A 'Touched by an Angel' story

By: Yvette Jessen

© 2001 not intended to infringe on any previously held copyrights.

Please Note: This story is the seventeenth in a sequence of stories, which I have written, which are centered on my character, Christina, her family and friends. The first one is entitled ‘The Innocence of a Child’, the second ‘A Little Girl’s Wish’, the third ‘The Senior Prom’, the fourth 'Stealing Second', the fifth 'Another Halloween Night', the sixth 'An Overdue Appointment', the seventh 'Homecoming', the eighth 'Solitary Without Hope', the ninth 'Making the Grade', the tenth 'Till Death Do Us Part', the eleventh 'Olivia's Battle', the twelfth 'In the Father's Arms', the thirteenth 'The Healing Spirit', the fourteenth 'Fulfilled Promises', the fifteenth 'Pennies From Heaven', and the sixteenth, 'The Father's Little Ones'.

*****

Jeremy Lowery was really excited when he crawled out of bed on the early June morning. He had been looking forward to this day for as long as he could remember, and when he could see that it was still dark outside, this mattered very little to him, and he crawled out of bed making certain that he didn't disturb his wife, Christina, who was sleeping peacefully next to him.

It was one of those very rare days when he was just too excited to sleep, after all, a trip to Europe was one of those dreams he had had since he was a little boy and today he and his family were flying there for three whole weeks. He was positively thrilled with this idea, and could hardly wait until he, Christina, and their four children would be on their way.

As he stepped out into the hallway, he could hear the voice of his 18-year-old daughter Laura. She had just come out of her room, was already dressed, her hair was combed and it looked as though she had been awake for quite awhile. He glanced over towards the clock on the wall, but without his glasses, he couldn't see the time all that well and eventually shrugged his shoulders and smiled at Laura.

"Hey Dad, you're awake." Laura asked as she sighed contentedly. Looking around she could see that the rest of the house was quiet.

Jeremy could plainly see that his daughter looked not only awake, but she was also alert and seemed happy, a change that came as a breath of fresh air to him when he would look at her. For the past few weeks, she had looked so unnerved by something that he often wanted to ask her what was wrong. He was not convinced that she was just tired as she had often said, but he figured that it was centered on something else, and he simply did not know what that something was. He knew that she was excited about the trip, but there was something hidden in her behavior and he was, to say the least, somewhat worried about her.

Unlike the rest of the family, he was also concerned that she would be staying by herself in Europe for an extra week, giving her a full month away from home. This had been promised the day she graduated from high school.

"What time is it?" He asked as he yawned and ran his hand through his hair.

"Five thirty," Laura said once she looked at the clock. "I've been up for about an hour or so. I'm too excited to actually sleep," she said smiling broadly. "This is going to be the greatest graduation present I ever had."

Jeremy nodded, and smiled at his daughter. "You know this trip has been my dream…"

"…Ever since you were a little boy," Laura finished for him and giggled. "You've been talking about nothing else for the past month, Dad. I mean, ever since you got the extra time off from work and booked the flight. You think you're excited, I can't believe I'm getting an extra week there to spend with Renate. We've been writing letters since she left nearly five years ago and she's about the closest friend, besides Andrew, that I've ever had."

"Come on, Laura, give me a break," Jeremy said softly, his eyes were practically dancing and she could tell that he carried the typical good humor which seemed to go hand in hand with Jeremy's personality.

"I know how excited you've been about this trip, you've talked about nothing else but this in such a long time," she said smiling as they came down the stairs and walked into the living room. "I think that it will do Patrick some good, too." She sighed deeply when she thought of her 14-year-old brother. The signs of AIDS was starting to show in him again and although no one said anything about it to him, they all knew that Patrick was losing ground quickly and they were all worried about him.

Somehow Laura could only shake her head in profound disbelief. She was always amazed with how well Patrick had learned to live with this disease, and ironically, he had even started to accept Andrew's presence in all of their lives. Of course, it had been over three years since Andrew's last visit, and maybe that had something to do with it. Although Andrew was an Angel of Death, the young boy as well as his twin sisters had somehow grown to accept and trust him.

Andrew was also like a member of their family, and he had known Laura's mother since she was seven-years-old, and Laura since she was six. Today, 18-year-old Laura shared a connection to him that was very strong. The angel was someone she adored, and most people who know her said it was because he had helped to save her life when she was very small.

Laura sighed deeply as she thought about how much her younger brother had gone through in order to overcome this disease, but at the same time, she could not deny the prevalent relief that Andrew had not been around, for that was a sign that Patrick's desire to overcome the disease was winning the battle. For once, even though it nearly killed her to admit it, but Laura was glad that Andrew had chosen to make himself scarce during these past weeks, but only for Patrick's sake. As for her own emotional state, she was literally coming unglued.

Jeremy looked at her upon noticing her prolonged silence, "what is it?"

"It's nothing really bad, I've been thinking about Andrew again, and I feel like a horrible person because I'm actually glad he's not here," she whispered. "You know, I would have really loved it if he could have been here for my graduation, but I feel like such a traitor because I was partially relieved."

"Laura, remember what your mom always says about Andrew, he's an Angel of Death, yes, but he's also a dear friend to this family. Just because he shows up doesn't mean someone is going to die," Jeremy said softly. "Patrick has accepted him as well as Tess and Monica, so I wouldn't worry excessively about this, and if he does show up, seek out the comfort in his wisdom and the help he offers. You know, you have already discovered an invaluable friend in him."

She looked down at the ground. " It's been three years, Dad, and I'm scared."

"Why?" Jeremy asked.

Laura could feel the tears of confusion falling from beneath her eyes. "I don't know, I just wish that I could see him and tell him what I feel inside without being afraid that Patrick will die."

"Laura, when God decides it's time, it will be time," Jeremy said. "You mustn't be afraid of that, you must simply accept that God's timing is perfect."

Laura nodded and followed her father down the stairs. "You know, I often wonder what Andrew would say if he were to see me right now."

"I'd say you're just as beautiful as you've always been," Andrew's voice emerged and she turned abruptly around to see that the angel was now standing in the room, his green eyes filled with love and his smile genuine.

"Y-you heard what I said?" She asked, her face becoming the shade of an over-ripened tomato, thus causing her to look down at the ground. She could feel that Andrew had approached her and was wrapping her in his arms. It was obvious to him that she was embarrassed because of what she had said, but when she saw that Andrew did not seem to mind, she relaxed somewhat in his arms, but the guilt was still showing in her eyes.

"You've grown since the last time I saw you," he smiled gently at her, but nodded all the while trying to change the subject.

She could feel her face flush, so much so that eventually all she could do was to look at her father and after some time had lapsed, she was finally able to look at Andrew. "I'm sorry, what I said wasn't intended to hurt you. I just never know when you're going to show up. It's been so long, over three years."

"I know it's been a while, you've been worried, and probably for good reason," Andrew said softly and looked at Jeremy and shrugged his shoulders.

"Something tells me you're here about Patrick?" Jeremy said softly.

Andrew shook his head, and looked at Jeremy earnestly. "Jeremy, I don't know how much time he has left, but I can tell you that it may, sadly, not be very much. Patrick is not the reason that I came back, that much I can assure you."

"Should we even be planning or making this trip to Europe, Andrew?" Jeremy asked weakly and as the words emerged, they could both see the heartbreak on Laura's face.

"You can't stop living, Jeremy. Patrick is looking forward to this trip as much as you have been," Andrew said softly.

"I sense a 'but' coming," Laura said softly, but her words emerged so faint that neither of them had even heard her speak. When Andrew and Jeremy did not say anything in response to her words, Laura decided that it was better to let them speak privately and she walked slowly towards the sliding glass door and stepped outside. The cool morning caused her to shiver slightly and she wrapped her arms around herself once she could feel the soft summer breeze wafting through her hair.

Time seemed to stand still all around her and after some moments in the stillness, she sat down on one of the chairs and closed her eyes.

"Laura?" When she heard her name whispered, she opened her eyes, stood up, turned around, and realized that Andrew had followed her out onto the terrace.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Are you OK?" He asked as they sat down together.

"Sure," she said softly offering him a brave smile.

"You know, I've known you for a long time, and I know when you are not telling me the truth. Come on, Laura, you don't look at all OK right now," he began gently.

"Maybe I would be OK if you had been here three weeks ago," she whispered sadly, but after a few moments of silence, she looked at him. "I'm sorry, that wasn't intended."

"It's OK, I know I haven't been around these past few years, and I realize that it is awkward for you when I just show up like this, but Laura, you've always talked to me about what has been bothering you, why won't you do that now?" He asked.

Laura sighed deeply. "I can't, it'd be too selfish of me to even try to talk openly about all of this right now. Andrew, my entire family is going mad because of Patrick's illness, and my troubles are so insignificant in comparison."

"You know that's just not true," Andrew objected gently. "Whatever it is that you have to say is just as important as what is happening with Patrick. Your feelings are just as real, and if you don't face them, then they will only succeed in tearing you apart, and I don't want to see that happen to you." He reached over and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Now, tell me, what is it?"

She sighed deeply and looked at him. "Everything in my life has fallen apart is all. Billy dumped me two nights before the prom, so I went alone, then a bunch of my friends from over at the Community Center left for good. The deal is this trip has been the only thing that's keeping me going, just looking forward to it has been all that I have."

"Why didn't you tell anyone about what happened?" Andrew asked.

"Who would I have told?" Laura asked. "I mean, here I am 18, I'm supposed to be an adult now, but I don't really feel like one. I didn't tell Mom and Dad about it because they've been so worried about Patrick and I didn't want to overburden them with my petty problems."

"That's why you looked so sad when your dad said something about canceling the trip," he said gently. "You lost so much in the past months, and then you were afraid of loosing that, too."

"Yeah, I've been looking forward to this since Renate went home," Laura said softly. "But, how can I feel excited or good when I'm scared for my little brother?"

Andrew took a deep breath before he began to speak. "Laura, when I told Jeremy that your brother may die, it doesn't mean that he will today or tomorrow. There are a lot of people who live with being HIV positive, but this doesn't mean that their fate is sealed. I remember the last time I was here, and how you gave Patrick and his little sisters so much strength, and you have been there for them, not just as their older sister, but also as their friend."

Laura sniffed, but looked down at her lap. "I haven't been much of a friend to them lately. Dawn and Denise seem to be doing well, they have made friends, but right now I feel so alone. I can't explain it, but I'm no longer in school, and I don't know where my life is going. I don't even know who I am anymore. Am I Patrick or the twins' older sister or am I more than just that?"

"You're Laura," Andrew said gently. "You're a sister, but you're also a friend, you're smart, and caring. You know, I may be somewhat partial, but I will never forget when you were there for me. I had been so sad about the school shooting, and you came with me to the park and we talked about all those things. You may not believe it, but that helped me rectify things with the Father, and I'd be the first to tell you that what you offered me was a wonderful gift."

"I wish you had been there to see me graduate," Laura mused more to herself than to him. "It's been three years since I last saw you and I've missed you so much. It was the only regret I had when I celebrated my last birthday, that you would no longer see me as being special to you, that there would be no more hugs, no more teddy bears, no more visits, nothing."

Andrew smiled gently at her. "You know, your mother had those exact same fears and I didn't see her very much throughout her childhood, in fact, I saw you a lot more, but nothing will ever change the feelings I've always had for your family. Laura, you're always going to be my friend, and you're always going to be special to me." She nodded as Andrew reached over and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"Well, you can't tell Tess, but I'm on vacation," he smiled, his green eyes twinkling.

"You are? For how long?" Laura asked.

"I've got a month," he smiled weakly.

"So much time? I thought that angels don't get that much time off," Laura said softly.

"Usually not, but I have had some very hard assignments these past few weeks and so I asked the Father if it was possible for me to go with your family to Europe because I really needed a break," he smiled weakly. "He said 'yes'."

"You mean; you actually want to travel with us?"

Andrew nodded, but smiled playfully at her. "Does that scare you?"

"No," Laura managed to sputter, but she smiled. "You're going to actually fly on an airplane, in those cramped seats and everything?"

He smiled weakly and nodded.

"Nothing weird is going to happen, is it? I mean, you are an Angel of Death," Laura said softly. "You think any of the other people there will recognize you there?"

"I certainly hope not," he smiled gently and Laura grinned impishly.

After a few moments, Laura seemed to have recovered, because she look him squarely in the eyes and spoke. "Could we maybe sit together? Then we could catch up."

"OK," he smiled gently at her as he wrapped her in his arms and hugged her.

*****

Christina crawled out of bed later that morning and she reached for her robe and walked towards the door all the while yawning and stretching. "I love Paris in the springtime…" she began to sing as she opened the door and watched as the twins were charging through the hall towards the stairs.

"Hey, hold up, you two, what's up?" She asked as the two 12-year-old girls with strawberry blonde hair bounded towards the stairs.

"Andrew's here," Denise said happily.

"Yeah, Laura just came up and told us," Dawn said smiling brightly.

"He's on vacation," Denise interrupted her sister as the two girls bounded down the stairs.

Christina smiled weakly, the thought of seeing her longtime friend was a good thing, but as Patrick came out of his room, she looked at him and could see the fatigue on his face and she could not help but ponder if this was it. "Hey, how'd you sleep?" She asked trying to keep her voice upbeat.

Patrick shook his head. "Not so good, I had a weird dream about a large meadow and flowers, then I got hay-fever. It was not pleasant."

"Last week you dreamt that you had eaten a large marshmallow, and then you couldn't find your pillow," Christina said smiling.

Patrick smiled slightly. "Yeah, and then I woke up with the hiccups."

Christina began to giggle.

"What was all the noise, anyway? I thought the natives were restless," Patrick said softly as he rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes.

"The twins just went downstairs, they're happy because Andrew's back," Christina whispered, and although her face was now unconsciously pale, she managed to maintain a cheerful expression.

"Christina, do you think it's time?" He asked weakly.

"I don't think so, Patrick," Christina said softly. "Besides that, only God knows how much time we have here, honey. Are you afraid of seeing Andrew today?"

"A little, I mean, I trust him and all, but I'm still a little scared. Don't get me wrong, I will be happy to see my folks again, but I'm also going to miss you guys, too," Patrick said softly. "I guess I'm more afraid of how things will be for Denise and Dawn after I'm gone."

"You shouldn't worry about that, Patrick, they're both going to be OK, they're going to be with us, and we will always be there for them," Christina said softly as she ruffled the hair of her adopted son.

The boy nodded, and walked slowly back in his room. "I'll come down in a few minutes," he said softly. "I still have some packing to do."

"OK," Christina said gently and once she went down the stairs, Patrick went into his room and closed the door.

As she came down the stairs, she could see that the twins were sitting in front of the television and were watching the early morning cartoons. Sighing happily she walked towards the dining room and into the kitchen. There she found Jeremy and Andrew drinking coffee and talking.

"Hi," she said, her voice causing them both to turn around.

"Hello Christina," Andrew offered.

"Hey Mom, did you know that Andrew got vacation time and he's going to come with us to Europe?" Laura's excited voice could be heard above the television. The young woman walked over to her mother, her face was positively filled with excitement.

"Vacation time?" Christina asked looking at him, her eyes dancing merrily.

Andrew nodded. "I've had some rather difficult assignments these past few weeks, and was given some time off."

"That's wonderful," Christina said. "Lindsey will be thrilled, she's going to be in Europe next week to promote her new album."

"How is that going? I haven't seen Lindsey since just before she got married," Andrew said softly.

"I know, she's been keeping herself rather scarce around here. Her husband, Lenny, has been trying to get her music promoted," Christina began. "I guess she's getting to do just what she always wanted, to make music."

Andrew smiled. "I heard that her music is doing really well over in Europe."

Laura smiled, "yeah, she sent us tickets to her concert in Berlin, Renate is going to come with us."

"Renate?" Andrew looked at Christina.

"She used to work over at the Community Center," Christina said. "Laura's been writing letters to her since she went home, and now the two of them are going to have an extra week with one another in Berlin."

Andrew nodded. "I remember her, she and I met when Billy's brother died."

"Please don't mention that rat around me," Laura's happy face suddenly changed and she looked as though she was going to cry. Instead of speaking further, she fled from the room leaving her parents staring after her.

"What on earth?" Jeremy muttered as he stared after his daughter.

"Did she tell you what happened?" Andrew asked.

Christina shook her head, "no, she didn't. Did she tell you, Andrew?"

Andrew nodded. "Billy broke up with her, she's still hurting because of it, but I think there's more, but she didn't say anything to me about it."

"Why didn't she tell us?" Jeremy asked.

Christina looked at her husband. "I think I know, she's been so quiet these past few weeks. I think she's been worried about Patrick. Is that why you're here, Andrew? Are you here to take Patrick?"

The angel shook his head. "No, Christina, I'm on vacation, actually, but right now I'm worried about Laura. She's in a lot of pain right now because of what has been happening in her own life. She talked to me about it, but not in detail. I thought maybe I could get her to talk to me during the flight this afternoon."

"Well, that will give you a little time," Jeremy mused, "but I don't understand why a girl could be so selfless that she would hide away these things from us."

"I think she was trying to protect us," Christina said softly. "Laura knows that we've been concerned about Patrick and the twins lately, maybe she was feeling a little out of the loop."

Andrew nodded but smiled gently at the two of them. "Perhaps, but the only suggestion I can give is to just give her the space to deal with things in her own way."

Once Jeremy and Christina nodded, he smiled weakly, but eventually went back into the living room and began to watch cartoons with the twins.

*****

Seven hours later the family and Andrew arrived at the airport. After they had checked in at the counter, Laura was walking with Andrew through the large terminal building when something suddenly dawned on her and she turned and looked at him. "Do you have a passport?" She asked him.

Andrew shifted the duffle bag that was resting on his shoulder and dug inside the pocket of his lightweight jacket. Once he pulled out the flight ticket, she could see that a small blue notebook was inside and Laura smiled when she saw it.

"You're going to have to show me that when we get seated on the plane," Laura said smiling.

"Only if you show me yours," Andrew said, his green eyes sparkling.

"Are you kidding? My picture looks like something from a horror movie," Laura said jokingly. She turned around and could see her parents and her three siblings following. "You're not here to take Patrick home yet, right?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, and I think I have already clarified that point, you really have nothing to worry about."

"I'm not," she smiled weakly. "Are you going to stay the extra week with me after my family goes home?"

"Do you want me to?" He asked.

"Yes," Laura said softly. "I mean if you can swing it with the Big Guy."

"Big Guy?" Andrew looked at her.

Laura smiled impishly and pulled her carry-on bag up onto her shoulders. "OK, you call Him 'God' or 'Father'."

Andrew chuckled and turned around and could see that Christina was waving to them and they stopped walking and waited for her to catch up with them.

When she finally did, she looked at Laura and Andrew. "Listen, you two, Jeremy got all of our seats together except for two, and he wants to sit with Patrick and the twins. Is that OK that you're a few rows behind us?"

"Come on, Mom, on the return flight I'm going to be traveling this way, so I think I can use this experience to get used to the long trip," Laura replied as her mother handed her the tickets for her passage.

"Christina, don't worry about us, we're going to be OK," Andrew said smiling warmly at his friend.

"I'm a mother, I'm supposed to worry, Andrew, it's in my job description," Christina said smiling at them. "The gate number is 20 in case we get separated."

Laura smiled and nodded as they continued to walk. Christina turned back around and walked back over to Jeremy who was having quite a struggle with keeping two curious girls in one place as well as a teenage boy who couldn't stop staring out the window at the large airplanes.

"Sometimes I think she still sees me as a little kid," Laura whispered under her breath.

"To a mother you will always be her little girl," Andrew said softly. "Remember you said the same to me back at the house. You told me that you wanted to sometimes still be that little girl to me, and get the hugs and the teddy bears. Do you remember?"

Laura nodded. "Yeah, and I'll also remember that you have the memory of an elephant."

"Does that bother you?"

"No," she said. "But, sometimes it confuses me."

"Confuses you?"

Laura shrugged her shoulders. "There's gate 20," she said when she saw the illuminated numbers over her head and a vast number of seats off to one side. Once they went through the passport control, they took a seat inside the glass-encased room.

"Now tell me," Andrew said softly once they had deposited their belongings on the ground and he eventually reached over and touched his friend's shoulder.

"I guess its just because I don't know what I want, and I am confused," Laura said softly. "I just graduated from high school, and I feel so lost, Andrew."

"You're not, Laura," Andrew said softly.

"I am so," she whispered under her breath. "I wish I could tell you how I feel right now about everything that is going on inside without you thinking that I'm completely loosing my mind."

"Listen, when we get seated on the plane, we'll have a good seven hours to talk about anything you want," he said gently. "I know there are things you want to tell me, I can tell by looking at you, but there are also some things I need to tell you too, but in God's timing everything that needs to be said will be said, OK?"

Laura nodded numbly and as Christina and Jeremy passed through the passport control with the three children. All the while, the young woman tried to smile as they were approaching where they were seated.

Within the hour, they would be boarding a plane bound for Frankfurt, Germany.

*****

Two hours later, Laura was seated in the plane and she was pressing the buttons for the music stations once all the announcements had been said and the safety checks explained. As she pulled the headphones off, she could see that Andrew was still looking out the window.

I wonder what he is thinking, she thought to herself, but when he turned back around, she could see the warmth and understanding in his eyes and she smiled weakly all the while trying to stop the butterflies from going haywire in the pit of her stomach.

As she stuffed the headphones into the pocket in front of her, she stared down at the cola that now sat untouched on the small table in front of her. When she eventually looked up, she could see that Andrew was now looking at her rather intently and she knew that eventually she would have to let the cat out of the bag and start talking to him. The only trouble with all of this was that she didn't even know where to start.

"Laura, is everything OK?" He asked when she did not start speaking.

"I should be excited, is all," she answered.

"But, you're not, you have too much on your mind to be excited," he said gently.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Why don't you try talking about it?" Andrew said softly.

She shook her head. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"How about at the beginning?" He cajoled her gently, but when she didn't reply, he looked at her. "Laura, you know you can trust me. Now come on, I can either find out from you or from the Father, so what do you chose?" Andrew said softly.

"IIf I told you, you'd probably hate me," she whispered.

"No, I wouldn't, Laura, I couldn't, I care so much for you, and nothing you could possibly say to me is going to make me hate you," he said gently.

"I can't say it," she said softly.

"Try," he said gently.

"I sometimes wish you were a person like me and not…" her words trailed off and she looked down at her lap helplessly.

"…An angel," Andrew finished and when he looked into the eyes of the young woman, he could see that she was nodding ever so slightly, the pain so evident in her eyes that he could tell what she wanted to say even without him even having to hear it from God. When he tried to make eye contact with her, he noticed that her eyes were closed, her face flushed and the embarrassment of having said her innermost feelings evident.

She was indeed no longer a child, he thought sadly, and as she grew, the intensity of her feelings for him had also grown. So many people had hurt her in her life that her only wish was to find the love with someone who wouldn't hurt her, and right now, that someone was him.

Laura looked down at her lap, the shame enveloping her like a cold, wet, blanket. She knew that there was no way she could even make eye contact with him, but something compelled her to look up and that was because of the gentle touch of the angel's hand under her chin. He was tipping her face up so that he could look her in the eyes.

When he saw the tears now threatening to stream from beneath her eyes, he spoke, his voice gentle, and filled with all the love he could muster. "Billy hurt you pretty badly, didn't he?" Andrew finally asked.

Laura nodded, the tears still streaming down her cheeks. "I-I…" her words trailed off and she looked at him, her face the picture of helplessness and suddenly the answer was clear to him. The pain she carried in the deep recesses of her heart was overwhelming, her young teenage heart had once again been broken, and she needed someone to help her pick up the fragments, which remained. As she tried to speak once more, her voice emerged as a crack and was, in fact, two octaves deeper than usual, and finally Andrew responded to her words as best he could.

"Shhh, it's OK, and what you told me, well, we will work all of this out, OK?" Andrew said gently as he reached over and began to wipe the tears from beneath her eyes. "But, you know that I can't be more to you than just your friend, don't you?"

She nodded, her face red with embarrassment. "That's why it hurts, I d-do know that, that's why I feel so ashamed."

"It's OK, you really have no reason to feel shame. To be completely honest, I am deeply moved by your honesty," Andrew said softly.

"Y-you w-won't tell my mom what I said, w-will you?" She finally asked, her voice trembling.

"No, I won't say anything to them if you don't want me to, but you are going to have to find the courage to tell them what has happened with Billy. They really do want to help you with that," Andrew said softly and once she offered him a feeble nod, he continued. "Another thing, you can tell me anything you want to, and I will listen and care for you as I have always done."

"I tried not to allow myself to feel this way, really I did," Laura whispered as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "I-I just couldn't help it, Andrew."

"I know, I don't blame you," he smiled gently at her. "I guess, I didn't realize the impact all of this was having on you. Would it be easier for you if I were to go?"

"No, please, you can't go, I'm afraid," she whispered.

Andrew looked at her. "I won't leave you then. Now, tell me what happened with Billy. I know something must have happened as I remember what happened at the house when his name was mentioned. This is obviously very hard for you, Laura, but you have to get these feelings out."

"About a year ago, h-he started taking drugs, and he wanted me to as well," Laura stammered, her voice soft. "One time he even put something in my lemonade at school. It made me so sick."

"Yes, I seem to recall Adam telling me a little bit about this? Did you see Adam that day?" Andrew asked gently, referring to his friend and fellow Angel of Death. Andrew knew that Laura had a special connection to Adam and the two of them often shared stories whenever they were to come in contact with that particular family. After all, it was Adam who had been with her when she had been abused by her birth parents, and so it did not surprise Andrew that Laura shared such a powerful friendship with the elder of the two angels. For his part, Adam truly adored this young woman, she was one of the few human friends he had.

"Only briefly, he was with me and helping me when I was sick, but after they managed to induce vomiting, I was OK but when I looked up, he was gone," Laura said softly.

"Did you ever confront Billy about this?"

"Yes, and a-after I told him no more drugs, he got angry and started beating me up. He would say stuff like if I-I loved him that I would do as h-he said. I wanted to hold on, Andrew, but then h-he started taking my money away from me to b-buy his drugs with. When I finally told him that I didn't want to give him anymore money for it, he hit me again and blackened my eye." She covered her face with her hands and cried; her body shaking as the events leading up to her and Billy's break-up tumbled out. "I-I told him that I needed the money to buy a prom gown, a-and he said 'why, you're so ugly, there's no way any guy in his right mind would ask you to the prom'. Once upon a time, I had saved his life, and now, this. Anyway, after that, it was over, and I was alone again." As her words stopped, he could see that the flow of tears had not.

"Oh Laura, I'm so sorry," Andrew said softly.

"I h-had to borrow the money from Lindsey to get my gown for the prom. I didn't tell my mom because I'm so ashamed of what happened, I feel like it's my fault."

"It's not your fault," Andrew said gently.

"I-I wanted to earn the money myself for my dress so that I could go. I was working part time after school at a deli, and then Billy took everything away from me," Laura cried. "When I s-see Lindsey, then I will be able to pay her back with the graduation money I got from my Grandma."

"Why didn't you tell someone about this?" Andrew asked gently.

"W-who would I have told? Everyone's been so concerned with Patrick and there was no way they would have listened to me," she said weakly. "I couldn't even tell you without feeling stupid about it."

"Listen to me, Laura, you have no reason whatsoever to feel stupid. What happened, well, it was not your fault," Andrew said softly.

"Everybody just uses me for things. How can I even believe that people are good when they treat me this w-way?" She whimpered. "I just want to believe that people like me and aren't out for something."

"Oh Laura, they do like you, and the right people do care," Andrew said softly. "Look at your friend, Renate, look at how much love is in her heart that compels her to write so many beautiful letters to you. Not everyone on this Earth is going to hurt you, sweetheart, not everyone is going to use and degrade you."

"You haven't," Laura said weakly as she wiped her face with the side of her hand.

"No, and I never would, but there are people out there that care for you. Your mother, your father, the twins, and Patrick. Renate hasn't, and the friends you have at the Community Center haven't either. You have been blessed with friends and family who love you dearly. You have made this world a better place because of your faith and the empowering love that is in your heart. Don't stop believing that you can make a difference. If you do, then you will lose that part of yourself that is God's gift to you."

As the tears continued to stream from beneath her eyes, Andrew took her in his arms and held her as she cried.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I know, and I love you, too. You're always going to be my friend, Laura, nothing more, and I know that that hurts right now, but a friendship is one of the most powerful blessings that the Father can give His children or His angels." As he spoke, he glanced outside the small window and watched, as the sky grew darker and darker. When he looked back down at the girl in his arms, he smiled gently.

"What am I going to do?" She asked from the sanctuary of his embrace.

"You've got four weeks to enjoy a part of the world that has only been like a fairy tale to you. Embrace that, Laura, and when we get back to your home, then we can work on finding a resolution for all these other things," Andrew said gently.

"Y-you're going to be with me through all of this?" She asked.

"If I can be there, then yes, I will," Andrew said softly.

"And you don't think I'm crazy because of what I said?" She asked; her voice filled with uncertainty.

"No, I'm flattered, actually," he said smiling gently at her. "But, to me you're always going to be that sweet little girl I once knew. In all the struggles you have had in your life, I can see so much strength in you, so much hope. Don't ever let that die in you, OK?"

The young woman nodded and when she glanced up she could see that the movie was starting, but she found herself not very interested in it and she closed her eyes briefly.

"Are you tired?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, a little bit. I mean even though I feel better having talked about all these things. I still don't think I will be able to sleep."

"Maybe you should try and rest a little," he suggested.

She nodded and pulled the small pillow from behind her and looked down at it. "This thing looks like a giant marshmallow and it's scratchy." The blanket she pulled out of the plastic bag and wrapped it around herself and tried to lean against the uncomfortable seat her head resting against the small pillow.

She eventually closed her eyes, but sleep did not come and she continued to fidget against the seat. Finally, Andrew pushed the armrest up, which separated them and took her gently in his arms and allowed her to lean comfortably against him.

It was then, in the comforting arms of her friend, when Laura fell into a deep sleep.

*****

"How is she?" Christina asked nearly three hours later. She had gotten up to stretch her legs and came back to see how Laura and Andrew were faring.

"She's coping with so much, but I think she will be OK," Andrew said gently.

"Did she tell you what was going on?" Christina asked.

"Yes, but she asked me not to tell anyone about it," Andrew said gently. "Christina, in time, Laura will be able to talk to you about what she has been going through. Just give her some time."

"It would have been easier for me if I were to have know," Christina said softly as she looked down at her daughter.

"I know," he said gently. "How are you guys doing?"

"Jeremy crashed out about ten minutes ago, the twins are playing 'rummy' and I've been reading this novel that's about 1,000 pages long."

"And Patrick?"

"He found a airplane technical magazine at the airport before we left and he has delved into that," Christina said. "You know, I think he wants to be a pilot when he grows up." She could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "I wish he could."

"The human spirit is very strong, my friend," Andrew said gently as he tried to shift in his seat without waking Laura. Next to them, Christina sat down in the empty aisle seat.

"You know, I think she really loves you, Andrew, maybe the same as I did when I was her age," Christina said softly as she watched her daughter rest her head against his chest. "You have an amazing impact on women, you know? It must be strange for you to have seen me react to you in this way and now to see Laura clinging to you as well."

Andrew nodded, but his voice emerged filled with surprise. "You knew?"

"She's my daughter, Andrew, of course I knew. I could see it as she got older, and how her face would literally light up whenever your name was even mentioned. Lindsey said once that I did the exact same thing, but I never realized it," she said softly. "Don't worry, when she meets the right man and really falls in love, she will forget."

"She's been through a lot," Andrew said softly.

"I've always known that you and her were very close, probably much closer then you and I were. You saved her life once upon a time, you encouraged her to no end, and gave her so many reasons to just pick up the pieces and keep going," Christina said softly. "I envy that, you know."

"I know," he said smiling at his friend. "Christina, you're always going to be my little angel, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes," she smiled, "but now my daughter needs to have someone lift her up, and give her a reason to believe that she's special. I don't know if I can do that, you've always been there to do that for her. She trusted you even before she began to trust me."

"Do you think I have been around too much as she's been growing up, Christina? Is that what you're trying to say?" Andrew asked gently. "Do you think maybe I should have kept my distance from her at least for a little while?"

"I don't know. I just know that my daughter's in love with an angel and I can't even think of the words that I should say that might help her," Christina said softly.

"Laura is a young woman now, Christina, and you're not always going to be able to protect her from the emotion of 'love'," Andrew said softly. "It is awkward for me, yes, but I can see that the pain she's in is much more intense then the expression of that emotion she carries. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Christina shook her head.

"You told me many years ago that when Ted Gordon ended his life that you yourself had carried those feelings for me," Andrew said gently. "You found Jeremy and discovered a deeply beautiful realization of love. The only difference between you and Laura is that Laura has faced the feelings she carries in her heart while she is carrying them, not waiting until after the emotion has somewhat died in her before actually admitting them."

"She told you?" Christina asked.

Andrew nodded. "She's embarrassed about having them, but I am not going to stop being her friend because she expresses with words the emotion of love that she feels for me. You see, my friend, if I leave now, she will feel another emotion and that is one of abandonment. This particular emotion is already far too real for her."

"Andrew I…" her voice trailed and she looked at him helplessly.

"Would you have wanted me to leave you alone when you were dealing with those feelings?" He asked gently.

"I didn't see you when I was having them," Christina said softly. "How could I have told you what I felt, when I hadn't even seen you?"

