show you."

She nodded her head as he helped her to her feet and led her upstairs, never releasing his hold on her hand. She gripped his hand tightly, finding comfort in the simple gesture that they had been sharing for as long as she could remember. He stopped walking right outside her closed bedroom door and turned to face her, taking her other hand into his own as well.

"Monica, whatever happens tonight is entirely up to you. This is your night, sweetheart and if at any time you feel afraid or uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. We can slow down or stop altogether and no matter what happens, it is perfectly fine with me."

She searched his eyes, seeing nothing but love and understanding lingering there. There were no assumptions and she knew whatever happened from this moment forward was the choice she had been denied before. Monica swallowed hard, as she reached up to cover his hands with her own.

Seeing her nod her head, he kissed her forehead, before taking her hand into his once more and he reached behind him to open the bedroom door.

A soft gasp escaped the little angel as she gazed around the room, completely overwrought with emotion. There were candles lit on the dresser, the nightstands and in the windowsill, the soft light illuminating a room she no longer recognized as her own. The candlelight bathed the room in a beautiful golden glow, the light dancing on the walls gently. The bed was covered in a lush comforter and a single red rose rested on her pillow. It was beautiful and she leaned back into his arms as he wrapped them around her, silently allowing her to take it all in and become comfortable.

A minute later, he led her to the bed and he sat down on the edge of it, once again taking her hand into his own as he pulled her down into his lap as his arm encircled her small waist. She had been quiet, but he could see the love in her eyes, "And just let me say in case I forget to later, that no matter what happens tonight, it has been the most wonderful night of my existence."

Monica blinked back tears as she moved to kiss him before wrapping her arms around him, feeling the security he offered as he held her tightly in his arms. He was in no hurry for anything, his only priority was her comfort and her knowledge that he loved her, whether they became lovers tonight or all he did was hold her until the sun rose in the sky.

Andrew pulled back gently and reached to lovingly stroke her cheek before he kissed her tenderly. He had never seen her look more beautiful. The white lace nightgown she wore combined with the soft halo that the candlelight made around her auburn locks accentuated the pure and innocent angel before him and as he felt her respond as she melted into the kiss, she left her imprint on his heart forever. He slowly parted her lips with his tongue and slowly explored the sweetness of her mouth as his tongue moved against hers. Her hand was suddenly on his cheek as the kiss became more intense and he was content to stay in this moment alone forever.

His hand ran down her back and back up again, settling at the back of her head as his fingers worked into her hair. Never breaking his contact with her mouth, he rose to his feet, lifting her into his arms to lay her down on the bed, moving in beside of her. He then pulled away to search her eyes for any kind of hesitation and saw none as she smiled softly up at him. It was all the more invitation he needed to continue.

His lips traced a line from her mouth and up her jaw, listening to the soft sighs that emerged from her. He was patient, wanting her to be able to feel with all of her senses the treasure she was to him as he kissed softly down her neck as she moved to give him access. As he worked his way up her neck to her delicate earlobe, he took it softly into his mouth and felt the shivers run up her spine.

He gave pause then, as his fingertips lightly traced along her delicate jaw as he held her gaze in his own. "You are so beautiful, angel," his voice was thick with the emotion he was feeling at finally being able to say all the things aloud he had only been able to say in his mind for so long, "Just so beautiful."

She closed her eyes and her hands sought his face, the need to taste his mouth again urgent. As their tongues intertwined, she felt his hand moving up her arm and every part of her he touched suddenly feeling alive with electricity. A bit hesitant, her hands slid up the inside of his shirt, exploring his strong chest and somehow amidst their kissing, the shirt was suddenly gone, allowing her the freedom to touch him with less effort. She felt the subtle ripples of muscle and his warmth beneath her hands and her breath caught in the back of her throat.

Andrew was somewhat hesitant to go further, terrified of frightening her, but she was inspiring things in him he was having trouble controlling. He reigned himself in however, knowing this night was for her. Slowly and tenderly and a bit nervously, his hand moved to her breast, cupping it gently in his hand through the material of her nightgown. He heard her sharp intake of breath and he separated his lips from hers, searching her eyes once more.

