A 'Touched By An Angel' story

And Sequel to 'Blowing Smoke', 'The Watch and the Star',

'The Hero', 'Christmas Wishes' and 'In Need of Answers'

By: Yvette Jessen

This had probably been the worst day of Adam's existence as an Angel of Death.

It usually was a bad day when he would have assignments that were somehow linked to incidents leading up to drunk driving fatalities. This time, this case did involve a drunk driver, but it also involved a child, and worse still, a child he knew and had befriended.

The case had summoned him to Virginia, to the exact same town where his dear friend Brittany Harrows lived, and for a split second, he wondered, almost to the point of paranoia if something horrible had happened to Brittany.

He somehow could not let go of this, and he understood that it was probably coincidence simply because she lived in this small town, yet, for some reason, he could not help but wonder if this involved her. He continued to ponder this question of whether or not his assignment was his special young friend. For some reason, he dismissed it simply because he knew that the Father would never set him up for this kind of shock. The Father also knew that Adam felt a special love for this little girl.

However, Adam also realized that if Brittany was in some sort of danger, or if something had happened to her, he would probably be the angel sent to be with her, yet he didn't want to think that she was in trouble, simply because she was just so precious to him. The Angel of Death was left to conclude that this did not involve Brittany, and he sighed with relief when the Father made it clear to him that his assignment was not Brittany; well at least not yet.

As he stood on the side of the street, he could feel the cool breeze against his face, and he raised his hand to brush it across his mouth as he walked down the small two-lane street that led into town.

"Adam?" He heard a familiar voice call out his name and this voice brought him back down to Earth. He slowly turned around, looked up, and could see that his longtime friend and fellow Angel of Death, Andrew had appeared from out of nowhere and was approaching.

"What are you doing here?" Adam finally managed to ask.

"I was sent to help you," Andrew said softly, a look of gravity evidently shadowing his handsome face. Hearing those words, somehow acted as an indicator to Adam that this wasn't just another assignment, but something was seriously wrong. He could not read it, but he could certainly detect it, simply from the expression on Andrew's face.

"You came here to help me? But, why?" Adam wanted to know, his voice filled with curiosity. "What I mean is, ever since Leah got transferred to 'Search and Rescue' I've been pretty much working solo."

"I know, but the Father sent me here to be with you and to help you with this case. You see, Adam, this may very well be a harder than usual assignment for you," Andrew said sadly.

"I've had this strange feeling ever since I got here," Adam said. "Please tell me, Andrew, who is it? Is it Brittany?"

"No, it's not Brittany, Adam," Andrew said softly, as he watched the relief wash over his friend's distraught face. "Adam, do you remember Matthew?"

"He was one of the boys from Brittany's class," Adam began, but the color faded from his cheeks and he looked at Andrew. "Is he…?" His question emerged, but his voice trailed off.

"Not yet, but we're on stand-by, Adam," Andrew said and rested a gentle hand on his friend's shoulder and pointed down the street where six or seven children were playing with a large blue inflatable ball. As they played, the ball would get away from them and various children would take off after it sometimes bringing them out onto the street.

Andrew sighed deeply, he knew that this would not be an easy assignment for Adam, Matthew was one of Brittany's former classmates, and though he didn't know the boy very well, Andrew knew that Adam was especially fond of the children from Brittany's homeroom class from a couple of years ago.

Before Andrew could say anything else to his friend, he watched as Adam practically broke into a run in the direction of where Matthew and some of the other children were playing near the edge of the street. When Adam reached where the children were, he stood in the middle of the group, but none of them could see him, and when he reached for the ball, his hand went through it. He was in angelic form, and when he looked down, he could see that he was dressed in his beige suit and glowing.

"You will not be seen by them, Adam," Andrew said sadly once he reached his friend.

"But why?" Adam asked weakly.

"All you can do is wait, Adam." came the soft answer, as the squealing of tires broke the stillness of the quiet street and he looked up to see a blue sedan coming towards them from the other end of the street.

"Oh please Father, no, please don't let this happen," he whispered weakly, his voice beginning to tremble as he watched the car swerving dangerously from one side of the street to other.

Before he could even finish uttering his prayer, he watched in horror as the car plowed into the eight-year-old boy causing him to release the ball he held from the impact, and Adam could see that Matthew had fallen to the ground, his body lying in a puddle of blood.

The driver sped even closer to where the angel now stood and passed through him as though he was made entirely of air. Just before the man sped away, the Angel of Death's eyes locked with those of the driver, but within seconds, he could see that Matthew was lying on the ground. As the tears sprang to his eyes, Adam forgot entirely what had just happened, and could feel himself suddenly catapulted back to reality. Without thinking, he rushed over to the small boy.

Andrew remained nearby, his sad green eyes encased in grief. He could see that one of the girls ran to the corner store in order to use the pay phone and call 911. Yet, for some reason, he knew all the while that it would be a matter of time as to how much longer Matthew would be alive.

As the young girl finished the call, she ran back over to where Matthew was lying and she reached for his limp hand. "Please, God, let him live," she began to plead softly. "Let my little brother be OK." As she spoke, she could feel the tears streaming down over her cheeks. Seconds later, they could all hear the ambulance approaching in the distance as she looked up and it looked as though she had briefly made eye contact with the angel that was sitting on the ground next to her brother.

"Matt?" She continued to frantically whisper his name as she brushed the hair out from in front of his eyes. Around them, she could still hear the children screaming and crying as they ran through the street trying to get the attention of the neighbors or any other adult they could find. "Please, don't die, Matt," she pleaded softly, her voice cracking, and her words causing the tears to stream down Adam's already dejected face.

The girl took Matthew in her arms and looked down at him, her eyes filling with tears as she stared sadly down at the frightened green eyes of her little brother.

"A-Adam, y-you're here," Matthew whispered as he felt the angel's hand brushing his hair out of his eyes. The boy's eyes were now on the glowing man who sat on the ground near him, the gray eyes of the angel filled with kindness and love.

"No, Matt, it's Shelly, your sister," the twelve-year-old girl whispered sadly, as she witnessed her brother becoming delirious. She wiped the tears from her eyes and when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, she turned around to see that Andrew had approached, quickly got to his knees so that he was sitting there on the ground next to her.

"Please, Mister, you've gotta help him," Shelly began to cry hysterically, as she tried to cradle her brother's head on her lap. As she spoke, the tears rolled down over her face.

Silently, Andrew placed his hands on the shoulders of the frightened girl, but he looked down at Matthew's death-pale face. After the girl's frantic cries melted away, he sadly listened as her pleas of desperation had changed and only soft weeping emerged. Saying nothing, he glanced over and watched as Adam began to speak to his young friend.

"Hello Matthew," Adam whispered as the news came to him that he would have to bring this little boy Home. As he looked down at Matthew's frightened and pain-filled eyes, he spoke gently. "Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you."

"I'll try not to be, but I'm scared, 'cause it hurts so much," Matthew whispered brokenly as Andrew felt the tears stinging his eyes and tried to wipe them away before Shelly would see that this was taking as much out of him as it was Adam. "What happened to me, Adam?"

"You were hit by a drunk driver, Matthew," Adam whispered softly as he looked at Andrew helplessly. The thoughts going through Adam's mind were clear, he did not want to take Matthew Home, the little boy was only eight-years-old, and the thought of him having to do this was literally tearing him apart.

Rather than speaking his comfort to the distraught girl, Andrew smiled gently down at Matthew. "Do you remember me, Matthew?"

The little boy looked at Andrew and nodded slowly. "You're Miss Hudson's angel, right?"

"Yes, I am, my name is Andrew," he said gently.

"I'm going to die?"

Adam choked back a sob as Andrew nodded numbly. "You will but Adam will be with you and he will take you Home to God. You can trust him, Matthew, he's a wonderful angel and a very good friend."

"You will?" Matthew asked looking at Adam and seeing utter heartbreak on Adam's handsome face.

The elder of the two Angels of Death could only nod numbly, but with a gentility that was sometimes strange to him; Adam reached over and brushed his hand against the small boy's face, thus drawing his spirit out of his body. As Matthew's spirit joined Adam, the angel could feel the heaviness in his broken heart, but instead of speaking of this, he smiled warmly at his young friend, took the little boy's hand in his, and they walked silently together towards the light.

Once they were gone, Andrew's attention diverted back to the young girl who was still staring down at the motionless body of her little brother. Somehow, Andrew knew that Shelly had no hope left and they sat for a few moments in the eerie stillness.

"Y-you're an angel?" Shelly looked up at Andrew after a few moments had passed and she was trying to keep her emotions under control.

"Yes, Shelly, I am," Andrew said softly knowing all the while that the young girl had heard the exchange between himself and Matthew before Adam took the boy Home.

"M-my brother," she whimpered. "I-is h-he alone?"

"No, sweetheart, your brother has an angel too," Andrew said softly.

"Y-you know, I-I s-saw everything that h-happened, b-but I can't b-believe it," she whimpered as she felt the shocked tears continuing to stream from beneath her eyes. "M-my baby brother, h-he's d-dead, isn't h-he?"

Andrew nodded sadly. "I'm so sorry, Shelly," he said weakly as he felt her collapse in his arms and continued to sob uncontrollably. As she cried, he brushed his hand gently through her hair, his other hand holding her head against his chest, her tears dampening his shirt.

"H-he once told me a-about their angel," she whimpered, but her words emerged inaudible.

Andrew could understand her words and he looked down at her as he continued to stroke her soft brown hair. "He told you about Adam?"

Shelly nodded. "H-he loved him."

"I know," Andrew said, but he remained with Shelly until the ambulance came and took Matthew's lifeless body to the hospital.

She remained on the ground even after her brother was taken away, and eventually Andrew had to help her get back on her feet. "Come on, let's get you off the street." He walked with her to the curb, and once there, she sank down to the ground, her body trembling, not only from what she had witnessed, but also from indescribable grief.

He sat down beside her and gently brushed his hand through her hair, thus causing her to glance up, if only for a moment. When she said nothing, Andrew looked at her, his compassionate green eyes filled with sadness. "Shelly, do you have someone to look after you during all of this?"

The girl shook her head. "O-our p-parents are both at work."

Andrew sighed deeply, he knew that the last thing she needed was to be alone during this entire situation. "Then come with me," he said gently as he reached over and touched her slumped shoulder. "I'll take you to the hospital, and from there, we can contact your parents."

"Y-you don't have to…" her voice trailed off and she stared down at the ground.

"I know, but I'd feel better because I don't want to leave you alone out here," Andrew said gently, and instead of arguing with him, Shelly nodded numbly as she began to wipe the rest of the tears from her eyes.

