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 eighteenth 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', the sixteenth, 'The Father's Little Ones', and the seventeenth, 'In the Heart of a Dreamer'.

*****

Forward: This story does have aspects within it that deal with the issues of homosexuality and hate crimes however, there is nothing contained within it that goes beyond a PG rating, and anything dealing with violence is done through a third person perspective, rather than active actions taking place. In other words, there is no blood and gore in this story.

However, with the above in mind, this particular piece may still not be suitable for all readers. Therefore, please exercise discretion with regards to reading it, and please do not send religious based feedback about my treatment of the characters here. This is a fiction story and if anything resembles something factual, then it is coincidental. However, in writing about this important issue, I tried to keep it in the spirit of TBAA. Therefore, it is an issue, which I will not enter into debate over.

With that said, and if you're still interested…enjoy.

*****

Three days after Patrick's death, Laura had shut herself in her room and it seemed as though she was unable or unwilling to talk to anyone, not even her new boyfriend, Sebastian. It was obvious to everyone in the house that the young man was worried, but could not persuade her to come out. Now, the day of the funeral had arrived and he wondered almost constantly if she would even be able to go.

The family was getting ready to go to the church, and Sebastian was standing outside of Laura's bedroom door, his sad hazel eyes speaking volumes as Andrew came up the stairs and reached where he was standing.

"Is she still locked inside?" The angel asked weakly, when he saw the worry on Sebastian's face.

"I've tried everything, but ever since Patrick died, she hasn't spoken to me," Sebastian said sadly. "I know this must be killing her, but in the back of my mind I can't let go of the fact that I hurt her, and I truly didn't mean to, Andrew."

"She knows, Sebastian, but sometimes guilt has a way of taking hold of someone and making them feel the pain, which will turn out alright if only they are able to find the strength that is needed in order to let go," Andrew said gently. "You go on down, and let me see if I can get her to open the door."

"She trusts you more than she does me," Sebastian said sadly.

"Give her some time, OK?" Andrew said gently as he placed a gentle hand on Sebastian's shoulder. "I've known Laura since she was a little girl, and she's been through a great deal since then, but give her some time, and eventually she'll come out and tell you how she feels. Just be patient with her."

Sebastian nodded and walked towards the stairs and once he disappeared, Andrew sighed deeply and knocked on the door. "Laura?"

"Go away, I want to be alone." Came the sound of her voice from the other side.

"I will not go away," Andrew said, his voice emerging with a strange and alien stubbornness intertwined in it. "Please open the door."

After a few seconds passed, and once he could hear the door click from the other side; he turned the knob, and came into the room. As he looked around the room, he could see that once she had unlocked the door, she had returned to the bed and had sat down on the edge. He came over and sat down next to her. "Laura?"

"Is it time to go?" She asked weakly.

Andrew nodded, "yes, it is nearing time for us to go to the church."

As he spoke, she could feel the tears of shame and guilt streaming down her cheeks as she looked towards the window. On the sill, a white dove was cooing as it looked inside the room.

"I s-should have been here, Andrew," Laura spoke softly as she remembered the last time she had seen of her brother was when he and her family were going through the security check at the Berlin airport nearly a week ago. She shook her head as she remembered how much fun she had had after her parents and siblings had left. Since returning to the States to say good-bye to Patrick, she could only feel the hollowness in the pit of her stomach, an emptiness that seemed to dominate all the feelings she had.

"Oh Laura." The familiar voice of her friend emerged, and she glanced over towards him and could feel his hand on her shoulder. "You were here. When the time was right, you did return to say 'good-bye'."

As he spoke, she reluctantly wiped the tears from her eyes. When she looked up after a moment, Andrew could see the depiction of utter heartbreak on her face, and he released a pent up sigh, as he squeezed her shoulder tenderly.

"You know that everyone is about to leave for the church," Andrew said. "The funeral will be starting soon." As he spoke, he could see the look of agony on Laura's pale face. "Are you OK?"

"Do I look like I'm OK?" She answered his question with one of her own, her voice emerging filled with anger and guilt.

"No," Andrew said honestly. "You look as though you are in a great deal of pain. Please, Laura, talk to me. You have always known that you could talk to me about anything," he pleaded with her.

"I don't want to talk, not now, I can't," she whispered as she covered her face with her hands.

"You need to talk, sweetheart," he said softly. "I know what you're thinking right now, but guilt is not going to bring Patrick back, and it's not going to help you heal either."

"Oh so now you're starting to read my mind, huh?" Laura asked weakly. "First you get me to talk about how I felt, and now you want me to talk about this. What next?"

Andrew looked down at her, one of his hands brushing through her hair. "You are sad still because of what happened in Berlin, aren't you?"

"I should have come back with them, you know? I could have spent more time with Patrick instead of chasing after you. I could have talked to him instead of being selfish and trying to resolve things with Sebastian. There's so much I should have done, but nobody told me anything until after he was in a coma and then what I had to say would never have mattered."

"It did matter, Laura," Andrew said softly.

"No, it didn't. Nothing changed, not one word, and then…and then I had to come back home and everything has completely fallen apart." Laura shook her head remorsefully.

Andrew looked at her. "Why are you really angry, sweetheart?"

"I just want to know why? Why didn't you tell me that Patrick was going to die so soon and that I could have come back with my family?" Her words emerged as the tears began to fall from her sad brown eyes.

"Laura, I honestly didn't know," Andrew said softly, his voice cracking.

"You're an angel, you should have known. How could you have not known?" She could feel the tears streaming down over her face. "I stood in that airport and I watched them walk away and it was the last time I really saw him."

"I know, and if I had known, don't you think I would have told you?" Andrew asked. "I would never lie to you and I would never deceive you, Laura."

Laura wiped the tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her dark gray dress and she stood up. Without another word, she went and pulled a silver necklace from her jewelry box. Once she put the necklace on, she turned around and Andrew could see the pendant of a dove hanging from the chain. "Everything hurts right now," she said softly. "Everything…"

"You will heal," Andrew said softly.

"It's only a question of when," she said softly as she tried to look past him.

"Laura?" His speaking her name caused her to look him in the eyes. As his next words emerged, she found herself stepping back somewhat. "Are you angry with me?"

Upon hearing his question, she could feel the tears streaming down her face, but rather than speak, she found herself nodding slowly, almost unwillingly. "I don't want to be angry with you, but I am, and I can't help it. I don't want to be angry with you, Andrew…" she whispered as she sank to the floor, and began to weep bitterly.

"Will you give me a chance to rectify things?" Andrew asked softly. "Will you give us a chance to be the friends we were before all of this happened?" He approached where she was sitting on the floor and he took her face in his hand and tipped her face up so that she was looking at him

Laura could feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes, but she nodded as she allowed him to take her gently in his arms and hold her as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

*****

The funeral took place at the local church the Lowery family attended and when Christina, her husband, and three daughters entered the sanctuary, they could see that the entire church was nearly full, the mourners seated inside, and they walked down the aisle towards the seats reserved for the family at the front of the sanctuary.

All around, Christina could see flowers, candles and even Patrick's log book was placed near the casket next to his photograph. His sketchbook was also nearby, but no one seemed to go and open it, so it remained closed. Within moments, she turned around and could see that Andrew had come into the church as well; Monica, Tess, and Gloria were walking a few steps behind him. As if pushed by adrenaline, she walked with weighted steps over to join them.

"Hi, Tess…" her voice trailed off before she could acknowledge the other angels by name.

"Hello honey, you doing OK?" Tess asked as she took Christina in her arms and the woman could feel herself beginning to sob in the arms of the angel.

"T-thank you for being here," Christina said, her voice cracking as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Oh baby, we're glad to be here. Patrick was a remarkable young man," Tess said softly.

"Yes," Monica said gently. "We were all really happy to spend so much time with all of you in Europe."

Gloria nodded in concurrence with Monica's words as Andrew offered Christina a gentle smile. As her embrace with Tess ended, she literally collapsed in his arms. "You doing any better?" He asked as he helped her to a pew and bade her to sit down at the front of the sanctuary. The other angels followed suit and sat down directly behind her as she spoke, her response filled with the utmost sadness.

"I-I think so, it's weird to not have him around. There is no one to fight over who gets to go to the bathroom first, or who left the toilet seat up, or who smeared toothpaste on the mirror in the guest room. Oh what am I going to do now?" Christina asked weakly, as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes. "I feel like a part of me is gone."

Tess reached over and squeezed her arm; "you're going to be OK, Christina, now you just hang in there."

"At least Laura's doing a little bit better," Christina said softly. "I'm glad she finally met someone who makes her feel so good about herself."

"I don't know how happy she is," Andrew said remembering the conversation he had had with her back at the house. "I think your whole family needs to heal now, and it will take some time. I think Sebastian will help Laura to let go, but I'm still worried about you as well as Jeremy and the twins. Have they talked about what has happened?"

Christina shook her head, "not really. All that has happened during the past few days has been an eerie stillness that has literally encompassed the house. Jeremy went back to work yesterday, I've taken the week off, and Peter has been wonderful about letting me take the time to heal."

Andrew smiled weakly, "that's good that he has been so understanding about how hard this has been for you."

"I just wonder if Sebastian is OK," Christina said softly as Tess sat down next to her. "Laura won't talk to him, and I am under the impression that he feels rather like an outsider."

"Sebastian met you all so he could accept the situation with his own family, baby, and now that he has, he will be better at accepting the things he cannot change, through helping you and your family change the things you are able to," Tess said gently. "That's why that young man is here, and now you stop your worrying and let the Father work a few more miracles in all of your lives."

"Thank you," Christina said and nodded numbly, but she offered the angels a weak smile. Andrew remained next to her, his gentle eyes filled with sadness as he regarded his longtime friend.

"Christina?" Andrew looked at her after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"I'm OK, Andrew," she tried to offer him a brave smile, but he could see the dark rings around her sad eyes.

"Do you remember what you saw three nights ago?" Andrew placed his hand on her shoulder, his eyes filled with love.

Christina could remember seeing Patrick dying, she remembered seeing him stand up and join Andrew, but as she witnessed all of this, she wondered since then if what she had seen had been real, or if it was a figment of her imagination. "It was real, wasn't it?"

"Yes, my friend, it was real," Andrew smiled gently at her. "You did see me take Patrick Home, Christina, this was not in your imagination, it did happen."

"I don't know if it's a comfort to me yet," she whispered as the church bells began to chime.

Andrew wrapped her gently in his arms and she rested her head on his shoulder. The minister came out and he began the service.

In the middle, Paula Davies, Jeremy's older sister, stood up to read a poem that she had written for Patrick, and as her voice filtered through the church, Christina could feel herself breaking down.

"I am speaking of the loss of a friend," Paula began. "Not just a nephew who had entered our lives and made a poignant difference to us, but a young boy with ideals, with love, and with the faith of someone with many more years to him. For him, I share the following poem:

Let this be a comfort
When shadows darken our way
Let us all remember
The light of love this day.

The song plays on and on
The melodies fill our hearts
Even when shadows fall
And we must now depart.

I'll remember the sweet music
The melodies block the pain
Your song so sweet and tender
I know we'll meet again.

The stars sing out in chorus
In thunderous harmony
Your spirit lives in these words
Of comfort for all to see.

As you find your way
And wave down from up above
I will hold these memories in my heart
And shower the world with love.

The love of this young man is an inspiration to all of us, and may he continue to be remembered always," Paula concluded and with that she returned to her seat and sat down.

Throughout the service Christina watched as friend after friend stood up and went to the front of the church, some with music and some with poetry, but their words were spoken with more love than she could consciously remember. Finally, Sebastian stood up and went to the front of the church. He unfolded a piece of paper, and looked out at those assembled.

"I didn't know Patrick all that well, I had only talked to him once, maybe twice," he began, "but there is something really special that I want to share with you about him, something that perhaps you did not know." He cleared his throat and continued. "I did have the chance to get to know his family, and through these wonderful people, I found something very special. Not just through meeting Laura, but I discovered how special it is when two people who are as courageous and loving as Christina and Jeremy Lowery are. Over the course of our time together, I had the chance to really know how much it meant to Patrick to have them do so much for him."

"I cannot really express with words how much of an impact Patrick Wallace had on me, but from one conversation, it became clear to me that he had all the courage and love in his heart, but the most beautiful thing he told me was how his adopted parents, Christina and Jeremy, showed in every way imaginable how much they cared for him. This was something that really helped him when he needed it the most. It wasn't just an issue of flying or seeing Paris, but it was something that went much deeper, it was truth, and that is something that helped when he needed it the most."

"No one knows this, but about two weeks ago, Patrick and I were sitting in a compartment together on a train bound for Paris, there we had one of the most wonderful conversations I could recall." He paused taking a deep breath before he was able to continue.

Sebastian's flashback

As the train reached the French border, Sebastian sighed contentedly as he shook the newspaper he had been reading ever so slightly. He had been hoping to find out what had been happening in Berlin since he had left, but when he discovered nothing interesting, he sighed deeply and closed it.

At this moment, Patrick had entered the compartment, and in his hands, he held a couple of canned drinks. Once the teenager had extended one of the drinks towards him, he gratefully accepted but took the newspaper and tossed it onto the flat luggage rack above his head.

"What are you reading?" Patrick asked as he sat down across from him and opened the drink.

"Oh nothing, just some news about the events in Berlin, there was a concert there last weekend that I would have liked to have seen," Sebastian said smiling weakly. "It wasn't as good as the people had anticipated, though."

"I guess sometimes these kinds of things never are," Patrick mused.

"No big deal, I wouldn't have been able to go anyway," he smiled at the boy as he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, but instead of speaking further, he took a sip of the drink that Patrick had just given to him.

"You like my sister, don't you?" Patrick asked changing the subject completely.

The young man nodded. "Yes, I do, she's a very special person."

"I know, I can tell by how you look at her," Patrick said smiling weakly. "Anyway, I could always see that in her. I remember when I was 11, she came to me and told me that she had died," Patrick said.

"Died, what do you mean?"

"Well, she didn't really die, but she had nearly died. She had been in a car accident with Jeremy and things didn't look so good for her at all. She told me that she could see her parents and grandparents praying for her at their house, and then she saw Andrew and Christina crying in the chapel at the hospital. She asked the angel with her if it was real, and he confirmed to her that it was. I asked Christina about it later, and she confirmed that she and Andrew had been in the chapel, and that they all had prayed for her when all this happened."

"She really had an out of body experience, then?" Sebastian asked.

"She doesn't really talk about it a lot, but, yeah, she did," Patrick said. "I think she only told a few people about it, but she told me about it because she knows that I'm dying."

"You are?" Sebastian asked as he remembered a few nights ago when Denise and Dawn were at Jens' place and had been crying about the plight of their brother.

Patrick nodded. "I have AIDS, well it started out as being just HIV Positive, it was through a blood transfusion, but I know my time is running out. The weird thing is, no one really has to say anything, it's just a feeling I have about it, but it's true. Anyway, I know that Andrew is going to be with me when I die, but that doesn't change the apprehension I sometimes feel about it. I realized this a long time ago, and I told Laura once that she helped me to not fear death so much, but, rather, to accept it, and to try and embrace it."

"You knew that Andrew's an…"

"Angel of Death?" Patrick finished Sebastian's question, and when he nodded, Patrick continued. "Our whole family knows, Sebastian. The twins adore him, but they also know that his presence near me is a rather strong indication about what is going to eventually happen to me."

"How did that make you feel to come into a family where angels are often present?" Sebastian wanted to know.

