A 'Touched By An Angel' story

And Sequel to 'Blowing Smoke', 'The Watch and the Star'

And 'The Hero'

By: Yvette Jessen

Brittany Harrows woke up early the day just before Christmas vacation and she was excited. It had been planned that there would a large Christmas celebration at her elementary school and she could hardly wait for that. However, it was no secret that afterwards she would come home for the two week vacation, and would be alone for much of the holidays with only servants and other employees of her wealthy family to keep her company.

As she crawled out of bed, she pulled the large woolen blankets up towards the pillows. She smiled weakly as she went to the closet and began to pull down an emerald green dress. It was her favorite dress, and she thought it would be perfect for the party.

Once she was dressed, she went over to the dresser and picked up the small golden pocket watch that she always carried in the pocket of her dresses. Once she had retrieved the watch, she suddenly remembered how this would be the first Christmas without her grandfather's presence in their lives and that was not easy for anyone in the family. However, she could not help but feel good because her uncle and Samantha had married only three days before and were now on their honeymoon. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder if Adam would ever come back to see her. "God, would you please give Adam a few days off so he could spend Christmas with me? See, I'm the only kid here and have no one to spend the holidays with. If you can't arrange it, I understand, but I am kind of sad this year because my grandpa is so far away."

"He's never a thought away, Brittany," Adam's voice and she turned around, her eyes brightening considerably when she saw who it was that was now in the room with her.

"You're here?" She asked weakly, but without even thinking, she ran into the arms of her friend, her arms wrapping as far around his waist as they could possibly go.

"Hello there, sweetheart," Adam said gently as he leaned down to ruffle the child's hair. "I think a number of your friends in school said the exact same prayer because the Father thought it best to answer those prayers, so He sent me here to be with you during the holidays."

"For how long?" She asked weakly.

"Well, let's just wait and see," he smiled gently down at her, his gray eyes filled with love. "You know, I'm happy to be back here too, and it's wonderful to see you again."

"Then you really missed me?"

"Yes, you know I thought about you a lot, and I carried this with me during every assignment," He pulled a small piece of construction paper from his pocket and Brittany smiled when she recognized that it was her first attempt at writing his name.

"Really?"

"Mm-hum," Adam said gently. "Come on, let's get going or we'll be late."

"You're coming with me to the party?" Brittany asked.

"Yes," he smiled gently.

"Will you tell us another story?" The little girl's eyes were a sea of hope. "Will you tell us about the first Christmas? You were there, right?"

Adam chuckled at the inquisitiveness of his young friend. "Let's just go and see what happens."

Brittany walked over to her dresser and she reached inside and pulled out a wrapped present. This she brought over and extended towards him. "Adam, can I give you this now?"

"What is it?" He asked gently when he noticed that it didn't have the markings of a Christmas present.

"I didn't know when your birthday was, so I thought you could share mine with me," she handed the small package to him.

"You know Brittany, no one has ever given me a birthday present before," Adam said smiling gently. "The truth is angels don't really have birthdays, and if we did, I guess it was the day we were created, but I don't remember the day I was created."

"You don't?" Brittany asked.

"No, I only know it was a long, long time ago," he smiled gently at her.

"I always thought angels were made on Christmas, you know like all those songs about the baby Jesus," Brittany said softly. "Your birthday could be on Christmas. Maybe you were created to sing joyful songs to the shepherds who were out in the fields."

Adam chuckled, "I don't know about that, you have never heard me sing, maybe I wasn't a part of that choir."

Brittany looked up at him. "Would you sing for me?"

Adam smiled weakly, but shook his head. "I think you would run out of the room, but I'll play for you. I can play the piano a little."

"You can? Where did you learn?" Brittany asked.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to laugh," he said softly.

"OK, I promise, now tell me, pretty please?" Brittany pleaded with him.

"I learned mostly at funerals," he said blushing.

Brittany, despite her promise, began to giggle all the while covering her mouth with her hand. When he looked at her, he could see that her eyes were practically dancing.

"Hey, you promised," Adam objected, but when he saw the merriment on the face of his friend, his objections eventually melted away and he was looking at her with a red face, but a gentle smile.

"Sorry," she stopped giggling, but her hand still muffled her words. After a few moments, she managed to lower her hand and look at him. "What kind of music do you play, Adam?"

"I don't play very much, but I can read music," He said gently. "Why don't we play some music after the party today?"

Brittany grabbed his hand and they left her room and went down the hall to the stairs and once they had descended the staircase they found themselves in a large open room and she led him to the grand piano, which was situated in the middle of the room. As soon as they reached it, Adam placed the unopened present on the piano, and Brittany went and pulled some pieces of sheet music out of the large chest on one side of the room. As she returned to the piano, she noticed that he had seated himself there and had started to play. She made herself comfortable next to him.

"Brittany!" The abrupt voice of her mother resonated through the room and some moments later, the little girl glanced up as Adam stopped playing. They both looked up and could see that Brittany's mother, Holly, was now coming into the room. When her eyes came to rest on the angel, the color faded from her face, but she tried without success to offer him a cordial smile.

"Yes Mommy," Brittany said once Holly was standing next to the piano.

"Hello, Adam," Holly spoke, but the angel could see the apparent discomfort on the face of the woman. It was more than obvious that she still felt badly about hurting him the last time he had visited her daughter, and she found herself unable to even make eye contact with him.

"Holly, everything is OK," Adam offered gently trying to distract the woman from the obvious guilt she carried at having tried to end their friendship earlier that year. "We were both looking out for Brittany when she was in the hospital and whatever has happened has been forgotten. You must let it go now."

The woman nodded but after a few moments, she looked at her daughter. "Brittany, it's time for you to get to school, you don't want to miss the Christmas party." She looked at the small package on the piano. "What is this?"

"Adam's birthday present," Brittany said softly as the angel retrieved the small package and the two friends left the room. Once they had come out of the large mansion, Brittany looked up at him. "Aren't you gonna open it?"

Adam smiled weakly, but he stopped walking and began to remove the ribbon that was around the package. He could tell that Brittany had wrapped the present herself because the paper was bunched around the two ends, and both were taped down with a sturdy tape, which did not look all that neat. As Adam continued to gently remove the paper, he could see that Brittany had given him a small book with pictures and quotations.

"This is beautiful," Adam said as he opened the book and could see inspirational quotes and sayings. "How did you manage to find such a wonderful gift?"

"Uncle Hunter helped me find it after you left the last time, he thought it would be nice if I got you a present so you would always know that I'm your friend," Brittany said softly as she touched the pocket of her dress where her prized possession rested. This was, in fact, the small golden pocket watch, which Adam had given to her right after they had met and Brittany always carried it with her. She pulled it from her pocket and watched as he slipped the book inside the pocket of his jacket.

As they left the plantation and made their way in the direction of the school, which was located within walking distance from where Brittany lived, they rounded a corner and had started to walk towards the playground bordering the school. Suddenly, without warning, the watch that Adam had given her slipped from her fingertips, and landed on the ground. When she tried to reach for it, she could feel the cold vice-like grip on her shoulder. When she finally managed to look up, her gaze met a pair of angry brown eyes.

The man holding her arm was now looking down at her and he carried an almost leering look in his eyes, his dark brown hair disheveled as he beheld the small child. "Well, well, well, what have we got here? The poor little rich girl from the mansion on the hill." His words emerged slurring, and Adam could instantly tell that the young man was completely strung out. He continued to hold tightly to Brittany's shoulder, all the while his menacing eyes stared down at her as she tried without success to back away from him. At that moment, she could feel the tears were stinging her eyes as the man's uneven fingernails dug into the upper part of her arm.

Within a split second, the man began to pull her away from the playground and over towards a beat up car. All the while she was looking around frantically trying to see where Adam was. She continued to resist with all her might, in hopes that she would be able to break out of the hold he had on her. When she opened her mouth to scream, she suddenly felt a damp cloth being pressed roughly against her nose and mouth and all that emerged were her muffled cries. When she tried to inhale, she suddenly felt nauseous and tired at the same time, and when she took another breath, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed her, causing her to sink to the ground, in a faint.

All that Adam was able to do was watch these events, he was in angelic form watching in absolute horror as the older brother of one of Brittany's classmates heaved the unconscious child over his shoulder and carried her to the beat up car, which was parked nearby. The angel could do nothing, but follow them and pray that the Father would send them some help.

Moments later, the angel turned around and could see that Sean Bradley was standing in the very same spot where Brittany had been when she had been abducted. He had witnessed everything, and with shock and surprise still in his eyes, he watched as his older brother callously took his friend. He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat as he glanced up and his frightened eyes met those of Adam. "W-what do I do?"