As she did, Adam had returned from having to take Matthew Home, and though he tried to conceal his pain, Andrew could see the extent of the anguish that shadowed his friend's handsome face. Eventually, Shelly looked up and her eyes locked with the gray eyes of the Angel of Death. "Y-you took him away?" She asked weakly, as she regarded the expression on the angel's face. How could she help it? The look Adam carried in his forlorn eyes was, to put it bluntly, heart wrenching. Instead of focusing too much of his energy on Adam, Andrew's focus returned to the young girl who was now his assignment.

In response to Shelly's inquiry, Adam nodded numbly, but when he couldn't stop his own tears from falling, he looked at Andrew and spoke, a sigh emerging with his words. "I'm going to the lake, Andrew."

Andrew nodded and as soon as his friend had disappeared, he whispered a quick prayer for Adam before helping Shelly off the ground and leading her to Tess' red Cadillac convertible.

*****

Brittany Harrows sat at the edge of the lake and watched as the fragments of ice floated across the ripples of water. It was the day before Thanksgiving, but what to be thankful for, she did not yet know. She was now eight-years-old in the third grade, her friend Megan had moved to Indiana, and on days like this, she especially missed her friends.

She was so lonely and now it was so close to a holiday, she felt isolated and alone.

As her thoughts began to drift, she found herself beginning to think about Adam. As she pulled the small golden pocket watch from her pocket, she stared down at the small flowers engraved on the cover. Smiling weakly, she brushed her hand across the smooth surface, but eventually opened it and stared down at the face. Doing this always made her think of the angel who had given it to her.

She had not seen Adam in such a long time; the last time had been following a disaster and now that she had gotten over the results of that difficult time, her memories of what had happened seemed almost vague, as though she had merely dreamed them. She could feel the tears streaming down her face, not because she was necessarily sad, but rather because she was confused.

It had happened the night before when she had gone down the stairs and could hear her mother talking to someone on the phone, the memory was so intense and yet, she could not let it go. It was one of those things that the little girl probably should not have even heard, but did, and now she wondered why.

As she looked out across the water she could see a figure was walking in her direction, and within moments, she had recognized who it was, but had to rub her eyes again as disbelief encompassed her. The man was, in fact, wearing beige, but she did not want to begin hoping that it was her best friend. She remembered sitting in this place singing with him the last time he had visited her and her friends. This had been a beautiful moment in the young girl's memories, but it seemed so long ago, that she wondered if it was just a dream or if she had merely forgotten the extent of how much it had meant to her.

Seconds later, the man came even closer and she looked up and could see the familiar gray eyes of the angel who had come to mean the world to her. Within seconds, he stopped right near where she was sitting and looked down at her.

"Adam?" She strained her neck to look into his loving, but presently sad, gray eyes.

"Hello, Brittany," the angel spoke, the words emerging and he sat down on the ground next to her and the two friends embraced.

"What are you doing here?"

"I needed some time to myself," he said.

"What happened? Where's Leah?" Brittany asked.

"She got transferred to 'Search and Rescue'," Adam said softly.

"And you're sad because of it?"

"Not really, there's another reason why I'm sad," Adam said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I mean; I know that Leah's transfer isn't a reflection on me, but even still, it was hard to say 'good-bye' to her. I guess I'm destined to work solo."

"You're lonely," Brittany looked at him, her wide eyes filled with innocence and she wrapped her arms around him.

"Yes, I suppose so, but I knew that I could come here because I have friends like you, Megan, and Sean," he said softly, thinking almost constantly about Matthew and wondering if he would be able to tell his friend about her former classmate without feeling himself breaking up about it. Sighing deeply, he looked at her, his eyes filled with false optimism. "I was hoping that I could spend some time with you before I have to go back to work. That is if it's OK."

Brittany smiled weakly. "I'm on break from school, my grandma is meeting with people, Uncle Hunter is in New York, and my mom…"Her voice trailed off and she looked down at the ground. She picked up a stone and threw it into the water.

"What is it?" Adam asked gently.

"Nothing," she whispered more to herself than to him.

"Brittany, I know that it's more than just nothing. Please, talk to me," Adam implored her gently; hoping all the while that her words would get his mind off the sadness that seemed to emanate his being.

"It's nothing, just that I overheard something last night that I probably wasn't supposed to know about," Brittany looked at him. "I'm glad you're here, Adam, because I'm so scared."

"Why are you scared, sweetheart?" He asked gently as soon as he saw the tears that were brimming around her misery filled eyes.

"My daddy's supposed to be coming back today, Adam," Brittany said softly. "I heard my mom talking to him last night on the phone, but she doesn't want him to be here."

"How do you feel about your daddy, sweetheart?" Adam asked.

"I don't know," Brittany began. "My mommy said that he was a bad man, that he drank all the time. She also said that when I was a baby that he would tell me stories about God, and then she said that he would spend time with me. I guess, when they stopped loving each other, my mommy threw him out and he left me, and I don't understand why." As she spoke, she could feel the tears streaming down over her cheeks and she looked up at her friend. "I'm scared that I will like him and then my mom will feel badly and then she won't love me anymore."

When Adam didn't offer her any words of encouragement, she looked up at him, the tears continued to wash down over her face. "Adam, what am I going to do?"

The Angel of Death shook his head. "I wish I could answer your question, but I just don't know." He sighed deeply as he looked out across the lake, his eyes filled with sadness.

"Adam?"

"What is it, honey?"

"You're sad too. Is something else wrong? Has something happened?"

Adam released a pent up sigh as he looked at Brittany. "Yes, something did happen this afternoon, Brittany, something really terrible, and it is something that I don't know how to tell you about, without being afraid that you'll be angry with me because of it."

"I won't, Adam, I love you," Brittany's innocent statement caused tears to spring into his already troubled eyes. "W-what is it?" She finally asked weakly when he said nothing in response to her first statement. As she looked at him, her own eyes were filled with fear when she saw the earnest look on her best friend's face.

"I came back because I had to take someone to Heaven today," Adam said softly as he felt the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Someone?" Brittany looked up and could see that he was dressed in his suit and tie, and she realized that he had been dressed this way since he joined her at the water's edge.

"Matthew, one of the boys from your class," Adam said sadly. "H-he was hit by a car this afternoon."

Brittany looked at the angel with shock and surprise in her eyes. "Matthew's dead?"

Adam nodded. "I wanted to help, but I couldn't do anything."

"He's gone?"

Adam nodded and looked at her. "Yes, and it tore me up having to be his Angel of Death." As he spoke, the tears washed down over his face. "I know that he's happy in Heaven, Brittany, but I was scared to tell you, afraid that you would hate me for having to do that which the Father has requested of me."

The little girl looked at her friend; he looked so heartbroken and though she wasn't all that close to Matthew, she could feel the sadness enveloping her as she remembered him, and how he would always ask Adam questions. As she felt the tears beginning to slide down over her soft cheeks, she looked up at him, her lip beginning to tremble and within seconds, she could feel him taking her into his arms and holding her tightly. As she lay nestled snugly in his embrace, she allowed herself to cry, the soft sounds of her sobs muffled as she lay with her face meshed against his chest, her tears streaming down her face.

As he felt her tears on his shirt, Adam began to run his hand gently through her soft tresses. Seconds later, he lowered his head and kissed her forehead and after a few moments, he released a deep breath.

"I love you, Adam," Brittany said softly.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he said gently.

"Adam," she spoke after some moments had passed and she looked up at him. "I guess Matthew was really glad that you were with him, wasn't he?" Adam nodded somewhat reluctantly, but when Brittany saw this, she rested her head once more against his shoulder and reached up to touch his face. "Adam, will you one day take me to Heaven, too?" Brittany asked weakly. "Would God let you make me that promise? I wouldn't be scared if I know you're with me."

"You would really want me to take you Home one day?" Adam asked.

Brittany nodded. "You're my best friend in the whole wide world, but I want you to always be my angel, Adam. Forever and ever! Will you?"

As the tears flowed from beneath his sad gray eyes, Adam eventually offered his friend a weak nod. "If I'm still an Angel of Death, Brittany, then yes, I will," he said softly.

"Still?" She looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about quitting since this happened," he said honestly.

"You'd quit?" She asked and when she saw his hesitant nod, she looked at him, profound surprise coloring her face. "You can't quit, Adam, I will one day need you."

"Sometimes, I want to quit," he mumbled under his breath.

"You can't, because I want you to take me to Heaven and no one else," Brittany said stubbornly. "You tell God that if I have to have another angel, then I won't go."

Seeing the earnest look in his friend's eyes, Adam sighed deeply. "Let's talk about this another time, OK?"

"No, I want to talk about it now," Brittany said and looked at him with tears in her eyes. "What if it had been me and not Matthew?"

"Please, Brittany," Adam pleaded as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks.

"But, if it was, then…" her voice trailed off, and she could see the agony in his handsome face. After a few moments, she looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Adam, I don't mean to make you mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you, sweetheart," he said softly.

"But, you don't want to talk to me," she whispered.

"It isn't that I don't want to talk to you, it's just so hard for me to do so right now," Adam said softly. "I just don't know if I can go on after all of this."

She looked up at him. "Angels lose hope too?"

"Sometimes," he said weakly and nodded weakly as he brushed his hand gently through her hair.

"I just don't want to be alone when I die," Brittany whispered. "I always hoped that my angel would be you. When I was kidnapped, I wanted you to be with me, and when I was alone, I…"Her voice trailed off and she buried her face against the crock of his shoulder.

"What, Brittany?"

"Nothing," she shook her head.

"No, please tell me," he pleaded with her.

"I dunno, I just thought that you had abandoned me when I needed you," she whispered. "I love you more than anyone else, and I didn't want to be alone again."

Upon hearing her soft words, the Angel of Death nodded, as profound relief washed over him and he looked at her. "Brittany, if I quit, then you'll be the first person I tell, OK? I promise."

"OK," she said softly, but the sadness seemed to remain in her eyes and he knew that she was not only worried about him, but also about an impending situation that her family would be facing very soon.

"Brittany?"

"Yeah."

"Why don't you tell me now, what it was specifically that you overheard last night?"

Brittany looked up at him, her eyes once more clouding over. "It's not so important."

"Yes, sweetheart, it is, now please tell me," Adam implored and eventually the little girl nodded.

"I don't really know what to say, I mean; I just didn't want my mom to know that I had heard this conversation, because I wasn't supposed to, but my daddy's coming back, Adam, and I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Do you think they will make me choose, 'cause I can't?"

"I know, and a child should never have to chose between their parents," he said gently as he wrapped her comfortingly in his arms. "Some people don't always realize that it's wrong to force a child to choose, yet, it happens, and children are often put in the middle and it becomes a terrible burden for them."

"What if I like my daddy?" Brittany asked.

"If you like him, continue to like him, Brittany, and give him a chance to return those affections to you."

As they sat on the banks of the lake together, Brittany looked out across the water, her eyes filled with sadness and confusion as Adam held her on his lap. "You know something?" She asked after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"What's that?"