"You did, it was when you saved Robert Davies' life, just before meeting Jeremy," Andrew said softly. "You never told me, but I could sense it, Christina. I knew that you had feelings for me, you just chose not to speak of them, and that's perfectly OK. But, Laura's feelings are very, very strong, and she should not feel shame for having them. Perhaps, part of the trouble she faces, is in realizing that."

"You're saying I did everything wrong," she whispered.

"No, my friend, you are saying this," Andrew said gently, but he reached over, took Christina's hand and squeezed it gently. "You must not feel badly for having had those feelings, OK?"

She nodded numbly. "It's embarrassing."

"I know, just as it is for Laura, but she knows that what she dreams of will never happen with me, but that doesn't invalidate the beauty of the dream that she carries in her heart," Andrew said gently. "Christina, don't worry, in time your daughter will confide in you what she feels, but until she does, allow her to work through those emotions that are gripping her."

Christina nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes, but she stood up. "I'd better get back to my seat and see how the others are doing."

"OK," Andrew said gently. "They should be serving breakfast pretty soon."

Once Christina had gone back to her seat, Andrew looked down at Laura as she slept in his arms. "Father, please continue to hold this family in your love," he whispered under his breath as Laura began to open her eyes.

"W-what happened?" She asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"You slept, for about three hours," he said. "You feel any better now?"

"A little," she whispered, but looking up at him, she suddenly remembered what had happened before she had fallen asleep, where she was, and her face paled and she abruptly sat up.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No, it's just that I think I made a mess of everything. You probably think I'm the biggest fool that ever lived."

"No, I don't," Andrew said gently.

"You don't hold anything against me about what I said before, do you?" she asked.

"No, I don't and you really shouldn't believe that you are foolish because of your feelings," he smiled gently at her. "I had an experience some time ago with a young girl who had HIV and she had those same kinds of feelings you described, and she didn't know who I was. This was a very difficult situation, and I did everything I could to help her, but she thought I didn't want a relationship with someone who in her words 'was going to die'."

"What happened?" Laura asked.

"Well, I never really got a chance to talk to her one on one after she found out the truth, but I think she realized that it wasn't because of her, but it was because of me," he said softly. "These kinds of things, these human emotions are very real, Laura, and there's nothing wrong with having them. It is through them that you have experiences and realize what it is you want in life."

"I wish I knew," she said softly. "After Billy dumped me, I thought I was just a looser. I had no prom date, no boyfriend, and no future. I thought my life was over."

"It's not over, and regardless of what happened with the prom or the boyfriend, you do have a future, Laura, and I would be willing to bet that it will be shared with someone who will love you as much as you deserve to be loved," he said.

"I wish I could believe that," she whispered.

"You believe me, don't you?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Then believe it, and these next few weeks, you just try and do what you can to heal that broken heart of yours, OK?" He reached over and squeezed her shoulder.

"Thanks, Andrew," Laura said softly as the fresh tears began to stream from beneath her eyes.

"You're welcome, my friend," he smiled.

After maybe ten minutes had passed, she looked back over at him. "You know, you never showed me your passport," she said trying to brush the last of the tears from her eyes.

Andrew pulled the small book from his pocket and handed it to her. She opened it up and looked at the picture. "You look funny in the picture," she said softly.

"Well, let me see yours, and then we can talk about who looks funny," he smiled.

Laura pulled hers from her purse and handed it to him.

As he opened the small booklet he looked down at her picture. "Yours is nice," he said gently. "Much nicer than mine, I'm afraid."

"You don't think I look like a geek?" She asked.

"No, I think for a passport picture, you look quite nice," he said as she looked at the name on his passport.

"Andrew Andrews? Isn't that a bit redundant?" She asked after a few moments had passed. "I mean; it's like this book I read some years ago called Your Bird is Here Tom Thompson."

"What would you have suggested?" He asked, his green eyes twinkling.

"I don't know something a little fancier," she smiled weakly.

"Such as?"

"I don't know, maybe something like…Andrew…. Oh I know, how about 'Vestnik'?"

"What on Earth does that mean?" Andrew asked.

"It means, 'messenger', in Russian," Laura smiled impishly.

Andrew chuckled and his reaction caused Laura to begin giggling as well. Once she handed the passport back to him, he opened it and looked down at the name printed inside. Yes, it was true, Andrew Andrews was definitely redundant and it occurred to him that the customs people would probably not even buy it. "How would you write 'Vestnik', then?"

"V-E-S-T-N-I-K," Laura spelled the word. "I learned it from one of the volunteers at the Community Center, his grandfather came from Russia."

"I see, like this?" he handed her the passport and she was surprised to see that the name was now changed.

Laura looked at him in complete surprise. "You let me pick your surname?"

Andrew smiled. "I'm funny that way, but what do you think of the name, it's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"I guess so, just don't start doing Cossack dancing, or they may ship you off to Siberia," Laura said all the while laughing. "Besides that maybe it's a good that I couldn't date you, because I don't know if I could handle going from 'Cantu', to 'Lowery', to 'Vestnik':"

Andrew began to chuckle once again and when he looked at his friend, he could see that although some of the pain was still present in her eyes, she seemed to be feeling at least a little bit better.

"What about your other stuff, like your plane tickets?" She asked.

"I already took care of that," he smiled, "now we can look forward to four weeks in Europe, and I promise not to embarrass you by learning Cossack dancing."

As she began to laugh, she looked at him, her face suddenly becoming earnest. "You always say the things that make me feel better, did you know that?"

"That's what friends are for," he smiled gently.

"And you're the best friend I've ever had, Andrew," Laura said and could feel the tears in her eyes. As she spoke the flight attendant placed a tray on the table in front of her.

"No more tears," Andrew said gently. "You don't want the already watery orange juice to get even more watery, do you?"

Laura shook her head and smiled.

*****

Renate Müller was waiting rather impatiently at the Frankfurt airport for her friends to arrive early the following morning. She smiled as she looked around and could see that the note-board was displaying the time that the Lowery family's flight would be arriving as being closer and closer. She could not help but noticed that the plane had already landed, so all she could do was wait for them to clear customs and come out into the terminal.

She had not seen them since she had gone home to Berlin over five years ago, and now she was excited about the fact that they were actually coming to visit.

It had been a long trip from Berlin to Frankfurt, the train running late and she wondered all the while if she would get there in time to meet them. She had already bought tickets for them to come back to Berlin with her where they would start their tour of Germany, thus ending in Berlin, the place where they started. She and Laura would accompany them back to the airport and then they would spend the week together visiting some of the places that Laura had her heart set on seeing. She had been so excited about this visit she had barely slept.

As the translucent glass doors slid open she could see more people coming out into the large terminal building, but there was no sign of any of the six people she was expecting to meet. Instead a tall blonde headed man emerged and his face brightened when his eyes met hers.

"Renate?" He called her name and approached where she was standing and waiting. In his hand, he carried a single large duffle bag out into the terminal building and this hung loosely from his shoulder.

"Andrew?" She tried to conceal the surprise that was evident in her joy filled green eyes. Even after rubbing her eyes, she had to blink a couple of times to be sure that it was really him standing there in front of her. "What on Earth are you doing here?"

"Vacation," he smiled impishly, but continued to speak in his somewhat unpracticed German. "Bist du nicht froh mich wiederzusehen?" (Aren't you happy to see me?)

"Na klar, I mean, yes, of course I am," she smiled feeling the shyness envelope her. "I just didn't expect to see you again and here of all places. Are you with the Lowery family?"

"Yes, I got some vacation time and came over with them. I would have asked them to contact you about this, but the plans were made rather quickly," he said.

"Well, will you stay here and wait for them, I need to go take care of something real quick then? I'll be back in a few minutes." Renate waited until he nodded and went to buy another train ticket.

Five minutes later, she returned and the entire family was assembled and waiting for her. "Hey, Laura," she called out and the two friends shared an embrace. Once everyone had greeted the young German woman, Jeremy looked at her and began to speak, all the while trying to push the large suitcases along with them.

"So fearless leader, where to?" As his question emerged, his eyes were twinkling mischievously, even though, physically, he looked to be completely jetlagged.

"We have to go to the train station, and I've already gotten the tickets for everyone," Renate said happily. "Once we get there, there's a train that runs straight to Berlin, I think every hour and I figure that you guys can sleep in the train, I reserved us a compartment, but we can decide from there what we want to do."

They followed her down the escalator to the underground subway system and once they had reached the doors of the arriving subway train. They got on board and soon they were on their way to the large downtown train station.

Ten minutes later, they pulled into another large underground subway station and Renate was helping them with their belongings. As the doors closed and the train left, Christina turned around and could see that the twins were standing next to Jeremy, she could see that they were all huddled together in the large open space.

Once they were standing somewhat alone in the underground station, Renate began to help them wind their way through people and up through the tunnel, which would lead them to the large train station. As they came out into the open, they could see that the station was quite large; it extended from one end to another to another with over twenty different train platforms. Around one side, they could see kiosks, restaurants, and small businesses stationed. Throughout the large open building and along the lobby area, they could see gray colored pigeons flying through the building searching for some dropped breadcrumbs from the nearby bakery restaurants.

"Did you guys get something to eat on the plane?" Renate asked.

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "We had breakfast, though I am doubtful if that is exactly the best and most filling food in the world."

"That's not going to last you till we reach Berlin," she said as she handed her backpack to Andrew. "I'll go and get some sandwiches and things, you guys wait here."

She disappeared into the crowd and within minutes she had returned with two large cloth bags in her hands, both were bulging and she smiled warmly as she handed one of them to Christina, which contained bread rolls filled with cheese, salami, and cucumbers. The second, she handed to Jeremy and this one contained a variety of canned drinks.

"Now, we need to get to the platform, and I'm guessing it's the same one that I came in on, number 14." She led them through the large train station and when they reached a large board, she nodded and turned to face them. "Come on, the train leaves in five minutes, we need to hurry."

When they reached the platform, Andrew helped them get on board the waiting train and Christina counted the heads as they boarded to make sure that no one had gotten lost or that Patrick or one of the twins had wandered off. When she noticed that everyone was on board, she started following them through the long narrow hallways of the train in order to find their designated compartment.

Once they reached the compartment that they had reserved, Christina, Jeremy, Denise, Dawn, Patrick and Laura entered the small room. Renate handed their tickets to Christina before the door closed behind them. Once Renate entered the neighboring compartment, she looked at Andrew as they took a seat inside the small and empty room.

"Whew, what a relief that I managed to find everyone," Renate said smiling weakly. She closed her eyes for a moment and stretched her legs out. "Maybe we'll get this compartment all to ourselves," she said. "I could use a nap."

"You came all the way from Berlin just to meet them?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, I woke up around three or so this morning," Renate said smiling slightly as she yawned. "I'm exhausted, but you know, it's really nice to see you again."

Andrew smiled. "It's nice to see you too."

"Did you sleep on the plane?" She asked.

"Yes, perhaps a little bit," he smiled, "I don't require much sleep, though."

"Must be nice," she said and looked earnestly at him. "Andrew, can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure you can, what is it?" He asked gently.

"I don't know, I just get this strange feeling that something is going on with Laura, but I can't put my finger on it," Renate said. "Her last few letters have been hard for me to read, much less understand. I mean; even though I had over eight years of English in school, I can't read this. Andrew, please, look at this." She pulled an envelope out of her purse, opened it and removed the contents.

"I don't know if it would be right for me to read Laura's letters to you," Andrew said honestly.

"No, I don't mean that you should read them, I mean, just look at the handwriting. I don't study this kind of thing, but this isn't anything like her older letters, and it scares me." She pulled a second letter from her purse and handed it to Andrew. When he could compare the two of them, he understood the cause for Renate's concern. Laura's handwriting was barely legible in the second letter, while the first one was neat and orderly.

"Did Laura tell you anything that had had happened during the past month?" Andrew asked.

"No, but I know something did. Do you know? Something tells me you know," she said softly.

"I can't tell you," Andrew said. "She did talk to me, but I promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone what she said. I think it's hard for her to deal with this stuff with Patrick."

"She told me," Renate said softly. "That poor boy, he must have so much on his mind right now. Did you talk to him, I mean, one on one?"

"Not yet," Andrew said.

"Maybe you should," Renate said as the train began to pull out of the station.

Andrew nodded, "I think it would be a good idea."

*****

As the train pulled into the station of a town called Erfurt, Andrew stood up to stretch his legs. Renate had fallen asleep against the seat and he stepped out into the hallway and walked down the aisle towards the small café. He was not intending on buying anything, he just wanted to explore these strange new surroundings. As he came down the aisles he could see elderly people struggling with their bags, and using his limited German abilities he offered to help them. Many were kind, but some gave him strange looks as though they were not expecting him to be as kind as he was.

Making his way down the aisles towards his compartment, he could see that Patrick had come out of the compartment and had sat down in one of the seats lining the hall. The teenager looked tired but he was rubbing the persistent sleep from his eyes as he looked up and his eyes met those of Andrew.

"Hi," the boy offered.

"Hi, Patrick," Andrew offered.

"You can call me 'Pat', that's what everyone calls me at school," the teenager shrugged his shoulders as he began to roll the aviation magazine up in his hands.

"You into planes?" Andrew asked noticing the magazine.

"Yeah, I guess so, never really got to fly in one of those small ones before, but I know all about them. My favorite plane is the Cessna 152, probably because the cockpit looks a little less complicating than the others. Do you know the difference between a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 152?" Patrick asked as he opened the magazine and began to flip through the pages. As he showed Andrew the illustrations, he could see that the angel appeared to not know the answer. "A 152 is a two-seater and the 172 has room for four. You know something? I want to learn to fly the 152, just 'cause they're lighter and they don't look as complex as the others do."

"Sounds like you know a lot about them," Andrew said.

"Yeah, well it's just because I read about them," Patrick shrugged his shoulders as he showed the angel the glossy cover to the magazine. "I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up."

"Hey, that dream can still come true, Pat," Andrew said.

"It's OK, I know I'm dying, but the thing is, I'm not dead yet, so I wish people would not walk around me as though I am made of porcelain or something. It drives me nuts," Patrick said, and Andrew could hear the annoyance in the boy's words.

"That's true, and you still have the right to work towards your dreams," Andrew said gently.

"If that's so, then why are you here? I kept getting this image in my head of you and Adam in the movie 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'."

"I don't understand," Andrew looked at him.

"Well, in the movie, there are these two vultures who are just sitting in a tree and just waiting for the wicked queen to die off so they can have their lunch," Patrick said, all the while grinning at the now squirming angel.

"You think Adam and I are like the vultures in that movie?" Andrew asked, the shock evidently showing in his deep-set green eyes.

Patrick began to laugh. "Actually, Laura was the one who came up with that idea, not me, I just thought it was funny the whole idea of seeing two Angels of Death sitting in a tree where those vultures had been. I mean; that was pretty funny for me to contemplate."

"Well, I assure you, I'm not a vulture, I'm on vacation," Andrew said simply. "You know, even angels need a break now and then to have some fun."

"Fun? With all the people hovering over me, I start to wonder what fun really is," he said.

"You don't like that people are worried about you?" Andrew asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess it's OK, but the more they go on about it, the more abnormal I feel. I mean, they didn't want me to freak out whenever you show up, but then they do," he said and shook his head. "I wish they would just stop it. I mean, the twins are doing OK, and Laura, well, Laura's like a clam anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Well when things go bananas for her, she just retreats to herself and nobody seems to concern themselves with her. I can't do that, and I wish I could," Patrick said honestly.

"I think sometimes Laura wishes she could talk openly about how she feels," Andrew said softly.

"You mean like the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence?" Patrick asked.

"Yes, I guess you could put it that way. It is a hard situation, that's a given, and chances are, you're probably going to want to have some fun while you're here, and not have to worry about what is happening at home," Andrew said.

"You're really smart, even if you don't know squat about airplanes," Patrick said.

"Well, thank you," Andrew smiled at the teenager. "You're not uncomfortable about me being here, are you?"

"Nah, it makes no big difference to me. Denise and Dawn like you and I think they're excited that you're back, and between you and me, I think Laura has the hots for you."

Andrew's face flushed, everyone in this family seemed to have the same thoughts about Laura and he shook his head sadly, it is no wonder that she felt so awkward with everything, she was dealing with the pain of having everyone possessing the ability to read her like a book.

"Besides that, you're going to be the one who will take me there," he pointed skyward. "Right?"

Andrew nodded.

"Well, the way I see it, I'd prefer to go there with a friend than with a perfect stranger," Patrick said. "I know I'm a little bit afraid of it, but I think I can trust you when you tell me that I have nothing to worry about. Does that make any sense to you?"

"It does, Pat," Andrew said gently.

"And you're my friend, right? You wouldn't let anything bad happen to me?" The boy asked.

"No, I wouldn't, I will be there to help you, and I will do everything I can to make your journey wonderful," Andrew said.

"Andrew, when I go, will you do me one favor?" The boy asked.

"Yes, what?"

"Would you just try to remember my sisters and come back and see them when you can," Patrick asked.

"You're worried about them?" Andrew asked.

"I know Christina and Jeremy are good people, and they will help them, but I know that if you're there to help them, that they will one day understand why I'm gone," Patrick said.

"I'll do whatever I can, but Pat don't give up," he said gently. "You never know what the Father has in store for you."

"No I don't, but when He sends someone like you to me, I think that it must be pretty darn good," Patrick reached his hand out to Andrew and when the angel took it, the two of them sealed their friendship with a handshake and a mutual clap on the shoulder.

*****

Just before the train pulled into the Berlin Zoological Garden train station, the announcement woke Renate up. As she rubbed her hand over her eyes, she stood up and looked around the compartment. Andrew and Patrick were deep in conversation and she smiled weakly as she saw Laura standing in the corridor looking out the window.

She yawned and stretched before standing up. "We're nearly there," she said. "We should get our things and get ready to get off the train."

Andrew nodded as Patrick stood up. "I guess I'll go and see if the others are awake," he said and left the compartment.

"You guys talk about everything?" Renate asked once Patrick had left the compartment and went to tap on the neighboring one.

"Yes," Andrew said as he grabbed his bag and reached for hers. "We had a nice time to chat about airplanes and getting a pilot's license."

"Patrick is interested in flying?" Renate asked.

Andrew nodded as they exited the compartment. "Yes, and I know very little about this kind of thing." As he looked around, he noticed that she had grabbed the two cloth bags that were now next to her feet. "I suppose we didn't eat all that food you bought."

"No big deal," she smiled weakly. "I guess I should have known that they would sleep nearly the whole time, the jetlag does it to people sometime. When I came home, I was in hibernation for nearly a week until my sleep patterns were back on track. Anyway, I only did this because I wanted to be prepared."

As soon as they reached the station, they emerged from the compartment and managed to all meet out on the platform.

Once they were all there, Renate looked at them, her eyes bright. "We're going to stay at my mother and father's house," she explained, "it's much bigger than my flat and then Christina and Jeremy could have their own room. Anyway, they promised to be waiting for us tonight with a wonderful dinner."

The family, the angel, and their German guide left the station, they could all see that it was getting late. The sun had descended behind the trees, and dusk was falling on the large German city as Renate herded her charges as well as their entire luggage onto one of the busses heading into the more rural suburbs of the large city.

"This is where the American military used to be stationed some ten or so years ago," she explained. "We had Americans in this sector of the city for over forty years. Today, there aren't as many, simply because the wall came down in 1989."

"Were you here when it happened?" Jeremy asked.

"My father was here when the celebrations broke out here, Actually, I was a little girl at the time," Renate answered. "I remember seeing all of this on television from my aunt's house in Büsum, and it was really incredible, but I didn't understand the significance of the Berlin Wall until I was a little bit older."

"The wall?" Dawn asked.

"Well yes, in 1961, the Berlin wall was erected by the Eastern German government, this was done from their point of view to keep the capitalist west out of the GDR, however, what it actually was, from the Western German point of view was to keep their people in," Renate explained. "We have a few pieces of the wall at home, and my mother is a historian, so she could probably tell you stories about all of this. She also had a brother who lived in Sachsan during the erection of the wall. Today, this is one of the new German states. Anyway, before the wall was even built, many people perceived that this would happen and they essentially fled to West Berlin."

"Woah, wicked," Patrick commented. "You mean people actually ran from the Eastern German government?"

"Yes, and a number of people died in their attempts. It has only come out recently on the television that a number of people risked their very lives to escape from the tyranny of the GDR's system of government. I have heard stories of people who could not even fly an airplane who would steal a plane and try to take their family over the North Sea and reach Helsinki or Scandinavia. Some people tried with surfboards, and some would just swim," Renate said as the bus pulled to the final stop and they disembarked.

Down a street and around a corner, Renate reached a large house with a tastefully decorated garden. She rang the bell and smiled when an older woman answered the door, her bright green eyes meeting those of Renate and her American friends.

"Hallo," the woman's thick German accent erupted through the group. "My name is Roswitha Müller, I am Renate's mother."

"Hello," Christina said with a smile.

"Mom, this is Christina Lowery and her family," Renate said. "That's her husband, Jeremy, and the twins are Denise and Dawn, this is Patrick, and of course, you've heard all about Laura."

"Yes, yes, I have seen photos of all of you, welcome, but who is this young man, I don't believe we've met or heard anything about you?" Roswitha said with a cordial smile.

"Oh, Mom, this is Andrew, he's a friend of ours, too. I met him when I was working in the States."

Roswitha smiled, and brushed her hand through her now graying hair. "Yes, yes, of course, please, come inside, we're more than happy to accommodate you."

"Danke," Andrew broke his silence and smiled warmly at the woman. Upon making eye contact with her, he couldn't help but feel connected to her as she reminded him a little bit of Tess, though definitely not in appearance, but rather in her warmth and motherly personality.

The middle-aged woman was short, heavy-set, with gray curly hair. Her green eyes were the same as her daughter's and she carried a warmth about her that made even the most stringent of people relax. She wore around her neck a pendant with a cross, signifying that the family were people of the Christian faith, but the wisdom that lurked in her expression was one of such intense love that Andrew could only smile and understand fully the close-knit family that emanated through the compassionate daughter they had brought up.

"Please, come inside," Roswitha repeated her words and waved the entire group inside and the door was closed behind them. "Friedrich, Schatz, sie sind endlich hier."

"What did she just say?" Christina whispered to Laura as Roswitha left the room for a moment.

"I think she said that we're here," Laura said softly once she had consulted her dictionary.

"Yes, that's right," Renate said smiling at them, "my parents have been looking forward to your visit for a very long time, so she wanted to get my father in here to say hello before we have Abendessen, uh, I mean dinner. My father speaks only a little English, so I am hopeful that you would be able to help with translations, Andrew."

The angel smiled and nodded as an older man hobbled out into the room, his body weight leaning heavily on a cane. "Guten Abend, Freunde!" (Good evening, friends) he called out.

"Guten Abend, Herr Müller," Andrew said nodding in the direction of the man and offering him a warm smile.

"Ach gut, Sie können deutsch sprechen," (Good, you can speak German) he smiled, his dimples showing, and his deep blue eyes sparkling. "You understand, my English is bad," Friedrich said, trying all the while to formulate his English words carefully. "I do speak English, but only little bit." As he spoke he held his thumb and index finger up so that they could see what he was meaning. After a few minutes, he looked at Andrew. "You translate, yes?"

"Of course," came the soft answer.

"Ich bin der Friedrich," Renate's father began by introducing himself. "Herr Müller war mein Vater; I mean, Mister Müller was my father. You understand me, young man?"

Andrew smiled, "Ja ich verstehe." (Yes, I understand)

"Gut, gut, jetzt es ist Zeit zum Essen." He held his hand up and pantomimed the action of eating. The others nodded and they followed the head of this family into a rather large dining room. They looked around and the smells of cheeses and baked breads and rolls welcomed them as they all of them sat down around a large table. On the table were cold cuts, varieties of cheeses as well as cakes, rolls, juices, and coffee.

Andrew sat down between Laura and Friedrich. "Darf ich duzen?" (Literally, Andrew has asked if he may address Friedrich with the informal German 'you', rather than addressing him formally.)

"Natürlich," Friedrich answered smiling as the rest of the family sat down at the table.

"We are not a formal family, Andrew," Roswitha said simply. "We accept you into our home as a friend and we do not wish for it to appear as though you are strangers," she tried to explain as she sat down at the table. Her smile was warm as she reached for the hands of the two people seated next to her, one of them being Christina the other being Denise.

The twelve-year-old girl looked at her somewhat confused, but eventually she offered her hand across the table to Renate's mother and with her other, she took Dawn's hand.

"Dear God," Renate began to speak in English as they bowed their heads. "Thank you for the gift of friends, the food that is provided before us, and the blessings which abound."

As soon as the prayer was spoken, each person squeezed the hand of their neighbor, released them, and they began to eat.

*****

The following morning, Patrick woke up early and pulled up the blind to look out the window as the sun rose and he looked around the room for a clock to see what time it was. When he noticed that it was half past seven, he returned to the bed and lay down and continued to watch the sunrise. He looked over and could see that on the bed on the other side of the room, Andrew was laying in bed with his eyes closed and his arms cradling his head. The angel looked so relaxed, Patrick thought to himself, but instead of smiling, he noticed that his breathing felt heavier and once again he crawled out of bed, walked out of the room and down the hall towards the bathroom.

By this time, Andrew had opened his eyes, crawled out of bed, and followed the teenager out of the room.

In the hallway, Patrick stopped walking and leaned up against the wall all the while trying to catch his breath. When he looked up, he could see that Friedrich had come out of his room and was coming towards him in the opposite direction.

"Patrick, you OK?" The older German man asked softly, thus causing Patrick to glance up at him once he had heard the gentle voice of their host.

"Yeah, I mean, yes," the boy stammered.

"I am adoctor," Friedrich said gently, his English still somewhat broken, but he looked at the teenager hoping that the boy could understand his words. "I can help."

"I'm sick," Patrick said softly, the fear evident in is eyes.

The old man nodded. "I know." He pointed to the teenager's eyes and when he looked up he could see Andrew was now standing in the hallway. "Andrew, der Junge ist Krank."

Andrew nodded and looked at the teenager. "Patrick, Friedrich knows that you're sick, and he wants to help you, so you need to tell us exactly what's wrong. OK?"

The boy nodded and looked up at his host. "I can't breathe, and I feel really sick."

Andrew translated and Friedrich nodded and said something to Andrew, after a few moments the angel nodded and replied.

"Andrew, what's wrong with me?" Patrick asked.

"I don't know yet," he replied as he shook his head sadly. "Let me get Christina and Jeremy, and we will take you to the hospital. Don't be afraid, Patrick, you're not alone, you're never alone." He stood up slowly and went to knock on Christina and Jeremy's door.

When Christina opened it, she looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Patrick is very sick, Christina, we have to get him to a hospital," Andrew said gently.

"Is it time?" She asked weakly as the color faded from her tired face.

"I don't know, but Friedrich is with him," Andrew said, and when he heard Friedrich speaking out in the hallway, the angel nodded and looked down at his worried friend. "Christina, Friedrich said that it looks as though Patrick is showing the signs of a latent form of pneumonia."

"No," Christina whispered softly.

Andrew took the hand of his friend and squeezed it reassuringly. "My friend, try not to worry, put this in God's hands, OK?" Once she nodded he smiled gently at her. "I'm going back to Patrick now, you two might want to get dressed and then Friedrich can call an ambulance and help us get Patrick to the hospital."

"This was a mistake, coming here, wasn't it, Andrew?" Jeremy whispered from behind Christina.

"No Jeremy, Patrick would have gotten sick regardless of what had happened," the angel said gently. "Now, try and calm down, I'm going back to sit with him. Patrick is afraid right now, he doesn't speak the language here, but I'm going to make sure that he knows he is in good hands and that he will understand everything that happens."

Jeremy nodded and went back inside their room. Seconds later, Christina joined him and the door closed. Andrew returned to Friedrich and Patrick and crouched down beside the teenager.

"It's not time yet, is it?" Patrick asked weakly looking at Andrew once he had sat down on the floor next to him.

Andrew shook his head slowly. "No, Pat, it's not, if it was, then I would have known, but the next few days are going to be very hard. You're not afraid are you?"

"A little," the boy admitted with shame evident in his green eyes.

Andrew noticing this reached over and took the boy's cold but sweaty hand in his. "You know something, if people weren't just a little afraid, then I would be out of a job."

Patrick smiled weakly. "You won't leave, will you? I mean, you're going to stay with me?"

"I promise, I'll be right here with you, through everything," Andrew smiled reassuringly at him.

Patrick nodded but after some time had passed he looked at Andrew. "There's just so much that I want to do before I die," Patrick said. "Andrew, will you help make these things happen? Will you help make it possible for me to start taking flying lessons as soon as we get home?"

The angel, sensing the finality in the boy's voice could only nod. "I'll do everything I can to help make your dream come true."

Friedrich could only stand in the hallway and listen to this exchange in complete surprise. Although, he could not speak the best English, he could certainly understand many of the words exchanged between Andrew and the teenager and this surprised him.

After a few moments, he looked at Andrew and shook his head sadly. "Wie könntest du solche Versprechungen zu den Jungen geben?" (How can you make such promises to this boy?)

Andrew did not answer, he simply looked up and when his compassionate green eyes met those of Friedrich, somehow the older man knew the truth and his words died on his lips. For his part, Andrew continued to stroke the cheek of the ailing boy until the ambulance arrived.

*****

The hospital was relatively empty when Christina and Jeremy arrived with Renate and Laura. The twins decided to remain at the house with Roswitha as their jetlag was still present and Christina had worried if they would be able to deal with their first full day in Europe by sitting around a hospital waiting room. Roswitha had promised to take the girls to the zoo and they had been excited about the trip.

Patrick had already been taken into an examination room and Andrew was acting as translator between the frightened young boy and the doctors who were treating him.

Renate was now sitting in the waiting room with them, and she sighed deeply as Christina was pacing through the room, the young woman finally giving up on trying to get her friend's mother to calm down. "He's in good hands, Christina," she offered weakly for what seemed to be the twentieth time, but she knew that Christina's thoughts must have been literally racing. She continued to watch the couple's anxious mannerisms.

"Jeremy, we shouldn't have come," Christina said softly, the guilt overwhelming her, but neither she nor Jeremy could see the utter devastation on their eldest child's face. Instead of speaking to Laura, she continued, her voice filled with sadness. "Something told me that Patrick couldn't have handled this trip."

"I've had this feeling since Andrew showed up," Jeremy said softly.

Laura, upon hearing those words looked at her parents. "I need some fresh air, I'll be back later." With that, she walked out of the room leaving them alone, her head down as she walked.

Once she was gone, Renate walked over to where Jeremy and Christina were sitting. "I think Laura's in love with Andrew," Renate whispered under her breath, thus causing Jeremy to look up abruptly.

"What do you mean?" He asked as though she had taken a bucket of cold water and dashed it over his head. "Do you think he showed up here to resolve something with my daughter?"

Renate nodded. "Something has been happening with Laura, Jeremy. I didn't mention it earlier at the house because I didn't want to embarrass Laura, and I ask that you please not say anything to her about this, but I think that she loves Andrew and is going through something really difficult right now. I mean; maybe I'm off track but I think everyone has been so concerned with Patrick that we have forgotten that Laura has been dealing with things that she has no control over."

"What should we do?" Jeremy asked.

"There's not a lot we can do, but Andrew already knows what's happening," Christina said softly. "He and I talked about it on the plane when Laura was sleeping."

"I guess we have been ignoring her needs as of lately, but how can we keep focusing on her when we have a little boy who is very sick?" Jeremy asked weakly.

Renate reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Maybe you should try and make the best of Patrick's time and not focus so much energy on his illness. I don't think he is very fond of people making a big deal about him anyway."

Christina nodded. "I guess that's what we've been doing."

"Yes, baby, you have, and now with not a lot of time left, God has sent you a little back-up," a familiar voice boomed and she looked up to see that Tess was standing in the hallway.

"Tess?"

The angel smiled. "Hello, Christina," she said and turned around. "Miss Wings, are you coming?"

Monica approached, in her hand she carried a German-English dictionary in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other.

Jeremy smiled weakly as Monica placed the cup and small book on the table in the waiting room. Once she had completed the task, she sat down in a vacant seat and smiled warmly at Renate.

"I remember you guys, you were at the hospital when Chuck Hudson died," she said softly.

"That's right," Tess replied. "How are you doing, Renate?"

"Pretty good, considering…" her voice trailed off and she smiled weakly as another dark headed woman with glasses entered the room. "I cannot believe everything that's going on, I mean, I'm supposed to be strong, but there's no way I can be completely in control here."

"No, honey, God is the only one who is in control," Tess scolded her gently and when she turned around and her eyes met those of the dark-headed woman who was picking up magazines from off the waiting room table, she smiled broadly as she went over and took the woman's hand, thus drawing her towards them. "There's someone I want you all to meet, this is Gloria."

"Another angel?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes," Monica said smiling. "Gloria, these are some of our friends, Christina, and Jeremy, and Renate."

The dark headed angel smiled somewhat shyly and began to take in her new surroundings.

"Does she speak?" Christina whispered to Tess.

"Yes, she does, but she's starting to learn about human emotions and a lot of the things she sees are perceived as being completely new," Tess said.

Jeremy looked at Gloria as she was looking through a magazine on modern art. "I need to do something," he muttered and went over to where Gloria was now sitting and he touched her shoulder, thus causing her to look up. "Gloria, would you look up, I'm going to sketch your profile."

When she did not understand him fully, he reached over and took her chin in his hand, thus positioning it so that he could begin drawing the sketch of the young angel's face. Once he had done that, he seated himself comfortably in front of her, and he began to draw her likeness in a large brown colored notebook. "It must be very strange for you to be here, huh?" He asked as his pencil practically flew over the page.

