After Angelique was satisfied that Rebecca was truly asleep, she went to the front door, locked the deadbolt, and removed the key. She had already placed the chain lock on the door, but this was more for Rebecca's protection than her own. Giving up the bath as a lost cause, she drained the now tepid water and went back to the kitchen to fix her tea. As she sipped the warm liquid, the chamomile calmed her nerves.

'Should she get Saint?' she wondered, but after a cursory glance at the wall clock in her kitchen, she decided against the idea. It was late and Mrs. Dolton had planned to keep him until morning, as she often did when Angelique worked the night shift at the shelter.

No, she'd let him stay. She believed it did him good; actually, it seemed to do them both good. Of course, all that might have to change if she lost the shelter... she would be home a lot more often. Saint will miss his visits.

"Well, no need to be selfish," she admonished herself. Saint could stay with the woman from time to time. Lucky Saint, she pondered. He had two homes to go to, but some aren't that lucky. She thought of the children at the shelter. Where will they go?

"Damn it, John!" she swore, just thinking about it. It's not fair. These kids need her. They became her family. She knew she had to protect them.

Angelique wrapped her fingers around her mug, soaking in its warmth. If only she could hate him. It would make all of this somehow bearable. Her father had asked her if she still loved him. Angelique laughed quietly. The sound caught in her throat and sounded hollow to her ears.

'Still love him.' She couldn't think back to a time when she didn't love him. He had been her savior, her crusader against injustice while learning her way. She was not like everyone else. She felt things, knew things. What she knew had no foundation, but in her heart, she knew it to be absolute truth. Her peers were ruthless. Labeling her a freak, a psycho, but not John, never John. He looked out for her and would come to blows with anyone who dared insult her while in his presence.

But it still did not change that they were right. She was odd, strange but she could not help being who she was, no more than they could and she wouldn't wish her "gifts", if they could be called that, on anyone.

It hurts to know how other people feel all the time, as most people hold their hurt and disappointment close to them. It drives her mad when she catches glimpses of a future she can't be certain is real. She can see people in trouble but did not know who they are or if they even exist. Even if they did, she would still be powerless to stop the events she saw taking place.

Like the day John's father died, Angelique sat down at her kitchen table and closed her eyes, recalling the memory. She had been at the shelter as usual and she remembered feeling a cool chill run over her. She shuddered and thought it odd. It was nearly autumn, but not nearly cold enough to cause a chill. Angelique glanced at the clock. She knew the time would hold some importance, although she did not know the reason.

Then feelings came sharp and swift right before unending darkness swamped her. She felt exactly as she does every time she has her dream and falls into that dark unyielding abyss. She could feel it consume her. She wanted to scream, and in fact, she may have.

However, this time the screams she heard were not her own, and they dragged her back to the present, the sound pulling at her heart with fear. Immediately alert. She moved toward what now became sobbing from the other room.

Rebecca was dreaming, Angelique discerned. The girl screamed and cried in her sleep. Angelique reached over to wake her and had come within inches of having her face scratched. Rebecca seemed to be fighting for her life.

"Rebecca! Rebecca! Wake up!" Angelique demanded as she shook the girl's shoulders.

Rebecca had opened her eyes wide, and they were glazed over with the fear of whatever it was terrorizing her. It took her a moment to realize where she was.

"Rebecca, do you hear me?" Angelique was saying. "You're safe, you're here with me now. No one is going to harm you."

Rebecca's breath was coming in short fast reps as if she just finished running a marathon.

"Oh Angelique, it was horrible. I was there and, and they were... they were trying...were trying to..." she couldn't finish her sentence she just broke down and cried all over again.

Angelique gathered her up and wrapped her arms around her. "It's all right. Shh, hush now."

Sitting beside Rebecca, she rocked the teen in her arms as if she were five and spoke to her in soft soothing tones, stroking her hair until the river of tears had ebbed. Feeling Rebecca's body relax, Angelique pulled Rebecca away from her so that she could see the girl's face. She needed to convince herself Rebecca was going to be okay.

"Look at me," Angelique said, tilting Rebecca's chin up. "You are safe here with me. So long as you're in my care, no harm will come to you. I promise."