"You shouldn't be sad about Leah, maybe God will give you another angel to help, and then you'll make even more friends," Brittany said softly. "But Adam, no matter what happens, you won't forget me, will you?"

"No, honey, I won't forget you, not ever," he smiled gently at the small child and hugged her tightly. "After all, you're my best friend, too."

*****

It was late in the evening when Vicki Hudson left the school and walked in the direction of her car. She had been at a faculty meeting for the school when the news had reached her that Matthew Wilson, one of her former students, had been hit and killed by a drunk driver. She had opted to staying at the school until her emotions made her fit to drive, but she found herself just climbing into the car and closing the door.

Before starting the car, Vicki adjusted the rearview mirror, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when she suddenly heard someone tapping lightly on the driver's side window and she turned to see that Andrew was standing next to the car.

She rested her hand against her heart, but reached over and manually rolled down the window. "Andrew, what are you doing here?" She finally asked him once the window was down.

"There's something I have to tell you, Vicki," he said sadly, "can I get in and come with you? This is really important."

"Sure, hop in, but I already have heard about Matthew," she said softly, her smile weak. Of course, she was really happy to see him again, and she reached over, unlocked the passenger side door, and waited until he had come around, opened the door, and climbed in. Once he closed the door, the light went off, but the earnest look he carried on his face did not go unnoticed by her.

Instead of asking him about it, she fumbled with the keys, started the motor and drove a few blocks until they had reached her apartment building and she was able to park the car in the garage. Once she shut the motor off, they both got out and walked towards the front door. Once they were standing in front of the brown door with the number 23 on it, Vicki looked at her friend. "Andrew, are you OK?"

"Not really," Andrew said sadly as he shook his head glumly.

Vicki stopped fiddling with her keys and looked up at him as the keys slipped through her fingers and landed with a clatter on the porch. "Tell me," she whispered as she retrieved the keys and tried without much success at unlocking the front door. Finally, Andrew gently pried them from her hand and proceeded to unlock the door himself.

Once he managed to open the door, they both went slowly inside, the door was closed behind them, and Vicki's six-year-old cat, Muffin, greeted them. After each of them gave the cat a generous scratch behind the ears, they went and sat down on the sofa. Vicki looked at Andrew, her eyes almost demanding him to talk to her, but the words were simply not coming.

"Vicki, Adam was the angel who had to take Matthew Home," Andrew said softly when he made eye contact with her.

"He did?" Vicki looked at him.

"Yes, and now he is totally devastated by this, he didn't tell me exactly, but I could see the look in his eyes, and it's serious. He's thinking about quitting," Andrew said softly.

"Can he?" She asked.

"Yes, but this is hard because he's been an Angel of Death much longer than I have been." He shook his head sadly. "Vicki, if you had seen him after the accident happened, you would probably have not even known that it was Adam. He loves those kids, and in doing what he had to do, he feels the pain in it so profoundly."

"Something tells me that you are not telling me everything you know," Vicki said softly as Muffin jumped up onto her lap and she began to stroke the cat's tummy with her fingertips, all the while, she spoke to the angel. "Come on, Andrew, we're friends, you can tell me."

"Adam doesn't even know this yet, and I know that it will literally kill him when he finds out. I don't even know if I can even tell him."

"What is it?" She asked weakly as she reached out for one of his hands and when he offered it to her, she squeezed it gently.

"The driver of the car was Brittany's father," Andrew said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "He's been having alcohol problems for years now, and Brittany doesn't even know how extensive her father's problems really are."

"Are you sure?" She asked, her voice cracking slightly.

Andrew nodded. "I've been sent to help Shelly, she's Matthew's older sister, and once I leave here, I have to go back and see her," he whispered. "But, now Adam's with Brittany and somehow this has all become so terribly complicating."

"Where are your other friends in all of this?" Vicki asked weakly.

"They will be helping Matthew's parents, but I am so worried about Matthew's sister as well as Brittany."

Vicki nodded and reached for his hand. "Tell me everything, maybe I can help somehow."

Andrew squeezed his friend's hand. "You have a good heart, Vicki."

"I learn from the best, now tell me and stop dawdling, you tend to do that whenever you're troubled," she smiled gently at him and returned the gesture of squeezing his hand.

He smiled weakly, but nodded. "We were there when it happened, and I took Matthew's sister, Shelly, to the hospital. She and I talked, but not a lot, she mostly cried because she knew that her brother was gone. Anyway, after her parents came, they took her home and I left. I went by the school and saw you getting into your car." Andrew's voice was cracking as he spoke, and Vicki rested her hand gently on his shoulder.

He eventually found the strength to look at her, his green eyes filled with sadness, and he sighed deeply. "I didn't know what to do after that, Adam's pretty broken up about this. He loved your students so much and having to do this was something he just didn't know if he even had the strength to do."

"Why did God send Adam to be Matthew's Angel of Death then?" Vicki asked, her voice soft, the disbelief still evident on her face, but Andrew could only conclude that she was simply shocked by the news he had just dropped on her.

"The Father knew that Matthew, as well as all those children from that class, loved Adam, and they trusted him. Adam was the best angel for this difficult assignment and even though it was hard for him to follow through with it, once he and Matthew arrived, Adam would have to understand, but I think telling the other kids about what happened is what has been so hard for him. We've been trying so hard, Vicki. We've been trying to help children understand 'death' and 'dying', that it's not final and that we're not a couple of vultures just waiting around for someone to die." Andrew could feel the tears in his eyes as he spoke.

"I know, Andrew, I remember my grandmother Etta, and how loving you were with both of us," Vicki reached over and brushed the tears from beneath his despondent green eyes. "I also know that it must have been terrible for both of you to have seen this man hit Matthew only to drive away without even looking back, and then to be unable to do anything to prevent this tragedy from happening. I feel for you so much."

Andrew nodded, his gratitude showing in his sad green eyes.

"If Adam is so broken up about all of this, then where is he? Where did he go?" Vicki asked softly.

"I imagine he went to the lake, as that is where Brittany is, and he's going to need all the friends he can get, especially during this time. Matthew was a very special little boy to him."

Vicki looked at Andrew, "It doesn't seem fair."

"No, it doesn't," Andrew said softly, but he reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.

"What should I do?" She finally managed to ask him.

"I don't really know if there's anything I can do, Vicki. I mean; aside from praying," Andrew whispered.

"Then let's," Vicki said sadly as she took his hand in hers and they got down on their knees in front of the sofa, but their prayer never came, because the tears took over. Within seconds, Vicki and Andrew had collapsed in each other's arms and the angel and human woman wept.

*****

Shelly was sitting in her bedroom that night when her mother knocked on the door and came in. "Honey, it's time to eat," Kim Wilson said softly.

"I'm not hungry," Shelly said sadly.

"It's OK, I'll keep the food out until you are," her mother tried to keep the optimism in her voice, but Shelly could tell that there was nothing optimistic about the tone in her mother's voice. When she didn't respond to her words, Kim turned to go.

It was at that moment that Shelly finally managed to look up from the desk where she was sitting and turned around. "Mom?"

"What is it?"

"Did Matt ever tell you about Adam?" Shelly asked.

"Not very much, I think he figured that I would view this as being like an imaginary friend or something," Kim said as she came over and sat down on the bed.

"H-he's not, Mom, he's a real angel, I s-saw him and his friend today," Shelly said as she could feel the tears in her eyes. After a few moments, she looked at her mother with the ever-present sadness still lurking there. "You probably won't believe me, but Andrew, he's the guy who called you from the hospital from work. He was the one who was with me this afternoon, and he's an angel, Mom, and…" her voice trailed off as the tears fell from beneath her eyes. "It's all my fault."

"No, it's not, Honey, it's the fault of some drunkard who got behind the wheel of a car," Kim could feel the tears in her eyes. "The police officers who were here earlier said that other witnesses had seen what had happened, that after he had hit Matt, that he drove out in the direction of 'Livingston Manor'."

Shelly looked down at her desk. "It was my fault, Mom, I was supposed to be watching him, but…then I saw the new neighbor boy and wasn't paying attention to Matt until..." her voice trailed off as the tears streamed down over her face.

"Listen to me, Shelly," Kim said sadly. "You are not at fault for what happened, OK, but I don't really want to discuss this any more," she paused and looked at her daughter, her face filled with sadness. "Can't we talk about this another time, honey?" She finally asked as she stood up to leave the room. Once her daughter nodded, she continued. "Please don't wait too long before you come down, I don't really feel like reheating the food."

Shelly nodded, and glanced towards the window. "I'll be down in a little while. I'm really not hungry right now."

"OK, and the ladies from the Crisis Center will probably be around for awhile if you want to talk to them about this. I know I'm not the best to talk to right now, and for that I'm really sorry, but there's just so much happening…" Kim's voice trailed off and she slowly walked out of the room leaving Shelly alone.

As soon as her mother was gone, Shelly stood up and went to open the window. It was now dark outside, but she figured that the only thing she could do was to leave her room and go outside to the tree house that she and her brother had built the year before. It was a nice tree house, there was even a place where she could sleep inside, so she decided that instead of staying in the house, she climbed down the terrace and ran as quickly as she could across the moist lawn.

When she reached the tree, she stopped and looked up at the wooden structure of the tree house, and she sighed sadly. The last time she had been in this place, her brother and her had met to plan their father's 45th surprise birthday party. Now, her brother was gone, and she was alone.

Instead of climbing the planks that led up to the small wooden dwelling, she hesitated and stared at it, her eyes filling with tears. She must have been standing there for some time because eventually she heard the warm and friendly Irish sounding voice behind her. She whirled around to see a woman with long auburn hair standing behind her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the woman said softly, thus causing her to look into a pair of kind brown eyes.

"Who are you?" She whispered, her voice almost emerging demanding, but the woman who was now standing next to her did not seem to mind, and she offered a warm smile before she provided the answer.

"My name is Monica and I'm a counselor from the Trauma and Crisis Center here in town," came the gentle answer. "You're Shelly, right?"

"Yes, my mom told me that you were going to be here, but I didn't really think that you would leave the house and follow me out here," Shelly offered weakly as she shrugged her shoulders.

"How are you doing?" Monica asked gently.

"Honestly or diplomatically?" Shelly asked.

"Honestly," Monica said softly.

"I feel like a part of me is dead," Shelly said weakly. "I'm so lost."

"Did you talk to your parents about this?" Monica asked gently.

"I tried to talk to my mom, but she didn't really want to talk about this," Shelly said sadly. "Who would blame her? The second I mention angels, then everyone thinks I'm totally crazy," she paused half expecting this Monica to regard her with shock, but when she didn't the young girl continued. "Besides, why should I?"

"Well, maybe because it would help."

"Maybe, but think about it, my parents are devastated by what has happened, and it would be unfair for me to describe every gory detail to them," Shelly said softly as she shook her head. "If I said anything to them, it would look as though I was being selfish."

