A 'Touched by an Angel' & 'Beauty and the Beast'

Crossover story.

By: Yvette Jessen

Please note: the songs quoted in this story, 'Don't Laugh at Me' and 'Angels Among Us' do not belong to me, but are properties of their prospective owners. Nothing here is intended on infringing on any previously held copyrights. This is an amateur story.

*****

The Angel of Death named Andrew felt so cut off. Somehow, unbeknownst to him, he found himself trapped in human form living on the streets of New York City and scraping by for food. What kept him in optimistic spirits was just in knowing the fact that he knew God would never abandon him and though things looked bad right now, he was aware of the fact that there had to be a reason behind it. Somehow the Father would see him through, no matter how hard it would be. There exists a lesson in all of this, the angel surmised, but what that lesson was, he could simply not figure it out.

He looked out across the park and could see the trees rustling in the breeze, their shadows leaving an almost creepy sensation around him. The snow was falling now, it seemed to have been going on for much of the day, and now, at dusk, it continued. He sighed deeply as he found a bench and sat down. Resting his face in his hands, he shook his head sadly. How he hated living off the streets, without a penny to his name, and the weather was quickly getting colder.

What could he have expected? It was the worst time of the year, cold, wet, and uninviting. He could not see how anyone would willingly want to be outside on a day like this, it was bitterly cold and the January wind did not seem willing to let up.

"Father," he began to pray. "Please help me somehow. Thy will be done, always, and I will do your bidding, but I ask only that you please stay with me and let Monica and Tess know that I'm OK. I don't wish to make them worry."

His thoughts continued to drift as he saw a group of 8-10 children walking in his direction, off to one side, a young girl was walking, her sad hazel eyes depicting a story filled with tragedy and despair. He could not help but notice her, she was wearing a thin dress, had a light sweater over the dress, but she had her arms wrapped snugly around her body as a way to combat the cold. She sneezed a few times, but continued to follow the other kids, separate from them, but somehow also in their company.

Glancing down at his clothing, Andrew could tell that his appearance was less than perfect. His grungy jeans and ripped T-shirt made him definitely look the part of a homeless man rather than an angel of God. Over the shirt, he wore a trench coat, and though it was warm; his other pieces of clothing were not. He could not help but notice the loud voices of the children as they came closer to him, one boy speaking so loudly, his high pitch voice emerging as cold and without feeling as a dagger. His eyes sought those of Andrew and when the angel looked at him, the boy pointed and spoke to his friends causing them to begin starring at Andrew.

"Trash like that should be sent up the Hudson River," he said and chortled. The other kids began to twitter in laughter, and eventually they backed away from the angel. All of them were laughing except for the girl and rather than look at him accusingly, she smiled weakly at him and looked at him with the utmost compassion and sympathy in her eyes.

Upon hearing the words from the boy, the angel's eyes brimmed with tears and he looked down at his disheveled state. This child couldn't have been more than 12 years old, and it seemed as though he had learned this cruelty from the harshness of the city streets.

"Don't laugh at him, Hank," the girl said shrilly as she pushed the boy who had spoken those cruel words. "He doesn't deserve your nasty words."

The other children backed up and as the boy turned around and saw the girl who was addressing him. Instead of walking away, the boy snickered. "What makes you an expert on vagrants in the city?"

The girl looked at Andrew and shrugged her shoulders. "He has feelings, and your words hurt those feelings. Didn't you see the tears in his eyes? Your words hurt him. Don't you see the words people tell each other are just as painful as a fist?"

"You're as bad as him," the boy said pushing her to the ground. "You're just as much a vagrant as he is."

"Neither of us are vagrants, we both have a story and though our experiences may be negative, there's a reason behind it, and maybe that reason is why he is here. Haven't you ever considered that he's just as much a child of God as we are?"

"Ah, you and your religious garbage, Holly, but tell me, what does that make you? Do you honestly think God would waste His time with the likes of you?" Hank sneered as he pushed her again, this time causing her to fall onto the ground. She looked up at him as he laughed. "You're nothing but an unwanted waif. You live in an orphanage and it'd probably be better if you were to die, than to take up space there. Nobody wants you," Hank looked at the other kids in the group. "Come on, let's go to the video arcade, we can play some video games before we go home," he said and looked pointedly at the girl. "At least we have a home to go to." Without considering the pain he left the girl in, he walked away, the group of children following

Holly starred behind them as they walked away, the tears streaming down her cheeks, and the pain evident in her eyes.

Andrew was about to stand up and go to her when he saw her get down on her knees and fold her hands. Apparently, she was unaware that he was listening, but her soft voice filled the cold emptiness of the park as he sadly listened to her prayer.

"God, it's me, Holly Smith," the tears were streaming down her cheeks as she continued to speak. "Please, don't leave me alone to believe that I'm just some unwanted kid. I want to feel needed, and to be special, not just in the eyes of other people, but also in your eyes. Please help me to believe that I'm more…that I'm much more than just an unwanted orphan. I love you, you're the only one in my life who accepts me as I am, and doesn't hurt me." Her voice cracked as she spoke, and after she stopped speaking, she wiped the tears from her eyes and turned around to see that he had stood up and approached her.

Moments later, she could feel the heavy trench coat on her shoulders and the man she had defended had offered her his hand. She looked up and could see his gentle green eyes looking down at her with the same sense of compassion that she had offered him when the children were mistreating him. She reached up and accepted his outstretched hand, her fingers cold and she sneezed again. Although, she had been on the ground, she could feel the moistness in her clothing, and slowly she got on her feet, and they went over to the bench and sat down.

"That boy sure knows how to make someone feel like garbage," she muttered to herself as Andrew slid closer to her and rested his hand on her shoulder causing her to look up, her heartrending eyes meeting his.

"You're not garbage, Holly," Andrew asked softly.

"Maybe," she offered weakly her sad eyes filling with tears. "Shouldn't you keep your jacket, though? I mean; it's really cold out here and I, at least, have a sweater?"

"No, I'm OK, Holly," he said gently. "You're cold and will catch your death out here unless you get warm."

"Thank you," she was still shivering, but she did not argue this point any further.

"I heard your prayer," he said softly. "You should never ever believe the words that cruel boy said. God does love you, of that I am certain."

"I sometimes wonder; if I must live as I do, and endure the things I must endure. I feel as though I have to prove my worth to God, so that He would love me, because I don't love myself at all." She looked into his eyes and when she saw compassion, she felt the need to remain in his company even if she did not know him.

