A 'Touched By An Angel' story

By Yvette Jessen

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

Part 2, Mary

It had been over a month since the angels had left Fairbrook and their leaving left a lasting impact on Mary. The day after they left, she had quit the drill team, and it was obvious to everyone she knew that she had slipped into a depression. She was still living in the home of David and Rachel Jackson, and though she was constantly in touch with Helena, her younger half-sister, the feelings she experienced much of the time were centered around isolation and aloneness. All she knew was that when Andrew had told her the truth, instead of making her feel better, this only intensified her sense of isolation, and she began to contemplate suicide.

Rachel and David were extremely worried about her, and they were left in a situation where they didn’t have any ideas on how they could help her. David wanted to take her to a psychologist, and had gone as far as to set an appointment for her for the following afternoon, but none of them were aware of the extent of the pain that seemed to curse through the mind of the 15-year-old girl.

They had tried to give her their guest bedroom; they even offered to fix it up to suit her preferences, but she opted to remain in David’s attic study. Instead of making a fuss about where she would be sleeping, David eventually conceded and moved his computer and desk downstairs and into the dining room. Both of them figured that at the very least, this would help since she obviously needed the space.

She arrived at their house early that afternoon and once she unlocked the door, she went inside and closed it behind her. In her eyes was a look of deeply hidden sadness as she discovered that the house was empty. Rachel was downtown working at the library, and David was attending a faculty meeting at the middle school.

As she locked the front door, she turned towards the window and looked outside to see her mother’s car going down the street, probably in the direction of the county jail where her stepfather was being detained. She wanted more than anything to just talk to her mother about everything, but with the case still unresolved, she could not even sit down with her mother unless a social worker was present.

She and Helena had met with Judge Guthrie the day before, and the Family Court Judge, although sympathetic to the plight of both girls, she had essentially laid down the law with them regarding the situation with their mother.

Helena had it good, she thought to herself, she had Dan Summers, the father that she had been told had disappeared right after Helena had been born. Her mother had told her that her own father had walked out on them when they were little, a story she had believed until she learned that her half-sister’s father had been spending the last 12 years trying to find her. Now, instead of having a father who would call her his little princess, she was alone, living with foster parents, and not knowing what to do.

Mary looked around the empty living room, but when she the loneliness enveloping her, she decided to go upstairs to her room. It was the same room where Andrew had told her the truth about being an angel. Although, at first, she was hesitant about believing the words he had said, she realized right after he had left just how honest and forthcoming he had been with her and for some reason, she knew that he had told her the truth.

Sighing sadly, she continued to stare at the walls in her room. In complete honesty, this kind of open honesty was a characteristic she rarely saw in adults, and she wished deep down inside that the compassionate Angel of Death was her father. It was perhaps this, which made her believe in his every word.

Now that the angels were gone, and although Andrew had insisted that she should not blame herself, she still did. On top of incriminating herself about the entire issue, she was still confused and extremely overwhelmed with what she knew, and questioned how she would be able to keep such a secret to herself.

“Andrew,” she spoke to the stillness. “Why did you leave and not take me with you? I really need you, and now you’re gone, just like my father did 15 years ago.”

At that moment, she only wanted to connect herself with him in her mind. The conversation they had had in the park was still completely vivid in her mind; and ironically, since then, she had not even craved a cigarette. She could only remember how Andrew had reacted to her smoking and how he had said that by doing this, it would only create more problems than it would solve. Somehow, the truth in his words had given her the necessary encouragement to quit. If truth were known, she really did not like smoking anyway; it tasted horribly and made her cough a lot. Not to mention, it made her clothing stink.

She walked slowly up the stairs, which would lead to her room, her gaze landing on a mirror once she came inside the small attic study. The black circles which had been around her eyes had vanished leaving no trace of having been physically abused by her stepfather, but the scars were still there because she was now experiencing frequent sleepless nights, and had pretty much stopped eating.

Her gaze fell onto the drill team uniform, which was now hanging on the door of the closet, and she sighed deeply. Andrew still had the picture she had given him the day they had left. Of that, she was certain, but would he remember her? She asked herself these questions almost constantly. Would he even care about the dark void he had left her with?

She sighed once again when she heard the doorbell. Company was the last thing she wanted at this moment, and she was tempted to ignore the loud buzzing that was encompassing the entire house. When it resonated up to her room once again, she walked slowly out of the room, down the stairs, through the hallway towards the front door. Upon reaching it, she peeked through the small hole to see who it was. When she recognized who had come to visit, she reluctantly opened the door, all the while saying nothing.

“Hi Mary.” It was her social worker, Brandon Montgomery. “Is Rachel or David here?”

“No, they’re working,” she said her voice void of energy.

“Can I come in?” he asked, noticing that her voice had about the same amount of energy as a deflated balloon.

“Yeah, sure,” she said and slowly backed away from the doorway so he could come inside.

Once he came inside, she followed him into the living room and after he had sat down, she came over to the sofa and plopped herself down.

“I’ve been worried about you,” he offered. “How have you been doing?”

“OK, I guess,” she mumbled.

Brandon nodded, taking her answer in stride. “I talked to Helena yesterday after we were all at Judge Guthrie’s office.”

Mary looked up, her interest in his words sparking, but nothing could bring her out of the blue funk that had enveloped her since the angels had left.

“She told me to tell you 'hi',” he offered.

Mary nodded, “thanks.”

“Thanks aren’t necessary,” he offered, his voice light, but though he spoke rather nonchalantly, it was obvious that his words had been etched with concern.

“Have you heard anything about Andrew or Tess?” she finally asked half expecting what his answer was going to be.

“No, I haven’t heard anything as of yet,” he said softly looking at Mary. “Mitch called me last night and he said that I should tell you ‘hi’ and that he found you a surprise in Oregon two days ago. He said that he wanted to see if you and Helena would like to come to their show in Seattle next weekend. I have already talked it over with Dan and he said that he would be glad to drive you and Helena there for the entire weekend, sort of a weekend retreat. I also told Judge Guthrie, and she said that it should be fine with her that you two go there.”

“I don’t know,” she said softly almost to herself.

“You probably need some time to think about it,” Brandon said after some moments passed.

“Maybe,” she muttered.

“There’s something else that’s bothering you, isn’t there?”

“Nothing, it’s just that I really miss Andrew,” she said honestly. “He talked to me about everything, and I had hoped that he would have wanted to take me away from all of this.”

“Nobody can take you away from your situation, Mary. It’s, unfortunately, something you cannot run away from, and believe it or not, but there are a lot of people who feel the way you do right now. If you run away from your past, you’ll be running for the rest of your life. I know it’s hard, but you need to realize that you’re not alone, you have friends, and we all care about you. Andrew, in his own way, does care about you, I know he does, or else he wouldn’t have called us at all when Helena had told him what she was going through. Right now, he and his friends need to concentrate on what is best for their situation and where their paths lead. This does not mean that they care any less for you.”

“I know, but it’s just hard right now. Everyone has someone, you, David and Rachel, Helena and Dan, even my mom has Greg, but I’m left out, and I feel alone. I wish I had somebody. My father, anyone who would make me not feel so alone, and I’ve never felt as alone as I do right now.”

“But, you’re not alone, Mary,” Brandon objected. “Right now, you’re just feeling alone, but things will get better.”

“That I doubt,” she muttered.

“Did Dan and his brother start looking into trying to find your father?” Brandon asked. “He had said something to me about this, and I was wondering if he had mentioned it to you.”

“I don’t know if he did or not,” she answered. “I haven’t seen him since we were at the judge’s office yesterday, and nothing was said about it. I also haven’t really gotten a chance to talk to Helena, so I don’t know if she is pushing the issue with him. She looked really happy, and I envy her for that. I wish I deserved to be that lucky.”

“You do,” he said and smiled. “You just have to believe in that.” He pulled a small matchbook from his pocket and showed it to her. “You know, my first case with the agency was with a boy named Hugh. He was probably about your age when we took his case. He had been having a really difficult time of it, but when the case was resolved, he decided to go out to California to study. He’s about to start his second year at the university, and seems to be doing quite well. He’s majoring in Pre-Law and hopes to eventually go into Family Law, so he can make things better for the kids. I went through a really difficult emotional turmoil once I took the case, but in retrospect, I’m glad I did it. Right before Andrew and his friends left, I got a letter from Hugh, and he told me he was doing well, had met a girl, and started a support group on campus for victims and survivors of child abuse. He’s completely determined to make a difference.”

“Like Mitch is doing?” she asked.

“Yeah, exactly. You see, Mary, sometimes, quite often actually, we cannot choose our experiences, sometimes they’re just mapped out for us. But, in most cases, we can determine how we choose to handle these situations. Mitch has chosen to go into music. It’s something he loves, and also in many ways, it has been how he has gotten his emotional support in dealing with what has happened to him. If you just listen to the words of his songs, you’ll see what I mean. He has managed quite successfully to put pieces of his experiences into every song he writes and in my opinion; it’s those specific songs, which are what has made Starshine so successful. I always thought that anyone can write a poem and try to put it to music, but there aren’t very many people who can take their own observations and put it into a song the way he can.”

“Are you saying I should try and write down what I’m feeling?” Mary asked.

“You could always try, but actually what I’m saying is that everyone has their own way of dealing and coping with their past. You have to do whatever is necessary for you, whether it is laughing or crying,” Brandon said. “Find your outlet for coping with this, but don’t quit on life before it has a chance to get better. That is what will make a difference for you. The true power is there inside of you, if you search for it,” he paused and smiled encouragingly at her. “No one is denying the fact that you have been through a lot, but now you have a choice, do you hide away from the world until the storm clouds pass or do you face your fears and do what is best for you all the while knowing that the man upstairs is always going to be there for you?”

“I know what you’re saying, but it’s hard to let go of everything. I mean, I love my mom, and I care about Helena, but they’re on different sides. It’s like being at war with myself. How do I get out Brandon? I want to see my mom again, but I don’t know what I would say to her. She’s probably been lying to me for the last 15 years about my father.” Mary reached over for a tissue from off of the coffee table and blew her nose.

“Believe me, I know it’s hard to come to grips with this, but you can’t put yourself in the middle of your family problems. Your mother has her point of view and Helena has hers, but what is yours? If you allow yourself to be put in the middle, you will be denying yourself a basic right to determine what you feel about this situation. Sometimes in life, you are in the middle, but you cannot base your decisions on the reactions of others,” he paused and took a deep breath. “I wish I could allow you to go home, but aside from the fact that we are under a judge’s order, it would not be safe for you there. I think you know that. Mitch told me about how you looked the night Andrew was arrested, and he could tell by looking at you, that you were really in a messy situation. He also said that he was scared for you.”

Mary looked down at her feet; she didn’t want to be reminded of that horrible night. “What’s going to happen to Greg?”

“I don’t really know,” he answered honestly, but did not add that he was concerned with what Rayan was going to say about the entire situation. For him, it was clear, both girls were apparently victims of child abuse, they both carried many of the traits he was trained to look for and this made him sad. Especially with Mary, although she was a bit rough around the edges, her internal pain was gut wrenching. “Andrew and Raphael are not here to act as a witnesses to anything that has happened. It’s really too bad, because I liked both of them, they were both nice guys.”

She nodded; her thoughts were never far from wondering where the angels were. She finally looked at Brandon and smiled weakly. “I guess it’s kind of stupid for me to hold onto any hope of ever seeing any of them again, huh?”

“I don’t think so,” Brandon said gently.

“I wish they could have stayed,” Mary said softly as he stood up.

“I know you do,” he offered sympathetically. He reached inside his briefcase and pulled a small book out. “I brought you this. I thought you might use it to write your thoughts and feelings down. You can write whatever you want, and this little key will keep it safe for you.”

“Why are you being so nice to me?” she asked.

Brandon squeezed her shoulder and smiled gently, “because I’m not just your social worker, I also want to be your friend. I’ll always be here for you if you need me.”

“It seems like the only adults that I’ve known who have done nice things for me are the ones that want something from me,” she said softly, her voice about as unemotional as it could get. It bothered him to hear those words emerging from this young girl, and though it troubled him, deep down inside, he truly understood.

“That’s not the way things are supposed to be, Mary,” he offered gently, and all she could do is nod. He reached for his briefcase. “I guess I’d better get going, unless you want to talk some more?”

“No, I’m OK, thanks for talking to me. Actually, I do feel a little bit better. Do you want me to tell David and Rachel that you were here?” she asked.

“No, it’s not necessary. I didn’t really come by to see them, I came to see you.”

“Thanks,” she whispered as he walked towards the front door.

“If you need me, call anytime, you have my number,” Brandon said softly as he left.

~*~*~*~

Helena came into the apartment, which she shared with her father that afternoon. It had been a long day, and as she entered the kitchen, she found a note from Dan. He was bringing his brother Patrick home for the evening. Helena had never met anyone of her father's family, and the thought of talking to this man deeply intimidated her.

Her father's note said that they would be bringing take out pizzas with them and she was grateful because she would not have to worry about fixing anything to eat. Dan had told her that it was not necessary for her to cook for him, and that he had learned to take care of himself, but she felt that it was more helpful to do something because she did not seem to have the stressful kinds of days he obviously did.

She hung her coat on the rack in the hallway and walked towards her room. She began to do her homework, but when she heard a key jingling in the front door some ten minutes later, she swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat.

“Helena?” Dan’s voice resonated throughout the small apartment and she came slowly out of her room and walked out into the living room. As she came out, she rubbed her hands down the front of her jeans.

“Hi Daddy,” she greeted him with a hug. Once the hug ended, she backed up and could see a shorter man with dark brown hair standing next to her father. He carried two large pizza boxes and brought them inside and placed them on the table.

“Helena, this is Pat, he's my younger, more attractive brother,” Dan said smirking as Patrick Summer came into the small apartment.

“Hello, Helena,” Patrick offered, and looked at his brother unsure of what to say next. If truth be known, he did not feel all that comfortable in this situation simply because he knew specifically what Helena had gone through, and this alone made him uncertain about how he should carry himself in the company of the young girl.

Moments of silence descended on the room and the three of them could feel an awkwardness encompass them as Patrick looked at Helena with empathy and hesitancy in his expression.

“Hi,” she finally said softly. His silence made her feel uncomfortable and she looked at her father not knowing what else she was supposed to say. It was obvious to her that this man did not feel completely at ease with her and she began to wonder if it had anything to do with what had happened with Greg.

Dan stood in the room looking at both of them, feeling somewhat on edge about introducing them. When he looked at his daughter, he could see that his brother did not only intimidate her, but she also looked as though she feared him. “Why don’t we sit down?” he awkwardly suggested.

Patrick eventually nodded, and followed his brother to the sofa and sat down. Helena was still standing deep in thought near the front door when Pat’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Aren’t you going to sit down?”

"Uh, yeah," she muttered and walked over and sat down on the sofa next to her father and across from her uncle. She could tell by looking at her father, that he felt somewhat awkward about the entire meeting as well. After some strained moments passed, she looked at Patrick, her facial expression stoic. "My dad told me that you helped him find me, is that true?"

Her uncle glanced up and after some time passed, he silently nodded.

"Thank you," was all she said, but her voice was soft as though the emotions she had tried to conceal were beginning to show.

"Dan told me that you got a little bit of divine intervention right before you guys met," Patrick said. "Will you tell me about it? I've always been interested in that kind of thing."