Seeing his need for reassurance, she nodded her head, her dark eyes stormy with the passion he was evoking in her body and heart, before she wrapped her arm around his neck to pull him closer for another kiss. She had never felt this way before in her existence; this need to be close to him, closer physically then she had ever been before. His touch was gentle, as if he was touching something delicate and intricate and her heart was pounding in her chest as she felt Andrew work his way down the tiny buttons of her white nightgown, never once breaking contact with her. A moment later, it was over her head and for a split second she froze as she watched his eyes take in every aspect of her body.

His own breathing had caught in his throat as his eyes slowly traced her lovely curves and the fullness of her breasts, as they rose and fell with her breathing. He reached up a hand to stroke her cheek as he captured her eyes, seeing the slight trace of apprehension in them that he quickly alleviated, "You’re perfect, not that I ever doubted it. You’re as beautiful outside as you are inside, angel." He smiled as happy tears filled her dark eyes, content for a moment to simply take in her expression. She was beginning to relax and he felt a moistening of his own eyes when she took his hand from her face and kissed it softly.

"Thank you," She whispered, not for the compliment, but for that fact that she could see it was the truth in his eyes.

He kissed her again, slowly, passionately as his hand moved to her right breast, his thumb lightly rubbing over her hardened nipple. Her body jerked slightly at his touch and he smiled as he kissed his way down to the hardened bud, his tongue making small, wet circles around it. His other hand moved to the left, giving it attention as well with his hand as he took her right nipple into his mouth and suckled it gently. He was careful to not give even the smallest amount of pain; only pleasure and she arched her back in response, urging him on.

A soft moan of pleasure escaped Monica’s lips as her fingers entwined in his hair. Every inch of her body felt as if it were on fire and she whimpered as he removed his mouth from her, only to move to her other breast and repeat the action. Her legs moved restlessly beneath him as she closed her eyes, only paying attention to the sensations he was bringing to her with his mouth. She had never imagined it would feel like this and with nothing to compare previous experience to, she had been expecting to feel pain and emotional discomfort. But this was different; a wonderful different. This was Andrew; her Andrew, her eternal protector and she trusted him with every part of her, body and soul.

Andrew glanced up, his heart nearly bursting at the look of pleasure on her face as her head moved slowly from side to side. He sucked the small bud gently, feeling his own arousal and need to claim her not just as God’s, but as his, but he slowed his actions to calm himself. Still suckling her, his other hand moved from her breast and traced down her flat belly, taking his time as her breaths came faster. He found the mound of curls outside of her core and gave a soft squeeze, hearing the gasp that escaped her as her hips moved restlessly. His fingers parted her, moving through her slick folds and she cried out softly.

Releasing her breast, he moved up slightly to claim her mouth once more and she raised her head to take him in, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He nearly groaned at his desire for her, but it wasn’t yet time. There were still concerns lingering in the back of his mind. His own need made him want to take her fast and hard, but that was not for this night. He could not remember a time when he hadn’t loved her and it was finally being realized in completion tonight. After this, they had the rest of eternity. Tonight, was about the fact that he loved her and about showing her the way she deserved to be treated, now and always.

To slow down his own body, he kissed softly down between her breasts and her belly, moving down lower to lay tender kisses on her inner thighs, before his tongue searched and found the pleasure nub he was looking for as another cry escaped the beautiful angel before him. He lapped at her, savoring her sweet taste as he ran the length of her before he probed into her core. Andrew felt her buck at the exploring of his tongue as he slid his hands beneath her in order to draw himself into her further. His heart was soaring that she was responding to his touch and not fearing it. She had been so afraid for so long and now she was confronting the last of her fears, without holding back. She was truly amazing and even if she didn’t realize that about herself, he saw it with each new sunrise.

Soft cries were escaping the Irish angel as she felt something within her body building; a cliff she was nearly ready to fall from and she longed to plunge into its depths. His tongue was warm as it explored her and lapped at her and the intensity within herself was rising. She had no idea of what to expect from her own body as these feelings had been denied her before, but the things he was doing to her made it nearly impossible for her analyze her body’s reaction and she wasn’t sure she was supposed to be doing that anyway. Monica only knew that the feelings were nothing short of absolute pleasure.