"Why did you defend me, Holly?"

She shook her head. "I heard this song once, it was called 'Don't Laugh at Me' and it says 'In God's eyes, we're all the same, some day we'll all have perfect wings'," she said and looked down at her grungy dress and after a few moments, back at him. "I guess lately, I just started questioning whether or not that's really true, whether I deserve His love at all."

"Why?" he asked gently. "Don't you believe that God loves you?"

"I did once," she mumbled. "I guess in a way, I still do. Somehow, just knowing that He's there, keeps me from killing myself."

Andrew looked at her with the utmost horror on his face. "Would you really want to kill yourself?"

"If you had to live with what I've lived with, then you might consider it the only feasible way out," she said softly.

"Way out?" He shook his head sadly. "How old are you?" he finally asked after her words had sunk in.

"13," she said weakly. "I've been thinking about running away for a long time, maybe now I can actually do it."

"Why would you want to run away?" He asked.

"It's better than having adults force me to do things I don't want to do," she said softly wrapping the jacket more firmly around herself. She sneezed, but when she saw him without anything to protect him from the cold wind; she tried to shake her way out of his jacket.

"No, you're getting sick, and I think you need the warmth much more than I do," he said gently.

"Thank you," she said, but he could see that she was still shivering.

"Tell me why it is you have started to lose your faith, Holly," he said gently.

"Look at how you have to live, and look at me, nobody wants me. Hank is right, I could fade out of existence and no one would even care," she said.

"I would care, Holly, and God would care, more than you realize right now, but He does care for you," he said gently and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"What's your name?" she asked the usual toughness returning to her voice. It appeared as though she was determined to not allow herself to show him her true emotions.

"Andrew," he answered.

"Are you out here alone?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," he said.

"It's getting colder, maybe we should go somewhere warmer," she said and sneezed again.

"I think you're right," he said and stood up. Once he was on his feet, he helped her to stand up. "But where?"

"I heard there's a special place here in the park, a drainpipe that leads underground, and maybe we should go there," she said. "It should be at least a little warmer and drier than it is out here."

Andrew stood up, and as the small girl did the same he looked down at her. "Maybe, you should get home, Holly."

"I already told you that I'm not going back there," she said softly. "The people are cruel, and they make me do things I don't want to do. When I refuse then they beat me and treat me like the last piece of dirt on the street. Andrew, there is no place on earth that could be worse than that place. If I cannot stay with you, I will go it alone and try to find my way."

The angel was taken aback and he could see the desperate truth in her words. "I won't leave you to go through this alone. I'll stay with you, at the very least, then you'll have some warmth." Smiling, he offered her his hand, and once she took it they started walking towards a large drainpipe. "We've got to get out of this weather, it's snowing harder," he said gently. "At the very least, it will be dry inside there."

"OK," the girl sneezed again and she wiped her hand over her face to smear the moisture from under her nose away.

*****

Catherine Chandler was working late at the DA's offices that evening and as she worked, two angels stood and watched her.

"Who is that?" Monica asked.

"Her name is Catherine Chandler, she's an assistant District Attorney and has been working on a case against one of the orphanages in town. It's a rather messy situation, Miss Wings, but the low down on it is basically that she's trying to protect the kids from a child pornography ring. I guess they figure that these children who are unwanted are simply there to provide sickening entertainment," Tess shook her head sadly and it was obvious to anyone that looked at her, she hated these kinds of assignments.

"Why are we here if Catherine is capable of doing this?" Monica asked.

"Because she's going to need a few angels on her side when all is said and done. Just trust what I tell you, the Father has a plan," Tess said.

"Where's Andrew?" Monica finally asked.

"He's got another assignment, and this one is a victim of what Catherine is investigating," Tess said. "He's in human form for now, and how long that will remain, only God knows."

Monica nodded and allowed her superior to continue explaining what was happening with this particular case.

"The story is as follows. Like I said, Catherine uncovered some rather horrible things going on in one the orphanages here in town. There are a number of adults who consider unwanted children prey of societies ills. Catherine is trying to make this issue known, but the only trouble is; she is finding herself consumed with it. Making a lot of enemies, and not seeing too many options."

"The entire system is corrupt?" Monica asked.

"I wouldn't say that, but I would say that there are a lot of lost souls in this city, and a lot of them are the souls of these children who are not being heard. It's a tragedy, Miss Wings, and let's face it, the only way it will ever get resolved is if someone like Catherine takes it. Unfortunately, it's quickly getting to be too much for her, and she's loosing her incentive the longer she works with it."

"So what are we supposed to do?" Monica asked.

"You're going to become her assistant tomorrow morning, I'll be moving into the apartment across the hall from her," Tess said. "Once we make contact with her, we should be able to encourage her to not give up the battle."

Monica nodded and smiled as she watched the attractive woman working. "The world needs more people like her, doesn't it?"

Tess nodded, "that it does."

*****

When her research ended for the day, Catherine checked her watch, got up from her desk, and began to walk towards the elevator. She was clearly frustrated with this case, and as she got into the elevator and rode down to the ground floor, she sighed deeply.

As soon as she came out of the elevator, she walked slowly in the direction of the subway. Unknown to her, three men were standing near the entrance and began to follow her from an undetected distance. Monica and Tess followed them in angelic form.

From her self-defense training, Catherine suddenly stopped when she could suddenly detect a presence behind her. It had, after all, during the course of the past year or so become almost like a sixth sense for her. She always knew when something was amiss and though she did not often look for help from others, she was strangely certain that amid the fear and uncertainty that was in the pit of her stomach, she could also perceive an unmistakable sense of calm.

She quickened her step, and glanced around slightly to see that the three men had done the same. She reached the stairs that would descend down into the subway station all the while aware that they were following her. She wound her way through the people, but as she glanced around again, she could see that the men were still behind her and a tremor went down her spine. It was times like this that she wished Vincent was with her, but in wishing for him, she realized that she could put him in grave danger. She pushed the thoughts of him to the back of her mind and made her way to the escalator that would descend down to and reach a long platform.

When she reached it, she turned around and could see the men coming quickly down the stairs and when she turned back towards the approaching train, she almost ran into Tess. "Excuse me," she said softly.

"Are you OK?" Tess asked all the while Catherine's eyes were following the movements of the three men behind her. By this time, they were about halfway down the stairs and she could see that the train had stopped, and the doors had slid open.