Helena nodded as she self-consciously reached over and grabbed the hand of her father. "I met Andrew and Raphael about a month ago. They were living at the same apartment complex as my mother and stepfather. I remember how I was on the bus and Raphael was sitting two rows behind me. Then there were these boys that were teasing me, and Raphael defended me. He was worried about me, so much that he wanted me to talk to his friend Andrew..." her voice trailed as she remembered how insistent Raphael had been about her talking to Andrew. She wiped her hand over her eyes and continued speaking. "Anyway, some time later, I did meet Andrew at the same park where I used to visit almost every day. I was really scared of him at first, because of what Greg had done to me, and I was afraid that he would do the same."

Patrick nodded as she continued. "I learned later that God told Andrew things about me, so that he could help me. He used this ability to get me to talk about what was going on, but I didn't want to and I ran away from him."

"Do you know about who he really is, Helena?" Patrick asked, but when she offered him no answer, he looked at Dan who nodded slightly, but said nothing.

After a few seconds passed, Helena looked back at her uncle and nodded. "When I got home again, it happened again, and I went to see Andrew the following morning. It was a Saturday and my mother, stepfather, and Mary weren't home. He had opened the door and offered me some orange juice, and I apologized for getting so upset the day before. He said that it was OK, and that he thought I had been through something pretty bad because I had cried in his arms the day before. He tried to get me to talk again, and finally I told him about what had happened. I thought he was going to hate me, or that he wouldn't believe me, but he did believe every word and he called Brandon Montgomery and through CPG, he helped me find a way out." Her face remained stoic as she finished speaking, and Dan could tell that his daughter was feeling some intense pain at having to repeat that story.

"So, there was another girl?" Patrick said softly looking at his brother and then back at Helena.

"Yes, her name's Mary, she's Helena's half sister and I was told that she wanted to try and find her father. I was hoping that maybe you would try to meet with her and help her start searching," Dan answered.

Helena looked at Patrick, "Oh please. It's so important to Mary to find him and she's been so depressed since the angels left," she said quickly, but after a second, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, and blushed slightly.

"Angels?" Patrick asked, "then that means you did know who they were." His voice rose slightly in intensity, but after a few moments, he stopped speaking and took a deep breath before he looked over at her. "Do you know where they..."

"Uh, Pat, you agreed that before you came that you wouldn't ask her about this," Dan said, interrupting his brother, who now looked as though he was about to declare Helena as the new spiritual leader of Fairbrook.

Helena looked down at her lap, she didn't want to tell him this much, and when she looked into the eyes of her uncle, and after a few moments, she looked at her father, and then back down at her lap. Finally, she stood up and left the room quickly, but not before Dan could see the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Patrick looked at his brother once his niece was gone. "I'm sorry, Danny," was all he said.

"She's still very fragile, Pat. The pain she feels is real, and she can't always hide it. Sometimes she lashes out, because the hurt she carries is very intense. To speak of her friendship with Andrew is too hard for her right now, and I know you want hear about him because of Dad, but right now, we have to think about how this is affecting her," Dan said.

"I realize that, but it's hard, Dan. I was there when Dad died, you weren't," Patrick said softly. "I just want to know that he's OK."

"I know, but please understand where she's coming from. I mean; I'm sure she will want to help, but right now, she's afraid, and to earn her trust isn't going to be easy," Dan said softly.

Patrick nodded; he could sense the truth in his brother's words.

"I guess I should get her to come out and eat something," Dan said softly and stood up. It was obvious to Patrick that his brother was quickly becoming stressed with what this entire situation was doing to him.

Patrick eventually stood up, "let me."

Dan looked at his brother somewhat skeptically, but after a few seconds, he nodded and watched as his brother walked somewhat hesitantly down the hallway in the direction of Helena's room.

~*~*~*~

Tess and Andrew arrived in Seattle that afternoon; Monica was not with them because she was still with Mitch Johnson, her assignment. It had been a long week for them since they had left Fairbrook, and both angels were still thinking about the plight they had left the two young girls in.

Andrew was still extremely worried about Mary, he knew that she had an uphill battle ahead of her and as much as she wanted him to be her father, this was something where there existed absolutely no possibility of ever happening. At the same time, he couldn't get over the pain he knew he had left her in, and although he wasn't at fault for it, he did feel a deep sense of responsibility for her.

As Tess pulled the car into the parking lot for a small county inn on the outskirts of the city, he undid the seatbelt and got out. As soon as they got out of the car, Andrew listlessly followed Tess in the direction of the reception area. After some moments of silence, Andrew finally managed to look at Tess. It surprised him to see her in such apt contemplation and he wondered if she was thinking of exactly the same thing he was, but instead of him speaking, she did. "Are you OK, Andrew?" She asked as she watched the manner in which her Angel Boy was walking behind her.

For his part, Andrew tried without much success to conceal his worried look with a cheerful smile, but he knew that he had failed miserably and was unable to fool Tess into thinking that everything was OK when he was feeling absolutely horrible.

"Let me guess, you're thinking about Mary again?" Tess asked putting her hand on Andrew's slumped shoulders.

The Angel of Death nodded, "yes, I suppose I am. I just can't help but feel like I abandoned her, Tess."

"You know you couldn't have done anything else, Andrew. Besides, as you are well aware, the Father will take good care of her, and I'm sure that Dan and Helena will be able to take care of her," Tess scolded him gently, but when she heard a pent up sigh emerge from Andrew she squeezed his shoulder gently. Sighing deeply, the two of them walked into the lobby.

"Good evening." a cheerful voice boomed once they were inside. "You two need a room?"

"Yes," Tess answered addressing the friendly voice of the man working at the reception desk. Within minutes, they had a key to a room, and were walking in the direction of the room where they would be staying for the night.

Once Tess had opened the door, they went inside and got settled in their room. Andrew, instead of joining Tess to watch a movie sat and contemplated how Mary and Helena were. Neither he nor Tess had spoken to anyone involved with the girls' cases since they left and he was curious about what was happening.

He dug around in his pocket and found the small business card that Brandon Montgomery had given him tucked next to a small folded piece of paper. He opened the note from Helena and read it, as he watched a small snapshot drift to the floor. He leaned down to pick it up and could see Mary's cheerful smile. He sighed once again as he slipped the photograph back inside his pocket.

He couldn't get over the morning when Helena had told them about the abuse, and he retrieved the card to see if the social worker's home telephone number was on it. When it discovered that it was, he smiled weakly as he ran his hand over the smooth surface of the card, and reached for the telephone.

"Andrew, what are you doing?" Tess asked.

"I have to do this, Tess, I have to know how things are going," Andrew said softly.

"You could ask the Father, you know, Mr. Halo," Tess said sarcastically, but immediately regretted using this nickname so soon after they had left Fairbrook. She came over and sat down on the bed next to him, there she rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We don't have an assignment at the moment, Andrew, go ahead and call them. Give them my best."

Andrew smiled gratefully at Tess and once he dialed, and the phone rang twice, he could hear a deep voice on the other end of the line and immediately recognized it as belonging to Brandon, "Hello?"

"Brandon?"

"Yeah," the voice came back. "Who is this?"

"It's Andrew."

"Hi Andrew," he said, but the angel could detect a trace of sarcasm in the voice of the man on the other end. "I was wondering if I was going to hear from you again, how you doing?" Brandon had just come into the house and had been carrying his briefcase when the phone rang. He propped the briefcase against the wall and sat down at the bar.

"We're doing fine, how are Mary and Helena?" Andrew asked.

"Helena's fine, I saw her earlier this week and she looks like she's doing really well, considering what is going on."

"And Mary, how is she?" Andrew asked.

"I'd be lying to you if I said that Mary was doing well," Brandon began, "but the truth is, we're all pretty worried about her. David called me a few days ago and asked me if I could put them in touch with a psychologist that would be able to help her deal with her depression. I heard she has an appointment set for tomorrow afternoon," Brandon said honestly. "I talked to her today, she really seems to be hurting inside."

"I wish there was something I could do for her," Andrew said softly.

"We all do, and the word around town is Greg Hunter is going to be sent up to state prison," Brandon said. "It sounds like he's got a long legal battle ahead of him. Rayan Hunter was here yesterday and she's been trying to get both girls back into her custody, but we're not budging on that issue. She doesn't seem willing to believe that her husband would be capable of sexual abuse, and has been acting as an enabler for Hunter. From what my supervisor said, Mrs. Hunter is trying to find legal counsel for him as well as finding a lawyer in a suit against CPG as well as me. It appears as though she wants to sue CPG for damages regarding 'false accusations', but I don't know what will come out of that. With the stuff Dan has provided, it looks like some of this will be getting resolved without it becoming a messy legal battle. Frankly, I don't think either girl wants to deal with the strain of this and they shouldn't have to, but that may be what happens."

Andrew said nothing, but Brandon continued speaking. "I hate to say it, but we really need you guys here. Judge Guthrie said today that on Monday Helena and Mary are going to have to do a taped testimony for the hearing."

"Taped testimony?"

"Well, they do this with children, mostly kids under 12, but because Mary and Helena have been through so much, Judge Guthrie has recommended that the two girls only speak on tape and that tape will be played during the hearing."

"Will the girls have to be present?" Andrew asked.

"No, that's why they are going to play the tape, but even doing the tape can really be a nerve-wracking experience for a child."

Andrew sighed. "If we had been able to stay, would the girls still have to do the taping?"

"Probably," Brandon said. "It's hard to really second guess what Judge Guthrie would have recommend had you stayed."

Andrew sighed deeply. "I miss Helena and Mary very much, and I wish I could have done more for Mary than I did."

"The only way to help Mary, I afraid, is for you to adopt her and become her father," Brandon said honestly.

"I would very much like to fulfill that request, but I cannot do that. Mary needs a stable environment to live in, and I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to provide her with that," Andrew said gently.

"I know you're the rational one in this regard, Andrew, but she does love you and asks me every time I see her if I had heard from you. Helena told me that she quit the drill team the day after you guys left," Brandon said.

Andrew sighed deeply, his feelings of guilt returning, and after some moments passed, he spoke. "Has Dan had any luck in finding Mary's father?"

"I don't know, I think he was going to talk to his brother about starting a search for him, but this is all here-say. I did talk to Dan though, and he said that he would be taking Helena out to Seattle this coming weekend to see the 'Starshine' concert. I asked Mary this afternoon if she wanted to go, but she hasn't made up her mind yet. Dan told me that he'd be willing to take both girls there for the weekend as a sort of vacation," Brandon said.

"That sounds like a lot of fun for both of them," Andrew said, but within seconds, Tess had nudged him causing him to look over at her. "Just a second."

"Angel Boy, we're in Seattle, and we're supposed to meet up with Monica, so tell him that we've got tickets for the concert, and then maybe we can see the girls this weekend," Tess said.

Andrew nodded and repeated this bit of news to Brandon.

"That's such a wonderful idea," Brandon said enthusiastically. "Maybe if Mary gets to see you and talk to you, it would get her out of her blue funk. I'll talk to Mitch tonight and find out if there's a special place where you guys can meet. Can you call me at the same time tomorrow evening?"

"Yes." Andrew answered and once he hung up the phone, he looked at Tess and smiled weakly. "Is it just me, or are you going soft about those two girls too, Tess?"

"I don't go soft about anything, Angel Boy," Tess said sarcastically and when he looked at her, he could tell that this was all an act, and she was as happy about seeing the girls as he was. When his expression became sad again, she looked at him. "What is it, Andrew? I haven't seen you this miserable since last Halloween."

"It's about Mary," Andrew said softly.

"She's in a depression, I know."

Andrew nodded. "Maybe I shouldn't have told her the truth, Tess. I think I made things worse than they were before. She wants me to become her father, and that's something I absolutely cannot do."

"I know, and you wonder often if you really leave a lasting impact on some of your assignments, well, this one is case in point," Tess said.

"Brandon said that she's pretty much dropped out of everything because of what's happened," Andrew said.

"I said once that she was more rough around the edges than Helena, but maybe I was wrong, she seems to be much more deeply effected by all this than she, herself would be willing to admit," Tess said softly.

Andrew nodded, "Dan's supposed to bring the, and Brandon's going to call Mitch and find out if there's a place where we can all meet, but..."

"You don't think it's going to help Mary?" Tess asked.

"I can only hope that it will and that it won't be another mistake," Andrew said softly. "I have a strange feeling that there's going to be a lot riding on this weekend."

"You're probably right, and the Father has just informed me that we will need to get an apartment first thing tomorrow," Tess said softly.

"I saw a place with a vacancy when we were driving in. It's near the downtown bus station," Andrew said.

~*~*~*~

At this time, Patrick Summer was knocking on Helena's bedroom door; "Helena, please open the door!" he called out. When there came no answer, he pressed his ear up against the door. He could hear her crying on the other side. "Open the door, or I'll have to kick it in, and that won't be pretty," he called out, hoping that the assertiveness would get her to open the door, if for no other reason, but curiosity.

After a few seconds, he heard the crying stop and the door opened with a crack. Once she stepped away from the door, he came into the room, and could see her wrapped tightly up in a blanket. She moved back over towards the bed and sat down. "You wouldn't have really kicked it in, would you?" She asked as she wiped her hand over her eyes and tried to cover up the fact that she'd been crying.

"No, I would have asked your dad to, he's bigger and stronger than me," Patrick remained standing in the doorway, but his voice changed when he noticed that she didn't smile. "I'm sorry about pressing you about the past."

"No big deal," she said simply.

"I know, but the deal is, I've wanted to meet your friend, Andrew ever since your grandfather died," he said simply. "I'm sorry if I hurt you with my questions."

"No big deal," Helena repeated softly.

Patrick sat down on the corner of the bed. "I heard all the rumors around town about what they did for you, and I think it's really special."

"I know Danny, uh I mean your dad, told me a little bit about what happened to you, and I'm really sorry, I know I should have been more sensitive, but I don't know very much about you except the information my secretary and I discovered a little over a week ago. The truth is, we were researching your case for an entire weekend trying to find out if you were Danny's daughter. I didn't think about angels and God, I just wanted to make my brother happy and try and find you. I had no idea about what Hunter had done in the past, much less that my niece was being hurt by this man. How did you find out that Andrew is an Angel of Death?"

Helena simply shrugged her shoulders and wrapped the blanket more snugly around her as she answered his question, "I was being harmed by some boys at the school, and he was standing not far away. He looked so beautiful, I mean; he was glowing and he looked like it was killing him to see what was happening to me. He came over to me afterwards, and the first thing he said was, 'don't be afraid, Helena, I won't hurt you.' That was pretty much how I found out the truth."

"That's amazing," Patrick said softly. "I mean; I had heard that you were having a lot of difficulties here before you met them, but I had no idea that some of those boys assaulted you. I guess in honesty, I never really thought that a child could have so many nightmarish things happen to them. I must admit, I've never known much about the things kids face these days."

"Why, didn't you ever have children?"

"No, actually I didn't, I've never been married. Danny and I have no other siblings, so you're the first niece that I have to learn from," he answered.

"That sounds awfully lonesome to me," she said softly.

"Well, one doesn't regret something they never had," he answered shrugging his shoulders.

"But, don't you and Daddy have a family besides me?" she asked.