"I never really thought about it. I mean, Andrew and his friends are like a part of the family, and I guess I came into it after they did. My two sisters and I had been placed in the home of Reverend and Mrs. Stevens, but they were not very nice people, in fact, they told us constantly that we were terrible sinners and that we would burn for eternity because God was out to punish us. They said that my dad died because he was a sinner, then they said that my mom got AIDS because she was a terrible mother and an evil person. Mrs. Stevens almost willed me to die, I had lost all hope and I was feeling more and more like a burden than a person with feelings, it was horrible."

"They said this about you and your family?" Sebastian asked, the apparent shock coloring his face, and his hazel eyes regarded the boy with unsuppressed surprise.

"Yeah, they did, and then later Mrs. Stevens said the same thing about me in front of Denise and Dawn. She hurt my sisters that day, and then when we thought God had abandoned us, Christina came along and she and Jeremy took us in, no questions asked. She was there for us when we needed someone who would care, and she and Andrew somehow managed to help us find God, not the God we had known, but the God that they loved and who loved us unconditionally. He was someone I could cry out to, someone who loved me and didn't want me to be filled with fear and sadness. I remember the night that I was sitting in the chapel at the hospital. It was right after my mom had died, and I was really mad at God for it. I was sitting on the floor in there screaming 'I hate you' at the top of my lungs. Christina came in and she said something that completely shocked me."

"What did she say?"

"She said, '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'. I didn't even hear her coming in, but when she said that, I nearly lost it, I wanted to cry my eyes out just because she was so calm and serene about it."

"And she actually said that?" Sebastian asked.

Patrick nodded. "Yeah, and she meant every word, too. You know how adults can give you the 'look' the one that says 'I know what I'm talking about so you'd better listen to me'?" Once Sebastian nodded, he continued. "Yeah, well that was the look that was on her face, it wasn't really directed at me, but it was empowering, it was filled with wisdom and kindness, two things which I thought were mutually exclusive. Even the mention of Mrs. Stevens name, somehow would have made Christina flip a gasket. It was so obvious that she was upset by what had happened. That's why I made a special request of Andrew, but I ask that you keep this a secret until after I'm gone."

"What is it?"

"You won't tell anyone?" Patrick pressed.

Sebastian nodded. "I promise."

"OK, well the last time I had the chance to talk to Andrew one on one, I asked him if Christina could be there and actually see me die. I wanted to give her this as a way of saying 'thank you' for being my best friend and for taking us in when we didn't have anywhere else to go. I thought maybe if she could see this, that she would be able to help her family let go when I'm not here anymore."

"That's really beautiful," Sebastian said. "Did he agree?"

"He said that he'd have to ask some of the higher ups about it, but I think he will do this for me because he knows it's important. See, I don't want anyone to be sad after I die, because I'm not going to be sad once I'm out of here. Based on what Laura told me about her experience, and what Andrew has described to me, I won't be sad at all, I'll be happy to see my parents again, happy to meet God, but then I won't hurt anymore and won't have to feel like a human pin cushion with all the doctors and stuff. It's going to be nice to run and play football again, to look at the stars and smile, to not always be scared of something."

Sebastian smiled weakly. "You have accepted this then?"

"I have, and strangely enough, even though I feel apprehensive about it, I don't really feel as afraid as I thought I would. I mean, I'm not so much afraid of death, as I am of dying," Patrick said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I think you're very brave, Patrick," Sebastian said.

"Just do me a favor, Sebastian," Patrick said.

"What?"

"Don't ever hurt my sister the way her ex-boyfriend did. Billy was bad news, and maybe he was that way because of what happened to his brother, but I have seen how horribly he treated Laura, and if you hurt her, I'll come back and haunt you," Patrick said softly, his eyes twinkling merrily.

Sebastian smiled weakly and nodded, but after a few moments, he stood up to go down the hall in the direction of the café in order to buy himself a sandwich.

Sebastian's flashback end

"Patrick and I had a chance to talk to each other and he told me many things that surprised me. He told me that he probably would have died three years ago had it not been for Christina and Jeremy taking him and his two sisters into their home. He told me how Laura, their daughter, had helped him to not be afraid of death, simply because she had a near death experience when she was younger. Through Laura's strength, Patrick told me that he was able to find a new sense of hope with this family," he paused as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Although, he had dreams and visions for the future, his final wish was to have the opportunity to say good-bye to Denise and Dawn, and to simply know that his two little sisters were going to be taken care of after he was gone. He wanted to feel the security of their well-being, but then his final wish was to die with all the dignity, and all the hope that he carried, still intact. He confided in me so much during this time on the train that I could not even remember every aspect, every part of our conversation until much later."

Sighing deeply, he lowered the paper and looked out at the people assembled. "Patrick Wallace taught me about trust, he taught me that it was OK to sometimes feel unworthy of the love of God, or beneath the strength of an extended family, but through his courage I found a sense of inspiration that I never imagined finding. He told me that he had to learn to trust from the ground floor up, and he said that no matter what would happen, he knew that angels would be there watching over us."

That said, he went and sat back down, his eyes glistened with tears, and as soon as he sat down, he could feel someone's hand on his shoulder and he turned around to see that Adam was now seated behind him and as soon as he made eye contact with his special angel, he found the strength to offer a weak smile.

Once he turned back around, he could see that Laura was staring at him, her eyes filled with sadness, but her expression was unemotional and after a few moments, she looked away.

*****

At noon, the family filtered out of the church and walked towards their car. Laura remained seated inside the church and watched as the six men came and carried the casket outside. She closed her eyes as she bowed her head and stared down at the floor.

"Laura?" A kind voice emerged and she turned around to see Adam was standing behind where she was sitting.

"Hi," she whispered as he sat down next to her. "I guess I should get outside, huh?"

"You still have a few minutes," Adam said as he pulled out his pocket watch and opened the cover. Once he had looked at the numbers on the face, he closed the cover, slipped it back in his pocket, and smiled warmly at her.

"Did you know about all of what Sebastian said?" She asked.

Adam shook his head. "No, everything he said was as new to me as it was to you. But, keep in mind that he made some promises to Patrick, and perhaps that is why he couldn't tell you about them sooner."

"I loved him, Adam," Laura said softly as she shook her head.

"I know you did sweetheart, I know," the angel put a gentle arm around her shoulder and drew her into his embrace.

"But, I wasn't here for him, not like I should have been…not in the end…" her voice trailed.

"Laura, most people don't know when someone's time will come. Angels don't even know, and even though you have a few angels around, we cannot always tell you when something is going to happen or why it will," Adam said gently. "You know, if you had come back earlier, then you wouldn't have reconciled with Sebastian and you would have lost more than just Patrick, you would have lost that young man whom you love deeply."

Laura could feel the tears in her eyes, but she nodded. "I feel so guilty, Adam, I don't know how to let it go."

"It will take some time, but you will," he smiled gently at her.

Laura looked around at all the flowers, which were adorning the altar. "H-he knew a lot of people."

Adam nodded. "The spirit of your little brother will be what lives on, Laura."

"I know, and I know that he's in Heaven, but…" the young woman began to cry, the tears now rolling down over her face and she could feel that he was still holding her in his arms.

"You remember what happened when you 'died'?" Adam asked as he looked down at the weeping girl.

Laura nodded but managed to look up and into his eyes. "I remember how you were with me, and how you took my hand and led me t-to God. There was all this light, and it was really beautiful. I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I-it meant so much to me. It was like magic."

Adam smiled gently at her. "That is what Patrick is experiencing right now. He knows today that there is no room or reason for you to feel any more guilt. Laura, Patrick wanted you to be happy, just as he is happy today in the arms of God as well as his earthly parents." He brushed her hair out from in front of her eyes and smiled down at her. "You just hang in there, OK? Everything will find resolution in due time."

Laura nodded numbly as their embrace loosened and she stood up with the intention of turning away from him, but he could still hear her voice as it emerged over the silence of the small church. "I guess I should get outside, huh?"

"Yes, perhaps you should," Adam said gently, but before she could walk away, he reached out and took her hand. "Look at me, Laura." The teenager turned around and when her eyes met his, she watched as he stood up as well, leaned over, kissed her cheek, and smiled serenely at her. "You will get through everything, I promise, just keep the faith, my friend."

"A-are you staying?"

"No, I can't, but Andrew, Tess, Monica, and Gloria are here," Adam smiled gently. "They'll help you, but mostly Sebastian and your parents will be there for you and through them, you'll get through all of this."

"Adam," she spoke his name and he looked at her. "I wish you could stay," she whispered. "Sometimes, I think you're the only angel I know who understands me."

"Now you know that that's just not true," Adam said gently as he shook his head slowly and his gray eyes widened slightly.

"But it is, I mean; Andrew doesn't seem to care anymore," Laura said softly.

"Laura," Adam's voice suddenly changed and she noticed that his expression had become graver than any she had ever seen before. Even the tone of his voice seemed not to match this angel, but when she heard him speak her name, she hesitantly looked up and into a pair of very sad, but also very wise gray eyes.

Upon meeting his gaze, she understood that they both knew that her words had been an untruth. "You know as well as I that Andrew cares very much for you. He has never stopped caring for you, even when you thought he did. Right now, I don't think you're being very fair to him, Laura. You know, you may not have noticed this, but I think Andrew is feeling the extent of how one can be pulled in so many different directions, yet, you know deep in his heart, he feels a deep sense of responsibility for all of you, and he truly wants to be there for you."

"A-are you saying I'm being selfish?" Laura asked weakly.

"I'm not implying or saying anything about you, but think about this, sweetheart. How would you feel if people were pulling you in so many directions that you suddenly felt guilt for having done for one and not for another?" He paused for a second allowing his words to sink in. After a few moments passed, he continued. "I honestly think that this is happening with Andrew, and it's not easy for someone to deal with this kind of thing, whether it emanate from a human being, or from an angel."

"B-but, Adam?"

"No 'buts', I want you to just listen to me, for a moment. Now, you know I don't get upset with people very much, in fact, it rarely happens, but Laura, listen to what you're saying. Do you truly believe that Andrew stopped caring for you or do these feelings go much deeper than that? I know you're sad and grieving what you have lost, but Andrew is also sad, because he feels as though he is to blame for making your family so unhappy. You see, he loves you sweetheart, he has never ever stopped caring for you," he paused and took a deep breath before he could continue. "Believe me, I have seen him get totally broken up because of something that has happened to you, and as a result, he would sometimes feel completely lost."

Laura nodded numbly. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" She whispered meekly feeling a small sense of pain because of the bluntness of his words.

"No, I'm not, but remember, Andrew is my friend, and he's one of the most compassionate angels I have ever known or worked with," Adam said gently. "Do you remember what I told you at the hotel in Paris? I told you that there are many different kinds of love, and an angel is simply incapable of romantic love. This kind of thing only happens in movies or on television, but I think you know that it cannot ever happen with you and Andrew."

Laura nodded meekly feeling the shame encompass her.

Adam could see this and he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Try to remember this, because it's the truth." As he spoke, his stern expression melted away and he smiled gently at her. "You need to realize that you're a very special friend to Andrew, and even when you and he cannot be together, it doesn't mean that he ever stopped caring. He knew that you were going to be upset about Patrick, but there was never a moment that he withheld anything from you."

Laura nodded weakly but looked up at him. "I'm sorry…" As she spoke her lips began to tremble and she sank to her knees, the tears streaming down over her face. "I'm so sorry. I'm just so scared, Adam. I'm afraid that Andrew hates me because of all those stupid things I said to him on the plane, and then in Paris."

Adam got down on the floor next to her and he took her trembling body in his arms. "He doesn't, sweetheart, just let it out." As she continued to weep in his arms, he continued to speak, his voice gentle. "Everything will resolve itself in due time, Laura, you just try not to worry too much about all this. Concentrate on allowing yourself to heal."

As he consoled her, Sebastian stood in the doorway of the church and watched as the Angel of Death consoled Laura. Instead of speaking, he stared at them for a moment and then slowly turned back towards the doors leading outside.

*****

The summer sunshine was cascading down on the grieving family an hour later. Christina stared down at the gravestone with bore Patrick's name and nearby were the names of his parents. She shook her head sadly as she turned away from the marble structures and could see that Tess had come over to where she was standing, and the wise angel put a gentle hand on her shoulders.

"What now?" She asked weakly. "Tess, there's a hole in our lives now."

"I know, baby," she took Christina in her arms and held her. "I know."

"How can I go on? I'm just remembering the last time we were together, when we were at Disneyland and were laughing and joking with each other," she whispered as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes. "My heart is breaking, it's breaking into pieces…" Her voice trailed off and she could see her parents standing in the distance. On Daniel's face was utter heartbreak, and she knew that they were both thinking about how they had this same sort of experience with Olivia. Next to them, their adopted son, Brendan Andrew was looking around in wide-eyed curiosity. "Now I know how my daddy felt after Olivia died, because I feel the same way today."

"You know, the world just keeps turning, honey, and you'll find healing just as your daddy did," Tess said gently as she stroked Christina's hair.

As their embrace loosened, Christina shook her head as she looked over to where the twins were now standing. In all these things with Laura, she realized that somehow she might have forgotten about how Dawn and Denise were handling this. Although the two girls were twins, Dawn had a more quiet way of grieving her brother, but Denise was much more vocal, sometimes her harsh words would attack Andrew, not because she was angry at the angel, but because she was hurting.

She continued to watch as Jeremy went and tried to get the twins to leave with the other guests. He seemed successful at getting Denise to come with him to the car, but Dawn would not leave and she remained standing next to the casket and rubbing her hand across the wooden structure where the body of her brother lay inside.

"Dawn, it's time to go, sweetheart," a gentle voice emerged and she turned around and could see that Monica and Gloria were standing nearby, both angels carried loving looks in their eyes.

"I don't want to," the young girl whispered.

"Do you want to talk to your brother?" Monica asked gently.

"I don't know what to say," she sniffed and within seconds she could feel the hand of the pretty angel on her shoulder. "Monica, h-how do I tell him that nothing will ever be the same again?"

"Somehow change keeps things from ever being the same," Monica said gently. "Dawn, your brother can hear you, and he knows that this hurts you, honey. But, he's happy with God and he wants you to find happiness again."

"But, I can't, it's just not fair," she whispered and looked at Gloria. The somewhat naïve angel shrugged her shoulders uncertain as to what to say to the inconsolable young girl.

"No, perhaps it isn't, but sweetheart, you will heal, just allow yourself to feel what it is you feel about this right now," Monica said as the tears streamed from beneath her own eyes.

"I'm scared," she whispered. "I felt when we were in Europe that the only one who understood was Sebastian. He's the only one…why?"

"He relates with you and Denise, because he knows and understands what profound loss means," Monica said gently.

The young girl shook her head and glanced over to where Andrew was standing. His eyes were filled with sadness, and the young girl started to walk towards him. "H-he looks so sad. Why?"

Gloria shook her head. "Maybe because he's emphatic."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked her eyes still on Andrew as he sat down on the dew-covered ground.

"She means that Andrew feels your pain, and he wants to help you but doesn't know how," Monica explained.

"B-but why? He took Patrick away."

"Yes, he did, but it was because God called your brother Home," Monica said gently. "Andrew only did what he promised to do, it was a promise that he made to God."

"W-what should I say to him?" Dawn wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sometimes, words don't convey what's in the heart, Dawn," Gloria said gently.

Monica looked at her protégé and her eyes widened, but seeing the truth in those words she nodded and smiled at the little girl. "Dawn, if your heart leads you to consoling Andrew, then follow it, and allow the beauty and wisdom that is in you to be expressed and to touch his wounded spirit."