"Fine," Catherine said trying to dodge her way around Tess before the men had reached the platform. She ran towards the car that had stopped and practically dove inside.

As soon as Catherine was safely inside the train car, the doors closed, and once it was pulling away, the three men had reached the platform. Much to their disappointment, they were left with the only option of waiting for the next train. Tess sighed with relief and disappeared as the three men began to swear. Monica appeared, and in her angelic form, she approached the men and tried to listen to them.

"She got away," one of them muttered.

"Lenny Brinkman is going to kill us," the second said. "Catherine Chandler has been snooping around our business for weeks now, and if we don't stop her, the entire racket will be blown."

The cell phone of the third man rang and he reached inside his pocket and grabbed it. "Yeah?"

"Bruno, you need to go and stake out Central Park," the voice of Lenny Brinkman came over the line. The man sounded angry, but he remained silent as Brinkman's voice continued. "One of those brats took off again tonight."

"Which one this time?"

"A teenager, her name is Holly Smith, and I know her well enough to know that she's going to make trouble for us. Send Stan after the Chandler woman, and I want you and Chuck to get your tails over to Central Park on the double. Do whatever you have to do to get that brat out of circulation."

Monica gasped when she heard the conversation and when Tess appeared beside her she looked horrified. "Tess what are we going to do, those men want to kill that little girl? This can't happen."

"Listen Miss Wings, you go find Andrew, Holly should be with him, and I'll go after Catherine," Tess said.

"OK," she said.

"And Miss Wings?" Tess turned towards the young angel.

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

"I will," sighing sadly, Monica disappeared.

*****

Vincent was worried, something was simply not right. He had seen Catherine the night before, but something was bothering her, and for some reason, she had not told him anything. He was sitting in his chamber writing in his journal, when he suddenly felt the fear encompassing him that emanated from the woman he loved. Just as quickly, that fear disappeared.

"Catherine," he muttered under his breath.

"Vincent, are you in there," Mary called out from the tunnel and he looked up from his writing and could see her standing at the entrance to his chamber.

"What is it Mary?" he asked.

"I have a message for you. One of the helpers brought it to me just now and asked me to bring it to you," Mary said.

Vincent immediately recognized Catherine's familiar script, and he opened the message and looked down at her neat handwriting. After some moments of reading, he looked up. "Mary, do we have any children who came here from the 'Hampton Bridge Orphanage'?"

"Not that I know of, why?" Mary asked and Vincent handed her the sheet of paper.

Once Mary had read it, the color drained from her face as she looked at him with complete surprise in her eyes. "Child pornography?" she asked weakly. "How positively horrid."

Vincent nodded, "I have to go see Catherine tonight, something is not setting right with me. Could you let Father know about this, and maybe we can find a way to help Catherine. If only one of those children were to come here, but I don't see that happening any time soon, simply because the kids are frightened."

"Who's Lenny Brinkman?" Mary asked.

"He's one of the most notorious child exploiters in the city. According to Catherine, he and his wife have been using children from the orphanage in pornography rings, and are displaying photos of them on the internet," Vincent said sadly.

"Vincent, if he's so notorious, and so well known, why don't the authorities put a stop to their work?" Mary asked.

"I don't know, all I can think if is behind every nasty person in the city is an equally nasty lawyer who tries to pull the strings to get them off. It's nothing ideal," Vincent said softly.

"Vincent, is Catherine in some kind of danger?" Mary asked. "She is prosecuting the case, right?"

Vincent nodded and left the chamber without answering her question, but Mary was left with the only conclusion that Catherine was in fact in need of some help.

She left the chamber and went towards Father's library where Jacob Wells was seated. Ever since she could remember he went by the name 'Father' and was the patriarch of their tunnel community. She cared deeply for him, but that caring emerged as a sort of motherly love. This same love she carried for each and every child who came to live in the tunnel world.

"Father?" she called out and Jacob looked up from where was reading a book.

"Mary," he said and she handed him the note that Catherine had sent to Vincent.

"I thought you might like to see this, I have a funny feeling something's not quite right."

He read the note and nodded sadly as he thought about the children. "This is such an awful situation, and I don't really know how we could help Catherine in this regard, especially without exposing our existence down here."

"Vincent thought that Catherine might be in some kind of trouble," Mary said softly.

"From the looks of it, she could very well be," he said and rubbed his chin as though in contemplation. "I should let Pascal know that we should be extremely wary of strangers at this time."

Mary nodded and sighed sadly.

*****

Andrew led Holly into the drainpipe, her sneezing was quickly worsening, and he knew that the child was in need of some help. "Holly, are you able to keep going?" he asked gently.

"I think so," she said, that old toughness returning to her voice, but after a few moments, dizziness overcame her and she sank to her knees.

"What is it?" Andrew reached her side and could tell by looking at her that she was getting even sicker. He reached over and felt her forehead. "You're burning up."

"I feel dizzy, Andrew, and I'm so cold," she said softly, and rested her head in her hands.

Andrew wrapped his arms around her and held her, but when her shivering got worse, he released his hold on her and sighed sadly. Within seconds, he could hear voices emerging from the mouth of the tunnel.

"What?" she whispered, but before she could continue to speak, he placed his fingertip gently over her lips indicating that she should remain quiet. For some reason, he could sense danger, and when he heard the voices of the two men, he realized that his assumptions were accurate.

"I think we found her," the voice of one of the men emerged and Holly's face registered horror as she recognized who it was that had found them.

Andrew looked up and could see the shadows of the two men in the mouth of the tunnel. They blocked their escape route and the angel was aware that the only thing they could do; would be to venture further into the tunnel, but with Holly's weakened state, it would have been harder because she was quickly getting sicker.

Turning around, he saw a burly man coming towards them. The angel centered himself between them, and the man pushed him away as he came towards the frightened girl.

"I see you decided to run away again, you little brat," one of the men sneered and grabbed for Holly's hair and pulled her roughly off the tunnel floor. As he pulled her away from Andrew, she yelped and called out to him for help.

"Andrew, please help me," she cried as she felt a rough hand against her neck. As the man pulled her back towards the mouth of the tunnel, she screamed and suddenly, she felt a cold steel blade against her neck and her cries softened and he could only hear her whimpering.

"Shut up, you little brat, or you're going to be scrambled eggs by breakfast," the man snapped.