"You could talk to me, I'll listen," Monica said gently.

"What's there to tell? My brother died in my arms, I saw a man standing near him, and then there was this other guy who came over to me and started talking to me. He stayed with me until we got to the hospital and called my parents. He told me he was an angel, I thought he was as mad as a hatter. I think I realized that he was telling me the truth simply because he was so caring, and he held me."

"That was very nice of him, wasn't it?" Monica asked gently.

"Yeah, but then after my mom and dad showed up, he was gone, just disappeared into the sunset, and I have no idea where he went. I just feel abandoned right now."

"Abandoned, by whom?" Monica asked gently.

"Everyone, by my parents, my brother, God, and now this guy, his name was Andrew, but he's gone," she shook her head and sighed deeply. "If I can ever find my way out of this nightmare, I would do so willingly."

"Is there anything I can do?" Monica asked.

"Yeah, just leave me alone," Shelly said softly. "I have too much to think about and I'm scared to trust anyone because I'm afraid they will just abandon me like this guy did. Besides, I'm really not in the mood to talk about it anymore."

"If you want me to, then I'll leave you alone for a little while," Monica said gently. "Shelly, if you would like to talk some more, then you can always talk to me, I will listen."

"Thanks, but I'm not sure if I'm ready, there's too much going on around here, and I really don't know how to deal with it."

"I'm not going to leave you if you don't want me to, Shelly, I'll be here if you need me, and here's a card with the number of the center on it," Monica said simply, but once Shelly had taken the small piece of paper, she silently climbed the ladder to the tree house and the angel was standing alone on the ground below.

*****

It was nearing the evening when Adam and Brittany arrived at the large house where she lived with her mother and grandmother. As they reached the front of the house, she could see a blue car parked near the steps that led up to the front door. As they came closer the color drained from Adam's face, and he stared at the car; recognition suddenly catapulting him back down to Earth.

Oh Father, no please, anything but this, his silent prayer emerged as the realization hit him that the man who had killed Matthew was the father that Brittany had not seen for a very long time. The angel could feel his knees give out and he sank to the ground.

Brittany turned around and looked at him when she realized that he was no longer standing next to her. "Adam?"

The angel shook his head as the little girl sat down on the ground next to him and wound her arms around his slumped shoulders.

"Please Adam, you're scaring me," Brittany could feel the tears in her eyes as she looked at her friend who was now on his knees and seemed to have the energy of a deflated balloon. "Adam, what's wrong?"

The Angel of Death shook his head once again, but no words emerged, and before she could say anything, the front door swung open and she heard someone calling her name. She looked up and could see that Tess was standing at the landing, the wise angel regarding her with the love, which resembled that of a proud grandmother.

"Brittany honey, you need to go inside, your mother has someone she wants to introduce you to," Tess said gently, but she could see that Brittany was more concerned for Adam than she was for meeting her father.

"Tess, he's crying," Brittany said softly as she could see that Adam had tears washing down over his handsome face, and the little girl regarded Tess and then her best friend with the utmost confusion.

"I'll take care of Adam, sweetheart, you go inside," Tess said gently, and Brittany heeded her words and walked up the steps slowly, but as she did she would turn around to see that Tess had wrapped Adam in her arms and was holding him. As soon as the small child disappeared inside, Tess looked down at him. "Come on baby, tell me what happened."

"I c-can't, Tess, if Brittany knew…" he stammered, but his voice trailed and he looked despondently at her.

"Adam, I can't tell you what to do," she said gently as she looked at him.

The miserable Angel of Death looked at Tess through his tears. "I don't know how I'm going to tell her, Tess. I know I have to be honest, but I feel like I'll be putting her in a position where she has to choose and I don't want her to feel like she has to do so. It's bad enough that her parents do that to her, but me…" his voice trailed.

"No one is expecting you to make that little girl choose, Adam," Tess reasoned, but Adam stood up and walked slowly away, his head hanging, and she was left staring after him. "Father, please help him, I think he really wants to quit. What does an Angel of Death do when he doesn't want to be an Angel of Death anymore?"

As she watched his retreating back, she shrugged her shoulders, and turned back around with the intention of going inside.

Once she was gone, Adam turned back towards where she had been standing, but when he saw that she was no longer standing there; he walked slowly away, his shoulders slumped. As he made his way, he glanced skyward as the stars began to shine down on him like diamonds on black velvet. He trudged towards the gates leading away from the plantation, his expression filled with shock and agony.

As he walked, he could see the moonlight reflecting off the water of the nearby lake, and as he walked slowly towards this place where he often went to sit and think things through, he released a pent up sigh.

Once he had reached a dry spot, he plopped himself down on the ground and sat for some moments staring off into space, his eyes filling with tears as he remembered the times he had shared with Matthew. At this moment, he remembered how the little boy had always been so inquisitive.

The angel somehow regretted not having gotten to know Matthew better during the time that the small boy had been alive. Perhaps he had inadvertently played favorites with Brittany and Sean. "Forgive me, Matthew for not having been able to do anything more to help you. You know I cared for you," the agonized words emerged from between his lips.

When no answer came, the silence continued to engulf him and he sat for some time, closing his eyes trying to connect himself to the healing resonance of his Father's voice. Within moments an answer emerged, but this answer came through the young sounding voice of a child who had called out his name, thus causing him to look up.

"Sean?" The disheveled angel spoke as a young boy came closer.

"Hey," Sean spoke, his voice high and excited when he saw his friend. "It's been a long time since I last saw you."

"I'm sorry," Adam offered weakly, but the boy sat down on the ground next to him.

"No big deal, you've probably been too busy to come hang out with a bunch of kids," Sean said softly.

"No, that's not true," Adam said softly. "I wish I had spent more time with you and the others from Vicki's class."

Sean shrugged his shoulders and after a few moments, his soft voice broke the silence. "Adam?" He spoke, his voice barely above a whisper, and somehow the angel knew that Sean had heard about Matthew.

"Yes?"

"It's not your fault," Sean's voice was barely above a whisper.

Adam nodded knowing all the while that he had to accept the words of comfort being offered to him, but not really knowing if he could.

Sean looked out across the lake and then back at the angel. "Do you remember when I came out here looking for you, and you were sad about Brittany?" Once Adam nodded, the little boy continued to speak. "You told me that you wanted to be alone, but I wasn't going to leave you alone." When Adam didn't respond, the innocent boy spoke yet again. "Adam, are you going to ask me to leave you alone like you did then."

Adam looked at him. "You were hurt when I said that, weren't you?"

"A little bit," Sean said sadly, his voice was trembling ever so slightly, but he looked at Adam and shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you hated me."

"I am not capable of hate, Sean, it would go against what the Father created when he made me His angel," Adam said softly.

"I know, but still, I thought you were angry with me, that I had done something wrong, like I did with Vince," Sean shuddered as he remembered his older brother who was now serving time in state prison. "I know you told me that I'm not defined by my brother, but still…"

"You're not, Sean," Adam said softly.

"Then you're not either," the boy said matter-of-factly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You didn't drive that car that hit Matthew, it was some guy who was about thirty. I saw him, Adam," Sean said sadly. "I saw him because I live three houses down from Matthew and his family, I guess you didn't remember, but I was out in the front yard playing when the guy drove by. He stopped in front of my house, was leaning out the window, and then he asked me how to get to 'Livingston Manor'. I told him and he said that he was going to get his kid. I didn't really know what was wrong with him, because his words were running together, and I could barely understand anything he said. Anyway, after that, he took off, his car was making loud noises…" his words trailed off and he could feel the tears streaming down his face.

"You saw it happen?" Adam asked, his voice cracking with emotion.

"No, but I heard the squealing tires, and then about a minute later, I saw some girl came running towards the payphone at the corner drugstore and I knew her, it was Matthew's older sister," Sean's face was by this time streaked with tears, but when he looked at Adam, he could see an inconsolable look on the angel's handsome face. "Adam, who was that guy?"

"It was Brittany's father, Sean," Adam said softly. "His name is Jeffery and he left when Brittany was a only a baby. Well, now he's come back."

"D-does Brittany know that it was her father who killed Matthew?" Sean asked weakly.

Adam shook his head. "Not yet, but I know that I will have to tell her, but I don't really know how, I mean; I had told her earlier that if she loves her father than she should still love him, but now…"

"Now, her father has killed one of her best friends," Sean finished for him. "Adam, this is just like what happened with Vince." The little boy shuddered once again at the mere mention of his older brother's name, but his sadness was evidently showing when he looked at the despondent angel who sat near him. "What are we going to do? What does God want us to do?"

"Us?" Adam looked at Sean as though he had just admitted to juggling bananas.

"You think I'm just gonna leave you out here by yourself?" Sean asked.

"I didn't really think about it, if you want to know the truth," Adam said softly. "I guess all I was thinking about was quitting."

"Quitting? Are you insane?" Sean looked at the angel with shock in his eyes.

"Sean, you really don't understand," Adam began, but the young boy cut him off.

"Maybe not, but you're not a quitter, you're my hero and if you quit, you'll not only be letting me down, but I think you'll be letting God down too," Sean said abruptly, his voice emerging more hurt than anything else, but Adam could see the gravity in the boy's expression and after a few seconds he turned away and stared down at his hands.

"Sean, please don't say this to me, not now, there's still so much pain," Adam pleaded softly. "I had to take Matthew Home today, then I saw the man who hit him and it was Brittany's father." As he spoke, he shook his head. "I can't take anymore."

Sean reached over and touched the angel's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he offered weakly. "I guess I shouldn't have said that, but you're my friend too and I don't like to see you so sad."

As the little boy spoke, Sam appeared next to Adam and rested his hand on the angel's shoulders. "Adam, listen to the wise innocence of this little boy."

Adam looked up when he heard the grumbling tones of the elder angel and he realized that the words were somehow hitting him like a freight train. "Please, Sam, let me go to God's Country for a time, I need to be alone."

The wise old angel shook his head. "No, you will stay right here, and you will listen to Sean's words."

Within seconds, the supervisor's supervisor disappeared and Sean looked at Adam. "Who was that guy?" The little boy finally asked as he looked at Adam and could see that the angel was sulking.

Adam sighed deeply and looked up. "His name is Sam."

"I don't think I would do anything to make him mad, he looks scarier than my dad when he gets angry," Sean said honestly. He reached over and rested a hand on Adam's shoulder. "You remember what you told me at Christmas last year, Adam?"

The angel shook his head.

Sean smiled weakly as he began to speak, his thoughts returning to that time when Adam offered his hand of friendship to the unhappy, little boy.

Flashback

The boy looked into the gray eyes of the angel, and after a few seconds, he looked shamefully down at his lap. "Adam, I'm sorry," Sean managed to speak, his voice cracking.