Sensing how close she was, Andrew pulled away. The rest of his clothing had been shed and he moved up to position himself between her legs, for the first real moment, feeling afraid for her, "Angel," He whispered, his voice heavy with passion as he watched her open her eyes.

Her chest was rising and falling with her rapid breaths, but she saw what he was asking. Her body trembled as she reached up to crush her mouth to his, leaving him breathless and more than ready, "I love you," She uttered when she released him and he felt tears dampen his eyes at her trust in him after all she had been through.

With painstaking slowness, he entered her, closing his eyes briefly as he felt her warmth surround and enfold him, as he pushed himself into her completely. Her cry caused his eyes to snap open, fearing the worst.

The physical union brought tears to her eyes, but not because of the past. The sudden closeness, his gentleness, the incredible love that filled her heart even in the heat of passion suddenly made her understand at long last. What had happened before had only been about her body; about someone’s need to overpower her and hurt her, but this…this was love. This act of love was about all that she was and would become and all that was Andrew and what they would become together. It was an expression of trust, and honesty and devotion, of putting herself in his safekeeping tonight and for all eternity.

"Angel?" His urgent voice caused her to meet his eyes and she could see the great worry in them. He was afraid the memories were overtaking her, but a split second later, she was moving her hips against him.

"Andrew, please…"

His eyes, filled with love, held hers, as he began to move within her, slowly at first, and then gaining momentum. He felt her tighten around him and he slowed down slightly, bringing her down ever so gently before his thrusts intensified once more. Her cries filled the room and he felt her tighten around him as she threw her head back, a scream dying on her lips as she climaxed and her body shuddered at the intense release. Her hold around him caused him to shudder as he himself was completed inside of her and it was her name on his lips as he filled her.

For a moment, they were seemingly frozen in time, neither of wanting the moment to end and when Andrew slipped from her she felt a great sense of loss for a moment before she felt his fingers tenderly brushing at her bangs, calming her through the remaining shudders of her body. Finally able to catch her breath, she gazed up at him, her eyes bright with tears and her heart aching at her love for him, "I love you so much…" She whispered tearfully as he tugged her into his arms and kissed away the tears that fell.

He had brought her back from the depths of despair and shame, and what he had shown her was sweeter than anything she ever could have imagined. There with a contented smile on her face, her arm stretched out across his chest, and her tousled head against his shoulder, she began to drift off to sleep, safe and secure within his love.

Andrew watched her before he kissed her forehead, amazed once more by the innocent and trusting angel she was and his voice was thick with emotion as he whispered into her last waking moment, "I love you too, my angel."

*****

Rain pelted the bedroom window as a summer storm passed over the cabin, but curled up in bed next to her husband, Monica was perfectly content. She had hardly dared to sleep for more than a few minutes at a stretch for fear that it would all be a wonderful dream, but eventually she had fallen into a deep and restful sleep knowing that when she woke Andrew would still be holding her tight. Now, morning had come, and that was true, and she couldn’t have been happier.

A slow smile spread across her face as she thought about the previous night. She had been so afraid and unsure but Andrew had swept away all of those fears. He had made something she had only known as brutal and ugly into the most beautiful experience of her existence.

Sometime during the night he had pulled up a sheet to cover them and Monica shrugged it off her shoulder and pushed it down partway as she traced lazy circles on his chest. Her head was nestled just under his shoulder and the sound of his steady heartbeat echoed in her ear. She ran delicate fingers over his flattened nipples, watching in fascination as they pebbled up when she grazed her short nails over them. The breath caught in her throat and then quickened, but his remained slow and even.

Becoming bolder, she snaked her hand under the sheet, rubbing it lightly over his stomach and then lower still, through the coarse hair that grew there. Her fingers stilled as her eyes darted up towards his face. From her place resting on his chest she couldn’t see his features clearly, but his heartbeat told her he was still asleep.

Slowly she moved her careful fingertips to touch him, and felt him instantly respond to her even in sleep. The feel of him lengthening beneath her touch sent a fluttering feeling up and down her spine. Gently she wrapped her fingers around him and felt him harden within her hand, and an answering throbbing began deep within her core. A moment later she heard his heartbeat speed up. Her eyes widened as she raised her head to see him gazing at her through passion-filled eyes.