"Yes," came her soft reply. "It is strange, but also interesting. But what are you doing exactly?"

Christina came over and looked down at her husband's drawing. "Don't mind him, Gloria, this is what Jeremy does when he's worried or upset. He tries to block things out by drawing pictures of people. He has about 30 drawings of me, I guess he needed a new subject." She smiled weakly. "You know, he works for the police, he draws composites of criminals for a living."

"Yes, honey, but this lovely angel is hardly a criminal," Jeremy said and winked.

Monica and Renate both began to giggle somewhat, but Tess eventually cleared her throat and looked at them earnestly. "Babies, we have a serious situation we need to discuss."

Christina nodded numbly as she released a pent up sigh. "I know, Tess, but this isn't exactly something that we are wanting to face."

The wise angel came over to Christina and put her comforting arms around the woman. "Baby, you knew from the start that God would be calling Patrick home, and I know that taking him as your son was a decision that you both made, but now this little boy is getting ready to go, and you and Jeremy are going to have to find the strength to let go when the time does come, and honey, it is coming very quickly."

Christina could feel the tears beginning to stream down her face and she sat down on the sofa next to where Gloria was sitting. Tess came over and sat down next to her while Monica and Renate excused themselves and went down the hall towards the cafeteria.

"I'm trying really hard not to forget that, Tess, but it's so hard when you love someone. It's hard to face the fact that we have to say good-bye," Christina said softly.

"Christina, we all know this," Tess said as she rested a gentle hand on the woman's shoulder. "We know that you are not happy about facing the possibility of saying good-bye to that little boy."

"You're right, I'm not feeling exceedingly well right now about it," Christina said softly.

"None of us are," Jeremy said sadly as he put the sketchbook to one side and took his wife in his arms. "I know we're going to lose him, now."

"Not yet," Tess said softly. "Patrick still has a few wishes to fulfill before Andrew takes him home. Christina, I know this is hard for you, but you and Jeremy have the ability to help make his dreams come true."

"What dreams?" Jeremy asked.

"His main dream is to learn to fly," Tess said softly. "He also wants to see Paris and go to Disneyland."

"How can he learn to fly?" Christina asked as Renate and Monica returned to the waiting room. As she heard Christina's question, Monica nudged her, and she smiled weakly.

"Actually, my brother, Jens, has a pilot's license," Renate said. "He lives just south of Stuttgart, and he has a big house too and can probably put everyone up for a few nights. He's a flight instructor and can probably help Patrick learn to fly a little."

"You mean we take Patrick to Stuttgart when he gets out of here, and then go to Paris?" Jeremy asked.

"Hey, we can do it," Christina said softly. "We've got a lot of back-up now."

Tess and Monica chuckled softly, and after a few minutes had passed, they knew what it was they had to do.

*****

Laura made her way outside and looked around. The sky was so blue and inviting, the warm summer sun was beating down on her as she walked slowly in the direction of a park. As she reached a clearing, she could see a canal at one end of a large open area. All around her, she could see people coming and going, walking through the large shopping district. She took a deep breath and walked towards where an artist was doing chalk drawings on the sidewalk.

She watched him for some time, his long blonde hair tied back with a rubber band, his hands periodically brushing it away from his eyes. She approached the artist's back and watched as he continued to work on his artwork, a small basket next to where he was working and she watched as people walked by and dropped silver colored coins inside it.

As soon as she reached the side of the drawing, she sat down on the ground and watched as the young artist continued to work, the hues of blues, whites and beiges bringing out pictures of angels as they flew from cloud to cloud.

Laura could feel the tears beginning to brim from beneath her eyes, but she wiped them away before they could fall down over her face. "This is beautiful."

The artist looked up. "Thank you."

"You speak English?"

The young man nodded. "Yes, many people here in this city do."

"You're very talented," she said softly as she reached down to touch the chalk drawing, but he had reached over and taken her hand in his, thus preventing her from touching the work.

"No, please don't touch it," he implored her. "It is my way of earning money, and if it is touched, then it will be ruined."

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know that," Laura said.

"It's OK," he smiled at her as though he liked what he saw, and when his deep-set hazel eyes met her own, she returned the gesture.

"May I watch you draw?" She asked softly.

"It is rather boring," he said. "But, I kind of like having the company."

Laura smiled slightly, but her eyes were still filled with sadness as she watched him draw on the sidewalk.

After some time had passed, she looked up and could see three rough looking boys approaching where the artist was still hard at work on his drawing.

They began to shout at him, their German voices erupting the comforting stillness of the Berlin morning. Laura looked up and could see that they were confronting the young artist, and after some time had passed, they had pushed him and had started to crush the chalk he worked with. The artist glanced over and could see that Laura was still seated on the ground nearby, and instead of speaking to her, he waved her away and she realized that he was worried that she might somehow get entangled in this scuffle.

She nodded and stood up, this time running away from them. When she turned around, she could see that the artist was now alone, his work ruined, his head down, and she could feel the tears springing to her eyes as she looked down at the unrelenting red markings smeared across the angels he had so painstakingly drawn. As she stood there for a moment looking at him, she realized that she felt the exact same emotion of sadness enveloping her that he too must be feeling.

As she made her way slowly into the shopping center, she found herself still thinking about the young artist she had seen, and how heartbreaking it was to see that his work had been callously destroyed.

Making her way, she found an arts and crafts store, and bought a package of chalk and when she came out of the store, she made her way in the direction of where he had been sitting. When she reached it, she could still see that he was sitting on the ground looking down at his work. She came closer to him and offered a warm smile.

"Hi," she said softly causing him to look up at her.

"Are you OK?" He asked weakly. "They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, I'm fine, but what about you?"

He looked down at the basket that was placed by his artwork. "There's enough here for me to buy something to eat. Praise God for that."

"I found this for you just awhile ago," she said softly as she sat down on the ground next to him. "I thought it might help fix your work."

"I don't want charity," he said softly.

Laura nodded. "I know what you mean, I don't want people feeling sorry for me either. Maybe you can accept this as a gift, from an admirer of your work."

"What's your name?"

"Laura Lowery," she said softly.

"My name is Sebastian Jenson," he said and offered her his hand. "I thank you for your kindness, Laura."

She smiled weakly as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Do you always draw here?"

"Yes," he smiled weakly.

"Maybe I can come see you again sometime before I go home," she said softly.

"I think I would like that," he smiled weakly at her. Once she was gone, he looked down at the package of chalk she had given him.

"She needs a friend, Sebastian," a voice emerged and he looked up.

"Hi Adam," he smiled weakly at the angel who was now standing next to him. "You know her?"

"She's a good friend of mine," Adam said softly. "I've known her since she was a little girl."

"She's very caring," Sebastian said softly.

"That she is," Adam confirmed, his smile warm. "As are you."

When the young man looked up to object, the angel had disappeared.

*****

Patrick was released from the hospital a week later, and as he greeted his two little sisters, he smiled at them and ruffled their strawberry blonde curls. "You guys start crying and I'm going right back inside."

Everyone laughed, and Christina smiled at her adopted son. "You want to know what we're going to do tomorrow?"

"I have no idea, but I'm hoping that today we can have some lunch, that food in there was horrible," Patrick said and looked around. When he saw Tess, Monica, and Gloria in the group, he looked back at Andrew. "You have any idea why your cohorts in mischief are here, Andrew?"

"No, Pat, I haven't a clue, but I'm certain when they're ready, they'll tell us," Andrew said smiling at him.

"Baby, we came to introduce Gloria to everyone," Tess said.

Laura stood off to one side feeling all the more lost in the shuffle and when she looked up, she could see that Gloria was looking at her somewhat puzzled. After a few moments, the young angel came over to the teenager and smiled weakly.

"What's wrong?" Gloria asked.

"Nothing," came the answer but she started to walk towards the subway entrance. "Renate, I'll meet you guys later, OK? I'm going to take in some sights before we leave, I hope that's OK."

The young German woman nodded as they started to walk towards the parking lot where the cars were parked.

"Where is Laura going?" Andrew looked at her.

"I don't really know," Renate said.

"Angel Boy, for some reason, I don't like this," Tess said softly. "You'd better follow her."

Andrew nodded and started to follow Laura. When he looked back for a moment, his eyes met those of Christina and he smiled reassuringly at her.

He walked towards the entrance, and as he descended the stairs, he heard someone scream and he took off, running down the escalator and into the underground. As he ran, he could see that Laura had disappeared in the crowd, but an old man was now lying on the ground, his wife beside him, and she was frantically screaming for help as Andrew quickly approached.

The woman was trying to hold her husband in her arms, and when Andrew reached them, he looked down and could see that he was dressed in a dove gray suit and tie. He crouched down next to the man and was flooded with information about him. He sighed sadly as he saw the extent of love that was evident in the eyes of the man's wife.

As he began to whisper to the man, he did not see that Laura had emerged from the subway and was standing and watching as Andrew took the hand of the man. Seconds later, she backed away, and could feel the tears streaming down her face as she disappeared in the crowd, but not before he saw her retreating back.

*****

When Laura reached the stop for one of Berlin's largest parks, which was not too far away from the clinic, and the same place where she had first met the young artist named Sebastian, she managed to smile weakly.

Laura exited the subway and walked slowly towards the stairs leading up and out into the bright Berlin summer sunshine. She carried a small foldout map in her hands, and she walked slowly, her eyes constantly on the map rather than on the street in front of her.

"Entschudigung." She heard a voice and looked up to see the young blonde headed artist with those bright hazel eyes was staring at her, a bemused expression in his face.

Laura looked down and realized that she was standing in the middle of Sebastian's chalk drawing, and she quickly jumped off of it and looked down at it. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It's OK, Laura, it's nice to see you again," the young man said as he brushed his chalk-covered hands together and eventually rubbed them on his jeans.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful as this," Laura said more to herself than to him.

"I have a hard time believing that," he said smiling at her.

"No, it's true, I mean; we don't have things like this in America, at least not in any of the places I have been," Laura said softly.

"You know, it has always been a dream of mine to visit America," Sebastian offered.

"Really?"

"Mm-hum," he nodded.

"I think it's nice here, though," she said, her voice bordering on sadness, but after a few moments, she could feel his hand on her shoulder. She suddenly realized that he had stood up and come over to where she was standing.

"You're sad, yes?" He asked.

"My little brother is very sick, he just got out of the hospital, but I needed some time to myself," she said softly wondering all the while what made her want to tell him all of this.

Sebastian reached down, took the basket from off the ground, and dumped the contents into her hand.

"Why do you do this?" She asked noticing that he had holes in the knees of his jeans, and the start of a beard on his face.

"You buy a present for your brother, Laura. When you give of yourself to another, then you have served God in the best way possible," Sebastian pulled on a golden chain that hung around his neck, on the end was a small golden cross. "You mustn't be sad, for God always has a plan, you just don't know what it is yet."

"But, what about you?" She asked weakly. "I mean, you need to eat, too." As she spoke, Andrew came out of the subway and began to walk towards them.

"I will be OK," he said softly. "I make good money on my drawings."

"You must as they are so lovely," she whispered sadly.

"Geh im Frieden," Sebastian said softly as he reached over and touched her face with the side of his hand. "Go in peace, my friend."

Laura could feel the tears streaming down her face as the young man turned away from her. She looked down at the money that was now in her hand, and she could feel the tears rolling down her face. As she stared at it, she could feel the sadness envelope her and she sank to the ground and looked at the vase of roses that Sebastian had drawn on the sidewalk. "Oh, Father help me find some peace in all of this."

Andrew stood there and listened.

"I love him, but I know it's wrong, so wrong," Laura whispered as the tears washed over her face. "God, Andrew has always been there for me and he helped me. He gave me a reason to love who I am and he always took away the pain from my childhood." Laura's words were muffled with the tears as they streamed from beneath her eyes. "Then I saw today what he did for that old man…" Her voice trailed off as she turned around and could see that the angel was now standing behind her. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to look away, but he came over and sat down on the ground next to her.

Without saying anything he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently. She said nothing, but his actions caused her to slowly turn around and look at him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here," she finally whispered as she stared down at Sebastian's artwork on the ground in front of her. "I thought you'd be with Patrick, he needs you."

"I know," Andrew said gently, but after a few seconds had passed, he glanced over and could see that she still sat there on the ground with her head down. "Laura, look at me."

She found herself unable to do so and eventually she felt his hand tipping her face up so that she would be looking at him. "Andrew, I'm really trying to cope with this."

"I know you are," he smiled gently at her. "You've been coming here for the past week, haven't you? You've been coming to visit this young artist."

"Somehow I relate to him," she said shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders. "Anyway, I'm trying to make some kind of sense of all this."

"I know you are, Laura," he said softly. "You're talking to the One who can give you the peace you need. I am under the impression that you have been trying to do so during these past few days "

"I guess He doesn't answer immediately," she whispered softly shrugging her shoulders once again.

"Be patient," he smiled. "You never know when the answer is going to come and present itself to you. It could be in the next song you hear, the next book you read, or the next movie you watch. God's answers are all around you, sweetheart, if you, but, listen."

Laura shook her head. "I feel like such a fool."

"You're not a fool, my friend. I know that you're in so much pain right now, and I wish I could help you with that, but I know this is something that you're going to have to do on your own. I know that hurts to hear this, but it's the truth and I think me being here is also painful for you. That is why I said on the plane that I would have left if you had wanted me to. I wouldn't ever want to hurt you, but this was a truth I could not give you, Laura, it was a truth you needed to find."

"I hope you don't go," she whispered softly, but after a few moments she looked at him. "They all know about how I feel, don't they?"

"Yes, I think they do, but nobody thinks you're crazy, you're a young and very pretty girl, Laura. Right now you think that everything is ending, because it ended with Billy, but I can tell you, things aren't ending; they are just changing, as they always will do," Andrew said softly. When he looked at her, he could see the tears still streaming from beneath her eyes and when she finally looked at him, she could see the familiar love and compassion that was always prevalent in his eyes.

"But, it hurts, Andrew, it hurts so much," she shivered slightly in the cool breeze.

Andrew put his arms around her and held her in his embrace. "I know."

Laura could feel the tears in her eyes, but she allowed him to hold her, and after a few moments, she looked up at him. "That artist was so nice to me," she began as she looked back down at the chalk drawing that adorned the sidewalk. "I guess that's why I kept coming back here to see him."

"Yes, and I saw how kind he was to you," Andrew said.

"He's homeless, isn't he?"

Andrew nodded. "Yes, he is."

"I guess I'm destined to always be attracted to the wrong people," she said softly, allowing her true feelings to finally emerge.

"Laura, if you like Sebastian, than go to him. He really does need a friend, the same as you," Andrew said softly.

"Is something going to happen to him?"

"Something already has," Andrew said sadly. "He's lost his entire family."

"But he has so much faith?" She looked down at the coins she held in her hand. As Andrew nodded, Laura shook her head in profound disbelief. "He gave me all that he had, Andrew."

"Because he believes that God will provide for him when he needs something," Andrew said. "You must use that money to do what he has requested of you."

"I know, and I will, but will I ever see him again?" Laura asked. "I have to leave tomorrow with the others to go to Stuttgart. Andrew, do you think that maybe…" her voice trailed off, and she looked in the direction of where the young man had gone.

"You must ask him," Andrew said.

"But, this is his home," Laura whispered.

"No, the world is his home," the angel said gently.

"You know him?"

"Yes, I do," Andrew said.

"How?"

"He nearly died three years ago, Adam and I were sent to be with him and his family then and whether you believe it or not, you were meant to meet him, there is no question," he smiled gently.

"Will he remember you?" Laura asked.

"Maybe," Andrew said softly and nudged her, thus causing her to look up and she could see that Sebastian was now walking in the direction of where she was still sitting on the ground looking at the drawing he had done.

"Sebastian," Laura called his name and the boy glanced over to see that she was still seated on the ground, and he came over to where she was sitting.

"Ja?" He asked, answering her call in German.

"Would you like to show me your beautiful city?" Laura asked.

"You have a map," he said softly and Laura realized that he probably could not see Andrew seated on the ground next to her.

"I know, but I…" her voice trailed and she shrugged her shoulders as he looked over at her. "I guess, I could use a friend right now."

"What is it? You come all the way to Europe and you look so sad," Sebastian whispered as he reached over and brushed a stray tear from her eyes. "You know, life is not always hard, it only seems that way, because you cannot see the light that beckons you from another road."

"How old are you, you seem so wise?" She whispered.

"I just turned 20," Sebastian said softly.

"Have you always lived in Berlin?" Laura asked.

"No, I grew up in Lübeck," he said softly. "My family lived there for many years."

"How did you end up here?"

Sebastian shrugged his shoulders and offered a hand to her to help her off the sidewalk. Once they were on their feet, he smiled cordially at her, but the expression was weak and filled with uncertainty. "Three years ago, my family all died in a fire, I was the only one left."

"I'm sorry," Laura said softly.

"It's OK," he smiled weakly as he tried to wipe some of the grime from off his face. Laura finally reached inside her pocket and pulled a small handkerchief and handed it to him. "You have a good heart, Laura."

"I don't know about that," she shook her head.

"Why don't you believe me?" He asked and looked at Andrew. "Just ask your friend here. You see it in her, do you not?"

"You see him?" She asked weakly.

"Uh-yeah," Sebastian smiled and looked at Andrew. "I remember you."

"Yes, Sebastian, I was there with you after you escaped from the fire," Andrew said softly.

"You're an angel, like Adam," Sebastian said softly, but he nodded as though he understood what the angel had just said. After a few moments, he looked from Laura to Andrew once again. "You are friends?"

"Yes, Laura is a very special friend of mine, she and her family have been very dear friends of mine since her mother was a little girl," Andrew said smiling fondly at his friend.

"I see, but you never answered my question, though. You do see the goodness in Laura, yes?"

"Yes, I do," Andrew said smiling.

Laura started to walk away, but Sebastian reached out and took her hand. "I will show you around, Laura, if you don't feel embarrassed being seen with me."

"No, I don't," she said softly. "Why would I feel embarrassed to be seen with you?"

"Look at me," he answered.

"I see more than just your appearance, Sebastian, I see an artist who is so talented, and someone who is kind and generous. You gave me all that you had because I was sad."

"That's nothing," he said weakly.

"No, it is more than just nothing," Laura said as she felt tears in her eyes. "If you only knew how I have been feeling lately, you wouldn't think it was nothing."

Andrew looked at the two of them and smiled weakly at them, but when Sebastian looked at him, he offered the young man a weak nod.

*****

As the evening sun sank behind the trees, Andrew, Laura, and Sebastian arrived at the home of Renate's parents.

Once Andrew had gone inside, Laura looked at Sebastian, her eyes still filled with sadness, but she smiled weakly at her new friend as the two of them sat on the sidewalk in front of the house. "Where are you going to go?"

"I have a room at the youth shelter," he said softly.

Laura looked around the place where they were sitting, she could feel the breeze blowing against her skin and she shivered slightly.

"You should go inside if you're cold," he said softly.

"I don't want to, I'd rather stay out here," she sighed deeply.

"Then take this," he offered as he inched out of his faded green jacket and offered it to her.

"No, it's OK," she said softly. "I don't want you to be cold."

"I'm fine, I grew up near the seaside, and would spend countless days there, watching the ships docking and eating marzipan. You know, Lübeck has a large factory that makes this, and it is very good, the best in all of Germany." As he spoke, he took the jacket and put it over her shoulders and she found herself putting it on, the arms of the jacket being much longer than her arms, but she did not seem to mind it, in fact, it seemed to warm her cold hands.

"I remember, when we bought Patrick's chocolate, we bought some and you let me try it," Laura smiled weakly. "I think it's an acquired taste though."

"Yes, I have heard many people say the same," he said smiling at her.

"Sebastian, did you ever just want to run away?" Laura asked after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"I did, after my parents died," he said softly.

"Why?"

"It wasn't worth it anymore for me to stay there, too many painful memories were there," he said honestly. "My parents had money, Laura, but it was never my thing, so after everything was done, I donated the money to a charity, and left to come here. I had a good life there, and I don't regret what I did…"

"But?"

"People here see me as another homeless man, but you," he shook his head sadly. "You see me as being something special."

"You are," she said softly. "Lately, I have felt forgotten. I mean; I feel lost in everything that has been going on, forgotten by my family, forgotten that I am someone special. You know, I just graduated from high school, I had a boyfriend, but he would beat me up, and he treated me terribly. I thought I would one day marry him, that he would love me if I changed, but the more I tried to be that picture of what he wanted, the more things fell apart. Then I come here, and I met you, and you showed me that people are internally good, that they are kind, compassionate, and beautiful. Those things I keep believing had died in me."

As she spoke, she could feel the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks once again, and Sebastian smiled gently at her as he reached over and with his thumbs, he wiped the moisture away. "Laura, you are beautiful," he said gently and leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Laura began to cry as she heard his words. "I never believed it."

"It's true, more true than anything else I could say," he smiled gently at her and nodded as the door opened and Jeremy stepped outside.

"Laura, are you out here?" Jeremy called out to her.

"Yes, I'm right here, Daddy," she said softly, her voice still cracking from the emotions she was under.

"Go to him," Sebastian said softly. "It's OK, I must go now."

"Please don't," Laura whispered.

Jeremy came down the walk until he reached the small iron gate in front of the house. As soon as he saw Sebastian he stopped short. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" His voice emerged somewhere between sarcasm and over-protectiveness.

Sebastian stood up, and offered his hand to Laura. Once she was on her feet, she pulled his jacket off and handed it to him. The young man turned to go, and Jeremy reached out and rested his hand on the youth's shoulder.

"Wait, my question wasn't meant as a hint for you to go, but I would like to know who you are," Jeremy said softly.

"My name is Sebastian Jensen, and I met your daughter about a week ago at the park, she had gone there to think and today I showed her and Andrew around Berlin," he said.

Jeremy nodded and smiled weakly. "I see, well, I suppose you probably need to get home, and Laura needs to go to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow. I don't know if she told you, but we're leaving for Stuttgart."

"I wish you a pleasant journey," Sebastian said softly as he put the jacket back on and walked slowly away from them.

Once he disappeared around a corner, Laura looked at her father and sighed deeply. "You're not mad at me, are you?" Laura finally managed to ask.

"No, Andrew explained everything," Jeremy said softly. "Laura, are you OK?"

"Sure, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked weakly.

Jeremy looked at her. "I know that you have feelings for Andrew, and I do understand that he's quite an attractive fellow. But, Laura…"

"Who told you?" She asked weakly.

"Nobody told me, honey, it's as plain as the nose on my face that you have feelings for him," Jeremy said gently and smiled weakly at her. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry that we seemed to have ignored you these past few days. I mean, we've really been caught up with everything going on with Patrick."

"You didn't…" she objected but her voice trailed when her father interrupted her, thus cutting her off.

"Yes, we did. Tess, Monica, and Gloria came back just at the right time, to let us know what we have been doing, and though it is hard, they have been helping us deal with the inevitable. Patrick is going to die, and I think very soon. We're running out of time, Laura."

"Is that what Tess and Monica told you?" Laura asked.

"Not directly, but I see him losing ground every day. I don't think he will make it through the summer, and we have to do what we can, honey, we have to make this the greatest adventure of his life."

"I know, Daddy, that's why I didn't tell you about what had happened with Billy, it was so hard," she began, but the tears spilled down over her face. "He had started doing drugs, and he was getting into gangs and stuff. It scared me, but then right before prom, he ditched me. I didn't tell you and Mom about it because I was scared."

"You should have told us."

"I know, Andrew told me the same thing, and then I started feeling those feelings for him, and I couldn't stop myself. I'm so ashamed, Daddy," she whimpered as she collapsed against her father's strong chest. "I wanted Andrew to see me as being special, but then I saw what happened at the subway today, and I knew that Andrew saw all people as being special, and that reminded me of the fact that I would just be another person to him."

"Laura, he does love you, but in his way," Jeremy said. "You remember when you were just a little girl, and how Andrew was the only one you trusted, and he was there for you. Your mother remembers the conversations you shared with her about Andrew and she knew that you felt that way, because she once did too. Christina loves Andrew as much as she loves me, but the love she has for me is different, and one day you'll meet someone who will brighten your days and illuminate your nights. That will be the day, honey, when you will truly know in the deepest recesses of your heart what love truly is."

"I know what love is, Daddy, I died once, remember, I was held by God, and then I came back here and kept getting hurt by people like Billy," Laura said softly. "A week ago, I met Sebastian, and something clicked."

"Love at first sight?" Jeremy asked.

"I don't know, I just know that he makes me feel special and beautiful. But while we were walking around town, people would stare at him, and though he didn't say anything about it, I think it hurt him," Laura said softly.

"Tell me about Sebastian," Jeremy said softly.

"He's a very good artist, I think you have that in common with him," Laura said softly. "He lost his family, that's why he lives on the streets, but he has really strong faith, and Andrew knows him from some time ago when he had been sent to his family."

As they spoke, Christina came outside and joined them. "Hey, Roswitha wants me to let you guys know that dinner is on the table." When she saw the tears in her eldest child's eyes, she sat down on the ground next to Laura. "What's going on?"

"We're just catching up on what's been going on," Jeremy said smiling.

Christina nodded. "You know, now that you mention it, I thought you'd be angry with me for not being there for you as of lately."

"I'm not, Mom, I love you and Daddy so much," Laura said softly. "I knew that you guys were worried about Patrick, I just didn't want to get in the way."

"You're not in the way, honey," Christina said softly as she ruffled Laura's hair.

Laura nodded and for some reason, she remembered the conversation she had shared with Andrew on the plane and she sighing deeply, she looked into Christina's loving eyes. "Mom, did Lindsey tell you that I had to borrow the money from her to get my prom gown?" Laura asked weakly.

"Yes, she told me, but don't be angry with her. I think she told me because she knew that we've all been so worried about you," Christina said softly. "In fact, I gave her back the money, so you don't have to give it to her when you see her, OK?"

"The prom wasn't what I thought it would be," Laura mused.

"I can relate, the prom I attended wasn't all that hot either," Christina said softly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you'll have to ask Andrew to tell you all about it sometime," Christina said. "It was the first time he saved my life."

Jeremy stretched out as he stood up and looked at the two of them. "You said that there was food inside, right honey?"

Christina nodded and smiled weakly. "Yes, and I suppose now you're ready to go in."

Once Jeremy had ruffled his daughter's hair, he went towards the front door leaving the two of them alone. As soon as he was gone, Laura looked at Christina. "Mom how does one know if they are really in love?"

"When I was a little girl, I heard it being described as feeling like you got hit on the head with a sledgehammer," she smiled weakly, but looked at her daughter intently. "Are you in love with that young man who you spent the day with?"

"I think I am," she said softly. "But, it all happened so fast."

"Falling in love is sometimes something that happens in an instant, but it changes your life forever," Christina said smiling at her daughter. "You know, I knew that you felt strongly about Andrew, because I did too once. I remember all to well what happened to me when I was about 25 or so years old. You know, there's no question, Andrew is a doll."

Laura giggled. "Mom!"

"Well, I mean it. If all God's angels looked like that, then there would probably be so much love generating throughout this crazy world we'd have no more wars. I mean look at him, he is so gorgeous," Christina whispered as she looked around to make sure they were still alone. "I was so in love with him, too. I never told him anything, but honey you can bet the farm, I was. Lindsey even said that my eyes lit up like a Christmas tree whenever his name was mentioned, and she's been my best friend for over 20-years. I mean, he would hug me and I thought I had immediately turned from solid to liquid form."

Laura laughed out loud. "What if he's listening to us?"

"Well, if he is, then I would just have to ask Tess to contact Adam for us, because I don't take kindly to eavesdroppers, no matter how charming they are," Christina said mischievously.

"You're silly."

"I'm a woman, and you are too," Christina said smiling weakly. "You know, when I turned 18, my mom sat down with me and we talked for hours about men. I mostly wanted to talk about Andrew, and she knew that I was so smitten with him."

"I don't believe it," Laura said softly.

"It's true, when we were flying here, he called me on it, he said he had always known. Before I met your dad, I thought my life was hopeless, that I'd never meet anyone, that I would go through life with a crush on an angel," she paused taking a deep breath. "This was after all the stuff with Lindsey's dad had happened, and I was just so lost. I remember that night as though it was yesterday. It was some years after the assault and I had been unable to sleep, I was literally tossing and turning all night long. I felt terrible, I remember how I kept asking God to send Andrew to help me make heads or tails of everything. Then the following morning, I remember him coming and us talking about everything that had happened, but even then, we talked about everything except those very intense feelings I had for him."

"What happened, I mean; what made you not tell him?"

"I don't know, honey, I recall having met a man on Halloween named Gene, and it just didn't work out with him, nothing had clicked, but then Andrew came to see me, it was three days after Halloween, and I was 27-years-old…"

Christina's Flashback

As Christina hung up the telephone, she closed her eyes.

"If you're not up to seeing anyone, maybe I should go, too," a familiar voice entered into her thoughts and she opened her eyes.

"Andrew," she smiled weakly.

"Hello Christina," he said gently.

She immediately looked down at her lap, but after a few moments, she managed to look back up at him. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon after we saw each other on Halloween."

"I've known for some time that something was not setting right with you," he said gently. "It wasn't until last night that I made the decision to come back and try and resolve it."

She shook her head. "Sometimes I think I'm going crazy."

"No you're not," he whispered sadly. "The questions and feelings you have are completely real and valid."

"But why do I feel so silly about them?" she asked weakly.

"You shouldn't, Christina, you have no reason to," he said gently.

"But I do, I mean, every time I even think about that day, I become even more confused," she shook her head sadly as the tears escaped from beneath her eyelids. "Have you ever just started to question why things happen as they do? I mean even though you try to keep the faith that things will be OK, but internally, you're questioning everything. At the very least, that is what has been happening with me."

"You know you can talk to me about everything. I would never turn away from you because you speak honestly with me. Especially when it involves something as important as trying to understand something that has happened," he said and reached over and touched her shoulder. "Please talk to me, I'm your friend."

"Are you?" she asked the words emerging before she could stop them. As they hung in the stillness of her room, she looked down at her lap immediately regretting having said them. After some moments, she glanced back up at him and could see that he had a dejected look in his eyes. Her heart almost broke when she realized the extent her brutal honestly was leaving on him.

"What happened, Christina, you never doubted this before?" he asked softly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have said that."

"There's a reason why you did," he said gently, "please tell me."

The tears began to stream down her cheeks, and her hands began to tremble. "I-I just can't forget what happened with Kevin Miller," she took a staggering breath. "No matter how hard I try, I can't forget that you stood there and watched him assault me, and that you didn't do anything. I don't know if you couldn't have helped or if you just didn't want to." She glanced up at him and shook her head sadly. "Even today, I still don't know."

Andrew sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hands gently in his and held them tightly. "I wanted to, Christina, please believe me, I really wanted to, but I couldn't. You remember when I told you that I couldn't get involved in things that happen here?" She nodded and he continued. "That's why I didn't get involved. It wasn't because I didn't want to, I wanted to protect you more than anything else, but I couldn't."

She looked down at her lap as he spoke, but after some moments of silence passed, she looked back over at him. "You did?"

He nodded. "Yes, it was my greatest wish at that moment to help you. It was so hard for me to stand there and watch you being hurt like that. Afterwards, I had hoped that you would always understand how much I love and care for you, and I thought you knew this. I had hoped that what had happened wouldn't have changed that, but I realized last night when I heard your prayer, that somehow it did."

"I'm so confused," she said weakly and shook her head.

"I know, and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to do anything more for you than what I did," he said and could feel the tears in his own eyes.

Christina looked at him and when she could see the tears, she sighed sadly. "I didn't want to say something that would hurt you," she said softly.

"I know you didn't," he said through his own tears. "But, I understand your pain, Christina, I wish only that you had tried to do something about it before now, that you had talked to me about it."

"When could I have done that?" she asked weakly. "I wanted to tell you three days ago, but Lindsey was there, and neither she nor Tommy know about what had happened to me, and I can't bring myself to tell them about it. It's their father, and I knew that this would have completely devastated them. Besides, if I had mentioned it on Halloween, then Lindsey would have found out about what her father had done and she would have felt pressured to choose between him or me." She shook her head. "I couldn't have done that to her, it would have been too selfish of me to do so. I mean she needs her dad, and I know that he's not the same person he was, but for me the memory is still there, it will probably always be there."

"You have always looked out for other people and not for yourself, and when you needed someone to look out for you, the friends you needed were not there," he could feel his voice cracking as he continued speaking, the words becoming all the more difficult for him to say. "You needed me to be there to protect you, but I couldn't even do that."

Christina nodded numbly.

"I'm sorry, Christina, I'm so sorry," he whispered sadly.

She could see that he was visibly shaken by this conversation and when she saw the tears streaming down his cheeks, she crawled over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Maybe I shouldn't have said those things," she whispered softly as he began to weep softly and she tightened her hold on him. "I know you're my friend, Andrew. I've always known."

He continued to cry and she rested her hand against his soft blonde hair. She remembered how often he would stroke her head when she was sad, and as if driven by impulse, she began to run her hand across his hair, the silkiness of it somehow caressing her fingertips.

She could remember as a child how he had stayed with her after Bryan's accident, and that he had been there to calm her when she was hysterical from having been raped. The comfort he had given to her had been the most wonderful gift she could have asked for. Now, he was crying in her arms, his helplessness evident, and his pain overwhelming.

"Dear God," she whispered. "Please forgive me for having upset Andrew, it was never my intention to hurt him. Thank you, I love you."

Somehow, Christina realized that as it had been terrifying for her to experience these things, she could see that this had hurt him deeply as well and that he had to endure the pain of being what he is, and thus being bound to respecting the free will of humanity.