"You have no reason to be sorry Sean," Adam said softly as he rested a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder.

"But I do…"

"No, you don't," Adam said softly and squeezed the shoulder of the young boy. "I wanted to come by and give you something."

Sean looked down at the ground not sure if he could meet the angel's loving gaze. After a few moments, he shook his head sadly.

"Let me ask you a question, do you remember what you told me the last time I was here?" Adam asked. "It was when you and I were out at the lake. I was feeling sad, and you had found me first after you and the other children had split up and were searching for me."

Sean shook his head. "Not really."

Adam smiled gently at him. "Well, you told me that you considered me to be your hero."

"Then you told me you weren't," Sean said softly.

"I know, but do you know something?"

"No, what?"

"Today, you were my hero," Adam said softly. "You had the courage to tell the police what you saw, and I know it was hard for you. This was something that most people could not even begin to talk about. Many would choose to avoid speaking about what their brother had done, but Sean, look at me." When the boy did not look up, Adam reached over and took the boy's face in his hands and tilted his chin up so that he would be looking into the angel's gray eyes. "You are not defined as a person by your brother's actions. You are a child of God, and He loves you Sean, He is proud of you for what you did, but never forget, my friend, He loves you."

Sean could feel the tears starting to stream from beneath his eyes, and he could feel them being wiped gently away by Adam's gentle fingertips. "You're not mad at me?"

"No, Sean, I am so proud to know you, I am proud of the friend I have found in you, and am blessed by all the friendships I have here," Adam said and as he spoke, he pulled a small wrapped package from his pocket and handed it to the boy.

"What is this?" Sean asked.

"It's an early Christmas present, but it's also my way of saying 'thank you'," Adam said softly.

"B-but, I don't have anything to give to you," Sean said softly.

"You already have given me something, Sean, you showed me that I am your friend, and demonstrated that, when you acted bravely in the face of everything that has happened," Adam said smiling gently at the young boy. "You see, the Father doesn't look for how much one can do for Him, but He does look at the overall impact His children can have, and you have left a very empowering one. This is your gift to the world and if it does anything, it should always remind you that God is proud of you, Sean. He loves you so much, and even if you have lost your brother through all of this, you will never ever lose God. He will be there with you through everything that you must face, and it will be through that experience, that you will discover how often He is there with you."

Flashback End

"On that day, you gave me this," Sean pulled the watch out of his pocket and handed it to Adam. "You taught me so much, Adam, you gave me some strength to face what had happened with Vince, but you also helped me to like myself more. I can't imagine you running away from anything, you're always so strong, and caring. I mean; you saved Brittany from my brother. Don't you see? She won't forget you, she can't. If she did, then it wouldn't be right of her to do so."

Adam nodded numbly, a lot of what the young boy had said definitely made sense. After a few moments, he smiled weakly. "Thank you, Sean."

"Brittany loves you, you know," Sean said. "She told me once that she wished that you were her daddy."

"I know," he said softly.

"Then go and see her, tell her the truth," Sean said softly as Adam returned his watch, stood up, and began to walk slowly in the direction of the plantation.

Once he was gone, Sam reappeared and was smiling down at the little boy. "You did very well, Sean, the Father is very proud of you."

Sean turned around and faced the angel. "Then you should tell my dad that, because he's going to kill me when I get home, it's after my curfew."

The angel offered his hand to the little boy, and once Sean accepted it, the two of them left the lake together. "Oh, Sam, there's something else I have to do before I go home, can we go to the police department first?"

The angel nodded and smiled as he regarded the little boy. "OK, Sean, but from there we need to call your parents." he said as they walked in the direction of the now familiar building.

Sean nodded. "OK."

The two of them walked nearly three blocks to the police department and as promised, Sean called his parents, and once they had arrived at the precinct house, he filed a report outlining what he had seen that afternoon.

As they were leaving and he was saying good-bye to Sam, he smiled weakly. "Do you think what I did helped?"

Sam smiled and nodded. "Yes, but now you have to let the law take it from here."

The little boy nodded, flashed him a 'thumbs-up' sign, and once they had said good-bye, he went home with his parents.

******

By this time, Tess had caught up with Brittany and the two of them went inside the large open foyer of the mansion where the little girl lived. As they came inside she could see a man whom she had not seen in a very long time. For some reason, even without introductions, she knew that it was her father, Jeffery Harrows. She stopped abruptly in the front hallway, but after a few moments, she started to shyly walk towards where both of her parents were standing. There, she stopped some two feet away and regarded the looks of earnestness which encompassed both their faces. When she said nothing, Tess cleared her throat causing Jeffery to turn and his pale blue eyes met those of his daughter.

"Is that my little Brittany?" He asked, by this time his voice emerging, not as someone who had too much alcohol in his or her system, but rather in a normal cadence.

"H-hi," Brittany managed to stammer as she looked up and made brief eye contact with him. She offered a half-hearted wave, but it was obvious that her voice was filled with nervousness. She looked at Tess in the hopes of getting some sort of support through all this, but all the while, she wondered where Adam was, and she hoped that he would come back and offer her his own support, which both Tess and Holly knew, she so desperately needed.

When she glanced up nervously at her father, she sighed deeply and looked back towards where Tess was standing.

Upon seeing this, Jeffery looked at Holly his eyes narrowing considerably. "What's wrong with her?" He finally asked as he took a step towards the frightened little girl. "Did you tell her about me coming?"

"No, Jeff, I didn't," Holly looked at him. "When you called last night, you were three sheets to the wind. There was no way I could have talked to you, much less tried to tell Brittany. If you hadn't have shown up, she would have been disappointed. So, I didn't take your visit seriously simply because you were so out of it when we spoke."

Upon hearing her mother's words, Brittany looked up at Tess. "Please Tess, could you find Adam, I'm afraid and I need him."

"Who is Adam?" Jeffery asked interrupting his daughter's words and looking at Holly, his eyes filled with bitterness. "Is he your new boyfriend? Are you now using someone other than your father's money to keep me away from Brittany, is that it?"

"Jeffery, just calm down," Holly began, but before she could speak further, he had approached and grabbed the arm of her blouse and jerked her around so that she would face him. As she made eye contact with him, she could see the angry looking glare her ex-husband was giving to her. She struggled against his hold, but his grip only tightened and she had no choice but to continue fighting against this restraint.

"Who is Adam?" Jeffery seethed his eyes literally bulging and he glared at her with the intention of hurting her. Brittany hid her face against Tess' shoulder, hoping all the while to block this confrontation from her innocent eyes.

"I am Adam, and I would appreciate it if you would leave Holly in peace," the voice from the front door emerged and the three humans and Tess turned to see the Angel of Death coming inside the house through the long foyer.

Brittany's eyes met those of her best friend, and she could see that if an angel could actually be angry, than Adam fit these emotions to a 'T'. When his gray eyes met her soft brown ones, his harsh demeanor melted away slightly so as to not frighten his friend. Once he had offered Brittany a gentle look, he approached where Jeffery stood. The man's hands were still holding tightly to Holly and the woman continued to struggle.

Coming closer, Adam could see that his friend's mother was afraid and perhaps for good reason. Jeffery did not look exceedingly pleasant in this stance, but in many ways, he looked threatened by the angel's presence and he backed up, thus bringing Holly with him. Using her as a shield, he regarded Adam with contempt.

"So, you're the home-wrecker, huh?" Jeffery sneered once Adam came closer.

The angel shook his head, but maintained eye contact with the angry man. "I am nothing of the kind. Holly and Brittany are my friends, and I think you should let her go right now."

"Who's going to make me? You?" Jeffery asked as he shoved Holly to one side and looked at Adam, his eyes filled with hate. Before Adam could say or do anything, Jeffery hauled back and slammed his fist against the side of Adam's face.

The angel lurched backwards; his nose was bleeding only slightly, just from the impact of Jeffery's fist. However, nothing prepared any of them for what happened next. Brittany had broken free from Tess' gentle hold on her and she ran towards Jeffery and pushed him with all the strength that was in her.

"Leave Adam alone, he's my friend," Brittany shouted, but she was unable to shove her father away from her friend and when Jeffery's mocking eyes met those of his daughter, he reacted to her by pushing her away as well. Brittany cowered away from him when she saw the anger in his eyes, but this did not stop her from speaking her mind. "You've been gone for seven years and now you come back and try to hurt me and my friends, why?"

At this moment, Tess had approached and rested a gentle hand on Brittany's shoulder, the little girl backed away from her father, and the wise angel could see the complete fright that was shadowing the little girl's face. "It's OK, baby, you and I will just go into the kitchen and get you something to eat. How does that sound?"

"Adam…" Brittany whimpered, and her frightened eyes sought those of her friend.

"I'm fine sweetheart, go with Tess," Adam offered brokenly hoping only to help distance his friend from her irate father, but Jeffery would not hear of it. He stepped between them and his eyes were staring down at his daughter's frightened eyes.

"I want to know what Holly said that turned you against me," Jeffery said evenly, his eyes staring down at his daughter.

"I didn't tell her anything that wasn't the truth Jeff," Holly began. "You're aggressive and you have a drinking problem. This is not the kind of environment to bring up a child in, and Brittany has been through enough as it is. Without friends like Adam, she would have been lost."

Jeffery looked directly at his daughter. "What did she say about me, Brittany?"

The little girl shook her head, and looked to Adam for help. When she could feel the angel's arms taking her into his embrace, she relaxed in his arms, and was holding tightly to her best friend.

Seconds later, Jeffery had once again intervened and this time, Brittany could feel her father's cold hand pulling her roughly backwards towards him and away from Adam. "Tell me what she said, Brittany," he said looking down at her, his eyes practically bulging.

"N-nothing," Brittany looked to Adam for help, and the angel was left once again having to intervene.

Gently, he pulled Brittany out of her father's arms and once the small child was in his arms, he looked at Jeffery, his eyes filled with sadness, but now the angel's frustration had somehow dissipated and he regarded the man with the utmost calmness. "Jeffery Harrows, I think you should go to the police and tell them what you have done. Tell them that you were the cause of a young boy losing his life today."

Holly looked at the angel with bewilderment shadowing her eyes. "Adam, what do you mean?"

"Matthew Wilson is dead, Holly," Adam said sadly.

"Matthew? You mean the little boy from Brittany's class?" Holly asked and when she looked at Brittany, she knew that her daughter had found out this terrible news prior to coming home, simply because her face was a depiction of pain, and not shock.

"What does this have to do with me?" Jeffery asked.

"You tell me," Adam said evenly. "I know you know more about this event than you are letting on, Jeffery. You were driving the car, I was there, and I saw you. You were drunk, and you lost control of the car."

Brittany looked up at Adam, now so much about his reactions made sense to her. She remembered how he had reacted when they had come back from the lake, and how Adam had disappeared. After some moments of silence passed, the little girl looked at Adam. "He was the one who killed Matthew?"