Holly began to cry, her hiccup like sobs breaking the stillness of the tunnel. She struggled against the hold the man had on her, but to no avail, the man held her firmly and roughly, forcing her back towards the mouth of the tunnel entrance.

Andrew stood up to go and try to help Holly, but before he could do anything, he felt a foot against his stomach and he was forced backwards, the impact against his stomach causing him to fall on the ground. He watched the events taking place and was powerless.

Within seconds, Holly and the angel could hear loud roars emerging and breaking the sounds of fear that were emerging from the girl. Within seconds they released their hold on Holly and she felt herself sinking to the ground. As soon as she had hit the ground, she crawled away from them.

When she turned slowly around, she could hear their blood curdling screams and she covered her ears to block out the sounds. As she watched the events taking place, she could suddenly see a man she had never seen before standing in the middle of the chaos, a golden white light radiating from him, and she could see that he was wearing a light colored suit and carried a look of immense love and compassion in his eyes.

As Andrew watched Holly from his vantage point on the ground, he could see that Adam was now present and his friend and fellow Angel of Death was consoling the two men. As Adam and the two men disappeared into the light, Andrew closed his eyes and uttered a short prayer before looking over at Holly. She was still stationary on the ground, and after a few moments, she began to crawl slowly towards him, her face was covered with blood and her eyes wide with panic.

"A-Andrew," she stammered, the shock and fright evident in her shaking voice. His heart went out to her as she reached him and practically collapsed in his arms, the tears falling from her eyes and rolling down her face. "I-I was so scared."

"I know, but you're going to be OK," he whispered comfortingly as he rocked the trembling body of the young girl in his arms. After some moments, he glanced up and could see the bright blue eyes of a man staring down at them. The man was tall, and he looked to be a man, with features and the roar of a lion. He remained standing in front of this, his body towering over them, but when his voice emerged, it was completely unexpected, because it as essentially soft and gentle.

"You're both OK," he said kindly, and Holly could hear it above her hammering heart.

"Who are you?" Andrew asked weakly as he held the frightened girl in his arms.

"My name is Vincent."

Holly continued to cry, her fear evident, and the adrenaline rush apparently over.

Vincent got down on his knees and looked at the young girl in Andrew's arms. After a few moments, he spoke, his voice gentle. "She needs a doctor. Come with me, I'll take you to my father, he is a doctor, and he can help her. You can trust me, I won't hurt or betray either of you."

Vincent reached down and picked Holly gently up in his arms. She stiffened when she felt him moving her, but he offered her a weak and reassuring smile. "Don't be afraid, child I won't hurt you."

"Andrew?" she whispered and reached for the hand of her friend.

Andrew nodded and stood up. "I'm here Holly."

Holly nodded numbly, the events reeling through her mind as Vincent carried her down the spiral staircase, which led to their underground world. Andrew followed them; all the while assuring Holly that he was still present and that he would not leave her.

As they entered a long tunnel, Andrew looked around in awe at what he was seeing. The tunnels were chilly, but the resonating sounds of people tapping messages on the pipes could be heard, and he could see groups of children who apparently lived in this underground world. He smiled gently at the children he saw as they continued through the tunnel and into a chamber where Vincent lowered Holly onto an old hospital bed.

Holly could see that off to one side, there was a dressing room, as well as a soft nightgown on top of the bed. She ran her hand over the soft fabric.

"Why don't you change into that?" Vincent said gently before leaving the chamber. "It's much warmer and drier than that dress you are now wearing."

Holly took the nightgown behind the screen and quickly changed into the gown. She immediately felt warmer once she had changed. Several minutes later, she came out and Andrew helped tuck her under the covers.

"I must go and get Father," Vincent said. "He will help you."

Once he was gone, Holly looked up at Andrew, traces of fear were still evident in her eyes, but it was easy to see that she was warmer and she handed the trench coat back to the angel. "Thank you," she whispered.

"You're afraid of something," Andrew said softly.

"Yeah," she whispered. "They're after me, they think I'm going to tell. Andrew, I'm frightened. You don't know what happened up there, what they did to me. They would take pictures of me without clothing on. I ran away so many times, and I never thought that Mr. Brinkman would send someone after me," she shook her head, but the trembling continued.

"It's OK, you're safe now," he said gently and smiled at her with all the compassion he could muster. "You're never alone, Holly."

The girl nodded weakly but she looked up at him, and he could see the absolute terror in her eyes. She is such a young child and should not have to endure all of this. He shook his head sadly. This was almost too much for him.

"Remember in the park?" he asked gently. "You know that God loves you, and He would never leave you alone. Now you know that He does, because you have people in your life who will help you."

"D-did you see the angel?" she asked weakly after a few moments.

"Angel?" he asked looking at her.

"IIn the tunnel, I saw a man, and he was wearing a white suit and he was glowing white light. I don't know who he was, but he showed up after Vincent…" her voice trailed and she shook her head as she recalled the experience she had. "The angel took those bad men away and I-I thought I was dreaming."

"No, you didn't dream it, Holly. It really did happen and you really did see him, as did I. The man you saw, his name is Adam," Andrew said smiling comfortingly at the young girl.

"How do you know?" she asked weakly.

"Because, he's a friend of mine," Andrew said as he took her hand gently in his own and squeezed it reassuringly. "He's an Angel of Death, and he was sent to those men to take them to heaven. That's why he was there, and he took care of both those men after they died."

"But they're so mean? How can they earn love and forgiveness when they wanted to kill me?" She asked weakly.

"That's easy, God can forgive men for their actions, Holly; it is mankind that cannot forgive, but God so special in that He possesses the ability to forgive and love those who stray away from Him," Andrew said gently and smiled at her as he took her hand. "That's what makes Him God."

"Andrew," she spoke his name softly and he looked down at her waiting for her to continue. "You're so wise and caring. I'm grateful that I met you tonight."

"I am too, Holly," he said gently and he brushed her hair from her eyes.

"Are you like Adam? Are you an Angel of Death too?" She asked weakly, her voice soft.

"Yes, I am," he said. "But, how is it that you would ask me this question?"

"You care for me," she said softly. "I would say that only angels could care for me the extent that you do."

"Oh Holly," he wrapped the young girl in his arms. "You must learn to love yourself, as God loves you. You're special, and brave, and you will find that one day, you will meet other people who will love you and see the beauty that dwells within you. It's in your heart, I noticed it the first time I saw you, and one doesn't have to be an angel to acknowledge it."

