A 'Touched By An Angel' Story

By: Yvette Jessen

She had somehow managed to escape the man who held her captive. Although she knew that she'd be beaten if caught, so she had to keep running. If only she could find someone to help her, but to look down at the bruises on her arms and legs made her look more like a ragamuffin than the daughter of visiting diplomats. The physical pain she felt was merely a shadow of the emotional side of being kidnapped during a visit to Chicago with her parents.

Her father would no doubt have ended all relations if he had known what she had endured. After all, she was the daughter of one of the leading diplomats from a Pacific island nation, but now she had no idea where she was, and as she looked down at the clothing she wore, it was obvious that the men who had abducted her had every intention of completely changing her appearance so that she would be unrecognizable to anyone who might have looked at her.

The long light brown hair, which made her recognizable to the public, was now cut short and had been dyed black, and her normally impeccable clothing was replaced with a dingy brown cotton dress. The only thing that she was able to hold onto was a small heart shaped locket, which she had always carried in her pocket. Now, she held the small object in her trembling hands.

She only knew the name of one of her abductors, but only because his friends had often called him Jackson, but she didn't know if this was actually his name. He had left her locked inside his ramshackle cabin, but she had managed to escape, her hand now bleeding from having to break the window with her fist and crawling through the small opening.

As she ran, her heartbeat quickened with each step she took, her fear growing as she distanced herself from the old run down cabin where she had been imprisoned. Hopefully her abductor would not return for some time, thus enabling her to get away and make that all-important call that would eventually reunite the frightened girl with her parents.

The most pressing problem she now faced, was with strangers. Her trust in them had been completely shattered and since being abducted, she was frightened of them. Although, she had the best lessons in the English language, she was still inexperienced when it came to trying to make herself understood in the language, and her own insecurities prevented her from speaking openly.

Her traveling companions had included a translator, so she was now in a very difficult situation, being somewhat insecure about her ability to communicate in passable English, and now she had no one who could help her tell others what she wanted to say. Her greatest fear was that someone might misunderstand her and would return her to the man who harmed her without questioning why she looked this way or who it was she was running away from.

As she made her way along the stream, which led away from where she had been held prisoner, the sun was high in the sky. She kept looking behind her, thinking that perhaps Jackson would be standing not far from her, with a scowl on his face, and the familiar drunken look in his eyes. She continued to run, as her hand rubbed against the pocket of her dress. She kept her hand on this pocket, to protect the locket, which she had hidden from the men when they had taken her. The man called Jackson had no idea that she had this small gold piece of jewelry, and she knew if he learned of it, he'd probably fly into another rage, beating her and thus taking it away. The necklace was more important to her than anything because it was the proof she needed to show others who she really was.

She continued along the stream until she began to hear voices. Apparently, there were campers in the area; and she concluded that maybe they would be able to help her. She crouched down behind a large bush and continued to watch them as they packed their belongings and were about to leave. They appeared to be completely unaware that the young frightened girl was watching them.

No, please, don't go, she pleaded silently, the tears streaming down her face as she watched the man and two women packing their belongings in a ruby red Cadillac convertible, which was parked nearby. She maintained her position behind the bushes as she overheard their voices resonating around her.

She was unsure as to what specifically they were talking about, but their voices sounded kinder than any she had ever heard, and although she could not understand their speech, she felt a strange sense of familiarity about all three of them.

The heavyset woman with the mahogany colored skin appeared to be the leader and the younger woman and the man seemed to be following her directions, but all three of them seemed to carry themselves in a confident, but also loving manner.

She must have been staring at them for some time, because the pretty auburn-headed woman glanced over towards the bushes and on her face, a gentle smile was present. Within seconds, she had laid the bag down, which she had been holding and started to walk towards the crop of bushes where the girl hid.

She backed quickly away from them but ended up wedged against the trunk of a tree, the leaves of the bushes rustling from her movement. She began to pat her hair into place as though she was about to be introduced to a VIP rather than three travelers who apparently had been camping out in the woods. She wondered all the while if the three of them would be angry with her for eavesdropping on them, and she began to tremble self-consciously as she waited to see what would eventually happen.

~*~*~*~

"What's up, Monica?" The Angel of Death named Andrew asked, his voice fading as his companion walked closer to the bushes, which ran alongside a small stream.

Upon hearing his voice, the young angel turned back to face her friend for a moment, and then returned her attention to the bushes without offering an answer. She continued to stare bewildered at them.

"Miss Wings, are you going to help us pack the stuff or what?" The older woman interrupted her quest and Monica turned around, the same uncertainty still evident in her eyes.

"Tess, I thought I heard something in those bushes over there. I don't know why, but I think we're being watched," Monica said softly, as she contemplated a recent assignment where she had come into contact with a fallen angel named Kathleen and the evil forces she worked with. For some reason, she was confident that Kathleen was not around, but all the same, this sense of eeriness seemed to encompass her.

"I heard it too," Andrew interrupted. "I also have the strange feelings that Monica has."

"Do you think it is Kathleen, Andrew?" Monica asked, her insecurity of that last confrontation with the dark angel still in the contemplations of the younger angel.

"No, if it was, I would guess that one of those tree limbs would have probably collapsed on top of us," the Angel of Death said somewhat sarcastically, his attempt at humor trying to bring Monica out of the state of contemplation she had immersed herself into. Andrew could tell that Monica was still a bit on edge about the last meeting with her former friend and all he could do was rest a gentle hand on her shoulder as the two of them walked towards the bushes once again.

When they turned back towards Tess, they noticed that she had now looked up as well and was motioning for her two charges to investigate.

Andrew glanced around and continued to scan the general area, and eventually, his eyes came to rest on a specific clump of bushes. Although the wind had ceased to blow, they were still swishing ever so slightly. He stepped closer to it, and drew them aside.

The compassionate Angel of Death literally gasped when he saw a young girl crouched down behind it and was peering up at him. She looked as though she could not have been much older than 12 or 13, he concluded as he looked down and saw her sitting in the dirt on her knees.

Suddenly, as if by impulse, the small girl hunched herself over, her arms covering her neck as though she was trying to protect herself. Andrew could see her trembling as he reached down gently and touched her arm in an attempt to get her to draw her hands away from her face.

Upon feeling his touch, the girl jerked her arm away from him and continued to cover her face with her hands, the blood from her injured hand smearing across her cheeks. Both Andrew and Monica could see that she was shaking nervously, and neither of them could understand why. The two angels crouched down to where they would be eye level with her and Andrew spoke gently to her. "Don't be afraid, sweetheart, we're not going to hurt you."

She apparently didn't hear his words, because she continued to hold the back of her neck as though she believed that Andrew or Monica was going to strike her. When Monica took the incentive and reached out to touch her arm, the girl began to scream, her cries filled with pain and agony.

Having no choice in the matter, Monica withdrew her hand but not before turning and looking at Tess with confusion evident in her eyes. As she watched Andrew, who was still next to the child, she stood up and continued to watch as her fellow angel regarded the girl with all the compassion that was in him.

The first thing he noticed was that the shabby dress she wore looked to be two sizes too small, grungy, and had small holes in it. The girl shivered as the autumn wind began to blow, and the angel removed his jacket with the intention of giving it to the frightened girl.

Tess came over to them and she looked down at the girl, and then turned towards Monica. "The poor baby, she's looks scared out of her wits."

"But, why?" Monica asked looking at Tess.

Andrew shrugged his shoulders. "I would guess that she probably thinks we're going to beat her up like someone else has obviously already done. I don't know why, but something tells me that she probably thinks we're angry with her."

"I'll tell you what she needs, Angel Boy, and that is our help," Tess said. "There's no one else around here right now who can give it to her, so it looks like it's going to be up to us."

Andrew nodded and looked at Monica, but then his gaze fell back on the girl who was sitting on the ground before them. He leaned over the bushes and spoke to her again. "We didn't mean to frighten you," he said softly. "What's your name?"

The gentle words that came from this man caused the young girl to look up at him in wonder. Maybe he and his friends would help me, she was thinking as she pulled the locket from her pocket and held it in her hands. Finally, barely audible, the one word answer came out. "Bettina."

Andrew sat down on the ground carefully maintaining a safe distance from the frightened child. The necklace slipped from her hand and landed on the ground as the angel leaned over and spoke again. "Are you lost?"

Bettina began to shake her head without answering his questions. The other two angels watched the exchange without uttering a sound. Eventually, he spoke again. "How old are you?"

She shook her head not knowing what to say.

"You don't know?" Andrew asked; his voice etched in disbelief. He moved closer to her, but as he did, she backed up. Her eyes wide, and Andrew could tell that there would be very little that he could do to alleviate such strong evidence of fear. When he extended his hand towards her, she yelped, and backed up once again. This time, she backed up too far and suddenly fell backwards right into the stream.

When she felt the chill of the water, she screamed and began to thrash about desperately. Andrew and Monica could tell from the panicked look in her eyes that they had to get her out of there before she hurt herself.

They reached the edge of the stream and Monica looked at Andrew her eyes filled with uncertainty. Andrew reached his hand out to Bettina in hopes that she would grab it, but because she was so frightened, she continued to flounder around in the water and the angel's gesture went ignored. Finally, he had no choice except to wade into the knee-high water and physically assist her. It was cold and because Bettina was panicking, she obviously did not notice that she could have simply stood up and waded out of the water. Once he reached her, he firmly but gently picked her up in his arms and carried her to the shore.

As soon as he reached solid ground, he returned the struggling girl to her feet. She slumped to the ground as Monica approached with a blanket and managed to wrap it around the young girl.

From his wading in the stream, Andrew could feel the dampness of his jeans as well as the chilly autumn wind that was now blowing stronger. He shuddered involuntarily, and went over to her and wrapped her trembling body in his arms.

After a second, Monica looked down and saw the small golden necklace on the ground and rather than speak out about it, she picked it up and put it in her pocket. For some reason, she could remember seeing Bettina having held it, so she knew that the girl would obviously be looking for it once she had gotten over the shivering her swim in the stream had caused.