"Not much of one, our father died three years ago, and our mother's been dead for over 12 years. We had an aunt and a couple of cousins, but neither of us have seen them in well over 20 years. I talked to my cousin, Richard though, about three months ago, but that was only to catch up on family gossip. Not even much of that, I'm afraid, our family's pretty small."

"Well, aside from you and Daddy, you know my mom remarried, and I don't like my stepfather at all," she said somewhat sadly.

"Well, that's obvious," he said with a sympathetic smile on his face.

"My mom moved us around a lot as we were growing up. Now that I think about it, she never really talked much about family. Aside from my mom, and me there was my older half-sister Mary. I didn't even know that we were half sisters until about three years ago when I overheard my mom talking to Greg about it. It seemed like for a long time, she didn't want to tell us anything about our family. I don't even know who my grandparents."

"I'm sure when all this is over, you will get a chance to come back to Iowa with your dad and meet everyone," Patrick said softly.

"I know this all sounds stupid, but, without Andrew, Tess, and Raphael, I have my doubts that it will ever end," Helena said softly, and when she looked at him, he could tell that she really was afraid.

"What is it about them that makes you so certain that having them here will guarantee that these things will end?" he asked.

"I don't really know, I guess it's just a feeling I have," was all she said.

~*~*~*~

Mitch Johnson was helping his band, 'Starshine' set up their equipment at the civic center where their concert was to be held. He looked around the house and could see his friend, Ron Hallow, tuning his bass guitar up on the stage. "Hey Mitch, how does it sound from out there?" He played a few chords.

"Amp it up a little, it's sounding a little weak," he called out.

Ron did as he was told and played a series of chords again. "And now?"

"Great, why don't you run through 'Trouble in Paradise' and see if it can be heard from the back?" Mitch walked towards the back of the auditorium as Ron started singing.

The heart of the city

Is beating to a different drum

The soul of the subway

Is only going south bound

The beach is not rockin'

Like it did when I was young

Now there's nobody watchin'

The beauty of the rising sun.

There's trouble, only trouble

In paradise.

We're striving for a new beat

Of the rock-n-roll sound.

Our music is not the same

As those days long ago,

When things were simple

And the world was easy.

There's trouble...in paradise.

It wasn't too long ago

When the sounds were simple

The music rocked right

On the beat of Heaven's train,

Now people are ready,

But, the music is different.

And there's nobody watchin'

The beauty of the rising sun.

There's trouble, only trouble

In paradise.

We're striving for a new beat

Of the rock-n-roll sound.

Our music is not the same

As those days long ago,

When things were simple

And the world was easy.

There's trouble...in paradise.

"Sound's good," Mitch called out when the last chords were played.

Ron came down from the stage and walked up the aisle to meet his band-mate. "You look a little out of it, what's up?"

Mitch smiled weakly, "I'm fine, just got a lot on my mind."

"I noticed that you've been a little preoccupied since we played Fairbrook," Ron said as their back-up guitarist Ray Carroll approached them.

"Hey guys, I'd hate to bug you, but Justin said that your cousin is on the phone, and he wants to talk to you, Mitch."

"Thanks," Mitch walked slowly towards the sound booth to take the call. Ron and Ray were left standing in the aisle watching his retreating back.

"Is he OK?" Ray asked.

"I guess so, I think you could say he's left a part of himself back in Fairbrook. He's been kind of involved in a pretty intense case back there since his cousin, Brandon, became directly involved in it as well."

"I guessed, but I hope he gets over it soon, last night's concert wasn't as good as usual, and if he gets too emotionally involved, this is going to start to have an effect on his music," Ray said honestly. "Do you have any ideas on what we can do for him?"

"Not really and I have a funny feeling that there's a lot riding on what Brandon has to say," Ron said.

From a distance, a pretty auburn headed angel stood listening and on her face was concern, not only for the future of this band, but for the lead singer who had been her assignment since before they had made the decision to go to Fairbrook.

She remained where she was and continued to listen to them as they spoke, her assignment disappearing inside the control room.

~*~*~*~

Mitch entered the sound booth and grabbed the telephone, "yeah?"

"Hey Mitch, it's Brandon, I just wanted to call you and ask a favor," Brandon's voice could be heard over the line.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Andrew called me from Seattle and are going to be at the concert next weekend. I also had talked to Dan, and he said that he was going to bring the girls out there and I was wondering if you guys could arrange a meeting place for them. I know that it's kind of a pain, but if you had seen how everything was effecting Mary, you'd understand why I'm asking."

"It's not a problem, Brandon," Mitch answered. "How are they doing?"

"Helena's looking pretty good, but we're all so worried about Mary. I went by to see her this afternoon, she's as thin as a rail, her face is really pale, and she's quit everything she was involved with."

"She's in a depression?" Mitch asked.

"Yeah, I told her about how Hugh was. You know him, I think, he's the boy whose case I had some years ago, but man, it's pretty bad with her. She wants Andrew to be her dad, and there's just no way that will ever happen. I wish there was something I could do to help her."

"Do you think seeing Andrew again would help her or do you think it might make her even worse than she is now?" Mitch asked.

"I don't know. I talked to Dan yesterday and he said that he was going to run by the idea about searching for Mary's father with his boss tonight," Brandon said. "Anyway, I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. But, what I'm worried about is Monday; Judge Guthrie told me that the girls are going to have to make a taped testimony on Monday morning. It's going to be played back during the hearing Monday afternoon. I haven't told the girls yet, but I'm almost afraid to."

"I guess so," Mitch said.

"If only Andrew, Raphael and Tess had stayed, things might actually be OK and maybe the girls wouldn't have to go through this," Brandon said.

"There's something I don't understand about Andrew," Mitch mused. "I don't have any idea about what it is, but there's something strange about this guy."

"Well, you know, ever since this first started, I have had this funny feeling that either Helena or Mary know something weird about him. Maybe they both know, but something is keeping them from talking about it," Brandon said.

"Well, it's a given, something about this Andrew character just doesn't add up," Mitch said. "From what I've seen about him, he's a pretty nice guy, but I still can't shake the fact that he was arrested on charges of child abuse. I mean, if he is hurting Helena or Mary, I'm going to wring his stinking neck."

"Mitch, you know the charges were dropped against him, and after all, it was Andrew who called CPG in the first place. I mean if he was abusing children, do you honestly think that he would open a can of worms and call CPG?"

"I just don't know, man, something about this guy doesn't click right, for some reason, I just can't shake the idea that the guy's got a secret and he's not telling."

"I think you've been watching too many strange movies, Mitch," Brandon said softly, but his voice had traces of doubt in it. "Maybe we should be asking the girls these questions."

"Why don't you go and talk to them then?" Mitch asked. "Let me know what happens with that, now I'm pretty curious about the entire deal, myself."

Brandon sighed deeply, "well, it would make me feel better about the entire situation since it's pretty much a mess all the way around. I'll call Dan later tonight, and see if he can shed some light on things."

"Well, if the girls are going to meet up with Andrew and his friends, then they should probably be careful. I know I may be sneaking about asking questions, but I certainly don't want to see them get hurt because of my curiosity. At the same time, I think something weird is going on around here. Maybe it's kind of rude to get myself involved in their personal problems, especially after everything they did to help the two girls, but something is not setting right with me on all this, and I can't shake it," Mitch said honestly.

"You and me both, Cousin, I just think that their disappearing act is a bit of an extreme," Brandon said.

"True enough," Mitch said and looked at his watch. "Oh well, I guess I'd better hang up, the guys are ready to do a sound check for tomorrow's concert, and I need to get back to the hotel a little earlier tonight, I'm kind of tired. Listen, when you talk to the girls again, tell them I'm thinking about them, and hope they are doing well."

"OK, I'll talk to you later, then," Brandon said and hung up.

Mitch left the sound booth and walked back down the aisle towards the stage. The three other members of 'Starshine' were waiting for him. As he reached the stage, he gingerly picked up his guitar and draped the strap over his shoulder.

"Did you get any news?" Ron asked.

"Not really, but Helena will be coming a week from Saturday, and Brandon did ask Mary about it," he said.

The other members of the band nodded and they began to rehearse.

~*~*~*~

Helena was still sitting in her room after her uncle Pat had left. Her hands were resting on her chin, and she was looking out the window. The blanket she had wrapped around herself was now folded and back on the bed. She pulled the curtains from the windows and her eyes were constantly on the sky. The stars were now peeking out and she stared at them with a feeling of happiness but also of confusion. After spending some of the evening getting to know her father's brother, she found herself taking a strange liking to him.

"A penny for your thoughts," a voice interrupted her contemplation and she turned to see her father standing in the doorway.

"I'm just thinking about stuff," she said, her gaze still on the stars.

"I can take a guess, but I think you would prefer to have some privacy, huh?" Dan said as he sat down on the bed and looked at his daughter.

Helena sighed deeply, "I miss Andrew and Raphael, Daddy."

"I know you do, and I wish there was something I could do that would make everything easier for you all to get together," Dan said gently.

"I think Mary wants Andrew to adopt her," she whispered. "But, that's impossible, huh? An angel can't have a family on Earth."

"It's hard to tell what will happen with Mary, honey," Dan said softly.

"Yeah, I know, and Andrew said he and Tess have their path and that is to help people, but still I wish that if they could have stayed," Helena said. "But I guess that's kinda a flight into the fantasy, huh?"

"I don't really know, but you shouldn't worry, Helena, we're going to find Mary's father," Dan said confidently. "Pat has offered his support and he's planning to go see her tomorrow morning before he leaves for Des Monies."

"But, what if her dad doesn't want to see her, like mom said?" Helena asked softly.

"Look at it this way, Honey, your mother was wrong about me, wasn't she?" Dan asked.

Helena nodded. "Why did she lie to us like that?"

"I don't know why she did what she did, but you should try to forgive her," Dan said. "In her own way she does love you."

"If that's love, I'll take vanilla. Daddy, she just stood idly by and let Greg hurt us. How could she do that, and then she lied to Mary and me about our fathers. Later, I went to her and told her what Greg had done, and she didn't believe me. Only Andrew believed me when I told him about what had happened, and he practically had to pry it out of me. I didn't want to trust him, but he talked to me, and then when he told me who he really was, he told me in such a gentle and loving way so I wouldn't be afraid. He believed everything I said, but why didn't my mom believe me when I told her what Greg had done?" Helena asked her voice getting more emotional by the second, and he could see the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"I don't know why she did that, and I honestly wish I had all the answers," he said.

"I hate her for what she did to us, it wasn't fair," Helena said softly.

"Don't be too hard on her, she was dealing with a lot of pain during the time she left with you," he said gently. "I know you're hurting in all of this, but I want you to know that although I was really angry with her for what she did to us, I'm not going to be the one who will put her down in front of you. You're her daughter too, and you do have a right to love her as much as you do. I know you do love your mother, and that's the way it should be."

Helena nodded, but her voice broke, "I do love her, but Daddy, it hurts so much."

"I know, come here," he said gently and she crawled over to where he was sitting. Once she was close enough to him, he wrapped his arms lovingly around her and held her tightly in his embrace. It was at this moment, she began to weep bitterly in his arms.

It was obvious to Dan, as he sat and held his daughter, that she was still in a great deal of pain and the only thing he could really do for her was to be there for her and provide the comfort she needed when she needed it.

~*~*~*~

Patrick Summers arrived at the home of Rachel and David Jackson the following morning. As he got out of the car, he could see children playing in the streets, and families walking together. Sighing deeply, he began to contemplate the words he had heard from Helena the night before about the significance of families.

He rang the doorbell as the Thursday morning sunshine covered him. It was really a nice day, and everything around him looked as though it belonged in a 1950's sitcom rather than in the present. The school had an in-service day, and the children looked so free he couldn't help but get caught up in their activities.

Rachel Jackson opened the door, "yes, can I help you?"

"Good morning, Mrs. Jackson, my name is Patrick Summers, I'm Dan's brother and I'm here to see Mary Williams," he said.

"Mary is not really in the mood for company right now," Rachel's smile faded and she looked at him.

"No, you don't understand," Patrick began. "I'm here about Mary Williams, and a promise I made to her half-sister. I want to help her locate her father."

Rachel looked at the man, "you're serious?"

"Yes," Patrick answered.

"I don't know what to say," Rachel began, "Please forgive me, Mr. Summers, I really didn't expect to you to come here this morning offering to help her."

"I know, maybe I should have called, but I have a plane to catch at noon, and wanted to stop by before I go to the airport," he said. "May I come in?"

"Oh, uh, yes, of course. Mary's still sleeping," she explained as they walked down the hallway in the direction of the kitchen. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

"That would be very nice, thank you," he replied.

"I'm afraid that things are kind of unorganized today, David left early to go to the school, and I've been on the phone for much of the morning. I have been trying to schedule some appointments for Mary," she explained.

"She's in a lot of pain, isn't she?" Patrick asked.

"Yes," Rachel answered.

After some moments, Mary appeared in the doorway, her hair hanging in clumps around her face. She had wrapped a blanket around herself and as she came into the kitchen, she began to look through the cabinets in search of something.

"Mary," Rachel stood up and went to the girl. "Do you want something for breakfast?"

"No," the girl muttered and closed the cabinet and left the room.

Patrick sat as still as a statue as the girl made her way through the kitchen and back out into the living room. "She hasn't been eating right since this happened, has she?" he finally asked once Mary was gone.

"No, her entire eating habits have altered since she came here to live. She walks through the house as though she's searching for something, but then leaves as though she hasn't found anything," Rachel said. "She looks like a zombie, and we've even offered to get her the foods that she's used to eating, but she won't eat. She's lost weight since coming to live here, and she was already thin when she moved in with us."

Patrick nodded not sure of what he should say, and if what he said would do any good.

Rachel sighed deeply as she stood up to retrieve the coffee pot. "I wish we could find her father, or something that would make her feel better."

"I will start searching when I get back home," he said.

"Would you need to talk to her?" she asked.

"Yes, I would, but I think it would be best for you to get her to some kind of counseling," Patrick answered. "I must admit, I don't know much about kids, but from what I have seen, I can understand why everyone here is worried about her."

"Mr. Summers, it may be out of line for me to mention this, but please, try to understand, but things aren't looking good for the girls, and I'm afraid..." Rachel's voice trailed.

"Why are you afraid, Mrs. Jackson?" Patrick asked.

"You mustn't tell Mary or Helena, but I'm afraid that the system will send Mary back to live with her mother and an abusive stepfather," Rachel could feel the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. "I couldn't bear to see that happen."

"You really believe that the government will allow a convicted child abuser to go free?" Patrick asked.

"They've done it before," she said numbly.

"How do you know?" Patrick asked.

"I just do," Rachel said softly.

Patrick didn't push the question further, he simply reached over and picked up the coffee cup, which was sitting next to him and took a long sip.

After a few minutes, she stood up again, and walked towards the doorway, which would lead out into the living room. From his place at the kitchen table, he could see Rachel wiping her eyes. When she turned back around and re-entered the kitchen, he noticed that she appeared to be completely composed.

~*~*~*~

Tess and Andrew drove through the streets of Seattle at this time, and now that they had secured an apartment, they decided to use the time off to take in some sights of the city. "Angel Boy?" Tess glanced over from the driver's seat to see Andrew fiddling with a scrap of paper, and she knew that from looking at him, that he was worried.

Andrew glanced over towards his friend. "Is something wrong, Tess?"