Holly could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, but she looked at him. "If you're like Adam, why don't you wear a white suit and glow golden white light?" She asked weakly noticing his disheveled appearance. "You look like a poor person who lives on the streets." She reached up and touched his face with the tips of her fingers, "but I know you're not, you're beautiful." Her hand fell away and she closed her eyes.

"I'm trapped in human form right now, Holly, and can do nothing like you saw with Adam," he said softly and ran his hand gently through her hair. "I have something I must learn here, and somehow I think you will be the one to teach me."

She opened her eyes again and began to sneeze, "I believe you."

At that moment, Jacob and Vincent returned to the chamber. Upon seeing the young frightened girl, Jacob's sternness melted away and he smiled comfortingly at the young girl. "What happened to you, my dear?" his voice emerged and both Andrew and Holly smiled weakly when they saw him. He was hobbling along on a cane, his gentle brown eyes regarding both of them with compassion and kindness.

Jacob's heart went out to the young frightened girl as it often did when he was to help victimized children. Vincent had explained everything to him, and he could see the fear that encompassed her, his voice was gentle in the hopes of calming the fear that seemed to curse through her.

Holly looked into the kind brown eyes of the older man and she found that she immediately liked him. He reminded her of that loving grandfather she had seen on television. She shook her head sadly, but after a few moments, she looked away, the shame enveloping her like a dark, black cloud.

"Can she speak?" he asked Andrew.

"Yes, she can, but she's frightened by what had transpired out there," Andrew said gently, and held her hand tightly in his.

"Don't worry, you're safe here, child. What's your name?" Jacob asked gently.

"H-Holly," she whispered her face still down.

He reached over and took her face gently in his hands and made her look up and into his eyes. "I know you're frightened, and I know that you have every reason to be afraid, but down here is a very safe place, and I won't let anyone hurt you. You're safe here, Holly. The men who hurt you are now gone, and they will never find you here."

Holly licked her dry lips and closed her eyes after a few moments passed. "I-ah, w-where are we?"

"It's a safe place," Vincent said gently.

She nodded as though she understood, but they could all see the fear in her eyes. "Andrew?"

"I'm here, Holly," he said softly.

Moments later, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

As soon as she was asleep, Jacob did an examination and as he finished and covered her with a thick quilt, he looked at Andrew with concern in his eyes. "You were with her when she was attacked?"

Andrew nodded, "I was."

"Do you know why she was attacked?" Vincent asked.

"I'm not really sure, she said something about an orphanage and about something that had happened there. I sensed that she was afraid of going into specifics," Andrew said. "I think she's ashamed of what she has lived through, and feels that she doesn't deserve love or human compassion."

Jacob nodded sadly. "Yes, unfortunately it often happens with child abuse victims. Overcoming that sense of shame and guilt is often very, very difficult."

Vincent looked at Jacob. "Father, I have to go see Catherine tonight. Something tells me that Holly is one of the children from 'Hampton Bridge'."

"Be careful above, Vincent," Jacob said, but nodded thinking that perhaps Catherine would be able to offer Holly some support.

Vincent nodded gratefully and left the chamber. Once they were alone, Jacob looked at Andrew, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Andrew," he said. "Is she going to be OK?"

"I think so, I'm more concerned for her emotional state than for her physical state. She's been through something rather traumatic," came the answer. "Sometimes it takes years for a child to overcome these kinds of things." He shook his head sadly and looked at Andrew.

"I'd like to stay with her," Andrew said, but could feel the very human shivering beginning to overcome him.

"You can, but I'd suggest that you get something warm on, the weather conditions down here are not exactly ideal for T-shirts and jeans," Jacob said smiling. "Not that the temperatures above are either."

Andrew nodded, "Thank you. What is your name?"

"Everyone here calls me 'Father'," Jacob said.

"Please forgive me if I cannot use this name, you see, that's what I call God, when I pray," Andrew smiled weakly.

"Then you can call me Jacob, that's my given name, Jacob Wells," he said smiling.

*****

Catherine arrived at her apartment building safely and went upstairs. She sighed with profound relief when she was standing in front of her door. Taking a deep breath, she pulled the key from her pocket, but just about jumped out of her skin when someone spoke to her.

"Hello, neighbor," a friendly voice spoke and she turned to see a friendly pair of dark eyes looking at her. A heavyset African American woman stood in the hallway.

Catherine placed her hand over her heart. "You scared me."

"Sorry about that. My name's Tess, I just moved in the apartment across the hall this evening."

"Catherine Chandler, but you can call me Cathy if you want," she said softly.

"Excuse me for saying so, baby, but you look like you've seen a ghost, are you sure you're OK?" Tess asked.

"I've just had a long night," she said and turned to unlock her apartment.

"I'll see you again sometime, try to get some rest, then" Tess said as Catherine went inside.

She remained outside in the hallway when Monica appeared. "Tess, I was looking all over for Andrew, and I couldn't find him in the park."

"Don't worry Miss Wings, you shouldn't have been looking for them in the park, but rather under it. There's a secret tunnel community beneath the streets of this city, and Catherine has been keeping it a secret for the last two years," Tess said. "Anyway, Andrew is down below the city with the people there, as well as with Holly."

"I see," Monica said as the elevator opened and she could see a man coming down the hall. She recognized him immediately; it was one of the men they had seen at the subway station. "Tess, what's going to happen here?"

"That's Stan Farrell, and he's a nasty sort," Tess said as Adam appeared and nodded.

"Is Catherine in trouble, Adam?" Monica asked.

"Not hardly, she's got a protector of the weirdish kind," Adam said and related the events in the tunnel to the other two angels. "I couldn't believe this guy, he practically tore those two guys apart with his bare teeth. I had never seen anything as grizzly as this, but this is New York, so lots of weirdness is known to happen. I don't think anyone deserves to be lion meat, but these two guys did not have the noblest intentions either." The Angel of Death shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Monica asked.

"Those two guys intended on killing Holly Smith," Adam began. "In fact, I thought initially that the Father had sent me to her, because I could sense that she was in some kind of danger. I still am a little worried about her."

"Is Andrew with her, Adam?" Tess asked.

"Yes, he is, but in human form and I fear that he could also be in danger," Adam said shaking his head.

As the three angels watched, Stan started banging relentlessly on Catherine's door. "Open up, I know you're in there," he was shouting, and Monica disappeared and reappeared in Catherine's living room.

