A Two Part Story

By: Yvette Jessen

Foreword: This story is basically all I'm going to say about the shipping issue. If you have problems with this stance, tough toenails. I never liked shipping, and I never will. In other universes fine, but in this one, I can’t see Monica and Andrew, Tess or Adam or any of the angels romantically involved with each other. I will never read shipper material here, but I do have an opinion about it, and have a right to voice it.

I do so through this story. A part two was added this morning with my thanks to my reviewers.

While I do believe in live and let live, this does not mean that I don't have a right to an opinion about them. I have never attacked anyone's personal feelings or beliefs in this forum, nor will I start. This story is my opinion, nothing more. I don't expect it to change anything.
(Originally written for fanfiction.net)

A Ship that Sinks

Part 1

Andrew and Monica sat as still as statues and watched as a little toy boat drifted across the water, the breeze blowing it silently, the waves shifting it about. Tess sat behind her two charges and watched it as well.

“Do you think the Father will understand why we’re doing this, Tess? It seems silly, but it’s rather symbolic when you stop and think about it.” Monica’s brown eyes stared watching as the small boat hobbled about across the water.

“I don’t know baby, but this is a good way for the two of you to get your frustrations out about people constantly asking you if you’re betrothed to one another,” the supervisor said. As she spoke, an annoyed expression shadowed her face and she looked, for a split second rather un-angelic. “Imagine, angels who are sent by God the Father in Heaven above, getting involved in the complexities of human romantic relationships. There are enough in this world with humans forgetting about something like the love of God. You know babies, it’s really is enough to give this old angel indigestion.”

Andrew smirked. “Oh, I don’t know, Tess. Monica is really quite the epitome of a beautiful angel,” he nudged her but not before she shot him a grimace. “Even the Father, when He was in human form said that she was a ‘beautiful angel’.”

Monica laughed. “Yes, but the Father made me this way Andrew, just as He made you and Tess.”

Tess looked at her two charges. “All kidding aside, angel babies, the mere idea of you two being romantically involved is such lunacy, that I just can’t find the words to describe how absurd it is. If for any reason the humans think that I support this idea, then they really don’t have the vaguest idea of the kind of work we are doing.” As she spoke, she began to count the points out on her fingers.

“For an angel to be involved, besides Seth Plate, who we will not discuss at this time because he’s an exception to that particular scenario.”

“Why?” Monica asked.

“Different universe, baby,” Tess said with a casual wave of her hand. “I never could get into the idea of angels revealing their angelic status while dressed in black.”

“Tell us again why it is that Monica and I cannot be involved romantically?” Andrew asked. “Or should we just go to Ronald and ask him to pull down the three meter thick rule book?”

“Alright babies, I’ll try to explain this again. You know the love of God, and it is the most special, unique, thing that exists, correct?”

“Of course,” Monica nodded.

“Well, for two angels to be involved romantically is an abomination to the love that God bestows on all His children,” she began. “Secondly, how can an angel fulfill their assignments if they are involved in a romance? They would have more trouble than a trailer park resident in a tornado at balancing the human assignments with their own twisted love-life. This is specifically why the Father does not wish for us to get caught up in all that jazz. Now, really, if God’s love is unconditional and the most real thing that could ever exist, then it is simply not possible for an angel who knows God’s love, as we do, to even consider falling in love with a person or another angel.”

“Well, if you ask me, being an Angel of Death is hard enough work, but trying to balance my assignments all over the world with the concept of romance, it just doesn’t seem plausible. Monica is a beautiful angel, but we’re friends, nothing more.”

“The problem is humanity believes that there is only one kind of love that exists, and that simply isn’t the case. What we share with each other is deeper and far more profound than anything that humans can create, because it’s created by God,” Tess concluded.

Without warning, a lightening bolt flashed across the sky and the little boat was destroyed.

“Father, I do like Your style,” Tess said smiling as the water once more stilled and the sun shone down on the three angels.

Monica smiled and looked at Andrew. “I think that the divorce for our non-existent romance is now finalized, Andrew.”

The Angel of Death smiled. “You know, I think you’re right.”

Tess raised her head skyward and stared at the clouds overhead. “Praise be to God for that!”

(The reference to Seth Plate is regarding one character from the movie ‘City of Angels’, which I actually liked, but like Tess said in the story, that’s another universe!)

Another Ship that Sinks

Part 2

Rafael and Gloria sat, several weeks after the Monica and Andrew’s ship had been destroyed by God. As the dark eyes of the two angels scanned across the water, Gloria looked at Rafael.

“It was stupid, wasn’t it?” She asked, her voice etched in naiveté.

The normally street smart and confident angel looked out across the water. “I guess,” he mumbled more to himself than to her. He knew that they had made a grave mistake and now he was reluctant about admitting it.