Bettina continued to struggle in Andrew's arms, but he would not let go until she had stopped shivering and eventually, she stopped fighting the hold he had on her and eventually she allowed him to act as a blockade against the now cold wind.

Andrew smiled weakly as he felt the girl relaxing in his embrace. He sighed deeply as he remembered how often he had been sent to people who had fallen into icy cold water, and how the cold air had done more damage to their frail bodies than actually getting wet did. This time, however, he knew that it was not something serious, but this did not alleviate his concern because Bettina's emotional state did more than make up for it, and he realized that on top of that, it was, in fact, getting colder outside.

The blanket was still wrapped snugly around her, but neither she nor Andrew said anything. After awhile, she opened her weary eyes, and looked up at him, the uncertainty hidden but the feeling of having someone hold her in their arms offered her a sense of comfort that she never even knew.

~*~*~*~

Monica continued to watch them, but she said nothing, she simply walked over to where Tess was packing their belongings. She began to help her supervisor and periodically would glance over and watch as Andrew comforted the young girl some three feet away. She brought some gauze over to them and watched as Andrew wound it around Bettina's injured hand.

As he finished tending to her wounds, he noticed that she had finally stopped shivering and they were able take the blanket away. She sat with Andrew's jacket wrapped around her shoulders and through the breeze and sunshine, her dress began to dry, but this left her dirtier than she had initially been. As the hours ticked by and the sun began to descend behind the trees, Bettina found herself getting colder and colder, and she had started to sneeze.

Monica finally came over and sat down beside them, and Andrew smiled weakly as he continued to hold the girl in his arms. She reached over and rested her hand against Bettina's forehead. "Andrew, she's ice cold, I think we need to build another fire and get her warm."

Andrew nodded and while he and Monica went to gather sticks and wood for the fire, Tess remained with the young girl. "If we're going to make a fire, babies, then I think we should probably make something for all of us to eat. It looks as though this little baby could use something warm."

"Good idea." Monica said always enjoying having something to eat while they wandered from place to place in human form. She came over and dropped a handful of twigs and sticks on the ground. Using a match, she lit the fire. Once it was going, she went and got a saucepan out of their gear and opened two cans of soup and dumped the contents into the small pan.

"After you've eaten something, we can take you home," Monica said to Bettina with a friendly smile, as the soup was getting hot.

Upon hearing the word 'home', she clung tightly to the blanket and looked at Tess, her wide eyes telling the wise angel much more than her words ever could. Home was one of the English words she knew, and her heart soared at the thought of going back to the hotel where her parents were staying, but then suddenly, she looked down at herself and a chill went down her spine. Perhaps Monica meant that they would be taking her back to the men who had abducted her.

She glanced over in the direction where Andrew had gone to get firewood, and then after some moments of silence passed, she could see him coming back towards them and she sighed with relief when she saw him in the distance. As he came nearer, he could see that Bettina was regarding them as though she was an animal trapped in a cage.

Andrew offered her a gentle smile as he sat down beside her. "Are you afraid, sweetheart?"

Bettina nodded slowly, but refrained from speaking.

"Everything's going to be OK," Andrew offered comfortingly.

Monica, by this time, had pulled some plastic bowls out of their belongings and had filled one of them with some of the now heated soup.

"I think you both realize that we can't leave her out here alone. She is in some kind of trouble, that much I know, but I don't know specifically what that trouble is." Tess leaned over and Bettina cowered away from her. "Father, how can a child be so frightened?" She mused and once again quietly distanced herself from the girl.

Monica handed the bowl of soup to Andrew, who up to that point appeared to be the only one of the three angels Bettina appeared to trust. "Something is just not right," he muttered softly to himself as he extended the soup towards the girl.

Bettina cowered once more, but then once she opened her eyes, she could now see that Andrew was trying to hand her something. Her trembling hands reached out towards him, and took the bowl. She ignored his offer for a spoon and tipped the bowl to the side and began to noisily drink the contents, as someone would do when they couldn't get anymore liquid out of the bottom of their cereal bowl. Monica watched with bemused sadness and then she looked at Andrew, who could only watch the young girl with a look of contemplation in his eyes.

Once she finished drinking the soup, she extended the bowl back towards Andrew who took it. "Monica, is there any more?"

"Yes," came the answer as Monica brought the pan over to her friend and poured the remainder of the soup into the bowl. This she returned to Andrew.

When Bettina once more had the bowl in her tiny hands, she began to pour the contents in her mouth and the three angels watched as some of the soup poured down her face and eventually landed on the front of her dingy brown dress. Andrew reached over and grabbed a few paper towels and slid over to where she sat. Her preoccupation with the soup gave him the chance to wipe the towel over her face and remove some of the grime, which was covering it.

When she finished the soup, she returned the bowl to Andrew, who could do nothing but stand up and return the bowl to their belongings. The paper towels he left beside her, and once he had walked some distance away, Monica retrieved the pan and walked over to dip it into the cold water of the stream. Once that task was completed, she carried it to the car.

Upon returning the bowl, Andrew walked a few feet from the campsite his mind filled with his own disturbing thoughts. As he stood along the creek, he bowed his head in sad contemplation, his thoughts centered on his prayer. "Father, what should I do?" He whispered under his breath and when the answer came, he nodded obediently, but his indescribable sadness remained.

"Don't worry, Andrew, I'm not ready to call her home, yet," the reassurances of the Father resonated in his mind, and the young Angel of Death could feel the love enfolding him and he smiled weakly.

"You want us to help her find her way back to her family?" Andrew asked as the wind blew through his hair. As he felt the love of God in this place, he allowed a few moments of silence to pass in this peaceful place and he closed his eyes and nodded when he once again heard the Father's reassurances in his mind. Eventually, he nodded and turned around and returned to the camp. Tess is right; he thought to himself, Bettina really does need our help.

Andrew offered her a warm smile as he sat down next to her. "Bettina, my name is Andrew, and my friends and I are going to help you."

Bettina nodded expressionless. Her eyes followed every movement Tess made and for some reason, she could feel herself feeling intimidated in the presence of the older angel.

Andrew's eyes followed Bettina's gaze. "Her name is Tess," he offered. "Although some are intimidated by her, she is really very nice."

"Nice," she spoke softly, and began to repeat the word as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her voice began to break, and finally she stopped speaking. Her eyes continued to follow Tess' movements.

~*~*~*~

Tess continued to pack their belongings as Monica came over to her and the two of them began to speak about this situation. "Tess, this is all so strange," she began. "I understand that the Father wants us to help her, but I can't help but notice that there's something hidden about the wee girl."

"That there is, baby, and her appearance is only a small part of it. She's in danger here and I think she knows it," Tess said.

Monica shook her head sadly, "It's strange, but when I said that we could take her home, she seemed to understand me, but then she looked at Andrew and from the way she did, one would have thought that she knew he was the Angel of Death and that she believed he was here for her."

"Yes, I noticed this too, and I don't believe that this is a simple case of child abuse, Miss Wings," Tess whispered. "Just look at her, she looks as though she's been neglected for years."

"Why would someone harm her?" Monica's innocent question caused Tess' eyes to become moist.

"Who knows?" Tess asked weakly as she regarded the child. "I'm guessing that people do it for power. To some, having control over another is like a power trip, and to do that to someone as innocent as this lost child makes me wonder," she said softly. "Regardless, I suddenly got the sensation that we really should be getting her out of here."

"Since we're finished packing up, maybe I should go get Andrew and Bettina and we can leave," Monica said, and Tess nodded.

The younger angel walked towards the stream and began to collect water to pour over the fire and this left Tess alone with her thoughts. She prayed that she would be able to help Bettina, but right now she did not know what to do. She made her way back over towards where Andrew and the young girl were still sitting. "If you're afraid of us, baby, there's no way we can help you."

The young girl looked at Tess and saw his eyes were carrying the same kind look she had seen when she looked at Andrew after he had pulled her from the stream. "You will help me?" She finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her language somewhat broken.

Tess nodded, "If we can, but we'd never hurt you, baby."

The girl remained in Andrew's arms, her eyes finally locking with his, and he nodded slowly as an indication that he would be there to help her as well.

Bettina looked back at Tess with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Perhaps this was the miracle she had been praying for; maybe these kind people would actually help her get home. She timidly reached her hand out towards the wise angel as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

When her hand brushed against Tess' face, she looked into her wise brown eyes. At that moment, Bettina began to tremble, and both angels could tell that the frail girl was about to release the pent up emotions she carried. She remained in Andrew's arms but allowed her body to collapse against him almost knocking him over.

Andrew wrapped her in his strong arms, and held her tightly in his embrace. As she wept, her crying was getting louder and more hysterical by the moment. After it had reached a climax, she finally began to vocalize to the two angels her greatest fear. "Don't take me back to Jackson, please," she begged, her hands beating against Andrew's chest. "He'll kill me, I know it!"

Andrew cringed slightly as he felt the blows of her fists against his chest, but he continued to hold her. He could feel the energy draining from the girl as her emotional outburst left her almost limp in his arms. He grabbed her hands in his as her crying began to subside. "Shhh, it's OK, we won't let anyone hurt you," he repeated over and over as he rocked her in his arms.

Once she stopped crying, he wiped the tears away, and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Her face was covered with bruises, and he could tell that whomever it was that had cut her hair; they had done a terrible job because the hair was unevenly cut. He looked back into her face and noticed that her face could only be described as sunken in. It was no wonder that she drank the soup so quickly; she was obviously close to starvation.

When Monica reached where Andrew and Bettina were sitting, she gasped in horror when she saw a dark bruise on Bettina's forehead. "Oh Father," she whispered, her voice full of emotion as she shook her head sadly. It was obvious that the young angel had never seen a child abuse victim as badly bruised as this young girl was.

Some moments passed, and when Monica heard rustling in the trees, she turned around and gasped, but called out to her friend. "Andrew, look out!"