She continued to stroke his hair, her thoughts continuing to drift. An angel, she thought to herself as his weeping continued, a beautiful angel and she held him tightly in her arms. She suddenly remembered how magnificent he had looked in the park, how the soft radiance of the glow of God's love somehow compelled her to say those words that essentially saved her life. It suddenly became clear to her that Andrew had actually done something, he had in fact, done much more than anyone could have asked of him. He did help her; he had shown her God's love when she needed to feel it the most.

"Andrew, please don't cry," she finally whispered. "You did help me when Mr. Miller was assaulting me, it's just that during that time, neither of us were aware of the fact that you had."

He looked up at her, but shook his head miserably. "Christina, I couldn't have."

"But you did," she said gently and smiled weakly at him. "When I looked up and saw you standing near the swing set and I saw the light that encompassed you, I found the courage to pray. It wouldn't have happened otherwise, because I was so scared. I didn't think about God or His love for me, all I could think about was how my life had flashed before my eyes, and that I was so frightened."

"I was only there because I thought you were going to die," he said softly. "That's why I was there, and why you saw what you did, Christina."

"You told me when I was seven years old that even though an Angel of Death shows up, that doesn't mean someone is going to die," she said softly. "If I can remember those words, then you can as well, right?"

He nodded.

"Well, maybe God sent you to that place to remind me that through Him, I could find the courage to face what was happening. If you hadn't have been there, then you would have broken a promise you made to me 12 years ago," she whispered.

"I would have?"

She nodded as she reached for a tissue on the nightstand and handed it to him. "You told me when I was fifteen that when my day comes, that you would be with me and you would take me home. You were with me when I had pneumonia. Then when Mr. Miller assaulted me, you were also there, but I'm still alive and well."

Andrew wiped the tissue over his face, and brushed the tears away. "Is this really how you feel?" he asked and she could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

She nodded and smiled at him. "I really do, Andrew, and you are my best friend."

They hugged and he looked at her gratefully, "thank you, Christina."

Christina's Flashback End

"So he knew that you cared?" Laura asked weakly as her mother stopped speaking.

"Yes, he did and I was so embarrassed, but he still cares for us. I think we just have to accept that he does in his own way, in a way that angels can feel connected to human beings," Christina smiled weakly.

"Mom, is it OK for me to care for him?" Laura asked.

"Yes, of course it is," Christina looked at her daughter earnestly. "Do you think I ever stopped caring for Andrew even though I married your father?"

"No," Laura said softly.

"Then there you go," a pause. "You know, I always knew that it has been much harder for you to get through all of this because you've been through so many painful times, and I have always known that Andrew has been a wonderful support to you. It's totally normal for you to love him as you do."

"How do I know for sure if I'm in love with Sebastian or if I am making a rebound because I'm unhappy about Andrew or hurt by Billy?"

"I think maybe you should try to find out for certain if you are definitely in love," Christina said softly. "Once you see Sebastian again, I think you'll know."

"I want to see him," Laura said. "He somehow made me feel not so alone as though he understood me. But, I don't know where he is, and I wonder if there will be enough time left here for me to see him again."

"Then, why don't we go see if we can find him?" Christina suggested. "I think Andrew's spending some time with Patrick, so maybe Tess, Monica, or Gloria will come with us."

"Shouldn't we eat something first? I mean; you did come out here to tell me that dinner was ready, right?"

Christina smiled "Good idea, let's go in before your father eats it all." Laura laughed and once they stood up, the two of them went inside.

*****

Sebastian was walking in the direction of the shelter at that time and he looked up towards the sky as he walked. "Father, please help Laura find the love that she deserves," he whispered under his breath and clasped the cross that hung from around his neck. As he finished his prayer, he could feel that his heart was beating faster when he thought about Laura. She was such a beautiful and fragile young person, and he had yet to see one such as this. It was amazing how she would simply look beyond appearances. Could I be the one she is meant to have? Would I be worth the love of this beautiful girl? The questions continued to rake havoc on him, his emotions getting the better of him and he could feel the tears in his eyes.

I have never allowed myself to love anyone, not after my family died, he thought to himself, but yet, he could not help but feel a strong connection to this lovely person he had only met that week. She was so sweet, when she would smile, her heart so full of love that he thought if she were to really experience it, that she would completely overflow with emotion. He closed his eyes all the while wondering what it would feel like to kiss her innocent lips, yet he pondered what her family would think of him. He looked down at his clothing and sighed deeply, this time he could feel the frustration emerging between his pursed lips. This won't happen, he chastised himself; Laura has a family, a home, and when she returns to the States, he would probably never see her again.

"Even if I wanted to," he muttered softly under his breath. "I wouldn't be able to get to the States, I only know I'd follow her to the ends of the Earth."

As he reached the end of the street he could see that Adam was now standing there watching him. The Angel of Death carried a look of contemplation on his face, the darkness concealing the gray eyes of the angel, but Sebastian remembered him. "Adam?" He spoke softly as he walked towards where the angel stood.

"Sebastian, I have news," Adam began.

"What is it?"

"You are going to be invited to Paris," Adam said simply and smiled.

"I don't understand," the young artist spoke and as he finished speaking, he tried to make eye contact with the angel, but he noticed immediately that Adam was gone, and he started to walk slowly in the direction he had come in. Sighing deeply he thought about the words Adam had said. "Paris," the city was like a far and distant dream for him, a place he had always dreamed of seeing, but for some reason, he was unable to hold out that this dream could actually come true.

He continued to think about it as he rounded a corner and slowly looked skyward and shook his head. "Am I supposed to wait here?" He asked the stillness. After a few minutes he sat down on the ground and looked around the area where he was.

"Sebastian, you are to go back towards the place where you left Laura," the quiet voice of his conscious spoke, and he somehow knew that the young woman would be coming here to look for him. He sighed deeply, shook his head, and glanced down to behold his appearance, but swallowing the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, he realized that he had to find her, as this was not a safe place for her to be.

As he walked towards the subway station, he smiled weakly as he descended the stairs and used the last of his money to buy a subway ticket for his trip back to the Müller home.

*****

Laura and Christina left the house at this time, Tess had decided to come with them and so after dinner, they walked out onto the streets of Berlin.

As they walked in the direction of the subway station, they could see a group of young people standing on one street corner, and Laura looked at Christina somewhat nervously. "It looks like a gang," she whispered. "Renate told me about them when she would write me letters."

Tess nodded. "Come on, you two, let's stay on this side of the street."

Christina nodded and the three of them walked towards the downtown sectors of the city. "Tess, do you know where he might be?" Christina finally broke her silence as she watched her daughter as she walked some feet ahead of them. Laura made her way towards a large brick building, but as soon as she had reached it, she stopped when some boys approached her, one of them coming closer and she could smell the odor of beer on his breath as soon as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey Baby," one of them slurred and it was obvious that they had heard them speaking English and Christina was left to conclude that that was probably the extent of the boy's English vocabulary. Sighing deeply, she approached as she heard his voice, which was filled with sarcasm and she could feel Tess' hand on her shoulder as the boy reached out to grab Laura's arm.

"Let go of me," Laura said evenly, and pulled her arm out of the boy's grip.

A second boy approached. "Didn't your mother teach you any manners, baby?"

"She did, but your mother obviously didn't teach you any, now go away," she said softly.

"Isn't this the girl Sebastian was hanging out with?" A third boy asked.

"Yeah," said the second. "But why would a fancy broad like this hang out with a loser like him?"

"He's not a loser," Laura said sharply as she pushed the boy away. "You just fail to see the beauty in another because of arrogance."

Christina and Tess hesitantly approached and Christina watched as one of the boys grabbed her daughter's arms and started to push her up against the wall. "Tess, what do we do?" Christina muttered, but before the angel could answer, they had both looked up and could see that Adam was now standing next to Laura and when she looked at him, her eyes widened.

"No," Laura whispered under her breath as she struggled against the boys who had her cornered against the wall.

Within seconds, she could hear some commotion and she looked up to see that Sebastian had approached them and he began to shout at the three boys.

"Leave her alone," he called out as he came closer and pushed one of the boys away from his friend. "I mean it, you guys, let her go, she's done nothing to you!" The boys turned around and could see him standing there about three feet from them, his hands on his hips and the expression in his eyes was filled with contempt.

In response to this, the boys backed away, and Laura sank to the ground, her body trembling, and her eyes filling with tears as soon as she was safe. Sebastian came over to where she was now on the ground and crouched down so he would be eye level with her. He rested his hands on her shoulders, thus causing her to look up.

"What are you doing out here?" He asked softly as he took her hands gently pulled her to her feet. Once she was on her feet, he could feel that she had thrown her arms around him, and he concluded that if he did not hold tightly to her, that she would once again sink to the ground. He put his arms around her and held her as she cried in his arms.

"I-I was l-looking for you," she stammered, once she had managed to raise her head for a moment, but as soon as the words were out, she buried her face against his shoulder and allowed the tears to fall, her body trembling slightly from beneath his touch.

"You ladies really shouldn't be out here after dark, it can be dangerous, there are street gangs, and drug pushers all over the place," Sebastian said and looked at Christina and then at Tess. He continued to hold Laura in his arms, as he brushed his dirty hands through her soft hair.

"Sebastian, Laura wanted to find you, honey," Tess began. "Now that she has, we can all get out of here. They have already discussed it, you have found a family that wants to help you."

"I have nothing," Sebastian began.

Tess looked around where they were standing. "Now, you listen to me, honey, we aren't going to get anything accomplished here standing around flapping our jaws, so let's go back, I think you and Laura need to have a little chat, and Christina and I would really like to have a piece of cake and a cup of coffee."

Christina nodded. "My daughter cares about you, Sebastian, and please, believe me, we wouldn't judge you, but you probably realize that it would be best that we get out of this area before those guys do come back. From my experience, gangs see power in numbers."

Sebastian nodded as Laura looked up at him. "Please don't go."

He looked at her and nodded as Adam's words reentered his conscience. "I won't," he finally managed to say.

*****

The following morning, the family, their angelic companions and Renate waved good-bye to Roswitha and Friedrich and got on a train bound for Stuttgart. Christina, Jeremy, Patrick, Denise, Dawn and Gloria sat in a compartment and Renate, Andrew, Tess, Monica, Sebastian, and Laura were in another.

"I cannot believe that I am actually on my way to Paris," Sebastian said softly as he was getting seated and after some time, he looked at Laura. "I had no idea that you would want me to come with you to Paris." He looked down at his new clothing and ran his hand through his clean hair. He smiled weakly as he pulled the rubber band from his long blonde hair and allowed it to fall freely down over his shoulders.

"Laura's a surprise a minute," Renate said with a smile on her face. "You know she's going to stay with me an extra week after her folks go home."

"I didn't know this," the young man said, shrugging his shoulders as he looked out the window and could see the skyline of Berlin disappearing in the distance.

Laura shrugged her shoulders, but after a few minutes she stood up. "I'm going to the café and see if I can get a bottle of water or something to drink."

"Can I come with you?" Sebastian asked.

"Sure," Laura answered as the young man stood up and followed her out of the compartment. They walked some ways down the aisle in the direction of the café, but before they reached the end of the car, Sebastian reached out and took her hand.

"Laura?"

"Uh-huh?" She spoke, her voice etched in nervousness. Here, she was alone with him and not sure what to say. Instead of stopping, she continued to walk down the aisle but after a few moments, she stopped when she felt him pulling on her hand. She stopped and turned around to see him standing in front of a door leading into an empty compartment. Once she walked towards him, she could feel the butterflies in her stomach and she looked up at him questionably.

"Please come sit with me, Laura, we need to talk," he said and held the door open until she had come into the compartment. Once he had closed the door, she could feel a lump immediately form in her throat when he pulled the curtain closed. Next, he came over and sat down. She was still standing in the middle of the compartment, and he offered her his hand. She accepted it and sat down next to him.

"Do you think they'll worry about us?" Laura asked weakly trying to hide her nervousness.

"Maybe, but I think they will know that we need some time to talk about everything that has happened, and I don't think that they will come looking," Sebastian said softly.

"I don't really know what to talk about," she whispered.

"I know, I don't either, and I think we should," he said smiling weakly at her.

"I'm a little nervous," she said honestly.

"Are you afraid of me? I don't mean to scare you," he whispered as he reached over and moved a wisp of her hair away from her eyes.

Laura looked at him, and she shook her head. "I know and you don't scare me, it's just..." Her voice trailed and she shook her head sadly.

"Let me guess, you've been hurt so many times," he said gently and brushed a gentle hand through her hair. "You think that the only one who is capable of treating you kindly and with human dignity is an angel sent from God to be your friend."

"Y-you know about Andrew?" Laura asked weakly.

"Yes, I know who Andrew is, Laura, and I know that you love him, but I hope that you have enough love in your heart for me, because for the first time since my parents died, I have found that spark, that love of living, and though it may sound really stupid, I have found it in you."

"I don't think that sounds stupid," she whispered.

Sebastian nodded, but he could still feel the tears streaming down over his cheeks. "You were able to see beyond appearances when you and I first met, you were able to look at the chalk drawing I was doing instead of making a big deal about how I looked. I mean; that was really something special, something truly beautiful, and I think you know, that I would never ever hurt you." He looked at her intently as if to reemphasize his point and his final word emerged. "Never!"

"I know, Sebastian," she said softly. "I remember last night, with those boys and how I was so scared, but then you were there and you helped me."

"You shouldn't have been out there, you know," he said simply.

"I know, but I was looking for you," she said as she reached over and touched his face, that face with all its blemishes and scars, but all the while, it was endearing to her. "I feel like I've known you longer than just a week," she began. "I feel as though I have always known you, as though being with you is where I belong. I see that you have so much faith and strength, that you have helped me to realize it in myself. Sometimes, I feel like I'm just adrift, and that there's nothing for me anywhere, except pain and sadness."

"We have both been through so much, Laura," Sebastian said softly as he took her chin gently in his hands and brought her face closer to his. Right before their lips met, the door swung open and a conductor came in and asked them for their tickets.

They broke their embrace as each of them pulled the cards out of their pockets and handed them to the man. Once the tickets had been stamped, the conductor swung the door closed once more leaving them alone.

Laura returned her ticket to the pocket of her blazer and looked at him somewhat shyly. "Maybe we should go back and join the others."

"Can I finish what I started before he came?" Sebastian looked at her intently.

As she could feel the butterflies going completely rampant in the pit of her stomach, she knew that what he wanted to do was to kiss her, and she realized, at that moment, that she wanted it as much, if not more, than he did. Eventually, she offered him a feeble nod.

He took her face in his hands and brushed his palms gently against both sides of her face. As he did, she suddenly found him drawing her closer until she could feel his soft lips pressed gently, but firmly, against her own. Her entire body suddenly felt so alive, and the love she carried for him was the most powerful emotion she had ever experienced.

As his kiss intensified, she wound her arms around his neck and could feel her stomach literally turning into mush.

When the kiss ended, she looked up into his shining hazel eyes. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Sebastian said softly as he wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly in his embrace. "I think I have loved you since the first time I saw you, it was when you came and looked at my drawing, but there was something about you that was so special to me, that I couldn't even put it into words."

"What am I going to do when it is time for me to go home?" Laura asked.

"I will find a way to come with you," Sebastian said softly.

"How?"

"Whenever God closes a door, Laura, He always, in every way possible, opens a window," he said gently.

"Your faith amazes me," Laura said softly as she felt that he had once again taken her face gently in his hands and she melted as she felt his fingertips gently caressing her cheeks. As she felt this tingling sensation once again, she felt the tide somehow carrying her away as Sebastian lowered his mouth once again and kissed her ever so gently.

*****

The skyline of Stuttgart beckoned them as the train pulled into the station. The twelve of them managed to get off the train and Renate smiled broadly when she saw that her brother, Jens, was standing on the platform and waiting for them. He run up to her and met her with a hug.

"Hey, everyone, welcome to Stuttgart," Jens offered with a warm smile. "We don't have a lot of space, but I went ahead and set you up with a good place to stay. Three of you can stay at my house, the rest will be in our Aunt Petra's place down the street. I hope that's OK."

Christina smiled. "That's wonderful, thank you so much. We know that we're kind of imposing on you…"

"No way, are you kidding? I mean; my wife and family has never wanted to fly with me, and I'm really glad to help out here," Jens said softly.

Patrick came closer and looked up at the tall man standing next to Renate. "You fly?"

"Yes, I learned when I was living and working in the States," Jens said and put an arm around Patrick's shoulders. "My sister says that you want to learn, too, and I just happen to be a licensed flight instructor. Isn't that a great coincidence? How old are you?"

"14," Patrick answered.

"Great," Jens smiled as though he was a child let loose in a candy store. "Let's get to the house, and then once you drop off your stuff, I can drive you out to the airport. We won't get to fly today, but chances are tomorrow we can get started bright and early."

Patrick's eyes were bright as he followed Jens, Gloria was close behind them listening as they continued to talk about planes and flying.

"Tess, you think everything is going to go OK with Patrick?" Laura asked weakly as they began to follow her parents, Patrick, and Jens.

"Yes, baby, I think it will be," the wise angel said as she put her arm around Laura's shoulder. "What about you, are you over your, uh, little crush?"

"I guess so, but it's weird," Laura said softly. "I still want to believe that I'm special."

"Oh baby, you should know by now that you are special. You know that Andrew will always care for you, he's always going to feel connected to you and your family," Tess said softly. "You take it from Ol' Tess, now, that Angel Boy really cares for you."

"He said that Sebastian and I are meant to be," Laura said softly, "but I'm scared."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do when it is time for me to go home and I don't want to leave Sebastian. I care about him, Tess," she said softly.

"I know you do," Tess said. "You and he left to go to the café, and you were gone for over an hour. I started to wonder how long the line at the counter was." She smiled but continued to chuckle as Laura blushed.

"You won't tell my parents about that will you?"

"Oh baby, you know I can't make such promises to you, besides, think about it, your mother was 18 once, so I imagine that she knows as well as you do about what is happening. It's no secret, Laura, every time you mention that young man's name, you get stars in your eyes."

Laura blushed as Sebastian approached. "Tess, you're embarrassing me," she objected all the while knowing that he had heard those words.

"I'm only speaking the truth," she said as Sebastian began to laugh softly once he took Laura's hand and squeezed it gently as Tess continued to speak. "You have no reason to be embarrassed."

"She said I get stars in my eyes when I mention your name," Laura said.

"Yes, but he also gets them in his eyes whenever your name is brought up," Monica said smiling as she approached and the two of them blushed. "We'd better hurry, or we're going to loose the others."

Tess nodded and they quickened their step. "Where did Gloria disappear to?" She finally asked as she looked at Monica intently.

"She's with Jeremy, Tess," Monica said softly. "She seems to have a lot in common with your dad, Laura, they've been talking about drawing and science since we left Berlin."

"I think it's great that Gloria is learning to make friends," Tess said.

"Is your dad an artist?" Sebastian looked at Laura.

"Yeah, he draws sketches for the police," Laura said shrugging her shoulders. "Is he going to become more interesting for you than me?"

"No, but it would be nice to get to know your family, then at least they won't object to me hanging around their daughter."

Tess continued to chuckle, "Sebastian, you're a very suave young man."

Laura laughed. "Tess, you don't even have to be an angel to see that in him, do you?"

Sebastian looked at the angel with a perplexed look on his face. After a few moments, he glanced over at Tess and spoke, his question emerging as though he finally understood something important. "You guys are angels too, aren't you?"

"Yes baby, we are," Tess said gently. "We're friends of Andrew's, actually."

Sebastian looked around and could see that the Angel of Death was walking alongside one of the twins, the other was a couple a paces behind them. He found himself smiling at the way this unique angel had become such good friend with this particular family and the young artist longed to learn more about the connection that seemed to exist between them.

*****

It was late in the evening when Jens left the house with Christina, Jeremy, Patrick and Gloria. The house was still and Denise and Dawn were sitting on the floor watching cartoons dubbed over in the German language, the others were seated outside on the terrace. Dawn turned around at one point and could see that Andrew was coming into the house in search of a glass of water. Once he found it and had finished quenching his thirst, he came out into the living room, his smile gentle when his eyes met those of Dawn as she turned around from her place on the floor and looked up at him, her voice splitting the stillness.

"Andrew, are you going to spend some time with us, too?" Dawn asked weakly causing him walk slowly over to where the two of them were seated. She blushed slightly as he sat down on the floor next to her, and offered her a gentle smile.

"Of course, I'm always happy to spend time with you two, you should know that," he responded and put his arm around her.

By this time, Denise turned around and looked at him, her sadness evident, but her question eventually emerging as she tried to keep the frustration and sadness out of her voice. "You're going to take Patrick away from us, aren't you?"

The angel looked into the eyes of the two little girls, and eventually, all he could do was nod feebly. "Yes, Denise, I will have to, but that won't happen for a little while."

The little girl looked stricken, but Andrew reached over with his free hand and rested it on her shoulder. "You're not angry with me, because of what I have to do, are you?" He asked gently.

"No, we love you, Andrew," Dawn said shyly. "You're our friend."

Denise nodded sadly, but the tears fell from her sad green eyes and she tried without success at wiping them away. "How much time?"

"Sweetheart, I don't know," Andrew said gently. "All I know is that your brother worries about you, and he wants to make sure you'll be OK once he's Home."

"I won't, though," Denise said softly as the tears continued to tumble down over her cheeks.

"You will," Andrew said gently.

"No I won't, when Patrick is gone…" her voice trailed off and she tried to wipe the persistent tears from her eyes.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Andrew said softly.

"W-when Patrick is gone, you won't ever come see us, will you?" Denise asked weakly.

"Would you want me to, Denise?"

The little girl nodded numbly, but the tears were still falling, and Andrew could see that this was terribly difficult for her. She cared for him, the Angel of Death, but she loved her brother.

"If you would like to see me, Denise, I'll come see you," Andrew said sincerely.

"How come you have to do this?" Denise asked abruptly. "You do this and it makes us sad, but then you say you're our friend."

"Please, believe me, Denise, I am your friend and I would never want to do anything that would hurt or make you sad," Andrew implored her, but she turned away.

"He is our friend, Denise," Dawn objected and she looked at Andrew her green eyes meeting his as her voice cracked and the next words emerged. "When I die, will you be with me too?"

"Don't even talk like that," Denise turned around and snapped at her sister.

"But why, we will all die one day, right Andrew?" Dawn asked softly as Sebastian came through the room and stopped short when he heard their words.

As the angel nodded, Denise began to speak. "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean that I want to talk about it."

"Sometimes you have to," Sebastian spoke causing them to turn around.

"What do you know?" Denise snapped. "My brother's dying."

"I know," Sebastian said softly as he sat down on the floor near them. "I heard what you said, and it hit me rather hard. You see, although you are sad about this, it doesn't mean that it is right for you to think that you are the only ones with problems."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I know how you feel, I know how your sister, Laura, feels in all of this," Sebastian said weakly. "I haven't said much about it, but I do know that losing someone is not easy, I loved my family, and I lost all of them; my mother, Beatrice, my father, Wolfgang, and my two brothers, Klaus and Dieter. To lose so many in such a short time is very hard."

Andrew moved to one side so that Sebastian could inch closer to them. "I know you may not see very much when you look at me, but I hope only that you will understand that after everything is said and done, you will always have a choice. Andrew is here to help you with those choices, just as his friend Adam has been with me off and on since I left Lübeck. But, neither Andrew nor Adam can make your choices for you, you have to make those yourselves, they will only be there to support you while you do so."

"You don't understand," Denise objected and it was as though she had not heard a single word he had said.

"Yes, I do," Sebastian said softly, his voice cracking as the tears fell from his sad hazel eyes. "I lost everything I had, you girls have Christina and Jeremy to help you, and you have Laura and Andrew. They all want to be there for you, they want to make things right for you, I never had that, all I had was…"

"Faith," Laura's voice emerged and she came over to where her friend was seated on the floor and she wrapped her arms around him. "You had faith, Sebastian. You believed that somehow things would get better that you would survive. And you did."

Andrew looked at the two girls and then at Sebastian. "Are you angry with me because I had to take your brothers Home, Sebastian?"

"No," he said softly, "and I'm not angry with Adam either, but it's a lonely life on the streets. You girls are lucky, you have so many friends who want only to be there for you. These same friends feel your sadness about Patrick because they are touched by his impact on their own lives."

Andrew nodded as the young man continued to speak. "I think your anger at Andrew is misdirected, Denise. He's shown us all in one way or another that he cares and regardless of what he has to do, is it not better that he is there for Patrick when he needs to feel the assurances of a friend, and where he won't be afraid to face that great unknown?"

"Yeah, and Denise, think about it, you were happy when Andrew showed up at home before this trip," Dawn said. "You saw him as your friend then, but you have to see him as an angel too."

Denise looked up at the angel, the words of her sister touching her and causing the tears to once more stream from beneath her sad green eyes. "I'm sorry."

"I realized long ago that this is hard for you, Denise," Andrew said softly.

"H-he's m-my brother…" Denise's lower lip trembled as she looked at Andrew hopelessly.

"I know, honey," Andrew nodded numbly, but he continued to speak, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "I wouldn't ever want to do this, but I have to. Your brother is in so much pain, and he wants me to be there for him. Just keep in mind, in heaven he will be able to run and play, and one day you will see him again. I promise you that. Denise, you will see him again."

The young girl began to cry, this time she could feel that Andrew had gathered her in his arms and held her tightly as she allowed herself to show the intense emotions that dwelled in her heart. "Andrew?" she looked up at him.

"What is it?"

"I'm really sorry," she whimpered.

"It's OK, everything is OK Denise," Andrew held her tightly in his arms.

Dawn looked at him. "What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know, sweetheart, but you both have this family who will love you, and they will not ever let anything bad happen to you."

At that moment, Laura looked at Sebastian and could see the tears that were streaming from beneath his sad hazel eyes as he watched the twins literally tumble into Andrew's arms. He tried without much success to wipe the tears from his eyes, but this was not proving to be very easy, and after a few moments, Laura looked over at him, her eyes widening slightly when she saw her friend's face covered with tears. "Sebastian, a-are you OK?"

He nodded numbly, but for some reason, she did not believe that he was indicating the truth, and she inched closer to him. "I'm here with you, my friend," she said softly and she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Beneath her lips, she could taste the saltiness of his tears and she reached up to wipe them away.

Within moments, she found herself wrapping him in her arms and holding tightly to him. Upon feeling the comfort emanating from her, he allowed his head to rest against her chest, the tears dampening her shirt, and she could hear the soft sobs emerging from him. He was always so strong and wise, she thought sadly, but now he's really allowing himself to show what he feels. She reached up and began to stroke his soft blonde hair as Andrew had often done with her when she was sad, afraid, or lonely. Now she was sharing that part of herself that she never believed she would or could share with another person.

Andrew seeing this looked over at her, his eyes meeting her own, but when she simply shrugged her shoulders, he nodded at her approvingly and she found herself, contrary to the emotions of the moment, finally able to smile.

*****

On their final day in Stuttgart, the entire family, the four angels and their hosts met at the airport to watch Patrick take the plane up with his instructor, and now friend, Jens. Everyone was sitting at two large tables as the teenager excitedly got himself ready to do his preflight check. Jeremy was watching as Jens came over and knocked on the table.

"I think we're ready to roll," he said enthusiastically. "Anyone want to come and help us get the plane ready?"

Jeremy and Gloria were the first to stand up, and after a few moments, Christina did as well and the three of them followed Jens and Patrick out across the tarmac to the small Cessna 172.

"OK, Kid, here's your preflight list, take it away. If you have any questions, just ask," Jens handed a piece of paper to the teenager and the boy looked down at it and nodded as he began to check the cabin. Christina watched in amazement as Patrick began to inspect the various switches. She smiled with pride; he really knew what he was doing.

"Control wheel lock? Fuel Shutoff valve?" She began to read the various knobs and switches. "Patrick how do you know all this stuff?"

The boy looked up from the checklist. "It's easy, most of these things are marked, and if they aren't, then there are diagrams in most flight training manuals."

Christina and Jeremy watched as Patrick crawled out of the cabin and began to consult the list once again. As he walked around the plane, he began to remove the rope that tied down the tail of the plane. "Hey Jeremy, could you untie the ropes from the wings?" Patrick called out.

Jeremy began to untie the knots that were holding the plane stationary with a thick rope. Once he finished the task, he tossed it to one side as Patrick did the same on the other side of the plane.

Walking around to the front of the plane, Patrick began to kick the tire to check for proper inflation. As he completed that, he returned his attention to the list. "Hey Jens, where's the cup to get the water out of the fuel tank?"

"It should be in the back with the other stuff," Jens called back, but instead of getting on his feet, he continued to watch as the youth found the cup, drained the small quantity of water and other sediments from the fuel tank sump quick-drain valve and discarded the fluid.

After he had made certain that there was enough fuel for his flight, he secured the fuel cap, nodded, and went to check the oil.

Ten minutes later he had finished the pre flight check and smiled. "OK, who's coming with us? We have room for one more person."

Jens smiled and Jeremy looked at him. "I'll go with you, I've always wanted to fly in one of these planes."

"Here, take some pictures then," Christina handed her husband the camera and she and Gloria stepped away from the plane.

Jeremy climbed in the back seat, and Jens and Patrick climbed in the front. "OK, I'll do the radio checks," Jens said and Patrick nodded as he fastened the seatbelt, and reached for the headset that he would wear for the duration of the flight. Once he was ready, he began to adjust the settings on before he would power up the single engine plane.

"You ready?" Jens asked.

Patrick nodded. "I think so," he smiled weakly, but reached over to where the key was. "Clear," he shouted out the window, and started the plane. He began to laugh when he saw that both Christina and Gloria were standing some ten feet away and were covering their ears.

"Don't forget to continue preflight, Pat," Jens said as the teenager began to go through the list and make sure the radios were set, the parking brake was set, mixture rich, the doors were closed and secured, the flight controls were correct and the throttle read 1700 RPM. "Did I get everything?"

"I think you've checked everything, I need to check the radio," Jens said as he flipped a few switches and adjusted the radio frequency. "Delta, Uniform Charlie Kilo, radio check."

"Read you loud and clear, Jens, have fun," the voice came back and Jens smiled. "OK, Pat, you are ready now to taxi out to the runway."

As Patrick began to taxi out, Jeremy watched in wonder as his adopted son took control of this plane and managed to maneuver it, even if only from the place where it was stored over to the runway.

"Good," Jens said as he went back to the radio. "Tower, Delta Uniform Charlie Kilo, permission to taxi."

"Roger, Delta Uniform Charlie Kilo, runway is free to taxi," the voice of the controller came back and Jens nodded. "OK, you're ready to go, Pat."

"Yeah," the young boy was beaming as he got the plane onto the runway and within seconds, they were airborne."

"Great take-off," Jens said enthusiastically. "You're a natural."

Patrick nodded as he continued their ascent and within seconds the airport was the size of a house made of Lego blocks.

"Delta Uniform Charlie Kilo exiting northwest flight pattern in direction Karlsruhe," Jens said in the radio. He consulted a flight map and handed it to Patrick. "Make sure you stay on course. We'll fly a little in direction of Karlsruhe and then fly back to Stuttgart, OK?"

Patrick nodded and continued in the course that Jens specified.

*****

Twenty minutes later, They were returning from their flight to Karlsruhe and Patrick was preparing to land. "These flights are always so short," he said softly.

"I know, and it’s the sign of a true pilot to be able to fly for an extended period of time and never grow tired of it," Jens said and reached for the radio. "But as you know, all good things come to an end, and I have to tell you, you've been a great student."

Patrick nodded as they reached the flight pattern. "Can I take the radio?"

"Be my guest," Jens said.

"Delta, Uniform, Charlie, Kilo, assuming regular flight pattern," Patrick said giving the controller their location.

When they were on final approach, Patrick spoke into the radio once again. "Delta Uniform Charlie Kilo on final."

Once they landed, Jens was all smiles at the smoothness of Patrick's landing and he smiled at Jeremy as he removed his headphones and looked back at Jeremy. "That's quite a kid you got there, he's got a dynamite take off, and though his landing was a little rough, he was really good. He's really been something to teach."

"Thanks, Jens, for everything," Jeremy said smiling weakly as Patrick disembarked the runway and made one final radio transmission. "It's been really great that you have been able to make his wish come true."

"I had a lot of fun, Jeremy, and Patrick's really smart," Jens said.

Once they had secured the plane and Patrick was finished with all the post flight checks, he returned the key to the tower and went to sit down with his family. The young boy was all smiles as he sat down with his family.

"Well, how was it, baby?" Tess asked.

"Wow," Patrick said smiling broadly. "I got to do everything except at the beginning with the radio."

"He was really something," Jeremy said. "Half that technical stuff I had to ask Gloria about when he was doing preflight checks."

"It was so awesome," Patrick said smiling brightly. "Thanks a lot you guys, it really means a lot to me to have gotten this chance to fly."

"Always, happy to oblige you," Jens said and smiled. "OK, since this is your last night here, I thought that maybe we should go out and celebrate a really great flight. Don't forget to record this in your log book."

Patrick held up the small blue notebook. "I already did."

*****

The following afternoon, the family of six, the four angels, Sebastian and Renate got on a train bound for Paris to fulfill the second and third of Patrick's wishes. Andrew was smiling brightly as he sat down in a compartment and began to look out the window. He loved the city of lights, and it had been such a long time since he had been able to go there.

"Man, Andrew, you look like the cat that ate the canary," Jeremy said half jokingly as he sat down next to him.

"I'm just happy to be going to Paris, it is one of my favorite cities," Andrew said softly.