Catherine was, by this time afraid, and although she was trapped inside her apartment with this man banging on the door, she somehow kept herself together. Although she realized that he would eventually manage to break down the door and come inside, but she would be ready for him. She went into her bedroom and retrieved her gun. As she came out of the room, she could see that Vincent had arrived and was standing out on her balcony. She placed the gun on the coffee table, ran out onto the balcony, and wrapped her arms around him.

"Catherine?" Vincent asked weakly feeling her body shaking from beneath his touch. "Is something wrong?"

"There were these men in the subway who were following me, and I think one of them is outside trying to come in," she said.

From inside, Monica could see them on the balcony, and she watched in surprise as someone of Vincent's stature cradling Catherine as though she was a porcelain doll. She remained in the living room, but when the couple returned from outside, Vincent looked skeptically around the room. "Catherine, do you sense it?"

"Sense what?" she asked weakly.

"There's a presence of some kind," he whispered.

"I can't sense anything, Vincent, all I can hear is this man banging on my door," she said sighing deeply and he knew that she was frightened.

"There's someone in this very room," Vincent said softly.

"What do you mean? The someone is that maniac outside, and he wants to kill me," Catherine said her voice rising slightly in intensity.

"No, I mean there is someone in this room, you cannot see them, but if you close your eyes you can almost feel their presence with you," he said. He took her gently in his arms. "Don't worry, Catherine, it's nothing bad, in fact, it feels comforting. Even if they weren't here, I am here and I won't let anyone hurt you. Now, close your eyes and try to block out what is happening outside."

She did as he said, but it was hard for her to concentrate and she opened them once again and shook her head sadly. "I can't."

"Please, make yourself known here," Vincent said to no one in particular.

At that moment, Monica allowed herself to become visible to them.

"Who are you?" Vincent asked once he could see her. "I sense that you mean us no harm, but I don't understand how someone could glow with radiant light and appear and disappear at will."

"I'm an angel, Vincent. My name is Monica and I was sent from God to help you," she said. "The man outside works for Lenny Brinkman, and he wants to prevent you from researching the child pornography ring, Catherine."

Catherine looked at the other woman and shook her head in complete disbelief. "And, you're here to help me try to stop them?"

"Yes," Monica said. "His two friends, the ones who were chasing you at the subway station are now gone."

"They'll come back," Catherine said.

"No, they won't," the angel said simply. "Vincent took care of them."

As Monica spoke, Vincent looked down at his claws and sighed sadly as he regarded his hands with scorn. "How can I even look you in the eyes when you obviously see me as some vicious monster standing before you? I cannot change what it is I have done, but I only try to protect those who are unable to protect themselves." He turned away from both of them, his grief evident and the worry was apparent in the eyes of the woman who loved him.

Monica walked over to him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'm not here to pass judgment on you. You saved the life of that little girl. Who would have protected her had you not done so? She's one of the children from 'Hampton Bridge Orphanage', Vincent," she said. "Those two men would have killed her and she has been hurt enough by the people there. And now she is with friends, in your home, and your father is helping her to regain her strength. You must believe it, I speak only the truth," She stepped in front of him and reached, without fear, for his hands. "This man will continue through the night to bang on your door. If you want to prevent bloodshed, which I believe you both do, then Vincent, take Catherine below, and let me handle this."

Vincent looked at the angel, surprise evident in his eyes. She stood there holding his hands, her eyes filled with love and compassion, and if there existed any traces of fear or doubt, this beautiful auburn headed woman did little, if nothing, to show it.

"But, how can you?" Catherine asked.

"Put your faith and trust in God, Catherine, and go now," Monica said. "Please. Rest assured, I will be fine, my friends are with me, and God is also with me."

Vincent nodded at her, and after a few moments, he picked Catherine up in his arms and the two of them exited over the balcony leaving Monica standing alone in the apartment.

"OK, Stan," she said smiling. "You're about to witness divine intervention." She went and opened the door. "Yes, can I help you?"

"Where is she?" the man sneered when he realized that the woman standing before him was not Catherine.

"Catherine, well you, see, Stan, she's not here, and I think you should be rather grateful that she isn't," Monica said gently.

"Why?"

"Well, do you see that man in white standing over there? He is standing on the other side of the hall."

"Yeah, what about him?" Stan sneered.

"His name is Adam, and he's an Angel of Death, and he was sent from God to watch over you. Now, if Catherine had been at home, you would have most likely been shot and Adam would have had to take you to Heaven," she said and smiled as the light encompassed her. "Your two friends are already there, and I have a message for you from them. It is not too late to change, and it is better this way. Your life is spared."

"Man lady, you're crazy?" he said not even acknowledging the light that encompassed her. Somehow, he believed that the entire theatrics were some sort of light trick.

"Crazy, you say," Tess said appearing next to Stan and putting her hand on the man's shoulder. "I'd say that Monica, here, saved your hide."

Adam nodded. "She's right Stan, if not for her, I would have had to take you home." He took a deep breath and looked into the steel gray eyes of the man. "It's never too late, Stan, you can change your ways and try to help those children you have tormented rather than hurt them. It's always up to you and God does love you."

Stan looked at the three of them, but instead of speaking further, he fled down the hallway and rather than take the elevator, he practically dove head first down the stairs.

"I'd say he's convinced, wouldn't you Tess?" Adam asked with a smirk.

"Definitely, that was good work, Miss Wings," Tess said suppressing a chuckle.

*****

Upon getting some fresh and rather comfortable Medieval style clothing, Andrew returned to Holly's side and remained with her through the night. "Father," he prayed. "Please take care of her, she's in need of your love, and your strength." As he remained with her, he could feel himself getting tired, and eventually he fell asleep in the chair, his hand still holding tightly to hers.

Vincent returned with Catherine to the chamber where the angel and young girl slept. It was now the following morning and as they came into the chamber, they found Andrew asleep next to Holly's bed. "Catherine, this is Holly and her friend Andrew," he said softly and somehow his voice roused Andrew from his sleep and the angel slowly opened his eyes.

Catherine reached over and brushed the hair from out of her eyes. "Is she sick?"

"No," Andrew said softly rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, "but her emotional state is questionable."

Vincent nodded. "Did she sleep through the night without any problems?"

"Yes, thankfully she did," he replied simply as Holly began to stir.

"Andrew?" she moaned.

"I'm here sweetheart, don't worry," he said gently and took her hand.