“Logically angels cannot fall in love, we can be fond of each other, but the idea of angels getting married are as unworkable as trying to solve the prime number equation that I saw in a ‘Numb3rs’ episode last week.”

“True girlfriend,” Rafael said shrugging his shoulders. “Humans are sometimes hard to understand, aren’t they? They are constantly trying to match up Monica and Andrew, or Adam and Tess, or you and me. It’s pretty loco, isn’t it? It’s as though they think that romance is all that exists in the world.”

“Perhaps that is the way humans think, but it’s not natural, kids,” a voice emerged from behind them and both angels turned and spotted Sam, who now stood behind them, a toy boat resting in his hands. He said nothing for several minutes, he simply stood there looking down at the two angels.

Sam was one angel that Gloria had hoped she’d never have to cross. She sometimes pondered that if she were to match a picture to the word ‘intimidation’, then the large, football playeresque angel would fit that description beyond any reasonable doubt.

Rafael, for his part swallowed nervously, but kept his gaze locked on the lake. He did not dare look up at Sam. He had been on the angel-beat long enough to know that when Sam showed up, that someone had seriously messed up.

Sam did not say anything initially, but he motioned for Rafael to move over so he could sit between the two angels, thus rendering a symbolic separation. “Do you kids know the impact that a love story between angels causes?”

“No,” Rafael responded. “It’s never happened and thankfully we managed to stop it before it could.”

“That is a very wise choice of wording, Rafael,” the older angel grumbled. “Romance between angels not only weakens the two angels involved, but it causes a great deal of undue chaos. When I turned over Monica’s evaluation several years back, I made a reference to the ‘enemy’ and you both know what enemy I was referring to. Some humans call it ‘negativity’ while others call it ‘the dark side’, but for the practicality of language, we’ll simply call it ‘Satan’. This enemy turns God’s loving creation away from Him, and into jealous, hateful, spiteful beings. Of course, not every person who falls in love will experience it, but it does happen. When it happens with angels, then this creates insecurity where stability had once resided. An angel can do the very same thing, in fact, they do it whenever they make the choice to get involved with each other as you two have come very close to doing.”

“You mean, when we almost got sidetracked from our assignment, we gave the ‘enemy’ a sense of power over us?” Gloria asked.

“Exactly, and you both know that God is the source of love, and all love resides in the Father’s arms. Romantic love is something that humans experience because it is real for them, and it is a physical incarnation of two people being together in that sense. There is nothing more pleasing to the Father than to see people celebrate their fortieth or fiftieth wedding anniversary. This is the representation of their healthy love and connection to one another. Angels do not require that because they are not physical beings. Yes, we do have a human form, but that does not mean, nor does it imply, that we are human. We cannot get married or fall in love in the human sense and we don’t want to because we know God in the way that humans would like to know Him. That is what we share when we interact with them.”

Rafael looked at him. “But I have heard tell of angels that did. Seth Plate did.”

“Seth did not marry, Rafael,” Sam said sternly.

“He would have had Maggie not died,” Gloria offered. “I saw that movie five times and memorized about a third of it. Ronald said that many movies are based on actual things happening and he said that Seth exists.”

“Ronald is right, but in this case, Seth fell out of God’s graces when he chose to love a human being over his Creator. He will be welcomed Home, if ever the day comes that he accepts God’s mercy,” Sam said firmly. “But, that’s between him and God, and he should not be made an example here. The point is, you both are like children learning what is right and what is not right and you’re using human concepts in which to determine it. You have the capacity to rise beyond that.”

As these words emerged, he extended the toy boat to the two angels. “And now you have a choice to make. Do you want to live in an impossible human like relationship, or do you want to rise above it and be the angels that you were created to be?”

As Gloria accepted the toy she looked down at it. “What should we do with this?”

“It’s your choice, you can either put it on the water and watch it drift, thus releasing the human entrapment that you have created for yourselves, or you can keep it and deny every single word I have said here.” He paused and allowed his words to sink in.

“I will not pressure you in this regard, it is strictly your free will that is making this choice. But, let me remind you, that whatever you decide to do, there will be symbolic consequences to said actions. Sending out says that you are angels, heavenly beings of God, The Father. You embrace the idea that you accept that being angels and falling in love cannot possibly mix or even work.”

Gloria closed her eyes for several moments, but when she opened them, Sam was gone and she was seated next to Rafael. Wordlessly, the two angels placed the ship on the water and pushed it away from the shore.

They stared out across the water at it until, like the first ship, the small boat was destroyed. As a large wave rose and swallowed it up. The object disappeared and the two young angels stared as their personal ship sank to the bottom of the lake.

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