Fallen
By ABs and Donna

Three figures stood and looked down at Edan. “It can’t be true,” said one, a young pretty woman. She
had a distinct Irish lilt to her voice.

“Oh, but it is,” an older African American woman assured her. “And you have to go get him back, Miss
Wings.”

“But he walks around with *his* wings out!”

“That was the last time he was on Earth. There was a reason for it. Those tabloid people never would’ve
come around without the special effects.”

“So,” said a tall man, “he is going around incognito this time around.”

“He had better!” said the older woman. “Or they’ll know what he is.”

“Or who,” put in the younger woman. She seemed to muse. “I cannot believe one of our Best and Brightest is such a . . .”

“Loose cannon?” put in the male. “Michael has always been different; you know that, Monica.”

“Yes,” Monica sighed, “I do. He’s a darlin’, all the same.”

“Glad to see his . . . special attraction to females is not limited to mortals,” the man sighed.

“Jealous, Andrew?” asked the older female.

Andrew looked insulted. “I am the Angel of Death. I don’t think about women unless they are on their way to meet Our Father.”

Monica giggled and the other woman gave him a very convincing disbelieving stare. “Don’t try that with me, Angel Boy. I know you better.” Sighing, she said, “And you’re not the Angel of Death right now. 
You’ve been reassigned.”

“But why?” He looked stunned at this announcement.

“Ours is not to question,” she admonished, and he wilted. 

“All right.”

“Don’t complain,” she laughed. “There are plenty of young women in Edan.” Before he could object, she added, “Faery women.” Andrew looked like he’d been discovered committing a great sin, and she laughed again. “Don’t worry, Angel Boy, it’s all been worked out. We need to get Michael back, or, failing that, to have him settled in such a way that no one knows he’s an Archangel!”

“Right,” said Monica. “When are we going, Tess?”

Tess smiled and said, “You are going right now. I am staying here.”

“But why?” the two younger angels asked together.

“I’d stick out like a sore thumb,” said Tessa testily. “There isn’t a person over thirty five in the whole
place!” The two others looked at her silently, accusingly, and she added, “Okay, who LOOKS older than
thirty-five. That Faery man keeps a low profile.”

“Oh, please,” said Andrew. “Stop indulging in self pity, Tess. You know as well as I do that Joe Dawson
is down there.”

Tessa stopped, thinking. “You’re right!”

“And don’t tell me he’d refuse your . . . talents,” Monica teased.

Tess giggled. “I haven’t seen Joe in years. He’d be. . . just about he right age now, wouldn't he?” They
all laughed, and Tess said, “What are we waiting for? There’s an archangel on the loose!”

Still laughing, they entered the sleepy little town. On their left was the livery, with horses dozing
underneath the warm afternoon sun in the corral. On the right was a blacksmith shop, but nothing was
happening there. Right on the corner was a long bunkhouse, and several men who looked to be straight out of the old west were on the front porch, feet up on the railing and hats over their faces. Some soft snores could be heard as they went by.

They continued on down the street, passing the large hotel/saloon as they approached the town hall. Across from that was the Cantina, which is where they hoped to find Joe Dawson.

Entering in, the three angels saw a group of men fiddling with some guitars and a small piano up on a
stage, and a gray haired man with a beard behind the bar, wiping out glasses.

Joe looked up and grinned. "What can I get for you, folks? Have you just arrived into town?" He then did a double take. Where did he know that one woman? She looked so familiar!

“Well, hello, Joseph,” said Tess. “I see you’ve learned to live with your disabilities and to live
well!”

"Oh my God! Tess! Is that you?" he said, making his way from around the bar, a huge grin on his face. "I can't believe it! First Kat, now you! The two ladies who had a huge role in helping me want to live again after I lost my legs!" He reached out and gave the portly woman a big hug. "You look great! Like you haven't aged a day! Don't tell me you are an immortal like Katherine!"

“Not quite like Katherine but . . . Joe, have you seen anyone else new in town?” Before he could answer her question, Monica nudged her in the ribs and Tess laughed, saying, “Sorry. Joe Dawson, Monica and
Andrew.”

"Nice to meetchya," he said, putting on the ol' Dawson charm as he shook Monica and Andrew's hands. "As for someone else new, we have a couple of Indians now, and some mountain men that are living with them. Oh yeah, some guy came in here earlier wanting to try some *sarsaparilla*. Hey, Tess, recognize those three guys?" He asked, pointing up at the stage. "If you ever see the missing guy to that group, send him my way! We need him!"

“That I will,” Tess smiled. “Sarsaparilla, huh. Doesn’t sound like Michael, but maybe . . . how sweet
is it?”

"The sweetest thing I have here," he chuckled. " Tastes kinda like an herbal root beer. Care for a drink? Wanna sing here tonight by any chance?" He waggled his eyebrow at her in a joking manner. 

“Well, that explains it anyway,” said Tess. “Michael said once that you could never have too much sugar. 
And you know I’d sing for you any time, cutie! I just have to locate this renegade. Any idea what direction he took?”

"He said something about checking in with the *Head Man* and then took off that way," he said, pointing down the street back toward the Town Hall. "But the Mayor isn't here right now. Methos is up in Esperanza right now."

Tess bit her lip and Monica began, “Oh, I don’t think he meant this Methos pers-” Tess managed to get her hand over the younger angel’s mouth. She smiled sweetly at Joe. 

“What time will you need me, Sugar?” 

Joe told her what time he wanted her to sing, and she gave him another friendly hug as they turned to leave. They stepped outside and looked around. There were two possible places that Michael could have gone from the looks of it, but they went in the direction that Joe had indicated. A short walk later, they had arrived in front of the Mission Church.

"I like this place," Monica said with a smile. "It feels peaceful. Do you think Michael is here?"