As the girl opened her eyes, she could see Catherine and Vincent standing nearby and she sat up in the bed and pulled the quilt up around her neck. "It wasn't a dream," she whispered and looked at Vincent with traces of fear, but also a newfound respect. "You're real, and you saved my life."

Andrew nodded, "yes, his name is Vincent, Holly."

She smiled weakly and sank back against the pillows. As she did, she closed her eyes and Vincent approached her. "Are you hungry, Holly?"

She rubbed her eyes and nodded. "A little."

Catherine smiled gently, "I'll go see if William has some oatmeal. He makes the world's greatest oatmeal." She left the chamber, and Vincent sat down.

"Holly, why don't you tell me who those men were?" Vincent spoke gently to her.

"T-they work for Mr. Brinkman," Holly said softly. "I tried to run away before and they beat me, but I-I knew that t-they would try to kill me." She looked at Andrew. " I'm so scared, please don't leave me, Andrew. "

"She's rather connected to you, even though I don't think you've known each other very long," Vincent said softly.

"We met last night," Andrew said.

"He's an angel," Holly said, her voice emerging more or less a sigh.

"An angel?" Vincent looked at Andrew, but rather than wait for any affirmation or denial to emerge, he closed his eyes for a few moments. After a second, he nodded. "She speaks the truth, I couldn't feel it before, but I do now, you're an angel, like Monica."

"You met Monica?" Andrew asked.

"Yes, last night when I went to see Catherine," Vincent said. "She convinced me to bring Catherine here so she would be safe. The men that work for Lenny Brinkman were after her as well, and two of them were those two men who had come after Holly last night."

Andrew looked at him. "How could you tell that about me?"

"It's emotions, Andrew, mine are heightened somehow. I cannot explain it except in this way, but I know that it's the truth," he said simply.

Andrew sighed deeply. "Can you allow her to stay here? I know that if she lives in such a special place as this, she will have the safety to heal and will grow into a kind and loving woman."

Holly looked at him, "Andrew, don't go, please. Stay with me, I'm afraid."

"I'll stay as long as I can," he promised her.

Catherine returned, two large bowls of oatmeal in her hands. "I brought you one as well, since I have a feeling that you won't wish to leave this chamber anytime soon."

She handed a bowl to Holly and the second she gave to Andrew.

*****

Lenny Brinkman had not heard from his henchmen since the previous night, and he was concerned. Most of his concern, however, was for his own neck, not necessarily for the men who worked for him. After he had looked up some information on the internet, he rammed his fist onto the desk. Things were not looking good at this moment.

"Hello Leonard," a voice interrupted him and he looked up to see that he was now looking at an older heavyset woman. Upon hearing her no nonsense voice, any words he might have said would have been useless.

"At the very least, you're being quiet; this should make my job a lot easier," she said, simply. "My name is Tess, and I'm an angel."

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked finding his voice.

"I'm here about a little girl you and your wife mistreated, Leonard," she said. "Eventually, the police will be here, because your friend Stan Farrell has blown the whistle on your little operation. You can simply call it a little bit of divine intervention," she smiled sarcastically. "After his two buddies were killed last night, he was given a change of perspective. As we speak, he's spilling the beans to the New York City police, as well as all information about your so-called computer business."

"Where is Holly?" he asked.

"She's finally in a safe place, where the likes of you and your wife can no longer harm her. She will never return to this place or to the life she lived before. She will never be humiliated again. She now has friends who will take care of her and protect her from people such as yourself," she said assuredly.

"And what about Catherine Chandler?" Lenny asked.

"She too is in a safe place," Tess said assuredly. "I know that you would have preferred to have seen her taken out as well."

"Are they dead?" He asked.

"No, they are not," Tess said simply. "I am here to give you an option. You can acknowledge the truth, or choose not to, but God sent me with a message for you and people who work with you." She leaned forward and put her hands on his desk for emphasis. There she looked down at him. "Leave the children alone. Allow them to grow into adults without using their innocence for your own sick purposes. Your 'business' is finished, Leonard, but the children you have harmed are now emotionally and spiritually scarred and it will take a great deal of time for them to realize that they are beautiful children of God. You cannot take the fear that is in them away, but you can stop hurting them and allow them to finish growing as children should."

"Why should I listen to you?" He asked sourly.

"Why should you not?" Tess said, her eyes bearing down into his. "You have no other alternative, the police will be here very soon, but you can at least acknowledge the love of God in your life, and ask for forgiveness."

Leonard Brinkman shook his head. "You're crazy," he said shaking his head.

Tess nodded her head, "I figured you would say that," she said simply, "but your free will does define how things eventually turn out." With that, she disappeared.

As soon as she was gone, three policemen stormed into the office, "Leonard Brinkman?" one of them asked.

"Yes?"

"You're under arrest for assault, child molestation, and attempted murder," one of them said as they began to read the Miranda Rights to him. As he was handcuffed and taken from the office, Lenny Brinkman sighed deeply, and looked outside through the window. Outside in the corridor that led to the stairs, he saw Tess again and she was watching the events, her eyes watching as the police led him through the hallway.

"What do I have to do?" he finally asked, the defeat evident in his eyes, but his question breaking the stillness of the events taking place.

"Just talk to Him," Tess replied before he was taken outside. Within moments, Lenny's wife, Jackie was being led out of another office, by another group of policemen. Tess said nothing as they passed, but as soon as the hallway was empty, she uttered a quick prayer, and disappeared.

The building was now empty, and within minutes, Tess reappeared with Monica standing beside her, and they nodded to each other. Now that the Brinkman couple was no longer heading up the operation at this orphanage, it was time for them the help the scarred and unhappy souls of the children who lived in it.

*****

That evening, the news drifted into the underground that Lenny and Jackie had been arrested and that their computer pornography ring had been closed. There was a great celebration among the tunnel community and Holly remained there until she and Catherine were to return above and start working with the children in the home.

Now, she stood in front of the orphanage with Catherine, and the kind woman held her hand. "I want to one day live below, Catherine," she said as they reached the door.

"I don't know if that can be arranged, you'd have to ask Vincent and Father about it," Catherine said.

"I know," she said and within seconds, she felt another hand on her shoulder, and she turned around and could see Andrew. "You're here? I'm so glad."

"Hello, Holly," he said gently looking down at her. There was a new strength and energy in the young girl, and this made him happy.

"I was hoping that you would say good-bye to me before you left," she said as they went down the hallway and entered a large meeting room. She turned on the lights, and looked around the room. "This place really does look desolate. Do you think we could make some changes here?"