Andrew was still sitting on the ground holding Bettina in his arms when he heard Monica's warning. He looked over his left shoulder and saw a large bearded man holding a rifle coming out of the clearing. The weapon was aimed right at him and he remained where he was. He attempted to stand up still holding Bettina, but her weight was too much, and he fell back onto the ground still holding her.

"That's my kid, Mister." The man reached them and stood over Andrew, a sneer on his lips and a lazy drunken look in his eyes.

Andrew's gentle gaze met the leering eyes of the man. He was dirty, like Bettina, and reeked of alcohol. His beard and hair was unkempt and he wore a baseball cap on his head. The rifle he had in his hand was aimed at Andrew, and he staggered as though he was unable to stand on his own two feet, much less shoot straight.

He approached them and grabbed Bettina's wrist and jerked her to her feet away from Andrew. "If you know what's good for ya, you'll stay right where you are. This here's my kid, understand?" He put one arm lazily around Bettina's neck, all the while still holding onto the rifle with the other. "Running away, huh? Well, girlie that's gonna get you into even more trouble than yer already in."

Bettina clamped her eyes closed, one of her hands trying to break the hold the man had on her, but when that failed, all she could do was to cover her face with her free hand.

By this time, Andrew finally managed to stand up and was walking closer to the man with a look of sheer determination on his handsome face. He watched as the man released Bettina's arm and she slumped to the ground in a heap. Andrew continued to walk closer even after the man had held up his weapon and aimed it at his chest.

This action, however, did very little to deter Andrew; he simply disappeared and reappeared some seconds later next to the young girl. When he glanced up, he could hear the man cocking the weapon once again and when their eyes met, the man stared at them with contempt in his steel-gray eyes. Trying to ignore the actions of the drunken man, the Angel of Death crouched down beside Bettina and took her limp hand in his.

"You're gonna get it now, Mr. Magician," the man said evenly and as he reached where Bettina and Andrew were on the ground, the angel nearly gagged when he could smell the stench of cigarettes and stale alcohol emanating from the man's breath.

Upon seeing Monica coming closer, Andrew waved his hand towards Monica hoping that she will keep her distance from this man. This action caused the Irish angel to stop in her tracks, but she carried a worried look on her pretty face. Although she knew and trusted her friend with her whole heart, she also knew that he was the most patient and understanding of angels. However, at this instant, somehow it occurred to her that even Andrew had limitations when it came to patience.

Andrew continued to wave her away and Monica returned to Tess' car and watched the confrontation from a safe distance.

"Andrew, he's drunk, I don't think you can reason with him. He's delirious, honey," Tess said softly from behind them and her gentle voice resonated through the area.

"I know." Andrew whispered back.

Jackson suddenly hauled back with the intention of hitting Andrew, but when the angel dodged the incoming fist, the other man staggered around a little and finally fell to the ground. He attempted, futilely, to get back up on his feet; all the while Andrew remained with the girl. Within moments, the angel took the opportunity to get Bettina out of harm's way and once he had managed to get to his feet, he picked up her limp body, and carried her back towards the car. He knew that although she was unconscious; she would be OK, because he could feel her warm breath against his cheek.

By this time, Tess had followed him to the car and opened the door while Andrew laid Bettina gently in the back seat behind the driver's side. He closed the door and glanced up to see the man had managed to stand up, and was approaching them, his hand still holding tightly to the rifle, and a menacing leering look in his bloodshot eyes.

"I tell ya, ya don't return my kid, then I won't be responsible for ya getting shot," he slurred.

"Why do you want her?" Monica spoke up, her voice shaking with emotion. A look from Tess silenced her.

"She's my kid, and she needs me." He took the rifle and attempted to aim the weapon at them, but as he pressed the trigger, he realized that all that would emerge was a hollow clicking sound. Upon this realization, he discovered that without a weapon he was outnumbered and he started to back away from them muttering something about getting back up from his friends.

"If she was so important to you, than you wouldn't harm her," Tess said as she walked towards the car. "Come on babies, let's get out of here, now," she said, getting in the driver's side and as soon as Monica and Andrew had gotten in, they noticed that Jackson was coming towards the vehicle. Tess started the engine, and they left in a cloud of dust.

When Andrew looked back, he could see Jackson was still behind them and he was screaming in a drunken rage. "I'll kill ya, I'll kill all of ya!" He grabbed some rocks and began throwing then at the car, but because he was so intoxicated, he could barely throw them hard enough to even hit them.

Tess drove them safely out of the area. Andrew and Monica sighed with relief once they were back on the main interstate and Jackson's angry face had disappeared. He glanced over and could see that Bettina was still asleep.

The sun was beginning to go down over the local town, and Tess decided that the best thing to do would be for them to get as far away from this town as they could. The wise angel also knew that their only option was to help Bettina, but she wondered in doing that what would eventually happen. "Father, we need your guidance in the worst way," she prayed, her words emerging in a soft whisper. "I don't know who we can find to help this little girl and it's obvious that she needs so much help. You know that she's a victim of a terribly tragic circumstance, and from the way things appear, Jackson has more rights than she appears to have."

~*~*~*~

About two hours away from where they had camped, Tess glanced over at Monica and then to the backseat where Andrew sat, his arms still wrapped around the young girl. She was leaning up against him fast asleep. Monica was sitting quietly looking outside at the sky as Tess pulled the car into a parking lot for a local motel. "She needs to eat and a comfortable place to sleep," Tess said breaking the silence.

Once she got out, she turned to Monica. "We'll get some clothes for her tomorrow morning, right now, I think I'll go and get us a room. You two stay here with her in case she wakes up," Tess said softly looking at the other two angels.

They nodded as she walked over to the front entrance of the motel, went inside, checked them in, and got a key for two rooms. Once that was done, she made her way back outside and over towards the car.

Monica opened the door, and got out as Andrew tried to shift his weight from beneath Bettina's head so as not to jar her. Once he got out of the car, he gently pulled her out of the backseat and somehow managed to get her out of the car.

Once inside, Andrew laid her on one of the beds in the room. Tess and Monica went into the bathroom and began to run some water for a bath while Andrew came over and shook her gently, "Bettina," he whispered.

Within seconds, she opened her eyes and focused on the kind pair of green eyes, which were staring down at her. She screamed upon seeing him and backed up against the pillows.

"Shhh, it's OK," he cajoled, "I won't hurt you." He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she abruptly stopped, her emerald green eyes staring up at him when she heard his soft voice and gentle touch. Her skinny arms still covered her face and she remained pressed against the pillows. "You're OK now, Bettina, no one is going to hurt you."

She slowly lowered her arms. "W-where am I?" Her voice cracked from fear.

"You're in a safe place, no one's going to hurt you here," Andrew repeated his assurances for a third time. He hoped from the core of his being that she would eventually accept and believe in the earnest words he spoke.

Her eyes focused on the man sitting on the bed next to her, "W-who?"

"It's Andrew, Bettina, do you remember what happened out in the woods?"

"Andrew?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. When he nodded she covered her eyes and began to weep softly. "It was not a dream," she whispered trying to put her thoughts into words.

He smiled weakly at her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held on with all her strength. He was still sitting on the bed holding her when Tess and Monica came out of the bathroom.

"Tess, I guess I should have told you about this, but I found this when we were out in the woods today," Monica said as she pulled the necklace out of her pocket and handed it to her supervisor.

"What is that?" Andrew asked.

"It looks like a locket of some kind," Tess said as she looked down at the heart shaped object. She continued to inspect the locket more closely, and could see some engravings on it, "I can make out everything, except a letter B, and a K." She looked over at Bettina, "Do you know the significance of this?" Tess asked gently as she held up the necklace.

Bettina nodded and reached out for the object, which Tess gave to her.

"What does the 'K' mean?" Andrew wanted to know. He looked down at the young girl in his arms.

She glanced down at her lap and then back up at him. "Katherine."

"Bettina Katherine?" Monica asked. "That's such a lovely name."

"My father gave me that necklace last year for my birthday," she said softly.

"You need to tell us everything that's happened to you. How long have known this man, Jackson?" Andrew said gently as he faced her.

"Not long," she shuddered as she spoke. "He's terrible, Andrew. You will help me, I don't want to go back to this place." What compelled her to tell him this, she didn't know. She had never been able to tell anyone about what had happened to her. She looked up at him and when her eyes met his, she saw something in them that made her trust him.

"We'll help you, as long as we are able to," he promised.

"Where should we go, Tess?" Monica asked.

The oldest of the three angels shook her head, "I don't know."

"Bettina, where are your parents?" Andrew asked.

"Chicago," she answered.

"Listen, before we plan where we're going, I think it would be a good idea for Bettina to get herself into the bathroom and get cleaned up," Tess said. "Monica and I already ran a bath, and there are some fresh clothes in there for you, honey."

Andrew nodded as Monica pulled some towels out of the cabinet and took them into the bathroom. "You know, she's right, you're a mess from your swim in the stream."

Monica nodded, "I'll help you," she said as she came over and gently helped her to her feet. Once the young girl was on her feet, Tess led her into the bathroom.

"Here's a towel for you, honey and if you need something, we'll be right be outside, OK?" Tess said kindly.

Bettina nodded as the angel left her alone to take her bath. They're so kind, she thought to herself. I can't believe my good luck at meeting Tess, Monica, and Andrew. She pulled the soiled dress off and threw it in the corner. If she could have her way, she'd never wear that awful dress again. She climbed into the tub and felt the warm water cover her sore, bruised body. The water felt so good against her skin as she grabbed a bar of soap and began to rub it in her hands. Seconds later, she began to wipe her soap covered hands over her arms and legs.

She looked up at the ceiling and noticed the light dance around the tiled bathroom. Her hand brushed up and felt her hair, and when she pulled her hand from her head and looked at it, she felt some dried blood had tangled up her hair. She tried to lie down in the tub, but when she slid towards the front of the tub, the slippery surface causing her to lose control over where she was sliding, and began to scramble around in the tub. She screamed as she splashed water outside of the tub and onto the floor.