"Take Brittany's watch, Sean," Adam whispered as the boy glanced down and stared at the small golden object. "Give it to your teacher, she'll know what to do."

Sean looked down, but a second before he was able to retrieve the watch, he noticed that the angel was now gone. He looked down towards the ground, his eyes filling with tears, but as he did as Adam suggested, and picked up the watch all the while wishing that he was worthy of such a beautiful and special gift. He ran his hand across the cover stared down at it as it glimmered in the bright early morning sunshine.

As he watched his brother's car speeding down the street, he continued to hold the watch in his hands. After a couple of minutes passed, and he could see his brother's car disappearing in the distance, he opened the golden cover, and read the time. It said 8:40 and once he closed the cover, he stuffed it in his pocket and ran towards the school without looking back.

*****

Vicki Hudson was smiling some minutes later when he arrived in the classroom. She could tell that something was wrong with the boy the second he walked into the room, her attention was immediately diverted to the other children when the cheering started about the Christmas party. "Good morning, children," she said softly as the last of the stragglers came into the room.

"Good morning," the children chimed.

"Where's Brittany?" Megan asked softly. "She said that she was really looking forward to this party and she was supposed to meet me this morning so I could give her the Christmas present I got for her."

"I don't know, maybe she's just running late," Vicki said softly.

Sean looked out the window and after a few moments, he looked back at the teacher. "Miss Hudson, I don't know if I should tell you this, but I found Brittany's watch just now outside on the playground. I never thought she would leave it anywhere, but here it is." He pulled the small golden object from his pocket and walked to the front of the classroom to hand it to the teacher.

Once Sean had given it to her, Vicki stared down at it, completely unaware that Sean had walked slowly out of the classroom with his head down. After some moments, she looked up, and could see that her longtime friend, Andrew was standing in the doorway and she smiled slightly as her eyes met his. He smiled weakly, but spoke. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Vicki nodded and returned her attention to the children as Andrew started to follow Sean down the hall. "Sean, want a minute."

The young boy turned around and could see Andrew now standing in the hallway behind him and it appeared as though the angel was following him.

"What do you want?"

"I want to help you, and I know that right now, you need help," Andrew said gently as soon as he reached the young boy.

"What should I do?" The little boy asked, but when he looked up, instead of seeing accusations and anger, he saw a pair of eyes filled with compassion and understanding.

"You saw what happened, didn't you?" Andrew asked softly.

Sean nodded. "Yeah, Andrew, it was my…" his voice trailed off and he looked down at the ground.

"Your brother, I know. I also know that your friend Brittany is in terrible danger. Sean, you yourself know how violent Vince can be, and it is important for you to decide what you want to do about this situation," Andrew said softly. "You remember meeting me after Vince had nearly killed you three years ago, don't you?"

The little boy nodded. "H-he had beaten me up a-and you came and took care of me."

"I did, and I know you're afraid right now," Andrew said gently. "Now, you have a choice to make. If you wait too long, Adam will have to take Brittany home, but if you speak up about what you saw, you might just be able to save your friend's life."

"What should I do?"

"I can't tell you, but I can say that you know in your conscious what is right," Andrew said softly. He offered his hand to the young boy, and when Sean took it, they walked back to the classroom and went inside.

"Children, Andrew's here," Vicki said softly.

The children glanced over towards the door and they smiled when they saw the angel standing there next to Sean. Even though he was happy to see the children, he carried a deeply troubled look in his deep-set green eyes.

"Where's Brittany?" Megan asked weakly.

Andrew shook his head. "I wish I could tell you, Megan," he said softly as Tess appeared in the doorway and once she had come into the room, Andrew motioned for Vicki to come out into the hallway, while Tess went to the front of the class.

As soon as the classroom door closed, Vicki looked at Andrew. "What's happened?"

"You need to take the watch to the police, Vicki," Andrew began. "Brittany has been kidnapped."

"What?" Vicki practically shouted.

"Just listen to me, and try to stay calm. No one can see me right now except for you," Andrew began. "This morning, on her way to school, Brittany was abducted. The police are going to need this watch as help in finding her."

Vicki nodded and followed him down the hallway in the direction of the doors leading outside. Once they had stepped out into the courtyard, she turned to face him. "You're not here to help her, are you?"

"Adam is with her, and he is to stay with her until this ends, either way it may go, Adam will take care of her," Andrew said gently.

"I don't know why, but that doesn't offer me very much comfort right now," Vicki said softly.

"I know, but, please, you have to trust that God will help Brittany get through this, just as He has always done," Andrew said.

"If I show up there with this watch, the police may think that I abducted her. Andrew can't you tell me who did this or why?" Vicki asked weakly.

"I can't tell you anything," the compassionate Angel of Death said softly. "All I can do is make these suggestions as to what you can do right now."

Vicki looked at him, but after a few seconds, she nodded her head and walked towards her car. Andrew reached out and touched her arm and when she turned around, he smiled gently at her. After a few minutes had passed, she spoke, her voice weak. "You can't do anything to help them find her, can you?"

Andrew shook his head. "It will be up to the man responsible for kidnapping her or any witnesses who may have seem what happened."

Vicki shook her head sadly. "I am not exceedingly optimistic when it comes to such people as this, Andrew, but I will trust you and go to the police as you suggested."

Once she got into the car, she closed the door and sighed deeply, her eyes closing for a moment as she began to pray for the small girl from her class. After she opened her eyes, she turned around and could see that Andrew was now gone and she shook her head sadly as she placed the small golden watch in the side pocket of her purse, started the car, and pulled out of the parking lot.

*****

A little over an hour later, Brittany wearily opened her eyes. As she tired to speak, she could feel the tape over her mouth and she began to struggle against the ties that would around her wrists and ankles. Adam, her thoughts cried out desperately as the tears of fright streamed down her face.

I'm right here with you, sweetheart, Adam's words resonated in her mind and within seconds she could feel a comforting hand on her shoulder and she tried to shift so she could see him.

When she could not move, Adam did instead and when she could see him, her thoughts began to frantically call out to him. I'm s-so scared. When she tried to speak, she could hear the gurgling sounds emerging. When she tried to lick her dry lips, her tongue could only feel the sticky tape that was firmly pressed against her mouth. With this over her mouth she tried with all her might to scream, but when she couldn't, she closed her eyes for a moment waiting, and hoping that Adam was going to say something to her that would comfort her.

Its all right honey try to stay quiet, Adam's words were gentle and he reached over and began to gently stroke the frightened child's forehead. As he did, he suddenly got the word that it would be OK for him to take her to God's country, that there was something he needed to tell her. I have to tell you something important, so we're going away from here, he said softly and ran the side of his hand across the tearstained cheek of his friend.

Seconds later, the two friends were back in the meadow. It was the same place Adam had taken her when she had appendicitis, and so when she felt the grass beneath her feet, Brittany found herself looking around the vast open space. As soon as she realized that she was now standing, she reached up and touched her mouth.

"Adam," she whispered once she realized that the tape was no longer there.

"It's OK, honey, I'm right here," Adam said gently as he sat down on the ground and reached out towards her.

"I'm so afraid," Brittany said softly, her voice cracking with emotion as she tumbled into his waiting arms, her arms wrapping as far around him as they could go.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked gently.

"Only a little, I mean I remember that man…" her voice trailed off and she looked imploringly at him. "Adam why didn't you help me?"

The angel sighed sadly and looked down at his lap, the tears brimming from beneath his gray eyes and after some moments had passed he looked up and made eye contact with his young friend. "I couldn't because only you could have seen me, Brittany."

The little girl nodded numbly and crawled onto his lap, her face buried against his jacket. "Is that mean man going to kill me? Is that why you came back?"

Adam took her face in his hands and rubbed the frightened tears from her face with his thumbs. "Sweetheart, I don't know what is going to happen, but whatever it is, I'll be right here beside you, I promise."

"I love you, Adam," Brittany said softly.

"I know, and I love you too," the angel took her hands and smiled tenderly at her. "But there's something you have to know," Adam began as he took a deep breath. "The man who kidnapped you is Sean's older brother, and his name is Vince. He's a very violent person, Brittany, he has beat up Sean on a number of occasions and it is usually stemmed from frantic emotions. It will be very important for you to stay calm during all of this. Can you do that?" Brittany tried to nod bravely, but as she did, the voice of the angel continued. "You have people, who are looking for you right now, and God sent Andrew, Tess, and Monica to help as well, but you have to stay strong, honey. I'll be right there next to you to help you."

"Can you still talk to me, like in my thoughts?"