Adam nodded numbly, hating having to tell his best friend the truth in this way. Tears brimmed beneath his sad gray eyes, and seeing this, Brittany realized the truth. "You killed Matthew?" Brittany screamed at her father, but within seconds, her focus was on her friend. "Adam, please tell me it's not true."

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but I cannot lie to you, it is the truth. I saw everything that happened, and so did Andrew," Adam said sadly. "He's taking care of Matthew's older sister now."

Jeffery looked at him. "How would you even know if I was there? You don't even know me."

"You were there, and you know it," Adam said and could feel that Brittany had broken free from him and fled the room. He longed to follow her, but Tess shook her head and followed the distraught little girl from the room. The Angel of Death looked at the two remaining people. "Holly, it really did happen," he said weakly, when the eyes of Brittany's mother came to rest on him.

"I-I believe you, Adam," she whispered but within seconds, Jeffery had abruptly left the room, the large front door slamming behind him as he disappeared outside. "What now?" She finally managed to ask once they were alone.

"I don't know, Holly," Adam said and shook his head.

"You really should go to Brittany now, Adam," Holly said softly. "I think she needs her best friend right now more than ever."

"Maybe she also needs her mother," Adam said gently.

"No, I have tried to keep my feelings about her father locked away," Holly could feel the tears streaming from beneath her eyes. "I didn't want her to know what kind of person Jeffery was, but now she has no choice but to see him as he is; hard, cold, and angry."

"You didn't talk to her about him? Not ever?" Adam asked.

"No, I couldn’t, I wanted Brittany to think she was special."

"Oh Holly, she is special, and so are you, but you cannot hide the truth from your daughter, she has to know everything about her father, and I mean the whole truth, not just parts of it," Adam said softly.

Holly looked down at her arm where the scars from the beatings were still visible and eventually, she looked at Adam. "You knew about this whole time, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did." Adam reached over and rested his hands on her trembling shoulders and beneath his touch; he was able to help her to sit down in a nearby chair.

"Oh God, what have I done?" Holly began to cry in earnest.

"Holly, what happened wasn't your fault. You did nothing wrong," Adam said as he continued to squeeze her shoulder gently. Now, his voice was filled with the utmost compassion, but when Holly would not even look up at him, he took the incentive and touched her face with the side of his free hand. "Look at me, Holly."

The woman shook her head, but eventually, from deep within herself, she found the courage to look up. Her face was filled with sadness as her eyes locked with those of the angel. "You had no idea that Jeffery was going to show up here until he called you last night. I know that's why you didn't tell Brittany, but Holly, she knew. She overheard something, and when I met her earlier at the lake, she confided some things in me that I won't repeat, but she was afraid that you would be angry with her for having heard something that perhaps she was not supposed to hear."

Holly nodded numbly. "It doesn't surprise me that she heard it, but I seriously thought he was gone, Adam. Oh God, I thought he was gone, that he wouldn't come back." She could feel the tears streaming down over her face. "What am I going to do?"

"I don't really know, Holly, but I know that you're afraid of Jeffery and now that he's back, I think it would be good for you to know that Tess and I are here, and we're going to do whatever we can to help you."

"Unofficially?" Holly asked, knowing that Adam was an Angel of Death, but also knowing and realizing that if Jeffery is capable of killing an eight-year-old boy, that he was also capable of harming her or Brittany, and the angel's presence somehow reemphasized this one moot point for her.

"Yes, unofficially," Adam smiled gently at her as he took her trembling body in his arms and held her tightly in his embrace.

Holly collapsed right then, and it was obvious that she was unable to hold back the tears any longer, and she continued to weep bitterly. "I-I was so scared, Adam, when he called me last night, I thought he was kidding, I didn't honestly think that he was going to show up here. What if he wants to take Brittany away from us?"

"Shhh," he cajoled her gently.

"But, what if…" her voice trailed off.

"Holly, listen to me," Adam said gently as he continued to hold her in his arms. "He won't, and if he tries, then he'll have to deal with me or worse yet, with Tess." She smiled only slightly once she had heard his words. "He already has a problem with what he did to Matthew, and I don't mean because of something I may have said; I mean with the authorities. Sean saw him before he hit Matthew, and he and I talked about this when I left earlier."

"You took Matthew to Heaven, didn't you?" She asked weakly.

Adam nodded numbly. "Yes, I had to."

"That must have been very difficult for you to do," she whispered.

"It was," he said weakly. "It was one of the hardest assignments I have ever had."

Holly looked at him. "No one else could have done it, you know, these children love you, Adam."

The angel smiled weakly, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Go to Brittany, now, she needs you," Holly said after a few moments had passed.

"Are you certain?" He asked.

"I'll be OK, just go," she whispered. "It would be too selfish of me to keep you from her much longer."

"You know, I'm also here for you as well," he said gently.

"I know, but Brittany is probably very confused right now, and chances are, she's going to need you to help her deal with all of this."

Adam nodded and hugged her tightly before he stood up and without saying anything else, he slowly left the room and Holly watched as he disappeared through the doorway.

Once he was gone, she covered her face with her hands and began to cry, her hands trembling as she pressed them against her face.

*****

Shelly was still sitting in the tree house thinking. It had been over an hour since she had spoken with Monica, but now, she just didn't seem to care anymore. Sighing deeply, she looked down through the hatch to see if the angel was still standing below hoping to get her to talk about her feelings. Right now, she was simply not in the mood. The only person she even wanted to see was that guy named Andrew who had been with her when she had to go to the hospital.

Let's face it, she thought dismally to herself. I'll probably never see him or his friend again. She closed her eyes and could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks as she clasped the cross necklace she had been given when she had been confirmed earlier that year. "I hate you!" She screamed breaking the stillness as she jerked the necklace off and threw the piece of jewelry across the wooden floor.

As the necklace dropped down through the hatch, she leaned closer to see that it was hanging from a tree branch the moonlight causing it to glisten. Her heart felt as though it was breaking, as she tried to sway the branch so that the necklace would fall the rest of the way to the ground. "I hate you," she screamed again. "You took my baby brother away."

"God didn't do it, Shelly," a voice emerged from behind her and she turned around and could see that Andrew was now standing in the tree house, his gentle green eyes filled with sadness, but he regarded the young girl with all the love and understanding that was in him.

"Then who did?" She shouted once again, the tears falling from her eyes and she looked at him. "Your friend, maybe? The older guy?"

"No, Shelly, it wasn't me and it wasn't Adam, it was someone who chose to drive while under the influence of alcohol," Andrew said softly.

"What's the difference?" Shelly spat out. "What's the difference if it was God, or you or him, my brother is dead, dead. You tell me if there is a reason for that. Tell me, I want to know why."

Andrew reached out and took her shoulders with both of his hands and looked down at her. "You were not at fault, Shelly."

Upon hearing his words, the 12-year-old girl shook her head stubbornly. "God is punishing me, isn't He?"

"No," Andrew said, his voice almost bordering on a shout, and when he looked down at the girl, his voice lowered considerably. "Your brother did not die today because of what you did or didn't do, it happened because someone else was careless."

"That's all?" She wrenched free from his hold and sought to find an escape from him. Seconds later, she turned abruptly around, her eyes filled with scorn as she regarded him. "But, why?"

Andrew sighed weakly, but managed to shake his head sadly. "I don't know why. But, God loves you, Shelly, He knows that this is hard for you to accept right now, but it's true."

"See, you don't even know. How can you even stand here and tell me to accept it, when you can't even tell me why it happened?" Her question emerged filled with anger and as she tried to climb down through the hatch, she lost her footing and fell, screaming to the ground below. In her haste, she had missed the foothold that she usually used when she would climb up to or down from her and her brother's hideaway.

Andrew was immediately next to her on the ground, his hand stroking her hair, but she was not conscious, she had passed out after hitting the ground, a bruise against her temple right near the hairline.

Moments later, she weakly opened her eyes. "A-Andrew?"

"I'm here Shelly," he said softly and she wearily opened her eyes to see him sitting on the ground next to her. He was now brushing her hair out from in front of her eyes, his arms wrapped securely around her trembling body. From beneath his touch, he could feel the tears that were falling from beneath her grief stricken eyes.

After maybe ten minutes, she found the courage to speak once again. "W-what happened?" she moaned.

"You fell from the tree house, are you OK?" Andrew asked gently.

"I-I don't know," Shelly said softly. "I think I twisted my ankle because now it really hurts."

Andrew laid her back on the ground and touched her foot with a gentle hand. "I think you may need to get to a doctor about this. Maybe your parents should take you there first thing in the morning."

The young girl nodded and she looked up at the glistening necklace that hung from the tree's branches above. "I must have been stupid to blame God for this. I guess He doesn't take kindly to people blaming Him for their problems."

"He's not vengeful, Shelly," Andrew said gently. "People usually land in difficult circumstances because they make choices that may not be the best for them, but God doesn't take away human free will just because He knows better than you or me. This is His gift to you, Shelly, and He knows that you use it conscientiously."

Shelly closed her eyes but she remained wrapped securely in his arms. "You're not mad at me, Andrew?"

"No, sweetheart, I never was," the angel said softly.

Shelly nodded. "Who did this to my baby brother?"

"A man who has more problems than he is even capable of handling," Andrew said gently.

"I hate him," she whispered.

"Try to forgive him, Shelly," Andrew said gently.

"Tell me to do that in like 20, maybe 30, years," she said sarcastically as she backed away from him and began to crawl towards the house.

Instead of allowing her crawl the entire way, Andrew stood up, came over to where she was, and picked her up in his arms.

"What do you want from me?" She asked weakly as she felt him pulling her off the ground, but instead of getting angry with him, her voice was etched in gratitude and she laid her tired head against his shoulder.

"Only to help you, sweetheart, nothing more," he said gently.

"Andrew?" She spoke his name after allowing his words to sink in.

"Yes?"

"You really don't hate me, do you?" She asked weakly her wayward emotions going from hating him to being grateful that he was actually there. After some time had passed, she rested her weary head against his shoulder.

He shook his head. "No, I don't, I know that you're angry and hurting right now, but I want to help you. Please believe me, I would never do anything to hurt you, but I know that earning your trust is going to be hard. I ask only that you give me a chance."

Shelly buried her tearstained face against his shoulder, and the tears fell from beneath her eyes. "Why is it so hard?" She began to cry as she pounded her fist against his shoulder and he winced as he felt her crushing blows.

"I don't know," he whispered, the compassion apparent in his voice as he tightened his hold on her.

She continued to cry, her energy spent and one of her arms was left drooping down as she drifted off to sleep in his arms. Instead of leaving her alone, Andrew carried her to the front door of the house and once he had managed to ring the bell, a confused Kim answered the door. "Yes? W-what happened?"