"Are you OK in there?" Tess' voice was heard outside the door.

"I saw blood in my hair," she called out and crawled painfully out of the tub and began to wrap the towel around her sore body. Once she managed to open the door, she could see Tess was standing on the opposite side looking down at her with concern. The young girl looked up with shame in her eyes. "I wanted to wash it out, but I slipped." She looked at the floor, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"Don't worry, Monica can wash your hair at the sink, OK?" Tess said gently. "You go back in and get dressed, and then she'll take care of your hair when you come out."

The young girl nodded as Tess grabbed the shampoo and conditioner off the side of the bathtub, left the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.

As soon as Bettina was dressed, she came out to find that Monica was standing at the sink and had turned on the water, filled it, and the younger angel helped her to get her hair wet and with Monica's help, Bettina's coal black hair was washed.

Once the task was completed, Monica wrapped her head in a large white towel and she walked over towards a corner and sat down on the carpeted floor.

Andrew looked over towards her and sighed, "Why are you sitting on the floor?" he asked coming closer to her.

She brought her knees to her chest and looked up at him as he approached her but she didn't say anything. She resembled a frightened kitten or other small animal as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Were you expected to sleep on the floor?" Andrew asked gently. When she nodded, he spoke again. "Well, sweetheart, you are not there any longer, so you can just get yourself off the floor." He offered her a smile and as he bowed to her, he formally extended his hand.

She smiled, somehow remembering having experienced this type of thing before, and offered her hand to him and let him to help her to her feet. Within moments, she was sitting on the bed and watching as he pulled his golden watch out of his pocket and opened it gently. "I think it's nearing dinnertime. Tess, should one of us go and get some food?"

Tess nodded and motioned that Monica should go with her. The younger angel was all the more anxious to get outside, and she agreed to go.

"Bettina, what would you like to eat?" Andrew asked.

"I like Cheeseburgers," came her soft answer.

Andrew smiled as the other angels left the room. Once they were alone, he smiled gently at her. "Do you feel any better?"

"I guess so," she whispered looking down, but after a few minutes, she looked at him. "Why do you help me?"

Andrew smiled gently at her. "Well, because it's the right thing to do, but also because we care about you."

"But, you don't know me?" She asked weakly.

"No, but are you familiar with the saying 'a friend is sometimes a stranger you haven't met yet'?" He asked.

"No, my parents said that people only help you if they want something from you," she said softly. "I used to trust people, but that was before I was taken away from my parents and I guess now I don't."

"All that I could possibly want from you is to see you smile, and to know that you are safely reunited with your parents," Andrew said softly. "We want nothing more than that."

Bettina looked at him. "You saved my life, and in my country one who does that would become a brother. Can you become my older brother?"

Andrew smiled and nodded, her words touching his gentle heart.

~*~*~*~

That night, Bettina fell asleep on the soft bed as the three angels were cleaning up the mess made with the food. After everyone went to bed, the three of them were awakened when Bettina's screams broke the stillness.

Andrew woke up and crawled out of bed and went over and turned on the small light. He came out of his room and could see that the young girl was thrashing around on her bed, her arms flying about as she tried to protect her from the images of the nightmares she was immersed in. He looked over to see Monica sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes, "What's happening, Andrew?"

"She's dreaming," Andrew answered as he sat down next to where Bettina was still thrashing around. Her screams were agonizing, and when the angel reached out and touched her arm, he sighed sadly when she jerked it away. I have to help her, Father, he thought frantically, his prayer desperate as he put his arms around the frantic young girl.

Seconds passed, and he could somehow see the frightened child, alone and afraid. He saw the dreams, which encompassed her as she slept and he could see how they were full of pain and agony. Andrew, who had often seen those same images from being an Angel of Death, could feel the tears in his own eyes, and as if by impulse, he tightened his hold on her and tried with all his might to take the fright and anguish she was experiencing away.

This made the compassionate Angel of Death all the more sad in that he could not take the dreams away from her, as he knew that this would be something that she'd have to one day control on her own. Perhaps, he could encourage her to dream something other than this pain, rejection, and humiliation, which seemed today to be dominant in her dreams. He could see the man with the rifle, but the one thing he could clearly see was a human being who was unable to grow as a child should.

After a few moments, Bettina had stopped shaking and he laid her back against the pillows as she opened her eyes and could see him sitting on the bed next to her. "W-what happened?"

"You were dreaming," Andrew said.

"Did I wake you?" She asked softly looking towards the window, and not seeing any light shining around the edges of the curtains. She clamped her eyes closed, not wishing to know the answer.

"It's OK," Andrew whispered brushing her hair out of her face. "No one's angry with you."

"Did you take my bad dream away?" She looked up at him.

Andrew's eyes met her own. "What?"

"I remember, I was having a nightmare and then Jackson was gone. Did you take away my..." Bettina asked looking up at him. When she saw a shadow of surprise cross his face, her voice trailed.

"What is it, Bettina, what do you want to ask me?" Andrew asked noticing her discomfort. He had a feeling that he'd have to give her an answer to this question, but he didn't know how to answer this in a way that she'd understand. He realized at this moment that he was bounded by complete honestly and that the Father would want him to tell the frightened girl the truth if she asked him for it.

She shook her head, "If I ask, you might get angry, and I don't want to make you angry."

"There's no harm in asking a question. You shouldn't be afraid to ask me anything," Andrew smiled down at her as he continued. "I won't ever be angry with you because you ask me a question. Tess, Monica, and I aren't like Jackson, Bettina, we'd never hurt you, and I think you know that." Andrew's words were soft and gentle as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Now, what do you want to ask me?"

"Did you take away my bad dream?" Her tearstained gaze met his.

The angel shook his head, "I don't have the power to take away your bad dreams, Bettina."

She nodded unsure of what to say next. Finally, she looked up again, "I've never seem the light before, it was beautiful, and you were here with me when I woke up. Did you have anything to do with what I saw?"

She's very perceptive Monica was thinking as she watched the exchange between her friend and Bettina. Well, let's see how you answer this one, Andrew; Monica thought smiling. Andrew turned and looked at her and Monica was left to wonder if her friend would have to reveal who he really was to the frightened young girl.

"Bettina, the truth is, I can't control your dreams. I came to you when you began screaming, and stayed by you until you woke up. I don't know if just being there for someone can encourage him or her to have a good dream, but if they can, then yes I did," Andrew looked down at her smiling. "Let me ask you a question, when you saw the light, how did you feel?"

"I felt happy, and not so alone," came her answer.

"Maybe you should focus on how those things made you feel and not where it came from. Don't you think?" Andrew asked gently, thinking all the while that it was not yet time for him to reveal his identity to this special child.

She shrugged her shoulders, but reached over and touched his face with her fingertips before she settled down amongst the pillows. "I know you did something, and whatever you did, thank you." She wrapped her arms around him and held onto him as though he was the sole support she had.

Andrew brushed her hair from her eyes, "Good night, Bettina," he said after she released him.

He stood up as she sank back against the pillows. He returned to his room.

~*~*~*~

Morning came and Tess was the first to crawl out of bed. She looked at the clock on the bedside table. It read 7:30 and she yawned and stretched as she looked out the window and could see the sun shining brightly, she smiled, grabbed a light jacket and walked outside.

I guess I'll let them sleep for a little while longer, she thought to herself as she walked across the parking lot, all the while thanking God for such a beautiful day. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the wise angel smiled as she glanced skyward and saw a dove flying through the trees. As she walked, she could see a small second-hand store opening and she walked towards it.

When she saw a young woman unlocking the door, she approached, but not before the woman turned around and greeted Tess with a warm smile. "Good morning," she said cheerfully.

"Good morning," Tess returned, "Is your store open yet, or am I too early?"

"You're lucky," the woman spoke with a genuine smile on her face. "I normally don't open the store this early, but I'm supposed to get some new stuff in today. Come on in and take a look around. Is there anything specific you're looking for?"

"Actually, yes, I need to pick up some things for a young friend of mine," Tess said.

The woman nodded. "Well, then let's see what we've got around here. You know, I've been meaning to tidy things up here, just never got the chance."

Tess joined the woman at one of the bends and they began to dig through the clothes.

"Is your friend a medium?" The woman asked.

Tess waited a couple of seconds, and then nodded. "Yes, she is."

"Ok, well, I just happen to have some really cute clothes over here in girls' sizes, some haven't even been unpacked yet." Retaining her cheerfulness, the woman approached a large bin and began pulling pants, shirts, and dresses out of the bags all the while humming. "Here's a medium in pants, does that look about right?"

Tess nodded, "Yes, they look perfect. What else do you have?"

"Here's a sweater, and a blouse," the woman said as she pulled even more clothing out of the bags, "Does your friend need underclothes? We just got some new stuff yesterday. The local clothing stores gives us the stuff they don't sell and I usually end up having to give it away. Does she need anything like that?"

Tess nodded again, "Yes, actually, she does. I'll take whatever you have in this size," she pointed to the pants. As she and the woman unpacked the bags, Tess managed to find a few more items, a nightshirt and a jacket. As she began to fold the clothing, her eyes fell on a white dress with long sleeves and Tess checked to see if it was in Bettina's size. Upon finding that it was, she added the dress to the stack of clothes she and the woman had found.

"Does she need shoes?" The woman asked, her question emerging as though she knew more about the little girl who was in the company of the three angels than she actually should have.

Tess nodded and the woman grabbed two pairs of shoes off the shelf. "If the tennis shoes are too big, she can always use really thick socks with them."

"Thank you, you've been a really big help," Tess offered.

"Well, you make me glad that I opened early," the woman smiled at Tess. She tallied up everything and gave Tess the total. "I gave you a two dollar discount, for all this, so it comes to $10."

Tess smiled and pulled some money from her pocket. "I really appreciate you helping with this today."