"Yes, I can, and whatever happens, I'm here with you," Adam said gently.

"My watch is lost," Brittany said softly.

"Don't worry, Sean has it, but if you don't get it back, I'll get you another one," Adam said gently. "It's time for us to go back, now."

"I don't want to," she whispered. "I'm scared."

"I know, I don't either, but I made you a promise and that I will hold," Adam brushed the tears from her face with the side of his hand.

Brittany nodded numbly. "Will you hold me?"

Adam responded by taking her hand in his and as the meadow disappeared, Brittany could once more feel the discomfort of the ties on her wrists and ankles, but next to her, she could felt the gentle touch of Adam's hand stroking her face, and though she was frightened, she knew that her friend, her angel, was right beside her and this alone gave her a little more strength.

*****

Holly Harrows was at home when the phone rang. As she came down the hallway in the direction of where the sounds originated, she picked up the receiver. "Livingston Manor," she said using the name of the family business as though she had been expecting a business related call. Although everything now belonged to her brother, she was often put in charge of the tobacco plantation because Hunter was either in New York working, or like today, he was on his honeymoon with his bride, a woman Holly had once hated, named Samantha.

"Mrs. Harrows?" The voice emerged out of breath and she immediately recognized that the caller was her daughter's first grade teacher, Vicki Hudson.

"Is this Miss Hudson?" Holly asked knowing full well that it was, but asking for verification of her assertions.

"Yes, I'm at the police department, I came over about twenty minutes ago," Vicki's voice emerged and she sighed deeply. "They want you to come by, Brittany didn't show up in school today, and Sean, one of the boys in my class found the gold watch that Adam gave her outside in the schoolyard."

"She never goes anywhere without that watch," Holly whispered.

"I know," Vicki said. "But, that's not the whole story, Andrew's with me, and he said that Brittany's been kidnapped."

"What are you talking about? How could my daughter be kidnapped, I mean we're so careful with her? How could this happen?" Holly's questions tumbled out one after the other and she could feel the tears beginning to stream from beneath her eyes.

"I know and I understand, but when Sean gave me the watch, not only did I find it strange, but the other children in the class thought it was odd as well. Anyway, I guess I should let you talk to the detective on the case and let you get over here."

"OK," Holly said and within minutes a friendly man's voice came across the line. "Hello, Mrs. Harrows, this is Detective Martin Richards and I was assigned to your daughter's case."

"Do you know what happened, Detective? I mean specifically?" Holly asked.

"No Ma'am, Miss Hudson arrived here about half an hour ago and she explained to us that the little girl was missing. Now, what I need you to do is to either come down to the station or I'll drive out. We need some recent photos of Brittany as well as what she was wearing this morning when she left the house."

"S-she was wearing an emerald green dress," Holly said. "She was getting ready to go school and her friend Adam was with her. I thought he would keep her safe."

"Who is Adam?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she mumbled under her breath.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Holly said weakly and shook her head. "Adam is Brittany's best friend. He's pretty much like the father that Brittany never really had. Her father ran off some years ago and none of us have seen him since."

"So that axes any possibility of a parental abduction?" The detective asked.

"No, Jeffery wouldn't kidnap Brittany," Holly affirmed, "besides, if he did show up, Brittany wouldn't have known him from a stranger on the street. She was a baby when he took off."

"Could this Adam have abducted her?"

"That's crazy," Vicki's curt voice could be heard on the other end of the line. "Adam wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Miss Hudson, would you mind?" The aggravated voice of the detective addressed the teacher and Holly could hear his curt voice on the other end of the line.

"But, she's right, Adam wouldn't hurt her, he just wouldn't," Holly said softly.

"Is there anyone you could think of that would want to hurt your child?" The detective asked.

"Listen, Detective, I think we're wasting time here," Holly began. "There are more people in this town that hate my family than I'd care to count. If you want to interview every person that hates us, then you would be interviewing people from now until next spring."

"Mrs. Harrows, I'm not trying to be nosy, but the only way we will be able to find your daughter is to look at all options available to us, and you getting angry with me isn't going to help matters. Seeing as I don't think you're capable of driving, I'm going to drive over there. I will be there within the hour. If the phone rings, don't answer it, and do be careful."

Once she agreed to his terms, the line went dead and Holly was left standing in the room with the object still resting in her hand. As soon as she hung up the phone, she turned around and could see that Monica was now standing next to her.

"Monica?"

"Hello Holly," Monica said gently, her voice filled with the angel's own brand of gentility and love. "I wasn't sure if you remembered me or not."

"Yes, of course I remember you, but what are you doing here? Is it something about my daughter?" Holly asked.

"God thought you could use a little help, so He sent me here to help you through all of this," Monica said softly. "Tess is at the school and she's going to try and help Brittany's classmates cope with what happened this morning."

"My daughter is really gone, isn't she?" Holly asked weakly.

"No, you just don't know where she is, but don't worry, Holly, Adam's with her, and he will take care of her," Monica said gently.

"Do you mean that she will…die?" Holly's voice broke, but she managed to keep her voice even.

"We all hope not, but we don't know what God's will is," Monica said gently. "But, keep in mind, having Adam with her will help Brittany not be so afraid. At this time, is that not the best thing that she could have, a friend whom she can trust who won't leave her alone?"

"I-I don't know," Holly said softly as Monica reached for the distraught woman's hand and squeezed it gently. "What should I do?"

"Look for the photograph that the detective wanted and then sit down and calm yourself down," Monica said softly. "Perhaps you should consider praying for guidance in all of this."

Holly nodded. "I don't have very many recent pictures of Brittany, my brother took all the photos, and he's not here right now, he and Sam are on their honeymoon."

"When will they be back?" Monica asked.

"I don't really know, I guess they're due back three or so days before Christmas. Hunter has never been very good with giving me information about where he goes, he just says, 'I'll be back when I get back'. Sometimes this makes Mom and me positively crazy, but the business is slow during the winter months, so I guess it's no big deal what Hunter does."

"Where is Katherine?"

"She went into town this morning," Holly said softly.

"Let's see if we can find the photograph," Monica suggested. "We can talk some more while we're searching."

Holly nodded and the two of them walked into the den.

*****

Sean was still sitting inside the classroom when Vicki returned from the police station. Her face looked somewhat drawn from the experience, but she came into the classroom and tried to offer the children a warm smile. When her eyes met the warm brown eyes of Tess, she shrugged her shoulders, but could see that Sean was still staring blankly out the window and she wondered if the small boy knew more about what had happened than he was letting on.

"Baby, there's nothing you can do about this," Tess said gently as she went over to the distraught boy and the bell dismissing the children rang. Slowly, the classroom full of children emptied out, their voices somewhat dulled by the events of the day and they could not match the happy voices of the excited children in the neighboring rooms. The compassionate and wise angel could see that the boy did not even get up to leave the room; he remained seated, his eyes staring bleakly outside.

"Sean, it's time to go home," Vicki came over to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I don't want to," Sean said. "I wish Adam was here, I feel so lonely."

"Did you see Adam?" Vicki asked.

"Yeah, it was right after my brother…" his voice trailed and he looked at Tess, his eyes filled with fear.

"After your brother?" Tess asked.

"Nothing, I mean, I saw him after I found the watch," Sean said softly.

"Did you see what happened, Sean?" Vicki asked slowly putting two and two together. It was actually not hard to do considering the pale face of her student.

The young boy looked as though he had been backed into a corner, but he looked up at Vicki, his eyes filled with indescribable fear. "Miss Hudson, I-I don't know what I saw."

"Baby, it's OK, you can tell us," Tess said gently. "We know you're afraid, but Brittany needs you to be brave right now. If you know something, you can tell us and we'll do everything we can to protect and help you."

"My brother did it," Sean said softly after some moments of silence passed between them. His sorrow filled voice emerged barely above a whisper, but it was easy to detect that he was afraid. He continued to speak, his sad eyes meeting those of his teacher. "You don't hate me, do you?"

"No, Sean, none of us hate you," Tess said softly and as Vicki rested a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, she nodded in concurrence with Tess' words.

"You can help us find Brittany if you tell the police what you saw," Vicki said gently. "Will you come with me to the police and tell them what happened this morning?"

Sean shook his head. "I c-can't, if Vince found out, he'd k-kill me." The boy could feel the tears that were now streaming down his cheeks, instead of wiping them away; he allowed them to dampen the area under his eyes.

"Tess, we're running out of time," Andrew began to speak in the ear of his friend. "I saw Adam earlier and Vince has already roughed up Brittany once this afternoon. One more beating, and Adam will have no choice, but to take her home."

"S-she could die?" Sean asked looking at Andrew.