"My name is Andrew, and I'm a friend of your daughter's. She injured herself at the tree house earlier when we were talking and I wanted to make sure she would be OK before I leave."

"Y-you're the man who called from the hospital?" Kim asked.

"Yes, I am," Andrew said softly.

"Please, come in, if you could, would you take her upstairs to her bedroom, it's the first room on the right, I'll show you," she said as she followed him up the stairs and watched as he gently put shelly to bed. Once he did, he turned around and came out of the room, turning the light off and closing the door behind him.

"You've been very kind, Andrew," Kim said once they went down the stairs and he could see that Monica and Gloria were standing in the living room with the other guests.

"I'm glad I could help," he said gently.

"You know, Shelly told me some very strange things about you earlier," Kim began. "She said that you were an angel."

"I am, and Kim, in this time, your family is surrounded by angels, and every one will tell you the same thing, God loves you, He will help heal your broken spirit and He will watch over you with all the love and understanding that exists." As he spoke, he began to glow and he smiled gently at the mother of his assignment.

"Matt wasn't alone, was he?" Kim asked, her voice trembling as she reached a hand out towards him all the while unable to believe that he was really an angel.

Andrew took her hand in both of his. "Yes, he had an angel with him, his name is Adam, and this angel was a very special friend to Matthew as well as the children from Vicki Hudson's class."

"Then all these stories were true?" Kim asked.

"Yes, they are all true, Kim, and I hope that you will find peace in the knowing that," Andrew said softly.

The woman nodded and as the tears streamed from beneath her eyes, he embraced her before leaving the home and leaving Matthew's parents in the capable hands of Monica and Gloria.

*****

By this time, Tess had taken Brittany up the stairs to her bedroom. Once the wise angel helped the little girl dress in her pajamas and crawl under the covers, she looked up to see that the door had opened and Adam was standing the doorway, his nose still bleeding, but he did not seem to mind.

"Brittany," he spoke gently causing her to look up and see him standing there.

"Adam," she whispered and she reached a small hand out in the direction of where he was standing.

He approached the bed, sat down in a nearby chair, and took her smaller hand in his.

"I'll leave you two alone," Tess said and she walked slowly out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Are you OK?" He asked once Tess was gone.

Brittany shook her head slowly. "I'm scared of my daddy, Adam."

"I know, I could tell," he said softly.

"He's a murderer," she whispered.

"Sweetheart, it was an accident," Adam whispered as he brushed her hair out from in front of her eyes. "I don't want you to feel as though you have to choose between me and your daddy, OK? That's part of the reason why it is that I did not want to tell you out there what had happened, but I realized that there was no way, I had to speak the truth."

"You know something?" She asked weakly after a few minutes had passed. When he shook his head, she continued speaking, her voice filled with her simple brand of love. "I would choose you, Adam, because at least you don't hurt people like he does. You're nice and you don't try to scare me." As she spoke, the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "Sometimes I wish you could be my daddy instead of him. I mean; I know it's an impossible wish, but I don't want to be around someone who is so mean to people and who would hurt someone else. Why couldn't God make you my daddy instead of him?"

"You know I can't be your daddy, Brittany," Adam said softly. "I'm an angel."

The little girl nodded reluctantly, as though to acknowledge or accept his words, but instead of speaking further, she reached out towards him and sought the comfort of his embrace.

Once he had enfolded her in his arms, she began to cry. Seconds later he glanced up and could see through the window that Jeffery had climbed up the terrace and was now staring into the room. When she heard him beginning to pound against the glass, Brittany turned around and screamed. She quickly buried her face against Adam's shoulder as a loud crash was heard and the window shattered. Jeffery was holding a baseball bat, and in an instant, Adam was on his feet, his arms wrapping around Brittany and he spoke, his voice gentle. "Come on, Brittany," he said as Jeffery climbed in through the window, and was standing in the room, the bat in his hands and he was hitting it menacingly against the palm of his hand.

Brittany gasped, but backed towards the door and Adam followed her from the room, as they left, Adam closed the door and locked it before Jeffery had reached it. Together the two friends ran down the hallway in the direction of the large staircase at the front of the large house. Brittany's eyes were wide with fright as reached the stairs, which led down into the foyer. Behind them, they could hear Jeffery beating the door with the bat and when the door gave way, Adam could see him coming down the hall in their direction.

"Why is he doing this Adam?" Brittany asked weakly as they reached the landing and could see Holly, Tess and a security guard waiting.

"He's drunk," Adam whispered, "he doesn't know what he is doing."

"Gregory, call 911 and get the police here," Holly shouted as her mother came through the front door.

"Holly, what on Earth?"

"Jeffery came back, Mom, he's somehow managed to break into Brittany's room," Holly replied all the while crying hysterically.

"He's coming down the stairs," Tess said as she reached the foyer and looked at Adam. "Angel Boy, get Brittany out of here."

Adam nodded and he reached for Holly's hand as well.

"No, baby," Tess said. "Holly has to stay here, she needs to stand her ground against Jeffery, and she'll need to file charges."

"But…" Brittany's voice failed her and Adam picked her up.

Katherine looked at the angels, "Tess is right, Adam. Holly will be OK, she's taken some self-defense courses, and everything will be fine." She reached out and grabbed the angel's hand led them through the house towards the servant's quarters right as Jeffery ran into the room with the bat still in his hands.

"Where is she?" He demanded as he held the baseball bat menacingly in front of them. "I want to know where my daughter is and I want to know right now."

"She's petrified of you," Katherine said as she returned to the room. "You have no business here, Jeffery, and you know it. When you left Holly, you left any and all connections to her family. So you may be too messed up to comprehend what I'm saying to you, but right now, we want you out of here."

"I'm not going," he said as he approached her, but before he could reach them, Tess intervened.

"Now you listen and you listen good, Jeffery Harrows," Tess said, as Holly and Katherine took a step back. Both of them knew that Jeffery was delirious simply because he had been drinking since he had left the house earlier. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Thursday?" Jeffery began to count the days on his fingers and after a few moments, Tess had run out of patience.

"Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and your return to this town has not only upset this family, but it has also upset another family; a family who may have to take a little more time to find it in their hearts to forgive you. The pain they may feel right now is very hard because you took their little boy away."

Jeffery looked at Tess, "I didn't do anything, you've got nothing on me lady."

"According to a witness, we have a positive identification on the car," a firm female's voice emerged and they turned around to see Officer Emily Jacobs standing in the doorway, her hands were on her hips and she was regarding Jeffery with nothing short of anger on her aged face.

"What is this all about?" Jeffery asked.

"A young boy came to the precinct house this evening and filed a report and he said that your car was identified fleeing the scene of a crime this afternoon when Matthew Wilson was killed." Emily said and as she spoke, two other policemen entered the foyer.

Holly looked at the female officer. "Someone saw him hit Matthew?"

"Yes, Matthew's older sister, who up to this point has not spoken of the incident, but she did give a statement earlier and she positively identified Mr. Harrows as a suspect," Emily consulted her clipboard.

Jeffery looked at them as though he was trapped in a cage, and after a few moments, he turned around and ran out of the room, the bat he had been holding skidding across the linoleum floor. The two officers with Emily took off after the man, but as soon as he ran outside, Tess looked at those still assembled in the room, shrugged her shoulders, and disappeared.

"How many angels do you folks know, Mrs. Harrows?" Emily finally asked as she remembered having met Adam the previous Christmas and had just witnessed Tess disappearing into thin air.

"There are usually four or five of them around here," Holly said as she shrugged her shoulders. "All I can say is I really don't want to be in Jeffery's shoes if Tess finds him first."

The others smiled weakly, and Katherine looked at Emily. "I'm still confused. What exactly happened?"

"Well, Sean Bradley came by the precinct house earlier today with a friend of his and I interviewed Matthew's sister, Shelly, at the hospital earlier as well. Both stories paralleled each other and it didn't take long for us to put two and two together and realize that Mr. Harrows was, in fact, here. We came out here to see if we could find him simply because of the statements we had received. It wasn't until we got out here that your butler's 911 call had been processed."

Holly shook her head sadly. "Oh, poor Brittany, this must be so devastating for her."

"Where is she exactly?" Emily asked.

"She's OK, she's with Adam," Katherine said. "He won't let anything happen to her."

"My guess is they went to the lake, this was always their favorite place to hide whenever something would happen here," Holly said softly.

Emily smiled and nodded before taking her leave. "I'll be in touch with you during the coming days."

The two women smiled and nodded.

*****

Outside, Tess had been told where Jeffery was and she approached a gazebo and could see the outlines of the man's shadow against the light of the moon. "You might as well give up on hiding, Jeffery, because I'm not going to leave here until we talk."

When she heard the rustling of the leaves, she approached a crop of bushes and stared down at them. "Now, you can either contend with me or you can deal with fighting the two officers who have yet to find you. The choice is yours, and I hope that you will make the right one."

"How did you know I was out here?" Jeffery asked as he emerged from behind the bushes.

"Baby, you'd be surprised at how much I know. Now then, you just sit yourself down, because I haven't the patience to repeat myself and since you're no longer drunk, one of me is all you can handle anyway." Once Jeffery sat down on one of the benches, Tess remained standing and was staring down at him. "Now then, you wanted to know how I knew where you were, I'm going to tell you, Jeffery, and some of this you may not believe, but I can guarantee by the time I am done, you will remember and accept every single word as being the rock-solid truth."

Jeffery looked at her as though he wanted to distance himself from her, but when she began to glow, his intentions vanished like puddles of water subjected to extensive summer sunshine and he remained planted to his seat, his eyes wide like saucers.

"Now, that we have an understanding here, I'm going to start with the obvious. I'm an angel sent by God, not just to tell you the truth, but also to enlighten you on what it means to be a good father to a very special little girl. Have I made myself clear?"

Jeffery looked at her. "Where are the two cops?"

"They're still looking for you, and you won't see them until after I'm done, and chances are, they will be a much more welcomed sight than I am," she said. "Now then, you have destroyed two families by coming back here, and things could have happened much differently than they actually did, had you decided that alcohol and driving do not mix. You have abused Holly, you have frightened your daughter, and you have robbed a little girl of her baby brother and two parents of their son. Most people would be angry with what you have done, but God loves you, Jeffery, and He knows that you have a problem with alcohol abuse, but you need to realize that no matter what you do now it will not change the actions you chose to take earlier today, but you might find yourself actually being able to reconcile what you have done with yourself."

"I don't remember," he offered.

"Bad memory does not erase the actions you took and the life you took away," Tess said softly. "You see, baby, alcohol does do something to someone's memories, it prevents them from seeing the truth as it is. You may not believe this, Jeffery, but you drink too much booze and now you have found yourself unable to keep a level head about anything. The aggressive tendencies caused you to beat your ex-wife, and this same thing has frightened your daughter. It isn't to say that drinking is wrong; it's to say that too much alcohol can destroy more than it heals, and you have burnt many bridges since leaving Brittany without your influence in her life. Now you may have destroyed any chance of having a relationship with your daughter when you killed her school friend and tried to assault Adam."