The young girl nodded and after a second she walked slowly over to where the Angel of Death was sitting dejectedly on the ground.

*****

The cemetery was quickly emptying out as Andrew sat and stared at the ground, his head down, the tears streaming from beneath his eyes. Deep inside, he knew that he was not at fault for what had transpired with this family, but for some reason, he was still feeling the extent the guilt was having on him. He loved this entire family and it tore him up in the most profound way to see them hurting. "Father, I know I'm not at fault," he whispered under his breath, but still, his eyes filled with tears, and he just did not know why.

As he remained seated on the ground, he suddenly could feel someone had approached and had wrapped him in their arms. He glanced up to see that one of the twins was standing next to him, and although she had tears rolling down over her face, she was looking at him with a mixture of confusion and empathy.

"Andrew, are you OK?" She asked, and he could tell by the tone in her voice that it was Dawn, her eyes red from the crying she had done. Using her free hand, she wiped the moisture away from her cheek, but continued to look at him curiously.

He nodded, but when he looked at her, he simply could not find the words, so he remained silent.

"It's Dawn," she whispered sadly as she sat down on the ground next to him. "I wasn't sure if you were still mixing me and Denise up."

Andrew shook his head, but offered her a weak smile. "I didn't, I know who's who."

The pre-teen girl nodded and shrugged her shoulders. "You know something?" She asked weakly after some time had passed and her misery filled eyes sought his. Once again, he shook his head, the words were simply not coming and she could not help but notice that he was not even looking up at her. Instead of waiting for him to speak, she continued, her words breaking the stillness. "I love you," she said softly. "Not like Laura, but you're so special to me and I remember how you helped me when no one else would."

Andrew looked up and she could finally see the tears that were falling from his compassionate green eyes. "Dawn, I…"

"Please, Andrew, believe me, because it's true, and you gave Patrick a reason to keep living, at least for a little while," Dawn said softly. "You remember that night? I had come here to visit my dad, and you found me out here. That night I'll never forget, not ever."

"I remember it," Andrew said softly.

"You talked to me, and told me about heaven," Dawn continued and she looked out across the graveyard.

The Angel of Death looked up, he was not certain where this conversation was going, and his mind seemed to be elsewhere, like a thousand miles away. Somehow, Dawn knew this, because, a look of pain crossed her face and after a few seconds, she stood up and was about to walk away.

"I guess nothing I say will make you feel better, so I should just go away," she could feel the tears in her eyes as she looked at him. "You know, you're supposed to be strong for us, you're supposed to be there for us and help us, not sit here and feel sorry for yourself." She took a deep breath and instead of speaking further, she watched as his head suddenly snapped up and she found his green eyes staring into her own with the shock and surprise evidently there.

"Dawn, I…" he repeated his words again, and he reached out to her, but he could see that the dejection on her face as she backed away from him.

"No, I lost my brother, I lost both my parents, and you're crying. Why?" Dawn began to shout, her voice filled with agony. "Everybody says that I'm supposed to be the quiet one, but I can't be quiet anymore, it hurts too much. I want my mommy, I want my brother…" As she continued to scream, she sank to the ground and began to grab fistfuls of the earth. "…I want my daddy…" her voice continued to drift through the stillness of the cemetery and she cowered over her lap and continued to cry, her body shaking like a leaf as she wept.

Andrew crawled over to where she was and he gathered her in his arms and held her. "I'm sorry, Dawn, I'm so sorry." He whispered as he rocked the young girl in his arms, the guilt encasing him like a wet blanket. "Forgive me, please." As he spoke the tears streamed from beneath his grief-filled eyes and kissed her forehead as he brushed his hand through her strawberry blonde hair.

Dawn continued to cry, her voice filled with anguish, but when she felt Andrew's arms around her, she could feel the love that emanated from him and she realized that maybe she should not have gotten angry with him, but she just could not understand why he was so unhappy when he had been the one who had to take Patrick away.

Yet, more than anything Dawn felt neglected by the family who was supposed to have taken her in. She did not want to tell them this, for fear of hurting them, but she felt so ignored, and worse still, she felt as though she was an outsider, and that Patrick had belonged in their lives and not her. Now that he was gone, she feared what would happen to her and her twin sister.

"Dawn?" Andrew spoke her name, as she continued to cry, and he continued to brush his hand gently through her mass of strawberry blonde curls.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know I was going to do that," she whispered trying to make a brave face, but he knew that the pain was still in her eyes, and the realization hit him how hard this was for her, much harder than it was for Christina or Laura, whom he had been practically hovering over since he had taken Patrick home. This was Patrick's birth sister, and she needed someone who would understand her and not forget the agony she carried in the deep recesses of her shattered heart.

"No, it's OK, sweetheart," Andrew said softly. "I'm the one who's sorry. I wasn't paying any attention to you or Denise, but it didn't mean that I stopped caring for you. You both are so precious and I know that I've been thinking about other things during all of this."

"Like Laura?"

Andrew lowered his head, but nodded. "I think she feels abandoned by me, too."

"But, she shouldn't, I mean, you're an angel, and you can't love us like that, even I know that," Dawn said softly as she tried to wipe the remainder of her tears from her eyes.

"She knows, and she loves Sebastian, but she's hurting, and she blames me for it. I was sitting here just now wondering if it would be better if I were to just go away, and not come back."

"You can't run away, Andrew, remember when you told me the same thing? You told me that I can't just hide away from my problems, that I have to face them." As she sat there next to him, she remembered the day that she spoke to him the very first time. It had been late in the evening, and she had crept from the Stevens' home in order to visit her father in this very cemetery.

Dawn's Flashback

When she finally managed to open her eyes, she could feel the wetness of the clothing on her skin, but now she was shivering, and she looked around and at last, she realized that she was sitting on someone's lap. "W-who are you?"

"My name is Andrew, Dawn," he said gently.

"You know my name?" She asked softly, her eyes wide with fright as she struggled to get off his lap and to make distance between herself and him.

"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," Andrew said softly as she tried to move away from him, but upon hearing his words, she turned slowly around and looked up at him. "I'm a friend of your brother."

"Are you his angel?" Her words emerged; they were weak, but filled with sadness.

"Yes, sweetheart I am," Andrew said softly as he brushed his hand gently through her tangled hair. "But, I'm also here to help you and Denise."

"How can you even want to be with me if I don't want to believe in God?" she whispered.

Andrew looked at the little girl, a mixture of surprise and sadness in his green eyes. "You don't want to believe in God?"

The little girl shook her head, and sneezed. "I'm afraid to."

"Why is that, sweetheart?" He asked gently.

She shook her head. "My mommy and daddy used to take us to church every Sunday. The preacher talked all the time about how awful we are, that we were all terrible sinners, and we should always beg God to forgive us."

Andrew nodded slowly as the little girl continued to speak. "Then after the car accident, he t-told my sister and I that God took vengeance on us…" She looked at Andrew. "What does vengeance mean?"

"It means 'revenge', Dawn," Andrew said softly, the sadness enveloping him as he continued to hear the child's heart wrenching words.

"Yeah, h-he said that God was mad at us, and so He took my daddy away from us as punishment because we were so awful. Then he said that my daddy died because he was a bad man," she looked at him, her eyes filled with the utmost sadness. "I don't want to be awful."

"Oh sweetheart, you're not awful, believe me, the only thing that is awful, are the words that that pastor said to you, but you're not bad or awful, you're one of God's beautiful children," Andrew said gently.

"But, now He's going to take my mommy and brother away from us, too, and we'll be all alone." The little girl began to cry, her hands covering her face and she was unable to even look him in the eyes.

"It's no wonder you are so sad," Andrew said softly as he inched closer to her and enfolded the frightened child in his arms. "You hear all these stories about God being like an angry parent, and you can't help but be afraid, but Dawn, these stories just aren't true."

"But Pastor Stevens said they are," Dawn objected.

"Stevens," Andrew muttered. "Isn't that the name of the woman you were with yesterday in the hospital?"

She nodded. "No one else wanted us, Andrew, so Pastor Stevens and his wife took us. They said they were doing us a favor, but living with them is no fun, they are strict and they won't let us come here and visit Daddy. That's why I sneak out, so I can come here and visit him and tell him that I wish I had died too so I could be with him and not here."

Andrew looked sadly at the little girl, but he gently stroked the frightened girl's hair. "God wasn't ready for you to go to Heaven just yet. Dawn, He wanted you to have a chance to grow up and experience life."

"What life?" Dawn asked sadly. "Mrs. Stevens says only mean things to me, she says that I always run away because I'm a brat. She wants Denise and me to sit in the waiting room at the hospital and wait for her without anything to read, or anything to do. It's boring there, and we have no one to talk to, no one who cares for us."

Andrew sighed deeply, but he continued to hold her in his arms. Now, he understood the necessity of getting these children out of this situation. If they didn't their spirits might be even more misguided and lost than they already were. "Dawn, you know now that God sent you an angel, and I will do whatever I can to help, you just don't give up, OK?"

Dawn nodded weakly in response to Andrew's words and after some moments, he could see that she was trying to wipe the tears from her eyes. Her nightgown was completely drenched, but in the distance, she could see the first light of the new day beginning to illuminate the sky. She continued to shiver, and he was not sure if it was entirely because she was cold, or because she was afraid.

Smiling gently, Andrew took the little girl's face in his hands and wiped the tears from beneath her eyes, but when he saw her involuntarily shivering, he decided that it was best for him to get her somewhere warm and dry. Standing up, he offered her his hand, and as she took it, he pulled her firmly but gently to her feet.

"A-are you going to take me back there?" She stammered.

"I have to," Andrew said gently.

"They're going to be really angry at me," She whispered. "They'll probably lock me in the basement again just like they did the last time I went to visit my daddy. I had to stay there for three days and think about what I had done."

Andrew closed his eyes, and when he heard the words of the Father in his soul, he looked down at the little girl. "I'm not going to take you back there, instead we're going to see a friend of mine, and see if she can help you and your brother and sister out of this present situation."

"B-but, I'm afraid," Dawn said softly.

"I know you are honey, but unlike the God you have heard about in the sermons of Pastor Stevens, I will promise you that our Heavenly Father is the most loving and caring friend that you could ever wish for. He will always love you, Dawn, and He weeps when He hears of the pain you have endured," Andrew paused as he took a deep breath. "Believe me when I tell you this, sweetheart, there is nothing horrible or terrible about you. You are so special because you are God's beautiful child and no matter what anyone says, the Father knows you better than anyone, because He created you."

Dawn looked at him. "You mean it?"

Andrew smiled weakly and nodded. "Of that you can be certain."

Dawn's Flashback End

The angel looked at the young girl. "You remembered everything that happened that night, didn't you?"

Dawn nodded, and looked into his eyes, her eyes filling with tears as she spoke. "It was here, in this place, when you cared enough to come and talk to me, but now, I don't feel so cared for. I don't feel so special anymore."

"You are, Dawn," Andrew said gently as he reached over and touched the girl's soft reddish blonde hair. "You know, sometimes, even angels forget to show someone that they are loved and that they're special, but do you know what? God won't fail you the way I did, He will always be there for you and He will always love and care for you in the way that you deserve to be loved and cared for."

The young girl nodded and sniffed as she saw the gravediggers coming through the cemetery and she stood up. "I guess we should go so they can do their work." As she spoke, she could feel the agonized tears falling once again from her eyes and Andrew could tell that she was not ready to leave, but when she took his hand and he stood up, he could see the extent of how much courage she possessed.

"Did I ever tell you that I think you're very brave?" Andrew asked as they walked towards the gates leading outside.

"No, I don't think anybody's ever told me that before," she whispered.

He put his arm around her shoulder as they left, and he smiled. "Then there is a first time for everything, because it's true."

*****

As Andrew and Dawn came into the house later that afternoon, they could see that the entire family was gathered in the living room of Jeremy and Christina's home. As Dawn squeezed his hand and went to talk to her sister, Andrew stood alone in the front hall and continued to look around. His eyes finally came to rest on Laura and Sebastian, who, at this time, were involved in a very heated discussion. Rather than approach them, he went and sat down on to sofa.

He knew that it was up to the two of them to work things out, but he just hoped that this wasn't going to cause Laura any more undue pain. He still felt protective of her, but he knew that the past few weeks had left their scars on her broken heart. He could clearly see that she was trying to learn to trust Sebastian again, but he could also see the hesitancy in her actions. He shook his head and watched them as they disappeared into the dining room.

"You saw him coming back with Dawn," Sebastian was saying softly as they came into the room and realized that they were now alone and could continue their discussion without disturbing those assembled in the living room. "Now, he's alone, you really should go to him, talk to him, and get this out."

"Sebastian, I can't," she whispered as the shame continued to encase her. "He probably thinks that I'm the biggest fool that ever lived."

"He's an angel, Laura, and I don't think he would, but look at you, this stuff is eating you alive. The only time I've seen you smile was in Berlin when we were hanging out with Lindsey and Renate. Please, you have to talk to him," Sebastian implored her. "I have to go and talk to Jeremy about something, but you remember I had to find the courage to face Jeremy after overhearing his words on the train. Now, go and talk to Andrew."

"Come with me?" Laura asked weakly.

"OK, but once you ask him, I'm gone," Sebastian's eyes were filled with love, but he had a stubbornness in his expression that convinced her that he was right. They stepped out of the dining room and walked over towards the sofa where Andrew was seated.

"Andrew?" Laura's voice emerged as a crack, and the angel turned and looked into the eyes of the young woman. "C-can we talk? I understand if you would rather not. I know, I haven't been very nice to you lately."

"You want to go outside? Maybe we can talk out on the terrace," he offered gently his green eyes filled with empathy for the young woman who now stood before him. He could tell that it took a lot of strength for her to approach him, and when he looked at Sebastian, he could tell from where that backup had come.

Laura nodded and once she had squeezed Sebastian's hand, she walked with Andrew outside. Once the door closed, she smiled weakly. "I-uh talked to Adam this morning after you left the church with the others."

"You did?"

"Yeah, he's got a really unique way of making people see the truth, a sort of mix between 'in your face' and caring," she said and smiled weakly.

"Yes, I believe he does," Andrew said softly.

After a few moments, she finally found the courage to glance up and make eye contact with him. "Andrew, I-I'm s-sorry about everything I said and did to you. Will you forgive me?"

Andrew smiled weakly and nodded at her. "There was never a reason for me to forgive you, Laura."

"But, there was," she objected, her voice filled with shame. "I thought you stopped caring for me, like Billy did and it was so hard for me. I can't really explain why, it just was."

"You've had a lot of things happen to you just in the past month, you've held a lot of things inside, and it's only natural that this will build and build and build. But now you see how talking about these kinds of things and letting them out do, in fact, help." He smiled gently at her.

"I was scared," she whispered.

"I know you were, I think, to some extent, we all were," he said gently.

"You too?" Laura asked.

"Yes, because I knew that Patrick was going Home, I didn't specifically know when until after Lindsey's concert, but Laura, that was all that I knew. Sometimes, in the course of events, people have to find the truth on their own. Do you remember when we were in Berlin, and you had just rectified things with Sebastian?" Andrew asked.

"Yeah, I felt so good after that. It was like for the first time in months, I felt, oh this is going to sound so stupid…"

"No, it's not, just say it," he smiled gently at her.

"Free," she smiled weakly. "It had been a long time since I had had so much fun. We really had a good time, didn't we?"

"Yes, and I had fun too," he smiled at her. "It was a wonderful experience."

"Then that call came and I had to come home," she shook her head sadly. "You know, I felt so guilty because I was having fun, and Patrick was so sick. I didn't get a chance to tell him how much he inspired me and how great it was that he was my little brother."