The angel nodded and the small boy reached for his hand. "Yes, Sean, she could, this is why it is so important for you to talk about what you have seen. We all know that this is hard for you to do, and we know that this is about your family, but you should ask yourself how you would feel if the roles were reversed? How would your family feel if someone kidnapped you and took you away from those you love?"

The little boy looked down at his worn tennis shoes. "I used to think that Brittany hated me."

"And now?" Vicki asked gently.

"I know she doesn't, but…" his voice trailed off.

"What baby?" Tess spoke, her gentle alto voice filled with understanding.

"I'm afraid. What if Vince finds out about what I said, or what I saw? He'd kill me," the young boy pulled the sleeve of his sweatshirt up and the two angels and human woman could see the bruises on his skinny arms.

Andrew looked at the little boy. "Sean, we know that you're afraid, but do you remember what you told Adam at the lake the last time we were here?"

"H-he told you?" Sean asked.

"Yes, but only because he was so moved by what you had told him, and he knew that one day you might need our help in healing the relationship you have with Vince," Andrew began. "Adam knows that I was with you some years ago, and he also knows that your brother has violent tendencies, but more importantly you realize that whatever you decide to do, this choice will have a direct impact on not only you and Vince, but it will also leave an effect on Brittany as well."

"It will?" The boy looked to his teacher.

Vicki nodded before she began to speak. "No matter what happens, Sean, you're going to be afraid of your brother. If he succeeds in pulling this stunt off and he seriously hurts or kills Brittany, this will be something that could empower your conscience for having known and not spoken about this. Even if he is caught, and stands trial for this; there's always going to be some reason for you to be scared of him, isn't there?"

The little boy thought about heir words for a few moments, but after some time had lapsed, he looked at Andrew. "Will you come with me if I have to go there and tell them?"

The angel smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course I will."

Although the boy was still trembling, he eventually nodded and started walking slowly towards the door. "I guess I'll tell them what I saw, but I'm so scared to do it. I mean, my family might hate me for it, and when Vince finds out what happened, I will probably need you with me, Andrew." The boy's words stabbed at the angel's gentle heart but when Tess looked at him, he could only nod slightly.

*****

By the time the detective had arrived at Livingston Manor, and as he came inside the large open hall, Holly and Monica were seated and waiting. During the past half hour, they had literally torn the den apart in their effort of finding some recent photos of Brittany. As the detective came into the room he tried to offer them a cordial smile.

"We spoke on the phone, Mrs. Harrows, my name is Martin Richards," he began once he had sat down.

"I found a recent picture of her," Holly said softly.

"That's fine," he accepted the photo and reached for the cellular phone he carried. As soon as he had called into the station with a physical description of the child, he looked back at them. "We're going to do everything within our power to find her, but maybe you can tell me about the last time you saw her."

"It was this morning, she and her friend, Adam, were in the ballroom playing around on the piano. I came in and told her that she would have to hurry if she were to get to school on time. She had been looking forward to this particular day for a long time, so she wanted to leave early."

"Why?"

"Her classmates were going to celebrate the last day before the holidays," Holly explained and she had been talking about nothing else since then."

"Was your daughter behaving unusually before leaving for school?" The detective asked.

"No, she was rather happy and excited. I think it had something to do with Adam being back, but I couldn’t detect anything strange about her at all," Holly answered.

"Tell me about this Adam," the detective pressed.

"What's there to tell? He's Brittany's best friend, he is more like a father to her than her real father was. You see, her birth father walked out on us when Brittany was very small, she doesn't remember him at all," Holly said.

"So if he were to ask her to go with him, she would do so willingly," the detective pressed and Holly knew where the detective's words were going, and this infuriated her.

"Adam did not kidnap my daughter, Detective," she said assuredly. "I trust him with her and I know that he wouldn't do anything which would bring harm to her. He loves her."

"Enough to try and take her away from you and your family?" The detective nodded as though he understood and with the picture still in his hand, he got up to leave. "I'll call you if there's any news."

Once he was gone, Holly looked at Monica. "Now, I know why you're here, not because of Brittany, but because of that guy. How can he suspect that Adam would hurt my child?"

"Holly, you know that Adam is an angel, and I know that as well, but this detective doesn't, and he's not going to believe you if you were to tell him the truth," Monica said gently. "He must go with the feelings he has in this regard, but there is one person out there who can change even the mind of this cynical man. We can only hope that the one chosen to take this challenge has the strength to do so."

"Who?"

"The six-year-old boy who saw everything that happened," Monica said softly.

"Then there was a witness?" Holly asked.

"Yes, but it's going to be up to him to come forward," Monica said.

Holly nodded numbly. "What about Adam? I mean, if he is accused of kidnapping my daughter, I wouldn't even know what to say even if I did get another chance to talk to him."

"Put Adam in God's hands, Holly. Adam is an angel and the Father won't abandon him, especially right now when both him and Brittany need Him so much."

Holly looked down at the photograph in her hands. "She's really special isn't she? Sometimes, I think I have been guilty of forgetting how special my daughter really is."

"Yes, she is and sometimes things like this happen to serve as a reminder to people as to how much they may take for granted," Monica offered and reached for the hand of the unhappy woman. "Put it all in God's hands, Holly, that's all you can do."

Holly nodded and she allowed Monica to take her in her arms and as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes, she spoke softly. "Brittany, wherever you are, Mommy loves you."

*****

Brittany was lying on a damp mattress in the same musty smelling room, but now she had tears of agony streaming down her face. The beating Vince had given her had left her feeling bruised and in so much pain that she was not sure what to do next.

Adam regarded his friend with sadness in his gray eyes, but he continued to comfort her, his hand, now trembling as it gently stroked her hair. He continued to pray as the minutes ticked by. "Please Father," he prayed softly. "Help her, I can't bare for her to die, not like this, she's…"

"…Going to need you to be strong, Adam," Tess' voice emerged and he looked up to see her standing in the doorway. "Trust God, Angel Boy," her words encompassed him, and even made him smile slightly when he heard her term of endearment, which she usually only said to Andrew, now being directed to him.

"I-I know, Tess, but…"

"…You love her as though she is your child," Tess finished. "You know, baby, that's why the Father answered your prayer that day nearly seven years ago. He knew that you would need this little girl. Now, I want you to listen to me, Adam. I don't usually tell you what to do, but now, you have to be strong for her. If you are meant to take her home, you insure her a wonderful journey, but she's hurting, and she's afraid, and you need to be strong for the two of you. It is after all what the Father wants you to do."

Adam's words were stuck in his throat, but he numbly nodded and once Tess had disappeared, he returned to Brittany's side and sat down on the ground next to her. Brittany, honey, he began to speak to the spirit of the little girl, his emotions filled with love and kindness.

It hurts, Adam, her voice was strained.

I know, but everything will be OK, you just hang on, honey. Adam's voice was filled with his assurances, but almost seemed as though he was saying those words to convince himself and not his young friend.

You can't get me out of here?

I wish I could, his voice cracked and he reached over and brushed his hand through her tangled hair. I really wish I could.

Adam, I hope that you'll be with me if I have to go to Heaven, Brittany's voice was soft, but the words she spoke stabbed at her friend's heart and he looked down at her. How could anyone do such horrible things to this beautiful child? This question ravaged his mind almost constantly ever since the little girl had been abducted. As he contemplated this, Vince had returned to the room. This time the teenager appeared to be no longer strung out, but he sat down on the mattress next to where Brittany lay.

In her fear the little girl closed her eyes and prayed that the teenager would not hurt her again.

"You have it made, kid," he said under his breath.

Brittany opened her eyes when she noticed that he had started speaking, his voice not loud or angry, just matter-of-fact. The tape that covered her mouth prevented her from replying, but her eyes seemed to speak volumes. Her fear emerged not through those unasked questions ravaging her mind, but rather through her innocent brown eyes.

"You know what I would give to have what you have?" The boy asked. "I'm 18-years-old, a high school dropout, and I have nothing. Well, I had nothing. Now I have you, and maybe you're worth something to those rich tyrants who don't have to worry about scrimping and saving."

Brittany's eyes widened as the boy put on a pair of black gloves and went over to the table in the corner and picked up a piece of paper. On it he had glued together bits and pieces of a newspaper, thus producing a ransom note. This he folded up and stuffed into an envelope along with a Polaroid picture of Brittany lying on the mattress in this room bound and gagged. Once he had sealed the envelope, he turned back around, and went over to where she was lying.

"Now, while I'm out, you be a good little girl," Vince said smiling wickedly.