"It's just the way I am," the woman smiled. "My name is Ashley, by the way, and I saw you and your friends arriving last night."

"You did?" Tess asked.

"Yes, well, it's a pretty small town around here," Ashley offered softly, tears in her eyes. "I saw the child you had with you and I know you're trying to help her. I think that's such a blessing for her. You're a person who can see a child crying and have the heart to help them, and I wish that more people out there who would do what you're doing." She pulled a card from her pocket and offered it to the angel, "Here, take this, if you find yourself in any trouble, or that little girl needs a friend, call me. I can at least tell the authorities what I have seen, but I want to help if I can."

Tess glanced down at the card and read the name and address on it, Ashley Robbins. "Why are you offering to help us, Ashley? You don't even know us."

"I was a victim of child abuse, and when I saw that little girl, I understood her, because I lived through something similar," she said softly. "Many victims probably don't appear as physically scarred as this child does, but it doesn't mean they aren't abused or affected by it. Some, like me, used to wear clothing, which concealed the wounds, they mostly do this because they felt ashamed of it. I know this feeling, because I felt it myself, and it was as though I believed somehow that I was being punished for being a horrible person. Children who have endured such things often believe that it is their fault, and that they are bad people, but they're not," Ashley sighed deeply as she shook her head sadly. "Please, take good care of her, give her a lot of love, because God only knows that she really is in need of it."

Tess smiled and nodded as she squeezed Ashley's hand. "We'll do our best."

"That's all anyone could ask, " Ashley said softly as Tess accepted the parcel and left the shop. "God bless you," she whispered as she clasped the cross necklace she wore around her neck.

~*~*~*~

Tess returned to the hotel, Ashley's card tucked carefully inside her pocket. When she glanced back in the direction of the shop, she could see that Ashley had come back outside and was dragging some of the bags across the ground and through the doorway inside the shop. The young woman's eyes carried sadness in them, but the faith and hope was evident in her cheerful smile.

Tess made her way back across the parking lot, and pulled the key from her pocket. When she unlocked the door and went inside, Monica and Bettina were still sleeping soundly, but it looked as though Andrew was now awake.

"Miss Wings, were you planning on sleeping until early spring?" Tess asked.

Monica opened her eyes and smiled broadly as Tess pulled the heavy curtains aside. "Good morning, Tess. What time is it?"

"It's almost nine, and we need to check out and leave. I bought Bettina some new clothes. I found them at the second hand store across the street." She related the story about Ashley to Monica and after a few minutes Andrew came out of the other room and greeted them with a smile.

"Good morning," he said smiling.

"Well, Angel Boy, since she seems to trust you, you get the honors of waking her up," Tess said as Andrew sat down on the bed next to the young girl.

"Bettina, time to rise and shine honey," Andrew said softly as he reached over and shook her gently.

Bettina shifted somewhat and her eyes slowly opened. When she focused on Andrew, she smiled weakly. "Hi," she spoke barely above a whisper. She shifted uncomfortably, and tried to sit up. Her sore arms and legs made it difficult to move, but eventually she managed.

"Here, Tess brought you something," Andrew opened the parcel and looked inside the small package. As he did, he began to pull out pants, shirts, sweaters and the white dress. "Wow, you have some wonderful new things here."

Bettina ran her hands over the soft material of one of the sweatshirts as tears welled up in her eyes.

"I hope that everything will fit," Tess offered.

"It has to," she said softly. "Thank you."

Bettina accepted the parcel from Andrew and began to dig trough it in search of underclothes. As soon as she found what she needed, she went into the bathroom and changed. Some five minutes later, she came out of the bathroom; her eyes fell on the dress lying in the corner. She frowned upon seeing it, but instead of picking it up, she left it where it was. She never wanted to see this awful reminder of her abduction again.

She grabbed a comb off the sink and began to comb her hair. Since her hair was now clean, she managed this without any problem, but she sighed deeply when she saw how her once pretty long brown hair was cut in different lengths and coal black. Sighing deeply, she turned around, and upon seeing her; Andrew could hardly believe it. "You know what?" He asked her. Before she could offer him an answer, he continued. "You look like a completely different girl."

Bettina smiled weakly at him, but collected her parcel, and grabbed the jacket that was lying beside it.

Monica went into the bathroom and grabbed the dress, which Bettina had left in the corner. She wrapped it up and put it inside a plastic bag before sticking it inside another duffle bag. For some reason, leaving this dress would have been a mistake and she knew that in order to prove that Bettina had been abused and neglected by Jackson, she'd have to hold onto this grungy dress.

Wordlessly, they left the room for the last time.

~*~*~*~

They made great headway that day, and by nightfall, had stopped at a camp ground near Madison. "I'd have gotten us a room, Bettina, but on such a beautiful night as this, I thought it would be nice to just enjoy the wonderful weather God has blessed us with," Tess explained.

Bettina nodded and laid her head against the backseat. Tess was right, it was really beautiful out there, and it almost made her forget how lost and alone she had often felt.

Her thoughts were drifting as she stared at the starry sky. It was a blessing to have friends such as these, she thought and if only she could tell them how much she believed that God had sent them to take care of her and to keep her safe from harm.

Bettina believed in guardian angels, she believed that people were essentially good, even though this experience had done its damage to her. She glanced over and could see that Andrew had gotten out of the car and was walking towards the picnic area. She could see that Tess and Monica were talking and not wishing to interrupt them; she got out of the car and followed him.

"Andrew?" She called out when she noticed that he had quickened his pace.

He stopped and turned around. "Bettina, I thought you were asleep," he said but waited for her to reach him before they continued to walk.

"I have a lot on my mind," she whispered. "I couldn’t sleep."

"I know the feeling," he said softly.

As they sat down at a picnic table she watched as the light from the nearby streetlamp cascaded across his face. "Do you travel a lot?" she finally asked finding herself uncomfortable with the prolonged silence.

"Yes, actually we do, and you?" He asked. "You don't have the accent of someone originally from Chicago, so you're from somewhere else, right?"

"Yes, I'm from pretty far away," she said softly holding the necklace in her hand, "and thanks to you and your friends, I will actually get to go back home."

The angel smiled weakly. "I didn't do so much."

"But you did," she argued, "you rescued me from the men who had taken me away from my family."

"You mean, you were abducted?" he asked.

"Yes, I had left the hotel where we were staying without my bodyguard," she said softly.

"Your family must be very special if you have a bodyguard," he offered gently.

"Special? I don't know about that," she looked at him as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Perhaps that was the wrong wording," he said. "All of God's children are special, but something tells me that these men abducted you because they wanted something from your family. Perhaps, they wanted money," Andrew said softly.

She nodded, "probably, but I'm still afraid. I mean, you've been so kind, and there should be no reason for me to be afraid, but I am. So much has already happened to me."

Andrew reached over and took her hands in his and held them tightly. "I know, and it's OK to be afraid, Bettina. But I want you to know that my friends and I are here now and we'll make sure that you get back to your parents as soon as possible," he promised.

She smiled weakly, somehow feeling his love through his words and promise, but after a few moments of silence passed between them, she looked at him earnestly. "I think you're lucky, Andrew."

"In the ways that matter, I would say yes, definitely," Andrew said softly, but when he saw the sad look on the girl's face, he looked at her. "Bettina, what is it? Why are you so sad?"

She sighed and looked at him. "Because I'm so lonely. I never really had any friends, and because of my father, I suppose I don't really know how to be a friend."

Andrew squeezed her hand. "I think you're doing just fine," he said confidently.

"Maybe," she looked at him, her eyes shadowed in sadness. "I think meeting you and your friends has been the greatest blessing for me." She glanced skyward and after a few more moments of silence passed between them, she spoke again, her question breaking the stillness of the park. "Do you believe in angels?"

Andrew smiled weakly, but nodded. "Yes."

"I often wonder what it would be like to talk to someone like that," she whispered. "When I was little, I used to pretend that I had an angel who was my friend, and she would play with me and talk to me, but then once I got older I realized that it was just a game, because I hated being alone and making up friends was probably as close as I would ever get to the real thing."

"You really had a hard time, didn't you?" Andrew asked compassionately.

"People think being a daughter of a diplomat is easy, but I'm lonely, and when I left the hotel, I wanted people to see me as a normal kid," she said. "Then these men took me away and I only knew what it felt like to be afraid."

"I'm sorry," he offered sincerely.

"If only I could really tell you how I feel, but I fear that you would think I'm crazy," she said, her voice barely above a whisper and she shook her head sadly.

"Why would I think you're crazy, Bettina?" he asked and reached over to touch her face with the side of his hand. "I want you to know that you can tell me anything you want and I would never ever judge you."

"You wouldn't?" was all she was able to ask him.

He shook his head and rested his hand on her shoulder, but when she flinched, he removed his hand. "Did I hurt you?" He asked sympathetically as Bettina looked down at her feet.

"No, it's just that these bruises hurt is all," she whispered with a look of shame evident in her eyes. What does he think of me now, she chastised herself, but when she looked up, she could see the ever-present openness in the angel's eyes, and it suddenly dawned on her that Andrew was not judging her, but rather she was judging herself.

She remembered how happy Andrew and his friends seemed to be when they were together and she realized that she often wished that she could have told her father how much of an outcast she felt with other people her own age.

To anyone who would look at her, it was obvious that the insecurities she carried made her constantly wonder how it was that she had met such great people and how it was that they actually seemed to like her. She looked around the park and then after a few moments, back at the man who was seated across from her. She finally looked at the stars, which dotted the sky like diamonds on black velvet, but she could still feel the tears streaming down her cheeks and she tried to wipe the moisture away.

The night sky looked positively breathtaking, and for some reason, she began to think about the dress Tess had given to her. Maybe she would be able to wear that when she would see her parents again.

She continued to look around, this time the darkness was not something to fear, but rather the pinpoints of light acting as a sort of comfort to her. There was only one nearby source of light and that was coming from a nearby streetlamp, but she could still see the stars. If only she could feel that sense of love she had felt when she saw the light in her dreams, then maybe she'd actually have the courage to question what it was her family expected from her. She glanced back over at Andrew.