"I think we can, and besides that, there's still a lot of work for us to do here," Andrew said simply.

"You're staying?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm came here to help you and Catherine with this task as well as couple of my friends, Monica and Tess. You know that all of this will be long and hard, but God is so proud of you, and I am as well," Andrew said.

Holly smiled, and began to ring the bell to call the children for a meeting. She watched as the children began to drift into the large room, and some sat down on the floor while others sat down at the tables.

As soon as the groups of kids were assembled, Holly stood up and began to speak to them. "OK, everyone, the reason I called this meeting is because I have news for all of you. Mr. and Mrs. Brinkman are gone!"

Upon hearing this, the children began to cheer loudly. When the cheers died down somewhat, Holly continued. "They won't ever be back, and we'll finally be able to grow up in peace."

The roar that greeted that announcement was even louder than the first round of applause. "Now since, I'm the oldest, I have to introduce a few people to you, so you will know what's going to happen here and why. First of all, this is Catherine Chandler, she works for the District Attorney's office, and she's helping us put Leonard and Jackie Brinkman away." The children cheered and Catherine smiled weakly and offered them a short wave.

"This is Andrew, and he and his friends are going to help us get through all the things that we have lived through. We're all going to have to be very brave and talk about what has happened with them. These aren't adults like the Brinkmans," she said. "Andrew helped me when I was sick, and Catherine wants to make things better for us. We can trust them, and these are the kinds of adults we need, they will help make things easier, and we won't have to be afraid any longer."

The kids cheered again as Monica and Tess joined Andrew, Catherine, and Holly in front of the group of children. "The other thing, we have to make this place a home, that means we will all participate in fixing this dump up. Not because we have to, but rather, because we want to, and we can make this the home we have always dreamed of."

The children cheered again as Holly stepped away from the center of the room, and Tess took her place.

"My name is Tess, and my friend, Monica, and I are counselors," the older of the angels began. "We're going to set a time when we can speak with each one of you, and until they find trustworthy foster parents who will stay here with you, we're going to stay here with you and help you turn this house into a home. We're going to need each and every one of your help, so any thing you can offer for this project would be appreciated."

Catherine nodded and as the children began to cheer again, she looked at Holly. "You did this, Holly," she said simply. "You made this happen."

"I didn't do very much," she said softly. "I just got scared, and didn't know what to do next."

"You are capable of doing a lot more than you think, Holly," Catherine smiled. "Are you up to being a witness in court and working with me to put the Brinkman's away? I could use a strong, and courageous child to help with this."

"Only on one condition," Holly said softly.

"What's that?" Catherine asked.

"I'll do it, but only if Andrew stays here and helps me through it," she looked at her friend. "When I was sick, you helped me not to be afraid, and I know that as long as you are here with me, I can do anything."

The angel smiled, and nodded. "I know it will be hard for you, Holly, but I'll stay with you until you get through this."

Holly hugged him with all her might, but smiled at Catherine, "I guess you've got your witness."

******

The time passed quickly. Holly spent so much time renovating the home that she barely even contemplated the pending trial. The morning of the trial, she walked confidently into the courtroom and when Catherine called her to the stand, she told her story, the details of what she had endured leaving the jury sitting there with complete horror etched on their faces. When it came time to cross examine her, she was able to speak openly and honestly, without allowing the Brinkmans' lawyer to make her feel guilt for what she had lived through.

Even at one point during her testimony, she looked at them squarely in the eyes and told them that with God's help, she would try to forgive them for what they did not only to her, but also to the other children at the orphanage. Although they were both glowering at her throughout the proceedings, she was able to look at them with courage and strength, and this made Andrew completely proud of his young friend.

By the end of the ordeal, she glanced over and could see the tears in the eyes of the jurors as well as anger in the eyes of the judge, and she stepped down from the stand and walked slowly out of the courtroom and joined Andrew in the hall.

As promised, Andrew and the angels remained until the trial was over and the Brinkman's were pronounced guilty. Catherine was all smiles when they all met each other outside the courthouse. "This was a victory for the children," she proclaimed to the news media that were present.

"We did it!" Holly said excitedly hugging her friends as soon as they met outside. "I never thought we'd do it, or that justice would be served, but it actually happened! I will never stop believing that anything is possible."

Catherine shook her head, "We didn't do it, Holly, you did it. Your courage is absolutely amazing and without your willingness to help the case, none of us would have ever gotten through this without a few nervous breakdowns. I'm so grateful to you, because not only did you help those children, but you put your life at risk, and that's something really special."

She smiled weakly and looked at Andrew. "You're leaving, I can feel it, but I know that through you, I've learned that I'm worth the love that God gives me," she said softly.

The angel nodded, "now that you have accomplished this, Holly we have to, but I won't ever forget you, or your courage."

"You said the day after we met that maybe you were supposed to learn something from me. Could you tell me what it is, if you did?" she asked shyly.

"I learned that even when things are really hard, that there is always going to be a pinpoint of light that will offer the hope a person needs in order to overcome their hardships," he looked down at the girl. "Holly, I hope that you will always remember that you make a difference to the people who meet you. No matter what happens, hold onto those feelings, and they will help you through anything when you are feeling sad. Never stop believing that God has a reason for whatever happens, and it is only through our hardships that we learn the greatest lessons."

The teenager looked at him. "I love you," she said softly.

"I love you, too," he said as he hugged her. "God is so proud of you."

Holly nodded as Andrew disappeared and she looked at Catherine. "There's another song that today reminds me of."

"What's that?" Catherine asked.

"It's a song I heard once, it goes like this:

'I believe there are angels among us,

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me

In our darkest hour

To show us how to give

To teach us how to live

And guide us with a light of love.'

As the girl stopped speaking, Catherine smiled. "I believe it, but there is still something I would like to ask you."

"What's that?" Holly asked.

"Do you still want to move below?" Catherine asked gently.

"Not really," Holly said and shook her head. "There's still a lot of work left for me to do here, and I can't leave that unfinished. Besides, even if I don't live there, I can always go for a visit now and again," she said.

"What made you change your mind?" Catherine asked.

Holly looked up towards the sky. "There's someone up there who's really counting on me!"

"Andrew?"

"No, actually, his boss," Holly smiled gently and with Catherine beside her, they made their way towards the nearest tunnel entrance. It was time for them to tell their good news to Father and Vincent.

The End.

**********

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