"He's an angel too, isn't he?" Jeffery asked, his voice still small.

Tess nodded, "yes, he and Brittany have been friends since Kyle Livingston died two years ago. He has been there for her and she accepts and trusts him with all that is inside of her."

Jeffery looked at Tess. "What should I do?"

"You have some decisions to make, Jeffery, it's your choice, and you can go back to God, and allow the Father the chance to help you, or you can turn away as you have been doing. Whatever the choice you make is, it will be entirely up to you."

With that, Tess was gone, and Jeffery sighed deeply and he emerged from the gazebo and walked towards the house. Before reaching it, he stopped and turned around only to see the two policemen standing three feet from him.

"Freeze!" One of them shouted.

Unsure of what to do next, Jeffery made eye contact with them, his next words emerging barely above a whisper. "I give up."

*****

Brittany and Adam reached the lake by this time and the little girl sat down on the ground. She wrapped her arms around her knees and tried to combat the cold, all the while sitting there and unable to speak. Eventually, Adam looked at her. "Brittany?"

"I'm so scared," she whispered softly, her voice filled with anguish.

"I know, and I am so sorry that this happened to you," he whispered.

"I'll never really have a daddy, will I?" she asked weakly.

Adam smiled gently at her. "You've wished for a daddy for a long time haven't you?" He found himself asking after a few moments had passed.

The little girl nodded as she looked out across the lake, and sighed sadly. "I wished on every star that I could see that I would have a daddy who would love me and accept me." As she spoke, her voice cracked and she could feel his hand on her shoulder.

"Brittany, you have a Father, sweetheart, God will be your father, honey. He loves you so much that he sent me to be with you as well as to be your friend," Adam said as tears fell from beneath his eyes. "I may not be a father to you, but I'll always be your friend, and sometimes that is the most precious gift that God could give to any of His children." He reached over and ruffled her hair, seconds later, his gray eyes met her own.

Brittany nodded numbly, but she looked at her friend. "Do you think he'll find us?"

"No, try not to worry, honey. I don't think he will look for us here, I think he knows that he's in enough trouble as it is. Did you see all the police cars when we left earlier?" Adam asked gently.

Brittany shook her head, but she looked down at her lap. "Adam, I'm cold."

He inched out of his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Is that better?" He asked as she put her tiny arms through the sleeves and he took her in his arms and he allowed her to sit on his lap. Once she was comfortable, they sat quietly for some time until Vicki Hudson was seen walking along the banks of the lake. She seemed to be watching the light reflecting from the moon across the water, but her mind seemed to be encompassed with troubles until Adam looked up, saw her and called out to her.

"Vicki, is that you?"

The teacher turned abruptly around and looked up. Upon recognizing Adam's gentle voice, she smiled somewhat shyly and approached where they were now sitting. Once she was close enough, she spoke. "Hello Adam, Brittany."

"Hello Vicki," Adam said as she sat down on the ground next to where he was sitting with Brittany in his arms.

"You doing any better, Adam?" Vicki asked.

The angel nodded as the teacher sat down. "I'm doing fine, considering everything that has happened."

Vicki nodded. "I can understand," she offered sympathetically as she reached over and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Andrew told me what happened, and I wanted you to know that I'm really sorry to hear that this has all been so hard on you."

"Where is Andrew?" Brittany asked, finally breaking her silence.

"He's trying to help Matthew's older sister," Adam said gently as he smiled at his young friend. "Just as I have wanted to be here for you."

"I'm so glad you're here," Brittany looked earnestly at her friend.

"I am as well," Adam said.

"Brittany, why are you in your night clothes?" Vicki asked after a few moments had passed, and the reflections of light showed that the little girl was dressed in Adam's jacket, a flannel robe, and slippers instead of warm clothes.

The little girl looked as though she was going to cry, but she looked at her former teacher. "My daddy tried to hurt me, Miss Hudson."

Vicki nodded and reached over and brushed the hair from her former student's face. "Why don't we go to my apartment, and I'll make some tea and you guys can warm up a little? We can call your mom from there and let her know where you are, and that you're safe."

Adam smiled warmly and nodded. "Come on honey, we'll stay with Vicki until it is safe for you to return home."

The little girl nodded and with Vicki and Adam's help, she was able to stand up.

*****

Shelly slept through the night and when she woke up, she could hear the sounds of her family downstairs in the living room. Her ankle still hurt from the night before when she had tried to run away from Andrew. As she crawled out of bed and put her weight on her injured foot, she moaned and sighed deeply as she tried to walk.

She pulled the curtain aside and could see the blue sky beckoning her and eventually, she hobbled slowly towards the door that would lead her out into the hallway. She took a deep breath and opened the door to see a woman standing in the hallway. "Who are you?" She asked, her voice emerging abrupt.

"My name is Gloria, and I'm here with my friend Monica, you met her last night, if I recall," the woman responded and Shelly tried to walk slowly past her in order to reach the stairs that led from the second to the first floor.

Shelly came out into the living room to see the policemen who had taken her statement the day before at the hospital. "What's going on?" She asked as she yawned and stretched, her ankle seemed to go ignored.

"They caught that maniac who killed your brother, Shelly," her father, Steven, said as the color drained from Shelly's face.

"Oh, uh, OK," she said softly. "Please, excuse me."

Leaving her family, she walked slowly outside through the glass doors separating the living room from the terrace. As she walked across the lawn in the direction of the tree house, her ankle gave out and she flopped down to the ground. "What good is it going to do?" She whispered under her breath, but as she spoke to the stillness, she could see some of the neighbor children across the lot behind her house. They were playing baseball, the gentle holiday breeze giving them something to be happy about and look forward to. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head.

"You know the answer, Shelly," Monica's lovely Irish voice emerged and the young girl looked up and could see that the angel was smiling gently at her. "You know that if you were to not have spoken up about what this man did, then perhaps someone else would have been harmed like Matthew was."

"Perhaps," Shelly whispered as she looked out across the yard and could see the children still playing in the neighboring field.

"Shelly, you did all that you could have done, you know," Monica said. "Andrew told you the same thing last night."

"You know Andrew?" Shelly looked up somewhat afraid, her eyes filled with fear.

"Andrew is a friend of mine, and he was sent to help you just the same as Gloria and I are here to help your parents and family find your peace," Monica said as she began to glow. "You see, Shelly, I'm an angel too, and I am here to help you, in exactly the same way Andrew had been there for you yesterday during the course of events that you had to witness."

Shelly sniffed and looked up. At that moment, she could see Andrew was now standing next to Monica, the small cross necklace dangling from his fingers and he sat down next to the forlorn girl.

"You have been surrounded by angels, Shelly," Monica said gently. "In all of this, you just didn't know or accept that God really truly loves you."

The girl shook her head as she felt Andrew's hand on her shoulder.

"It's perfectly OK to be sad, Shelly, but you need to find your peace in all of this as well, and we're here to help you."

"W-will I have to go and see that guy?" She asked weakly. "I don't think I can."

"No, you don't have to," Andrew said gently. "In fact, no one expects you to."

As soon as Andrew stopped speaking, Shelly could feel the tears streaming down from beneath her eyes and she reached out for the necklace that he held. Instead of giving it to her he put it around her neck and closed the clasp.

"Is He mad at me?" She finally managed to ask him.

"No, He's not, He loves you, and He will help you find your peace, sweetheart, if you will let Him," Andrew said, and when Shelly looked at Monica, the brown eyed angel nodded and the two angels took the girl in their arms and held her tightly all the while Shelly wept.

*****

Brittany returned home that morning and was relieved to hear that her father was no longer there. Although she seemed to be emanating strength, everyone knew that she was still frightened about the prospect of being alone in her room, which was completely understandable. As a result, Adam managed to get permission to stay with Brittany until she would return to school the following Monday. Tess, Monica, Andrew and Gloria had already moved on, and he realized that sometimes working solo was not always such a bad thing.

It was that evening when Adam received the news that he would once again have an angel to train as an Angel of Death and he found himself feeling completely grateful to the Father for giving him another chance with a new angel. It was late in the evening as they were sitting with Brittany and her family around a large table when a knock at the door announced the arrival of Sam and Adam's new protégé.

As Sam came into the house, he smiled at the family assembled as a young angel accompanied him. This angel was a young man who looked physically to be in his early twenties and his dark coal black hair and green eyes were filled with so much life that no one seated around the table could believe that this young man was a brand new Angel of Death.

Brittany seemed taken with Adam's new angel trainee, he carried himself with spunk that matched Adam's taste for humor and fun. This new angel was introduced as Scott.

"Adam?" Brittany asked once Scott and Sam had taken their seats and everyone was toasting his promotion of sorts.

"What is it honey?" Adam asked as he put a gentle arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Are you happy now? I mean really happy?" Brittany asked.

"I am," Adam smiled gently. "I know that Matthew is happy, and now I have found my peace with everything that has happened."

"I wish I could," she whispered.

"You will; that's why I'm here with you, because I wanted to help you find it. You know how important you are to me, Brittany, I may not be able to be a father to you, but now you know that God can be that, and He will give you all the love that you deserve."

The little girl nodded and she stood up from her place at the table and went to hug her friend. "Yeah, I know, but do you know what?"

"What?"

"You said that sometimes a friendship is more important than having a father, simply because a friend is someone you can pick."

"That's right, I did say that," he smiled gently at her. "And what do you think?"

"I think I like having you as my best friend more than as a father. At least then you can't get mad at me."

"Me, get angry at you?" Adam admonished. "Well, I'd never…"

Brittany began to giggle as Scott came over and sat down next to his new mentor.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Scott offered.

"Not at all," Adam smiled warmly at the young angel.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm so pleased to meet you and to be working with you, Adam," Scott began. "I have heard so much about you that I feel as though I know you, and I am really blessed that the Father has decided that I could learn from you," Scott said and smiled.

"You would only have worked with Adam, right?" Brittany asked looking at the new angel.

"Well, don't tell Sam that, but this was my prayer as well as my request, and I'm glad it worked out this way. I look forward to learning all that you can teach me, Adam," Scott said and smiled warmly, his enthusiasm showing in his shining aquamarine colored eyes.

Adam shrugged his shoulders. "Well, then I guess I should let you get to know Brittany, because I've learned a great deal from her about friendship."

The young angel smiled at the little girl. "Well, believe it or not, I've heard about Brittany as well. Something about bringing out the best in an angel, if my memory serves me correctly. I used to work in 'Permanent Records', and worked with Ronald. Talk about an angel who knew everyone."

Smiling Adam nodded, but instead of elaborating on what Scott had already learned about them, he wrapped Brittany in his arms and they began to give thanks for that special bond they shared.

The End

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