"Laura, he knows that. Earlier when you asked me if I knew that he was dying, and I told you yes, that he was. You said that I should have known when, but I didn't, not until the Father told me. You see, an angel doesn't know everything, we know what we need to know when we need to know it." He pulled the watch out of his pocket and handed it to her. "You see this? A pocket watch can only tell the time, it can tell you that instead of looking at the sky and seeing where the sun is, it can tell you the time of day it is. In that way, it helps me to be punctual when I have to be somewhere and do my job, but do you know what?"

Laura shook her head.

"This watch only tells the time, and God only tells me when I need to be somewhere, so when I look at the watch, I know when I have to be somewhere, but I don't know why I have to be there, it's just this idea of being prepared for whatever happens. Showing up when I have to show up, and helping people when I have to help them."

"It's beautiful," Laura said softly as she ran her hand across the engraved surface of the watch. After a few moments, she handed the object back to him and he returned it to his pocket.

"You know, Patrick knew what he was doing, and just like Sebastian said during the funeral, he was planning everything," Andrew began. "Your brother knew that you were falling in love with Sebastian, and he told me that he had seen you two in the compartment kissing when we were on our way to Stuttgart. He told me that he was happy that you found someone who was as kind and caring as Sebastian."

Laura's face turned a shade of crimson as Andrew spoke. "He saw us?"

"Yes, he did, and he was happy to see you happy," Andrew reached for her hand and when she offered it, he squeezed it gently. "Patrick told me that he would have been very upset with you had you come back with your family before resolving things with Sebastian," Andrew said smiling gently.

"He would have been upset?"

"Oh yes," Andrew nodded as he pulled out a large piece of paper and folded it out on the table. Coming closer and looking down at it, Laura realized that this was a special kind of navigational map, one specifically used by pilots. "Patrick taught me about making flight plans before one takes a long distance flight. He said, 'it's not just a matter of getting your plan ready, but you have to get your plane ready and yourself psyched up to take that flight'. He compared this to life, and he used the analogy of you coming back with them, as being like him making a distance flight without taking this map along with him. He said coming back without following the plan would have taken you completely off course. He was right, and he wants you to remember to always follow the course that is set for you, and if you lose your way, the Father will always be there to help guide you back to where you belong."

"Patrick knew?"

"Yes, he was a very insightful person, Laura, he asked questions, he sought to obtain knowledge about everything and he, above all else, sought to have understanding without pity. He also knew that you needed to have love and understanding from other people while we were in Europe."

"There's so much I didn't know about him," Laura said softly. "I mean; he cared so much for me?"

"Yes, he did," Andrew nodded. "But there's something I want to tell you and I hope you will really listen to every word, because it's the truth Laura, and you need to hear it."

"I'm in trouble, huh?"

"No, you're not in trouble, but you just need listen for a few minutes, OK?" Once she nodded, he continued. "I love you, but in my way, not in the way you dream about or see on television, but in the way an angel can love a person and see the beauty that they are. I am your friend, and I will always be your friend. Nothing you say or do will ever change that, and I know that you feel badly about some of the things you may have said or done, but you don't have to hold onto that guilt any longer. I know that this is hard for you to hear, but it's the truth."

"What should I do?" Laura could feel the tears streaming down her face.

"Let go of the guilt, and just understand that Patrick is with you in spirit, just as God is always here with you, and even though I'm not always able to be here with you, you can speak to God and He will listen, after all, He is the one who sent me and He knows that you are my friend, but He loves you too, so don't forget Him, because He's waiting for you to talk to Him." As he spoke Laura tried unsuccessfully to wipe the tears out of her eyes, but she remained silent as he continued. "I'm really glad that you wanted to talk to me, but not because it helped to make me feel better, but because I think it may have made you feel better, too."

He paused as she nodded, but her words were still not coming and he smiled gently at his friend. "Laura, look at me," a pause, and she looked into his compassionate green eyes. "Go through all those feelings you have, cope with them, and talk about them. You have so many chances to talk to people and to gain understanding from them, but don't hide away any longer, because that will only make the pain harder for you to deal with when the time comes to face it. I know that you are strong, and I know that you have harbored so much in the past months, but now free yourself from all of it, and allow yourself to feel and to speak freely of that which hurts you, OK?"

Laura nodded numbly, and could feel that he had taken her in his arms and was holding her tightly. "You're still my best friend in the world, Andrew."

"You are very special to me, too and as Lindsey once said, 'a friendship is always going to be better than a romance'."

"Why?"

"Well, I think that it has something to do with this idea that when a romance sometimes dies, the friendship will live on forever," Andrew said smiling. "Did you ever hear of the idea of kindred spirits?"

"Yeah, this was some concept that people came up with, but I don't know if I really believe it," she said shrugging her shoulders. "From what I was able to understand about it, there was this idea that before we're born, our spirit is alive, or something. It's a hard concept for me to grasp sometimes."

"Well don't completely dismiss it, because in God's vocabulary, nothing is impossible. Sometimes people have kindred spirits, and sometimes this is what brings two people together like your mom and dad," Andrew said smiling as he looked inside and could see that Christina and Jeremy were sitting on the sofa together.

"Do you think Sebastian's mine?" She asked weakly.

"Possibly," Andrew said smiling. "Your gentleness led you to him, no question, now you just have to find out for yourself. But, promise me something, OK?"

"What?"

"No matter what happens with Sebastian; you promise me that you will never forget that you're precious and beautiful, and you don't need romance to determine that for you, just live it, and accept it, because it's God's gift to you, and it will always be your choice as to how you use that gift."

Laura nodded, "I'll remember, Andrew, I promise."

"Come here," he smiled for the first time that day, and as she came closer, he pulled her into his embrace and smiled gently at her. "I'll always be proud to call you my friend, Laura."

She nodded and as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes, she buried her face against his shoulder.

From inside the house, Sebastian stood and watched, and when his eyes met those of Andrew, the young man watched as the angel nodded slightly and as the young German man turned away, a feeling of genuine relief was coloring his face.

*****

It was late in the evening when the last of the guests had left and Christina and Jeremy were sitting in the living room alone. Neither of them seemed to be in the mood to speak, but they enjoyed the simple solitude that went with having an exhausting day behind them. They both were worn-out, especially Christina, who was now leaning up against the cushions as though she was about to drift off to sleep.

Laura and Sebastian had gone out, and the twins were spending the weekend with her parents. The quiet was somewhat eerie, but she felt almost grateful for it, simply because she had needed a sense of calm and serenity for such a long time.

As she closed her eyes for what seemed like the twentieth time, the telephone rang, thus jarring her back down to reality and she wearily watched as Jeremy sighed deeply and got up to answer it.

"Hello?" His voice emerged, and it was obvious that he was still tired.

"Jeremy, I hate to bug you tonight, but we need you down at the precinct house, your nephew, Simon Davies, was arrested tonight," his friend and boss Sergeant Harry Campbell was saying.

"Simon? Are you sure Harry?" Jeremy practically shouted, his reaction causing Christina to open her eyes for about a second, but her eyes closed once again and it seemed as though she was about to once again nod off. Sighing deeply, his voice lowered considerably as he continued to speak. "Tell me what happened?"

"Not much to tell, I'm afraid, he somehow got involved in a fist fight out at the 'Kinsley Lounge' tonight."

"The 'Kinsley Lounge'. What on earth was he doing out there?" Jeremy looked baffled as he glanced around the room and could see that Christina had sat up on the sofa and was listening to his half of the conversation all the while rubbing her sleepy eyes. "I don't get it, what actually happened?"

"Look, it may be best if you ask Simon those questions yourself. When Charles and Dennis got out there, the owner of the club was up in arms about the damage estimates. I guess he didn't notice your nephew's involvement until after the reports had been filed and he had been taken away. By then, everything had settled down, except your nephew had already been brought here and booked. We tried to call your sister, but she's not at home and you're the next of kin."

"Yeah, well when it rains it pours," Jeremy muttered under his breath.

"Look, I'm sorry I have to be the one to break this news to you, Jeremy. I mean; we all knew that things have been hard for you guys lately, and you know I didn't want to do this, but your nephew is going to need your help. He looks like he lost a battle with an alley cat or something. He's not looking good at all."

"OK, Harry, I'll be there in about a half an hour," he said. "How much is bail?"

"Well, it's set at two hundred, but the charges are probably going to be dropped because quite frankly he's the most sober of the lot, and he insists that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Something tells me he's telling the truth."

"Thanks Harry," Jeremy said softly. "I'll have to go by the bank first, but I'll get it taken care of."

"Don't sweat it Jeremy, we'll take it from your pay, and when things get squared, we'll reimburse you. Sound good?"

"Yeah, thanks," Jeremy said sadly and hung up the phone. Once he came back into the living room, his eyes met the questioning gaze of his wife. "Simon got busted out at the 'Kinsley Lounge'."

Christina's eyes widened slightly, but she looked at her husband as though he was kidding. "Are you sure that he said the 'Kinsley Lounge', Jeremy?" She asked weakly all the while trying to process what he had just said.

She had never been to the neighborhood where the 'Kinsley Lounge' was, but this was a place that she had only heard about at work, and it was not necessarily a place that depicted utter positivity, as the neighborhood was kind of rough. Peter Harris, her boss at the practice, had spoken of this place often and had described the club as the typical hangout for the city's gay community. The club itself wasn't so bad, she had concluded, but the surrounding area was somewhat dangerous, as it had a lot of homeless people, drug pushers, and what some might label 'society's rejects' occupying the empty hovels nearby.

Sighing deeply, her thoughts shifted from her grief over Patrick to pondering how it was that Simon had gotten involved with the 'Kinsley' crowd. She remembered how over the past year, how Simon had become somewhat distant with the rest of the family, and she pondered almost constantly if this merely was happening because he had lost his job as the head swimming coach over at the junior high school.

Her thoughts shifted back to the present and she looked at her husband. "Jeremy, what happened?"

He released another sigh and looked at her unsure of what to say or how much of it he could tell her. "Simon's in trouble, and Paula and Vincent aren't home, they said something about going to see Robert and Loren tonight, so I have to go and bail him out."

"Jeremy, did he really say that Simon was at the 'Kinsley Lounge'?"

"Yeah, he did, and I don't know what this means, Christina, all I know is, I don't like the sound of it," he sighed deeply and reached for his jacket. "Look, I'll be back as soon as I can, OK?"

She nodded and closed her eyes once again. "Jeremy, be careful."

"I will," he put his jacket on and as he walked towards the door. Once he was gone, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. On the other side of the room, Andrew stood and he watched over his friend, the sadness lurking in his eyes, but out of respect for her, he remained quiet and simply waited.

*****

Once Jeremy stepped outside and was walking towards his car, he felt a hand on his shoulder, turned around and could see that Gloria and Monica were standing behind him.

"Jeremy?" Monica spoke, but when she saw that he looked as though he was about to jump out of his skin, she smiled weakly and continued speaking. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's OK, I guess I thought you guys had already taken off," he said as he fumbled with his keys.

"No, we're going to be here for a little while longer," she smiled gently at him. "Andrew said that he wanted to help Dawn and Denise adjust and Tess asked us to check in with you and see how you're doing," Monica answered.

"Just great," he answered sarcastically. "If it's not one thing it's something else. The world just keeps turning, turning, turning."

"Yes, it does, but grief is also a part of it," Monica said gently.

"I've had more than my share of that lately," he said softly. "Listen, I'd love to stick around and chat with you two, but I really have to get going. I have to get to work and take care of some things."

"I see, well, maybe you should let me drive you," Monica said gently. "You don't look as though you're capable of it right now and it would not be good for you to get into an accident right now."

"Monica, I know you mean well, but I'm fine," Jeremy said as he released a sigh.

"If you're 'fine' as you say, then why is your hand shaking like that?" Gloria asked innocently, but all the while the naïve young angel did not expect him to get upset with her, but when she saw frustration in his eyes, she knew that perhaps she had asked the wrong question. "I'm sorry Jeremy," she quickly recovered.

"Look, Gloria, it's OK, but if you want to know what happened, I'll tell you. I just got off the phone with my boss, and I have to go to the precinct house tonight and bail my stupid nephew out of jail," he took a deep breath trying all the while to keep his temper from flaring at the two of them. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence passed, he continued to speak, his voice filled with indescribable pain. "My adopted son is dead, and I have angels dogging my steps and asking me obvious questions, but not giving me any real answers. The truth is, maybe I shouldn't drive, but Monica, I have to get over there and find out what is going on with Simon." Jeremy was practically shouting and Monica reached over and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder, hoping all the while that she would be able to help him calm down.

"Jeremy, it's OK, we're just trying to help."

"I know and it's appreciated, but it's really hard right now," he offered weakly.

"Let us drive you over there. It's really not a problem, and it might help you to get your feelings in check before we get there," she said calmly.

He sighed deeply and nodded. "OK, you win, but I owe you one."

"You owe me nothing, Jeremy," Monica said gently, as he offered her the car keys and she accepted the key ring. Seconds later, she climbed behind the wheel, Jeremy got in the passenger side, and Gloria climbed in the backseat. "You know maybe it would help if you talk about this," Monica said gently once he had closed the door and had put on his seatbelt.

"Maybe, it will, but where on earth would I start?" Jeremy asked.

"How about at the beginning?" Monica asked. "Jeremy, it's perfectly obvious that you're having a hard time letting go, but the wee boy is fine, he's with God now, and is being taken care of."

"I know," Jeremy said softly, "but it doesn't help me right now, there's a hole, Monica. It's just like Christina told Tess earlier today, there's a hole in our lives, and it's so blatantly large that it would take something the size of the Grand Canyon to cover it up. I mean; we can't move on yet, and who knows how much longer we will have to sit unable to do anything before we can forget."

"You won't ever forget, Jeremy, but you will heal," Gloria offered from the backseat.

"Easier said than done," Jeremy said sadly. "Did you know that I have never cried in front of Christina? We've been married nearly 12 years, and I have never shed a tear in front of her."

"It seems to me that you and Christina are both unwilling to show the other just how much emotional turmoil you're under. Until you are both able to do so, Jeremy, neither of you will ever heal from this," Monica said simply, and all he could do was nod numbly.

*****

At that moment, Simon Davies was seated in a cell along with four other men, his eyes filled with guilt as he regarded what had transpired and how he had landed in so much trouble. Sighing deeply he wrung his trembling hands together and stared down at his lap. He could hear the officers walking around, some of them speaking to one another, but the clanging of keys seemed to be the consistent sounds which dominated the entire cellblock.

How did my life get so out of control, so quickly? The questions seemed to wrack havoc on his emotions and he found himself pondering this almost constantly. Now that he was 28, he knew where nowhere was, because he was standing directly in the middle of it. In the back of his mind, he wondered how much longer he could hold on to the secret, which he had been harboring for almost ten years. He somehow knew that it was about to bust wide open and he could do nothing to stop it. Somehow, he could not help but ponder how long it would be before he would be cast aside in the same manner as many of his friends had already experienced. Sighing sadly, he could feel the tears in his eyes, but instead of wiping the moisture away, he allowed them to fall down over his bruised face.

"Where is he?" Glancing up some twenty minutes later, he could see his uncle standing at the end of the hallway. Rather than looking up and making eye contact with him, Simon cowered away and was unable to even meet the look in Jeremy's troubled eyes.

"There he is, Jeremy, and he's not looking the better for it," one of the officers said.

"Simon?" Jeremy now stood at the door to the cell, his eyes filled with sadness, but even in his grief-stricken state, Jeremy regarded his nephew with traces of love, but mostly his eyes were filled with frustration.