"You're thinking about Mary again, haven't you?" Tess asked, and it was obvious that she was starting to get annoyed with Andrew's moodiness.

The Angel of Death reluctantly nodded.

"Would you adopt her if you could?" Tess asked, her blunt question causing the paper to slip from Andrew's fingertips and drift onto the floor.

"If I could, I suppose I would, but Tess, I'm an angel. I could never become a father to a teenage girl; it would be unfair to her for me to even try. I mean; how could I possibly be a father to a 15-year-old girl?" Andrew asked; his voice shadowed with guilt. "Besides that, Mary knows that it's not possible."

"Angel Boy, for what it's worth, I think you'd be a very good father, if it were possible, but you and I both know that your gentle heart is often tugged by God's young children," Tess said gently.

"Thank you," was all Andrew was able to say.

"I know she loves you," Tess said softly.

"I know, everybody keeps telling me that too," he said more to himself than to the other angel. The fact was; Andrew knew fully that Mary cared about him, and he felt the same for her. The emotions he carried encompassed his desire to completely protect her from whatever harm may come, and even Tess was able to see it.

"For what it's worth, I think you're being just a little too hard on yourself," Tess offered gently as she parked the car and the two of them got out.

~*~*~*~

Helena opened her eyes and looked around the small bedroom. The sun was shining in the window and she crawled out of bed. The apartment was quiet, and she figured that her father had gone to see Judge Guthrie or have another talk with her social worker. She could hear the birds chirping from outside her window and she sat down and looked outside.

From the distance, she could hear the phone ringing from the living room and she rushed to the other room to answer it. "Hello?" she said into the receiver once she had picked it up.

"Helena, it's Brandon, is your father there?" the voice on the other end said.

"No, I thought he was meeting with you or taking my Uncle Patrick to the airport," she said.

"Nope, he's not with me, but I have some information to give you and him," Brandon said.

"What?" Helena asked.

"There's going to be a hearing on next Monday about your stepfather, and I will be coming by later today to talk to you and your dad about it," Brandon offered. "When's a good time?"

Helena swallowed the lump that formed in her throat upon the mention of her stepfather. "I don't know."

"I know this is hard for you," Brandon said. "But, you have friends who will be here to support you through everything."

"But, not my best friends," she said softly.

"I know that Andrew and Raphael mean a great deal to you, and not having them with you through all of this is hard," he said.

"Yeah," she said and he could hear her voice cracking at the other end of the line.

After a few moments, she continued speaking, all the while trying to compose herself and maintain her emotional sense, "I'll tell my dad that you called when he gets home," she said after some time had passed.

"Helena, are you OK?" he asked.

"I guess so," she offered, but he could tell that her usual energy just wasn't there.

Instead of pushing the issue with her over the phone, he said his good-byes and once Helena hung up the phone, she turned back towards the living room window. After some moments of hesitation, she went back down the hallway and into her room to get dressed.

"Why is my life suddenly coming unglued?" she asked the stillness, but when she received no answer, she wiped her hands over her face and could feel the tears, which had started streaming down her cheeks. For some strange reason, she had no way to stop these feelings from running rampant through her mind.

~*~*~*~

Rachel climbed the stairs that went up to the room where Mary was staying. Once she knocked on the door and Mary opened it, she spoke. "Mary, Patrick Summers wants to talk to you about looking for your father."

"You mean Dan actually asked him to help me?" Mary asked, her voice soft, but the disbelief was etched in her words.

"Yes, and maybe he can get something to go on in regards to the search. He's waiting in the kitchen. Why don't you come down and talk to him?" Rachel suggested gently.

Mary nodded, "OK, but I think I should get dressed first."

"We'll be waiting for you," Rachel said gently and pulled the door closed.

Once her foster mother was gone, Mary stood in the room staring towards the window. It was obvious that the last thing she wanted to do was talk to this guy, when she didn't trust him. There had to be another way out of this for her. She had betrayed Andrew once and the last thing she wanted to do was talk to another law enforcement officer and run the risk of doing it again. This was out of the question, she thought to herself, I wish I had my sister's courage, but I don't. She reached over and grabbed the backpack that she usually used for school and began to pull the schoolbooks out, and reached for her diary and placed it inside.

I'm not going to talk to him, she decided as she pulled a small envelope out of her purse, I'm leaving, and I have the means to do it. Opening it, she looked down at the $236 she had been saving for the drill team uniforms she had wanted to buy. Now, as she looked down at the numbers on the bills she suddenly felt sad and sighed deeply. Next, she wadded up the envelope and angrily tossed it across the room where it landed against a corner. She stuffed the money inside her purse and went over to the closet to pull out something to wear.

Once she had gotten dressed, she reached inside the closet and began to yank out the clothing that was neatly hanging there. Once she had found a few things she thought she would need, she stuffed them inside the backpack. That done, she opened the door to the room, crept quietly down the stairs, and down the hall towards the front door.

She could hear the voices of Rachel and Patrick Summers filtering back through the house, and as quietly as she could, she opened the front door, slipped quietly out, and closed it behind her as quietly as she could.

That done, she ran down the stairs and down the sidewalk in the direction of the bus depot. There was no point to staying here any longer, and she saw no point to talking about what she had been through, because she still believed that no one would have believed her. The pain was still in her eyes when she reached her destination.

~*~*~*~

Ten minutes later, Rachel and Patrick were still sitting at the kitchen table in the Jackson home.

"Mrs. Jackson, I don't mean to sound rude," Patrick began, "but I do have to catch a plane in two hours, and would really like to talk to Mary before I go."

Rachel looked down at her watch, "strange," she said, "I didn't think that it would take this long for her to get dressed and come back down. Would you excuse me?"

Patrick nodded as Rachel once more left the kitchen. As she ran through the hallway and up the stairs, she sighed deeply. This was quickly becoming too much for her to bear. First Helena and now Mary, and it was looking as though the older of the two girls was becoming almost more than any of them could bear. She reached the door and knocked.

"Mary, please hurry, Mr. Summers is going to miss his plane," she called out, but when she received no answer, she cracked open the door. Upon discovering that the room was empty, she swung the door open, went inside, and began to look around the room. "Mary?"

When no answer came, she sighed deeply until her attention suddenly landed on a crumpled up piece of paper in the corner of the room. She approached where it lay, reached down to retrieve it and once she held it in her hand, she looked down at it. She immediately recognized Mary's handwriting and scrawled numbers on the front of it. "Two hundred thirty six dollars?" She mumbled, standing practically rooted to the floor staring down at the envelope. She was unable to move until she heard Patrick calling her name from downstairs. This brought her crashing back down to Earth, and she stuffed the envelope inside her pocket and ran out of the room and down the stairs.

"Mr. Summers," she called out as she came back through the house.

Patrick emerged from the kitchen. "What is it?"

"It's Mary, I think she's run away," she said and pulled the envelope from her pocket.

"Has she run away before?" he asked.

"Not that I know of, but she just came to live with us only about a week ago. But, I found this laying in her room," Rachel said showing him the crumpled up envelope.

Patrick looked down at the envelope and moaned. With nearly 240 dollars in her hand, Mary could have gone anywhere. But, rather than voice his concerns, he ran outside and began to look around the area for some signs of her.

"Why did you ask if whether she had run away before?" Rachel asked following him outside.

"It's one of the signs to look for in abused children," Patrick offered as he sighed deeply and continued scanning the area. "If she was just here, she couldn't have gotten too far, don't worry, we'll find her," a pause. "May I use your phone?"

"Yes, we have two lines here, David has an extra line for his email," she said and he followed her back into the house.

"I've got to call the airlines and put my trip off for a day, you call the police," he said.

Rachel nodded, and ran into the spare room to use the second phone line while Patrick called and cancelled his flight back to Des Moines.

She came back into the living room as he was attempting to speak cordially with the operator, "I'll take the noon flight tomorrow from Bismarck to Des Moines. No, I don't need Business Class if it is booked solid. Yes, coach is fine; just make sure that my office is notified of this change. I know this isn't usually your business practices, but please, something has happened, and I don't have time to call them," a sigh. "You will? OK, thank you."

Once he hung up the phone, he looked at her. "Are you OK, Mrs. Jackson?"

Rachel nodded, "I called the police, and they suggested that we go to the bus station. They can't do anything until after 48 hours passed."

"Sometimes law enforcement is a thorn in my side," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's just get to the bus station," Patrick suggested. "I'll drive, my rental car is parked right outside and you really don't look like you're up to driving."

Rachel nodded, scribbled a note for David which she left on the coffee table, and followed Patrick out the front door. "Do you think we'll find her?" she asked once she reached the car.

"I don't really know, Mrs. Jackson, but we're going to try," he answered.

"Please call me Rachel," she said once she got into the car and he started the motor.

~*~*~*~

After her conversation with Brandon, Helena got dressed and once she emerged from her room, she laid down on the sofa. After about thirty minutes, the phone rang again. She picked it up thinking it was her father was almost dropped the phone when she heard Mary's voice on the other end.

"Mary, where are you?" she asked once she heard the voice of her sister on the other end.

"I'm at the bus station," she answered. "I'm leaving Fairbrook for good, and just wanted to call and tell you good-bye."

"Mary, you can't leave," Helena said softly. "Please, just tell me where you're going."

"I can't, but I'll be OK, I'll get a job and then everything will be fine, you'll see. I don't need to have a father anymore, I'll get along fine on my own."

"I don't believe that," Helena whispered, but it was obvious that Mary had not heard her words because the older of the two girls continued to speak.

"Promise me, you won't tell anyone where I called from, at least not for another half hour."

Helena's hands were shaking, and after some moments of hesitation, she finally spoke, "OK, I won't tell anyone where you called from, but you've got to tell me where you're going," a pause, and she could hear the line crackling, "Mary, please..." her voice trailed as she could hear the sounds which indicated that the line had gone dead, and she discovered that Mary had hung up the phone.

She stood looking down at the telephone receiver for some moments after her sister had hung up on her. After some moments passed, she returned it to the cradle.

Daddy, where are you she asked the stillness. I need your help. After she received no answer, she got off the sofa and walked towards her room. I've got to stop her, was the only thought on Helena's mind. But, how can I, I have no money, and there's no way, unless I am able to stop her before she leaves the station.

With a new sense of determination, she grabbed her key, and raced down the hall and out the front door. As she ran down the stairs, she realized that maybe she should have left her father a note, but shook her head deciding there wasn't time, and deep down inside, she hoped she would be back before her father would return.

~*~*~*~

Mary stood in the small bus station. She had successfully gotten a ticket to Seattle, and it was a relief that she was able to lie about being 16, because if they had known that she was 15 and traveling alone, they probably would have called Rachel. Sighing deeply, she sat down and waited. Her bus was to depart in ten minutes.

She glanced around nervously wondering if Rachel had noticed how she had sneaked out of the house, or maybe that someone she knew from school would recognize that she was leaving town. She looked down at the small postcard she had bought when her mother brought her and Helena through Seattle. She liked the card, and kept the crumpled up piece of paper in her diary. Maybe this was her sign that she would be able to start over in a new place.

Now she felt somewhat sad about leaving her younger half-sister behind, but with Dan, she truly believed that Helena would be OK. She doesn't need me anymore; she thought as she looked around the bus station and could see families and couples together. Was anyone else traveling alone, she asked herself, but after some time had passed, she looked down at the postcard and reflected on the conversation she had just had with her sister. "Good-bye," she had said, and Helena wanted to know where she was going. She could feel that her sister did care about her, but deep inside, she believed that a clean break from everything, including Helena, was all she needed.

"The bus for Seattle leaves in five minutes!" the announcement came over the intercom and she stood up, retrieved her belongings and followed the signs towards the doors, which would lead outside.

Once outside, she walked towards the bus, which would take her out of Fairbrook. As she glanced around, she could see security guards, but no policemen, and she sighed with relief. She boarded the bus, gave her ticket to the driver, and moved towards the back of the bus. Upon finding an empty row, she sat down, and sighed deeply.

When she looked outside the windows again, it was as the bus was pulling out of the station. Now, there was only three hours, and she would start her new life in Seattle, far enough away so that she could put her past behind her, and for good.

She closed her eyes, and as the bus bumped through the town, and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

~*~*~*~

By this time, Helena was just arriving at the bus station. She was relieved that it wasn't so far from where she and her father lived, but at the same time, she was completely out of breath as she ran through the station and up to one of the ticket counters.

"Good morning, may I help you?" the middle aged man asked who was sitting at the ticket counter.

"Please, Sir, I'm looking for my sister, Mary," Helena pulled a snapshot from her pocket laid it on the counter.

"I could page her, if you would like," he answered not looking down at the photograph. "Tell me her last name and I will have her paged."

"It's Williams," Helena said softly as she glanced nervously around the bus station. When she failed to see Mary among the throngs of people, she sighed deeply as she could here the voice of the man through the intercom. That done; the man finally looked down at the photo.

"Uh, Miss, if memory serves me correctly, I sold her a ticket about half an hour ago," he said softly. "She had told me she was 16."

"She's not, she's 15, and I came here to stop her from leaving," Helena answered. "Where did you sell her the ticket to?"

"Seattle," he answered, "but the bus has already left. It went about ten minutes ago."

"Oh no," Helena shook her head in denial, but the man could see the tears beginning to stream down from beneath her eyes. "She called me from here, and said that she was leaving, and I ran as fast as I could to get here, because she can't leave, she has to stay here. We both do..."

"Calm down," the man said as he emerged from behind the counter. Once he stood in front of her, he got down on his knees so he'd be eye level with her. "Are you telling me that your sister ran away?"

Helena nodded, trying to regain her composure. "I told her that she should stay here, and that everything would be OK, but she didn't believe me. I told her that my daddy would help her find her father, but she didn't believe that either."

"She's your half-sister then?" the man asked, and Helena nodded.

"We've all been so worried about her, Mister. We don't know what to do," Helena said, her voice cracking, and the tears beginning to stream down her face.

The man turned around to face one of his female colleagues, "uh, Greta, could you take my post for about ten minutes? I'm going on break."

The woman nodded and he rested his hand on Helena's shoulder once again. "Come with me," he said softly. "My name is Peter, and I'll help you any way I can to get your sister back home."

Helena nodded and followed him.

~*~*~*~

Rachel and Patrick arrived at the bus terminal and as they were entering the busy station, they could hear the crackling of the intercom system breaking through the music that was playing. When they heard a page for Mary Williams emerging through the usual hustle and bustle of the train station, Rachel looked at Patrick unsure of what to say. It was obvious that she was completely surprised.

After a few moments, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper, "I don't understand. Who would be paging Mary?"

Patrick wasn't sure if she was speaking to him or if she was talking to herself, but he shook his head, "I don't know who had her paged, but we should get to where ever it originated and see if it's been answered. Come on, we're going to find her; at least now we know she was here. If we hurry, we might catch her before she gets on a bus."

"Do you think she has already left?" Rachel asked.

"I don't know, but let's hurry, maybe the people here can tell us something," Patrick replied. The two of them ran towards the counter where the page had been made. "Excuse me, Miss, but we just got here and heard the page for Mary Williams, we're trying to find her as well. Can you tell us who requested the page?"

"Uh, yes Sir, that was a young lady that was looking for her sister," the woman answered.

"Helena, then she knew that Mary was here," Rachel said and looked at the woman. "Do you know where is she now?"