As soon as the teenager had left, Brittany released the tears that were being held back. Adam, I'm so scared, so afraid. I want to go home. I want my mommy. Her muffled sobs emerged as she tried without success to break free from the bounds that restricted her movements.

The angel could do nothing, he was not supposed to help her, but this was too much for him. Sinking to his knees, he began to openly cry. "Father, please, let me help her, let me get her out of here. I'm begging you, please, I can't bare to see her this way; I just can't."

When he heard the car starting outside, Adam looked up his face streaked with tears as he continued to plead with the Father for the help his friend so desperately needed. After he had made his pleas, he turned around and could see that Sam was now standing behind him.

"Help her, Adam," the elder of the angels said. "You are in human form now, and you will have to help her get out of here, but, keep in mind, that little girl is still in danger, and you may still have to take her Home. Are you prepared for that?"

"I am," Adam said softly. "I only know that I have to do something."

"Then be careful, and Adam?"

"Yes?"

"God will be with you both through all of this, don't lose hope," Sam said gently and within seconds, he was gone.

Sensing the urgency in this situation, Adam immediately went over to where Brittany lay and began to untie the little girl. Once he had released her arms and legs, he began to tug on the tape that covered her mouth. "This is going to hurt a little," he whispered as he pulled the tape free from her mouth.

As she felt the pain he described, she could feel the tears pouring down over her cheeks, as she tried to sit up, but she collapsed weeping in his arms, her body still in pain, but the weariness overwhelming her. "I'm so scared, Adam."

"I know," he said gently as he held her for some moments in his arms. Once he managed to stand up, he pulled her gently to her feet. "Can you walk?"

"I don't know," she whispered, but when she tried to do so, her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor. Before she could make another attempt or say anything further, Adam scooped her up into his arms, and carried her towards the door. When he reached it, he turned the knob, and tried to open it.

"The door's locked, but there's a small window," he said urgently as he put her back on her feet and walked over to the small plate glass window. As he tried to consider using an object to shatter the glass, he realized that there was nothing in this room that would even come close to achieving that. The antique style table in the corner of the room was literally bolted to the floor and Adam knew that in human form, it was unlikely if he was capable of even moving it. He looked back at his friend and when he saw how beat up she looked; he could not stop the suppressed anger from building up inside of him. At this moment, he found himself trying with all his might to control the emotions he carried, but even an angel in human form had limitations.

He realized at that moment that rather than lashing out, that it was important for him to try and direct that anger, thus controlling it. He glanced skyward wondering all the while if it was OK to be angry, but when he glanced back at the glass in front of him, he approached it slowly, and without thinking, he balled up his fist and slammed it against the window, thus shattering it from the impact. Although, he had succeeded in breaking the window, he had also severely cut his hand in the process.

As he started to pull the fragments of glass from his hand, he grimaced in pain when he felt the intensity and depth that the slivers of glass were wedged. When he turned back around and could see his friend, he realized that none of this seemed to matter to him, and he went over to Brittany, reached down, and picked her up in his arms. "OK, now you're going to have to climb out through the window, can you do that?"

Brittany nodded numbly and did as her friend instructed. Once she had climbed out through the window and was outside, Adam managed to crawl out behind her. The human angel's hand was still bleeding, but before he could pick her up again, he tried to wipe some of the blood away, thus managing to smear the redness on his clothing.

"What are we going to do now?" Brittany asked weakly.

"Get you to the police," Adam said softly as he picked her up in his arms and began to run with her down the street. As he ran he could see that Vince's car was now driving back up the street in the direction of the house they had just left. The human angel ducked behind some bushes with his friend still firmly held in his arms until the car had safely passed. As soon as it turned in the driveway, Adam waited until Vince had cut the motor and was out of the car before he started running down the street to a sectioned off path that was shadowed by the nearby trees. When he realized that one could not follow them with a car, he took off down the path running between a crop of trees, which eventually led them into a large park.

"I'm so scared," Brittany whimpered once they had reached the park.

"I am too," Adam said as he lowered her to the ground and she could see that he was trembling. Instead of focusing on his own fear, he looked down at her. "Are you OK?"

"I think so, but why did you get me out of there?" She asked him as soon as they had reached the park, and there appeared to be no one behind them. "I thought you weren't supposed to."

"I couldn't stand to see you get hurt, Brittany," he said gently. "I can't really explain what happened right now, but I will. Right now, I think we both need to keep going, and get as far away from Vince as we can," Adam said gently as he tried to pull a handkerchief from his pocket and wind it around his hand.

"But, you're bleeding," Brittany began to cry when she saw the blood on his hand.

"Shhh, it's OK, I'm going to be all right, but we need to get you somewhere safe," Adam said gently once he had wound the handkerchief around his injured hand. His uninjured hand, he offered to her, and she reached out and took it and they continued to walk quickly through the park until they reached a clearing. There, a team of police cars was lining the street, waiting for them.

"Freeze buddy, or we'll blow your head off," one of the cops shouted to Adam, his voice leaving no room for argument. The gun the policeman carried was aimed right at him, and the Angel of Death was left staring stupefied at the metal object in the man's hand. "Now, raise your hands real nice and easy," the policeman instructed and Adam had no choice but to do as he was told. "Now, on your knees, slowly."

"No," Brittany screamed, "He's my friend, he didn't hurt me."

"Come on over here with us, Brittany, we're here to take you home," the other policeman said and the little girl looked at Adam who was now on his knees with his hands behind his head. He nodded weakly at her, but she shook her head stubbornly.

"Go with them, honey," the human angel admonished gently, his sad gray eyes meeting hers.

"I don't want to, I want to stay with you," Brittany argued weakly.

"I know you do, but they think I kidnapped you," Adam began, his voice barely above a whisper. "Now, you have to trust me again. Do you think you can do that?"

"I don't want to, I want to stay with you." Brittany reached for his hand but when he couldn't take it, the dejection was clear on the little girl's face.

"Smooth, you must be the girl's father," one of the cops sneered as he came closer to them and leered down at Adam. "Family abductions, we see this kind of thing all the time. Hey Charlie, you'd better get me another box of tissues for this bleeding heart story."

"Speaking of bleeding, maybe he needs some stitches in his hand, he's bleeding pretty badly," one of the policewomen said.

"Yeah, you're probably right, Why don't you call for an ambulance, Jacobs, I don't want to get this scum bucket's blood on my new uniform," the policeman said sarcastically as the female officer did as he said.

Brittany looked at Adam as these events were taking place. "Please Adam, let me stay with you. I'm afraid." As her words emerged the policewoman had finished her task of summoning an ambulance and she came over and reached for Brittany's trembling hand. "No, I won't go with you, leave me alone."

"Listen to me, sweetheart, now that the police are here, you're safe, and no one can hurt you," Adam said and he looked at her, his gray eyes sincere. "You have to trust God now, He knows why this happened the way it did, and He is going to do everything He can to help you as well as me. This is so much more important than trusting me, Brittany, trusting God is what will bring this to an end. Will you try?"

Brittany nodded numbly. "But, I love you, Adam, I don't want to leave you," she whispered as the woman succeeded in grasping her hand and leading her away from him.

"I know you do, and I love you too," Adam said gently as they could hear the ambulance's sirens chiming in the distance.

"You're really close to him, aren't you?" The policewoman asked the child as she led Brittany to a waiting car.

"He's my best friend," Brittany whispered, her eyes still on the injured angel. "I would give my life for him."

"Those are pretty strong words for a little girl who probably hasn't even celebrated her sixth birthday," the woman mused.

"I have so, I will be seven in March," Brittany said softly as they watched the police as they roughly got Adam up off the sidewalk and escorted him to the waiting ambulance, which had just arrived on the scene. "What's going to happen to Adam?"

"I imagine they will file charges against him for kidnapping you," the woman said softly. "But, from what I have seen, something tells me that this man didn't kidnap you."

"No, he didn't, he helped me get away from the man who did," Brittany said softly as the ambulance drove away. As it disappeared in the distance, she could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "God, please take care of my best friend. I know he's in this mess because of me."

The policewoman could do nothing but stare at the brave young girl standing and praying in front of her. With a gentle smile, she waited until the little girl stopped speaking, and opened her eyes. With a gentle hand, the officer helped Brittany get into the car and they drove back down the street in the direction of the hospital.

*****

Sean was standing in front of the police station between Andrew and Vicki some two hours later. As they approached the building, they could suddenly hear the blaring of sirens in the distance and three police cars pulled up next to the building.

