Chapter 1.

Abigail.

SEEING ANGELS PLUMMETfrom the heavens like falling stars as a child had always seemed normal to me, especially since everyone else in my family had been able to see them too. But now that I was twenty-five years old, it was growing tiresome. What had started out as a calling or a gift, had soured over time, and felt more akin to a chore or duty. "Do you ever wish we had been blessed with a different calling?" I asked Billy, my cousin on my mom's side.

He grunted in response. "You know I've never liked rescuing angels."

"I know," I said, smiling at him despite his bluntness. "But why? Like... for real. What's the deeper reason? You can tell me."

He groaned in exasperation this time and pushed his unfinished plate away. We were having a three AM breakfast, again. "I don't know," he said gruffly, clearly tired.

"Yes, you do. Come on, cous. It's just that... well, I'm struggling with all this constant running around too. And I guess I just want to know if I'm being a selfish git, or if..."

"Okay, Abigail. Geez."

I waited patiently. Billy was a little rough around the edges, but he was loyal to a fault. I knew that I could call him at any time, from anywhere, and he'd come to my aid. No questions asked. He was just that sort of guy. We were lucky to have him.

"I guess it's just... I want a family and a life of my own. And it feels like all we ever do is run around like mad chooks, chasing after these fallen angels and ensuring they get a good life. They've already had hundreds of years to enjoy being angels—perfect and ageless—and then they get to come down to Earth and be human too? We set them up with a comfortable house, a secure job, everything, and most of the time they come with a lifelong partner to sweeten the deal as well. It's just—" he cut himself off and sighed.

"Not fair?" I whispered.

He nodded with a rueful grimace. "Yeah. And I've tried dating and all that stuff but try explaining to a girl why you must mysteriously rush off in the middle of the night all the time. Or explain why you never have any money to spare beyond daily necessities, because the family works solely to help fallen angels. I just... I want to live. I'm sick to death of being a celestial charity worker." He shook his head.

For the first time I saw the true frustration and sadness that hid behind my cousin's anger. I reached for another napkin, slowly tearing it into little pieces, a nervous habit that I knew was puerile, but I couldn't seem to shake. "I don't know how our parents did it. They got married, helped angels, and somehow still managed to successfully raise us. It seems almost impossible."

"My dad said they had maybe one fall a month, way back when," Billy said. "And they didn't set them up the way we do. They were just shoved into a family's home with a spare room and had to find work of their own. It wasn't all just handed to them on a silver platter. At least they had to earn their house like everyone else. We..." He shook his head again, clearly battling his inner demons.

I reached over to my cousin and took his hand. "Listen, I like the way we do things, now. Look at Val and Amery, they're doing so well already! It's hard, I know, but seeing them thrive is fulfilling, and I feel good about helping them. Don't you?"

The grimace on Billy's face told me just how jealous he was of Val's fast happiness.

"But..." I interjected, before my cousin could get too riled up. "Maybe it's time we get some more help? Strike out and find some new recruits?"

He rolled his eyes at me as if I were an idiot. "You know we aren't allowed to tell anyone outside of the family about what we do, Abby. The angel's existence must be guarded. They have to remain a secret. And since neither of us have had kids, we're basically stuck doing this for like... what? Another twenty years or more."

I licked my lips before anxiously chewing on the inside of my lower lip. The mere thought was overwhelming, almost crushing. Our sacred charge was a heavy burden to bear, and I didn't even know if I could do that, let alone my cousin who was filled with an understandable amount of job dissatisfaction and anger. "Maybe I could talk to Val, or some of the other angels that we've helped?" I suggested. "That wouldn't be breaking any rules or revealing their secret. Perhaps they could step up, you know, help us out by paying it forward?"

Billy stilled his fidgeting, his gaze flicking up instantly, the spark of hopeful curiosity clear in his gaze. "That's, ah—" He coughed to clear his throat. "Do you really think they might go for something like that? That could really help lessen the burden on our shoulders."

I shrugged, offering my cousin a half-smile. "I don't know, we won't know if we don't ask. It's worth a shot, right? As you said, we're only getting busier with more and more angels seeking a human life. Something has to eventually give."

And at this rate, it's going to be our sanity as well as our bank accounts.

Billy shifted in his chair, sitting up straighter. "Damn. I've got to get home. Work starts at seven AM and I'm exhausted. But hey... that was a good idea, cous. We'll have to look into it."

I grinned at him, my heart swelling with empathy at his stoic nature, and the big heart that hid behind it. "You deserve a family too, Billy. You'd make a great dad. And I know you've had your eye on Sandra for years," I said, waggling my brows suggestively.

Billy looked away, then ran a hand through his hair. "Sandy doesn't want me, Abby. She's always dating one guy after another. I'm not sure she's the settling down type."

I chuckled softly and leaned forward so my cousin wouldn't miss what I had to say. "Billy, she likes you. I know it. Trust me, okay? If you ask her out, she'll say yes. She's just killing time waiting for you to make your move! If she's the one, you can't let her get away, cous."

He met my gaze once more, then nodded, his lips pursed. "All right. Thanks, Abby. I'll give it some thought. Goodnight." He slid out of the booth and headed off to his car, his hands tucked into his jean pockets.

I waved after him but didn't follow. Thankfully I didn't have work in the morning. I was a self-employed hairdresser, and I always took Mondays off. It was my me day. Allowing myself some time to think, I ordered another hot chocolate and let my mind skip over the idea I'd thrown at Billy. It had just popped into my head out of nowhere, and yet my brain had been mulling over how to solve our problem for months. It was like serendipity!

Our numbers as a team were few and our resources limited; and yet, the number of angels falling seemed to be increasing by the week. It often made me wonder.

Maybe Heaven isn't all it's cracked up to be?

I chuckled to myself.

But the idea of recruiting the angels to help us out? It may very well be the answer to all our prayers. We could potentially end up with a system of angels helping angels. Where we'd just be their human liaisons with the world. The possibility of fewer more three AM rescues buoyed my spirit and put a new spring in my step. The less supernatural work we had to take care of, the more of a life we'd finally be able to enjoy.

We could reclaim our lives!

I rose to my feet and walked out the front door of the diner. It was obviously shockingly early in the morning and the crisp chill of the pre-dawn hours still hung in the air. It was kind of nice and refreshing given the warm days we were having. It was late March already, and Easter was just around the corner. I could hardly believe it. Time somehow dragged and raced all at once when you had a higher calling.

An unexpected flash of silvery gray caught my eye in the moonlight, and I froze, glancing instinctively toward the verdant tree line. It was dark, but bright streetlights lit up the car park for customers. But beyond it, where the pavement met nature, I had definitely caught a glimpse of something in the distance. Something surprisingly large and impossibly swift. It looked almost to be the size of a man... but we didn't have any wildlife that large near these parts.

Strange.

I shook myself and made a beeline for my car. I was probably hallucinating, truth be told. Sleep deprivation did bizarre things to the mind, I'd heard. There were case studies on it and everything; not to mention the fact it had been used as a method of torture for time beyond memory. It was in my best interest to get home, climb straight into bed, and get some quality sleep before I began to believe what my over-tired eyes were seeing.

Then, after a decent rest, I'd go see Amery and Valentine at their new little cottage in the suburbs. And hopefully, together we'd work out a solution that might benefit us all.

God knows I'd love a sleep in every so often!