"Uh, Ma'am, the young lady looked pretty distraught about the whole thing, she's now sitting down and talking to my boss, Peter Thompson," the woman offered.

"Do you know where they went to talk?" Patrick asked.

"I guess he took her over to the Snack Shoppe for something to drink," the woman answered. "That's usually where he takes small children who get lost around here."

"Thank you for your help," Patrick answered and reached out for Rachel's arm and led her away from the counter. "It's going to be OK, Mrs. Jackson, uh-I mean Rachel, we will find her."

As they reached the small shop where the woman had suggested they look, Rachel could see the back of Helena's head as the two of them approached. Patrick could tell that she was upset, because as they got closer, he could see the light reflecting off the tears that were now streaming down her face.

They entered the small shop, and approached Helena as she sat talking to Peter.

"Helena?" Patrick called out, and the girl looked up.

"Are you her parents?" Peter asked standing up.

"No, I'm her uncle, and Rachel's just a friend of hers," Patrick explained.

Peter stood up, and shook Patrick's hand. "I'm really sorry about this, Sir," he began. "I was the one who sold her sister the ticket, but she had assured me that she was 16 and old enough to buy tickets without an adult being present. It's obvious that I made a big mistake in doing that, and I will do whatever I can to assist in finding her."

"She's gone," Helena said, wiping her hand over her face. "Uncle Patrick, what are we going to do?" she asked as she began to cry once again.

"We're going to find her, Helena," Patrick promised and Rachel nodded.

"It's all my fault," her voice became louder.

"No, Helena, it's not your fault," Rachel began.

"Yes it is, if I hadn't have told Andrew about the abuse, none of this would have happened."

"Wait, you're the little girl I read about," Peter began. "My wife was in tears when she read your story. My son attends Fairbrook Middle School, and he told me that he thought you were the bravest girl he had ever seen."

She shook her head and looked at Peter, "I'm not brave, I'm stupid. Now my sister is gone and it's all my fault."

"You haven't lost anyone, Helena, I will send a wire to the people in Seattle to be on the look-out for her during the next three to four hours. They will find her."

Patrick nodded, "have them take her to this address in Seattle, it's the agency where Helena's father works. I'll drive out tonight and pick her up."

"Can I go with you?" Helena asked.

Patrick looked at her earnestly, "let's wait and see what your father says."

Rachel nodded, and handed Peter a slip of paper with her address and phone number on it.

Peter tucked it inside his jacket pocket and smiled at Helena reassuringly, "don't worry, sweetheart, we will do everything we can to find her."

Helena nodded as Rachel and Patrick took each of her hands in theirs and led her back through the bus station. Peter could only stand silently and watch as they disappeared through the throngs of people. Moments passed and he looked down at the soda glass, which he had gotten for her while they had been talking. If I were to have friends like those Helena has, he thought to himself after they had disappeared through the crowd, I would one day die a wealthy man.

~*~*~*~

Dan Summers left the courthouse by this time, and got into his car to drive home. It had been a long morning, but after consulting with his lawyers, he was convinced that he would be able to get custody of his daughter, and that within the year, they would be moving back to Iowa. He wasn't sure how Helena would feel about this arrangement, but he figured that it would be best for him to tell her as soon as he could. He smiled weakly when he arrived at the apartment building and climbed the stairs.

Once he entered the apartment, he called Helena's name. After a few times calling, he realized that she was not there and he began to scan the room immediately looking for a note.

When he didn't find one, he sighed deeply. Where would she have gone, he wondered.

About ten minutes later, the door opened and he turned around. Standing in the doorway was his brother, Rachel, and Helena. "What happened? I thought you were getting on a plane back to Des Moines?" His eyes fell on his daughter, "Helena, I was worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered, her hand holding tightly to Patrick's. "Mary called me from the bus station, and told me that she was leaving. I went there to try to stop her, but I failed."

"Mary's gone?" Dan asked.

Rachel nodded, "she snuck out this morning when Patrick came by the house."

"I'm afraid I frightened her, Danny," Patrick began. "There's no telling what she thought when I showed up there."

"But, I told her," Rachel said.

"I know you did, but when I showed up there this morning, I had to explain everything to you," Patrick offered.

Helena sat down on the sofa. "I've turned everything completely upside down. If I hadn't have spoken to Andrew about what had happened to me, then none of this would have happened."

"Maybe not, but you would either still be in a dreadful situation, or you would be harboring a great deal of pain or resentment," Patrick said. He sat down next to the forlorn girl. "Listen to me, Helena. Did you know that over 90% of the people serving time in various jails around the country were child abuse victims who were unable to speak about what had happened to them?"

Helena shook her head as he continued. "You did something very courageous when you went and told Andrew what had happened. I can at least give him credit for having known what to do to help you."

"But, what about Mary?" Helena asked, "She's my sister?"

"I don't know," Patrick said softly. "I wish that in all that training I went through to become an cop, that it would have given me something on how to deal with cases like hers. The hard truth is, it didn't tell me how to change the statistics, only what the statistics were."

Dan nodded affirming the words of his brother, but reaching over and squeezing her hand. "Everything he said it the truth, because I learned the same."

"Listen, I have to get home," Rachel said softly. "Although I left a note for David, he's going to be climbing the walls when he gets home."

"I'll drive you," Patrick offered and he stood up, "Danny, it looks like I'll be in town for another day or two, are you still planning on driving to Seattle for the 'Starshine' concert this Saturday?"

"Yes, I did promise Helena that we'd go, and Mitch already sent us the tickets," Dan said.

"Helena wants to ride with me to Seattle tonight to pick Mary up, would that be OK?" Patrick asked.

"Well, she has school tomorrow," Dan answered, "but I guess just this once. I'll go with you."

Patrick nodded, "then it's set, I'll come by to pick you up in about an hour."

~*~*~*~

Mary was still sitting on the bus, her expression emotionless as the bus pulled into the Seattle bus station about two hours later. She reached over and grabbed her belongings before getting off the bus. Sighing deeply, she got off the bus and walked through the busy station. Now she was here, what was she going to do? There was no one in this town that she knew, and the money she had left from the after buying the ticket in Fairbrook was a little over $140.

In the distance, she could see the policemen standing around drinking coffee and eating donuts. Her initial reaction was to run, but she suddenly stopped as her thoughts became centered on the night when Andrew was arrested. A silent tear streamed down her cheek as she remembered what had happened to him. Sighing deeply, she walked with weighted steps toward the exit.

Before she reached the door, a man approached her, the badge of the bus company flashing in the florescent lighting of the bus station. "Excuse me, Miss," the man said and reached over and grasped hold of her upper arm, "but we have been put on alert to find you."

"Me? But why?" she stammered.

"You're Mary Williams, and boarded a bus from Fairbrook earlier today," the man said gently. "Don't be afraid, my name is Gary, and I'm going to help get you back home."

"I don't want to go back there. Why can't you just leave me alone?" she began to yell as she tried to pull away from him.

"You will one day realize that by leaving you alone, I would be doing more harm to you than good," he answered as he pulled her gently but firmly back through the station.

Mary continued her attempt to free herself from him, and after some moments, she managed to pull her arm free from the man's grip. That done, she took off running through the terminal and outside, him following close behind. But, once she had made it outside, she ran as fast as she could towards a park, through it and back out onto the sidewalk on the opposite side, loosing him as she ran.

She didn't stop until she ran right into another person who had been coming from the opposite direction. Glancing up slightly she mumbled a barely audible, "excuse me," and tried to back away from whomever it was she had just run into. When the person standing in front of her didn't release her arm, she clamped her eyes shut thinking it was the man who had called himself Gary and had chased her from the bus station.

At this moment, she began to pull on her arm hoping that whoever it was that held her, would release her, but they didn't, and she didn't stop struggling until she heard a familiar and soft voice emerging from the man.

"Mary? It's OK; I won't hurt you. Open your eyes," he cajoled her and after some seconds passed, she finally opened them and glanced up.

Once she made eye contact with the person standing in front of her, she gasped in astonishment and swallowed the lump, which had suddenly formed, in her throat. "Andrew?"

"Yes," he said.

She threw her arms around him, held tightly to him, and allowed her weight to fall against him.

"What are you doing out here all alone? It's not safe," he asked gently after the force of her weight almost made him stumble. Once he managed to shift his own weight and stay on his feet, he looked down at her.

"Iuh," was all that she managed to stammer, because her body slumped in his arms, indicating that the exhaustion of the day had finally gotten the better of her. Andrew waved his hand in front of her eyes, but when she didn't respond, and he could do nothing to revive her, he realized that there was nothing else he could do, so finally, he picked her up and walked with weighted steps in the direction of the apartment he and Tess shared.

She looks terrible; he thought to himself as he looked down at her, she's so pale and fragile. He could tell from the way her clothing was hanging on her, that she hadn't been eating right, and this worried him. She was a naturally thin person, but now she appeared as though she was a mere shadow of the girl he had met in the park back in Fairbrook some two weeks earlier.

If I could be what you want me to be, I would in a heartbeat, the Angel of Death thought sadly to himself as he made his way down the sidewalk in the direction of a small apartment complex. As he walked, he noticed that she had begun to stir and he could feel her soft breath against his cheek. He opted to continue carrying her, because in all honestly, he wasn't sure if she was fit to walk the last few meters to the front door of the apartment.

Once he reached the door to the apartment, he managed to open the door and carried her into the living room and laid her gently on the sofa. As he managed to close the door, she had started to open her eyes. He returned to her side, and got down on his knees next to where she was laying. Gently, he took her hand in his own, squeezing it every few moments until she was fully conscious. "Mary, what are you doing out here all by yourself?"

"I ran away," she whispered, and could feel the dryness of her throat.

"Why?" he asked.

"I was afraid," she choked out.

Andrew smiled weakly and looked down at the hazel eyes of the girl. "What were you so afraid of?"

Mary said nothing; she simply shook her head.

"You don't look all that well," he said noticing her pale features. "I think I should get you something to eat. What would you like to have?" He asked gently.

She shook her head sadly. "I'm not really hungry."

Andrew shook his head and stood up. "I think you are. Mary, I can tell you haven't been eating right, and I think you need to eat something. Once you do, then we can talk about all of this." He covered her with a blanket and walked slowly towards the kitchen. Once he had pulled some bread from the cabinet, he opened the refrigerator, and pulled out some cold cuts.

As soon as he had made her a sandwich, he returned to the living room as she was sitting up. Once she had gotten comfortable, he extended the food to her and she accepted it.

"I'll fix you a place to sleep after you've eaten and we've had a little talk," he said gently as she took a bite of the sandwich he had made for her.

"You mean, I can stay?" She asked once she had swallowed.

"I wish there was some way for me to say yes to your wishes, but you know there isn't," he began, "I won't make promises to you that I cannot keep, you know I can't do that."

Mary closed her eyes, and he could see the tears beginning to stream down her cheeks. Once more, he got down on his knees and his gentle green eyes looked intently at her. After a few seconds he spoke. "Mary, everything is going to be OK, you can't give up, God doesn't want you to give up, and I know that this is so hard, but it will work out."

Mary looked up at him. "No, it won't."

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

"You don't want me, my father doesn't want me, and it's probably because I've made a mess of everything. I'm not worth anything, just like my step-father said," as she spoke, she began to sniff, her hand reaching up to wipe the tears from her face, but before she could, she could feel that Andrew had reached over and had started to rub the tears out from under her eyes.

"That's just not true, Mary," Andrew said softly. "If I could give you a home, don't you think I would?"

She shook her head.

"Why don't you believe that? It's the truth," he offered earnestly. "You've been hurt so much, and you're afraid, but that doesn't mean that you've made a mess of anything." He paused swallowing before he was able to continue. "You know, I told you a lot of things right before I had to leave Fairbrook. Do you understand why I told you those things?"

"No," Mary whispered.

"Well, mostly so that you would know that God loves you, and that He wanted me to tell you so, but I also told you because I wanted you to understand that you're not always at fault for the things that happen. If I hadn't have told you, then you would have continued to believe that my getting arrested in Fairbrook was somehow your fault. I didn't want to leave you there with those misguided feelings that you were somehow responsible for what had happened."

"But, I was," she said looking down at her lap. "I had run away and cut school. The police had caught me at the mall, and when they brought me back to my mom's place, I said something to one of them."

"What did you say?" Andrew asked, prying the story gently from her.

"Iah, I told them that you were only person that believed me when I talked about what Greg had done," she looked down at her lap. "They started freaking out, saying something about some anonymous fax they had gotten, and I was ignored. They were more interested in finding you than helping me. It reminded me so much of my mother and how she had dismissed what Helena had told her."

"What happened after you talked to the police?" Andrew asked.

"I ran away from them and went to the cinema and was trying to get away, but they followed me. I guess they thought I would lead them to you. Anyway, I wanted to warn you that they were after you, but when I left the cinema, they started following me again," she said. "I had applied all this make-up in the bathroom there and tried to conceal the bruises and make myself look like everyone else, but that didn't work." She could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks again and she reached up to wipe them away. "Then one of them followed me to the school, and I met Tess and then talked to Mitch Johnson before trying to find the courage to go home."

"So afterwards, you went back to the apartment complex?"

Mary nodded, "yeah, and if it weren't for me, you would never have been arrested," she sniffed. "It was all my fault."

"No, Mary, sometimes things just happen, and no one completely understands why they did, but you are not responsible for it. You were in so much pain that night and I remember how you looked and how much I wanted to be there for you. I knew there wasn't much more that you could have taken, and I'm sorry that there was no one to help you when you needed it so much. I would have wanted to be there when you had gotten hurt the following morning, but I was in jail and there was no way I could have come to help you, so Adam went in my place," he said gently as he took her chin gently in his hands and tilted it up so she would be looking at him. "If I could have been with you then, I would have, but I was unable to leave the place where I had been detained. There was something else that you need to understand, and that is, at that time when everything happened, you did not know that I was an angel, so it was a difficult situation for both of us."

"After they had taken you, Tess took me to David and Rachel's," she shook her head trying to block out the horrible memory, but when she couldn't all that he could see were the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"When I told you the truth, Mary, it wasn't my intention that you'd end up feeling so much pain or confusion afterwards. I feel badly that you believed that you had to give up everything after we left."

"How did you know about that?" Mary asked.

"I talked to Brandon yesterday, and he told me how worried he and the Jackson's have been about you," he said.

"Why would they be worried about me?" Mary asked.

"Because they care about you," Andrew said softly as he got off the floor and sat down on the sofa next to her. "Just listen, I know that this is all difficult for you, but you're going to have to find the strength to face everything, not run away every time something happens. I know this is so hard for you to hear, but I also know that the courage is deep inside of you, it's just that right now, it's hidden away by your fear, and that is what you must overcome. Not only is God there for you to help you through all of this if you allow Him in, you also have many friends who are looking out for you, and they want to help you. If you allow them the chance to get close to you, they will give you some of that strength, which you are seeking."

She looked down at her lap once again, "you hate me, don't you?"

"No, I don't hate you. I care very much for you and during the last few days, I have been thinking about you a lot. What you did today doesn't change what I feel for you, but the fact remains, Mary. You must find the courage to deal with everything without running away from it," Andrew said softly and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I may not be the one you run into the next time you decide to run and I would hate it if something were to happen to you."

"I love you," she whispered and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Andrew hugged her as well, "I know, I love you, too."