Eventually, Simon glanced up, but only briefly, and within seconds, his head was once more down, a heartrending pain evident in his state of turmoil. "Uncle Jeremy," Simon finally managed to murmur, the small boy emerging as intimidation gripped him.

"You're a grown up now, just call me Jeremy," he said, his voice filled with sadness, but there was still a small trace of anger in that voice and once the door had been opened and Simon was set free, the younger man was hesitant about even emerging from the cell. Eventually, Jeremy went into the cell and walked over to his nephew. He reached for Simon's trembling hand, and helped him to stand up. "Come on, I sprung you, now let's get back to the house, we need to have a little talk."

Simon nodded and allowed his uncle to lead him outside. Once outside, Jeremy introduced his nephew to Monica and Gloria and the four of them left the precinct house.

As they reached the car, Jeremy realized that there was no way he could hold back his anger any longer. "Tell me how you got mixed up with this 'Kinsley' crowd."

Simon looked down at the ground, his eyes filled with shame, but then, from deep within himself, he found the courage, and looked up at Jeremy. "I'm gay, Jeremy, that's why I was there."

"You're gay?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes, and I told the cops the truth, I didn't do anything, I was trying to help a friend of mine when a bunch of 'gay bashers' showed up at the club. I didn't want to get involved, my friend and I were sitting quietly talking about something, but these guys literally dragged me away from the table, they started punching me, and then the cops showed up and a bunch of us got arrested."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jeremy asked, all the while his voice was filled with hostility and it seemed as though the only words he had heard emerging from his nephew were 'I'm gay'. He continued to speak, his voice filled with aggravation. "I mean; we're your family for crying out loud. Did you honestly think that we would stop caring for you because you were honest with us and came out with the truth? Did you?"

"I-I was s-scared. I wasn't even sure if I could tell my mom and dad, much less you and Christina," Simon whispered softly.

"You were scared? What happened to trust, and unconditional love? I mean; our family has angels hanging around almost constantly. Did you honestly think that we would shove you to the side or hate you?" Jeremy covered his face with his hands and shook it in exasperation. "Why did all this have to come out now, tonight, and so soon after Patrick?"

"I honestly didn't mean for any of this to happen, Jeremy," Simon pleaded with his uncle to understand. "I-I had gotten a call from a friend and went to meet them tonight. Can't you understand, I was trying to help my friend, and nearly got killed in the process? Would it have been better if Andrew had to come?"

Monica looked at the two of them, and when she saw an intense look of pain cross Jeremy's handsome face at the mention of Andrew's name, she spoke, her voice much stronger than it had ever been before when speaking to members of this family. "Simon, please don't talk like that, it is not helping matters, and I think it is better that Jeremy is here and not Andrew."

"Monica, can you just drive us home?" Jeremy asked weakly as he got in the passenger side of the car and slammed the door, but not before he spoke once again. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

The angel nodded and once Simon and Gloria had gotten into the backseat, she drove them back in the direction of where Jeremy and Christina lived, this time the drive was taking place in stony silence.

*****

By this time, Christina was still lying on the sofa in the living room. She had her hands still over her face, and was trying to get some rest, but the headache she had at that moment was not helping. The house was still empty and quiet and she sighing deeply as she tried to get comfortable on the sofa. When she couldn't she opened her eyes to see that Andrew was now seated next to her, the angel had concern shadowed in his compassionate green eyes.

"Andrew, I didn't hear you come in," she said softly as she tried to sit up and rub her eyes.

"It's OK, Christina, how are you feeling?" He asked gently.

"Confused," she shrugged her shoulders as she shook her head slowly. "I guess that song was right."

"I'm sorry, what song?"

"Just a song that I heard some time ago. It said that even after someone's heart breaks, the world just keeps right on turning," she whispered. "I can't do anything to stop it."

"Would you honestly want to?" Andrew asked.

"Why are you going to make things freeze again like you did before?" She asked trying to smile, but not succeeding at it, and her attempts at making a joke fell flat.

"Christina," he spoke her name as exasperation shadowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Andrew, I guess, I shouldn't have said that, it's just that life seems to get harder and harder sometimes."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

She shook her head and noticed his somewhat haggard face. "No, because I think you've had a rough day, too and it would be too selfish of me to overload you with my problems."

"Did you get a chance to talk to the twins this afternoon?" Andrew asked remember the talk he had had with Dawn at the cemetery.

"After the funeral we talked a little bit, but they went to visit my parents for the rest of the weekend," Christina said softly shaking her head sadly. "I miss not having them around here, but I think that this house has too many reminders of Patrick in it for them." As she spoke, she shook her head sadly, and looked into his eyes "Andrew, earlier the precinct house called Jeremy about Simon…" her voice trailed and she looked at him. "Do you know anything about what has happened to him?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't know anything," the angel answered honestly as he reached over and touched the side of her face with his hand. "You try not to worry about him right now, you have so many other things going on."

"But, I can't help it, I'm so scared," she whispered. "Andrew, I know I haven't asked you to do anything for me in such a long time, but please, can't you just hold me?"

He inched closer and took her in his arms and held her tightly in his embrace. "It's OK, everything is going to be fine, my little angel," he whispered gently to her, his voice unconvincing, but filled with his loving assurances.

"D-do you believe that, or are you also trying to convince yourself of this as well?" She asked weakly.

"I do believe it, at least I try with all that is in me to believe it," he said softly. "It's just that right now, it's harder for most of us to believe it, because things are happening so quickly," he smiled gently at her as he brushed her hair away from her eyes.

"Andrew, I think Simon is…" her voice trailed off as the front door opened and Jeremy, Monica, Gloria, and Simon came inside the house, the door slammed behind Jeremy as they came out into the living room.

"Now you have some explaining to do," Jeremy was saying looking at his nephew, and the anger in his face was evident.

"Jeremy, what's happened?" Christina asked weakly as she stood up.

"Ask this bum who is set on keeping secrets from his own flesh and blood," Jeremy said angrily as he regarded his nephew, but when Simon didn't speak further, Christina watched as her husband left the room and charged up the stairs.

"Simon, what happened?" Christina looked at him, her eyes filled with sadness, but even in her eyes there was a genuine concern for him, and she came closer to where he was standing.

"It's nothing," he said and turned to go, but she wouldn't have it; she climbed the two steps that led to the front door and when she reached him, she rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Tell me, please," she said softly and when she exerted even more pressure on his shoulder, she could feel him pulling away from her. "Simon, please talk to me."

"What good would that do?" He turned around and looked at her, his eyes filled with irritation.

"It might do more good than you think, besides, you know that Jeremy is upset because of Patrick, and he hasn't been himself. Please, Simon tell me what happened. You know you can trust me, I will listen, just trust me," she pleaded with him.

As he heard the truth in her words, Simon turned abruptly around and pushed her away from him as hard as he could all the while shouting at her, his rage evidently showing in his actions. "Just leave me alone!"

Upon feeling the force in his push, Christina could feel herself falling and as she stumbled backwards, she tried to catch herself, but instead she lost her footing and fell down the two steps and plowed straight into a shelf. As her head rammed against the corner of it, she could feel the impacting blow and sank to the floor, her eyes glazing over as she lost consciousness. All around her, the glass figures and souvenirs came crashing to the floor, but no one seemed to notice this, everyone's eyes were on Christina.

"Andrew?" Monica called out her friend's name when she saw the Angel of Death now crouched down next to Christina, his clothing now official, and he was glowing. "Is she?"

"I don't know," Andrew looked up, his eyes filled with sadness and when his gaze came to rest on Simon, he shook his head sadly as the younger man stared at them, but after a few moments, Simon fled from the house and the angel could hear Jeremy coming down the stairs only to witness his wife now lying unconscious on the floor.

"What happened?" He looked at Andrew, his eyes pleading with the angel for answers. "Tell me, Andrew, please."

"It was an accident, Jeremy," Monica began, but Andrew cut her off.

"No," he whispered as he held his friend's limp hand. "Not an accident, Christina…"

Jeremy could feel the rage building up in him and it took all of his self-control to not take off after Simon. Instead, he rushed into the living room and called an ambulance. When he got off the phone, he frantically returned to the foyer and helped Andrew get pillows and blankets for Christina. On the floor a few moments later, Jeremy took her hand in his and held it tightly in his own. "I should have just let Simon stay there. If I hadn't have left you alone, you wouldn't have had to go through all of this. It's all my fault."

"Guilt is not what she needs, Jeremy," Monica offered, but within seconds, she looked at Gloria. "Come on Gloria, we have to go take care of Simon."

Gloria nodded and the two angels disappeared, leaving Christina in Jeremy and Andrew's care.

"You'd better take good care of him, because if I get my hands on him, I'll…" Jeremy mumbled but his voice broke and was left only looking down at his wife. The tears continued to slide down his cheeks as he gently kissed her still lips. "Oh God, how much more of this must we take, first Patrick, and now this?"

Andrew remained by Christina's side, but rather than speak to her distraught husband, he said nothing, his eyes filling with tears as Jeremy held tightly to her. Father, please take care of her, I don't want to have to take her Home now, they all need her so much.

When no assurances came back Andrew could feel the tears streaming from beneath his eyes. As always, Christina got into trouble when she tried to help someone else. This time it was Simon, and look at what happened to her.

The angel brushed a lock of Christina's hair back from her eyes as the ambulance arrived, the sirens blaring as Madeline Reinhardt and her colleague entered the house. "Christina Lowery is the patient?" The woman spoke as soon as she saw Christina, her voice cracking as she was flooded with memories of what had happened some years ago when Olivia Thomas had died giving birth to Brendan Andrew at Donna and Daniel's home.

Jeremy nodded. "It's a long story," he whispered as the two paramedics got Christina up on a stretcher and began to wheel her outside. "Andrew?" He called out to his friend.

"I'll stay with her Jeremy, don't worry, my friend," the angel said softly as Jeremy followed them out to the ambulance and climbed in next to his wife for the short drive to the hospital.

*****

At the same time, Brittany Bowen-Wilkinson was walking along the street leading back into town. Her hair was hanging in clumps down over her shoulders and she looked as though she had been crying. She glanced back in the direction she had been coming and then continued to trudge along listlessly.

I'm so sorry, she thought sadly to herself as she rubbed her hand across her stomach and continued to walk until she reached the park. Pregnant, almost to full term, but the worst part was that her husband had just walked out on her, leaving her completely alone. Sighing sadly, she sat down on a bench and looked out across the stillness of the area. It had been because of me, she thought sadly, it was all my fault. Shaking her head, she watched as couples walked down the same path as she, but eventually it was decided that she did not wish to look up at them. She found herself just staring blankly off into space as well as at the ground before her.

"Brittany?" A voice emerged and she looked up.

"Simon, what happened? I thought you were in jail."

"My uncle sort of sprung me out," Simon said softly. "Are you OK? I mean, when those drunk guys came into the club, I knew we were both in for it, I just don't understand why it is they wanted to hurt you."

"W-who were those guys?" She asked; her voice was shaking slightly.

"Just a bunch of intolerant buffoons is all," Simon shook his head sadly and shrugged his shoulders. "Did they hurt you?"

"No, I sort of kicked one of them in the shin and they pretty much left me alone after that," she said softly as she looked out across the park and then down at her lap. "I hope that I didn't get you into too much trouble. You know it wasn't my intention to bother you, but after Cameron left, I didn't know where else to go, but I thought of you. I figured that you would help me because you've always been my friend."

"And you have always known that I was gay, but you never passed judgment on me. You have always been my friend, and I think I'm going to need all the friends I can get right now," Simon said sadly as he shook his head.

"Why? What happened?" Brittany asked.

"Well, after I was arrested, they called Jeremy Lowery, you know, he's my mom's younger brother, and he came to the station to bail me out and I had to tell him the truth and…" His voice trailed off.

"And?"

"He got mad at me, he asked me why I couldn’t be honest, and why I didn't trust my family with the truth," he whispered. "I mean, there were so many times I wanted to; at Christmas when the family was together, or at Brendan's baptism, or before they went to Europe. But, I didn't, and I-I don't know why I didn't, I guess I was just scared they would hate me."

"Simon, what happened after you told Jeremy the truth?"

Simon's face was streaked with tears as he started to speak, his words emerging with sadness. "We went back to the house, and when we got there, Christina and Andrew were talking about something. I didn't really hear much, because Jeremy was absolutely beside himself. I mean, I knew that today was hard for them, just because of Patrick."

"Patrick?"

"He was their adopted son, he had AIDS, and every time I even think about him, I get so scared," Simon whispered. "I mean, I'm so careful when I get into relationships, but Pat was 14, he was the same age my brother Robert was when we met Christina the first time."

"He got it through a blood transfusion?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah, it was after his folks were in this car accident and his father died, but his mother had been infected with the same blood as he had been, only she died three years ago. Now, he just died on the twenty-first. I didn't realize when I first heard about it, but it really frightens me, Brittany."

The young woman wrapped her friend in her arms and held tightly to him. "You will have to tell them all the truth eventually, Simon, and it may be hard for them to hear it, but you're going to have to do it. You love them and even if it's hard, I'm certain that they love you, too."

"But they may not love me anymore after what happened tonight," Simon whispered. "After we got to the house, Jeremy went upstairs, and Christina tried to get me to talk about all of this, but I wouldn't listen to her. She was always so sensible, and even when everyone around us is flipping out, she's so calm about things. But when she asked me to talk to her, I felt threatened somehow and ended up getting angry with her instead. What I did next was just terrible, I pushed her away and she ended up falling down those two steps in their foyer and hit her head on the corner of a cabinet."

"Oh God," Brittany whispered.

"Andrew was there, Brittany," Simon said sadly. "He stood there glowing and looked all official in a suit and tie. I couldn't say anything, and I'm just thinking that I may have killed the only person in my family that actually knew and understood me." That said; he began to cry hysterically all the while shaking his head. "Jeremy should have left me to rot in jail, it's all my fault. That look that Andrew gave me afterwards was much worse than the damage caused by a fist; I mean; he cares so much for Christina. If I hadn't have known it then, I certainly know it now."

"No, Jeremy probably knew that those other guys in the cell would have killed you," Brittany whispered. "Did you tell him everything that happened at the club?"

Simon shook his head. "No, I just want to forget."

"Simon, you know you can't pretend that this didn't happen, those guys were coming on to me, and you tried to protect me. I could have lost my baby tonight if it hadn't have been for you," Brittany said truthfully. "Come on, let's get to the hospital, the sooner you face Jeremy and tell him what really happened, the sooner this nightmare will be over for all of us."

She put her arm around his trembling shoulders and helped him to stand up. As they left the park, neither of them saw that Monica and Gloria were still there and now the two angels were following them.

*****

Laura and Sebastian arrived at the house an hour after the ambulance had transported Christina to the hospital. They both seemed to be somewhat happier since the conversation Laura had had with Andrew, and Sebastian smiled weakly at her as he touched her face. "I have something I want to tell you, Laura," he began.

She nodded. "What?"

"It's nothing serious, but part of it is that I wanted you to know that I really would have liked to have told you sooner about what Patrick had said to me on the train, but I couldn't, because of that promise I made," he said. "I noticed that you were a bit surprised by it at the funeral this morning, but it wasn't intended to hurt you."

"I guess it did hurt me at first, but I think I understand," she began. "When we were sitting in the church, I had wished from the bottom of my heart that I could have been anywhere else but there. I mean, Sebastian, I know that it was wrong of me to shut you out, a-and I'm sorry that I did that, but I was so confused and scared."