Feeling intimidated, Sean backed up, his eyes meeting those of Andrew as an unconscious tremor cursed through him. As he stood there, he watched as the policemen and women were getting out of the car. Once their doors closed, one man reached down and opened the back door to a car. The young boy watched as Adam disembarked the car and he gasped when he recognized who it was the police had apprehended. He could see the white gauze that the angel had wrapped around his injured hand, and although Adam's head was down, Sean knew who it was, and when he looked at Andrew and Vicki, he could tell that they both recognized him and were as surprised as he was.

Andrew sighed deeply when he saw his friend and fellow Angel of Death dressed in a wrinkled suit and looking the part of a disheveled man rather than the embodiment of radiance that was consistent with God's messengers. Upon seeing Adam, an involuntary shudder enveloped him as he looked at Vicki. "He's trapped in human form," he said softly and the teacher could only reach over and squeeze the hand of her friend.

Vicki looked up and when her eyes met those of Adam, she could see the intensity of the fear in his deep-set gray eyes. "He looks so frightened," she whispered compassionately as she watched him being led towards the building. "He's not often in this state, is he?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, he's not, and this is something that Adam has a hard time with, being in human form for too long. I think it scares him because his fate is out of his control."

"But, God won't let them hurt him will He?" Sean asked.

"No, God will take care of him, Sean, but as a person, Adam might feel a little disconnected from the Father," Andrew tried to explain. "That's why I'm worried about him."

"Why are they doing this, Andrew?" Sean looked up at the angel, his voice unconsciously shaking.

"I think they believe Adam abducted Brittany," Andrew said softly and Sean backed away from him as Adam disappeared inside the building.

"B-but he didn't," Sean stammered, but now his voice was weak and filled with the utmost fear. Within seconds, the voice of the police officers could be heard as they addressed the detective.

"Hey Martin," they could hear one of the officers calling out to the detective as he ascended the stairs and entered the building.

"Yeah?" Martin Richards asked as he stopped and turned around.

"We found the Harrows girl, and caught the guy who took her," the man said causing Sean to shrink back in terror.

"T-they really think that Adam…" Sean's voice trailed off and he looked at Vicki helplessly. "Miss Hudson, what are we going to do? I-I can't go in there."

"Why?" Vicki asked gently.

"I just can't face Adam right now, I'm afraid he's going to hate me," the boy whispered, but both Andrew and Vicki could see that the little boy was not just afraid of Adam, but he was afraid of what could happen if he came out and spoke openly of what his brother had done.

"It's OK, Sean," Andrew said gently, his heart going out to the boy. "I guess we'll have to take you home."

"N-no," the boy stammered. "Vince will be there."

"What do you want to do, Sean?" Vicki asked. "You can't run away from this, but maybe you should try and talk to your parents about it."

Andrew looked at his friend as understanding suddenly dawned on him. "Sean, does your brother still live at home?"

The boy nodded numbly. "M-my dad allowed him to move back in last weekend when he said that he had gotten evicted from the apartment he had been renting."

"Has he been beating you since moving back in?" Vicki said softly.

The small boy nodded. "My dad doesn't know about it, and Vince said it was not true."

"Andrew, what can we do?" Vicki asked, and it was obvious that the young teacher was at a loss.

"I don't really know, but if you're in an abusive situation, you need to talk about it," Andrew got down on his knees next to the boy. "We know you're afraid, Sean, but I can guarantee that Adam won't be angry with you. You've got a chance to show a lot of people just how brave you are and just how heroic you can be. I know you told Adam that he was your hero, but now you have the unique chance to be a hero to an angel who is trapped in a terrible situation that only you can get him out of."

"Me?"

Vicki nodded. "Yes you. You know something Sean, by helping Adam; you will probably succeed in helping yourself out of the situation you're in as well as doing the right thing. In doing so, you'll discover that you're of much more worth than you think. Maybe that's why things happened like they did, maybe in this mess, this is God's way of telling you that you're a really very special and valuable person."

"M-my parents are going to hate me for telling on Vince," Sean said softly, "but I saw him grab Brittany in the schoolyard."

Andrew squeezed the boy's shoulder. "I know, but this isn't a matter of earning your parents love, it's a matter of doing the right thing."

Sean looked at Andrew and nodded. "OK."

"Why don't we go somewhere and help Sean calm down?" Vicki suggested. "He looks as though he is about to jump out if his skin."

Andrew looked down at the young boy, and after a few moments, he nodded and the three of them walked down the street in the direction of a small delicatessen.

*****

Brittany came out of the examination room and could see that the policewoman was still in the waiting room. The little girl looked up at the woman who was standing and waiting for her. "Are you going to take me home?"

"Yes, I am," the woman smiled gently at the young girl.

Brittany nodded as she sat down and the officer came over and opened a tube of salve and began to rub it on Brittany's sore wrists. "You've been very brave through all of this."

"Not really," she said. "I'm still scared."

"Understandably so," the woman smiled gently at her.

"What's your name?" Brittany finally asked, her voice weak, but she found something warm in the woman's compassionate green eyes. They reminded her somewhat of Andrew, but she didn't speak further about those similarities.

"My name is Emily Jacobs," the woman said smiling.

"That's a pretty name," Brittany said softly as she felt the cool salve against her warm skin.

"Thank you, my mother named me after Emily Dickinson, one of her favorite poets," Emily said smiling weakly as she finished the task of rubbing the salve on the wrists of the little girl. "Better?" Once Brittany nodded, she continued to speak. "OK, now then, I guess it is time for me to get you home. Your mom is probably going to rather relieved to see you."

"Can I call you Emily? I mean it's much prettier than Ms. Jacobs."

"Yes, that's OK with me, I'm not a very formal person anyway," she said smiling gently.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I'm still scared?" Brittany asked. "I know that Adam didn't kidnap me, it was a guy who was much younger, he had dark brown hair, and eyes. Adam helped get me out of that old house and he helped me not be afraid."

"I see."

"You believe me, don't you?" Brittany asked. "I wouldn't lie to you about this because I know it's your job to protect me, but see, Adam didn't kidnap me, I swear it, he's my best friend, and he wanted to help me."

Emily sighed deeply. "I'll tell you what, why don't I take you back to the station tomorrow morning first thing, and we'll see if we can find a picture of the man you describe? How would that be?"

"Why can't we do that now?" Brittany asked.

"Well, because I think you need to get home and get some rest," she said smiling gently. When Brittany yawned, she continued. "You see, you're tired, and besides, I am sure that your family is probably very anxious to see you." When she saw the ever-present worry still dwelling in the child's eyes, she continued. "I promise, I'll come pick you up first thing tomorrow morning, and we'll go and see about finding the man that kidnapped you."

"OK, but with Adam in jail, I don't think I'll sleep at all," Brittany said softly.

"Would it help if I go by and see him tonight?" Emily asked. "I'll even get a message to him from you if you would like."

"You believe me?" The little girl asked.

Emily nodded. "Yes, Brittany, I do. Come on, let's get you home."

*****

Holly was still pacing through the house and Monica was trying with everything that was in her to get the woman to calm down, or at the very least to sit still. This was proving to be unsuccessful and finally the angel had little choice, and gave up. She couldn't help but wonder where Tess was in all of this, but at the same time, she felt rather proud that Tess hadn't shown up and told her that she had made a terrible mistake with something.

At this point, the pretty auburn headed angel could not fathom making any serious mistakes, not while a child's well being was at stake. As she walked outside onto the terrace, she sighed deeply as she tried to focus her thoughts onto a simple prayer for the safety of everyone involved in this mess. She realized that she could not even contemplate doing something that might hurt Holly, but she was so worried. Not only was she concerned with what would happen to Brittany, she was also concerned for Adam.

Her feelings for Adam weren't as strong as those she carried for Andrew, perhaps because she did not work as much with him as she did with Andrew, but the honest truth was, she loved all of God's angels dearly, and she knew that even though Adam was often a bit rough around the edges, she knew that this entire situation must be completely devastating for him simply because of how much he loved that little girl. She remembered the times that Adam would express almost fatherly kinds of emotions whenever he would try to protect, support, and help the lonely little girl.

"Monica, are you out here?" Holly's voice emerged breaking the angel out of her reverie.

"Yes, Holly, I'm on the terrace," she called and soon her assignment came outside and joined her.

"I keep wondering how Brittany is doing," Holly said softly as she looked out across the driveway and sighed deeply. "I remember watching her walk with Adam this morning to school. I had no idea that someone would hate my family so much that they would steal my little girl away."

Monica extended her hand to the distraught woman and when Holly took it, the angel began to speak. "Hate is a strong emotion."

"Well, people around here have strong emotions about my family, but why would they try to take that hate out on an innocent little girl? Why?"

"I don't know," Monica said softly.