~*~*~*~

Brandon Montgomery was sitting in his office that same afternoon. He glanced around the office and when he noticed that his colleague and friend, Cynthia Ross, had left for the day, he began to pack up his own stuff, and reached for the jacket that was hanging over his chair. At that moment, the phone rang and he leaned over the stack of paperwork to pick it up. "CPG, Brandon Montgomery speaking."

"Brandon, its Rachel Jackson," the distraught voice on the other end said.

"What's wrong?" He asked immediately recognizing the strain in the voice of the caller.

"It's Mary, she's run off to Seattle, Dan, his brother Patrick, and Helena are on their way to the bus station there, but I was told that I should inform you of this," Rachel said.

"It's OK, I'm afraid we encounter this a lot in this area," he said softly.

"Yeah, but it's Mary," Rachel said.

"I know, and I'm worried about her too, but you should know that this isn't a reflection on you or David," he said, trying to offer the distraught woman some consolation.

"That is not at all comforting, Brandon," Rachel said somewhat impatiently.

"I'm sorry, that didn't come out the way I intended," he paused. "Listen, I'll come by on my way home. Is there anything else I can do?"

"No," she said, "I just thought I should get in touch with you and tell you what has happened."

"I'm glad you did," he said. "I'll be by within the hour. Since I have Mitch's cell phone number, I'll call him and get the news to him, I think he would really like to know."

"Thank you," Rachel said.

"Just take it easy, Rachel. I'll be there within the hour," he said, and once they got off the phone, he sighed deeply before he picked up the phone once again and dialed. "Oh boy, Mitch, you're gonna love this," he muttered to himself once he heard the phone ringing on the other end.

"Hello?" came the voice almost immediately, and Brandon knew that Mitch was in the middle of rehearsing because he could hear loud music in the background.

"Mitch, it's Brandon, I just got some news from Rachel Jackson about Mary and thought I'd pass it on to you guys."

"Just a second," Mitch said, and Brandon could hear his cousin's voice shouting at the other band members. "Hey guys, it's a call from Fairbrook, could you stop playing for a minute?"

Once it was quiet, Mitch got back on the phone, "OK, I'm back, what's up?"

"Mary has run away. Rachel just called and told me that Dan, his brother, and Helena are on their way to Seattle."

"What about Andrew and Tess?" Mitch asked, "they're in Seattle now, and are supposed to come to the concert next weekend."

"That's true," Brandon said.

"We can only hope anyway," Mitch said. "Wasn't Andrew supposed to call you tonight?"

"Yeah actually he was. I guess I'd better get going, I still have to go by Rachel and David's place before I head home." Brandon said. "Just keep your eyes open for Mary."

"In Seattle?" Mitch laughed out loud, but when Brandon didn't react, he spoke again. "OK, Cousin, I'll do what I can, but you know Seattle's a pretty big place, it may end up being like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Brandon blushed slightly, but after some moments, hung up the phone. Well, when the weekend comes, I'll be ready for a break, he thought to himself. He pulled his jacket on, and grabbed his briefcase. Maybe I should have stayed in the music business, he mused, at least the hours are better.

~*~*~*~

"How much farther, Danny?" Patrick asked as his older brother fumbled with the interstate highway map.

"Another twenty miles or so," Dan answered.

"Is Helena still sleeping?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah from the way it looks, she's still crashed back there. It's been a really difficult day for her," he said, his voice shadowing the worries he had for his daughter.

"This hasn't been all that easy for you either, has it?" Patrick asked.

"No Pat, it hasn't. Finding out that my child is a victim of abuse is bad enough, but that there are two victims really has started putting my emotions over the top. Although she is not as fragile as Mary, she's still in a lot of pain and dealing with a lot of bitterness about the entire situation. I sometimes wonder if she has the strength to cope with all of this. I mean; a person can only take so much."

"True, but she's your daughter, Danny," Patrick began. "Maybe she inherited some of that internal strength and wisdom from you."

Dan looked at his brother. "You really mean that?"

Patrick nodded and glanced briefly towards the backseat. From his vantage point, he could see her curled up and asleep. After a second of looking, he turned his attention back to driving. "She's a real gem, isn't she?"

Dan said nothing; he only nodded.

"You know, it's funny, but every time I look at her, I see another reason why the guy that invented computers should be given a medal of honor," Patrick said. "I was never really a big fan of computers, I always called them stupid machines, now I wish I could eat those words. Do you know what she said to me last night when we talked?"

"What?"

"She said that without Andrew and Raphael, she has doubts that this will ever end," Patrick said sadly. "Then today when we were at the bus station, we met a man there named Peter Thompson. You didn't meet him, but when he heard Helena say that she shouldn't have confided in Andrew what she had been through, he told her that his son had said she was the most courageous girl he'd ever seen. She looked back over at him and said that she wasn't courageous, but stupid. I didn't know what to say, but I could tell that she blamed herself for Mary having run away."

Dan sighed, "I didn't realize that the two girls were so close."

"I don't think anyone really noticed it," Patrick said.

"I think Andrew did. I think from the start of this, he knew that something was happening with the two of them," Dan said. "I remember when I was talking to Andrew at the jail the night before you arrived, and how he had gotten a note from Helena which said that she considered him and Raphael her best friends in the world. I mean, she knows that Andrew is an Angel of Death, but that doesn't change the love she has for him, nor does it change the immense gratitude she feels for him and Raphael having helped her."

"Somehow, I get the impression that you, yourself, have already reconciled with this Angel of Death who took our father away," Patrick said.

"I did reconcile, but only because Helena asked me to. But now if the truth be known, I'm glad I did," Dan said.

~*~*~*~

Once Mary had finished eating the sandwich Andrew had given to her, he sat down next to her. "Do you feel any better now that you've had something to eat?"

"I think so," she said softly, "but I don't understand what happened. How did you and Tess end up here?"

"After we left Fairbrook, we drove up here for an assignment, and we had heard that there was going to be a 'Starshine' concert here next weekend. Running into you was an accident. In all honesty, you just happened to run into me, but why were you running?" Andrew asked. "You looked as though your life was in some kind of danger."

"There was a man at the bus station, and he wanted to send me back to Fairbrook. I didn't want to go with him," she said. "I was afraid."

Andrew looked at her, "you mean; you ran away from Fairbrook without telling anyone where you were going?"

Mary nodded, "I called Helena from the bus station."

"Did you tell her where you were going?" Andrew pressed.

"No, I hung up on her because I didn't want her to follow me," she said. "I think she would have."

"She probably would have, but that doesn't change the fact that she is worried about you," Andrew said softly. "Mary, you didn't even tell her where you wanted to go. Did you leave a note with David or Rachel so they wouldn't worry about you?"

Mary shook her head.

"You have all these people who are worried about you. No one there wants to see you get hurt. Tess and I don't want to see you get hurt, either. What did you think you could do out here all by yourself?" Andrew asked gently.

"I thought I could get a job and just put all of this behind me," she said weakly.

"You're only 15, Mary," Andrew said gently. "You should be in school, and doing the things that teenagers do, not scraping by for food, or trying to support yourself. You're still a child."

"Yeah, we'll if I'm still a child, maybe I shouldn't have been abused either," she said, her facial expression depicting how she had internalized all the pain she felt. As those words escaped, Andrew could see the anger and pain in her eyes. He reached over and took her hands gently in his.

"Before I met you and Helena, I didn't know very much about the pain you are now feeling. It completely horrified me when Helena told me what she had been through. I didn't know then, and I still am not sure how it is anyone could live with themselves having harmed a child in such a horrible way. I wish I could tell you why people use their free will to do such horrible things to each other, and more specifically, why it was that this happened to you. But Mary, I cannot and I want very much to do the right thing for you, because I do care about you. You may not see it right now, but maybe in the near future, you will."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, it's the truth," Andrew released her hands and stood up. "I think right now, I should call Brandon and tell him that you're here, and we'll drive you back to Fairbrook tomorrow morning."

"Please don't," Mary said softly.

"You know, if I didn't, I would be no better than those who have turned their backs on you and Helena. No, I have to call them. They want you to come back, Mary, and more importantly, even though it frightens you so much to actually be there, you need to face what has happened, sweetheart. As long as you do, you will be able to heal from it," he said gently.

"Please, let me stay with you, Andrew," she begged. "I wouldn't be much trouble."

Andrew smiled weakly, "I know you wouldn't, but things aren't so easy as you think. We love you, and we want to do what's best for you, but to stay with us is not what is best for you. I think deep down inside you know that."

Mary nodded weakly as both of them could hear a key turning in the door. Seconds later, Tess walked into the apartment.

"Mary? What are you doing here, baby?" Tess asked, and it was almost as if the older angel had already known that Mary was there.

"She ran away, Tess."

"But, why? Everyone there wanted to help you," Tess asked as she came over and sat down on the sofa next to the distraught teenager.

"I don't care about that anymore," Mary said without emotion, her sadness overwhelming but when she looked at Andrew with a new sense of stubbornness, both the angels knew what was going through the mind of the young girl.

Tess looked at Andrew and shook her head, and all Andrew could do was look down at his lap and sigh deeply.

~*~*~*~

Mitch was standing on the stage looking out at the empty house.

"You know you can't do anything about her running away," Ron joined him on the stage a can of lemonade in his hand.

"Everyone's been telling me that they were worried about her, but I never thought she would just run from whatever it was that was happening in Fairbrook," Mitch replied.

"You don't know about what happens to kids who talk about abuse today, because you waited. I can't even begin to imagine what the two of them are going through right now," Ron said sadly as he shook his head.

"I thought that Mary would be OK, but after Andrew and Tess disappeared, Brandon said that she wasn't the same," Mitch said. "He's been calling me for the last week updating me on what has been happening with both Mary and Helena. I guess I just couldn't even begin to imagine what had been happening with them."

"Listen, I know this brings back a lot of things for you, Mitch, but you gotta stay strong. You can't quit and run back there. We've got this tour, and we've got so much riding on all of this," Ron said softly.

"I know, but I do need some time to think about all of this," he said.

"Yeah, and on top of that, the questions about Andrew haven't died down yet, have they?" Ron said.

"No, they haven't, and it really bothers me that neither of them has offered any sort of comprehensible explanation as to why they have just taken off like that," Mitch said.

"Well, then just wait until Saturday night and then you can talk to Andrew. He's supposed to be here, right?" Ron asked.

Mitch picked up his guitar, "yeah, I think he is."

"Well, then, you can ask him all your questions then," Ron suggested.

Mitch strummed some chords on the guitar as his friend and band-mate jumped down from the stage. "Don't worry, Mitch, everything may look a little bit crazy now, but that's because the smoke hasn't cleared with the situation with Mary and Helena. When everything is over, things will look better all the way around," Ron said.

"I wish I had your optimism," Mitch said as he continued to strum the guitar.

"I often said the same thing about you," Ron answered, his expression showing just how much respect he had for Mitch.

Mitch smiled slightly and put the guitar back on the stand. Behind him, Monica stood in angelic form; all the while she watched the musician and she sighed sadly. The moment of truth was quickly approaching, and she knew that soon he was going to need an angel.

"Father," she whispered softly to the stillness and knowing that the young musician could not hear her words. "Please take care of Mitch, give him the strength to overcome what his tragic past has done to him. Help him to face it, and overcome it in only the way you know."

Her words spoken, she began to follow him as he stepped down from the stage and walked down the aisle in the direction of the sound booth.

~*~*~*~

"Helena, we're here," Dan reached towards the back seat and touched the arm of his daughter.

She opened her eyes and could see the lights of the Seattle bus station around her. Dan reached out and took her hand once she had slid from the backseat of the car. "Do you think she'll be here?" Helena finally managed to ask.

"I don't know," Patrick answered, "if she's not, we'll continue searching until we find her."

She looked at her father, "I'm afraid, Daddy."

"I know, but we're going to find her, don't worry," Dan said.

"Let's get inside and have a look around," Patrick said.

The three of them rushed through the doors and inside the large bus station. "Who should we talk to, Pat?" Dan asked.

"I don't know," Patrick answered, "but I guess we should first go to the information stand, and see if someone there could help us."

"Just tell them the name of the nice man from Fairbrook," Helena suggested.

"Good idea," Dan said and they rushed towards the information desk. There stood a young woman. "Hiuh, I'm not sure if you can help us, but we spoke to Peter Thompson earlier today, and we've just driven up from Fairbrook, North Dakota."

"You're expected, my boss informed all of us that you would be coming," she said. "Go down the hallway, and when you reach the door marked 'private' knock, and someone will help you."

"Thank you," Patrick offered and they followed her instructions.

"What do you think they'll say, Uncle Patrick?" Helena asked.

"I don't know, but I guess we're about to find out," he said once they reached the door and knocked.

~*~*~*~

Once Andrew was able to get Mary to lie down and the girl had fallen asleep almost instantly, he and Tess crept out of the room, and closed the door.

"Angel Boy, what are you going to do about this?" Tess asked.

"I don't know," Andrew said weakly, "I think I should call someone in Fairbrook and at least tell them that Mary's OK."

"Who are you going to call?" Tess asked.

"Brandon Montgomery, I don't have anyone else's number and he should be able to let the others know that Mary is safe," he said softly.

"What are we going to do about Mary? I mean she really does see you as her father figure?" Tess asked.

Andrew sighed deeply, "I know."

"She had no idea that we were here, did she?" Tess asked.

"No, I think this was just a freak accident. I had gone for a walk, and suddenly, there she was running straight into me. She had her head down, was running as though she was being chased, and it was obvious that she was afraid. I didn't notice if there was someone else behind her, all I knew was that she was suddenly there. It's strange, but there was once a song that said: 'it's a small world', and in this case, I really had no idea until now how small this world really is."

"I think you should call Brandon, and at least leave a message for him that Mary is with us," Tess said. "The last thing we need is for the people who love her back in Fairbrook to worry needlessly about where she is.

Andrew nodded and went to pick up the phone. "I was supposed to call him about the concert for Saturday, but I don't know if I am really up to trying to plan a meeting when we have to find a way to get Mary home."

"Should we try?" Tess asked. "We also need to check with Monica and see how her assignment is going."

Andrew nodded, "speaking of assignments, where's Raphael?"

"Oh, Sam's supervising him on another assignment," Tess offered freely. "Now, weren't you going to make a phone call?"

Tess could tell by looking at her Angel Boy that things were completely coming unraveled for him, but when she caught him staring down the hallway towards the room where Mary slept, she couldn't help but wonder what it was about this young girl that made her compassionate Angel Boy's emotions turn to jelly.

~*~*~*~

The Seattle bus station was bustling with activity as Patrick, Dan, and Helena waited for the door to open and the assistance to come that they needed in order to track down Mary. When a young man in his late twenties opened the door, he smiled at the three of them.

"Hi, can I help you?" he asked.

"Uh yes, my name is Patrick Summers, and we're here about a young girl named Mary Williams," he began.

"I'm Gary Charlton, please come inside," he said and they entered the small office.

Once they had taken seats, Patrick looked at the young man and could tell from his years of training that something was not quite right. Something had happened. "Where is she?" he finally asked.