"Takes your mind off your job, huh? Those kind of places I could definitely use, especially in my line of work," he looked seriously at the angel. "Did everything get resolved with you and Laura?"

Andrew looked at him, but after a few moments, he nodded. "I think so."

"You don't hold anything against her for having those feelings, do you?" Jeremy asked.

"No," he said softly.

"So how does it feel to be so popular with the ladies?" Jeremy asked.

"You said something like that when you and Christina got married," Andrew said.

"Yes, and as I recall, you never gave me an answer, you turned the shade of an overripe tomato but didn't say a word," Jeremy looked at him and when he sat Andrew squirming, he began to chuckle.

"It feels awkward," Andrew said softly. "I don't have those emotions."

"Hold the phone," Jeremy interrupted. "You do have them, but they're different than ours. I mean, I saw how you cared for Patrick during all this, and if that's not emotions, then I'm a monkey's uncle."

Andrew smiled weakly. "No, I mean, I can't have those feelings like you have for Christina."

"Well, at least I could never be jealous of you," Jeremy punched Andrew on the arm, and gave him a winning smile.

"Jeremy," Andrew tried to speak, but his friend rested a hand on his arm.

"Look, I'm not stupid, Andrew, so before you try to explain something that might be confusing in the long run, let me see if I can get those thoughts out without making you any more uncomfortable than you already are." Jeremy looked at him. "Of all the people we know who have come in and out of our lives, I cannot imagine my daughter having grown up without you being there. I want to thank you for that, for supporting her, for giving her hope, and understanding. We talked the other night, and I realized how much I had not been there for her when she needed me. I felt really guilty about it, and she, being the beautiful person that she is, looked me in the eye and said that she knew we hadn't been ignoring her, but Andrew, we had. We were both so worried about Patrick, that we didn't think that there were other children who needed us."

"Like Dawn and Denise," Andrew said softly.

Jeremy nodded. "You've been more than a friend, you've really been like a part of our family, and we all love you very much. We know that you will have to take Patrick home, but we cannot imagine another angel doing so and when that time comes, we'll all be together."

Andrew smiled weakly and nodded. "Thank you, Jeremy, and I do love your family very much. I have always felt close to Christina, and this has been extended to you and the children."

Jeremy smiled and looked at Andrew. "I wanted to say about what happened with Laura, that I'm sorry that happened."

"I'm not," Andrew said. "I am glad that Laura chose to confide in me, she needed someone she could trust and that means a lot to me that she chose to trust me. I know that it was not easy for her to tell me how she felt, but I see nothing wrong with it. In fact, I am flattered by her affections, though I was uncomfortable at first. Now, she has Sebastian, and Jeremy, they are meant to be together."

"I am trying not to judge that young man," Jeremy said, "but I don't know if I can trust him yet. I don't know if his motives are good."

As he spoke, Sebastian had come down the aisle and had heard Jeremy's words. As he stood there, the color drained from his face, and he could feel the tears brimming from beneath his eyes, but he said nothing, instead he hurried by where they were sitting.

Before Andrew could speak, he turned around and could see that Sebastian had walked through the large open area where they were sitting and talking. Instead of speaking further to Jeremy, he looked up to see that Laura was coming down the aisle. "Daddy, did you guys see Sebastian just now? He was going to the café and I forgot to tell him what I wanted."

Jeremy looked at his daughter, and then at Andrew, but he smiled weakly as the angel answered his daughter's inquiry. "Yes, Laura, he just came through here."

"Thanks Andrew," she smiled weakly at him and walked quickly down the aisle towards the doors leading through the train and in the direction of the café.

When the angel looked at Jeremy, he could see that his friend's face had lost all its color. "He heard what I said, didn't he?" Jeremy finally found himself asking.

Andrew could only nod. "Yes, Jeremy, he heard."

*****

Patrick was sitting in their hotel room that night and he was looking down at his flight logbook when there was a knock at the door. He stood up and walked to the door and opened it. "Hey," he said smiling when he saw Andrew was standing on the opposite side.

"How are you doing?" Andrew said softly.

"OK," he said softly and released a pent up sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just thinking about how that flight was so great," Patrick said softly as he ran his hand over the small blue bound logbook.

Andrew sat down on the bed next to him and looked at him. "You're not just thinking about that, you're scared, aren't you?"

The teenager nodded. "You read me like a book." He crawled off the bed and went over to the balcony and looked out across the main street and the intersection that criss-crossed in front of the hotel. Rather than returning to the bed, he looked out and could see that majesty of the city spread out before him. He turned around and walked back over towards the bed. "The others are still downstairs at the restaurant, huh?"

"Yes, they wanted to wait for desert," Andrew smiled as he looked at the young boy. "Patrick, I know that this is hard, but you know, God doesn't want you to worry about Dawn and Denise. He's going to take good care of them, He'll help them when you no longer can," Andrew said gently.

"I know, but I keep thinking that as soon as we get back from Disneyland in two days, that something is going to happen, and that scares me."

"Pat, when the time is at hand, I'll be there with you, OK?" Andrew said softly.

"I know, but I don't know what happens, I don't know if it's going to hurt. I keep seeing myself buried alive beneath six feet of earth," the teenager shook his head.

"You're remembering Pastor Stevens again, aren't you?"

"How could I forget? I mean, he said that my family was being punished for being bad, my mom and dad are dead…" his voice trailed off.

"Did you ever think that maybe they're not really dead, but just in another place?" Andrew asked.

"I-I don't know what I think," he said sadly. "I just remember being told after Dad died that we were all so evil and that we would have to earn God's love and forgiveness for all the bad things we did. Then Pastor Stevens said that me getting AIDS was like a punishment for my sins."

"No, Pat, what he told you was just not right," Andrew objected, his voice passionate. "You have a disease, and when your physical body dies, your spirit will live on," Andrew said. "You won't endure the pain that you feel now, you won't feel the grief and the guilt any longer, you'll find peace and love through God, and He loves you. He will be with you when that moment comes, I'll be with you, too."

"W-what will happen to me?" Patrick asked softly.

"You will see light, a very beautiful and radiant light. Like the sun that shines down on you after a night of sleep, but your emotions will feel what emanates from that light. I cannot describe it in words, or images, I can just tell you that you will find the most wonderful joy there in this place, and that is something which you have no reason to fear. You will essentially come home."

Patrick looked at Andrew. "You make it sound really nice."

"It is, my friend, it's much nicer than even I am capable of describing," Andrew said softly. "All that will happen is you will take my hand and we will walk together, as we have done in the past here." The angel smiled at him. "But, this time, all that will be around us is light, and love, and I would be willing to bet that you will fly into the arms of God and He will hold you forever in His love."

"I believe you, but I am still scared, Andrew," Patrick whispered.

"I truly understand, Pat," Andrew said gently.

"Do you know how much time I have left?" Patrick asked.

Andrew shook his head, "no, but I do know that it is not much."

"I know, I've had that feeling for a long time now, probably weeks," Patrick said softly and he looked up at Andrew, his eyes meeting those of the angel. "Andrew, I'm really dying, aren't I?"

Andrew nodded numbly, his sad green eyes meeting those of the youth and after a few minutes of silence had passed between them, he silently reached over and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder.

*****

"Notre Dame looks so beautiful, doesn't it?" Christina asked Jeremy the following afternoon as they walked through the crowd and reached the large and famous cathedral.

"Yes, it's wonderful," Jeremy said smiling weakly as he put his arm around his wife's shoulders and they walked without speaking towards the door leading inside.

From a distance Monica and Gloria walked towards the cathedral as well, Gloria held a tour book in her hands and she was reading out loud to Monica as they reached the large courtyard situated before the large church. "It says here that the idea for the Notre Dame Cathedral dates back to 1160, but was modified during the 13th and 16th centuries."

Monica smiled, "yes, and I just saw Jeremy and Christina going inside."

Gloria nodded, "what do we have to do?"

"I guess we just go inside, and if Christina or Jeremy need us, then we'll…" her voice trailed off as a voice called out her name causing her to turn around.

"I don't believe it, you're really here," the voice sounded excited and she looked up to see that Christina's best friend, Lindsey Miller Jacobs was standing in the courtyard. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with Christina and her family," Monica said softly.

"Oh, that's so funny, because we were going to meet in Berlin, but I'm doing a short concert here tomorrow night," Lindsey said smiling broadly as she looked at Gloria. "Hi, I don't believe we've met, my name is Lindsey Jacobs, I'm Christina's friend."

"This is Gloria," Monica said smiling broadly.

"Nice to meet you," Lindsey said. "Where's the rest of the crew?"

"Well, Laura and her two friends went to the Louvre and I guess they will be gone all day, Patrick and the twins went with Tess and Andrew to the Science Museum, Christina and Jeremy are inside and we thought about going to the tower and catching a glimpse of the city."

"I just love Paris," Lindsey said smiling broadly. "Lenny and I came here on our honeymoon, and we just had to come back. It's a wonderful place."

"How are your family doing?" Monica asked.

"Tom's dating a girl named Annette, my mom started working at the hospital, she wants to do volunteer work of some kind, of course I'm hanging around and touring Europe. How are you doing?"

"We're having a really nice time, you know we can get some really good mocha lattes here?"

"I am somehow not surprised, you're the only angel I know who is totally addicted to coffee," Lindsey said slyly.

"You know Monica well," Gloria said softly.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, 'cause she helped me a lot during the time my dad was drinking, he died three years ago, though. Although I miss him, now everything is going really well," she smiled weakly, but looked earnestly at Monica. "Is Laura OK? I know that I shouldn't have said anything to Christina about what she confided in me, but shoot, it was so hard, and I really couldn't help it, I mean sometimes a mom just needs to know these things."

"No one is angry with you Lindsey," Monica said softly. "Christina and Laura had a heart to heart talk about a week ago when they were in Berlin, and things seem to be OK now. I wouldn't say perfect, but in time things will improve for them."

Lindsey looked at the two angels. "Why don't we go inside, I came here to see the cathedral and if Christina and Jeremy are inside, the longer we are out here, the less likely we will catch up with them."

Monica nodded and they walked towards the door and went inside.

*****

Inside the Cathedral, Christina and Jeremy were looking all around the large open sanctuary. She was smiling brightly as she walked through the large room, the light reflecting inside giving it warmth even if the church was dark, and not a lot of light could come inside except through the stained glass windows. She could see that people were all taking photographs inside, but she could not bring herself to photograph the inside of the church.

"Christina, is everything OK?" Jeremy asked as he came closer to her and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm just a little bit overwhelmed, Jeremy, this is really the most beautiful church I have ever been inside of," she looked around all the while her eyes filled with awe. On one side, there were candles displayed with a sign next to them, 10 Francs to light one. These must be the tourist prices, Jeremy thought sadly as he watched a group of Japanese men picking up a candle and lighting it before placing it with the other lit candles.

They continued to walk down an aisle and could see people standing near the some steps that led up and into a special place where the riches of the cathedral were placed. She climbed another group of stairs and could see that some people were praying, and sighing deeply, she found herself starting to pray as well, her thoughts filled with sadness. Father, please help me to enjoy this day, and not worry needlessly about my children. Help me to keep the faith that they are safe, and in your capable hands. I love you, and am so awed by this place. It is remarkable.

As she walked back down the steps after having said her prayer she could see that Jeremy was following her down the stairs and she walked once again by the candles. Digging in her pocket, she found a ten franc coin and went over to light a candle. She was not certain why she wanted to do this, but this was so important to her, perhaps it would give her some added strength. Once she dropped the coin into the container, she reached for a candle and before lighting it, she could feel the tears streaming freely from beneath her eyes. After it was lit, she stared at the flame for a few seconds before placing it with the other candles.

"Christina, everything is going to be OK," Jeremy said softly as he came over and put his arms around her. "Come on, let's go get a few souvenirs and then we can go and have a cup of coffee."

"OK," she sniffed but she could feel the tears streaming down her face. "I guess I can't stop myself from thinking about all of this," she finally managed to whisper to him. "I remember so much," her eyes filled with tears as she looked at him. "Jeremy, when Patrick first came to live with us, I remember being in the chapel at the hospital, and I remember him and I talking about what had happened." As she was speaking she managed to pull a tissue from her purse and looked at him.

"What happened at the hospital?" Jeremy asked. "Please honey, tell me."

Christina nodded and began to speak of this event that she had kept to herself for a long time. "I had followed him inside the chapel and when I came inside, I kept hoping that I would be able to speak with Patrick about what had happened, what he had been through. It was the first time I actually had the strength or courage to speak with him, but when I came inside, I could see that he was very sad by what he had endured…"

Christina's Flashback

"I hate you," Patrick shouted to the stillness. "Do you hear me? I hate you, you took everyone away from me, and it's not fair that my mommy and daddy have to die when we need them here. Haven't you hurt and punished me enough already?"

"That's a lot of pain, isn't it?" Christina spoke, her words causing him to turn around only to see her standing in the back of the room. He started to stand up, but she motioned with her hand that he should remain seated, so he relaxed once more and watched as she came down the aisle and sat down on the floor next to him. As she did, she bunched her skirt up so that she could sit comfortably next to him. "You know, if I believed in the same God that you learned about, the one that was truly the depiction of anger and hostility, then I think I would hate Him too."

"You would?"

"Yes," Christina said softly. "I would feel as lost as you do right now."

"Why?"

"I don't know specifically why, but you do. Tell me why you feel so lost, Patrick," Christina implored weakly.

"Because," his voice emerged, with a mixture of anger, but there was also fright and confusion there. After some moments of silence passed, he looked at her. "I've lost my daddy, and now my mommy, and…"

"I know, and all that hurt and the anger. It's an awful lot for a little boy to carry around, isn't it?" Christina asked, and when Patrick nodded, she rested her hand on his shoulder and continued to speak, her voice remaining soft and gentle. "I guess, I could be angry too, but it won't do me any good, because it won't change what has happened. The God I believe in knows you're frightened, Patrick, and He knows that you've had enough tragedy for three lifetimes, but He's nothing like what you think. He's not this angry deity that only wants to show you the magnitude of His anger and vengeance. He's a loving friend, a confidant, someone you can confide all your hopes and dreams in. He's someone you can tell your fears and your struggles to. I know He loves us Patrick, and right now, whether you realize it or not, we both truly need Him."

"I'm scared," the little boy spoke, his voice emerging through his tears.

"I know you are, and so am I," Christina said softly.

"Why are you scared?" The boy looked at her the surprise evident in his eyes.

"I'm scared that you're going to grow up believing the horrible words that Mr. Stevens has said to you about God and I'm afraid that you're going to lose your will to live because of the repulsive words that Mrs. Stevens has told her friends about you. I'm scared for you because I care for you." She paused and took a deep breath. "You know, that I can't be your mother nor can I take her place, but I want to be there for you, I want to be your friend. I want to offer you support, give you strength, and comfort when you need it the most. I want you to always know that you're never alone, and that no matter what happens you will have a family with us, and we will love you unconditionally."

"Me, but I'm so bad, I have this disease," the boy objected.

Christina could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. "That doesn't matter, what matters to us is what's in here." She reached over and rested her hand against his chest and tapped it gently with her index finger. "You are not defined by a disease, sweetheart, you are defined by what's in your heart, and what I see in you is so beautiful. I see a little boy with so much artistic talent, and so much love to give. It doesn't matter to me if you have this disease, it would be nicer if you didn't, but what matters to me is what is in your spirit. One day, when Andrew comes to take you home, the Father will take you in His arms, and He will hold you and love you. Of that I am completely certain, but, until that day comes, try with all your might to hold on to the hope, because nobody knows, except God, specifically how much time they have left here."

Patrick looked at her, but was unable to speak. After a few moments he closed his eyes and allowed the tears to roll down his cheeks. "Christina, do you think He'll forgive me for saying that I hate Him."

"I'd be willing to bet that He already has," Christina said gently. "Sometimes when people are afraid, they say things they just don't mean, and I think God knows and understands that you're hurting."

"B-but, how can I ask Him to help me not be so scared?" Patrick asked.

"Just talk to Him, honey. Tell Him right now what weighs heavily on your heart, He's listening to you, I know He is. I think you know it too that He is always there for you," Christina said softly.

"God?" Patrick began to speak, but his uncertainty kept him from continuing and he looked at Christina helplessly.

"Go on, it's OK, just talk to Him," Christina said gently, her gentle words probing the boy to speak further.

"M-my name is Patrick Wallace, and I'm 11-years-old. My mommy died tonight andand I'm so scared. The pastor at my church kept saying that we were bad people, and that we would burn in hell for it. I-I believed him, and now I'm dying and I…" his voice trailed and he began to cry more openly. Christina wrapped him gently in her arms and held him.

As she did, neither of them noticed that Andrew had come inside the chapel and he stood at the back of the small room and listened as Patrick prayed. After a few moments, the small boy looked at her, and she offered him an encouraging smile.

Patrick continued to pray, his voice filled with the exact same sorrow that seemed to embody his broken spirit. "I-I just want to know that you love me, that you actually care for me, and that you're not mad at me. I'm sorry for being such a bad boy, and I hope you will not be angry at me for not coming and talking to you sooner, but I was scared, I'm still so scared." His prayer spoken, the young boy leaned up against Christina and closed his eyes, the tears continuing to stream down his cheeks, the moistness dampening the front of her dress.

As she rubbed her hand in his disheveled hair, she began to offer a prayer of her own to her creator. "Father," she whispered, her voice soft as she held the frightened child in her arms. "Please take good care of this little boy, give him something special and loving to hold on to."

"He did, Christina," Andrew said gently as he came down the aisle and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "He gave him you."

Christina's Flashback End

As she finished speaking she was openly weeping and could feel her husband's hand on her back. "I don't know if I really did enough for him during these past years. What if he's still afraid of dying, what if I failed as a mother? What if…" Her voice trailed off, and she realized where she was, people were standing nearby and she could feel one woman approaching her and whispering something to her in French.

Christina, not understanding looked at the woman and shook her head, realizing that the woman was a nun and chances were this nun was upset that she had spoken too loudly inside the sacred walls of the church. "I'm sorry, was I talking too loudly?" Christina whispered to the woman.

"No, of course not, my dear, but it is clear to see that you are upset. Do you not like our beautiful Notre Dame?" The woman spoke, her thick accent laced with warmth and her gentle blue eyes met the sad eyes of Christina.

"I think this is a beautiful cathedral, I was just remembering something that happened back home," Christina offered softly.

"Our son is dying," Jeremy said softly. "He has AIDS and well, he's only 14."

The kindly woman nodded and smiled sympathetically at Christina. "You know God sends angels to be with those who die?"

"Yes, we know, but it is very hard," Christina whispered, and though she knew that it was hard for her to hear these words, she knew that she had to.

"God will watch over you and your family long after your son goes home, my dear," the nun whispered. "If you look around this church, you will see figures of God's angels everywhere, and that will tell you both that you're never alone in those difficult times you face." The nun went over to altar where the candles similar to the one, which Christina had lit, and she watched as the woman dropped some coins into the container and when she retrieved a candle, and began to pray, her head bowed and after a few moments, she lit the candle and placed it gently on the altar. After a few moments, she returned to Christina and Jeremy. "I will pray for you and your family. God is always with you, and He will love you and help you when you seek His wisdom."

"Thank you," Jeremy said softly.

Christina nodded as the tears continued to stream down her face, but she reached for the woman's hands and squeezed them tightly before releasing them and they went their separate ways. Once the nun disappeared in the crowd, she looked at Jeremy and he nodded.

"You know, she spoke more truths than she herself probably realizes."

Christina nodded and she and Jeremy continued to walk around the church until she heard someone behind her call out her name and she turned around and could see that Lindsey, Monica, and Gloria were now standing next to her and she reached out towards her best friend and embraced her. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I was just in the neighborhood," Lindsay said softly once she had given Jeremy a hug. "I ran into Monica and Gloria outside, and thought I'd come and see if I could find you."

"The others aren't here," Christina said softly.

"I know, Monica told me," Lindsey said and put her arm around Christina's shoulder and they walked to the door leading outside. Monica and Gloria lingered behind them next to the souvenir stand. "I thought I'd get Christina something to remember this place by," he said.

"I found a wonderful guidebook on the cathedral with a wonderful history," Gloria said smiling.

"Sounds good," Jeremy said softly and they walked over to the counter where post cards, books, rosaries and figurines were being sold. He looked at a number of books and finally bought one with a number of color photographs.

After purchasing the book, he walked with the two angels outside. Seated at the door, he could see an elderly man sitting in a wheelchair, his crippled hand extended out and Jeremy, knowing that the old man needed some extra help, pulled some money from his pocket and pressed it into the man's hand.

"God bless you, young man," the elderly man whispered in English somehow knowing where Jeremy came from.

"God bless you, too," Jeremy whispered, smiled warmly, and with the two angels, he walked over to meet his wife and her friend.

*****

Across town some three hours later, Laura, Renate, and Sebastian were walking around the large buildings of the most famous Paris art museum. The large buildings were like a castle and Sebastian stood in complete awe of the building, but also of the statues, which adorned the nearby gardens.

The sky was getting darker as they walked in the direction of the large Ferris wheel that was located at the end of the park. All around them were statues carved in what appeared to be a whitish sandstone type material. There were angels, figures of religious significance as well as animals. Although the sky was getting darker, Sebastian looked around where they were walking and he looked at Laura. "You know, I never thought I would actually see Paris."

"It must be so wonderful for you, Sebastian, to see the artwork and the sculptures," Renate said. "I was never very artistic, but I think this is impressive, so I can well imagine how it feels for you, someone of such artistic talents to see this kind of thing."

Sebastian nodded. "I have been here before, but only briefly. My parents brought us here when we were little."

"I didn't know that," Laura said softly. "So what's the problem?"

"No, it's not a problem, Laura, it is just a place that I wanted to come to in order to remember how it was with my family," Sebastian said.

"Laura told me about them, I'm really sorry," Renate said. "You know I had an experience like that when I was ten-years-old."

"You did?" Laura asked.

"I never really talked about it, but I did," Renate said as they found a bench and sat down. "I talked to Andrew about it back when you started taking ballet."

"Tell us about it, Renate," Laura asked. "Andrew said that you knew him, but he never told me the story about it, and I've wanted to hear about this for a long time."

"Only if you want to," Sebastian said softly.

"OK it's nothing really like a secret, it's just one of those events that happened when I was younger. My father was a doctor then, today he's in retirement, but at one time, he had wanted to open a hospice and help terminally ill children. This happened when I was 10 or 11 years old, we had lived in a large building near one of the older sections of Berlin…"

Renate's flashback

The fire ravaged the building, Renate was trapped in the basement, her frightened screams smothered out by the sounds overhead. "Hilfe," she cried, her German pleas for help mixed with her fear and pain when she had touched the knob to the door that would lead up the stairs to safety. She looked down the long hallway that extended throughout the interior of the large area beneath the building where she lived with her family. She could also see the sectioned off spaces belonging to each of the building's tenants.

"Mutti," she continued to cry out to her mother, her voice filled with fear, and her eyes clamped shut when she suddenly could feel the weight of a beam as it landed on her, trapping her beneath it, the weight centering itself on her legs. She screamed in agony as she felt the weight crushing them. "Please God, help me!" Her pleas emerged, her cries for help overshadowing everything. After some moments had passed, she closed her eyes once again, the loud sounds overhead making her all the more terrified.

"Renate, open your eyes, sweetheart, and you will see that you're not alone," a gentle voice suddenly encompassed her thoughts and eventually she managed to open her eyes. Before her stood a man, an angel, she guessed anyway, as he was bathed in radiant light, the golden hues of his hair shimmering and making her want to reach out and touch the beautiful strands.

"W-who are you?" She whispered.

"I'm an angel, Renate, I was sent from God to be with you so that you will know that you're not going to be alone during all of this," he said gently.

"C-can you help me?" She whimpered. "My legs hurt so badly."

"I know they do, sweetheart," he said gently and sat down on the ground next to her, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders as he moved slowly towards her and allowed her head to rest in his lap. "I am not able to move the beam, Renate, but I am here and I will stay with you."

"I'm so scared," her crying was etched in pain, and she reached for his hand. "You won't leave me?"

"No honey, I won't, I'm right here, and no matter what happens, you're never alone. God is always with you, Renate, and that's why He sent me," the reply emerged, the gentleness that emanated from his voice was as soothing as the light, which surrounded him.

"Are you my guardian angel?" She asked weakly.

"No, I'm not, I'm your Angel of Death," he said gently.

"I'm dying?" She began to cry uncontrollably as her question emerged. "I don't want to die, not without my mom and dad."

"No, no, you're not dying, not yet, but the possibility does exist, if the rescuers don't find you in time," he said softly his hand gently stroking her hair.

"I'm scared of dying," she continued to weep.

"I know you are," he continued to brush his hand trough her hair. "But, you have nothing to be afraid of, sweetheart. You have me with you and God's with you, and no matter what happens, He will always be there for you."

She continued to cry, more from the pain than from the emotions she was under. "It hurts so badly. I'm in so much pain, I wish it was over."

"Close your eyes, sweetheart, and hold on," the gentle voice of the angel emerged.

"I'm so scared," her voice was getting even more hysterical, and the angel continued to stroke her hair.

"Shhh, it's OK, I know you're afraid, Renate, but everything is going to be OK," he smiled weakly at her as he brushed her hair from out from in front of her eyes.

"W-what's your name?" She asked weakly feeling herself become drowsy, and her eyes closed.

"Andrew," he whispered and continued to hold her in his arms.

Ten minutes later, the rescuers found the unconscious little girl beneath the beam and they managed to move the heavy structure from her legs, bring her out of the basement, and transported her to the hospital.

As promised, Andrew remained with her, but nearly ten hours later when she woke up in the hospital, the first thing she noticed was that the angel was gone.

Renate's Flashback End

"So that's how you met Andrew the first time?" Sebastian asked, his mind filled with images of smoke and fire. "I thought I was the only person who really knew about the existence of angels or how horrible that kind of situation could be."

Renate shook her head. "When I saw Andrew again in the States, I didn't recognize him, but he helped me to remember, and in doing that, I found my way back to God, something that would never have happened had I not met him again. I had believed for so long that he had been a figment of my imagination, and then suddenly he was there, and later I was able to come back home and help my parents find God as well as see the significance He has in all of our lives."

Laura nodded. "You know I was in love with Andrew for a long time."

"I know," Renate said softly.

"I'm embarrassed about having to talk to him about this, that's why I've been trying to avoid him," Laura said sadly.

"You shouldn't, he probably understands how you feel, and wants to be there for you," Renate said softly.

"Sebastian," she looked at him. "I know that meeting you helped me to put my feelings about Andrew into perspective, and now that I have you in my life, I know that things are going to get better."

"I don't know about that," he said dryly, his voice suddenly changing and his entire stance emanating nervousness as well as uncertainty.

"What about what you said to me on the train?" Laura asked weakly.

Instead of remembering their first kiss in the Stuttgart bound train, Sebastian could only remember Jeremy's words when he went to the café on the train and this stung him in the most profound way. He wanted to tell her about what he had overheard, but he would never want to come between a father and a daughter, and he realized that the best thing he could do was simply wait until they would return to Berlin and then he would be able to continue with his life as before.

Looking at Laura, he realized one thing, his life would never be as it was before, but after having heard Jeremy's words on the train, those feelings he had for her could very well have been a mistake.

"Laura, I don't know anymore," he said softly.

"You said that when God closes a door He opens a window," Laura said. "Don't your words mean anything anymore?"

"You know, I said a lot of things that maybe I should not have said, but I cannot change that now. They were lies, all of them. You have your life ahead of you. Besides, isn't 18 a bit young to be talking about a serious relationship?"

"Why do you tell me this now?" She asked, her voice weak.

"Because it's the truth and you have to finally realize it," he said.

"The truth?" Laura looked at him unable to believe what she had just said.

"Look, I shouldn't have led you on," he said coldly. "I didn't mean to do that, but you should have known that you and I would never have a relationship, we're just too different."

"Sebastian, what happened to that promise you made me on the train?" Laura asked, her voice small.

"It was a stupid romantic thing to say, simply because I was caught up in a moment," he lied, his voice harder than anything she had ever heard before.

"You mean, the only reason you said that was because you got me alone in a compartment on a train and you wanted to kiss me?" She asked.

Sebastian looked at her, and though he could see the pain in her soft brown eyes, he nodded, thus ignoring the inclination he had to take her in his arms and kiss her; all the while assuring her of the intense feelings he carried for her were still there and existed.

"Why did you do this to me?" She asked him weakly. "You promised me that you would never hurt me, and now…"

"I'm just funny that way," he said simply, his voice cold.

Laura looked at Renate, but then after a few moments she made eye contact with him. "You used me."

"Well, you're so naïve that it was bound to happen," Sebastian said flatly.

Laura swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. "You really see me this way, as naïve?"

"You're still nothing but a kid," he said simply. "You have a nice mom and dad who look out for you. The most pain you've probably been in was falling down and scraping a knee when you were little. You have no idea about struggles or pain, all you have are fantasies about angels, dreams of being something special, but the fact is, as long as you dwell in this, you're never going to grow up or understand the real world. Why don't you just run back to your mom and dad and leave me alone? I don't need you or want your pity, I can get along just fine without you."

Laura looked as if he had slapped her, and when she saw the cold determination in his eyes, she could feel the tears beginning to brim from beneath her eyes. As she tried to wipe them away, she spoke up, her voice filled with hurt. "I know more about pain than you can imagine." The words out, she backed away from them, the tears blurring her vision and her anguish evidently showing. As she ran away, she could hear Renate's voice calling out to her, but she did not bother to look back or respond.

Once she had left Renate looked at him. "What was that all about?" She demanded.

"I just thought that she shouldn't put so much emphasis on a relationship with me, it would never work out," Sebastian said defensively.

"You just took her heart out and stomped on it," Renate said angrily. "How dare you hurt her like that? Especially after all that she has done for you. I mean, most people wouldn't give the likes of you the time of day. When she found you at the park, she was nothing but nice to you, she was the one who got you here, for crying out loud. I even overheard her begging her parents to let you come with us. Don't you see, she loves you, and for someone who is an artistic person, you certainly don't know human emotion very well."

"You don't even know anything about me, you have no idea what I have been through," he said defensively.

"What about what she has been through? Did you even know or realize that Laura has been through hell on earth? You're just not seeing it because all you see is your own selfishness blocking what's important. You talk about God, and His goodness, but you block out emanating that goodness. Yes, it's true, you've experienced something terrible, I will grant you that, but Sebastian, not once has Laura turned away from you, but when she needed someone the most, you turned away from her."

"How could you even begin to understand?"

"Perhaps I don't, but that doesn't give you the right to break her heart like you just did." Renate looked at him. "I have spent the last two weeks feeling neglected by her because she has feelings for you. I have watched as she has sunk into another depression because of those feelings she carried for Andrew. Then I see how she met you and suddenly she felt a new sense of optimism for life. I know far more about her ordeal than you can even imagine, but yet in five minutes you have succeeded not only in hurting her, but also taking all the hope that she carries in her heart away. How could you do this to her, she trusted you, and more than that, she loved you?"

Sebastian watched as Renate walked away.

*****

After returning to the hotel and finding no one there, Renate walked to the subway station with the intention of buying a ticket to the Science Museum. She knew that she had to find Andrew because for some reason, she figured that he would be the only one who would be able to find Laura. Renate was worried, she had no idea where Laura had gone, in her state of devastation, it could have been anywhere.

"Oh God, I need help," she muttered under her breath.

"Renate?"

She looked up and could see that Christina, Jeremy, Monica, Gloria, and Lindsey were coming down the street in her direction.

"Oh thank God," Renate whispered under her breath as she ran to meet them.

"What happened?" Christina asked weakly.

Renate shook her head. "Christina, Laura and Sebastian had a fight, and…"

"She ran off?" Christina whispered.

"Yes," Renate said softly.

"What happened exactly?" Jeremy asked.

"I-I don't know, Laura said something to him about where their relationship was going and he just came out and said that he didn't know anymore and that 18 was too young to consider a serious relationship."

"Why would he say that?" Gloria looked at Monica.

The more experienced angel shook her head, but when she looked at Jeremy, she could see agitation evident on his handsome face.

"Did he say anything about overhearing a conversation yesterday?" Jeremy asked.

"What conversation?" Monica looked at Jeremy.

"Andrew and I were talking on the train about a bunch of stuff and I stupidly said that I wasn't sure he could be trusted with Laura," Jeremy said weakly. "It wasn't that I was trying to make trouble, I was just thinking aloud and was concerned."

Renate shook her head. "He didn't say anything about that. After Laura left, I was really angry with him, and I told him that he had no right to hurt her like that. Then he told me that it was because I didn't understand him or his troubles."

"Do you know where she went?"

"I saw her run in the direction of the subway," Renate said.

Jeremy shook his head. "Oh man, she could be anywhere."

Monica looked at Gloria. "Take them back to the hotel, I'm going to see Tess and maybe she or Andrew will have an idea about where Laura went, or what we can do."

"Tess and Andrew took the kids to the Science Museum, Monica," Christina offered.

"OK, don't worry, Christina, we will find her," the angel said reassuringly.

"I hope you're right," Christina looked up at Jeremy and sighed deeply. "Maybe that nun who is praying for us, will also pray for Laura."

"What?" Gloria asked.

"Oh, nothing," Christina mumbled and they walked back in the direction of the large hotel where they were staying. All the while, Jeremy hung back and shook his head sadly.

"Forgive me, Father," he mumbled under his breath before following them.