"Good morning," he said huskily.

For an instant she felt incredibly shy, but the way he was looking at her made her feel like the most desirable creature in Heaven or on Earth. It filled her with a confidence she had never thought to feel. His love and desire flooded into her through their connection and there was no room for any doubts. There was no right or wrong to the love between them, and no matter what she did or didn’t do; no matter what he did or didn’t do, they never needed to feel awkward or unsure. They would learn together, and their love would only grow stronger as they did.

"Good morning," she replied, voice turning sultry.

"And getting better all the time," he said with a raised eyebrow as his hand joined hers under the sheet.

He covered her hand and guided it up and down several times, groaning as she quickly caught on and took over, her face lighting up with a possessive smile.

"You do that too well," he growled and then pulled her up to kiss her deeply, stealing her breath away.

He ran his hands up her back and over her shoulders, concentrating on touching as much of her soft skin as he could. He was sure that nothing softer had ever been created. Before she had been hesitant and had followed his lead, but now her lips moved against his, her tongue seeking entrance, her one free hand resting lightly against his cheek. When she finally pulled back it was to only a breath away. She looked down at him, eyes dark with need.

"I love you, Andrew," she said, voice clear and strong. "I want to show you how much."

His eyes grew wide even as they darkened. He drew her down for another kiss and stroked his fingers through her hair. "You have already shown me, angel," he whispered as he trailed kisses to her ear.

She kissed him lightly on the cheek, smiling at his words, and then stroked him one more time before releasing him to straddle his stomach and fan her hands out across his chest.

"I think you were asleep the last time I did this," she said lightly as she circled his nipples and then moved her hands to grip his shoulders as she slid further down his body and kissed her way along his jawline.

The feel of her warm body moving above him was enough to make him nearly give up on his promise to let her take the lead, but he held back a groan as she took her time kissing every inch of his chest. When she looked up and saw the look of intense concentration on his face her heart swelled with love at the same time a tiny piece of her mind smiled in satisfaction.

She leaned forward to kiss him again, and he kissed her hungrily, his hands running along her back and then settling, one at the base of her spine, one at the back of her head. Her hair fell forward to form a curtain around them, tickling at his neck, and intoxicating him with the sweet smell. As they kissed, she reached down again, to take him into her hand. He was still ready for her, and before he could react, she was lowering herself onto him, letting out a long sigh that turned into a moan as he filled her completely. His eyes shot open when he felt himself suddenly surrounded by her warmth, and again he strained to keep his own passion in check. Slowly she began to move, and his hands on her hips helped guide and steady her as she rose above him, breath coming in quick bursts. He moved his hands to cover her breasts, lightly cupping them, and brushing the stiff peaks with his thumbs. She let out a gasp and moved faster, and the feel of her tightening around him brought him that much closer to the edge. She was trembling, her body nearly ready to let go, and then his hands were on her hips again, stilling her motion, holding her in place, and her eyes met his, first in frustration and then in understanding. He was still afraid of hurting her. She bent forward, her heart thudding loudly.

"I trust you with everything that I am, Andrew," she whispered, and then she kissed him, gently and tenderly. "Please, let yourself go. You won’t hurt me."

He looked deep into her eyes, trying to judge if she was just saying that to please him, but all he saw was the mirror image of the love he felt for her. With one swift motion and a startled squeak from Monica, he had flipped them over, never breaking their connection.

"I love you so much more than you can imagine," he said huskily, and then he drew back and thrust into her, drawing a low moan from her as she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

He continued moving, faster and harder, just a bit deeper with each stroke as he kissed her neck and the sensitive spot on her collarbone, and the delicate planes of her face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly open as sounds of pleasure and words of love poured forth in a constant stream. She was urging him on, faster and faster, and his passion wouldn’t let him hold back any longer as he surged towards completion. With one hand he reached between them, and his long fingers rubbed gentle circles around her delicate nub. Only moments later he felt her tightening around him and he pushed into her one final time as she cried out his name and he buried his face in her shoulder and emptied himself into her, whispering her name into her ear, over and over again. Even afterwards, he continued to move within her, drawing out the last of her sensations until he finally slipped from her body and kissed her tenderly on her forehead and eyelids and her bow-like lips.