"Laura, you know I shut out the rest of the world, too. I did it for over three years, and then I met you, and I realized just how wonderful love can be," he whispered as he brushed her tears from her eyes. "You changed everything for me. The fact that you forgave me after I had been so cruel to you, well, that was really very special to me."

"I did that because I care about you, too. I mean; I was hurt, but…" she said softly, her voice trailing. "You know, I still feel guilty about what I said and did these last few days."

"I understand and I know it's all because you're still grieving, but you know I did this for a long time myself, and I know that you needed some time to cope with all of what has been happening." He took her in his arms and kissed her gently before he continued speaking. "I love you, Laura, and you will always be very special to me, I want to be there to help you, and I hope that I can once again earn your trust."

Laura could feel the tears streaming down her face, but she looked back up at him. "I'm so confused, but you know I love you, too."

"Are you thinking about Andrew again?" Sebastian asked.

Laura nodded. "I love him, but…"

"You know that he can't love you, not the way I can," Sebastian said. "I guess he can't hurt you the way I did, either," Sebastian looked at her, his face a depiction of his overwhelming guilt, but he continued to speak. "Laura, I remembered that conversation with Patrick two weeks ago before we had our misunderstanding, and I know I hurt you. I didn't want to walk away from you, but when I did, it was because I was so afraid."

"You didn't let me finish," she whispered.

"Tell me, then."

"I guess, what I want to say is…" before she could finish Tess drove up to the curb and honked the horn and called out both their names.

Sebastian squeezed her hand indicating that they would continue their conversation later. She nodded as the two of them walked towards the street and where Tess had parked the car. "W-what is it, Tess?" He asked, but they both could see the earnest expression on the wise angel's face.

"Laura baby, Christina's been taken to the hospital," Tess began.

"What?"

"She hit her head on the corner of a cabinet this evening and has suffered a concussion," Tess whispered. "Get in, we have no time to stand around and discuss this."

"Tess, is she OK?"

"I don't know yet, baby. Andrew's with her and Jeremy said he called your grandparents, but he asked me to come and pick you up."

Laura looked as though someone had slugged her in the stomach and she slowly got into the passenger side of the car. "Tess, please tell me what happened, how did she hit her head?"

"She was pushed," came the soft answer.

"Not by my dad?" Laura whispered.

"No, by your cousin, Simon," Tess whispered. "I think it was an accident, but your father is very upset right now."

Laura could feel the tears streaming down her face as soon as she heard Tess' words. From his place in the backseat, Sebastian reached over and touched her shoulder. "She'll be OK, just keep the faith, Laura."

The young woman nodded, and as the tears washed down over her face, she glanced skyward. "Please God, help us."

"He will, baby, He will," Tess whispered gently as she pulled the Cadillac into a parking place in front of the hospital, they got out, and went inside.

*****

Christina remained asleep throughout the night, but Andrew stayed with her, his presence only known to her, but he watched over her with all the love of a guardian angel.

Christina, my friend, I'm so sorry this happened to you, he whispered sadly to his friend's spirit. I want you to know that no matter what happens, your friendship has been an honor to me. There is something I really would like to do; I want to take you away from here. I want to share a place with you that is very special to me, as you are one of the most unique and special people I know.

Andrew, please don't leave me, I'm so frightened. Christina's voice emerged.

No, my friend, don't be afraid, nothing will happen to you, I'm right here with you, he whispered gently as he reached over and brushed a gentle hand across her cheek. Within seconds, the walls of the hospital room disappeared and the two of them were standing in a large meadow filled with wildflowers. All around her, she could see the color and the sense of life that emanated in this place. Taking a deep breath, she could smell the fragrant blossoms and could feel the gentle breeze as it wafted through her hair.

"Christina," Andrew spoke once she had taken in this place, her eyes were filled with wonder as she gazed around the meadow and eventually her eyes came to rest on him.

"It's so beautiful, a-and you're here with me, just like you promised," Christina whispered as she practically threw herself into his arms. When their embrace ended, she glanced up at him and could see that he was dressed in a dove gray suit, a warm glow of white light was surrounding him and he looked as beautiful as he did the morning he had taken Patrick Home. "A-am I dead?"

"No, you're not dead, sweetheart, I just brought you here to this place so we could talk," he said softly and extended a hand towards her.

She nodded as she accepted his hand and once he helped her to sit down on the soft grass, she finally managed to look at him. "What has happened to me, Andrew? The last thing I remember was being at the house, and trying to talk to Simon or, at the very least, get him to talk to me. Then something happened to me and I heard your voice in my mind. It was like that time when I was 15 and in the hospital with pneumonia. But, I-I don't understand, please, tell me where we are. I know I should feel happy here, but I'm so scared."

"You have no reason to be afraid, Christina," Andrew began as he squeezed her hand gently, but continued to hold her hand. "We are in God's Country, and I can't really explain it, but it's a special place that is pretty much between Heaven and Earth. When I am sad about cases or in need of some solitude, I come here and reconnect with the Father. It is where people can sometimes find their peace even during the most difficult of times."

"It's beautiful," Christina whispered when she saw the mountains in the distance, but her attention came to rest on a crop of yellow marigolds and Andrew released her hand so she could reach for one of the small flowers, pull it from the earth, and bring the fragrant blossom to her nose. She took a deep breath and inhaled the sweet aroma once she held it in her hand.

Andrew watched her for a moment, his green eyes filled with compassion and affection for his friend. He could see the childlike innocence and joy that was still manifested in her, and this, if anything, made him smile.

They sat for some time in companionable silence, but after a few moments had passed, she broke the stillness when she spoke. "Am I going to die, Andrew?"

"I don't know, Christina," he said softly as the tears caught in his eyes. "I wish I could tell you one way or the other, but I just don't know."

"I'm not afraid, I mean, maybe just a little bit, but you've been my friend for so long that I know that I have nothing to worry about as long as you're here. You know, I would follow you to the ends of the world," she said softly. "But, I don't want to leave Jeremy and my children."

"I know, and God knows, Christina," Andrew could feel the tears streaming from beneath his eyes and he reached for her hand. When she offered it, she could feel his warm fingers encircling her own. "You have always been so loving, and you've been there for so many people when they needed you the most. You're a real inspiration, you know."

"I never really thought of myself that way," she whispered. "I just thought I had to do everything possible to just hang on until another day."

"No, it was more, Christina, and although I never said anything, I was always so proud of your courage and strength," Andrew said. "You always had a way of giving it to others, and sometimes you even gave it to me."

"I don't remember how I could have helped you," she whispered.

"You did. Do you remember back when the Southside school shooting happened?" Andrew asked and once she nodded numbly, he continued. "You helped me find my faith then, something that I had somehow believed was lost."

"You only said that on the terrace at our house, but after that, never again," she whispered sadly.

"I noticed it more often than you think," he began as he smiled gently at her. "I may not have said anything, but I certainly noticed it, Christina. Why did you stop believing it?"

"I don't know, I guess, I thought after I got married that everything had changed for us, somehow. You know, I knew when Jeremy and I got married I believed somehow that I could no longer care for you in the manner of which I had grown accustomed. I thought I was ready for that change. Then a few years ago, I realized how the hugs, the long talks, the beach trips, the carousels, and all those other things had just ended for me. I suppose I just viewed myself as being Laura's mom. Then as she grew up, I discovered how often you were here for her, and how much you did, but all the while I started wondering if I was still special or important to you. I wasn't that little girl anymore but there was so much I wanted to tell you tonight, but then all this stuff happened with Simon, and now..." her voice trailed off and she tried to use her free hand to wipe the tears from beneath her eyes.

"You never stopped being special to me, Christina," Andrew smiled gently at her. "You have always been my friend, you have always looked beyond this truth of me being just an Angel of Death and you have accepted me as your friend, and that is a most beautiful and precious gift." As he spoke, she could see that his emotions were starting to get the better of him and she reached over with the intention of wiping the moisture away.

"In all this stuff that has happened with Laura, I discovered that my feelings for you are just as strong as they've always been. I love you so much that it hurts me sometimes to see you giving so much to Laura, especially when I know deep down inside that she needs to feel the understanding you share with her. Yet, then I sit, watching and wishing with all my heart that you had been around as often with me when I was a teenager as you have been around for her. Is it so wrong of me to envy her?"

Andrew shook his head. "No, it's not wrong."

Hearing his answer only caused more tears to stream down her cheeks, and when she finally managed to find her voice, her words emerged filled with grief. "I feel so selfish for trying to take you away from the kids, and I know that the girls love you so much…" her voice trailed off and she shook her head. "But, I love you too, and it sometimes hurts to not be able to say it."

"Christina, I really didn't know. I knew that some years ago you had those strong feelings, but I didn't know they were still there, nor did I know that you had felt neglected by me," Andrew said sadly.

"I love Jeremy with all my heart, he means the world to me, and Andrew, you know that I would never ever do anything to hurt him, but my feelings for you, I can't even describe them, and I wonder if I'm wrong because I have them," she shook her head, the confusion and pain evident in her eyes. "And I'm so scared because I do."

Andrew slid over next to her and wrapped her in his arms, thus literally pulling her onto his lap. Once she was sitting there, he smiled weakly down at her all the while brushing his hand gently through her hair. "Christina, feelings are not wrong, they exist and are real. You just have to accept that they are as they are, there is no reason for you to feel this much guilt."

"When we were at the house earlier, I kept remembering what happened after Ted Gordon died, I just wanted to feel some peace again," Christina whimpered. "I wanted to know that my baby was alright, and that I'm going to be OK. But, nothing like that even happened. We were talking, but instead of me finding comfort, Simon came in and everything quickly went out of control. Every time we even find just a few moments together to talk, something else happens and within seconds that moment is destroyed. Then I have to be strong again and help someone else, just so that I have some peace, and I can hide away the guilt and the hurt."

Andrew held tightly to his friend, her words hitting him, but he realized suddenly how often it had been that he had neglected her and he shook his head sadly. "We talked at the hotel in Paris a little, but I think that was the last time we really had a chance to sit down and talk."

"Yes, it was about Patrick, and how hard our lives would be without him," Christina whispered, but she nodded knowing that he had spoken the truth, and she remembered how that conversation had been helpful to her. Yet, the rejection was still weighing heavily on her spirit and he could see it in her eyes. "Don't you remember how we used to go to the fair or we would sit together in the living room of my old apartment and talk for hours about every topic under the sun? We didn't have to do anything, we would just talk."

"I remember those times, they were very nice," Andrew said gently.

"Just memories now, but do you know what I think about every year at Christmastime?"

"No, what?"

"I think about that night when you were comforting me because of Ted's suicide and how we started watching 'We're No Angels' on television and I fell asleep. It was funny because it wasn't even Christmastime, but that always reminded me of the fact that you were always there for me whenever my life would get really hard." She shook her head sadly. "You know, sometimes I really hate looking back on all those times, simply because they only seem to remind me that they're gone, that they're in the past, that they are just another memory for me, and nothing more."

"I'm so sorry that I haven't been a very conscientious friend to you, these past few years," he whispered as he continued to brush the hair out from in front of her face. "But, I never stopped caring for you."

"I'm not trying to say that you did…" she said softly but her voice trailed off and he could see that she was getting caught up in her emotions.

"Shhh, it's OK," he began as he pressed a gentle finger over her mouth in order to stop the flow of words. "I know what you're trying to say, and you're right. I realize now that I have been trying to be as supportive as I can to the girls, but somehow I have forgotten about giving some of that to you. Christina, I can't say 'I'm sorry' enough."

"You don't have to," she said softly.

"Yes, I do," Andrew said as he brushed the tears that were falling from beneath her eyes and he looked down at her, his eyes filled with tenderness. "You know if I could love a human being romantically, then I would be in love with someone like you; someone who is kind and loving, but also strong and confidant." He continued to wipe the moisture from beneath her eyes. "If I was human, and you had not pledged your unending love to another, I would show you every day in every possible way the affection I hold and I would express that with all that is within me."

"Y-you would?" She looked at him, the surprise evidently showing.

"Yes, I would, but 'if' is a very strong word," Andrew smiled gently at his friend. "You cannot stop loving Jeremy, he is a good person, and a very loving man, and I know that you love him very much. You also know that I can't stop being what the Father created me to be, His angel," he paused for a moment before continuing. "Christina, the Father knows every thought and every feeling that both of us have, not just for people, but for each other. Yet, He also knows that my devotion and adoration are to Him, but know this, my friend, that doesn't change the feelings that I have for you."

"I know Andrew, you don't have to explain all of that to me," she said softly, her voice filled with emotion.

"But, I want to, I want you to know that the feelings that I can hold for you are very strong, and it is that which brings me back to see you whenever I am able to. But I'm an angel, Christina, and angels cannot love in any other way. Laura asked me when we were at the Eiffel Tower if I regretted not being able to love someone romantically, and I told her 'no', because I don't, and it was as much the truth then and it is now."

"T-that's so beautiful," she whispered as the tears continued to stream from beneath her eyes.

Andrew smiled weakly at her, but as he continued to hold her tightly in his arms. "It's only the truth, my friend."

Christina nodded, but after a few moments, she looked up at him and could see the intense look of contemplation on his face, and she reached up and touched his face, her contact causing him to look down at her. "Andrew, what is it?"

"You're going to live, Christina, the Father's not ready for me to bring you Home yet," he smiled gently at her and she could see the relief shadowing his handsome face.

She smiled weakly and nodded. "I guess that means we have to go back, huh?"

Andrew nodded, "yes, we do."

"Thank you for bringing me here, Andrew," she smiled weakly, but bravely at him. "I'm really glad we talked."

He responded by pressing his fingertips against his lips, kissing them, and placing his hand gently against her lips. "I am too."

As she felt his fingers against her lips, her heartbeat quickened, and she looked deeply into his eyes. "You will still be with me through all of this, won't you?" She asked weakly once he had moved his hand away from her lips.

"Yes, I will," he smiled gently as the walls of the hospital reappeared and Christina could hear his words in her consciousness. I will never ever neglect you again, my friend.

At that moment, Christina started to awaken.

*****

Jeremy was sitting in the waiting room at that time when Andrew emerged from the room and approached where he was sitting. "Jeremy?"

"Andrew, is she…?" His voice trailed off and the angel could see that he was getting choked up about the status of his wife.

"She's going to be fine, Jeremy, she was waking up when I left the room just now," Andrew said gently and squeezed the shoulder of his friend as Brittany and Simon came down the hall, Monica and Gloria were following in angelic form and only Andrew could see them.

Simon's voice got caught in his throat when he heard this, and he looked at Jeremy. "I-I'm sorry," he managed to speak.

"What are you doing here?" Jeremy demanded as he stood up and lunged towards his nephew. Before he could reach Simon, Brittany stepped between them and Jeremy's actions abruptly ceased.

"Please, Mr. Lowery, Simon didn't mean to do anything to hurt anyone. He feels badly enough about what has happened," Brittany could see that Jeremy's eyes were filled with anger, and this frightened her as she was not certain if some of that anger was possibly directed at her.

"Brittany?" Jeremy looked at her and when he saw the bruises along the contours of her face, he lowered his hand and looked questionably at her. "What on earth happened to you?"

"Tonight, a lot of things happened, things that shouldn't have, but they did," Brittany said softly. "I used to be one of Christina's patients, a-and later I met Simon when he was working at the junior high school as swim coach," she said softly.

"You are his friend?" Jeremy asked.