*****

By this time, Andrew, Tess, the twins, and Patrick were leaving the Science Museum near the center of the large city. The three children had had a great time, and as they came out, all three of them were speaking at once as to how wonderful it had been. As they descended the steps and were walking in the direction of the subway, Monica came running up to them. "Tess, we've got a really big problem," she said, her breath emerging in gasps as she tried to make heads or tails of what had been happening.

"What is it, Angel Girl?" Tess asked looking into the earnest brown eyes of her friend.

"Laura's gone," Monica said softly. "Renate just met up with us as we were coming back to the hotel from Notre Dame."

"What happened, Monica?" Andrew looked at her, his green eyes filled with concern.

"There was an argument between her and Sebastian about something," Monica whispered. "I don't really know what all happened, all I know was that after we met Renate and she told us, Jeremy asked about a conversation that Sebastian may have accidentally overheard. Laura's run away, and nobody knows where she went."

"The train," Andrew said and nodded as understanding overwhelmed him. "Oh boy, this is not good."

"What was this conversation about, Andrew?" Tess asked.

"We were talking about Laura, and her feelings," Andrew began. "I can't really explain what it was we discussed, but he told me he didn't know if we could trust Sebastian or if his motives were good. Sebastian overheard this, but I really didn't know that he would, in turn, say or do something that would hurt Laura. Oh man." Guilt shadowed the features of the handsome angel, and he rested his face in his hands and shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Andrew," Tess said.

"I should have tried to talk to Sebastian after all of this, I just didn't get a chance," Andrew whispered.

"No, baby, you couldn't have known how Sebastian was going to react," Tess said softly. "It was his choice all along."

"Perhaps, but Tess, what are we going to do?" Monica asked.

"I'll go find Laura," Andrew said softly.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Patrick asked, breaking his own silence. "I mean everyone knows that Laura likes you."

Andrew sighed deeply but nodded. "Yes, I know, and I also realize that it might become worse since Laura's been hurt again, but I can't not help her."

"He's right," Tess said as Adam appeared next to them and she turned and looked at him. "Adam, what are you doing here?"

"I've been sent to Sebastian," the Angel of Death said sadly.

"On duty?" Andrew asked.

"No, not really, I've been in touch with him off and on since his family died," Adam said. "But, there was something he didn't tell you."

"What's that's baby?"

"He does has one living relative left and that person has been looking for him for the last three years. She thinks he's dead," Adam said softly.

"Who is it?" Monica asked.

"His maternal grandmother, her name is Iris," Adam said. "Sebastian feels guilty about what had happened to his family, and he feels at fault for having survived when the rest of his family did not. He's a terribly frightened young man, Tess, but he's not at fault, he just feels guilty."

Monica nodded. "Perhaps, but Adam, is that a reason for him to hurt Laura?"

"No, it's not a reason, but he is in pain," Adam said weakly.

"I'm going to find Laura," Andrew said softly.

Patrick looked at them. "You'd better hurry then, 'cause it's getting dark."

Andrew nodded. "I'll see you guys back at the hotel, let Christina and Jeremy know that I will find her, and will try to talk to her before I bring her back to the hotel." Once Tess nodded, he disappeared.

Once they were alone, Adam looked at Tess and Monica. "Tess would you come with me to find Sebastian? I think I need some back-up."

Noting the intensity on the Angel of Death's handsome face, Tess nodded and turned to Monica. "Can you take them back to the hotel, Miss Wings?"

Monica nodded. "Sure Tess."

"Come on Angel Boy, we've got work to do," Tess said as they too disappeared and Monica looked down at the three children. Denise and Dawn were looking at her, a question looming.

"What?" Monica asked after a few moments had passed.

"Is 'wings' really your last name?" Dawn asked, and Patrick began to laugh out loud as Monica's face flushed crimson.

*****

Laura was seated on the subway going towards the Eiffel Tower. She did not know why it was she was going there, because anything remotely resembling love was not something she was too keen on hearing about, much less seeing. As she sat on the fold out seat near the door, she sighed sadly as the subway car pulled into a station and she watched as a street musician got on and the doors closed.

As she sat in the seat, she could hear music playing, the soft swells of it somehow reminding her of a time in her life that she always remembered when she was lonely or lost. Her mind continued to drift as she remembered that one time when Andrew had shown up in a vulnerable state, and how she had felt good about having helped him. Sighing deeply, she remembered the events following the school shooting.

Sitting there alone on the subway, she smiled slightly as she became caught up in the memory.

Laura's Flashback

Laura had been standing in the hallway and was now in the doorway and she was looking at her mother with complete surprise and sadness evident in her eyes. "Mom?"

"What is it, Laura?" Christina could feel the tears in her eyes as her daughter came into the room, her arms wrapping around her mother.

"What's happened?" Laura asked weakly.

"Andrew'ssick honey," Christina said softly. "He needs some rest."

Laura glanced over and began to stare at the angel lying on the bed. She could feel her eyes filling with tears and she walked slowly towards where he was. "May I stay here with him for a few minutes? I can't sleep anyway and you look as though you don't want him to be by himself."

"Yes, that's OK, but try not to bother him," Christina said softly. "Do you want me to bring you some water?"

"No, I already drank so much that I feel like I slosh when I try to walk," Laura smiled weakly as her mother left the room and she went over to the chair to sat down next to the bed. Her eyes were sad as she regarded the angel, but she reached over and gently brushed the hair from his eyes. After a couple of seconds, she noticed that he had slowly opened them and was now looking up at her. "Hi, Andrew," she said softly.

He licked his dry lips and spoke. "Laura, is that you, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep," she said softly. "My mom said that I could sit with you."

"So, you're my babysitter now?" He asked, but smiled weakly at her.

"No, it's just that I just couldn't sleep, and Mom said that you were sick, and needed a little TLC," she said smiling shyly. "I heard you and her talking downstairs when I got up to get a drink of water, but then I went back to bed and I couldn't go back to sleep." She yawned, and covered her mouth with her hand.

"You shouldn't worry about me," he whispered.

"But, I do," she said softly. "You're my best friend."

"Laura, I don't know if I'm capable of being anyone's best friend right now," Andrew whispered.

"Everyone doubts once in a while," she said and smiled weakly at him. "You're entitled, too."

Andrew sighed deeply but eventually, he nodded and closed his eyes.

Laura remained in the chair next to him for about half an hour, but then she felt herself becoming so tired that eventually, she got up, went to the other side of the bed, and crawled over next to him, her head coming to rest against his shoulder. She lay there for a few minutes all the while she could feel his soft breath against her cheek. There, next to her dearest friend in the world, Laura Lowery finally fell asleep.

An hour later, Jeremy opened the door to the guest room and found his daughter and the angel asleep in the room, his daughter lying on top of the covers, her head resting against Andrew's chest, and a gentle smile playing on her lips, but the chilly air was causing her to subconsciously shiver.

Jeremy smiled weakly as he reached for a blanket that was in the corner of the room and covered her with it. The task done, he kissed his daughter's forehead before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Moments later, Andrew woke up, his eyes widening when he saw Laura snuggled up next to him with a blanket over her. He smiled weakly and lay back down against the pillows. As he managed to get comfortable, he put his arm gently around his friend and he, too, drifted off to sleep.

Laura's Flashback End

As she returned to the present, Laura could feel the tears streaming down over her face. The music had ended and the street musician had started to play 'Dream a Little Dream' on his accordion and she could feel the tears now falling from beneath her eyes as the romantic song filtered through the subway car. Try as she might, she could not even begin to block the melody from her mind, and as she listened to the music, she could feel the sadness enveloping her like the bitter cold of a winter night. She wrapped her arms around herself as the subway car stopped once again and various passengers got on and off.

Once the doors closed again, Laura could feel that someone had sat down next to her, but she kept her head down, all the while, trying to conceal her deeply embedded pain. No words emerged from either of them, though she could feel the soft cotton of the person's jacket brushing against her arm. She quickly dismissed the thought of speaking, simply because she figured that this person would not be able to understand her, as she did not speak French. She concluded that it probably would not have mattered anyway because he would not have understood her words, nor why it was specifically that she sat engulfed in sadness and uncertain about what to do.

She continued to listen to the musician as he played this song to completion and launched into another. As she continued to hear even more romantic music, she waited until the subway car had stopped and she stood up to leave. As she did, she could feel that the person seated next to her had reached out and touched her arm, thus causing her to turn around. As she did, her eyes widened when she realized that Andrew was the man seated next to her and now his green eyes were regarding her with a mixture of sadness and compassion.

"A-Andrew," Laura managed to stammer as he stood up and the two of them got off the subway car.

On the platform Andrew looked at his friend for a split second before she collapsed in his arms weeping.

"Shhh," he whispered gently as he wrapped her in his arms and began to brush one of his hands gently through her, now tangled, hair.

Laura continued to cry, her voice emerging in hiccup-like sobs, and as she tried to speak, she eventually realized that the words wouldn't come. After a few seconds had passed, she swallowed, thus giving up the effort of trying to speak simply because she was feeling the extent of her own internalized pain.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," he said gently as he took her hand in his and squeezed it comfortingly. "There's a café between here and the Eiffel Tower, let's go there, get a cup of coffee, and have a talk."

Laura nodded numbly, but allowed him to lead her from the busy subway station.

Once they had come down the stairs and were on the street, Laura looked over and could see the river that ran through the city. On one side, she could see the Eiffel Tower, and on the other, beautiful white marble like colored buildings.

On one corner of the street, they reached a small café and Andrew put his arm around her shoulders and led her inside. In the back of the café was a small table, and they sat down and he reached for the small laminated menu with drinks and ice cream specialties listed. The waiter walked over and Andrew ordered two cups of coffee and once the man had left, he looked over at the miserable face of his friend. "Laura?"

She shook her lowered head, her hair hanging down over her face, and she made no effort to move it aside. Andrew reached over and touched her head. "Come on, look up," he cajoled her gently, his soft voice making her glance up, if only, for a second.

"Tell me what happened," Andrew said softly.

"No, I can't," Laura could feel the tears streaming down her face but this time she did not bother to wipe them away.

"You have to be able to talk about it, my friend," Andrew said softly.

"Would you stop calling me that?" She looked up, her eyes filled with misery.

"What? A friend? Do you not believe that I see you as a friend?" Andrew asked not bothering to hide his sadness at hearing her words.

"How could anyone?" Laura's tears continued to spill down over her face.

"Sweetheart," Andrew said softly thus causing her to glance up for a moment and he was able to continue speaking. "Tell me what happened, please, I want to help."

"Nobody can help me," Laura said sadly.

"God can," Andrew said. "If you let Him."

"God?" Laura whimpered. "Do you know how much I've prayed? Every night I would pray for someone who would love me, who would treat me kindly, and then one day I thought I had found him. Andrew, I honestly thought that I had found him."

"I know."

"But, he hurt me," Laura whispered. "Just like everyone else has done. People aren't kind, Andrew, they don't care, they just use you, and then they…they…" As her voice trailed off, she could feel the tears flowing down her cheeks, and she was unable to even reach up and wipe them away.

"I know you are nearing the point of wanting to give up, but don't," Andrew said. "Maybe there's a reason why this happened."

"Yeah, just like there's a reason why my birth parents had beat me, why Billy tried to get me into doing drugs, then hit me when I didn't, and now why all I have had is bad things happening to me," Laura closed her eyes. "I just want to die, I can't take any more."

"You know you can't yet, not yet," Andrew said softly.

"I wish I could," she looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to understand how lost she felt. "I want to feel love, I want to know what it feels like to have someone love me," Laura continued to cry as her words emerged. After looking at him for a moment, she lowered her head once more, but not before seeing that he was looking at her with the ever-present compassion and understanding in his eyes.

As the waiter brought the coffee, he placed the two cups in front of them, Andrew gave him some money, and the man left.

"I wish I could take that pain you carry away, Laura," Andrew said. "I know that you know that I cannot be more to you than your friend. I also know that in some ways, you feel just as abandoned by me as you do by others, but I want you to know that I would never ever abandon you, and God would never forsake you either. He loves you, sweetheart, more than you know or feel right now, but that love is unconditional."

Laura nodded numbly and tried to pour some sugar into the cup of coffee that had been placed in front of her.

Once she had stirred the liquid, she picked up the cup and brought it to her lips. After she drank some of the hot fluid, she swallowed and looked at him. "Every time something happens, do you notice how you've always been there to help me pick up the pieces?"

Andrew nodded weakly but looked at her. "Do you feel any better?"

She shook her head sadly, "no, I feel worse. I wish I never came on this stupid trip. I should have just stayed at home."

"Laura, I'm really sorry about this, but you've got to talk about what happened with Sebastian," Andrew said gently.

"I don't want to," she said stubbornly. "I just wish…"

"What?"

"I wish I knew why you even told me that I was meant to meet him? I mean, is this just another way of playing with my feelings?" Her question emerged the painful words filled with sorrow.

"Laura, I would never, ever do that to you," Andrew said softly. "I thought you knew me better than that."

She looked down at her lap, the tears streaming down her face. As she tried to brush them away she realized that she could not keep them at bay. After a few moments, she picked up the cup and tried to bring it to her lips, but her hands were shaking and the cup slipped from her fingers and landed on the table, thus tipping over and the brown fluid spilled onto the table. She abruptly stood up and backed away from the table before the hot liquid could splatter onto her clothing.

"It's OK, I've got it," Andrew said as he quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped it over the table. As he was doing this Laura sat back down, her shoulders slumped as she tried to make heads or tails of her wayward emotions.

Once the table was dried off, Andrew stood up and went over to where she was sitting. "Laura?"

She shook her head self-consciously.

"Do you remember all those times that you would talk to me, and together we would make things OK?" He asked gently.

Laura nodded numbly.

"Tell me what happened, let me be that friend I have always tried to be," Andrew pleaded with her.

"C-could we go somewhere else?" Laura asked noticing that the other occupants of the café were now staring at her.

Andrew nodded, and they stood up and left he café. Outside on the street, they walked in the direction of the Eiffel Tower and when they reached a large open space, they found a bench and sat down.

As she ran her hand down her clothing, she could feel his gentle hand on her shoulder and she looked at him. "I know that nothing that happened is your fault," she began, her voice weak.

Andrew could only nod as she continued to speak, her voice filled with sadness. "When I first met Sebastian, I thought he was different. He was so kind, and it seemed like he really understood me. I mean; he didn't pity me, he just dealt with how I was feeling about things, but then…" her voice trailed off and she tried to choke back the tears.

"Maybe you should just allow your feelings out," Andrew said gently.

"I don't know if I could cry anymore," Laura said honestly. "I feel like my heart is breaking and I can't do anything about it. Every time I think someone is different and that they love me, I realize that I made a mistake and end up feeling all the more lost than I had been before. It's so terrible. Why does God even give us a heart if He knows it's just going to get broken?"

Andrew looked at her. "It wasn't God's intention for you to get hurt."

"Then why Andrew? Why is it that I fall in love only to be hurt by those I love?"

"I don't know why," the angel said honestly.

Laura shook her head sadly, and after a few seconds, she looked up at him. "You know what's hard?"

"No, what?"

"I'm sitting on a bench in Paris, the city of love, next to you, and talking about how much I wish I had someone in my life who would love me," Laura said sadly. "In Paris…"

"Shhh, it's OK," Andrew put a comforting hand on her shoulder and squeezed it.

"It's not OK, it's never going to be OK, you can't love me and Sebastian won't," Laura lowered her head as the tears continued to fall down over her face.

"Laura, I do love you, just not in the way you expect me to," Andrew put his hand on top of her head, his hand feeling the softness of her hair.

She continued to cry softly, her head still resting in her hands. Andrew pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly as she wound her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. Once she had cried herself dry, she looked at him as if to apologize for her outburst, but the words did not emerge.

Instead, Andrew spoke, his gentle voice emerging. "You know, this was always my favorite city, so why don't we take in some sites before we go back to the hotel?" He eventually suggested.

"I can see the Eiffel Tower, but yet, I might as well be looking at a formless pile of clay, because nothing feels right anymore," Laura said sadly. "Andrew, what's wrong with me? Why do I keep getting hurt? Is it because I'm a bad person?"

"Laura, I want you to just listen for just a few minutes, and try not to say anything, OK?" He began, and when she nodded, he continued. "When God made you, He made a wonderful, beautiful, and brave child. You are all those very special things that He sees in you. There is nothing wrong with you. I have said this countless times not only to you, but also to your mother, and I'm saying it again. You're a wonderful girl, you're beautiful, and all the people who see you as their friends see that in you as well." Andrew reached over and took her hand in his and squeezed it. "Sometimes, you will meet someone who will hurt you, but the reason they hurt you is not because of what you have done, but rather because of what they are lacking in their own lives. You see, Laura, Sebastian is a wonderful young man, he is a very special child too, but he is also someone who has his own share of heartbreak and pain to contend with."

"Are you defending what he did?" Laura stood up with the intention of leaving, but when Andrew reached out and took her hand, she had no choice but to sit down again.

"You know I'm not, just listen," Andrew said softly. "Sebastian and you have a great deal in common, Laura. You have both been hurt profoundly by loss, you have both overcome a great deal, and you have both had angels in and out of your lives for at least three years, if not more."

"We have?"

"Yes, I've been here for you and Adam has been there with Sebastian, and I would be willing to bet that he will be paying Sebastian a visit tonight," Andrew said gently. "Now, I'm going to tell you something very important, and that is to think that you're the only one with problems is really not fair. Sebastian overheard a conversation on our way here and it was a conversation between your father and me. Through it, he misinterpreted something, which by the way, can happen when you have people speaking more than one language. He will eventually have to talk to your father about what was said and give Jeremy a chance to rectify things, but I think he reacted to you negatively because he didn't want to tear your family apart. He respects that, sweetheart, so much so that perhaps he might be willing to sacrifice his own happiness for yours."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Laura asked.

"Because sometimes people react to things like this in the very best way they know how, and maybe that's how Sebastian reacted to you," Andrew said softly.

Laura nodded numbly and looked at him. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten mad, but Andrew it hurts so much. I feel like he took my heart out and stomped on it."

"Perhaps that was not intended, Laura, just do yourself a favor and give him the chance to rectify things with you. If you don't, then you may just continue to carry all this pain, hurt, and uncertainty around. I can tell you this, my friend, that would not be fair to either of you."

"It still hurts," she said softly.

"I know," Andrew wrapped her in his arms and held her tightly in his embrace. "Why don't we go up in the tower before we go back to the hotel?"

"OK," Laura said softly.

Andrew stood up and reached for her hand.

When she felt his hand holding hers, she stood up with him and they walked towards the line to buy a ticket to ride the elevator up. "Do you have some money?" She asked. "I only have enough to take the subway back to the hotel."

"Leave that to me," he smiled gently and they waited and when they reached the ticket window, he bought the tickets and they were herded with the other people through a line where they would ride up to the first level of the high tower.

The ticket taker directed them up another set of stairs and they stood near a door that would open when the large double-stacked elevator would reach the platform. A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened, and they went into this large elevator room.

As the elevator began to move Laura looked at Andrew. "How many times have you been here?"

Andrew smiled. "I come here every chance I get, but have lost count. We'll go up to the second level, that's where the observation deck is."

"It must be nice to just run off somewhere sometimes, to just forget about all the problems and let them go," Laura mused.

"Perhaps, but running away doesn't solve anything, because eventually you come back to things as they were and face them," he said gently as the elevator stopped at the first level and a couple of people got off.

"I know you're right, but it hurts," Laura said. "Sometimes life is really hard."

Andrew rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't give up hope, Laura, that's the worst thing you could do to yourself in all of this."

As he spoke the door closed again and the elevator continued its ascension, and she shrugged her shoulders. "It's hard not to."

"I know, but I also know that you're strong and you will make it," he smiled gently at her as the elevator stopped and they stepped out onto a large deck. Laura hugged herself tightly when she felt the chilly air against her skin. "I guess I should have brought a jacket with me, after all."

"Are you Cold?"

Laura nodded and looked down as a gust of wind hit her. "A little."

"I have an idea, let's go look at some souvenirs and maybe we can find a sweatshirt for you," he said.

"You don't have to do that," Laura said softly.

"Oh come on, it would be fun. I thought about seeing if they had some really obnoxious earrings for Tess. If you're cold, Laura, then I'd prefer to get you something warm to wear while we're up here, than at least it would help keep you from getting sick." Andrew's hopeful eyes finally got to her and she nodded, all the while realizing that he was not going to take 'no' for an answer. Somewhat reluctantly, she followed him towards the small shop that sold souvenirs. "You'll be glad that we did this," he continued, "because at the top it's going to be even colder, so you realize that it's a good idea anyway."

They walked into the small shop and Laura began looking at the sweatshirts that were hanging on the racks. As she started to pull a shirt down, Andrew came over with a set of earrings shaped like the Eiffel Tower and held them up for her to inspect. "What do you think of these?"

"Those are the most horrible earrings I have ever seen," Laura laughed out loud and the angel smiled.

"Mission accomplished," he said with a grin as he returned the earrings to the shelf and came back over to where she was looking at the sweatshirts. "Did you find something?"

Laura pulled a white sweatshirt down that said 'I love Paris' and showed it to him. He nodded and they went to pay for it. "What did you mean by 'mission accomplished'?"

"I wanted to make you smile and it worked," Andrew said softly.

"What about Tess' earrings?" Laura asked.

"I haven't found anything here, I figured that we could look tomorrow at Disneyland," Andrew said smiling. He picked up a disposable camera and put it with the sweatshirt.

Five minutes later they stepped out of the souvenir store and once Laura pulled the tag off the sweatshirt, she put it over her head and they walked over to look out at the city.

"Everything looks so white in color. I've never seen a city like this before," Laura said. "I guess it's no wonder you like it so much. It's really beautiful."

"Wait until you see it from the top, it's amazing from 300 meters off the ground," Andrew said and they walked around the entire area before getting in line to ride the elevator up to the very top of the large tower. After waiting about ten minutes they got into a smaller elevator and rode up to the top of the famous tower.

At the top, they came out of the elevator and Andrew and Laura went immediately outside to see the city. There Andrew took some pictures of her and she took some of him.

"Are these going to come out or are they only going to be a silhouette of a bright white light?" She asked once she had taken three or four pictures.

"They should come out just fine," Andrew said and laughed. "Where did you get the idea that angels can't be photographed, anyway?"

"I watched a movie called 'City of Angels', about a year ago," Laura said softly. "In it an angel falls in love with a human. I guess to you that's pretty stupid, huh?"

"Not stupid, Laura, but it's just not realistic. You know, angels love all people, like the man in the subway you saw in Berlin," he smiled gently at her. "We can't feel those human emotions, it's just not a part of what we are. We are here to help, but we can't do more than that."

"Do you ever wish that you could love someone like that?" Laura asked weakly.

"No, I don't," Andrew said gently as he shook his head, but knowing all the while that his blunt honesty could possibly hurt her.

"I don't mean to ask you such hard questions," Laura began.

"No, they're not hard questions, Laura, the answers are just not possible," Andrew said, "but you know something?" She shook her head and he continued. "One day, you will find that one person who will be able to return to you the love that you carry inside."

"It's hard to believe that right now," Laura said softly.

"I know, but I'm confident that it will happen," Andrew said and he could see that she was still shivering. "Come on, you're still cold, let's get some more pictures and then go back down. It's getting late, and your parents are going to be worried about you."

Laura nodded and they walked towards the elevator that would take them down. "Andrew?" She spoke his name and caused him to turn and look at her.

"Yes?"

"Thank you," she said softly. "For everything."

"You're so welcome, my friend," the angel said gently as he wrapped her in his arms and kissed her forehead.

*****

It was late in the evening when Sebastian arrived at the northern train station and stood for some moments watching the people as they made their way through the crowded station. He watched as people walked into the various shops and bought things before going and boarding trains which would take them out of the city and to a many parts of Europe. He sighed deeply as he walked in the direction of a bakery and began to pull some coins from his pocket.

After buying a baguette, he turned and started to walk back in the direction of the exit, his eyes filled with sadness as he remembered what had happened and what he had done.

"Well, well, well, funny I should meet you here," a voice emerged and he looked up and could see that Adam was standing next to him, the angel's eyes filled with sadness. Tess, was standing next to him and she had a look on her face that clearly said 'don't even think about crossing me because I won't have it'.

"What do you want?" He found himself asking.

"The question is, what are you doing here?" Tess asked.

"I don't know anymore," Sebastian said softly.

"Well, that certainly doesn't surprise me," Adam said. "You've been aimlessly wandering for the last three years. When someone did get close to you, you pushed them away."

"Are you here to give me a lecture about Laura?" Sebastian asked.

Adam looked at him. "You don't know very much about her, do you?"

"I know enough," Sebastian said assuredly.

"That may very well be, baby, but 'enough' doesn't count for very much, at least not when it comes to someone as precious as that young lady," Tess said sternly. "Did you know that she was abused? Did you know that her birth parents physically abused her? Did you know that she was able to forgive them for everything before her birth mother died? Laura, has lived through some really tragic events, and she has been hurt by many people. One of them, a young man whom she loved deeply."

Sebastian looked at her. "Are you telling me that what Renate said in the park was true?"

Adam nodded, "yes, that's what Tess is telling you, but she is also telling you about events that happened to Laura that no human being should have to live through. Let me ask you a question. Did you ever stop to think that maybe Laura had angels around her because she needed them? She's had angels with her since she was very small, since the first time her mother beat her. I know, because I was the angel sent to be with her. I nearly took her home because the beatings she endured had been so intense that I was left with little choice."

"I don't believe it," Sebastian said softly.

"It's true," Tess said. "I still remember the day. It was a hard choice for Laura to have made, but she did."

"Tess and I were both present during the time that Laura gunned up the courage to face Lolita Cantu the very last time. How many people do you know of who would be able to look into the eyes of someone who had nearly killed them and say 'I forgive you'. It was a moment of strength that Laura possessed, she was frightened, but she carried a sense of wisdom and compassion in her that was a lesson to many who knew her, one of them was her mother," Adam said.

"Christina?"

Tess nodded. "You judge a family you don't even know, you judge a young woman who loves you, even though you have hurt her, even though you took a part of her hope away. You need to admit to yourself that Laura sparked the hope in you, and as much as you would not want to admit, she changed you for the better."

Sebastian looked at them. "I don't think she wants to talk to me anymore."

"You don't think your grandmother wants to talk to you anymore either. That's why you've allowed your pride to keep you from returning to your family and facing up to what happened that night," Adam said softly.

"Just leave me alone," Sebastian said softly.

"Sebastian, it wasn't your fault," Adam said softly. "It was an accident, nothing more, the fire was not caused by you or your friends, it was caused by some faulty wiring that shorted out."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" He asked, his question emerging filled with anger.

"Baby, would you have listened to Adam before now? You left Lübeck without even listening to him. Adam tried to persuade you to stay and face whatever it was that may happen, but you were so convinced that you knew better, so you ran off to Berlin and have lived on the streets for the past three years. Whether you believe it or not, God has been with you, and whenever things got difficult, Adam was sent to help you through," Tess said.

"I often wondered why you even bothered to come see me," Sebastian said.

"Because I care about you and what happens to you," Adam said simply.

"I felt like I had to prove something, and then I met Laura and…" he said softly, his voice trailing off.

"What did you say to her?" Adam asked.

"A lot of things I shouldn't have, I called her naïve."

"She is anything but naïve," Tess said softly.

"Yeah, I know that now, but I was so hurt by what Jeremy had said," Sebastian said.

"Did you try to talk to Jeremy?" Adam asked.

"I didn't know what to say, I still don't know what to say," Sebastian said softly. "I know I hurt her, but it just happened before I had even realized it. Then Renate got angry and said that Laura has lived through hell on earth."

"She has," Adam said softly. "Her birth mother was schizophrenic and she physically abused Laura all the time when she was little. I have known Laura since she was two years old. I was with her during some of these more severe beatings because I thought I would have to take her home."

As Adam spoke, the color drained from Sebastian's face. "I-I didn't know."

"Well, now you do and the question is what are you going to do? How you feel about her?" Tess asked.

"I love her more than anything in the world, but I hurt her, and I had promised her never to do that. Now, I can't face her," as Sebastian spoke, he could feel the tears streaming from beneath his sad hazel eyes. "I'm going back to Berlin."

"You're not going to talk to her?" Tess asked.

"I can't, I don't know what I would say."

"Well, baby, you could start with 'I'm sorry'," Tess replied.

"Her trust in others is probably destroyed now," Adam said softly. "Where is she now, Tess?"

"She's at the Eiffel Tower with Andrew," the older angel replied, her eyes filled with sadness. "You're right, Adam, Laura's trust in others is completely shattered."

"It doesn't surprise me," Adam said softly, as both angels watched Sebastian walk slowly away from them.

"Where are you going?" Tess asked.

"Back to Berlin, and there's nothing you or anyone else can say that will change my mind."

The two angels could do nothing but watch him walk away.

Once the young man was gone, Tess looked at Adam. "We tried, baby."

Adam nodded. "I know we did, but…"

"It's not easy for one to admit defeat, is it?" Tess asked.

Adam shook his head. "I will have to follow him, but I want to see Laura before I go. Do you think I can, maybe I can help?"

"You really are attached to that little girl, aren't you?" Tess asked.

Adam smiled weakly and nodded. "I don't know what to say to her, but I know I have to say something."

Tess nodded as they left the train station.

*****

By that time, Laura and Andrew had returned to the hotel and were walking into the lobby when Renate came over to them. The young German woman's eyes met those of her friend for a moment and then she looked at Andrew. The angel was smiling weakly, but Renate finally found the nerve to say something.

"You OK?"

Laura nodded numbly. "I guess so."

"I was worried about you," Renate said softly, the tears brimming from beneath her eyes, but for some reason, she was not able to elaborate on that.

"I'm sorry," Laura could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks. As she felt herself beginning to cry, she found that Renate had approached and taken her in to a loving embrace.

"You don't have any reason to apologize," Renate said softly. "I can't believe what he did to you, and I just sat there and couldn't do anything." She looked at Andrew. "I only did what I thought was right, but that wasn't much."

"We all know that Renate," Andrew said gently as he rested his hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I got mad at him, I should have gone after you," Renate's voice was filled with regret and she looked at Laura, her green eyes filled with sadness.

"Please, I don't want to talk about it any more, it's too hard," Laura said softly. "I just want to go upstairs and sleep. Maybe my dreams will be better than my reality."

Andrew looked at his friend. "Are you sure you're going to be OK?"

"Sure, I'm a survivor," Laura said softly as she walked towards the stairs leaving the two of them alone.

Renate looked at him. "How did you find her?"

Andrew shook his head. "I just knew where to look."

"She feels so rejected," Renate said.

Andrew nodded, "I know."

"What about you, are you OK in all of this, I mean she really loves you," Renate said softly.

"I'm OK," Andrew said softly as Tess and Adam walked through the door and approached them.

"Hey babies," Tess said smiling gently at them. "Angel Boy, is Laura upstairs?"

Andrew nodded. "She's hurting pretty badly, but yeah, she just went up."

"Adam you go on up, honey," Tess said and practically pushed him towards the stairs.

"Another angel?" Renate asked as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Yes, Adam is an Angel of Death too," Andrew said softly.

"Laura, oh my God," Renate practically shouted, thus causing the other people in the lobby to turn and stare.

"No," Andrew said gently. "Adam is Laura's friend, he's not here to take her home, he wants to help."

"I'm sorry, it's just…I'm so scared," Renate whispered softly as she shook her head.

"Tess, I'm going to take her into the restaurant for something to eat, maybe you can tell Christina and Jeremy that Laura's back," Andrew said softly as he took Renate in his arms and led her through the hallway and into the restaurant.

Tess was still standing in the lobby and after a few seconds. Shaking her head sadly, she walked towards the elevator and rode up to the room where Christina and the rest of the family were waiting for news with Monica and Gloria.

*****

Adam sighed deeply as soon as he reached the door to the small hotel room which Laura and Renate shared. He could not let go of what had happened with Sebastian at the train station and he felt as though he had not only failed at convincing the boy to come back with him and Tess to the hotel, but also that he had failed Laura. Sighing deeply, the Angel of Death approached the door and hesitated before knocking.

"Father, let me say the right things to her, please," he whispered, his prayer more or less a plea. Sighing deeply he knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door cracked open and Laura looked out only to see Adam standing there.

As she stared up at the angel, she could feel the memories flooding back to her when she had faced Lolita Cantu before her birth mother had passed away. She looked at Adam and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.

Laura's Flashback

Tess had nodded to her, but remained in the hallway as Laura and her maternal grandfather went into the hospital room. Once inside, Laura looked around the room hoping to see Adam, but when she didn't see him, she hesitantly approached the woman on the bed.

As soon as she reached it, she looked down at the face of her birth mother and shadows of the past washed over her, and she could feel herself beginning to tremble. "A-Adam, are you here?" Her question emerged and the Angel of Death appeared and he smiled encouragingly at her.

"She knows you?" William asked.

"I have been with her since she was younger," Adam said and looked at Laura. "Do you remember when you were little, and you had a friend who was with you during the times that you were being abused?"

"T-that was you?" Laura asked and she looked at him.

Adam nodded. "Yes, sweetheart, that was me."

Laura looked up at her grandfather. "H-he promised to be with me during this."

"I know," William said softly and smiled, but he leaned down and began to whisper to his daughter who lay on the bed. "Lolita, sweetheart, you have a visitor."

Weakly the woman opened her eyes, and when she saw Laura she shook her head, either in recognition or denial. When no words emerged, William took the hand of his daughter in his free hand and smiled at her.

"Hello, Lolita," Laura began.

"You should call her 'mother'," William began.

"No, I'm sorry, I cannot," Laura began to speak. "I will never ever be able to call her 'mother', no matter what happened in the past or what reasons are given for it, I can't."