Rolling over, he pulled her close again, her head once more resting on his chest, his fingers tangling through her hair.

"Yes," she said breathlessly, with a hint of mischief, "this has been a pretty good morning."

He let out a chuckle as he kissed the top of her head, feeling her fingers lightly running over his chest and he again marveled at the way things had turned out. Though she would always belong to God first, she also now belonged to him, this little creature who was all angel, part child and part woman, who he was now joined with for all eternity. He would want for nothing more.

"How about breakfast?" He asked her after a moment, realizing that his fingers in her hair were lulling her into a contented sleep.

A sleepy smile crossed her face, "That wasn’t breakfast?" and she giggled at the sound of his laugh. She was convinced she could definitely live off him alone for awhile.

"One of the best appetizers of my existence," He informed her with a grin, "But I still believe that a shower and something to eat are in order. We’re going to need energy for later." He kissed her softly, before he moved from beneath her and grabbed their robes, donning his and then opening hers to allow her to slip inside. He watched the shy smile on her face and he held back a chuckle as she turned her back modestly to slip into it and tie up the front. Andrew then took her hand and led her from the room.

"I thought you were taking a shower?" She turned her puzzled dark eyes to him as he led her into the bathroom, and he smiled at her tender innocence.

"Angel, we’re on our honeymoon and I don’t plan to let you out of my sight," With his free hand he turned on the faucet and then the shower, waiting for the mist from the water warming up to fill the room. Turning back to her, he captured her eyes with his own as he untied her robe and slipped it over her shoulders, where it made a soft carpet at her feet.

Moving to untie his own robe, her hands stopped him as they undid his robe and it joined hers on the floor. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and he wondered if it was from the stream coming off the shower or if she was simply as intoxicated by his closeness as he was with hers. Smiling, he took her hand once more as they stepped into the shower together.

The hot water washed over them both and Andrew smiled as Monica tilted her head back and closed her eyes to allow it to wash over her auburn hair, leaving it smooth against her head and down her back. She was a beautiful vision and he felt a stirring in his heart at the fact that she was now united with him for all eternity. His dreams had all been realized and he felt his fingers tracing her face tenderly as that thought alone consumed him.

Picking up the soap, and moving around her, he ran the bar over her back, still marveling at her perfection as he finished lathering her and allowing the water to rinse it all away. Turning her around to face him, his breath caught in his throat as her eyes met his and his hands idly ran the bar between them before laying them against her breasts, feeling the full, soft flesh beneath his hands, as he ducked his head to kiss her neck, working his way down her shoulder.

Monica’s heartbeat quickened and she felt her nipples harden under his touch as her body responded to him once more. Catching his face in her hands, she pulled him close for a kiss that rendered them both breathless. His hands running down to her hips caused goosebumps despite the warm water and she pressed herself up against him as a contented sigh escaped her. She knew that days of separation would come and the mere thought of it caused a physical ache deep inside of her, but for now, she only wanted to be as close to him as possible.

She closed her eyes once more as she felt him working shampoo into her long tresses, taking his time as if committing each strand to memory. The intimate action soothed the worries from her heart and once the water had washed the soap from her hair, she felt him brushing it aside and the kisses he laid against the back of her neck sent shivers up her spine.

Unable to control herself any longer, she turned around and captured his mouth once more, her small hands resting against his chest, as her tongue hungrily explored him. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer, feeling his own need against her leg, but her patient husband was in no hurry though she felt him smile against her mouth at her own impatience.

"You’re insatiable, angel," Andrew whispered as he pulled away enough to allow his hands to roam over her wet breasts, plucking at her nipples playfully as a soft whimper escaped her, "I’ll have to teach you some patience."

Her eyes widened in mock indignation, "I guess we’ll see about that…" She replied as she slid down his body to his manhood and gently ran her tongue over him, smiling in satisfaction at the shudder that went through him. She had a brief moment of hesitance; of not wanting to do anything wrong. But this was Andrew, her best friend, her husband and she knew that with him there would never be a wrong. Drawing him into her mouth, she worked slowly. She could feel him throbbing and his body growing tense against her as she tasted him for the first time, reveling in the fact that she could bring him such pleasure, judging by the sounds that were erupting from him.