For some odd reason, looking at him reminded her of this magazine, which she had seen at the hotel before she had been abducted. She had run her hands across the cover wishing for the same kind of magic that she had seen on the page. It had been a photo of two young people, a girl and a boy and the boy had his arms wrapped around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. The images in this picture depicted everything Bettina ever wanted, but she dare not tell anyone, because maybe her wish would not come true.

She looked up to see that Andrew was now looking at her, and could see that look of contemplation on her face. "Are you OK?" He finally asked.

She nodded, "I'm just thinking about things." The question, which had been nagging her since the night before, came out, "I don't know what I saw last night, but the stars remind me of something wonderful and I was just wondering if you were with me?"

"What do you think it was that you saw in your sleep last night?" Andrew answered her question with one of his own questions.

"I do not know, I saw this man, and he was bathed in a bright white light. It was so beautiful, and when I woke up, you were sitting next to me," she said.

"I could only be there for you because you needed me," Andrew said softly.

She nodded numbly all the while staring down at the ground.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Andrew asked.

Bettina shrugged her shoulders, "I feel like a freak telling you about all this stuff," she said softly.

"You're not," Andrew said softly. "You've been through some rather traumatic experiences, but there's nothing freaky about you. I assure you, you're completely normal."

"Why are you helping me?" Bettina looked at him, the question she had asked the night before reemerging.

"Because we like you, and we don't like the idea of sending you back to someone who would harm you," Andrew said simply.

Bettina looked back up at him and nodded as though she understood. After a few seconds passed, she stood up, and walked slowly away from where he was sitting.

Andrew glanced towards the sky and began to speak softly. "Father, can I tell her the truth, is she ready?" He closed his eyes briefly and nodded after the answer came. He stood up and began to follow her.

"Bettina," he called out her name and when she turned around, he smiled gently at her as the light of God's love washed over him.

Bettina's eyes widened slightly, and she looked at Andrew with complete surprise evident in them. "A-Andrew? W-what's happening?"

"I'm an angel, Bettina," he began, his words soft and gentle. "God sent my friends and me to help you,"

"Did I do something wrong? Is that why you're here?" She whispered softly.

Andrew shook his head, "no, sweetheart, you didn't." He smiled compassionately at her, as she tried to digest what had happened. "Come over here and sit down with me. There are a few things we need to talk about. Don't be afraid, I'm your friend, Bettina, I won't hurt you."

The girl obeyed and hesitantly walked over to where he stood and sat down on the bench next to him.

By this time, he had ceased to glow, but his compassionate eyes regarded her. "When you asked me last night and then again tonight about whether or not I had done something to prevent your dreams, all that I did was to be there for you and watch over you. The rest, God did, because He loves you so much."

"God loves me? If He did, then why did He allow this to happen to me?" The girl's sad eyes met his, and he knew that the truth was going to be hard for her to accept, but he also knew that she possessed the strength to do so.

"He didn't want this to happen to you, Bettina," Andrew said gently as he brushed his hand trough her hair, thus causing the girl to look at him. "Then when it did happen, He wept for you because He couldn't bare to see you in pain. You're His child, Bettina, and the love He holds for you is the most wonderful gift He can give you."

"Are you my guardian angel?" The young girl asked. "Were you there when I was little and would play pretend?"

"No I wasn't with you then, and I'm not a guardian angel, I'm an Angel of Death," he said softly.

"Am I going to die?" She looked at him with wide eyes, her hands began to shake and she backed up away from him.

"No, don't be afraid," he said softly as he reached over and took her hand gently in his.

When she saw his saddened expression she stopped, and looked at him with a mixture of confusion and wonder. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you."

"You owe me no apology," he offered weakly. "I'm afraid I ought to be accustomed to such a reaction, as most people tend to react to me in fear, and I didn't want to frighten you," he said trying to choose his words carefully.

"You didn't want to frighten me?" Bettina looked at him the surprise evident in her eyes.

"No, I didn't, and you know I won't hurt you, I wanted to help you," he said. "My presence here with you now isn't because I was sent to take you home, I was sent to help you discover what life is about. I'm actually here to help you live."

Bettina stared at him, not sure what to say or think. After a few moments had passed, she looked at him. "Andrew, if I were to die you'd be with me?"

"Yes, but you're not meant to die now," he said softly.

"You saved my life," she smiled weakly. "An Angel of Death who saved my life. Who would believe it?" As her words emerged, she could feel herself beginning to cry, her next words incomprehensible simply because of the emotional turmoil she was still under.

"It's OK," he smiled gently, and wrapped her in his arms and held her as she continued to cry. As soon as she seemed better in control of her emotions, she looked up at him, the tears blurring her vision, but she could feel his hands softly against her cheeks, and this time they were rubbing the tears away. "I think for the first time in 13 years, you're finally going to know what living is really supposed to be about," he said gently and she offered him a weak nod.

~*~*~*~

A week later, the three angels and Bettina arrived in Chicago. She was smiling somewhat nervously as they pulled the car up to the hotel where she had been staying prior to her being abducted. She could see that from the way things looked, that her parents were still there, and that the entire area was being patrolled by secret service agents as well as police from various precincts.

The young girl got out of the car as Tess parked it and she looked at Andrew. "Would you come with me? I'm nervous."

"Go on Angel Boy, we'll meet you later," Tess said softly.

Andrew and Bettina crawled out of the car and went towards the doors leading inside the large hotel as Tess drove away. As they reached the glass doors, two large men moved in front of the door and blocked the way inside.

"What have we got here?" One of them asked sarcastically as he looked at Bettina and then regarded Andrew.

"My name is Bettina Katherine Roberts," the young girl said. "My parents are inside, please let us pass."

"You're Bettina Roberts?" One of the men scoffed when he looked at her. "I don't buy it. You look like some ragamuffin kid to me."

Bettina pulled the necklace from her pocket and handed it to him. "I see you don't believe me, so I ask that you please take this inside, and show it to Secretary and Mrs. Roberts. They will recognize it."

One of the men nodded and went inside, the other man simply eyed the two of them with disbelief.

Within moments, a middle-aged man came through the door, he was armed with two bodyguards and he looked at the girl. "Bettina?"

"Hello Papa," she whispered. "T-this is my friend, Andrew, he and his friends helped get me away from those who had harmed me."

The man looked at Andrew and then down at his daughter. "Come inside, please." Once the two of them were inside, the man looked at Andrew in disbelief. "You come here with my daughter, and people might have thought that you had abducted her."

"Perhaps it may appear that way," Andrew said softly, "but I know that God has armed me with the truth, and the truth is, I did nothing to hurt her."

"You speak of God, even after taking my child away from me?" The man asked. "And then you turned her from a daughter who would make any man proud into a horror show freak."

Bettina looked shamefully down at her lap, and after a few moments passed, she looked at her father. "In my soul I'm still the same person I always have been," she said softly. "Papa, Andrew didn't do anything to hurt me, he cared for and took care of me when I was frightened. I love Andrew and he is now like my brother," Bettina said softly. "He saved my life, Papa, if not for him and his friends, I would have died."

The man looked at Andrew once again. "You expect reward, do you not?"

"My reward is to see this beautiful child reunited with her family," Andrew said. "I did not come here wishing to acquire material wealth, I am here because Bettina asked me to come with her. I do not want anything for having helped her, I want only to see her smile."

"Everyone wants something from me," the diplomat said. "Why should you be any different?"

"Because I see the beauty in your child, I see a lonely spirit waiting for acceptance and understanding. I see a little girl who wants someone to look beyond how she physically appears, to discover the beauty within her." Andrew said softly as he got down on his knees in front of the young girl. "Bettina, tell your father what you told me in the park."

"I want to…" her voice trailed and she looked at her friend. "But, I can't, Andrew. I'm scared."

"Why is your daughter afraid?" Andrew asked looking at Bettina's father. "Are you angry with her when she says that she wishes that she had friends and could do things other children do? She's not a pawn, Mr. Roberts, she's one of God's children, and she's lonely. She needs to have the freedom to live, to really live, as God wants her to. Not to be a shadow or a display case of what you do. She needs the freedom to be herself, and grow up not just as your daughter, but as herself."

Bettina looked at her friend, but after some moments, she closed her eyes before she began to speak. "When I was alone in that cabin, I prayed and asked God to send me some help. He did, Papa, he sent Andrew, Tess, and Monica, and they became my friends. I never knew what it meant to have friends. When I was being beat up by Jackson or his friends, I thought of nothing except finding my way home to you and Mum. Then I met Andrew and his friends, and I realized that it was special to actually know what I want with my life, and to have that be OK and to be accepted."

"What do you want, Bettina?" Her father asked.

"I want to go to school, I want to have friends, and I want to be a normal kid again," Bettina said and she looked at Andrew as she made her final request. "Andrew brought me home, and if you are giving a reward, he deserves to not be insulted or accused of something that is not a part of him. I think he would approve if the money were to be donated to charity helping child abuse victims." She looked at Andrew and the angel nodded.

"How much do you want?" He looked at Andrew.

"He already told you that he wanted no material goods," Bettina said.

"He has a voice why doesn’t he use it?" The man demanded, and looked at his daughter with traces of anger in his eyes.

"What I would like," Andrew began, "would be to see a father take his child in his arms and say he missed her, that he loves her, and that he's sorry that she had to endure so much pain."

Bettina looked at Andrew and shook her head and the angel could see the sadness in the eyes of his friend. After some moments, she began to speak, her voice emerging with the courage of someone twice her age. "You see what I mean? Andrew really cares for me and to him it doesn't matter who my parents are, all that matters to him is the person that I am."

"I haven't heard so much nonsense since the last election," her father muttered.