"Then why are you here?" William asked.

Instead of answering his inquiry, she looked down at the woman in the bed. "It's strange, I was speaking to my boyfriend earlier today and my memory of the past is totally hazy. Maybe I came here because I truly wanted to understand, and I may never have had the chance to do so. I cannot remember very much about you, but I remember that you were never very kind to me, and I never knew why. I remember grandfather giving me pennies and I would stick them in my shoes and would use them to buy candy. Then after my sixth birthday, after you had beaten me so much, I ran away and destroyed the science project of one of the neighbor kids. After that, I continued to run, and ended up in the park. There, I met Andrew, and he…" her voice trailed off and she looked up and could see that Adam was nodding encouragingly at her.

"An angel?" The soft voice of the woman in the bed moaned and she rolled onto her side, her brown eyes looking at Laura.

Laura looked at Adam wondering if what the woman had said was to acknowledge that he was there, but when he shook his head, she began to speak. "Yes, Andrew is an angel, but he's also my best friend, and he saved my life. At that time, I didn't even know what an angel was, but I learned that he had been sent here to help me and through his help, I learned that he and God loved me unconditionally. Without his help, I would have died, because you and Guido would have killed me. I never knew why you hated me so much, I was only six years old," Laura said softly.

She glanced over at her grandfather and then back down at Lolita. "My grandfather was the only person who loved me and was kind to me, and my memories of him are very good. But, my memories of you gave me nightmares for years and I thought I would never want to see you again. Then Adam told me today that you were here, and that I had a choice whether to come here and face my past, or to avoid it, so I made the choice and came."

"She's unconscious again, Laura," Adam said softly. "But she can hear you and she asks that you forgive her."

"I can forgive you, Lolita. I can forgive you for what you did to me; I remember the humiliation, the hurt, and the pain. Your treatment of me left scars, deep ones," Laura pulled the sleeve of her sweater up and this exposed scars on her arms from the abuse she had endured. "I cannot forget what happened, and how much you hurt me. Today, I have a family that loves me and I have changed my name from Cantu to Lowery, and my mother and father are wonderful people who helped make me who I am today."

Adam looked up and spoke to her. "Laura, she wants you to know that she understands why you cannot forget how she treated you, and she also would like for you to know why all of this happened to you."

"Why, what happened?" Laura looked at him. "Adam, I always thought that it was because I was a horrible person and she was trying to beat that out of me."

"No, it wasn't that, it was never that, sweetheart," Adam began to speak. "Lolita was mentally ill, and she did not know what it was that she had done to you. Guido had taken her medicine away from her thinking that this was the reason behind why she had been beating you, but what happened was, years after you moved in with Christina and Jeremy, the authorities discovered something during this time, that Lolita suffered from an extreme case of Schizophrenia, and she was later institutionalized for it. It had been three years this month since she was released back into society, and as soon as she was, she started searching for you."

"For me?" Laura looked at Adam. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me?"

"There were many reasons," William said smiling weakly and taking up the story. "I made the decision that you would be left alone to grow as a child should without knowing what had happened in the past. Lolita hated me for it, but eventually, she had to recognize that what she did in the past did have an effect on you and for you to forgive her, would not be easy. Now, since the accident, and since I had spoken with Adam extensively about all of this, I had asked him if he could find you and give you the choice of whether or not to come here."

Laura looked down at the woman in the bed and shook her head sadly. "So much about all of this makes sense to me now."

Adam rested his hand on her shoulder once he had come to the other side of the bed. "I didn't tell you any of this sooner, and perhaps I should have."

"No, I don't blame you, Adam, maybe it was for the better," Laura looked at William. "You're still my grandfather, right?"

The old man wordlessly reached into his pocket and pulled out a penny. This he handed to her and after she looked down at it, she threw her arms around him. When the hug loosened, she looked down to see that Lolita had once again opened her eyes.

"I forgive you for what you did to me," Laura said softly as the woman closed her eyes for the last time.

Laura's Flashback End

"May I come in?" Adam asked, his voice soft.

"W-w-what are y-you doing here?" Laura managed to stammer, and Adam could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes.

"Laura, I'm not here for any other reason except that I wanted to see how you were doing," Adam said softly as she backed away from the doorway and allowed him to come inside.

Instead of saying something she sat down on the bed and watched as he closed the door. As soon as he had stepped away from the door, he turned around as she began to speak, her sadness evident in every word. "Everything brings back a memory," she whispered softly once he had sat down on the corner of the bed.

"Yes, it does," Adam said softly. "Like you remembering having seen Lolita when you opened the door and saw me standing outside."

Laura nodded. "All I have are memories."

"No, that's not all you have. You're making memories right now, this trip, being in Europe. It wasn't just Jeremy's dream, Laura, it was yours as well," Adam said.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I know and I once believed in it."

"Deep inside, you still do, it's just that you've been through so much," Adam began. "Andrew and I both know the pain you're in, we both care for you so much."

Laura nodded sadly and looked down at her lap all the while trying to forget her own internalized anguish. "Did you see Sebastian?"

"Yes, I did," he said softly. "Tess and I saw him before he got on the train to go back to Berlin. He feels a lot of guilt, Laura, but I don't think he really meant to hurt you."

"Yes, well neither did Lolita, Guido, Billy, or anybody else, but he did, they all did," Laura spat out, her voice filled with sarcasm and sadness. "You know, there's one thing that I can't do anymore, and that's forgive them, it hurts too much to even try."

"Then take your time," Adam said gently. "Sometimes, it's even more impossible to forgive yourself than it is to forgive another."

Laura shook her head trying to block out these words.

"Laura, I've got to leave soon, but I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to help you and Sebastian resolve this," Adam said, "but do try to resolve the pain you carry, OK?"

"Why should I?"

"Because, Andrew was right, you and Sebastian were destined to know each other," Adam said softly. "We have never told you a lie, Laura. Everything that we have said has been the truth, it is now your choice as to how these things are realized."

Laura nodded numbly. "I got really angry with him, but he said that I was naïve and that I probably had never been hurt before. I wanted to tell him what had happened when I was a little girl, how I was hiding in that closet the day Lolita said that I should never have been born and how much I remember you having been there and were helping me."

Adam took her in his arms and held her as the tears streamed down her face as her voice continued, the painful past emerging with each haggard breath.

"I-I didn't want to tell Sebastian about it because I didn't want him to think I was as pathetic as I considered myself to being. Then when he said that, it was like my heart was breaking into pieces and I just sat there. Adam, I couldn't say anything, but it hurt so much. He said I wasn't special, but I wanted to believe that I was," her voice cracked.

"You are special," Adam said as he brushed the tears from beneath her eyes. "You are so special that I came here first before doing as the Father asked and going after Sebastian. I may get into trouble for having thought first of you, but it will be worth it. The point is, you are worth it, and nothing anyone says will change that." As he spoke, he began to glow, the light of God's love encompassing him, and he smiled. "I'm forgiven for my little transgression, now you must forgive yourself."

The teenager looked into the gray eyes of the angel. "I don't think I deserve anything nice to happen to me, I'm not good enough for it."

"You do and you are, Laura, in every possible way. Please, believe me when I say that you are," Adam protested as he continued to rub the tears out from beneath her eyes. "You give so much of yourself to others, now give some of that back to yourself. Don't get caught up in shame because of these negative feelings people have dumped onto you. Don't allow yourself to get caught up in the emotional games of other people, try to understand that you have emotions and you have to accept them as they are."

"How?"

"Well, first of all, acknowledge them, state that they are real, and that they are yours. I know you love Andrew, and I also know that he holds a great deal of love in his heart for you, but let me tell you a secret. There are more kinds of love than just romantic love. There is a love of family, of your parents, of Patrick, Dawn, and Denise, but also of friends like Renate, Andrew, and me. This is the gift, Laura, and many people would love to have that gift that you possess. This is exactly what Andrew was trying to tell you," he paused for a few moments and when she did not reply, he continued. "Sure, having a romance is probably one of the greatest parts of being human, but to have friends, is another great part, and don't believe for a moment that just because you don't have a boyfriend today, that the line has been drawn in the sand for you and you will never have another romance, or never feel what that first kiss from someone special truly feels like."

Laura could feel the tears streaming down her face as she heard his words. "Adam, does Sebastian even care about me?"

"Yes, he does, more than you know right now. Why else would the words he said hurt you so much? The words he used were not against you, they were against himself, and when you and your family get back to Berlin, then I will help you find him."

"You said earlier t-that h-he left?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, he did, and I am going to follow behind him, but Laura, whatever happens, God is in control. You don't forget that, OK?"

"I-I won't, thank you Adam," she said softly, and from his embrace he could feel her broken spirit beginning to heal.

"You're welcome," Adam ruffled her hair and when their embrace ended, he looked down at her and smiled. "Now, when you get to Disneyland, you give Goofy a hug for me, OK?"

Laura smiled weakly, but nodded. "I will."

Adam kissed her forehead, stood up, and walked towards the door. At the door, he turned around and smiled at her. Before he opened the door and walked out into the hallway, she waved from the bed, and he returned the gesture before he disappeared.

Once he was gone, Laura got down on her knees and closed her eyes. "Father, I'm so sorry I made such a mess of everything, I just wanted to know that someone loved me, and after Sebastian got mad at me, I just didn't know anymore. I'm sorry that I've got those feelings for Andrew and I know they are wrong, but I can't help it, he's the only male I know of outside of my family who hasn't hurt me. I know that Adam is my friend too, but I just don't see him very much, so it was weird that he showed up here to see me now. Thanks for allowing him to come here because he helped me so much to deal with all of this."

Laura could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, but she continued her prayer, her voice cracking as she spoke. "I feel sometimes really selfish, I mean I made everyone worry about me this afternoon, and I knew the whole time that I should have been concerned with Patrick. I mean; he needed the attention more, simply because he's not doing very well. People don't think I notice, but I do, and I know he's getting sicker, and my mom and dad don't even have to tell me, I can see it. God, please help my family during all of this, and please help me get my feelings back in check. I don't know what I feel about Andrew anymore. I mean; yes, I love him more than anything, but this whole thing scares me. I know I will eventually have to face it, but right now this is all so hard for me. I'm going to try to trust you and confide in you when I am sad, it's just hard because you're not really physically here, not where I can really see you. Andrew said that I can feel your presence, but that only seems to happen when an angel is nearby, not when I am alone."

As she opened her eyes and looked around the room, she smiled weakly as she realized that she was not alone, and as she closed her eyes again, five more words emerged. "Thank you, I love you."

*****

Renate and Andrew were seated inside the restaurant at this time. All around them were other guests sitting and enjoying their dinner, and she was picking at the salad that was placed in front of her.

"Do you want to talk about this?" Andrew asked.

"It wouldn't do any good," she said softly.

"Maybe it will," Andrew looked at her earnestly. "You know, sometimes facing the truth is the hardest thing for a person to do. Sometimes, hearing it is only half the step."

"Andrew, I don't know what to say," Renate said softly.

"Then maybe you should just listen to that voice inside of you," he said. "You know, an angel can come to see a person at any time in their lives, many don't even know it, you could pass an angel on the street, and not even realize it, but you have to ask yourself, is my life so hard that that angel would have to reveal who they are, or are you strong enough to face whatever may come, by accepting that gift without question."

"But, I know you're an angel, and I still don't know what to say. I don't know if what I feel is right or wrong, or how I reacted was the best thing to do."

"Renate, you feel badly because you let Laura go, you let her run away from you, but see, she chose it. I found her in the subway, we visited the Eiffel Tower, and she was able to talk about how she felt. In this time, she needs the help of her friends to stand by her, and yes she may have run away, but that is when a friend comes and brings her home."

"I was hurt because I felt ignored," Renate said honestly.

"I know, but imagine how Laura felt, she had been hurt, and she tried to keep other people from knowing about the pain she carried. The pain is not over, it's just beginning, and Laura and the entire family is going to need support during the next few days and weeks."

"But, in about a week Christina, Jeremy, the twins and Patrick are going home," Renate said.

"Yes, that is true, and in three days, we'll be returning to Berlin, but regardless of the distance separating people, the caring should not end the moment someone gets on a plane," Andrew said.

"I know you're right, and I do care for Laura, I've been so worried about her," Renate said softly.

"Well, you've told me, now tell her," he waved his hand and Renate turned around and could see that Laura had come into the restaurant. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she looked a little bit better and Renate was left to wonder what it was Adam had said to her upstairs.

Renate stood up and walked over to her. "Hey, you feel any better."

"I think so," Laura said. "Have you eaten."

"Not really, Andrew and I were talking and I got a salad, but I was so worried about you that I couldn't eat. Are you sure you're OK?"

Laura smiled weakly and nodded. "It's been a hard few days. I realized that I was scared because my brother's dying, but also because I knew that I would be alone."

"You're never alone, Laura, not when you have friends," Renate said softly. "I was afraid that we were drifting apart, and it scared me, but I realize now that our friendship is pretty strong, and I couldn't stand to see you hurting."

Laura smiled weakly. "I guess I was too busy thinking about how hopeless my love life was to realize what was really important."

"You OK?"

Laura looked over and could see that Andrew was still seated at the table. "I am, but I don't know if I can face Andrew right now."

"You can," Renate said. "He knows everything God tells him about you, and the rest you were honest enough to tell him. Besides, I wouldn't admit this in front of him but if I have to pick someone to like or have a crush on, Andrew would be my choice. He's really attractive, he's nice, and he cares."

"I know that now," Laura said. "I know that you do too, thanks." As she reached over, she wrapped her arms around her friend.

Renate hugged her and they walked over to the table. "By the way, your parents went out for a romantic dinner, and Tess, Monica, and Gloria took the kids out for pizza."

"Pizza, in Paris?" Laura laughed weakly as she looked at her friend and they approached the table. "Andrew did you know that the kids wanted pizza for dinner?"

"Actually, Lindsey suggested it because she was in the mood for a mocha latte," Andrew said softly as she sat down next to him, but across from Renate.

"I'm sorry about all the trouble I caused, Andrew," Laura said softly. "I know what you were trying to tell me now, and I'm grateful to you for so many things. I was just too hurt to realize what a special friend you are."

Andrew smiled and reached over and squeezed Laura's hand. "It was no trouble at all," he smiled gently at her. "You feel any better?"

Laura nodded as she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Yes, I do, I prayed about everything that has been happening, and I felt God with me for the first time in a long time. I mean; always feel Him when you or one of your friends start the light show, but I didn't know I could feel Him when I was alone. It helped me to understand what you were trying to tell me."

"I'm glad," he said and smiled. "I'm so glad."

"You know something?" Renate said softly.

"What?"

"I think I understand why Laura likes you so much," Renate said softly. "If all people did for others what you have done for her, it would be hard to not love you. I noticed this when we were at community center five years ago, and how special you were when we talked at the hospital."

Andrew smiled weakly. "We may be back at the hospital very soon." He turned around and could see that Tess, Monica, Gloria, Patrick, Denise, Dawn, and Lindsey were coming inside the now crowded restaurant.

Laura waved at them, and they approached the table. "Hey girlfriend, you doing better?" Lindsey asked and Laura nodded. "The pizza parlor was closed, so we came back here to grab a bite. What's say we get a bottle of good red wine?"

"Good idea, babies," Tess said as she sat down next to Renate.

"I don't like wine," Denise complained. "I'd prefer orange juice."

"Not me, ginger ale is much better," Patrick said. "Then I get all those bubbles."

"How about having them mixed together, Andrew?" Monica asked, remembering Andrew and Adam's dialogue at 'The Sign of the Dove' in Virginia, and she covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the giggles.

"I think I'd prefer to have the red wine tonight," Andrew said.

"You think I could have some wine too?" Laura asked.

"This is Europe, Laura, you don't have to be 21 to consume alcohol here," Renate said and waved her hand so the waiter would see her. When he approached, Monica ordered a dry red wine, and the group spent the evening toasting the special friendship they shared.

*****

The following morning Christina woke up to the sounds of the telephone ringing and announcing to her that it was time to get herself and the rest of the group together to go to Disneyland. She had been looking forward to this day for so long but at the same time she dreaded it somewhat because she knew that she would have to eventually face losing a child and this was something she was not wanting to face. Sighing deeply she left Jeremy to sleep and went into the bathroom to shower and get dressed.

Once she had finished, she went over to nudge him, thus causing him to shift on the bed, and she giggled when he released a loud snore. "I know you're awake, lazybones, you always do that to make me laugh."

Jeremy grumbled something about being married too long before he disappeared into the bathroom and Christina heard someone tapping gently on the door. She went to open it and was smiling when she saw that Andrew was there.

"Hey," she said softly when she saw the angel.

"How'd you sleep?"

"When Jeremy wasn't snoring, just fine," Christina said smiling weakly.

"You OK?"

"I think so," she said softly. "Did you get everything settled with Laura?"

"Actually, Adam did," Andrew said smiling weakly.

"Adam is here?"

"He was, but he left when Sebastian went back to Berlin last night," Andrew said softly. "I wanted to come by and tell you then, but we were in the restaurant pretty late last night and when I thought about it again, everyone had already gone to bed."

Christina nodded. "It's OK, I had a really nice evening, too. Jeremy took me to a wonderful restaurant, and we drank so much wine ate so much wonderful food. It was like a dream."

Andrew smiled. "I love this city, it's one of my favorite places."

"I can understand why, all this beautiful architecture, the feeling of just walking around here and seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Arch of Triumph. I mean, what's not to like about it?"

"Well the way you put it, nothing," he smiled as Tess, Monica, and Gloria came down the hall and met them.

"Good morning, Christina," Monica offered.

"Hi Monica, Tess, Gloria," she said. "I just wanted to tell you thanks for helping us out last night and taking the kids out. I wasn't really in the mood for pizza, but I knew that Patrick and the twins would enjoy something similar to what we get back home. I think French food makes them nervous."

"Funny, isn't that what Dawn said last night after drinking her third orange juice?" Gloria asked.

"Yes, well some people don't do fancy, but the French are very famous for their culinary skill. Of course, as long as they can brew a good cup of coffee, I could eat anything," Monica said smiling. "Speaking of which, I think I'm going to go down for breakfast, I could use a cup right about now."

Monica left and Gloria followed. "I tell you, that Angel Girl's going to be a bad influence on Gloria with that coffee," Tess said as she began to follow the two younger angels down the hall.

Christina smiled weakly, but looked at Andrew. "Jeremy usually takes forever to get ready, let me tell him I'll meet him downstairs and he can get ready without me being in the way."

"OK," Andrew said. "I'll wait here then."

Christina disappeared inside, and came out some moments later. "What a beautiful morning. I hope it will last."

"Where's your faith?"

"Ask me after I wake up fully," Christina said. "You know, I'm tempted to drink a coffee, too."

"You're allergic to it, would that be a good idea?" Andrew asked.

"Well, what does the doctor recommend to wake me up?" Christina teased.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, and some tea with lemon?"

"Mixed together?"

"No, I only do that with orange juice and ginger ale," Andrew said smiling impishly.

"Sometimes you're really silly, you know that?"

"Maybe just a little, but we're going to Disneyland today, isn't that a place you go to let your child out to play?" Andrew asked.

"I know it is…" she began but her voice trailed off and she looked at him.

"But, you're afraid that once Patrick accomplishes this that he will die," Andrew said softly.

Christina nodded. "I know I shouldn't be afraid, but Andrew, I am. I'm scared. Laura's been upset about everything, Sebastian took off, Patrick's been sick and the list goes on and on."

"Slow down," Andrew said gently.

"I'm trying, but I sometimes think that if I do, then everything will just run me over." As she spoke they reached the elevator and rode down. "You know, I'm trying to be brave, but my child is dying and I don't know if I was even able to enough for him."

"Christina, you did, believe me, you did everything you could for Patrick. No one could have possibly done more for him than you could have."

As she felt the tears streaming down her face, she shook her head. "Andrew, it hurts, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I love him."

"As much as he does you," Andrew said gently.

"We were at Notre Dame yesterday and there was a nun there who said that she would pray for us, and it tore me up," she said softly.

"I know this whole thing is so painful for you, you want to hold on, but you know you cannot." As he spoke he reached over and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Upon feeling the pressure on her shoulders, Christina turned around and faced him. "Will you come back after you take him Home?"

"I'll come back Christina, I promise," he said gently and took her in his arms and held her tightly as she began to weep.

As the elevator doors opened, he led her out into the lobby and in the direction of the breakfast room. "I-I can't go in there yet, the children are probably already in there eating."

Andrew led her over to the plush couch on one side of the lobby and bade her to sit down. "Christina, you will heal from this."

She nodded but looked at him. "I know, but it hurts, Andrew. I would give my life if he could live."

"God wouldn't want you to trade your life for Patrick's, Christina. When he goes Home, there will be two young girls who will need you, they will need your love and your courage and strength. They will lean on you in ways that you probably have not felt since Olivia was with you and your family."

Christina remembered her younger sister who had died giving birth to her nephew, Brendan Andrew. The boy was now in school and being raised by her parents. She loved him dearly, but until Olivia's death, she could not even begin to understand how it felt to lose a child until her parents had lost Olivia.

"You know, I remember so much about her," Christina said softly.

"I know and believe me, she remembers you," Andrew said gently.

Christina closed her eyes. "I sometimes can't believe she's gone, but I know it's true and I know I won't ever see her again."

"Hey, don't forget who you're talking to," Andrew said sincerely with a twinkle in his eyes. "You know, that's a problem that comes about more often than not with an Angel of Death, and that is telling people that there's light on the other side, that you don't go into eternal darkness, but that death is only the physical, not the spiritual. Your spirit lives on, Christina and when you get there, you will see all those people who have passed before you. Every single one of them will be waiting to meet you when I bring you home."

"Sometimes it's hard to consider that," Christina looked at him. "You've been my friend for so long, Andrew. Why is it so hard?"

"Because saying good-bye is not easy for people. You know, when you were younger, you would say 'good-bye' to me or to Tess or Monica and you would think 'when will I see them again?' We always knew what you felt about that, because it was hard for you, but you never knew when we would come back, but we always knew that we would, we would show up when you needed us, like when you were 15 and you asked God to send us. Christina, when Patrick goes home, he will have an angel with him, and that angel will be me."

Christina nodded numbly as she reached out to him and felt him engulf her in a hug. "I know, and that helps," she whispered from the sanctuary of his embrace.

"You ready to go to breakfast now, or is there something else you want to talk about?" He asked gently.

"No, I think I'm OK," she smiled weakly at him. "You coming to Disneyland with us?"

Andrew nodded. "You bet, I've always wanted to ride Space Mountain and could never convince Tess or Monica to give it a try, so now I have a partner to ride it with."

"Who?"

"Patrick."

"You're going to ride a looping roller coaster with Patrick?" Christina asked skeptically.

"Yes," Andrew answered.

"Better you than me," Christina said softly, and he laughed.

*****

Three hours later they family of six, Renate, Lindsey and the four angels arrived at the gates of Disneyland. After presenting their tickets, they walked through a gate only to see Sleeping Beauty's castle before them. Laura's eyes were practically dancing as she looked around and could see people everywhere, but how wonderful and full of color everything was.

The front of the park was called Main Street and it reminded her of a small town in America during the 1950's.

Jeremy pulled a map from his pocket and looked at those assembled. "Listen, since I think every one of us has an agenda, I say that we separate and meet at the town square at two."

Everyone agreed and he took his wife's hand and smiled at her. "I've waited my entire life to ride the teacups with the prettiest girl in the world. Do you want to take a spin?"

"That's lame," Patrick said. "Come on Andrew, let's go ride Space Mountain."

Laura laughed as the teenager dragged Andrew away from them, Lindsey and Gloria followed.

"I think I'd like something a bit slower," Tess said and looked at Monica. "What do you recommend, Miss Wings?"

Dawn looked at Tess, "How about going to Peter Pan's Flight? I read about it in the guidebook and it was supposed to be really great."

"OK," Tess said and the two of them left the group.

Renate and Laura watched them until they disappeared in the distance. "Where do you want to go, Renate?" Laura asked.

"I don't know, I thought it would be fun to ride Big Thunder Mountain," Laura said. "Why don't we go ride that, and then maybe check out the steamboat ride."

Renate nodded, "OK."

"Hey, can I come with you guys?" Denise asked.

Christina, noticing that Renate and Laura had not spent very much time alone together during the past two weeks, shook her head. "No, honey, why don't you come with Monica, Jeremy, and me and we'll have some fun on our own?"

Denise looked rather reluctant, but then when Monica smiled at her, she decided that it would be more fun to tour Disneyland with an angel than it would be to tag along with two young women. "OK," she finally said, "at least I have someone to ride things with."

"That's the spirit and the six remaining people in the group split into two groups and Christina watched as Laura and Renate walked away.

"OK, let's get going," Jeremy said smiling brightly. "We've got lots to see and not very much time to see it in."

*****

At two, everyone returned to have lunch as a group. Patrick was really excited about having been on Space Mountain and when everyone asked about it, he pulled out a photograph where he and Andrew were seated next to one another and behind them, Gloria and Lindsey were seated. "This was so great," he was saying as he showed the photo to Christina and Jeremy.

"You've always been an adventuresome kind of guy," Laura said smiling. "Do you know how long the wait is there?"

"It's about an hour, the last time I looked," Patrick said. "I wanted to ride it again, but Andrew suggested that we ride something else."

"What did you do, Dawn?"

"Peter Pan's Flight was the greatest, it was like we were really flying, and we could see parts of the movie as we flew, it was so neat. Then we saw Mr. Smee and Captain Hook with the crocodile. It was so funny."

"I wonder if they have anything about 'Snow White'?"

"You mean about the two vultures," Patrick said, his voice filled with laughter as Andrew flushed.

"Angel boy's about as red as a beet," Tess said as she nudged Monica, but both angels looked at Patrick for an explanation.

"You know, Laura," Patrick said. "You were the one who came up with the original comparison."

"What comparison?" Christina asked.

"No telling," Lindsey said as they found a restaurant and went inside. Once they had all sat down, they waited for a waitress to come and take their orders.

"Laura, you might as well tell them," Patrick said.

Laura looked at her brother. "You know I've been in enough trouble this week, do you think I need more?"

"Andrew already knows that you came up with this goofy comparison," Patrick said.

"Is this about you, Andrew?" Monica asked.

"Unfortunately," the Angel of Death muttered trying to hide his embarrassment.

Laura finally shrugged her shoulders. "I had this dream about two weeks before we left to come to Europe about these two vultures in 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and…well…instead of seeing these two vultures who were waiting for the evil queen to die, I saw Andrew and Adam sitting in this tree just waiting."

"Andrew in a tree?" Monica began to giggle. "That's too cute."

Upon seeing Andrew's face, Laura looked at him. "It wasn't anything bad, maybe I was just thinking of you, but it was a funny dream and I told Patrick about it when we were watching 'Snow White' the following afternoon." She looked at Andrew. "I didn't intend for him to tell you about that, but it was one of those goofy dreams people have and not really know or understand why they even have them."

"It's OK, but I'm not a vulture," Andrew said, but before he could continue, Jeremy had stood up.

"I'll be right back," he said and disappeared.

"I wonder where he rushed off to?" Lindsey asked, but glanced over to see that he had walked across the small mall and entered a souvenir store.

Christina smiled weakly. "I hate to admit it Andrew, but that's really funny."

By this time Jeremy returned, and in his hand he carried a souvenir bag from one of the many shops that lined the street. Once he sat down, he extended the bag to Andrew and the angel, reluctantly accepted and looked inside, his handsome face flushing red when he realized what was inside.

Quickly he closed the bag, and looked up at them with a deer trapped in the headlights look on his face.

"What did you get him?" Christina looked at Jeremy.

"Yes, what kind of present did Jeremy find for you?" Monica asked.

"Come on Angel Boy, we're not going to let this rest until you show us," Tess said.

"Oh please, Tess, don't make me do this," Andrew said as he squirmed.

"Please Andrew," Laura began. "I could either find out from you or from my dad." Grinning sheepishly, she realized that she used the same tactic that he had used with her when they were on the plane.

Andrew sighed deeply, reached inside the plastic bag and pulled out a small stuffed animal. He held it up and everyone at the table began to laugh. "This isn't funny," he whined.

Laura continued to giggle and because she was seated next to him she reached over and put her arm around him. "You got a new friend to remind you of today," she said between giggles as she reached over and stroked the stuffed vulture's furry head.

"So what are you going to name your new friend, Andrew?" Jeremy asked.

Patrick looked at the now squirming angel. "Why not call him Adam?"

This brought out even more laughter, but this time, Andrew offered a weak smile. "I suppose that would work."

Tess was chuckling by this time, and she nodded. "You know, it is days like this that make me so grateful for the gifts the Father gives us." As she spoke, the waiter brought the food, and before they started to eat, they took each other's hands and offered a blessing, thus bringing God into their family.

*****

After the meal, the group split up once again and agreed to meet at the front gates at seven. This time Laura and Renate managed to take Andrew and Lindsey with them and they headed off in the direction of the Star Tours ride.

Patrick went with Christina and Jeremy and Gloria to Fantasyland while Denise and Dawn went with Tess and Monica to Alice's Labyrinth.

On the other side of the theme park, Laura, Renate, Lindsey and Andrew were waiting in the line for Star Tours, and Laura finally managed to look at Andrew. "You don't think I'm an awful person because of that dream?"

"No, I knew about it when we were traveling to Berlin," Andrew said softly, still holding the plastic bag.

"Let me put that in my backpack and then you won't have to carry it everywhere," Lindsey said as Andrew handed her the plastic bag and they put it inside the backpack.

Few words were spoken until they reached the front of the line and managed to get seated in the front of the large ride. "This is so cool," Lindsey said. "I remember as a little kid being really into the movie 'Star Wars' and now we get to feel what it's like to ride in an 'X-Wing Fighter'. This is so cool."

Andrew looked a little less comfortable, and as soon as they were all buckled in, they waited for the ride to start.

As the screen went up they could hear some transmissions in French, but they watched and felt the machine lurch forward and the pilot, an absentminded robot made every attempt to break any rule possible. As they could feel themselves taking off, the three women looked over to see that Andrew was looking none too well, his eyes were wide and he was feeling the jolting ship as they were heading right towards a Deathstar and at the last second the pilot had managed to take control of the ship and shoot them up so that they would not crash.

"Andrew's airsick," Renate whispered to Laura as the ship jolted again and she managed to glance over and could barely make out Andrew's face, but they could somehow sense that the angel looked a little green in the face. Behind them, a family was squealing in excitement as they could feel the ride moving.

Five long minutes longer Andrew opened his eyes and realized that the ride was over and he looked around to see that the people were now standing up and the three girls helped him get to his feet.

"I've never seen an angel get airsick before, we'd better keep Andrew off the moving teacup ride," Lindsey whispered to Laura as they were leaving, thus causing the younger one of them to laugh.

Once they stepped outside, the three women were giggling and Andrew was finally getting some color back into his face.

"Somebody better stop the world, I think Andrew wants to get off," Lindsey said sympathetically. "Come on big guy, let's get you somewhere where you can sit down." She put her arm around his shoulders and led him to a bench and he was able to sit down.

"Hey, we've got ten minutes to get to the parade route," Laura said.

"You guys go ahead, we'll meet you when Andrew feels a little bit better," Lindsey said. "I was here once before, so I can miss the parade this time."

Laura and Renate nodded and headed off to watch the parade.

Once they were gone, Lindsey looked at Andrew. "You feeling any better?"

Andrew nodded. "I didn't have such a bad reaction with Space Mountain," he said softly.

"I know, you and Patrick wanted to ride it again, it was Gloria and me who opted to not ride it a second time, and then you suggested that it would be more fun to do something else because the line had gotten long. Don't worry, sometimes those visual images are almost too realistic," Lindsey said.

"Yes, I suppose they are," Andrew said as he tried to rub the dizziness out of his eyes. "I just didn't expect that, Lindsey."

"It's OK," Lindsey said smiling impishly.

"I didn't mean for you to miss the parade, though," Andrew replied.

"Perhaps not but think about it, getting to talk to you for a few minutes is well worth it. I haven't talked to you since my father died, and I've missed you," Lindsey said smiling weakly. "I guess I kept hoping that you would come to Lenny and my wedding, but I knew that you were closer to Christina's family than to mine, so when it happened, I told her to tell you about it, but she said that she hadn't seen you."

"I don't play favorites, Lindsey, you're just as much my friend as Christina is," Andrew objected looking up.

"No, that isn't what I meant, either," Lindsey said. "I'll tell you a secret, Lenny and I, we didn't marry in a church, we ran off to Vegas with his younger sister, Kathleen, Christina and my mom. I had wanted to do something more musical with the wedding, so we went to a small wedding chapel there and the deacon married us. Lenny didn't want anything fancy, because his parents had died, and my mom was the only one left. So we flew out there and got married. It was nice, but it would have been nice if you could have been there."

"I wish I could have been there," Andrew said smiling gently before continuing. "How's Tom doing?"

"He's still coaching little league," Lindsey said.

"Tom has always been a big baseball fan," Andrew said.

"Andrew, Patrick is really dying, isn't he?" Lindsey asked.

The angel nodded.

"I didn't want to believe it, I mean, he's just a kid," Lindsey said softly. "Kids aren't supposed to die."

"No, that's always a hard part of my job," Andrew said. "It is going to be hard for me to take Patrick home."

"I guessed. What about Laura?"

"She's doing better, Adam came and talked to her last night, and that seems to be helping her to heal, but there's still going to be some things for her to do when we get back to Berlin. She is going to have to face Sebastian one last time before she goes back home."

"That must be hard," Lindsey said. "I remember when Christina…" her voice trailed.