"Angel, angel, stop…" He forced himself to reach for her hand to pull her up once more, knowing if she didn’t cease that particular action, he would not be able to finish this the way he truly wanted to.

Monica grinned as she brought her face close to his, "Who needs to learn patience again, Angel Boy?"

"Minx," He uttered, before pinning her up against the shower wall and lifting her slightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist as she felt him slide into her and she threw her head back as their bodies joined once more.

Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he began to move with her, his deep and slow strokes nearly driving her to the edge of insanity. She began to move more urgently against him, needing to feel the release that only he could give to her. Small cries escaped her as she felt his own release within her as she tightened around him and they seemingly fell off the edge of the world together.

Minutes later, once they had caught their breath, Andrew kissed her lovingly before laughing at her words.

"So, are we going to work our way through the house room by room?"

They were into the second week of their honeymoon and were both beginning to hope that perhaps God would forget all about them and leave them at the cabin forever. Of course they knew that wasn’t about to happen, but it was a lovely dream. They had just come back from a late-night swim and Monica stripped off her bathing suit and tossed it into the bathtub. Andrew reached for her hand as she went to grab her nightgown from the hook on the back of the door.

"I don’t think you’ll be needing that," he said, giving her a look that sent a pleasant shiver up her spine.

"No, eh?" she said with a twinkle in her eye.

A second later she let out a little squeak as he scooped her into his arms. "Definitely not," he growled into her ear and swiftly carried her to the bed where he laid her down gently and then stood back to look at her hungrily.

She smiled up at him, finally used to the way he always looked at her with such love and desire in his eyes.

"I swear, Monica, just looking at you is enough to drive me crazy," he said and he quickly pulled off his swim trunks and climbed onto the bed.

Reaching up to kiss him she murmured, "Well it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one."

Passionate kisses were soon not enough, and Andrew’s hands roamed over her body even as he continued to lovingly nip at her shoulder and neck. She had her hands on his shoulders, gently kneading and urging him on. The way he always made her feel never failed to amaze her. It was still hard to believe that she had been allowed such perfect pleasure.

His hand was suddenly lower and she let her legs fall open as she gasped at feeling his touch again for the first time. He stroked through her folds and then tickled at the small nub at the top, smiling as the sounds coming from her mouth increased in volume. A moment later he was claiming her mouth and she took his breath as she reached down to position him at her entrance.

"Now," she managed to whisper when they broke apart, and he happily obliged, pushing into her slowly, loving the way they fit together so perfectly.

Almost instantly she began to move against him and he breathed heavily against her ear as he followed her rhythm. "Ohh, baby… you’re so tight…" he murmured, pushing in a bit harder and taking hold of her hips to pull himself closer.

Monica felt her heart suddenly pounding out of control and every muscle in her body tensed. She closed her eyes, breathing hard, trying not to panic. When she opened them, Andrew was staring down at her. He had stopped moving and the concern in his eyes made her turn her head.

"Monica?"

She didn’t give him a chance to ask the question, she started moving again, trying to pick up the same feeling she’d had just minutes earlier. Her movements were almost frenzied and Andrew carefully took hold of her hips again and stopped her.

"Monica, stop… what’s wrong?" He could tell immediately that there had to be something, she was almost in a daze and she was staring up at the ceiling, unseeing.

He gently withdrew and his heart almost stopped as she let out a stifled sob. Pulling her close he kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.

"Angel, what is it? Please… did I hurt you?"

She quickly shook her head but her trembling told another story.

"Monica, what? You can tell me," he pleaded.

"Baby," she whispered, " ‘You’re a tight little cunt’, that’s what he… that’s what he said," she stammered. "He…he kept pushing in harder…"

Andrew’s stomach tightened and he thought he might throw up. He had made her remember the rape. Something he had done had triggered a flashback.

"Monica, I… I didn’t… I’m so sorry, angel," he murmured as he held her closer and continued to stroke her hair and her back. "You know I would never, ever hurt you."