"Yes, and I was the friend he saved tonight," she looked at him, her eyes filling with tears and Jeremy reached for her arm and helped her to sit down. "My uncle Nathan owns the 'Kinsley Lounge' Mr. Lowery, and yes, he's gay, but he's been like a second father to David and me as we were going up. You see, my parents weren't always doing as well as they are now, in fact, when I was about five or six, they were in rehabilitation for alcohol abuse and drug dependency, so during this time, we stayed with my uncle for six months. He was very good to us, but back then no one knew about him being homosexual. When he did eventually come out, the entire family disowned him, they passed judgment on him, and they said all these horrible things about him. David, my parents, and me, are the only ones who remained in contact with him afterwards and when Simon told me he was gay, I didn't care about that, I just cared that he was my friend."

"Then it was you who was with him at the 'Kinsley Lounge' tonight?" Jeremy asked, disbelief written all over his face.

Brittany nodded. "Yes, I had called Simon this afternoon after my husband had walked out on me. We had had a big fight and he beat me up again. I think he wanted me to lose the baby, but then just before he left, he told me that he was in love with an 18-year-old girl and that to him I was dead. I called Simon because I didn't have anyone else to turn to, and my uncle had had enough problems with 'gay bashers' coming into his club without having to hear my problems on top of that." She sniffed and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. "I asked Simon to meet me at the club, and he had agreed to help me find an apartment. Then those guys came in and they started harassing me, and Simon had to defend me. If it weren't for him, I probably would have lost my baby."

"She would have lost much more than that, Jeremy, she would have lost her life," Henry's voice emerged and Jeremy looked up and could see the angel who had been with him after the car accident he had been in.

"Henry?" Jeremy turned his head and his eyes met those of the Angel of Death who was now standing next to Andrew in the hallway.

"Yes, and what Brittany and Simon are telling you is the truth. Simon was not at fault for what happened tonight, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," Henry said just before he disappeared.

Jeremy looked at his nephew. "She was the friend you told me about after we left the precinct house, right?" Once the younger man nodded, he continued. "Why didn't you tell me this then, why all the secrets?"

"I didn't know if you would have listened, you had so much on your mind, and besides that, I was so afraid," Simon whispered.

"You should have been honest, Simon," Andrew said gently. "It would have made all the difference in the world."

"I didn't know that then, Andrew, I really didn't," Simon offered weakly as he covered his face with his hand and the angel could tell that he was frightened because he was trembling.

"Tell me what else happened," Jeremy said softly.

Simon nodded and looked at his uncle. "When those guys came in, they started saying things to Brittany, really terrible things, and one guy grabbed her and jerked her towards him. He said that she should be in better company than with a 'queer'. Brittany looked at the guy and said 'the only things that are 'queer' that exists are the ideas that you have about my friends'. The guy didn't take too kindly about that, and he started hitting her." As he spoke, he could feel the tears streaming down his face. "I got up to intervene, and it was at that moment that Brittany's uncle went and called the cops. Those men turned on me and started hitting me, and I don't remember anything else except that the police came in a few minutes later and arrested everyone in the room."

"Where were you, Brittany?" Jeremy asked.

"I had left the room because Simon told me to get out of there before something happened to me or the baby," she said softly. "When I came back out into the club some ten minutes later, the place was empty, and my uncle told me that everyone had been arrested. I asked him why Simon had been taken away, and he said that he had no control over what had happened and that he would do everything in his power to make sure the charges against Simon and the other legitimate customers would be dropped."

"Brittany, you should go to the precinct house and file a report," Jeremy said gently. "That's the only way that Simon can be completely cleared of all charges. You do that, OK?"

"Yeah, I will, Mr. Lowery," she whispered.

"And another thing," he said softly, his voice lowering considerably.

"What?"

"Call me Jeremy," he smiled and reached for her hand and when she offered it, he squeezed it and looked at his nephew. "You forgive me?"

Simon nodded. "Yeah. I should have told you, but I was so afraid that what had happened to my friends would happen to me, too."

"You know, we noticed that there were things going on with you during the past few months, Simon," Christina's voice emerged and they looked up to see that she was now standing in the hallway, her hand resting on Andrew's shoulder as a way to help steady her on her feet.

"Christina," Simon stood up and looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness and guilt.

"It's OK, Simon, I'm fine," she said softly as she touched the bandage that was covering her forehead. "It's just a couple of stitches, but the doctor just told me that I'm going to be fine."

As she spoke, Laura and Sebastian came down the hallway and stopped when they saw her. "Mom?" Laura called out.

"Hi honey," Christina turned and looked at her daughter.

"You're OK?" Laura asked, but when her eyes met those of Simon, her smile disappeared and she glared at him. "What did you do to my mom?"

"Laura, everything's OK now," Jeremy said softly. "All is forgiven."

Laura nodded and looked at Andrew. When the angel offered her a reciprocating nod, she smiled weakly. "You're really OK, then?"

"Yes, I'm fine, in fact, I feel…free," Christina said softly. She looked at her longtime friend. "Andrew and I finally got a chance to talk, and I have made some decisions about some things and I want you all to know about."

"What is it honey?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, I want to do some of the things like I used to do," Christina looked at Andrew. "When I get out of here, I want you to take me to a fair, and let me be that little girl again. You always called me 'your little angel' and I want to be that again. I want do things that are not just encased in obligation, but also in fun."

Andrew looked at Jeremy and when he got a reciprocating nod, he smiled at his friend. "OK, when you get out of here, we'll do just that."

She looked at Jeremy. "I want a second honeymoon from you. I want us to go off somewhere, even if it is just a weekend trip, we need some time alone together, and we need to talk about everything, not just Patrick and what happened to him, but about us and where we're going as a family."

Jeremy nodded. "OK."

Christina looked at Laura. "I want you to be happy again, I want to see you smile, and not allow this guilt and pain to take away my little girl. Laura, you have to look to the future now, you're 18, and a beautiful young woman. That means, now you have to make decisions and not be afraid of where their outcome will take you. You have your back-up, you know, you have this handsome young man to help you find where your path will take you."

She looked at Sebastian and smiled when she saw his red face. "Stop blushing, you are handsome you know, and do me a favor Sebastian, don't ever cut your hair, because it's so beautiful."

Sebastian began to chuckle, but he offered Christina a nod and a smile.

"Are you through making demands now?" Jeremy asked, his eyes twinkling.

"No, and they aren't demands, they are wishes, or prayers," Christina smiled at him. "I wanted to tell you that I know why I saw Patrick die three days ago. It was a sign to me, to let go and to use that knowledge to help you let go. Andrew, that's what he wanted, right?"

"Yes, that's what he wanted," he said gently and smiled.

Christina looked at her husband. "I know it will be hard for us to let go, because Patrick was a very special child and such an important part of our lives, but I think he is happy now, and we are still together and we can celebrate his life and the kinds of gifts he empowered all of us with." She looked at Simon. "I know you're afraid to tell your parents the truth, and you were scared to tell us, but Simon, we had a 14-year-old boy who faced death with strength, love, and hope, and I think you can face Paula and Vincent in the same loving way that Patrick faced Andrew."

Simon looked at her. "Would you come with me?"

"Yes, I would be honored to," she smiled gently as her nephew came over to where she was standing and he was able to hug her. When she felt his arms around her, she wound hers around him. "You know, I think I always knew, but I never stopped loving you, now don't ever stop loving yourself, OK?"

As Simon began to cry in her arms, she could feel the tears streaming from beneath her own eyes.

Brittany looked at Andrew, "tell your friends 'thank you' for looking out for us tonight."

"They already know, Brittany," Andrew said with a smile as he watched Christina reconcile with her nephew.

*****

Once the visiting hours ended, Jeremy, Laura, Sebastian, Daniel, Donna, the twins, and Simon left the hospital. Christina's head was still throbbing as she lay in the bed, her light was still on and she could see that Andrew had come into the room.

"Visiting hours are over," she whispered coyly as he sat down next to her.

"Cute," he said smiling brightly, "very cute."

"Hey, I have my moments," she whispered. "But I'm keeping my voice down so they won't think I'm talking to an imaginary friend and send me off to the 'Psycho. Ward'."

"You're feeling better?" He asked.

"Yes, much. I don't know what happened today, but everything feels different somehow," she said softly.

"It is different," Andrew said softly. "And you have made a difference yet again. What is it about you that gives so much hope to other people?"

Christina shrugged her shoulders and looked at him. "I don't know if I do."

"Modesty, that always has been one of your strong points," he laughed.

"Andrew, I know I shouldn't doubt whether or not we spoke earlier, because I think we did, and I want you to know that it meant so much to me," Christina said softly as she reached out for his hand. When she felt him holding her hand, she smiled at him, her eyes dancing merrily. "I think Simon did me a favor tonight." She reached with her free hand to her temple and touched the bandage.

Andrew smiled gently at her and squeezed her hand.

"Will you take to that place again sometime?" She asked softly when he didn't speak.

He smiled weakly. "You don't always need to go there."

"I know, but it was nice, and it finally gave me a chance to spend time with you," she smiled weakly. "I just wonder how much more time do we have with you before you have to go?"

"When you get out of the hospital, I will take you to the fair, I promise, but after that, I will have to go, and I don't know when I will see you again, but as I do with all my friends, I carry them in my heart, and they're not so far away," Andrew said softly. "Christina, the love you have in your heart will help your family through all this, just believe it, because it's true."

She nodded as she felt him release her hand and pull the blankets up to tuck her in. "You're leaving…"

"You need to rest now," he smiled gently at her. "If you need me, I'll be nearby."

"I love you," she whispered.

Andrew smiled at her, but instead of speaking, he leaned down and kissed her cheek gently. Once he straightened out, he looked into her eyes. "I love you too, my little angel."

*****

Two days later, Christina was released from the hospital and Jeremy was there to take her home. As she was wheeled out in a wheelchair, she could see that Jeremy was standing on the curb and he did not look happy. She could tell that something was wrong and somehow the realization dawned on her that she had not seen Andrew since the night she had been admitted there, and this frightened her.

"Jeremy, what is it?" She asked weakly.

"It's about Simon," Jeremy said softly.

"What happened Jeremy?" When he didn't answer, she got out of the chair, and stood in front of him, her eyes pleading with him to tell her something. Eventually, she grabbed his jacket and began to speak, the fear still gripping her. "Please, tell me?"

"He's dead, Christina," Jeremy could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"What?" She looked at him as if he was joking, but she could feel her knees beginning to tremble.

Jeremy nodded, the pain evident on his face as he looked at her. "He was killed last night at the club. Brittany had run away from there, and she called me at two this morning from the station and said that this group of drunken men came back there last night with the intentions of burning the place down. She's been at the precinct house giving statements to the police since she managed to get away late last night. Simon was stabbed to death, and witnesses described it as being a 'hate crime', Christina."

She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as she listened to her husband speaking, his voice filled with sadness and fear. The disbelief was still her eyes when she finally managed to find the words to speak. "What are we going to do? He wanted me to help him by telling his parents, he wanted to help Brittany…"

"I know…" Jeremy said sadly.

"All of this so soon after…"

"Patrick," Jeremy finished for her.

"Was there anyone else hurt?" She asked weakly her voice filled with sadness.

"Two other men were killed and Brittany's uncle was brought here late last night," Jeremy said softly.

"I want to see him then, OK?" Christina asked weakly.

"Yes, but honey, I don't think that will make much of a difference now," Jeremy said softly.

"He was Simon's friend and it would make a difference, if to no one else, it would make a difference to me," she whispered and instead of getting into the car, she went back into the hospital. Jeremy could do nothing except get in the car, pull out of the loading / unloading zone, find a parking spot and park the car. Once he pulled the key out of the ignition, he slowly followed his wife back inside the large white building.

*****

Inside, Christina went immediately to the information desk. "Please, I need some help," she told the attendant.

"You need a doctor?" The man asked noticing the white gauze still wrapped around her forehead.

"No, I'm fine, but there's a patient here that I must see, his name is Kinsley, I believe, and he's a friend of my nephew," Christina said softly.

"Oh, you mean that poor guy that came into the ER last night," the man said. "Are you a relative?"

"No, his niece is a friend of mine, and my nephew is, I mean, was, her best friend," she could feel the tears catching in her eyes, and she looked imploringly at the man at the desk. "Please, I just want to thank this man for being a friend to my nephew."

"Nathan Kinsley, here it is, he's in room 436." The man said softly.

"Thank you," she whispered as she stepped away from the desk.

"You may not be thanking me when you see the guy," the man muttered under his breath, but Christina did not hear his words. She walked with determination towards the elevator and when she reached it, she pressed the button with the arrow pointing upwards and waited. When the doors finally opened, she got in and rode up to the fourth floor.

As soon as she reached the fourth floor she stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall towards the room number, which she had been given in the lobby. Outside in the hallway, she saw David, Brittany's older brother seated in a chair waiting, her brother Bryan was seated next to him.

"David, Bryan?" she called out both of their names.

"Christina, w-what are you doing here?" He asked weakly.

"When I was released this morning, Jeremy told me about Simon as well as your uncle, David," Christina said softly.

"He's pretty messed up, Chrissie," Bryan said softly. "David called us this morning and I came out. I had planned on coming to see you too, but the doctor told me that you had been released, so I was going to come by your house later."

Christina nodded. "How are you holding up, David?"

The young man shook his head dejectedly. "I'm scared, not just for him, but for my sister. It's terrible, why would someone do such a thing?"

"If you try to analyze hate too much, David, you'll just succeed in giving yourself a headache," Christina said softly.

"But why?" David shook his head.

"I don't know, but your uncle was a friend of my nephew," Christina said softly as the tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"Yes, Nathan tried to help Simon, but he couldn't," Bryan said softly as he saw Jeremy coming out of the elevator and making his way towards them.

"I-I'm so sorry about Simon, Christina," David said as he reached for her hand.

She nodded. "Thank you. I just wanted to thank your uncle."

"Why would you want to thank him, when he lies in there and feels like failed you?" David said softly.

"Because he gave Simon a place to go where he could be himself, and he knew that people who were different weren't always accepted by others, that they didn't always get a fair shake," Christina said softly as she felt her head beginning to hurt once again.

"Chrissie, are you alright?" Bryan asked looking at his younger sister with concern.

"I'm OK," she whispered.

"Maybe you should sit down," David suggested.

"No, I just need to see your uncle for a few minutes and then I'll go home and get some rest," Christina said softly.

"OK, but h-he looks really bad," David offered, his voice trembling.

Christina nodded and slowly walked towards the door leading into the room. Once she managed to open the door, she went inside. The first thing she could see was the man in the bed was nearly covered with white gauze. She immediately felt sickened when she could hear him groaning in pain as he tried to shift on the bed. Her heart immediately went out to him, and she longed to sit down beside him and give him all the comfort she was capable of offering. Seconds later, she looked up and saw Adam standing next to the bed, and for some strange reason, she knew that things did not look very good for Nathan Kinsley.

She walked over to the bed and sat down in the vacant chair next to it, the dark blue eyes of the man were watching her every move, and she could see the deeply embedded fear that was in them. This saddened her even more than the grief that encased her wounded spirit and she offered him a compassionate, but weak, smile.

"Mr. Kinsley?"

"Nathan," a barely audible whisper emerged from him.

"My name is Christina Lowery," she began. "I'm Simon Davies' aunt."

"I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," he whispered, his voice emerging between a sigh and a stammer.

"It's not your fault, Nathan," Christina said softly. "I wanted to come see you and thank you for being Simon's friend through everything he had been through." As she spoke, she could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Y…. y…." his voice emerged once again as a stammer and she looked up and her eyes met those of Adam.