"Do you know what makes me really angry?" Holly asked.

"What?"

"That detective. I mean; he had no right to come out here and tell me that Adam would hurt my child. I know it wasn't so long ago that I was afraid that he would, I mean; I hated the idea that an Angel of Death could be friends with my daughter, and not feel weird about it. Now, I think I truly understand this friendship, and if you want to know the honest truth, I envy it."

"You do?" Monica asked.

Holly nodded. "My daughter was always very close to her grandfather, she would go to his room everyday, I was too busy being angry with Hunter, Samantha, or even God, but I never really got the chance to say good-bye to him. It was no wonder that Brittany would delve herself into this friendship; Adam was the only one who would not judge her based on her family. He was the one who gave her a precious gift that reminded her of the bond between them. He was always there for her and accepted her, where I didn't. I never even had such a friend as this. I mistakenly married a man who promised me the world, but then he left after Brittany was born." Shaking her head, Holly covered her face with her hands. "What kills me is what I did to both of them after Brittany's operation. I made Adam go, and this only hurt Brittany. Today, I think that if Brittany could, she'd stay with Adam and never come back home."

"You know she can't do that," Monica said gently. "Even if she could, I think that Brittany loves you so much, Holly. She cares for you more than you can imagine, and when she is frightened she says 'I want my Mommy'. She carries a simple faith in her heart, but that keeps this wee girl going, it keeps her crying out, 'I want my mommy', it keeps her loyal to her friendship with Adam. It is a part of that child's spirit, and that is the greatest gift that God has given to her. You cannot believe that she doesn't need you because she's friends with Adam, because the truth is, she needs you, Holly, she needs your nurturing, and your strength, but what Brittany doesn't want or need is to feel that she should chose between her mother and her best friend."

Holly nodded. "I know you're right, but I still can't help but envy that friendship between them. I wonder what it would be like to have a friend like him who would unconditionally accept me for who I am, who would shelter me if I needed to feel safe, or one would listen to me when my world would collapse around me."

"Perhaps, you already have such a friend and you don't yet realize it," Monica said gently as she wrapped her arms around Holly's now trembling shoulders.

"You?" Holly asked weakly as she allowed herself to be enfolded in the angel's embrace.

"I'm a friend, Holly, yes, but God is truly that friend you seek. He is the one who will be there and answer your prayers and…" her voice trailed off as the two of them watched as a police car pulled up to the house and both the driver and passenger side doors opened, and Brittany slowly got out.

Holly's jaw nearly dropped, but when she saw her daughter getting out of the car, she screamed out the name of her daughter and ran from the terrace towards the stairs leading down to the driveway.

"Mommy!" Brittany's voice erupted the stillness and she ran from the car, and up the stairs straight into Holly's waiting arms.

Emily followed Brittany and once mother and daughter had released an emotional embrace, Holly could see that her daughter's eyes had begun to droop. Once they had all reached the terrace, the police officer offered the young woman as well as the angel a warm smile. "Hello, Mrs. Harrows?"

Holly nodded, as she got down on her knees and embraced her daughter, the tears now streaming down both their cheeks and once their embrace ended, Monica led Brittany inside the large house, and Emily looked at the young mother. "Your daughter is a very brave person, Mrs. Harrows."

"I don't know how to thank you," Holly began.

"You don't have to thank me, I only brought her home, her friend Adam was the one who found her, the only trouble is now Adam's been arrested and formally charged with kidnapping her," Emily said softly. "I don't think he did it, and I want to help prove it."

Holly nodded. "That doesn't surprise me, the detective who was on the case seemed convinced that Adam had done something wrong from the start. I guess he didn't want his theories to go up in smoke."

"Perhaps not," Emily said softly. "However, with that being the case, I am compelled to doubt any of Detective Richards' theories."

Holly looked at Emily. "What makes you so certain?"

Emily shrugged her shoulders. "I trust my internal voice."

"What is it saying?"

"Truthfully, it's saying that I know Adam, I mean I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't remember where. I just know for some strange reason that he wouldn't hurt anyone," Emily said softly. "I also believe that he saved Brittany's life and should not be in jail."

"He's in jail?" Holly asked.

"Yes, and I am not sure when or how we will be able to get him out, but I know that for Brittany there exists a lot riding on whether or not we can get him out. I will go see him tonight before I go home, but I want to make a suggestion to you."

"What?"

"Well, although Adam may be in custody right now, no one else has been arrested in connection to Brittany's abduction, and I think there may still exist a danger to her and possibly to your family. I want to recommend that all of you be extra careful during the next few days, make sure you lock all windows and doors, that your security system is on call tonight, and have your gate keeper screen everyone who comes here tonight. The point is, if the man responsible for Brittany's abduction is still out there, she may still be in danger," Emily said gently. "Please keep this in mind, I'm not trying to tell you this to scare you, but I think Brittany is scared right now, and this is something that you might need to take into consideration."

Holly nodded. "We will, and thank you."

"It's nothing, just a part of the job," Emily smiled gently as she walked slowly down the stairs, but before she reached the landing, she turned around. "Oh, and Mrs. Harrows, Brittany said she remembered what the man who kidnapped her looked like, so I told her that I would come back tomorrow morning, pick her up, and take her to the station to look at some composites. I hope that will be all right."

"Yes, that's fine, but I think I should come with her, I don't think she should have to do this alone," Holly said softly.

Emily smiled and nodded before taking her leave.

Once the officer was gone, Holly went back inside the house, and right after she closed the door, she checked to make sure Katherine was inside before she set the security system from inside. Emily's words had struck a nerve with her, and she knew that it was best to protect herself as well as the family during this night.

Once she walked towards the stairs that led up to Brittany's room, she could see that Monica was coming down the stairs and she went over to her. "How is she?"

"She's asleep, Holly," Monica said gently.

"Asleep?" Holly asked.

Monica nodded numbly. "She may not sleep through the night, but she's tired."

"This day must have been really hard for her," Holly said softly. "It will probably haunt her for the rest of her life."

"Perhaps, but maybe today will also show her in a very profound way how much a true friend would be willing to sacrifice for her."

"Maybe you're right, but I'm not sure if that will help keep the nightmares at bay," Holly said softly as she walked up the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to sit with her, if she needs me, I want to be there for her," Holly said softly.

Monica smiled gently. "I'll join you."

The young woman nodded gratefully and the two of them went down the hall to Brittany's room.

*****

Adam was still inside a cell when Emily came down the stairs and entered the cellblock some twenty minutes after leaving Livingston Manor. The middle-aged police officer was smiling weakly as she approached the cell where the angel was being detained. As she reached the cell, she could see that his head was down, his hair completely disheveled and it looked as though he was suffering from exhaustion. After standing there for some moments, she eventually found herself able to clear her throat and speak.

"Adam?" She called out his name causing him to look up. When his eyes met hers, he stood up and approached the bars, which were separating them.

"Yes?" The angel spoke, his voice emerging and matching his haggard appearance.

"My name is Emily Jacobs, I work here at this precinct house."

"You were in the park today and you took Brittany home, right?" Adam asked, his voice soft. "How is she doing? Please, tell me, is she OK?"

"She's fine, Adam," Emily said softly. "Try not to worry about her, I did take her home before coming back here to talk to you."

"You want to talk to me, or interrogate me?" He asked weakly.

"I am not in the position to interrogate anyone, but if you want to know why I am here, the reason is, I want to help you," she said softly.

"Why?"

"Perhaps because I have never known of a child who loved someone as much as Brittany does you. You worry for her as though she is your daughter, you comfort her in ways I have only seen one other time in my life, and that's really quite beautiful."

Adam smiled weakly. "I can't help but worry about her. I mean, she's been through so much during the past few months," he offered freely. "First, when her grandfather died, then with appendicitis that she suffered nearly two months ago, and now this. I am sometimes amazed by her ability to come through what is thrown at her."

"Maybe it is the strength of her friends that gives her that courage," Emily said softly. "I don't think that the element of caring is completely one-sided, I imagine that you care for her as much as she cares for you." She paused before she could continue speaking. "Adam, can you tell me what happened today? I know it may not be the best thing for you to do, I mean without your attorney present, but I ask only that you trust me, I really want to help you, but I don't know how I can without knowing the whole story."

Adam sighed deeply. "I wish I could tell you everything, Emily, but I can't. Please, just believe me when I tell you, I did not kidnap Brittany, I couldn't possibly do something that would bring harm to that little girl." As he spoke she could see the tears beginning to stream down his cheeks and she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and extended it to him. "Thank you." He said weakly, accepted the small piece of cloth, and wiped the tears away. Once he was finished, he lowered his hand and looked at her, his eyes filled with gentility.