He felt her nod against his chest but somehow it failed to make him feel any better. The minutes passed and he gradually felt her calm in his arms, her heartbeat drifting back to normal. He wasn’t sure how he was going to make this up to her, but hopefully by morning she wouldn’t have receded into her mind. He let his eyes close, but a minute later they snapped open as he felt her small hand brush down his stomach and then grasp him firmly.

"Monica, what…" he turned to look at her, and saw guilt in her eyes.

"I… I’m sorry I stopped," she whispered. "I can’t let you tonight, but…" she gently stroked him and he quickly grabbed her wrist.

"Angel…" he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "No. Sweetheart, if I can’t give you pleasure, then it isn’t worth it to me."

She blinked quickly and he caressed her cheek. "Do you think you owe it to me or something? You don’t owe me anything except your love and you’ve given me that with your whole heart. Come here," he pulled her closer until her head was resting over his heart. "I just want you to sleep, angel, and I will be here to chase away any dreams that come."

"I love you so much," she whispered and he felt his heart ache as a tear fell to his chest.

"I know you do, Monica, but that doesn’t mean you ever have to do anything that makes you upset, or hide that you’re upset. I love you with everything that I am, and more. Now shh, close your eyes, angel. Close your eyes and think about that love. Can you feel it coming from my heart?" She did as he asked and let out a long sigh as she felt his love flowing over and through her. "Now sleep… I’ll be with you when you wake up and for the rest of eternity."

Much to Andrew’s relief, though it did little to alleviate his guilt, his little angelic wife only had one nightmare during the night, which he had gently soothed from her. He had nearly wanted to weep when he had heard her whimper against his chest in her sleep, the worst time of her existence once again coming back to haunt her all because of something he had said.

Now, as the sunlight stretched out across the sky and filtered in through the window, he simply watched her sleep. She was peaceful now, the flashbacks hopefully having run their course, though he continued to gently and tenderly run his fingers lightly through her hair as if to remind her of his presence even in sleep. He only wished he didn’t now feel that he had to protect her from himself.

Soon after, he watched as her dark lashes fluttered as she stirred slightly in his arms. Her contented sigh helped with the ache in his heart as he brushed his hand lightly over her cheek.

"Good morning," Monica whispered, moving enough to be able to look into his face and seeing the guilt that still lingered in his eyes.

"Good morning to you too, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" He almost dreaded the answer.

"Better," She replied with a sweet smile that nearly melted his heart, "Safe"

"Angel, about last night…baby, I’m so sorry…"

She reached up and touched a delicate finger to his lips, "You couldn’t have known. I never gave you specifics and even if I had, neither of us would have known that it would…"

"I never would have said it," He shook his head in disgust, the self reproach evident in his eyes. "I hurt you and I…"

"Andrew, please," She moved so their faces were only inches apart, "You’re nothing like him," Her hand moved to stroke his cheek, "Nothing at all," She moved in closer and kissed him, gently and tenderly, putting all the love in her heart into that one moment. "Thank you for chasing away the dream."

He looked surprised, not having realized she had even been aware of having a bad dream, "I didn’t realize you had woken up, sweetie."

"I didn’t... not really, but I could still feel you…I could hear the things you were telling me and you chased it away," She smiled as she kissed his cheek, working patiently down his jaw and then lower, to his neck.

Her soft mouth against his skin caused him to close his eyes briefly, savoring the sweetness that was this beautiful little angel, but a moment later, he stopped her. He had some making up to do, regardless of the fact that she was laying no blame. He moved gently so her head was resting up against the pillow and a lump formed in his throat at seeing her dark eyes, filled with complete trust.

He moved to tenderly lay kisses on her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks, feeling shivers running through her at his gentle touch. He worked his way slowly up her neck and his tongue brushed against her ear, bringing a greater tremble from her body. He smiled briefly against her skin before he focused once more, laying wet, soft kisses back down her neck and to her shoulder. Low moans were escaping her and he felt her hands moving to his shoulders, but he stopped her, pinning her hands gently above her head with one of his own.