"She's gone," he said softly. "We were all on alert, Mr. Summers, and the entire staff here was on the lookout for her when the bus arrived from Fairbrook. I saw her get off, and from the description Peter had given us over the phone, I knew that it was her. I approached her, and introduced myself, and once that had happened, I had taken hold of her arm and began to escort her back towards these offices. She became somewhat unnerved and in her fear, she managed to get away from me and ran away. I took off after her, but she was too fast, and got away. She ran through the park, and when she reached the sidewalk, I gave up and concluded that the best thing I could do was to get back here, and tell you where I saw her go."

"Where did she go then?" Dan asked.

"There was a man," Gary continued speaking. "He looked to be about my height with blonde hair. She had run smack dab into him and when she looked up at him, she passed out in his arms."

Patrick exchanged looks with Dan. "Could you describe the man you saw?" He asked.

"Yeah, he had shoulder length blonde hair and was dressed in dark beige pants and white shirt. I mean; he looked like a nice enough guy," he spoke somewhat nervously. "Anyway, I did attempt to approach them but once he picked her up and carried her towards a nearby apartment building, I could only try to stay hidden. But, for some reason, I had a feeling that they knew each other."

Helena sighed with relief once she realized that from what this man was saying, Andrew had found Mary and taken her some place safe. "Daddy, Andrew is here," she finally said.

Dan nodded, and looked at his brother, Patrick was left facing a huge dilemma. He wondered if he should go with them to pick up Mary or just stay away. He still had no idea what to do about the situation with the angel, and right now, he was not willing to contend with it.

Gary looked at the three of them. "Listen, I have the address of the building where I saw the man go with her. He isn't going to harm her, is he?"

"Oh, no he wouldn't hurt a fly," Helena confirmed. "He's one of the most gentle people in the world."

"Maybe so, but I still feel really badly about what happened here," Gary said.

"No, you shouldn't feel badly, Mr. Charlton," Patrick began, "but if you don't mind, I think one of us should go and check at that building and to see if we can find her."

"I understand Sir," came the answer. "Here's the address, but let me go down the hall and get a map so I can show you specifically how to get there since it's kinda tricky."

Dan nodded and as the man was leaving, he looked down at Helena, "you see, everything will be fine."

"But, what about with you, Uncle Patrick?" she asked noticing that as soon as the third man had left the office that the color had drained from Patrick's face.

"I will have to leave, Helena, you and your dad should go alone to pick up Mary," he said softly.

"But, why don't you come with us?" she asked.

Dan put his hand on the shoulder of his daughter, "Patrick is still dealing with a lot of things about Andrew and our father, Helena. He needs some time to sort out everything, and if he shows up there, chances are, Mary may end up feeling even more isolated than she already is as a result of it. You know, Pat, you're going to have to face him sooner or later."

Patrick simply stood there and looked uncomfortable and after a few minutes, he looked at her, his expression clouding over, and in his eyes, she could see something she had never seen in this man before, fear. "I'd prefer later to sooner."

"You're afraid of Andrew?" Helena asked softly.

Patrick nodded weakly. "It's not the easiest thing to admit, but, yes, it's true. Like I said, I'm going to need some time to myself to sort all of this out, so I'm going to fly back to Des Moines tonight. You and your dad are going to get Mary, and then once that is done, you will go back to Fairbrook."

"Uncle Patrick, for what it's worth, I know about fear," she swallowed the lump that had formed in her own throat before she was able to continue speaking. "I have to testify on Monday against my stepfather," she looked up at him, her brown eyes meeting his and he could see the tears that began to brim under them. "Brandon called today while you were gone, Daddy. It was before Mary called me from the bus station. He said that he would come by tonight to see us about it, and he said that on Monday there will be a hearing against Greg, and I'm scared of facing him or my mother about this."

Patrick looked at his assistant and then back down at the young girl. "I've never met a more courageous person in my life than you, Helena. I know you will do it and that everything will be fine. I just know that in my case, I still need some time."

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?" Dan asked.

"It's not a question of what I want to do, Dan, it's a question of what I have to do," he said assuredly. "With me being there, it would just mess up everything. Maybe I'm the reason Mary ran away in the first place."

"I don't believe it," Helena said softly. "You're sometimes a grouch, but I don't think you're a bad person, besides, this is between you and Andrew, it really has nothing to do with Mary."

Patrick grinned sheepishly, "thank you, Helena, I think," he mused, but looked over at Dan who simply nodded.

"We do understand, Pat. Don't we Honey?"

Helena nodded sadly as Gary reentered the room.

"OK, here's how to get there," he said and pointed down at the map. As he showed Dan how to get to the building, only Helena was left watching as Patrick Summers walked slowly out of the room and closed the door behind him.

~*~*~*~

It was about 9 in the evening when Brandon finally made his way home. After a short conversation with Rachel and David, he decided that it would be best if he got back for the call that would come in from Andrew. He wasn't sure if it had been placed, but when he walked into the house, and Judy informed him that no one had called, he sighed with relief and sat down at the bar with a glass of orange juice and the newspaper.

Once the phone rang, he reached across the bar and retrieved it. "Hello?"

"Brandon, it's Andrew."

"You didn't try to call earlier, did you?" He asked. "I was over at Rachel and David's place this evening and things kind of got a bit crazy around here today."

"I understand, Brandon. Actually, I have some news to give you, and I just got a chance to call you now, because something unexpected just happened," Andrew said and Brandon could tell that he was tired.

"You sound like I feel," Brandon said when Andrew paused.

"If you mean tired, then, yes, that's how I feel," Andrew said softly. "The reason I called is not about the concert, but it's about Mary."

"Yeah, there was something I wanted to tell you about her too. She ran away this morning," Brandon said.

"I know, she's here, and I wanted to let you know so won't worry anymore about her." He quickly explained what had happened. "She ran into me this evening when I was coming home. She's sleeping now."

"Andrew, I don't want to see you get into trouble, but Patrick, Dan, and Helena are on their way to Seattle to pick her up. I don't know if they know where she is, but you should get her to the bus station. That's probably the quickest way to get her back to Fairbrook."

"Perhaps, but I think she was afraid of going back there. She said that something happened to her when she arrived here. I think she reacted more or less in fear, but she was noticeably worried," Andrew said as he swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in the back of his throat.

"I know this sounds really crazy, but Helena, Dan, and Patrick drove out there this afternoon. Rachel called me earlier and told me that an alert has been put out at the bus station in Seattle."

"Mary is pretty shaken up, Brandon," Andrew said. "I think maybe we should drive her back to Fairbrook tomorrow morning."

"You'd come all that way to bring her back here?" Brandon asked.

"Yes," Andrew said softly, "I care about her."

Seconds later, Andrew could hear a knock on the door. "I have to go, someone's here," he offered. "I'll call you in a few days about the concert, but we will be bringing Mary home tomorrow morning."

Brandon sighed deeply, but finally managed to speak. "OK."

Once Andrew hung up the phone, he went to open the door. Standing on the other side were Dan and Helena. "Andrew, it's true, you're really here," she said as she threw her arms around him.

"Helena, Dan, it's so good to see you," Andrew offered once his embrace with Helena ended. He half expected to see Patrick standing next to Dan, but when he didn't, he looked questionably at them.

"Patrick isn't here," Helena offered.

"He's not?" he asked.

"No," Dan said. "Can we come in? There are a few things we need to discuss."

Andrew backed away from the door and the two of them came inside. When Helena saw Tess coming down the hallway, she ran straight into her arms. "Tess!"

"Helena!" Tess wrapped her in his arms and the two of them hugged. "What are you doing here?"

"We were told at the train station that Mary was here, so we came to get her," she said softly.

Andrew sat down on the sofa, and rested his head in his hands.

Dan sat down next to him and when he saw his daughter hugging Tess, he spoke. "Would you two excuse us for a little bit?"

Helena and Tess both nodded and left the living room.

"Andrew, things in Fairbrook are a bit crazy now," Dan began. "Helena got a call this morning from Brandon, and he said that..." his voice trailed.

"Helena and Mary have to do a testimony for the hearing?" Andrew finished for him.

"You talked to Brandon too?" Dan asked.

"Yes, I initially had called him about the concert, but then he told me about all of this," Andrew said.

"Does Mary know about it yet?" Dan asked.

"If she does, then I didn't tell her," Andrew said. "I couldn't do that to her, she's so frightened about the entire thing. I didn't have the heart to make her feel more afraid than she already is."

"You really care about her, don't you?" Dan asked.

"Yes, in very much the same way you care for Helena, Dan," Andrew said.

"Where does all of this leave your uhwork?" Dan asked.

"I cannot make that choice, Dan," Andrew answered. "To follow God's will is the meaning of my existence, I cannot stop what I do to become a father to a teenage girl," as he spoke, he sighed sadly. "That doesn't mean that care any less for Mary, it just means that I cannot be who she wants me to be."

Dan rested a comforting hand on Andrew's shoulder. "I guess that's something I will never be able to understand, but I'm so worried about Helena, she's taking all of this on her own shoulders, and I know she wants to do everything possible to make things easier for Mary, but how much can a girl carry?"

Andrew shook his head sadly. "I don't know, Dan, I really wish I did."

"She doesn't have to tell me anything, but I know that Helena is really worried about everything that has been happening, she even told my brother that without you being around, she has her doubts that this will ever end," Dan said softly.

After a few moments of silence passed between them, Andrew nodded. "I realize now that we have to go back."

"You're really in a hard situation there, though, aren't you?" Dan asked.

The angel could say nothing; he simply nodded.

"Listen, you're our friend, Andrew, and we're going to do everything we can to get you off the hook with this, but with Mary's frame of mind, it's going to be hard, she thinks no one loves her. She's been through something really horrible and she thinks she is not worthy of love; not from you, David, Rachel, or even Helena. It's such a horrible situation, and I'm seeing her mentally dying and can do nothing for her," Dan said compassionately.

"We can pray," Andrew said softly.

"True," Dan nodded. "I guess for now, that will have to be enough."

~*~*~*~

Mary opened her eyes the following morning and she crawled out of bed. From the small room, she could see that the sun was just peeking out and she looked down at her wrinkled clothes. She remembered the night before only vaguely, but she could feel the tears in her eyes. She walked slowly out of the room and down the hallway in the direction of the living room. When she reached the room, she noticed that Dan was asleep on the sofa and without saying anything; she went to the front door and opened it before sneaking outside.

The cool wind was blowing, but she looked around and walked away from the apartment. As she walked towards the pool, she could see that Andrew was seated on one of the lounge chairs and he seemed to be in prayer because his head was down and his eyes were closed. As soon as she reached the iron gate that led into the area, she noticed that his eyes suddenly opened and he looked up.

"Hi," she looked down at her feet as she closed the gate behind her and walked across the cobblestones in order to reach where he was sitting.

"Hi Mary, did you sleep all right?" He asked as he ran his hand through his hair.

"I guess," she said softly. "I thought about what you said last night."

"You did?" He asked his voice low.

"Yeah," she replied, but after a minute, she spoke again. "Andrew?" When he looked at her, he could see the overwhelming sadness in his eyes. "I'm sorry that I made such a mess of everything," she offered softly.

"You didn't, but you know, if I could have a daughter and if I could be what you wish of me, then I would," he said softly. "I didn't want to hurt you, I would never want to do anything that would hurt you, Mary. You believe me, don't you?"

The teenager looked down at her lap, but after a few moments of silence passed she nodded numbly. "I believe you, but it hurts so much."

Andrew nodded. "I know."

"What would make it stop?" She asked softly.

"Have you prayed, Mary?" He asked and as she shook her head, he extended his hand towards her. "Come over here and sit with me."

Mary walked over to where he was sitting. As soon as she reached him, she offered her hand to him, the tears were still streaming down her cheeks as she felt his warm fingers encircle her hand and pull her gently onto his lap. Once she was sitting there, she sadly rested her head against the crock of his shoulder as she began to weep softly, her voice emerging in the form of a prayer. "God, please help me, I feel so alone." Her voice emerged barely audible, but after she had tried to speak, she could suddenly feel Andrew's hand stroking her hair and this made her cry all the more harder. "I'm so scared," her cries became all the more stronger and she buried her face against his shoulder, her arms holding all the more tightly to him.

"It's OK," Andrew whispered soothingly. "He knows."

She looked up at him as soon as he had spoken, her eyes were filled with tears, the deep pain emerging as she managed to find her voice. "You're the only person who has ever held me, and…" her voice trailed.

"And?" Andrew asked, but when she said nothing further, he continued to speak. "What is it, Mary?"

"You never hit me," she whimpered. "You never hurt me, but you don't want me either." As she spoke, her words grew softer and softer and she held tightly to him as the tears spilled down over her face. The extent of the rejection she felt deep in her heart continued to stab at the angel's gentle spirit.

Andrew took her face in his tender hands and he made her look at him. "Give someone else a chance, Mary. Let some of our friends in Fairbrook show you that they care, that they would be there for you."

"I'm so afraid," she whispered.

"I know you are, but I also know that you are strong," Andrew said softly. "I know you think I'm rejecting you, but I'm not." When he noticed that she had closed her eyes he took a deep breath before continuing to speak. "Open your eyes, sweetheart." Once she had done as he instructed, he continued, his eyes staring into her own. "I will always, always be your friend. That won't ever change, and you know, I believe you're always going to be my friend."

Mary nodded numbly as he finished speaking, but instead of speaking further, she could feel that he had once again taken her in his arms and he was now holding her as he had been doing since she had come out to the pool area. Some moments later, she closed her eyes. "Andrew?"

"What is it?"

"When you said that you'd take me back home, will you please stay until after I testify?" She asked weakly. "I know I wasn't supposed to hear you and Dan talking last night, but I had woken up and come down the hall and I heard you say my name…" her voice trailed off and she looked down at her lap.

"You heard us talking about this?" He asked gently.

"Y-you're not mad at me?"

"No, sweetheart, I'm not," Andrew said gently. "Perhaps it is good that you did. I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, because I knew you were afraid."

"I'm still afraid, I don't know what to do, and I don't know if I will have to f-face Greg alone again."

"You won't," Andrew said gently. "You won't ever have to face him alone. Maybe it would help if I were to be there with you when you testify," he offered gently.

She nodded, "yeah, but I didn't know if that was possible."

"You know what?" He smiled gently at her. "I know that you're afraid, and I also know that when you testify, it will be really hard for you to do so, but you'll do it and you're going to show the whole town just how much strength and courage you have."

"I'm not, though; I'm a coward," she whispered.

"You're not," Andrew said gently. "I know that you are a strong person, and that strength will help get you through all of this. You see, you have a gift, and God gave it to you, because He loves you, Mary. He knows that you're frightened by the possibility of going through all this alone." he smiled at her. "I can promise you that you won't be alone, Mary. No matter what happens, God will be right there with you, and He will continue to give you the strength you need. He doesn't want to see you fall, and He doesn't want you to feel alone in all of this. That's why He sends angels. He knows that you're scared, and He knows that you and Helena are going to need a little extra help in the coming weeks."

"Y-you're going to be there?" She asked weakly.

Andrew nodded. "I promise, I'll be there with you, and I will do everything I can to help you through all of this. That is, if you will not try to run away from it and realize that there are others who want to help you. Perhaps then it will be easier for you to face everything, but whatever the case, I'll be there, OK?"

"You mean it?" She asked weakly.

Andrew nodded and smiled gently at the young girl. "I mean every single word, Mary. That's why we're all going back to Fairbrook together. No more running away, OK?"

Mary nodded. "OK, but it's so hard."