"Adam, tell me what he wants me to know, please. I know that speaking must be very painful for him," Christina whispered and when Nathan's eyes widened, she reached over and gently touched his arm. "You don't have to ask me anything but, yes, I can see Adam. I also know that it is kind of hard for me to explain, but we've had angels with us since I was a little girl. I can see him standing here beside you, and I know that he's taking good care of you."

"Christina, he knows about Simon and he wants to apologize for not doing more to help him last night," Adam said softly.

"I didn't come here to blame you, Nathan," Christina said softly. "I came here because I wanted to meet you, and I wanted to tell you that I know Simon is in Heaven."

Nathan nodded and his blue eyes met those of Christina. As she reached over and took his hand, she could see that he looked relieved upon hearing her gentle words and it suddenly dawned on him that when he would look at her, he would see complete acceptance emanating from her.

Adam took Nathan's other hand and after a few moments, he looked at Christina. "He wants you to know that he thinks you are very kind."

Christina shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Adam. "I don't know what else to say."

Adam smiled gently. "He's going to be OK, he just has to fight a little bit."

"How extensive are his injuries, Adam?" Christina asked.

"He is going to have to go through extensive physical rehabilitation therapy," Adam said. "David already knows about all of that though, so you might ask him."

"OK, and Adam, please tell me, who was with Simon?" She asked weakly.

"Andrew was with him," Adam said and the Angel of Death watched as she gently she squeezed Nathan's hand once again, released it, and slowly left the room.

Once out in the hallway, she could see that Jeremy was sitting in the hall waiting for her, his face was streaked with tears. "Jeremy, can we go home now?" She asked, her voice quivering and he could see the utter heartbreak in her eyes. She said a quick good-bye to David and Bryan as Jeremy took his wife's trembling body in his arms and led her down the hallway in the direction of the elevator.

*****

By that time, Brittany stepped outside of the police station and started walking slowly in the direction of the town. As she walked, she could feel the cool summer breeze against her skin. As she looked around, she could see the sunshine beating down on her, but she continued to walk, barely taking notice on the things going on around her.

"Hello," a voice emerged and she turned only briefly to see that a man and two women were standing next to a ruby red convertible. She continued to walk until the man called her by name. "Brittany."

She turned and when she saw that the man who had addressed her was Raphael she slowly walked towards him. "I remember you, you're, Raphael, Andrew's friend."

"Yes, and this is Monica and Gloria," Raphael said smiling gently at her as he introduced the distraught young woman to the two angels who were with him.

"Hi," she said but looked down at the ground.

"We were just going to drive back into town, would you like to come along?" Raphael asked.

She shook her head. "No, I just want to be alone."

"No, you don't," Monica offered smiling gently at her.

"You know what happened?"

"Yes, you lost your best friend last night," Raphael said softly.

"I told him that we shouldn't meet at the club that if something had happened three days ago, then it might happen again, but he didn't listen to me. Why didn't he listen to me?" Brittany could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I don't know the answer to your questions," Raphael said softly.

"I wish someone did," she said softly. "Why do people hate each other so much that they would wish someone who was different than them would be dead?"

Monica looked sympathetically at the young woman. "I don't know."

"Simon was a good person, he was kind and sympathetic, he went the extra mile for people, he went the extra mile for me," Brittany said softly. "He told me a few nights ago about Patrick, his cousin, who died from AIDS on the twenty-first and he said that dying scared him. I think he thought that God would hate him as much as other people did." She looked at the three angels. "You know he lost his job because he was gay, and he said that he used to be afraid that God would see him as 'queer', like people did."

"Nothing God makes is queer, Brittany," Monica said gently as she reached over and rested a gentle hand on the young woman's shoulder. "God never hated Simon. People hate, and yes, they even put hate into God, but the Father is not of hate or fear; He is of love, pure and without condition." Monica began to glow and she looked at the young woman with tears in her gentle brown eyes. "Brittany, God loves you so much that He gave you a trusted friend, if only for just a little while, but He knew that you needed someone whom you could seek out, someone who would help you get through some of the most difficult things that a human being can face, physical and emotional abuse."

Brittany nodded numbly as she felt the tears streaming from beneath her eyes, but she looked at them. "It's not fair, Simon was only 28, he had his whole life ahead of him," she whispered.

"We know," Raphael said gently.

"Why did this have to happen, Raphael?" She asked weakly.

"Maybe it happened so you could find the strength to face this issue called 'hate'," Gloria said and the other two angels looked at her, thus causing her to smile weakly and shrug her shoulders.

"Maybe it did," Brittany looked at Gloria for the first time since she had met the angels. "That's the only possible explanation. It's the only way to show all of them that their actions are not going to change anything, but they are going to make those who care more resolute in their stance."

"It could be hard," Monica said softly, "but perhaps that is what God has intended for you, to help speak out about this kind of thing. However, to honor your friend in a profound way will keep this loss from being in vain. You have the power inside of you, Brittany, and you can use the friendship that Simon shared with you as a tool to empower this community."

Brittany smiled weakly. "If I do something than maybe Simon's death won't be for nothing."

Raphael put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You go, girl."

Brittany nodded, but before she could say anything else, her water broke and she sank to her knees as the pain of going into labor began to overwhelm her. "Oh God…"

Raphael got down on his knees next to her and when he noticed her pale face, he looked at the most experienced of the three angels. "Monica, she's going into labor."

Monica nodded as she and Gloria helped Brittany get into the car, and as soon as she was safely inside, they sped off in the direction of the hospital.

******

Three hours later, Laura walked alone through the gates and into the park, her head was down, but as she walked, she was thinking not only about the words Adam and Andrew had said to her, she was also thinking about what the last words were that she had exchanged with Simon Davies. Sebastian was walking next to her, and he had a gentle hand on her shoulder. Neither of them spoke until they had gotten comfortable on a nearby bench.

"I can't believe he's gone," Laura said softly. "Two people in my family died, both in one week." She shook her head. "I didn't want to believe it when Dad told me about Simon, but he was crying. You know, I've never seen him cry before. He's always been so strong."

"Like father, like daughter," Sebastian said softly. "You know you take after him, and all this time, we've never really gotten to talk. We need to, I have made some decisions about my life, and Laura, they do involve you."

"Me? But how can we talk about this now, so soon after Patrick, and now Simon."

"Shhh, for a moment," Sebastian took his fingertips and covered her lips with them. "You know, your mom said something the other night that was true, no matter what happened, it's time for you to take your life and to look towards the future. You're not in school anymore, but yet do you have any idea about what you want to do with your life?"

She shook her head. "I-I haven't really thought about it."

"You have a lot of options, you could go to the university, or you could work at the community center, teach classes, I mean, you really need to think about this." He took her face in his hands and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Laura, there's something I have to tell you, something I wanted to tell you a few days ago but didn't get a chance to. I'm leaving in three days. Your family taught me something very important, so I'm going back to Lübeck to see my grandmother and face the past. I don't know if I will come back, or if I can even afford to make another trip over here. I did talk to Jeremy about it the afternoon after Patrick's funeral, and he said that if you wanted to, he'll get you a ticket and you can come with me."

"You want me to come with you?" She asked.

"Yes, I do," he said gently. "You know, I think I have loved you since we met in Berlin that first time, and I don't want to think that I'm leaving here and leaving you, it would be like leaving a part of myself behind. Laura, whether it's in Germany or here, I want us to always be together, and I want to do whatever I can to make you happy."

"I don't know if I can go so soon after…" Laura shook her head as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes.

"I know," he said gently. "I really do. It is so special what you share with your family, and I envy this, but I do understand."

"Sebastian, I feel so torn, I do love you so much, but I'm afraid to leave them behind," she whispered as the tears flowed from beneath her eyes. "I'm afraid that I will go away and then I will never see someone I love again. Look at what happened with Simon, the last words I said to him were in anger. I didn't tell him how I felt or that I cared, like I did with Patrick, I was upset and angry. What kind of good-bye is that?"

"You didn't know," he said gently. "How could you have known?"

She shook her head. "I know you're right, but I shouldn't have gotten angry with him."

"Perhaps not, but you were hurt and afraid. I mean; you saw what he had done to your mother, and you tell me how many daughters would have reacted any differently. How many? One, two, a thousand or maybe a million?" Sebastian smiled gently at her. "You told me once that I was wise, if I am, than listen, you love your mother, you love your father, and they know that you're a young woman with potential and love in her heart, and they also know that you carry a wish to share your love beyond just your family."

"I know you're right, but it hurts so much," she whispered. "How can I stop the pain?"

"You can't, you just have to find a way to heal from it," he brushed a gentle hand against her face and smiled gently at her. "Patrick didn't want you to stop living, and I'm sure that Simon wouldn't have wanted you to either."

"He's right, Laura," Andrew's voice emerged and the angel approached them. "Simon wouldn't wish you to stop living. He would tell you to take the biggest bite out of life that you can, and he would smile down on you as you do so."

"Y-you were…"

"Yes, I was with him when he died," Andrew said softly.

"I-it must have been so comforting to him to have you there," Laura said.

Sebastian looked at the angel, but when he saw a troubled look lurking there, he finally spoke. "Andrew, what is it?"

"I was there, and saw everything that Simon had to endure, and …" his words trailed off and he looked at the young couple.

"That bad?" Sebastian asked.

Andrew nodded. "I see so much hate and callousness in people sometimes, that makes it hard to do what God asks me to."

"I'm sorry," Laura said softly.

"Laura, Simon is happy now and the pain is behind him, but there's someone else who may need that which your family can offer," Andrew said softly. "Simon's friend, Brittany, is going to need some support, as he was her best friend."

"I'll do what I can, but I only have three days," Laura whispered, and when she looked at Sebastian, she smiled slightly. Seconds later, she glanced over and could see Andrew and the proud smile he carried on his face. She looked deeply into his eyes. "I'm doing the right thing, going to Germany with Sebastian, aren't I?"

"Like you even have to ask me?" Andrew smiled gently at her as he ruffled her hair. "Yes, Laura, you are."

*****

The day before Sebastian and Laura were scheduled to leave for Germany, Simon Davies' funeral took place. Before it was to begin, Brittany walked slowly into the empty church with her newborn baby in her arms. She had just been released from the hospital and immediately had come to this sanctuary. She approached the casket and stood for some moments alone in front of it. "Simon," she spoke to the stillness, her voice filled with agony. "I love you, my friend, and I'm going to fight with everything that is within me to keep this kind of hate from gripping this community. I promise, I won't stop until it ends."

As she spoke, her voice resonated through the small church, and the tears that were now streaming down her cheeks blurred her vision. As the echoes of her voice continued to filter through the church even after she stopped speaking, she turned around to see that she was still standing there alone.

She smiled sadly down at the baby girl she in her arms, the infant still sleeping, and she brushed a gentle hand across the downy hair of the baby.

"Thank you God for taking Simon into your love. He's left behind a family who loves him and friends, like me, who would not be alive if it weren't for him. Please, Father, take care of my friend, and give him all the love and understanding that he was denied here on Earth." As her voice cracked, she could feel the tears streaming down her face, and she sat down in the pew at the front of the church. She closed her eyes and after a few moments, she could feel someone's hand on her shoulder. She turned slowly around and looked up to see Jeremy standing behind her. Next to him, stood Christina.

"Hello, Brittany," Christina said softly. "How are you doing, sweetheart?"

"H-hi, I guess I'm OK," the young woman spoke as she stared down at the bundle in her arms. The baby squirmed and opened her eyes as Christina sat down next to her.

"Is this your little girl?" Christina asked gently.

"Yes, her name is Simone Maria Bowen. I'm getting my name changed back to my maiden name once the divorce is settled," she said softly.

"You named her after Simon?"

"Actually no, it's strange, but my mother's great aunt was named Simone and I always thought it was a beautiful name, one that shows a special and unique part of my family, but also ironic because I would later meet someone named Simon who would change my life completely. He helped me when no one else was around to do so, or when no one else cared." Brittany could feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes. "I don't know what I'm going to do without him, Christina, he was my best friend in the world. I can't even say with words how much his friendship honored me. It was like even after dying, he's still there giving me the strength I needed."

"He's still there, Brittany, in your thoughts, and just like Patrick is with us, the friendship you shared with him will enhance your life," Christina said gently as she wrapped a gentle arm around the young woman. After a few moments, the embrace ended and she looked down at the young mother who was cradling the baby in her arms. "Brittany, do you have someplace to go? Simon had said that he wanted to help you find an apartment. I was just wondering if you managed to find one."

The young woman shook her head. "I was thinking about getting on a bus and going back to my parents."

"Well, if you want to stay here, why don't you come and stay with us?" Jeremy asked gently. "We'll help you get back on your feet and finish fulfilling that promise Simon made to you."

"You'd do that?" Brittany's eyes filled with tears.

Christina nodded. "Yes, because we both know how special and significant friends truly are."

"Simon always talked about how wonderful you guys are, I guess this has only added more validity to his words," she said softly as she leaned down and whispered to her baby. Jeremy and Christina could hear these words; Brittany was assuring the small child that they would both be OK.

Jeremy rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You know, I think your words about Simon would give us much comfort, Brittany, would you consider speaking a little bit about him today?"

Without thinking, she nodded.

*****

"Simon Davies was a wonderful person, a good friend, a confidant, and someone you could turn to when you needed a friend," Brittany was saying about half an hour later as she looked out at the group of mourners who were assembled. "He had a great deal of inner strength, which is why I think those who hated him did what they did. They just couldn't stand to see someone of such spiritual depth and I think he got that from God, but also from the strong family that loved him." She smiled weakly as she continued to speak. "He always saw the good in other people, and always tried to make a difference in their lives, sometimes sacrificing his own safety for that of another. I think he was an inspiration, not just to me, but also to those whose lives he affected, and I will miss how he touched my life. I only wish my daughter could have been blessed enough to have met him." Once she stopped speaking, she could feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes, and as she tried to wipe them away; she left the front of the church and walked slowly back to her seat.

"Amen!" Someone shouted from the back of the room once she was seated and when the other people in the church turned around, she did as well. There, she could see a young man standing in the back of the church, Tess was right beside him.

"Go on up there, baby," the angel coaxed him gently and rather than speak further, he offered Brittany a weak, almost familiar smile, and walked down the aisle to the front of the

church. As he passed by her, Christina glanced over and, shook her head in disbelief.

Once he was standing at the front of the sanctuary, he cleared his throat and began to speak. "Hello, my name is Scott Reinhardt, and some of you may not know who I am, but some years ago, Simon Davies was my swim coach and aside from being a great coach, Simon was also someone who taught me about what it meant to be a child inside, and how one experiences that sensation."

Scott carried a poignant expression in his eyes, but he glanced around the room and could see the familiar faces of Brittany and Christina as well as Andrew. Sighing deeply, he continued to speak, his voice filled with sadness. "When I read in the paper that Simon had been killed, I was heartbroken. I couldn't even begin to tell you exactly what feelings went through my mind, but I knew that something in our society is terribly wrong, and that is, there is too much hatred in this world and before another human being dies, 'hate' needs to die."

Scott's words were still hanging in the air as the church emptied out half an hour later. As he came down the aisle, he could see that Brittany was seated in the same seat she had been in when he had offered his eulogy.

"Brittany?"

She looked up. "Hi Scott."

He offered her his hand. "Come on, let's go, we have work to do."

Her eyes widened, but she turned around and could see that Tess was standing in the doorway, she nodded, and with more strength than she thought she was capable of holding, she walked with her new friend outside of the church and into the warm sunshine.

Above their heads, a family of white doves took to flight and disappeared in the trees.

The End

The poem included belongs to me, please do not distribute or share it without my permission, thank you.

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