"You can't protect me, Angelique, no one can. I can't stay here forever, and eventually, Bobby and his gang are going to find me. And when they do..." a shiver ran through both their bodies.

"Let me worry about that. Okay? For now, you are safe. They don't know where you are and they would never find you here."

"But..." Rebecca started to say something but Angelique leveled a look at her that caused her to say no more.

"That's better. I made a promise that isn't something I do often. I don't believe in making promises unless I know I can come through."

Standing up and pulling Rebecca up off the sofa, Angelique turned the girl around and started ushering her to the bathroom.

"Now, you young lady are going to take a hot shower, and I will get you some more suitable sleeping attire. You can use my bed tonight.

"But..." Rebecca started again.

"No buts. Now march yourself in there and I don't want to hear another word." Angelique opened the bathroom door and gave her a small shove in that direction.

As she was about to close the bathroom door, Rebecca had put her hand out to stop her. "Angelique?"

"Yes?"

Rebecca searched for the words she wanted to say but settled for, "Thanks."

"You're most welcome. Now get," Angelique said, shooing the girl away so she could shut the door.

It was a long night, pretty much what Angelique had expected. Rebecca had woken up several times throughout the night, and Angelique was exhausted. "All part of the gig," she thought as she put the coffee on. She had given up on getting sleep hours ago. It was now seven a.m. and her mind was a muddle from the lack of sleep.

How was she going to keep her promise to Rebecca and keep her safe? Then there was Michael to worry about once he finds out what his brother has been up to. And what is she going to do with all those children? And most of all, how is she going to keep her shelter and the rest of the people she loved safe when she wasn't sure if she could safeguard her own heart.

Angelique flopped down on the couch. She covered her tired eyes with her arm and rested her head against the back of the chair. "What am I going to do?" she whispered as her other hand toyed with her cross.

You could ask for help, Angel.

Looking out of the corner of her eye, Angelique mumbled, "Great, just great. Now I am hearing things."

Didn't the woman at your store say so?

Whirling on the couch, frantically looking about the room. Angelique whispered, "Who's there?"

Seeing no one, she looked at the front door and the door was still locked. She still had the key in her pants pocket.

"Oh God, keep it together, Angel." Then she hears...

You can't do this on your own. Help is closer than you think. You need only to ask.

"Look, whoever or wherever you are, I don't have time to lose my mind right now. This is so not funny! If you're here then show yourself," Angelique demanded, grabbing hold of a pillow to use as a weapon.

Very well.

As Angelique turned back around on the couch there sitting in the armchair closest to her was by all outer appearances to be a man, except for one, no make that two, huge differences. He had a pair of wings. Angelique was about to scream, but the man reached over and touched her arm. Suddenly, a wave of peacefulness showered over her.

"You...you're... an angel!" Angelique just stared at him in amazement.

"You noticed," he said, grinning at her.

"I am the Angel Gabriel."

"This can't be possible," Angelique said, rubbing her eyes as if she could somehow remove him from her sight.

"Why do you doubt your eyes? You have a store full of books and movies that tell of people's encounters with angels. Why should this one be so hard to believe? Especially by someone like you."

"I can see you," Angelique spoke, still amazed. "I can hear you," she reached out and touched his arm, "and I can touch you. You seem real enough, but why now? Why me?"

"Because, Angel, you are in trouble. So are many of those that you love and because you are my responsibility."

"Your responsibility? What makes me so special? I mean, I know everyone is assigned a guardian angel at birth but you're no ordinary angel. You're an Archangel. The messenger who intercedes on our behalf."

"Yes, I am, and I was hoping you'd come to me sooner with your dilemma. You always were a bit stubborn though," Gabriel chided.

"Okay, now you've lost me." Angelique's head throbbed with the pain of an oncoming headache.

"Not yet I hope. Angel, there is a reason you are here."

"Well, I should hope so. I mean..."

"No. Wait. Let me finish," Gabriel said. "You came here to help someone. Someone who was going to need you. Correction, who still needs you, but something went wrong? Somewhere in the transference between your angelic self and your human form, your memory was lost. You have blocked out who you really are?"

"Wait. Wait just one minute here. Are you trying to tell me, that I am not me, that I am in fact... one of you?"

"Yes, Angel. That is exactly what I am saying. You are a guardian."