The unexpected assignment
Monica watched with childlike curiosity as Andrew put the marshmallows in a stick, in front of a warm and big fireplace lit up hours before, when the sun started to set in the horizon. Everything had happened unexpectedly: the Irish angel was on the other side of the country helping a family in need when she was told to meet him by the end of the afternoon. His green eyes greeting her brown ones at a distance as he waited for her next to Tess' Cadillac flooded her heart with a wave of joy - they hadn't seen each other for three weeks and that reunion was more than welcome.
But they weren't together simply to hold each other and confess how much they had missed each other's company. They were on assignment and so far their instructions were to head to the woods and build up a campsite. She had helped him with this chore and neatly arranged their objects in and outside their tent. But she knew that it wouldn't be easy to convince him to let her intervene in the cooking department.
"I still cannot believe that this is an assignment, you know, Andrew?" she said, as if trying to solve a mystery. "It definitely doesn't look like one..."
Chuckling at the funny and adorable expression on her face, he turned the sticks over the fire, giving them the right amount of heat so that they would not burn. "Well, yes, you're right... But on second thoughts, we've had plenty of assignments that started in a very unusual manner."
"That's true..." an amused smile appeared on her face as she tilted her head and looked at him - blond hair brightened up by the light coming from the fireplace. "... but if you ask me, it seems a bit of a romantic date, like the ones you always surprise me with once in a while!"
Chuckling even more, he leaned to the side and pecked her lips. "Then it was about time I should do it one more time!"
"Definitely!" she said, as she too bent her head and kissed his cheek. Then she kept on talking, looking at the marshmallows with interested eyes. "I'm wondering if perhaps I could help you with the cooking?"
Andrew raised his eyebrows and looked at her determined to deny that request, but he knew that sometimes those sweet brown eyes would defeat him. The blond angel wondered if in the future little Angela would have the same power over him, and he was almost certain that she would.
X
"I'm so sorry..." Monica's voice, which held an inch of embarrassment, was almost making him laugh. Half an hour after they started to prepare food, their dinner was only saved because Andrew had been careful enough not to let her cook everything, otherwise there wouldn't be anything left to eat that night. But after an almost disastrous dinner, the two angels lay down next to each other on a comforter to watch the night sky.
"It's okay..." he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and bringing her closer to him. "Next time we can bring everything ready so we don't have to do the cooking, what do you think?"
She looked up at him and frowned. "What would be the fun then?"
He thought for a moment, and then replied, but with a mock serious expression. "Hum... Well, we could have more time to do other things."
Now the one with a pensive expression on her face was Monica, and seconds later she finally nodded. "I guess you're right there! I always enjoyed watching the stars with you, for example, and it's been a while since we last had a class!" Monica exclaimed, turning her face to the starry sky above their heads.
Chuckling, and shaking his head at the somewhat naivety of his beloved angel girl, he kissed her temple and also took the time to contemplate the firmament; thousands of bright lights shining upon them, reminding them that there was a higher power watching over all creatures on Earth.
"Let's see if you remember the astronomy classes I gave you a while ago..." Andrew spoke, tenderly caressing her temple with his thumb.
"Oh, but I do! All of them!" she immediately replied, looking at him for a moment and then back at the sky. She started to point out the constellations and the locations of the stars, and sometimes Andrew would show her some other ones, which she hadn't had the opportunity to learn about. Watching her enthusiasm and how her sweet brown eyes sparkled as she kept on speaking brought Andrew an amazing sensation of inner peace. As days and years passed by, the angel of death was more and more certain that having that warm hearted creature by his side was a present, a blessing that he would treasure for his entire existence. Yet, imagining his existence away from her was something he had already decided to be impossible.
As the hours passed, Monica's eternal chatter slowly subsided, and when she turned her tired pools to look at him, he felt a mix of tenderness and compassion as she was almost asleep.
"... Andrew?" she spoke, with a very low voice.
He ran hand along her hair and removed a stray piece away from her eye. "Yes, angel?"
"Do you think it's late for an angel in human form to go to bed?"
Her question caused him to chuckle, and he brought her closer to him so that he could kiss her forehead. "I believe it is the right time for a certain lovely angel that I happen to know..."
Andrew waited for her answer to come but he soon realised that, as he had pulled her closer, Monica snuggled against his chest and found it a really good place to fall asleep. That fact only amused the blond angel even more.
"Monica... You are just adorable..." he whispered into her ear, kissing her temple repeatedly. Then, very carefully not to wake her up, he sat down holding the little angel in his arms. Andrew passed his other arm underneath her knees and took a firm hold around her shoulders, and finally rose to his feet carrying his precious cargo to the tent built up just a few steps away. There, he carefully deposited her on the soft comforter and covered her small form with a warm blanket.