"No, angel," He whispered softly, and then immediately went back to kissing her, making it a point to cover every part of her face, neck and shoulders with his kisses. He could feel her nipples hardening beneath him as he kissed down her breasts and she arched her back, causing him to stop momentarily until she relaxed once more. Only then did he take one delicate bud into his mouth, sucking it softly, feeling her heartbeat quickening. She moved her hand again to press him closer, but once more, he stopped her, only returning her hand to above her head, never stopping this time as he continued to suckle her.

As his mouth moved to her other breast, his fingers ran lightly over her stomach and down to her core, stroking down through her folds with gentle fingers. He heard a gasp from Monica’s lips, but she made no move this time. He stroked her softly, feeling the silky wetness of her as he claimed her other nipple with his mouth. His fingers moved slowly, up and down, never entering her and purposefully avoiding the little pleasure nub that he could feel throbbing against his hand. Andrew could tell she was nearly frantic and soft mewing sounds escaped her, before more urgent pleas.

"Andrew, please…please…" She was begging for release and knew at this point it would not take much.

Andrew knew it as well, and he slowly entered her with two fingers, curled upwards to hit her most sensitive spot as his mouth moved back to her other breast, his touch still ever so gentle. His fingers worked in and out of her slowly, before his thumb finally ran lightly over her nub, nearly plunging her into oblivion. He felt her tighten around his fingers as a cry escaped her lips and her body trembled through the intensity of the orgasm, but he was far from finished with her.

Removing his mouth from her breast, never removing his fingers, he waited until he felt her beginning to calm and a moment later, he was lapping at her, his warm tongue moving over the now sensitive nub gently. Looking up, he saw her small hands curled into fists as tears escaped her eyes and he took her into his mouth and sucked her, hearing her passionate cries as her body tensed once more. As his wife rode out the waves of passion, his tongue probed into her, drawing out her second orgasm until she was gasping for breath and crying out his name. He drank of her juices, loving the sweet taste of her, as well as the way her body continued to shudder with the intense release.

Moving up and above her, he entered her slowly, the tightness of her climax still surrounding him and he stroked her slowly until she had found her breath once more. Only then did speed up his thrust, plunging into her depths a little more with each powerful stroke. His angel’s eyes were closed, soft moans escaping her lips as her head moved both restlessly and tiredly from side to side. Reaching down, he found her pleasure bud once more and rubbed it gently with his fingers, his eyes filled with both amazement and incredible love as she cried out once more, and this time he followed, even as he continued to move within her, drawing out her release along with his own.

Only then, did he move to kiss her, tenderly and passionately as his fingers wiped at her tears. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, he whispered into her ear, "I love you, angel, with all my heart, completely, and I will never hurt you again."

Pulling away, she looked into his eyes, "You never hurt me, Andrew. I don’t think you ever could. A memory hurt me tonight. Not you. Never you."

"I just feel like I caused that memory, angel," He replied softly, brushing his fingers through her hair.

"No, Andrew. The memories are always going to be there but hopefully with time, I will be able to control them or they’ll fade. But I never want you blaming yourself for them," She still saw doubt in his eyes and she kissed him softly, "You know how Paul always says that I saved him in all the ways that mattered?"

"You did, sweetheart."

"Well, you did that same thing for me, Andrew. After the rape, I had never been so lost or felt so alone and I was alone because I was having so much trouble letting anyone else in. But you…you never gave up on me. Even when I pushed you away, time and time again, you stayed. You told me you loved me when I couldn’t even begin to believe it. I didn’t feel deserving of it any longer but you kept telling me it wasn’t true until I did believe it," Tears shone in her eyes as she touched his jaw, "You saved me from myself and from all the terrible things I felt about myself. You made me see that they weren’t the truth. Where I didn’t think you could ever love me again, you showed me that you loved me in ways I could have never imagined, despite what had happened to me. On our wedding night, because of you, I felt completely pure, because nothing like what happened between us had ever happened to me before. You could never hurt me, my love, and I know that with my entire heart. Now you know it too."

A tender smile crossed his face as he took her hand from his face and kissed her fingertips, "I love you so much more than you could possibly imagine, angel," He whispered, moving to kiss her once more. He was so blessed to have her, to be one with her for the rest of eternity.

Her dark eyes were shining as she looked up at him and urged him softly, "Show me."

He smiled as a small chuckle escaped him, "For the rest of eternity, sweetheart."