"It's not nonsense, but it wouldn't have mattered to you. You would have found a reason to accuse him of harming me, hurting your status, or some other political game." She looked earnestly at her father as she continued to speak. "Andrew doesn't play games of politics, he's the most unconditional person I have ever known. He's my friend, and he saved my life."

Roberts looked at his daughter and then his gaze fell on Andrew. "Whoever you are, I think you should go now. Bettina, I will expect you to get to the salon and get yourself presentable for tonight's dinner. We'll discuss all of this other stuff later."

The young girl's face lost all its color, but eventually, she nodded and obediently walked slowly away. When Roberts turned around, Andrew was gone. He shook his head in disbelief and walked towards the elevator. As he did, Tess and Monica approached him and both angels had serious looks on their faces.

~*~*~*~

The elevator doors opened and Anthony Roberts walked inside. Behind him, he could see two women rushing towards the doors in hopes of reaching it before they closed. He had never seen these two women before, but as they came closer, he could see that they wanted to catch the elevator before the doors would close. When he could see their crisp business suits, he stiffly held the doors open so that they could enter.

"Thank you," the woman with the mahogany colored skin said softly and he offered her a quick, almost unemotional nod.

"It's such a lovely day, is it not?" The younger of the two women asked as she brushed a strand of hair out from in front of her eyes and offered him a warm and compassionate smile.

"I suppose so," he grunted and abruptly began to distance himself from the two of them.

"You didn't notice the wonderful weather?" The older of the two women asked. When he didn't respond, she continued. "God has blessed us with such a beautiful day."

"God?" The man asked shrugging his shoulders as the elevator suddenly jarred to a stop, thus causing him to look around in unsuppressed surprise. "What the devil?" He muttered under his breath and looked over at the two women.

Neither of these women appeared to be affected by the stuck elevator, in fact, it was safe for them to conclude that they were reasonably calmer than he was with this particular situation.

"Monica, since you're nearest to the emergency phone, why don't you check and see if there is someone at the number who can help us?" The older woman suggested with a knowing smile.

"OK," she smiled as she reached over and removed the red receiver from the cradle and pressed it to her ear. After a moment or two she began to speak. "Yes, good morning, there seems to be a problem here…" her voice trailed off when Anthony came over and snatched the phone out of her hands.

As he began to speak, his voice had reached a fervor pitch, and both of the women could tell by looking at him, that he was probably claustrophobic. "Send someone over right now, I'm stuck in an elevator at the Ritz Hotel." His voice was shrill as the two women exchanged knowing glances and then when he slammed down the receiver, his face was positively glowering.

"Tess, maybe he is claustrophobic," Monica offered.

"Honey, perhaps you should calm down," Tess said gently as she placed a comforting hand on the man's shoulder. It was obvious that Monica was right, because Anthony looked as though he was about to jump out of his skin. The color had, by this time, completely drained from his face.

"I'm not claustrophobic, I just don't like these tight places," he snapped.

Monica nodded but rather than ask him further about his fears, Monica looked around and smiled at him. "We saw that wee girl you were talking to. Is she your daughter?"

"Yes, that was my daughter, Bettina," he said softly, his voice lowering considerably.

"You must be so proud of her, she's a delightful child," Monica continued.

"You know her?" He asked.

Tess nodded. "Yes, we both do, we've spoken with her a few times."

"I suppose that you noticed that she decided to get herself a new look," he muttered disapprovingly.

"A new look?" Tess asked. "Are you saying that she did this to herself?"

"Sure, kids are rebellious and do this kind of thing all the time," he muttered, but shook his head. "Why am I even explaining this to you?"

"Perhaps you're trying to convince yourself that what happened to your daughter was not as bad as it actually was," Tess began. "You don't want to believe that Bettina survived a nightmare, and that she could have been killed by the men who had taken her away from you."

"What makes you so certain?" He demanded.

"Because we both know your daughter, Mr. Roberts, we were with her when she needed God's help and love the most. He sent us to her to take care of her, to watch over her, and to make sure that she would not be returned to those who wished to do her harm," Tess said softly.

Monica nodded and pulled a plastic bag out of the briefcase she carried and extended it to him. As she did this, she and Tess began to glow, the light of God's love filling the elevator where the three of them stood.

Anthony Roberts' eyes widened when he saw her and he backed away from both of them, edging himself into a corner, and it looked as though he was about to start hammering his fists against the closed doors and screaming frantically for someone to let him out.

Monica approached him slowly, she still held the plastic bag in her hands, but when she reached him, she reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Anthony, this is what your daughter was wearing when my friends and I met her the first time. She was frightened and alone. She had been kidnapped and beaten by a man who went by the name Jackson. She had somehow managed to get away from this man, and she arrived at our campsite and when we saw her, we were told that we had to help her, but the only one of us she truly trusted was Andrew."

"Who are you?" He stammered.

"We're angels, baby," Tess said gently. "We're sent from God with a message to you about your daughter, and about unconditional love. God loves you, and although He may not love all the things you have done to that little girl, His love for you is without condition."

"She really was kidnapped?" He asked weakly as he accepted the bag from Monica . "I mean this wasn't some way to get attention or make my delegation look bad?"

"No," Monica said softly. "But, there is something far worse happening to Bettina than being kidnapped could. It's the loss of a part of her spirit, that part of her which belongs to God, but that which He hopes that she will have the courage to find again. To be able to feel the love of a friend enveloping her, to be able to share a closeness with her family, and to have someone understand her when she is hurting. To accept her for the individual that she truly is and to love her as a child should be loved. You must accept that your daughter is not like you, Mr. Roberts, that she is a child of God, and as He loves you, He loves that child to whom He has entrusted in your care." As she spoke, the curious nature of Anthony Roberts took over and he opened the small bag, but when the pungent smell hit his nostrils, he immediately closed it and allowed the bag to slip through his fingers and land on the floor at his feet.

"That little girl deserves your understanding, Mr. Roberts, not your wrath or commands. She is not a pawn to be used for someone's political gain, but rather a living breathing human being. She deserves your understanding as she has been through so much these past weeks," Tess said as she picked up the small bag and held it in her hand. "All she wants now is to have friends, and she wants people to see the beautiful child that she is."

"Right now, she hardly qualifies as such, she looks as though she's been in a war," he mused.

"Partially, she has," Monica said softly. "She has been through so much turmoil during the past weeks, her spirit is wounded, and God knew that she needed angels to watch over her. Andrew is an angel too, Anthony, and he has cared for and watched over your daughter as a father would an infant, and you accused him of being less than noble. To that wee girl, Andrew is the only semblance of a friend that she has, and you have cast him away, leaving that fragile child a mere shell of what she truly can become. Allow yourself to see her as she is, not the physical beauty that emanates from her, but the internal beauty where her spirit dwells."

"I have done nothing wrong," Anthony said defensively.

"Then you are deceiving not only the Father, but also yourself," Tess said bluntly. "One would have thought that you would have hugged that child when you saw her again, and had felt blessed when you realized that she was home again." As she finished speaking, the stuck elevator finally began to move.

"Thank God," Anthony muttered still not believing the words of the angels. As the doors opened after he reached his floor, but when he turned back towards the elevator, and before the doors had once again shut, he could see that both women were now gone.

~*~*~*~

Five minutes after speaking with her father, Bettina made it up the stairs to the top floor, walked slowly down the hall and when she found her key, she unlocked the door, went into her suite, and closed the door behind her. As she turned around, she could see that Andrew was now standing in the room, glowing, and was looking at her with the utmost compassion and sympathy in his green eyes.

"I'm lost, Andrew," she whispered. "I'm expected to do as he says as though nothing happened to me."

"Bettina," he began. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"No, there's nothing you can do, there's nothing anyone can do," she said softly as she sat down on the bed. "To be completely honest, things have always been this way. I never really knew that anything could have been different until the day I met you." She glanced around the room and then at him. "My Papa is not a sentimental man, Andrew, I never would have expected him to take me in his arms and hold me the way you described out there, or even that you had often done. It's strange, but he is a powerful man, he always gets his way; with my mother, with my brother, or with me. I guess I thought that there would have been nothing better than getting back home, but now I wish I could stay with you, Tess, and Monica. I wish I knew the feeling of having someone hold me in their arms and tell me that they love me," she shook her head sadly. "I'm back here, and I suppose you have fulfilled your promise, and you will probably disappear as well."

"No, I won't, I'm here to help," he smiled gently at her. "I'm your friend, Bettina, but you must understand, there exists more here than just bringing you back to your family, but for you to have emotional and spiritual freedom is also important," Andrew said softly as he sat down next to her and took her in his arms.

As he held her, he began to speak once again. "Sometime ago, I was assigned to a young boy who was taking a class in English, and in this class, they read something entitled 'The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail' and it talked about freedom. Not the physical freedom to go somewhere or to move about as one will, but spiritual freedom which implies that even though one is physically imprisoned in a cell and unable to leave that place, their spirit will always be free to feel and believe as one will. Bettina, you were imprisoned, you were kept from the world, living in a cabin some distance away from here, and physically you were trapped, but your spirit is what led you to us. Your spirit was able to help you find your way out, and today, you must accept and understand that your spirit is just as free as it was then."

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"Well, perhaps I'm not explaining it too well, but think about when you were in that cabin, and you imagined being home with your family and this nightmare being behind you. Then God sent us to help you, and during the week we were together, you learned that there's more than just physical freedom that exists, but there is also that sense of spiritual freedom. You deserve to have the right to believe in angels, to understand the meaning behind a starry night, to be free from nightmares and loneliness, to be the Bettina God created you to be."

"My father won't let me," she whispered.

"Your Heavenly Father will always allow you to do so, and He will never tell you that you cannot do something, for that is what free-will is and it's His gift to all of His children. But, my friend, you must remember to allow God into your life, and then you will discover that sense of freedom that you longed for," Andrew looked at her his smile gentle. "Don't ever allow your father to take that away from you. You can love him and respect him, but that doesn't mean that he has the right to rob you of that which makes you who you are."

"Andrew, you'll always be my friend, right?"