But instead of lying down next to her, he remained sitting on the fluffy floor and staring at her with a mix of joy and a slight shadow of doubt in his green eyes. What was their assignment? What were they doing there in the middle of the woods? If they were near the cabin he would feel more relaxed and confident about their mission, but the two angels in human form were miles away from their usual earthly home and that fact made him feel quite vulnerable. Sighing deeply, he ran delicate fingertips against her face, watching as she had drifted off to a peaceful sleep, trusting that she was twice protected - by her beloved angel of death and by their loving Father.
"Father... please forgive me for my insecurity... I should learn from this beautiful angel that You sent to me a while ago that I have to trust You wholeheartedly. And even though I do, sometimes I still fear..."
Listening to the silence of the night, the blond angel lifted his prayers not only asking for peace to his worried heart but also thanking for the opportunity to be reunited with Monica once again after weeks of separation. He prayed for their dear friend Tess, and for little Angela, who would be in the oldest angel's arms, filling the atmosphere around her with joy and much laughter.
Also tired from driving and building up a campsite, he closed the tent and lay down next to Monica sometime later. His green eyes remained on her and it didn't take too long before the little angel inched closer to him and found comfort in his arms again. With her head now pillowed underneath his chin, she never woke up or spoke a word, but it was possible to see there was a slight smile in the corner of her lips, a small sign of the joy she was feeling inside for being there.
Overwhelmed with tenderness, he brushed a loving kiss against her forehead and kept on caressing her auburn hair, now spread over his left arm. Minutes later, he too fell into a deep sleep, soothed by Monica's loving presence.
X
When Monica opened up her eyes the sun rays were already shining upon their tent, clearing up its interior and immediately making it clear for her that her beloved Andrew was already up and outside. She rolled her eyes at herself, visibly embarrassed at the fact that she would always sleep more whenever they were together. Besides this, that wasn't a romantic date, they had been sent there on assignment, and she had to be alert when the time to act arrived. Rubbing her eyes, she rose to her feet and looked for the shoes she was wearing on the previous night - and which she knew Andrew had removed while she was asleep.
"Andrew?" her Irish lilt echoed around the campsite, but met with silence. The little angel looked around her and then at the small table with their breakfast and bit her lower lip at the realisation that there wasn't much food left. There was also shame and guilt in her eyes as she knew the reason for that had been the little incident she had caused on the previous night and wondered if Andrew was somewhere searching for food.
"One day I'll make you proud, you know..." Sighing deeply, she walked around the site and decided to admire her surroundings while her dearest Andrew didn't return. The chilly air of the mountains caused her to button her purple cardigan but the sparkle in her eyes didn't leave any doubt - it was truly an amazing place. The tall green trees served as a shelter not only from the sun in the hotter days but also as the home for entire birds families that had built up their nests there and now spread an everlasting melody throughout the woods. Some flowers spread along her way also enchanted Monica and she picked some to decorate their temporary home. Breathing in their sweet smell and fascinated at the beauty around her, the Irish angel kept on walking without having a certain destination and, what's worse, without paying much attention to the path she was following.
X
A while after Monica had left, Andrew returned to their campsite carrying a basket with fresh fruit and some water taken from a fountain not far from there. The site had not been tampered with so he concluded that his beloved angel girl was still sleeping. Chuckling, he deposited their food on the small table and headed to their tent. It was then that he realised it was open and poking his head inside the blond angel found out that Monica was already up.
But where was she? Andrew wondered if she was looking for him, and quietly blamed himself for going out without telling her so. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his short blond hair and looked around, carefully scanning the area with attentive green eyes. "Monica? Can you hear me?"
But there was no answer to his calling.
"Angel... where are you? Please, don't do this to me..." his whispered voice held nervousness and much worry. "Father, if this is our assignment, please keep her safe until I find her..."
Andrew didn't wait any longer and set off to search for the little angel who had left a permanent imprint in his heart but who he knew was prone to accidents and ending up at places where she initially wasn't supposed to be.
X
When the sunrays started to become warmer Monica removed her cardigan and realised that by that time she was supposed to be back to the campsite. But after she passed by the tree with a funny-looking trunk shape twice, the little angel also realised something was not okay. She decided not to panic first, and returned to the spot where she had started her walk back to the site. But then she took a turn on a few bushes that she hadn't seen before. Frowning, Monica didn't know that the more she walked, the more she was away from the place where she and Andrew had settled.
The Irish angel walked for 10 minutes and finally had to admit to herself that she was lost. Again. Shaking her head, she felt even more frustrated with herself. She had not only made him leave early in the morning to fetch them food and water, but also worry about her whereabouts - as she knew he could be already looking for her.
"I'm so sorry..." she whispered, looking around without knowing where to head. But a sound reached her ears and immediately called her attention - it was running water. There was a river somewhere nearby. Monica couldn't avoid getting a little nervous at that fact, even though Andrew had helped her to overcome that fear she still felt some restrictions concerning huge masses of water. She gave a few steps and noticed that the sound was a bit louder. But before she could turn around, a much more frightening sound reached her ears - it was a woman's cry.
At that moment, the angel understood what she was doing there and that she had to rush before it was too late. A human life depended on her.
To be continued