"I know, and I think you will amaze not only those friends you have in Fairbrook, but you will amaze yourself, sometimes that's a gift from God as well," Andrew said and together they watched as the sun rose above the trees.

~*~*~*~

Helena crawled out of bed later that morning and looked out the window. In the distance she could see that Andrew and Mary were sitting outside watching the sunrise, and rather than go and find them, she crawled out of bed and went down the hall to the bathroom. Once she had washed her face, she came out of the small room and went towards the kitchen.

As she came into the kitchen, she could see that Tess was making some toast and eggs and she sat down at the bar. "Hi."

"Good morning, honey," Tess said smiling broadly at the young girl. "How'd you sleep?"

"OK, Mary was up most of the night, she was crying and stuff," Helena said softly. "I think she's as scared as I am, but she's better at showing it than me. I think sometimes that I have to be strong."

"Why?" Tess asked as she sat a plate of eggs in front of Helena.

"I don't know, I can't explain it but, I just feel that I have to do the right thing, and if I fall apartTess, if I fall apart then what's going to happen to Mary. I've got it better than she does, but if I lose it, then what's to stop Mary from doing so as well?" Her eyes filled with tears and she looked at the wise angel before staring down at the eggs that were placed in front of her. "I just don't know if I have the strength anymore."

"Helena, you are brave, that is no question, but sometimes courage lies in being honest with your feelings. Now, you've already shown us that you're brave, now you have to show others the extent of your courage, and that will come from telling the truth," Tess said and smiled gently at the young girl.

"But, what if the authorities send Mary back to live with our mother and step-father? What if they let Greg go and they throw our testimony out? What if…"

Tess stood up and walked over to where Helena was seated and once she was next to the girl, she pulled her into a warm embrace, thus silencing her and keeping her from spewing out agonizing questions. "Now, you listen to me, honey. The best way to prevent any of those things from happening is to tell the truth. If you keep silent about it, then what you fear the most may happen. Now, Andrew and I are here, and we're going to help you."

"Where's Raphael?" Helena asked.

"He's on another assignment, but you know what? You'll seen him again," Tess said gently. "Now, why don't you eat those eggs before they get cold?"

Helena nodded and started to eat, all the while she could not stop thinking about what was happening back in Fairbrook, and what they would be able to do to help her sister. Mary was not always nice to her, but she was hurting so much now. She sighed deeply and stabbed at the food in front of her. As soon as she had finished eating she could hear the door opening and she turned around and could see that Andrew and Mary had come inside.

"Hey," Helena offered weakly as her sister sat down next to her.

"Hi," Mary said softly.

"You OK?"

"I think so," Mary sighed deeply as she spoke.

Helena looked at her sister. "What?"

"Nothing," Mary whispered.

"You know we have to testify?" Helena asked.

"Yeah, I overheard it all last night," Mary said softly. "What do you think about it?"

"I don't know. Do you think they'll listen to us?" Helena asked weakly.

Mary shook her head. "The only ones who have listened us have been angels."

"That's not true," Helena said softly. "Mitch, Brandon, David, and Rachel have listened and my dad listens."

"Well, that's the difference between you and me, then," Mary looked at her sister, the emotions getting the better of her. "You have a dad, I don't have squat. You have someone who will listen to you, but I don't, I'm on my own here."

"No you're not, you just think that because you don't have a dad yet," Helena said softly. "My uncle Patrick wanted to help you find your dad. That's why he had come to David and Rachel's house in the first place. But, instead of talking to him, you ran away. You know, sometimes it's more important to stay and face your troubles than it is to blame someone else or to run away from them. You think I'm happy about what has happened? Do you?"

"No," Mary conceded.

"You're right, I'm not," Helena stood up and was about to go. "I have been so scared these past days. I've felt just as frightened as you have, and I've been hurt because I've tried to hide these feelings to protect you. Maybe it was stupid of me to do so, but that's what's happened." With that she turned and walked away. Seconds later, the door slammed behind her.

Once outside, she looked around the large courtyard of the apartment complex. Behind her the door opened and she turned around and could see that Andrew had come outside and was walking towards her.

"I thought you were making breakfast," she said softly as he approached where she was standing.

"I was, but Tess came and relieved me from kitchen duties," Andrew said softly.

"I guess you're mad at me now for telling Mary how I felt about this entire thing," Helena said softly as the two of them started to walk through the courtyard.

The Angel of Death shook his head as he ran his hand through his soft blonde hair. "No, I'm not, I think she really needed to hear those words."

"I'm just so angry right now," Helena said softly. "It's OK to be angry, isn't it?"

"Of course."

"Do angels ever get mad? I mean; really so angry that they don't know which way is up?" She asked weakly.

"Not very often, but it has been known to happen," Andrew said. "I'll tell you a secret, I once destroyed someone's computer because I got angry. It wasn't intentional, but the frustration was definitely there."

"I feel forgotten in all of this," Helena said softly, the tears filling her large brown eyes and she looked up at him. "Is it selfish of me to feel this way?"

"No, it's not. Helena, your fears about all of this are just as valid as Mary's, and you shouldn't feel badly because you have Dan to help you through everything, you should simply feel blessed, but to be afraid is completely normal, and to be angry with what has transpired is as normal as breathing," Andrew said softly as he rested a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You know, I never intended to make you feel forgotten."

Helena nodded numbly, but after a few moments, she looked down at the ground, and could see the sidewalk in front of her.

"What is it? Are you OK?" He asked.

"Y-you know, I said that I didn't know if I can even get through all of this without you being with us," she whispered. "You're my best friend, Andrew."

The angel wrapped the young girl in his arms. "You're mine too," he smiled gently at her and brushed his hand gently through her hair. "I'm going to be there with you both during all of this. But, look to God for the strength you need, Helena, not to me. I cannot give you strength, but I can guarantee that He can."

"But you do, I mean, without your belief in me, I wouldn't have been able to talk about this, much less, get through it," she whispered from the sanctuary of his embrace.

"That means a lot to me, my friend, but I know that you will, and I hope that I will be able to help," he smiled gently at her, but he held tightly to her. Through his embrace, Helena felt the comfort emanating from him and in through this she found herself able to cry in his arms.

~*~*~*~

Mitch Johnson looked out the window at his hotel room on the opposite side of town. As he did, questions resonated in his mind and he could not help but wonder about the two young girls he had left back in Fairbrook.

Seconds later and someone knocked on the door to his room and he went to answer it, the surprise evident on his face when he saw Monica standing on the opposite side, her long auburn hair blowing in the breeze.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"May I come in?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, I guess so, but why?"

"Mitch, I've been watching over you since your band left Fairbrook," Monica said softly.

"Why? What are you, some kind of groupie? I mean; we don't promote that kind of stuff, you know? We're just trying to…"His voice trailed and he shook his head.

"You're trying to raise public awareness about child abuse," Monica finished for him. "Mitch, I am not a groupie. I haven't been following you to pester you or to take something from you; I am here because I have to give you something, a message. You see; I am an angel." As she spoke she began to glow causing him to back up from the door.

"Come on in," he finally managed to sputter, but she could see that he was not exactly stable on his feet.

"Thank you," Monica came into the room and the door was immediately closed behind her. When she did not cease glowing Mitch was left to rub his eyes in profound disbelief. Seeing this, she began to speak, her voice gentle. "Mitch, it's true, I am an angel, sent from God with a message for you, and for your band-mates as well, but mostly this is about you."

"W-what's your name again? I-I think you told me, but that was some time ago and well; you know how it is with this business. We meet so many people. I mean, uh…oh heck, you know what I mean, right?" Mitch asked, his voice emerging flustered.

"That's OK, Mitch, my name is Monica, and the reason I'm here is because God knew that you were being reminded of your own past through what was happening with Helena and Mary. He knew that you had many questions, but He also realized that this event may turn you away from music and that would be a mistake."

"You know that's what I was thinking," he began. "I had been contemplating this since the story broke. I wanted to do something that would really make a difference, but I didn't know what, and I've not had any inspiration since I left Fairbrook. Why is that, why I can't I write any more music?"

"God gives you inspiration, Mitch," Monica began. "You just have to find it, it will come in accordance with His plan. Don't you see, Mitch? You are making a difference, you don't have to ponder whether or not what you are doing is significant, you know the answer, now you have to embrace it," Monica said gently as she sat down at the table and looked at him.

"How, it hurts sometimes to do this?" Mitch asked weakly, his voice breaking unconsciously.

"You are giving children the courage to speak out about what they have endured. It was no accident that you met Helena and Mary, Mitch. And it was certainly no accident that your past and theirs somehow ended up intertwined. You see, Mitch, what happens is that sometimes, people call these events accidents, but do you know what? They aren't because in God's language, accidents don't just happen. Someone once said that coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. It's true, there is always a reason behind why things happen, and you may not understand today, but one day, you will."

"Was there a reason why I was abused?" Mitch asked, his eyes filled with pain as he looked into the warm brown eyes of the angel.

"I don't know, but I can tell you this, how you react to your past will have an impact not only on your music, but it will also leave an impact on Mary and Helena. You see, Mitch, there is a reason for you to have met those girls when you did. There was a reason you were convinced to play at the schools in Fairbrook, and there is a reason God sent me to you now. He sent angels to Helena and Mary as well, you have been asking questions about Andrew and Raphael, and now you must not look any further for those answers."

"Andrew?"

Monica nodded. "Yes, Andrew, Tess and Raphael are all angels, and they, were there to help Helena speak of what she had endured, but it was the choice of your cousin, Brandon, to actually listen with his heart to the voices of those two special children," Monica took a deep breath. "You need to face your past as well, and you need to understand, that the man, your coach, is the same man who abused those two girls. For this reason I was sent to you. Ralph Schlange and Greg Hunter are one and the same, Mitch, and after Ralph was accused of child abuse in these other cities, he returned home, but had changed his name prior to marrying the girls' mother."

Mitch looked at her. "It's the same person?"

"Yes," Monica said softly as she could see the tears now streaming from beneath his eyes. "It's the same person, and through your words, you will be able to profoundly help those two girls." She reached over and took his hand. "I know this is hard for you, but imagine how much courage it is taking Helena and Mary to speak about what they have endured in the hands of this man. Mary is afraid that she will have to return to this home and endure even more."

"Then, Y-you were sent here to help me face this, weren't you?" Mitch asked weakly. "I never thought I would have to face this again."

"I know, Mitch, and God knows, but now you are in a position where you can help those two girls by coming out and telling the court what has happened to you. It is by no means a reason for you to run away from your life," Monica said softly. "The music is like your calling, Mitch, you're a wonderful singer, and a dynamic songwriter, and both things were incredible gifts of the Father. Of the same God who loves you very much."

"I have a hard time believing that God would love me, Monica," Mitch said softly, his head still down. "I felt abandoned by Him when I was abused. I felt like He had walked away and left me there without a friend in the world."

"He was there, Mitch, He has always been there for you; when you were abused He wept for you, and today you just need to start believing in the presence that He had in your life. He cares so much for you, and He cares for Mary and Helena, too. The question is, can you overlook the abandoned feelings you once had in order to be there for two girls who need you now more than ever before?"

Mitch looked at her. "I will try, Monica, I'll do my best," he said softly.

"God loves you, Mitch, and it was during those times that you felt that no one was there for you, that He carried you through all the pain and all the rejection you experienced. You must never stop believing that He is there with you," she said gently.

The musician could still feel the tears streaming from beneath his tired eyes, but with his hand he rubbed the moisture away, he looked up and made eye contact with the angel. "Monica?"

"Yes?"

"You won't leave now, will you?" He asked weakly.

"No Mitch, I have no intention of leaving you alone to face this," she smiled gently at him and when he began to weep bitterly, she wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly in her arms.

~*~*~*~

It was late in the evening when Tess, and Andrew drove Dan, and the two girls back to Fairbrook. As they pulled up in front of David and Rachel's house, Mary turned to Andrew. "W-would you come with me?"

"Sure," Andrew got out of the car and pulled the seat up so the young girl could crawl out. Once she had gotten out, he closed the door and the two of them walked up to the front door. Before they got there and were able to reach the doorbell, the door swung open and David stuck his head out.

"Hey," he said and smiled when he saw that Andrew and Mary were standing on the doorstep. "How was the trip?"

"OK," Mary mumbled, her head was constantly down and the young teacher knew that she was afraid of how he was going to react to her. She slipped quietly inside leaving David looking at Andrew.

"She's really scared, isn't she?" David found himself asking.

"Yes, she is," Andrew nodded. "Please don't be angry with her for running away, she's dealing with so much fear right now that she doesn’t know what it is she ought to do."

"Well, that's all fine and good, but if she keeps running away, this mess won't ever be resolved," David said softly.

"I know, and she knows that now, David," Andrew said. "She told me that she would try not to run away, and Tess and I are back for awhile to help her with that a little bit."

"That's really nice of you, heaven only knows she's going to need it. The word is, now Hunter has a big shot lawyer from Bismarck coming down to take the case, and I am at a loss as to what we will be able to do. I just wish that I could believe in miracles, Andrew," David said softly.

"There are miracles, David, you just can't stop believing it," Andrew said.

"Thanks, I truly know that things have not been easy for you or Tess, but I am so grateful that you somehow can help Mary to not be so afraid." He shook his head.

As they stood on the doorstep for some moments, Rachel came outside. "Hi," she smiled weakly at Andrew.

"Hello, Rachel," Andrew smiled gently.

"Listen, if you'd like, I just finished cooking dinner, and if you and Tess would like to come inside, we would really like it if you could join us," she smiled warmly.

"Thank you," Andrew said softly, and he waved towards Tess, who got out of the car and walked up the sidewalk towards the door.

Once they came inside, the door closed and they came out into the living room.

Mary was, by this time seated on the sofa, her head was down, but she stared down at her lap without saying anything.

"Mary, it's time to eat, come on honey," Rachel rested a hand on her foster daughter's shoulder.

When Mary didn't move, Rachel squeezed her shoulder and smiled gently at her as she sat down. "You know, nobody's angry with you, we're glad you're back, and we're going to do whatever we can to help. Will you trust us?"

Mary nodded her head numbly, but her hair fell down over and concealed her eyes. "Did you know that Andrew and Tess are angels?" Mary mumbled.

"Angels?" Rachel looked at her foster daughter. "Are you certain?"

"Yeah, they're real angels, and I promised that I wouldn't run away again," Mary said softly. "But I'm so scared, Rachel."

"I know you are," Rachel said softly. "We all know that this is a terrible situation for you to be in, but we're not to abandon you to face it alone. I promise you, Mary, we will be with you through all of this, and no matter how hard it may seem to cope with it, we will be there to help you through it."

Mary could feel the tears streaming down her face, but she looked up and could see that Andrew had come into the room and sat down on the sofa next to her. As he did, he smiled at Rachel.

"You're an angel, huh?" Rachel asked weakly as she took Mary in her arms and held her tightly.

"Yes, I am," Andrew said softly.

"Well, that doesn't surprise me," Rachel said softly. "You have been so kind to these two special girls through everything, Andrew, and I just know that now you're here that things will work out."

"They will," Andrew said as the doorbell rang, and Rachel looked up.

"I wonder who that could be," she mumbled as she squeezed Mary's shoulder comfortingly and went to open the door. Standing on the other side, was Mitch Johnson as well as the other three members of the group, Starshine. A few steps behind them, stood Monica.

(The End.... Part 2)

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