"Yes, I will," he said softly and rested his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Even if we're not always together?" She asked weakly.

"Even then," Andrew said gently and leaned over and kissed her forehead.

~*~*~*~

The days passed quickly and through Andrew's guidance, Bettina began to learn how to speak out about what she wanted and just about everyone who came in contact with her or her family, somehow began to recognize a change in her, it was an assertiveness that they had never seen before and even her father was effected by it. It had started at that dinner the night after she returned, she simply did not show up, and told her mother that if anyone had wanted to see her, that she had gone to bed with a headache.

She was grateful that Andrew had stayed with her during this time, because it was during the times that she felt weak, that he helped strengthen her through his comfort and prayers. The two of them became even closer friends, and Bettina felt herself as a butterfly would as it emerged from its cocoon.

The only problems she saw in this new life were the nightmares, which seemed to dominate her nights. She would wake up in tears from them and each time, Andrew would be there with her to help her get through the anxiety they created. He would hold her in his arms and whisper assurances to her and she would drift back to sleep only to be awakened by yet another.

It was late at night when she woke from one more of these terrible dreams. She cried out, her tears wet against her face as she tried to wipe the sweat from her forehead and look around the darkened room.

"Shhh, it's OK, I'm here, Bettina," Andrew's voice and once she sat up in the bed, she could see in the shadows that he had sat down next to her and once she wound her arms around his neck and held tightly to him, she could feel his arms encircling her and holding her tightly. "It's OK, sweetheart, you're not alone, you're never alone."

"I'm so scared, Andrew," she wept still holding tightly to him. "Every time I try to sleep I see his face in my dreams. It's so horrible."

Within moments, someone had knocked on the door and Bettina looked at him. "Go answer the door, I'm still here."

When she reached the door, she opened it and could see her father standing on the other side. "Are you OK?" He asked weakly. "I heard you scream."

"Yes Sir, I'm fine," she sniffed, but offered her father a weak smile.

"Can I come in?"

She nodded weakly and stepped away from the doorway, thus allowing him to enter the suite. "I'm sorry if I woke you," she eventually said, her voice soft.

"Don't worry about it," he came into the room, and though he could not see Andrew, something told him that the angel was still present. Once the two of them sat down on the bed, Anthony looked at his daughter. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner how much I missed you after you disappeared. I guess I should have said something to you, but I really was afraid for you."

"You were?"

"You're my daughter, Bettina, and you've been a better daughter than I have been a father," he said gently. "I have been behaving rather stupidly, will you forgive me?"

"You weren't stupid Papa, I was, I know it was stupid to leave without the bodyguard, but I was trying to find something," she said softly.

"What were you trying to find?" He asked.

"I wanted to find a friend, Papa, a real friend who would love me for me, and not for who I am related to," she whispered.

"And then you found Andrew," he said softly and smiled gently at her.

"Yes, he gave me a reason to believe that I was special, and he held me when I frightened," Bettina said softly, as she felt the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"But honey, you are special," he said softly.

"I never believed it, I thought I was just an object to help you gain votes," she whispered sadly. "I wanted to find something that other kids had, a sense of belonging somewhere, not being there out of obligation, but being there because that's where I belong."

"Why didn't you talk to me or your mother about this?"

Bettina wiped the tears from her face and looked at him. "I was afraid that you would have thought I was crazy or that I was making a mountain out of a molehill. I used to pretend that I had an angel with me who would play with me, and it wasn't until I was taken away from you and Mum that I realized how lonely I really was. When I came back, you said I looked like a horror show freak and I felt like a part of me had died."

"It was wrong of me to say that, will you forgive me?" He asked softly. "I know you have a good heart, Bettina, you have a better heart than I do, you see so much beauty around you, and I guess I have nothing but the beast in me."

"Papa, what's happened to you?" She asked weakly.

"I guess you could say there was a little bit of divine intervention in our family and I realized how special you really are to me," he could feel the tears in his eyes.

"Angels?"

"Mm-hum, I was trapped with two of them in an elevator," he said softly.

"But you're afraid of elevators, you used to always take the stairs," she objected.

"I know, it's weird what one does when they are afraid or unhappy," he said shaking his head. "These two women told me what you went through, and I…"

"It's OK, Papa, it's over, and now I have to contend with the nightmares, but I will, Andrew's here, and he's been helping me," she said softly.

"You really found a friend in him, didn't you?" He asked.

She nodded and smiled in the direction of his friend. "You can't see him, but he's here with me."

"I believe you," her father answered. "Tomorrow, why don't we see if we can get you fixed up, or do you like black hair?"

"Not really," she smiled weakly.

"Bettina?"

"Yes?" Her answer emerged as though she had no idea what he was about to say.

"You're going to be patient with me, aren't you? I mean; a leopard may not always be able to change its spots, but it will take some time for this one to do some changing," he said softly.

Bettina looked at him and nodded, "I love you, Papa."

"I love you, too," he said softly as he wrapped her in his arms. As soon as they had hugged, he stood up. "Are you going to be OK now?"

"I think so," she whispered and he stood up.

"Well then, good night, sweetheart. If you need us, we're right across the hall," he said softly as he left the room.

As soon as he was gone Bettina looked over at Andrew who was now standing in the middle of the room and was regarding her with a gentle smile. "I don't understand what just happened."

"Well, it's just like your father said, I believe he had a little bit of divine intervention," Andrew said softly. "In other words, Tess and Monica got through to him in that elevator and made him realize the same thing I've been trying to help you understand; that God truly loves you."

"I love you, Andrew. Thank you for being my friend," Bettina said softly. "You're the best friend I ever had," she said softly and could feel that he had taken her in his arms and held her. "I only wish the nightmares would stop."

Andrew nodded as he rocked her in his arms. After some time had passed, he helped her to lay back down amongst the pillows. As he did, he smiled gently down at her as he brushed his hand gently through her hair. "I know that everything has been scary for you, and I understand, but you will eventually be strong enough to fight the effect those nightmares are having on you. Just stay strong, my friend, and ask God to help you overcome this, and He will do so."

The young girl nodded and closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Andrew remained seated by her side for the remainder of the night, and as he sat there, he received word that the following day, he was to leave and would be given a new assignment. This he would have to tell Bettina the following afternoon.

Unlike the feelings he carried during the past weeks, he was now confident that she would be OK once he rejoined Tess and Monica.

~*~*~*~

The following afternoon, Bettina came up the stairs and once she reached her room, she could see that Andrew was waiting in the hallway for her and as she approached him, her smile disappeared when she realized that he carried a troubled look on his face.

As they came inside the room, she looked at him unable to ignore the unhappiness that seemed prevalent in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She finally asked him.

"I've come to say good-bye, Bettina," he said gently and noticed the sadness, which appeared in her eyes when he spoke.

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked him as she could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"One day you will, but not for a long time," Andrew said gently.

"I'll miss you so much," she whispered. "I've never had such a good friend as you before, and it is hard for me to say good-bye to someone who has given me so much strength."

"You have found that the courage exists within you, it has always been there, but it did not come from me, Bettina, God is the one who gave it to you. Don't ever forget Him, for He loves you so very much, and He knows that during the past weeks, you have learned to tell your father and family what you need and that is very important. Now, they are seeing this in you and they are starting to realize that your determination will be an asset to you. God is so proud of you for all that you have achieved during these past weeks, and He is also proud that you have learned to trust in people again," he smiled gently as he handed her a small business card. "Tess asked me to give you this."

When the girl looked down at it, she read the name 'Ashley Robbins' and looked at him questionably.

"This young woman wants to be your friend, Bettina, and she understands you better than just about anyone else, because she lived through what you have endured, but she's got the same sense of strength you possess, and I hope that you will trust yourself to reach out to her. She's a caring young woman, and she will make a difference to you, as you have made a difference to so many," Andrew said gently.

"I'll contact her," Bettina said softly. "I'll also try to remember what you told me when we were sitting in the park some time ago."

"What was that?" He asked gently.

"That you were sent to help me live, and for the first time in my life, I know what it actually feels like," she threw her arms around him and hugged him, her tears now falling freely when she felt his arms wrapping around her as well.

"And how does it feel?" Andrew asked gently as their hug loosened and he was able to look at his young friend, his eyes twinkling.

She looked up at him and before speaking, she self-consciously glanced over and could see a white dove standing on the windowsill and was looking inside the room.

After a few moments, she watched the beautiful white bird take to flight and as it did, she pointed to it. "Just like that dove, Andrew; free."

When she turned back around, Andrew was gone, and she smiled weakly as she tucked the card in her pocket, folded her hands, and thanked God for the three angels who saved her life, but especially, to thank Him for giving her a friend like Andrew who taught her what it means to really live.

~*~*~*~

Tess and Monica were waiting for Andrew after he had said good-bye to Bettina. The sun was shining brightly as he stepped outside of the hotel and was smiling gently as he came down the steps and climbed in the back of the red convertible.

"Hey," he said smiling.

"So you got done with your assignment, Angel Boy?" Tess asked.

"Yes, but where did you disappear to, I haven't seen you since you followed Bettina's father to the elevator the day we brought her back," Andrew stretched out his arms and sighed contentedly as the sun bathed them with light.

"How else do you think that Mr. Roberts got a change of heart, Mr. Halo?" Tess asked, her voice laced with attitude, but also with a small trace of humor.

Monica smiled at them, "it was hard to get through to him, Tess. He didn't believe in God or angels."

"And now?" Andrew smiled somewhat knowingly.

"Well, let's just say that if a man like Mr. Roberts can change his views about this, then there is hope left for a lot more people out there," Tess said. "How is Bettina doing?"

"I think she's going to be just fine," Andrew said softly. "She told me that she finally felt free like our feathered friend over there." He pointed as the dove reappeared in the sky and flew away.

The three angels laughed, but after a few minutes, they followed the bird of peace, and about half a mile down the road, the Cadillac disappeared in the distance.

The End.

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