"I know that Christina had romantic feelings for me, Lindsey, I have known since she and I helped Jeremy's nephews at the beach that one afternoon," Andrew said softly.

"I wish you had told me about that, I was trying all the while to keep it to myself. You know, it's funny, but I never had those feelings for you. I always saw you as a friend. Besides, I couldn't stand to date someone who ages even more gracefully than I do," she grinned at him, thus causing him to chuckle.

"Your sense of humor has not changed, Lindsey," Andrew said smiling at her.

"You've got to be kidding, I think it's gotten much worse," she grinned at him as they could hear the music starting and in the distance the parade started. "Do you feel up to going and watching the parade, it's really neat. They show floats with all these different movies. Maybe they will have your favorite one with your two friends in it."

Andrew groaned and stood up. He felt surprisingly better and instead of allowing her joke to get to him, he offered her his arm and together they walked in the direction of where the music was coming from.

*****

On the other side of the park, Christina and Jeremy were watching the parade and she was smiling and holding tightly to him. "You know, these floats are really wonderful," she said. "This is really a romantic place, don't you think?"

Jeremy turned and faced his wife, "yes, this is really great."

As the final float wove through the streets, Jeremy looked at Patrick. "Was this what you had hoped it would be?"

The teenager nodded, and looked at his adopted parents. "Thanks, you guys are so awesome."

"You really liked what we did?" Christina asked.

"Yeah, it's great," Patrick said smiling weakly, but seeing the uncertainty in the face of his adopted mother, the teenager nodded. "You made my dreams come true."

Christina nodded numbly, but instead of questioning him further she walked with him, Gloria, and Jeremy in the direction of a large ice cream parlor. Once they had come in and sat down at a small table, Patrick looked at Christina. "You know, I'm dying, but I'm not dead yet."

"What?" Christina and Jeremy both asked simultaneously.

"Just what I said," Patrick began. "You know, I remember how scared I was about dying, and you know, I'm still a little bit afraid, but Andrew's going to be there, and you trust him, right?"

"Of course we do, Pat," Jeremy said.

"Then why are you making a big deal about me?" The teenager asked.

"We just did what we could for you," Christina said softly. "We didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't, it's just that before we came on this trip, I was a little worried because you guys were acting like I was made of porcelain, and it bothered me a little bit. I know now that everything's OK and that you're going to be there for my sisters."

"Yes, Patrick, we're always going to be there for Dawn and Denise," Christina said smiling.

The teenager nodded and smiled. "Well, we've got some time, why don't we take a ride on 'Space Mountain', Jeremy?"

Christina smiled weakly as the waitress brought their orders and the angel and three humans sat and enjoyed their chocolate covered treats. Without saying a word, she thought about the following day when they would return to Berlin. All the while, she wondered what Patrick would have to live for once they would be arriving at home.

Somehow, she had the strange feeling that they were going to be finding out very soon.

*****

Five days later Christina, Jeremy, Denise Dawn and Patrick got ready to board a plane that would take them home. "Vacations always seem to be so short," Jeremy said softly as they stood in the large terminal building of the Berlin airport.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Christina said softly and looked at her eldest child. "Laura, are you sure you're going to be OK?"

"She'll be fine, honey," Tess said smiling gently. "Monica, Gloria and I have new assignments, but Andrew and Lindsey will be around and Renate is a wonderful hostess."

Christina nodded reluctantly, but smiled at her daughter. "You be careful then, OK?"

"I will, Mom, I promise," Laura said softly as Christina took her in her arms and hugged her. Once Laura had hugged her parents, she watched as her family disappeared through the security checkpoint and she turned back to face her friends. "This is so weird," she said softly and looked at Monica. "It's hard for me to believe that my family are all on their way home and I'm here practically on my own."

"You were looking forward to this, weren't you?" Tess asked.

"Sure, but it's still weird," Laura said.

"Weird because now you know what you have to do," Lindsey said softly.

"Reconcile with Sebastian, you mean?" Laura asked.

"You don't have to do it now, but eventually you will have to talk to him," Andrew said softly, his green eyes filled with concern as he looked at her.

"Yeah, I guess so," Laura said softly, but looked at Monica as if seeing some support from the angel.

"Don't you worry, you will get along just fine," Monica said smiling as she turned to Tess. "I guess we're the next to say good-bye, aren't we?"

Tess nodded. "You take care of this little girl, Angel Boy, and do stay out of trouble."

"I will," Andrew said smiling.

"Good, now Angel Girls, let's get going, we've got an assignment to tend to," Tess said as the three angels disappeared.

"I wonder where they're going," Renate mused shrugging her shoulders.

"I don't know," Andrew said. "Only the Father knows."

Once Renate, Laura, Lindsey and Andrew were alone, they walked towards the doors leading outside.

"Do you think I should go to the park today and try to find him?" Laura asked no one in particular.

"Maybe that's the idea," Andrew said. "We have the entire afternoon before we're supposed to be at the concert hall, right Lindsey?"

"Yeah, and I'd better get going, I still have to do sound checks and make sure the clothes are back from the cleaners. Renate, can I meet you guys later at the house?"

"Sure Lindsey," Renate said. "You have the number at the house, don't you?"

"Yes, you gave it to me after we got back from Paris." As they were standing there, Renate's cell phone began to ring.

Once she had picked it up, she spoke for a few minutes, and hung up. "OK, everything's set at the house, that was my mom, and she said that she would have lunch ready at four. It's one now, and I am supposed to go to the grocery store. Laura, are you and Andrew OK on your own this afternoon? I know I promised to show you around, but…"

"It's OK, Renate," Laura said smiling weakly. "We'll be just fine."

Renate looked at Lindsey, "I don't suppose you could give me a ride back to the house, huh?"

Lindsey nodded. "Sure, I didn't get an international driver's license for nothing. Come on, let's get going. Laura, I'll see you at the concert hall in a couple of days, OK?"

Laura nodded and the two of them left and she looked around the busy airport. "I guess you get another afternoon of schlepping me around."

Andrew laughed and offered her his arm. "No problem, but let's get out of here."

Laura accepted and the two of them left the large terminal building.

*****

Sebastian Jensen was working on his newest piece of work outside of the national library when Adam came walking across the area and stopped and stared at the chalk drawing. "You can't forget her, no matter what you do," Adam said slyly. "You've got Laura Lowery on the brain."

Sebastian threw the chalk down on the cement and turned around. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, just to talk to you," Adam said softly. "Laura's family returned from Paris three days ago. Now, her family is on their way home, but her brother is dying, and this will happen very, very soon, Sebastian."

"So, what does that have to do with me?"

"Do you know what you are doing?" Adam asked as he sat down on the ground. "You're allowing fear, and selfish pride to depict your reaction to the rest of the world. You're afraid to love again because you think you might lose something in sharing that part of yourself."

"Shut up, just shut up and leave me alone!" Sebastian began to cry.

"You feel the truth in my words, do you not?" Adam asked. "Listen to your heart, Sebastian. You're drawing Laura's face on the sidewalk, that beautiful girl's picture is inspiring you, it's earning you money to buy dinner tonight, yet you refuse to actually look into her eyes and the pain emanating in her because it reflects your own." The angel looked down at the basket, the sun shimmering off the coins inside. "Once upon a time, you told Laura you loved her and said that you would never leave her to face things on her own. But, you listened to the words of her father, rather than the soft whispers of your own heart. You allowed your pride to dictate to you how you react to her, and essentially you validated Jeremy's concerns for his daughter." Adam looked at him. "You were meant to meet this beautiful girl, you were meant to learn from her, just as she learned from you. Can't you see it? Can't you look beyond the mistakes, and try to find the resolution for the actions that hurt another?"

As the young man began to pack up the chalk, he looked down at the work he had devoted most of the afternoon on. "Laura…what did I do?"

Adam looked into the eyes of the young man. "You reacted in fear rather than in love, now you have another chance, Sebastian, maybe this time you will make the right choice."

The young man looked up and could see that Laura and Andrew had come out of the nearby subway station and were walking towards them. Fifteen feet away, they stopped and Andrew urged her forward. She nodded, and started to walk towards them. As she reached where Sebastian was sitting, she got down on her knees, and beheld the drawing he had done.

"I-it's me?" She looked at him as he picked up the basket, dumped the coins into his pocket without saying a word to her. "But why?"

"I don't know," he said simply. "Maybe you inspired me."

"I did?" Laura looked at the picture and then back at him. After a few moments, she glanced over at him. "Sebastian, I'm really sorry about what happened in Paris."

"Why are you sorry, it wasn't your fault?" Sebastian looked up at her from the work he had been working with on the sidewalk.

"I know about what you overheard my dad saying, but he didn't mean it," Laura said.

"How do you know? Maybe he did."

"You have no right to judge him any more than he has a right to judge you. I know him better than just about anyone, he's a good man, Sebastian. He worries about me because it took a long time for me to trust him. See, Christina and Jeremy Lowery, they aren't my real parents. My birth name was Cantu and my birth parents were named Lolita and Guido, and I was abused by both of them when I was very small, and well, that's when I met Adam. Later, about two months after my sixth birthday, I met Andrew," Laura said softly.

Laura's Flashback

Laura Cantu was still running as fast as her little legs would carry her. She was now scared, and after throwing that rock, she had seen the man at the neighbor's house come running towards her. She was so frightened of him that all she could do was run away.

She knew that she had done something wrong, but the broken window was nothing compared to the physical pain and anguish she was forced to live with. Internally, she knew that she had done wrong in throwing that rock and breaking the neighbor's front window, but no one seemed to care about her unless she did do something bad.

She had seen the man who was playing basketball with Robert, and she guessed that he was part of their family, because he was often there to visit. The teenager, she knew, she had destroyed his science project and that had sent him into a tirade. She figured that if they had caught her, she would be dead, because they would have killed her.

There was nothing left for her to do, she continued to run until she ran right into someone who was coming in the opposite direction.

She backed away from the person she had run into and looked up to see a pair of kind eyes, and a compassionate smile on the face of the man she had run into. When he reached down and rested his hand on her shoulder, she flinched, the pain from the bruises and scrapes on her arm hurting from his touch and she moved away from him.

"It's OK, Laura," the man said and smiled gently down at her. "No one is going to hurt you. My name is Andrew."

"You know me?"

"Mm-hum," he nodded, his sympathy and compassion evident as he looked at her.

"You know what I did?" she asked softly.

"Yes, I do."

Laura's Flashback End

"I didn't know you had been through so much," he said softly.

"I know, I should have told you, but I was ashamed of it. Most of the guys I've known in my life have hurt me. Andrew, Adam, my father, and you, are the only ones who haven’t raised a fist to me. It's always been very hard for me to trust other people. Andrew took care of me for some time after I was removed from that other home," As she spoke, she could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "I did a lot of bad things back then, but the reason was because I needed help, and this family helped me. They were patient and kind to me. Andrew became my angel, because he was always looking out for me, he cared for and protected me. He wouldn't let anyone hurt me."

"Then I guess when I said that you were naïve, that was wrong of me, because you knew more and had experienced more than me. I'm sorry Laura, I realize now that my words really hurt you," Sebastian said miserably.

"I don't blame you for what you said, in fact, I know why you said it," Laura looked at him. "I know that to love someone is hard when you're afraid. You're afraid of being left alone, like what happened with your family, and I'm afraid of being hurt again, yet I know now that whatever happens, that fear has no place and I shouldn't be afraid to say that I love you, you're very special to me."

"I don't deserve it," he said. "I'm just a bum off the streets, you deserve someone better."

"I think you do deserve it," Laura said. "Look at that picture, and now look at me. I don't even have to ask if you had lied in Paris. All I have to do is look at this picture and know that you did. You said I wasn't special, but would someone who is not special be the subject of this beautiful art? Would someone who is not worth it be in another's mind so much that they feel compelled and inspired to put that picture on this sidewalk."

When Sebastian did not look at her, she continued to speak. "I think the picture is lovely, Sebastian, it honors me in a way nothing else has ever done before. People can say I'm special or beautiful until the cows come home, but then I see this picture and I know that you care, that you really, truly cared for me." As she spoke, her voice began to crack and the tears began to stream from beneath her eyes.

Sebastian looked up and could see her face depicted in pain, and he inched over to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Laura, forgive me?"

Nodding, she collapsed in his arms, her hot tears falling freely as he took her face firmly but gently in his hands, tipped it up so that he would be able to see her. He rubbed the tears from beneath her eyes and as he did he brought her face closer until he had captured her lips and was kissing her passionately.

In his arms Laura allowed herself to cry and she could feel the tears falling down over her face, but this didn't matter, all she felt was the loving intensity of his kiss. "I love you," she whispered after the kiss had broken and he was kissing away her tears.

"I love you, Laura, and I will make everything up to you," Sebastian said gently as he took her in his arms and held her.

From the security of his arms, she looked up and could see that both Andrew and Adam were standing nearby, Adam was flashing her the 'thumbs up' sign, and Andrew was smiling brightly. Once Adam disappeared, Andrew walked over towards them.

"Sebastian, Laura," he whispered both their names thus causing them to look up. "It's about to rain, we'd better get to some shelter."

Laura looked at the drawing on the sidewalk. "I want a picture of this before it rains."

Andrew nodded as he took out the camera he had bought in Paris and took three pictures of the artwork before he and the young couple walked towards the subway station and disappeared in the tunnel as the first drops of rain began to fall from the gray colored Berlin sky.

*****

Three nights later Lindsey performed for a full house, her music resonating throughout the concert hall. Renate, Sebastian, Andrew and Laura sat in the front row next to Lindsey's husband Leonard and his younger sister Kathleen.

They had been there the past three nights to watch Lindsey perform, the music was wonderful and Laura was feeling on top of the world as it ended and they had gotten together backstage to eat pizza and drink soft drinks. This was the final night of her gigs in Berlin, and the following day, she was scheduled to return to the States to begin production on a new album.

As they were enjoying the food and having a rather comical time, Renate's cell phone began to ring, and she excused herself to go and answer the call. Laura did not seem to notice that her friend had left until she returned about five minutes later, her face pale and filled with worry. She took a deep breath before she went over to the CD player in the corner and shut it off, the music dying and she looked at them earnestly. "Hey, everyone, there's something I have to tell you."

"Renate, what happened?" Laura asked not knowing why, but all the sudden feeling unbelievably nervous.

Andrew looked at Laura, his green eyes filled with sadness. "It's Patrick," he said softly, the knowledge enveloping him and he looked at the friends who were now assembled together. "I have to go back."

"No," Laura looked at him. "Tell me it's not true, Andrew, please."

"It is true," Renate said softly. "This morning, Christina went in to wake Patrick up and she couldn't wake him. He was in a coma this morning and they had to take him to the emergency room. Your mom called my mom from the hospital about ten minutes ago and she said that you should try to get on a flight tomorrow morning and come home. My parents managed to get your ticket changed, because they thought it would be the best because your mom doesn't think Patrick is going to make it till the end of the week."

"Andrew," Laura looked at the angel for confirmation of this news, but when the angel weakly nodded, her lips began to tremble and she looked hopelessly at him. "No, this can't be happening, not now. Oh God, please, not now. I was just starting to have fun, I was just starting to forget, and now I realize that I can't."

The angel came over to her and got down on his knees in front of her, his hands coming to rest firmly on her shoulders. "Laura, just fly home tomorrow, OK?"

Laura could feel herself breaking down, her body literally collapsing in Andrew's arms. "H-he's dying, my baby brother…"

The others assembled watched as the young woman cried, her emotional sobs emerging as she held tightly to Andrew.

"Please don't take him, please," Laura sobbed her fists pounding against his chest, thus causing him to flinch slightly, but feeling the emotions that were emanating from the emotional state of his friend. "Oh God please, I'll do anything."

"Shhh," Andrew consoled her his soft words trying to calm her, but knowing that there existed little that he could do to help his friend. "I know you don't want me to take him Home yet, but the time is coming, and very soon, Laura. You're going to have to say good-bye to him and I know that it is going to be very hard for you, but this is something that you will somehow have to find the strength to do."

"I don't know if I can," Laura said softly.

"You can, and you will, I know you," Andrew said gently.

"I h-have to go back alone, though, and I don't know if I can do that," she whispered.

"You won't be alone," Andrew said gently as he pulled a plane ticket from his pocket and handed it to her. "I won't be needing this now, Laura."

"You're leaving right now?" She asked, her voice trembling as she tightened her hold on him.

"Your brother is going to need me, sweetheart, and I did make a promise to him," Andrew said and he continued to hold her tightly in his arms. "I'll see you when you get back home, OK?"

Laura nodded numbly and eventually she had no choice but to allow the embrace to loosen.

Seconds later, Andrew as gone, and Laura was still on the ground holding the plane ticket in her trembling hands when Renate came over to her and got down on the ground next to her and rested a comforting hand on the teenager's trembling shoulders.

"Who's name is on the ticket, Laura?" Renate asked.

She opened the cover and looked down at the name, but her tears blurred her vision and she ended up handing the ticket to the nearest person to where she was on the ground, this was Sebastian and he looked down and read the name that was printed inside. As he did, the color faded from his cheeks.

"Who is it, Sebastian?" Renate asked.

"It's…" his voice trailed off as the tears spilled down over his face. "…me."

Laura looked up and wiped her face over her eyes. "Andrew gave you his ticket, h-he said he didn't need it anymore."

"Then Sebastian, you have to go with her," Renate said and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm scared," he said softly.

Lindsey looked at him. "We know, but you have to be the friend that Laura needs. If you don't, she'll sit on a plane for nine hours, feeling abandoned and completely unable to think straight."

Sebastian nodded. "I guess it's a good thing I got a passport back when my parents were alive."

*****

Less than 24 hours later, Christina stood in the hospital room looking down at Patrick as the teenager slept. All around him were balloons and decorations that adorned his hospital room. Andrew stood near the boy's bed, his dress, the dove gray suit that Christina came to recognize as Andrew's working clothes. She remembered when she had seen him wearing this same suit when Kevin Miller assaulted her, and again when Robert Davies nearly drowned.

She was not sure if seeing her friend was comforting or unsettling, but she could see a gentle hue of light surrounding him and although she was not certain of anyone else could see it, she knew that Andrew was glowing, even if just a little, and that offered her a strange sense of melancholy.

Today, very few words were spoken, Andrew would not speak to her too much, instead, he was whispering off and on to the unconscious boy in the hospital bed, his words comforting even though to Christina they emerged as gentle mumblings.

She remained in the room, even as family members came and went, she sat in the chair next to her foster son and would sometimes read stories to him, mostly about airplanes and flying from the technical magazines that he so loved, or just sitting with her hands folded in prayer. As the afternoon melted into evening, she glanced up and could still see Andrew standing on the other side of the bed. "Do you know when Laura will be back?" Christina finally asked the stillness, partially to break the eerie stillness, but partly to see if she was still capable of speaking after such a prolonged silence.

"Her flight left this morning at eight German time, Christina," Andrew said softly. "Jeremy went to pick them up at the airport and they should be here very soon."

"Them?"

"Sebastian came back with her." Andrew said softly.

"S-so they managed to resolve everything?"

Andrew nodded as he brushed his hand through Patrick's hair, the wisps of red hair moved from the closed eyes of the teenager.

"Is he going to wake up again, Andrew?" Christina finally asked her friend.

Andrew sadly shook his head. "No, he's not going to, but he can hear you, my friend, he just cannot respond."

"I had that feeling, it was something like what happened with Bryan." She looked up towards the door. "Did someone call my parents or Bryan and Rachel?"

"Everyone's been called Christina, try to calm down."

"I can't," she said loudly, her voice causing her father, Daniel, to stick his head inside the room, but after a few moments, he went back out into the hallway muttering something about getting a cup of coffee in the cafeteria.

Andrew came around to the other side of the bed and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You did so much for him, Christina, and he wanted me to tell you thank you and he asked me if you would take care of Dawn and Denise for him since he is no longer able to. He has always felt responsible for them and after their parents died, Patrick felt that it was his place to protect the twins."

"I know he told me when we were at Disneyland," Christina said softly. "I can't believe that this has happened so quickly since leaving Berlin."

Andrew nodded. "I know, and I am really sorry."

"You know what is really hard about this whole thing, Andrew?" She asked but when the angel shook his head, she continued. "I keep thinking it's like a bad dream, and that I wish I could wake up from it and everything would be OK," she sniffed as she looked at him. "He's the same age as Bryan was after that car accident."

"I remember, you were ten-years-old, and you were so frightened," Andrew said softly. "Do you remember what you told Bryan? It was just before he woke up."

"Not really," she said softly.

"You told him that God loves him," Andrew said. "Sometimes God brings His children home so they won't feel pain any longer, that is why God is going to call Patrick home, He doesn't want to see him suffer any longer. I know this is hard for you, Christina, because I know how much you love Patrick, and don't ever think that that love is one sided because he loves you too, but now he's ready to come home." He paused before he could continue speaking. He approached where she was sitting and reached over and took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up so that she would be looking into the familiar eyes of her friend. "You have to let go now, my friend. Patrick had a wonderful three years with you, Jeremy, and Laura. He found his will to live and he did in fact live much longer than the doctors even expected. You gave him the gift that enabled him to embrace life and God is so proud of you for giving so much to that little boy."

"I don’t know if I did enough," Christina said softly. "I could have done so much more."

"No you couldn't, because to do that you would have to take away the negative memories he carried and you do not possess the ability to do so."

"The memories?" Christina said softly.

"Patrick wants you to find his sketch book after he goes home and he wants you to look at the pictures inside it. There you will understand much more about him than you may not have known before."

Christina nodded as the door opened and Laura and Sebastian came into the room, behind them Dawn and Denise were standing in the doorway.

Laura's eyes were filled with tears as she looked down at the still figure in the bed her eyes filling with tears as she stared down at her brother. "Pat, give God a hug for me when you go home."

She squeezed his hand and walked slowly from the room, Sebastian followed her out into the hall.

"Is that it?" He asked looking at her in profound disbelief.

"What?"

"You should be in there with him, and support him," Sebastian said softly.

"I do support him, but this is too hard for me, it reminds me too much of Olivia, Sebastian," Laura said sadly.

"It will be harder for you if you stay out here and wonder what is happening inside that room," Sebastian whispered softly. "I know now why I was meant to meet you, I was supposed to help you not to make the same mistakes I made. Laura, I know why this all reminds me of my parents, because if I could have been with them I would have stayed even if it meant sacrificing my life for it," Sebastian took her shoulders in his hands. "Don't make the same mistake I made, you have the chance to make things happen differently, but only if you go back in there and tell your brother a proper good-bye. Laura, go in there and tell him you love him." As he spoke the tears streamed down over his face, but his soft hazel eyes continued to hold Laura's gaze, their sincerity mesmerizing.

Jeremy stood behind the young man and listened to his words, his own eyes misting over when he heard the compassion and wisdom in the boy's language. He watched as his daughter shook her head and then without warning, Sebastian continued to speak, his voice filled with sincerity that Jeremy had not heard the likes of since before his and Paula's grandfather passed away over 35-years-ago.

"Laura, when my family died in that fire, I was there, and I wanted to save them, but I couldn't. I remember standing in the dining room the flames rising higher and higher, and when the roof caved in, my parents were unable to get out. They were trying to save my two brothers, and they just couldn't. You may not be able to save Patrick, but you can be there and tell him all those important things you need to say before he dies. These are the things I never got to say to my own family. Don't throw that chance away."

Laura could feel the tears brimming from beneath her eyes and she looked back at the door. "Will you come?"

"Sometimes, it's better to walk down these paths alone, then you know and understand that God's with you, and He'll walk with you through that door. For a long time, I spoke about this and did not believe it fully, today I know He will," Sebastian took her gently in his arms and hugged her, his hands grasping her own once the embrace loosened and he squeezed her hands with all the love that was inside him. "Now go. I'll be out here waiting for you."

Laura nodded and after she kissed him, she walked back towards the door leading into Patrick's room. With one last glance in his direction, she disappeared inside.

Once she was gone, Sebastian turned around and to his surprise, he could see that Jeremy was now standing in the hallway, his eyes regarding just about every single movement he was making.

"Sebastian, can I talk to you for a minute?" Jeremy said softly.

"Sure, but I think you should be in there with your son," Sebastian said weakly. "He needs you now."

"Yes, that is true, but I am with someone right now who is like a son to me," Jeremy said. "I didn't realize any of this before, but when I heard you talking to Laura just now, it occurred to me just how much your words meant to me. You are really an extraordinary young man, Sebastian."

Sebastian looked at Jeremy with a question looming, but the words were simply not coming and instead of speaking; he shrugged his shoulders not knowing or considering where this conversation was going.

"Will you forgive me?" Jeremy asked after a few moments. "I was so wrong, what I said on the train. I didn't want to trust, because I'm somewhat over-protective of Laura. She's been through hell on earth, you know, and I guess, I sometimes worry needlessly about the goodness that's in her heart dying because of the pain she has endured."

"I know, Tess and Adam told me about this, and I realized that I was wrong about a lot of things. I'm sorry I ran off, Jeremy," Sebastian said softly. "I'm not used to people taking me in without passing judgment on me. It's strange to have friends who would do so much for me, and at the same time, it is also very difficult to understand."

"Yes, perhaps, but maybe you should just accept it as a symbol of friendship," Jeremy said softly. "I was wrong to pass judgment on you, even if it was just a conversation I was having with Andrew. I said some things that should not have been said, and for that I apologize not only for saying them, but not coming to talk to you and trying to rectify everything. It wasn't my intention to hurt you."

"I don't blame you, Jeremy," Sebastian began. "I probably showed more reasons to not trust me when I turned around and hurt Laura. I just didn't know how to react to everything that was happening, it was overwhelming for me. I mean, yes, I was hurt, but I was scared too, and maybe I was looking for a reason to run away and that was just as good of a reason as anything else that happened."

"You were scared to love someone for fear of losing them," Jeremy said.

Sebastian nodded. "Yes, I lost my family, Jeremy, that's why I left Lübeck in the first place. Staying there would have been too hard for me to do and so, against the advice Adam had given me back then, I went to live on the streets of Berlin. For the last three years, Adam has been my friend and also my angel of sorts. I mean, I knew that he was an Angel of Death, but he was more like my guardian angel than anything. He tried to help me find other options, but what can I say? Guilt does weird things to people."

"You threw everything you had away because you felt guilty about what had happened three years ago?" Jeremy looked in the hazel eyes of the young man.

"Yes, and then I met Laura, and she taught me so much, she said my faith was strong, but her faith topped mine by insurmountable numbers. She was just incredible. I mean; she had lived through so much, yet she didn't throw anything away, instead she embraced it and believed that her life would get better. She believed in me, even after I had stopped believing in myself."

"You know, your life can get better too, Sebastian," Jeremy said softly. "My family wants to help you, but that means that you have to want to help yourself. Would you like to stay here?"

"I would, but I have to go back and see my grandmother, there are a few things in Lübeck that need resolving," Sebastian said. "Once I visit her, I would very much like to come back and stay."

"Laura will no doubt like that, and I think her parents will as well," Jeremy said smiling. As he spoke, he extended his hand to the young man and was happy when Sebastian reached out and they shook hands. As they did, Jeremy pulled Sebastian into his arms and they hugged.

*****

That night, the family stayed at the hospital, all of them standing vigil by Patrick's bedside, all of them hoping, but somehow, realizing that the young boy was drifting further and further away from them. At three in the morning, Christina woke up and rubbed her eyes sleepily, but for some reason, she had opened her eyes suddenly as though something was about to happen but she was not certain as to what it was.

All around her the members of her family were still asleep, some out in the hallway, some in the room in whatever crevice they could find to sit and close their eyes. She looked over and could see that Laura and Sebastian were asleep, the young woman in the arms of her friend, her head resting comfortably on his shoulder.

As Christina continued to rub her eyes, she could see a faint white light as though the sun was shining in through the window, but one glance to the red illuminated numbers on the alarm clock told her that this was not the sunlight. She glanced around where she was seated and could see the light filtering in from around the door to the small room. She turned back around and could see that the light was still there, and it was emanating around a more darker part of the room. She continued to ponder what exactly that light was, all the while believing that she was seeing things because she was so exhausted.

Seconds later, the light grew in intensity, and she suddenly realized what it was, or from where specifically it was emanating from. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, and a gentle voice somehow told her not to be afraid and that she should open her eyes.

As she did, she could see that Andrew was just waiting for the word as to when he would have to take Patrick to Heaven. Somehow, she knew it was time, the light was brighter than anything she had ever seen, and as she looked up, she could see that Andrew was standing in the center of that nimbus of light. Without warning, she could feel the tears catching in her eyes as she continued to stare as Andrew's glow became all the more magnificent and dazzling. As she continued to gaze at the beautiful light, it seemed almost too bright for her to behold, and she found herself trying to cover her eyes briefly for fear of being blinded by it. After a second passed, she somehow knew that the light would not blind her and she looked up at Andrew. "It's time, isn't it?"

Andrew, knowing that his longtime friend could see him, and in fact, had been watching him, nodded simply and consulted his pocket watch one last time before sticking the object inside his pocket and leaning over to whisper something to Patrick.

Christina said nothing, she could only gaze at them as Andrew whispered to her foster son's soul, but the words were inaudible to her as the angel was speaking with thoughts and not with words. She felt a strong sense of peace encompass her as she continued to watch these events unfolding all the while somehow knowing that this was a gift being given to her for taking these three special children in. As she wiped the tears from her eyes, she felt a sense of inner peace engulf her as she watched, the tears still falling, but she was not bothering to wipe them away.

It's time my friend, remember when I told you that we would walk together? Andrew's words penetrated the darkness of Patrick's dreams.

Yes, it's just like you said, I'm not afraid, Andrew. I'm actually ready.

Andrew smiled gently as he heard the words of the boy, and Christina watched him as he reached down and brushed the back of his hand ever so gently across Patrick's gaunt cheek and his breathing simply stopped as the spirit of the boy stood up and joined his angel and friend for their last journey together.

He looked over and could see Christina sitting nearby and she was looking at Andrew somehow still able to see them, but not even beginning to understand or comprehend how it was that she was witnessing all of this.

Christina can see us, Pat, Andrew said to the young boy and instead of speaking further he watched as Patrick looked at his adopted mother and without even thinking twice, the spirit of the boy waved.

Before Christina could return the gesture the two of them disappeared in the mist, as the doctor and nurses came charging into the room and quickly ushered the family out.

As she stepped out into the hallway, Christina looked at her husband. "Jeremy, did you see it?"

"See what, honey?" He asked.

"Patrick and Andrew," Christina said softly. "I saw them leaving together just now, and Patrick was running towards the light with all the energy of a child who could run in a marathon. It was beautiful, like nothing else in the world, nothing I could have even imagined."

"Did anything else happen, Mom?" Laura asked weakly as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yes, honey, he waved to us before he left. I heard no words, but I saw him waving," Christina said softly as the tears streamed down her face and she began to weep softly.

As she closed her eyes she could feel a hand on her shoulder, and she turned around and could see that Andrew was now standing next to her, and the angel carried a sad smile on his face, but his green eyes carried a love for this family that was indescribable.

"Andrew, is what I just saw real? Did I really see you and Patrick walking together, leaving here?" Christina asked weakly.

"Yes, Christina, you did," he said gently. "This was a promise I made to Patrick before he went home. He wanted me ask if you could see everything, so that you would not be sad about his going home," Andrew smiled gently. "He is reunited with his parents, now, and he is happy in the arms of the Father."

Christina nodded numbly, but as she felt the tears continuing to stream from beneath her eyes, she began to weep bitterly as her family took her into their arms and held her tightly.

Moments later, the twins hesitantly came over to where Andrew was standing and both girls tried to reach up and hug the angel, their arms literally stretching up so they would reach the top of Andrew's shoulders. "Will you tell our brother that we love him when you see him again?" Denise asked weakly, her voice cracking as Dawn nodded.

"He knows, sweetheart," Andrew said gently as he got down on his knees and took the two girls in his arms and held them as they cried. After a few moments, Denise looked up from her place in his arms and saw the tears streaming down the angel's handsome face. She leaned over and kissed one of the droplets of water before it made its way completely down his cheek.

A few moments later, their embrace loosened and Andrew stood with the family as they received the news, Patrick Wallace had passed away at 3.02 in the morning on June 21.

The End

Dear Reader,

I would like to thank you for your patience in letting me get this story out. As you can see it's much longer than the other stories in this series, but it was one of those times when I found myself starting to write and not being able to stop, thus this is like the equivalent of two maybe three of the regular sized stories.  :-)  Will there be another story with this length? God only knows.

There are a couple of people I would like to thank in that they helped me get this story put together. First and foremost, my husband, Sven, who is in fact a pilot, and who provided me all that great information about the airplanes, preflight check, radio operations, as well as gave me some manuals to study in order to get this stuff right. He also was the one who got me to Paris earlier this year, so that some of these places that are in the story are actually those places we visited. The musician on the subway, the Eiffel Tower visit, the Disneyland visit, the walk around the gardens were all real parts of our trip and were also my favorite parts, thus they found their way into the story.

Secondly, I'd like to thank my friend, Renate, who read through this pile of stuff before I managed to actually finish it. I got a few ideas from her about where this was actually heading, though she won't take the credit for it, she does deserve it!!!  :-)

I hope that this story was worth the wait. It was in some places extremely hard to write simply because the emotional stuff was very intense and I had to back myself away from it for a spell before I could really continue. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed it, and as always, feedback isn't required, but it is appreciated. It feels weird to be done with this project!!

God bless,

Yvette Jessen

October 19, 2001

Want to send feedback?  Direct it to fictionfeedback (at) onthisside.net.  Please put the story title in the subject line.  Thanks!

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