"Only one way to find out," Andrew chuckled. "Let's go inside." He opened the door for them, and they went inside. The adobe stone of the building helped to insulate it from the heat, and it was refreshingly
cool inside. Up front, they saw what looked like some kind of choir practice. There were two priests in the choir, and one was directing it. Another priest was playing the piano. Andrew gasped slightly as he recognized that one, but Tess had eyes only for one of the singers, a petite blonde who was obviously going to have a baby in the near future!

“Katherine Dixon! Joe didn’t say you were here, and expecting! I thought your kind was unable to have
babies!”

The choir stopped in mid-song and they all started laughing. "Hello Tess," Katherine said as she stepped
forward. Father Ralph took her by the hand and helped her down off the little platform. "It's great seeing you again! And there are a lot of things about this place that don't follow the standard set of rules."

"Like not staying dead," Andrew said quietly, looking at Father Alec. "That priest just happens to be a holy martyr. I escorted him to his reward after he was tortured to death by the Polish secret police." The priest in question just smiled back at him. 

Andrew hadn't meant for Katherine to hear, but she had. "Thank God for that," she sighed. "On the old
world, I had lost my Captain, but on this one, he is alive and well."

“Yes, well,” Tess said, “we won’t go into the workings of a place like this, we’ll just continue to praise
God for it. Now, you didn’t happen to see a tall man with a very sweet tooth come in here?”

"Was his name Michael?" Katherine chuckled. "He came here, listened to us sing, flirted with all the girls, and then put a healthy dent in the cookies and stuff we ate during our break a little bit ago. Last I saw of him, he went into the little prayer chapel."

“I’ll go head him off, Tess, if you want to sit and visit,” Monica said, but after a few minutes she
returned. “He’s not in there. Where could he have gone?”

"He was asking a lot of questions about the horses that we ride," one of the other choir members said.
"Have you tried the livery? I think he wants to see if he can have one of his own!"

“Horses,” scoffed Tess, but Andrew clicked his fingers together.

“Michael missed this era completely. You know, the Old West thing. He probably wants to be a cowboy or something!”

Both Tess and Monica made faces, but they shrugged and the three angels went back through town toward the Livery. Tess complained along the way, but finally they made it, heat and all.

They found a man dressed like a cowboy doing some maintenance work on a stagecoach, but no one else. He greeted them with a pleasant Texas howdy, and when they asked about whether he had seen Michael, he said he had. "He borrowed one of our horses, and he and Gideon went to his place. If you like, I can hitch you up a wagon. It's a little far to walk, especially in this heat."

Monica rolled her eyes, Andrew looked like he was going to say, no, that’s okay, and Tess barged right by with a “Would you please? It’s as hot as . . well, you know.”

Con Madigan grinned at her. "No problem at all, ma'am." A few minutes later, he had a pair of bay
mares hitched to a surrey. Then he drew a rude form of map. "It's not hard to find. It’s the second farm on the right, but his cottage is in the woods behind the big pasture. You will find it a lot cooler out that way."

The angels piled into the surrey. “Thank God!” said Tess, cracking the reins to get the horses going. It did not take long to get to the farms this way, and there was even a breeze.

Once they left the town, it was cooler. They found Katherine's farm with no problem, and turned in there. Connor MacLeod was in his little blacksmith shop, working on something, when he saw them and waved. "Hello? Looking for someone?" While Tess was asking about Gideon and Michael, Monica noticed the look on Andrew's face. "Did you escort him too?" she asked.

Andrew nodded. “If it’s the one I am thinking of. He looked like Father Alec – and that man there – so I am almost sure it is the same one. He was . . . special.”

Connor told them that Gideon and the man there were looking for had gone to his cottage, and he showed them the way to get there. They followed the now well-beaten little path, and came upon a quaint little
thatched roof cottage, with a man that looked like Father Alec and Connor MacLeod sitting on a chair and whittling. "Hello," he called out. "It's nice to see you again, Andrew."

“Wonderful to see you, Gideon! And in such good health. I see Edan agrees with you, and not just you.”

Gideon chuckled. "I had a transfusion. They stuck a needle into Connor's hip and drew out his good cells, and then gave them to me. I'm not sick anymore. It healed me. So I won't have to go with you now, will I?"

“No. You can stay here. Did you see my friend Michael, Gideon?” Monica and Tess paid more attention
to the young man, waiting to hear his reply.

"He was here. I like him. Ivy likes him too. She is showing him around. I think they want to make magic together," Gideon said innocently.

Tess made a face. “Michael wants to make magic with everyone,” she grumbled. Monica rolled her eyes,
trying to smile through it, and Andrew just looked at Gideon mildly.

“Is he coming back?” he asked.

Gideon shrugged. "I don't know, Andrew. Are you going to stay too? It’s a nice place. I have a horse named Shorty, and Shannon reads to me every night. She is going to have a baby. Kat is going to have one too!”

“We saw Katherine,” said Tess. “I’ve missed her.” Both of the “younger” angels looked at her, and she
shrugged. “Ok, so we’ll stay a little while. I wouldn’t mind visiting with Katherine.”

“And Joe,” said Monica. Both she and Andrew laughed.

“Watch it Angel Boy! Miss Wings!” But she had been caught, and she knew it.

"There is a hotel in town, but there is room at Kat's house. She won't mind if you stay there. Does she know you are angels?" he asked. 

Monica looked surprised. "How did you know we are angels?" she asked.

Gideon shrugged again. "I don't know. I just do."

Andrew nodded. "He recognized me as what I was right away. I told you he was special."

“There are lots of special people in Edan,” Gideon informed them. “It’s a special place.”

“Yes,” agreed Tess, “I think it is at that.”