Emily smiled weakly as she reached through the bars and took his hand. "I believe you, but there must be some way that we can prove your innocence. Adam, when I saw you today, I remembered something completely unrelated, and I wanted to ask you about it. Maybe, I should do so now while I still have the chance."

The gray eyed Angel of Death looked at her not knowing for certain what she was about to say, but he had a strange feeling it had something to do with his angelic status, and he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

"I'm pretty old, I just turned 58," she began and shook her head. "But, today reminded me of something that happened to me when I was five-years-old. I had been taken to the hospital and I remember that there was someone with me, and this person sat with me all night long. He looked a little bit like you, and as weird as it sounds, I know it wasn't you, but today gave me a good feeling just to remember. Maybe that's the reason why I am convinced that you would never hurt anyone. I know that sounds crazy, because its just intuition, but that's what guides me."

"You believe me based solely on an experience you had as a child?" Adam asked.

The woman nodded. "The man who was with me comforted me in very much the same way I saw you comforting Brittany in the park. It was such a nice memory, and though I don't think they're related, I know that there's a voice inside of me and it says, you speak the truth, and who am I to deny that? I mean; let's face it, I've seen you and Brittany, and I've seen the caring that emanates between you, so I know, based on that, that you would not do anything to hurt her."

"Thank you," Adam said softly as he squeezed her hand.

"Now, please, tell me if there is a stone we left unturned in all of this," Emily pleaded softly with him.

"You did," a voice emerged and she turned around and could see that there was a six-year-old boy standing in the hallway. Behind him stood Andrew and Vicki Hudson.

"How did you get down here?" She asked. "You're not supposed to come down here."

"The detective said that you were doing research on this case," Andrew said. "This is Sean Bradley."

The young boy looked up at Adam, his eyes meeting those of the angel, but instead of speaking to him, he looked back over at the policewoman. "I saw who kidnapped Brittany, and it wasn't Adam."

"You did?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Sean said softly. "I-it was my older brother, Vince."

"Your brother?" Emily looked at the boy in profound disbelief.

Sean nodded, his sadness evident. "I s-saw the whole thing, I was the kid who found the watch in the schoolyard and gave it to my teacher after Brittany was kidnapped. I opened the cover and it read 8:40 in the morning and then I saw my brother drug her with some kind of chemically soaked rag, and carry her to his car. I saw him, and if he finds out that I told, he'll kill me."

"Your brother would kill you?" Emily asked.

Sean nodded. "He used to beat me up a lot, and then my parents kicked him out of the house, but last week they let him move back in, and now I'm too scared to go back home. I'm scared that he will beat me to a pulp if he finds out what I have done by coming here."

Emily looked at Vicki. "Did you know about any of this?"

"No, I only knew that he had brought me the watch this morning and that I was to bring it to you," Vicki said softly.

"So it was your brother that did this?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Sean said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you know if he had been arrested before, Sean?" Emily asked.

"I think he got arrested some time ago for stealing a car," Sean said softly. "I wasn't supposed to know about it, but I had overheard my parents chewing him out about it."

Emily reached for the boy's hand. "Why don't you come with me, and we'll see if we can get a positive ID on that photograph."

Sean nodded and followed the kind woman out of the cellblock. Vicki followed leaving Andrew and Adam alone. "He's a brave little boy," Adam said softly once they were alone.

"He is," Andrew said.

"Your assignment?" Adam asked weakly.

Andrew nodded without saying anything, but took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "Vince is really dangerous, Adam, you did the right thing today."

"I had to get Brittany out of there, I knew that Vince would have killed her. Sam actually was there and he gave me the OK to help her; but without him, I would have had to take her home tonight. That's what makes all this worth it," Adam said softly. "I don't know if I will ever be able to do this job without it reminding me of her."

"You always said you wanted to be more compassionate, Adam, maybe she's teaching you something you needed to understand and feel," Andrew said softly. "She has changed you, in the past few months, you have learned what it means to feel loved and needed by someone other than the Father. You always wanted to have this, and now you do, but don't let it take the best part of you away from us, my friend. Brittany will still need you even after all of this is over, and she will never forget that you saved her life. Whether you believe it or not, you really did try to sacrifice your angelic status for the sake of that little girl. You were willing to give it all up to save her life, now you tell me, is this truly the job description for an angel, or am I just kidding myself?"

"I suppose it is," Adam mused.

"You suppose?" Andrew said looking at his friend in disbelief. "You're a good angel, Adam, and today you have angels and humans who love and need you. That little boy who is speaking the truth is doing so to help you. Just listen to meaning behind his words because he is literally putting his life in danger for the sake of his friends; and I don't just mean Brittany when I say that word either, I mean you as well."

The older of the two angels could feel the tears beginning to stream down his cheeks and he reached up to wipe them away. "Thank you, Andrew."

"How are you holding up?" Andrew asked gently.

"I feel terrible," Adam said honestly. "I've never been this afraid or worried about anyone before, and every time I even stop to think about her, I can't stop being afraid for her. Would you go and see her tonight? I mean, just tell her that I'm OK, and see how she's doing. I really wish I could be with her right now. This is all so hard, Andrew."

Andrew grew silent for a moment and after a few seconds passed; he eventually nodded. "Yes, I'll go see her."

Adam returned to the cot and sat down as Andrew went back towards where Sean and Vicki were looking through the photos.

Once he was once again alone, Adam rested his face in his hands and tried without much success at wiping the persistent tears from his troubled and worry filled eyes.

*****

Vince was angry, he was more than angry; he was outraged. As he came into the apartment and noticed that Brittany was gone, he was beside himself with fury. The object of his wrath was now directed at his younger brother. Vince knew that Sean had seen him take Brittany that morning, so he could only conclude that he had come back while Vince had mailed the ransom note and helped her out of the house.

The teenager was now sitting in the room where Brittany had been kept, the wind blowing in from the broken window and this was wafting through his dark brown hair. He sighed deeply as he looked outside through the window. He could not see, but Tess was standing in angelic form watching the youth with unsuppressed anger in her dark brown eyes.

After watching him pick up a pistol, she allowed herself to become visible to him. "Vince Bradley!"

The teenager looked up. "Who wants to know?"

"That wasn't a question, young man, and you know it," Tess said, trying all the while to keep her voice level. "Nor would I inquire what you intend to do with that gun, because I already know."

"Who are you?"

"I'm an angel, Vince, and I've got a message for you," Tess said as she began to glow. "First of all, God loves you, and though He may not particularly love what you are planning to do, He has sent me here to try to help you see reason."

"Reason?" Vince sneered. "Lady, you're more tripped out than I am when I get the right stuff. Why don't you get lost, or I'll have to waste you along with that sniveling brat I have for a brother."

Tess looked at him indignantly, her eyes never faltering. "You know Vince, your brother did not take Brittany out of this room. Sean doesn't even know that Brittany is safe now. All he knows is the fear that you have instilled in him through your actions, and now a pure and beautiful little girl carries this same fear, something that is really not even a part of her. Because of this, a man stands accused of a heinous act, which he did not commit. That is the man who took Brittany out of here, that is the man who saved this little girl from you."

Vince looked down at the gun in his hands and then at Tess. "Get out of here, I don't believe you."

"Perhaps you don't, but take a look at this if you don't believe my words, perhaps you will believe your own," Tess said as she pulled out a small piece of paper and unfolded it and began to read.

Dear God,

I was told that if I write you a letter, you might understand how I feel. I am an eight-year-old boy, my name is Vince and I'm afraid of the boy down the street. My dad said that he won't hurt me, but I think he will, he carries a gun, he bullies the other kids and I heard that he did drugs. Please send an angel to protect me from him, because I don't know what to do and I think that an angel would maybe understand how afraid I am. I will try to be a good boy, just help me with this. I trust you, and I love you.

Love,

Vince Bradley

"You asked God to help you through this when you were eight, Vince. You attached this letter to a small helium filled balloon and released it to the heavens in the hopes that if it flew high enough that it just might reach God and He would be able to help you, but what happened after you sent that balloon to Him?" Tess asked.

The teenager shook his head. "I waited, but then after I had sent it, the boy down the street met me on my way home from school and he beat me up again. I thought the only way I could get the help from anyone else was to join a gang and try to make the best of what had happened."

"You stopped believing that God would help you, that simple faith of a child was lost when you were harmed so many times. Do you not realize that instead of listening for His answer, you decided to give up and fight back, forgetting your faith, forgetting God, and trying to get even with a world that you perceive to have wronged you. Don't you see Vince? You did to Brittany what that other boy did to y