After eating some of the food Mary had provided them, the Monkees went off to the side and filled each other in on what had happened.
It seemed they were succeeding in thwarting Dr. Chronos' plans, but there would be a lot of work to do tomorrow. So, they decided to get some sleep and headed back to the small room where Elizabeth still slept. Mary had wanted to give them a bigger room, but the Monkees insisted they would be fine where they were.
They entered the room and found Elizabeth still sleeping. As quietly as they could, they took off their sandals, loosened their belts, and tried to make themselves comfortable on the floor.
After a bit of blanket tug-of-war between Davy and Micky, the four Monkees finally managed to go to sleep.
++++
Micky was woken from a light sleep by something brushing past his foot. He opened one eye and saw Elizabeth quietly stepping out of the room. Micky silently drew his blanket aside and got up and followed her. Elizabeth walked up a flight of steps that led to the roof of the house. Micky waited a few seconds, then followed her up.
He found her looking over the city and came up beside her. The angel didn't seem surprised to see him.
"I figured you'd follow me." She said with a smile.
Micky looked down. "Yeah, I....I was just concerned, that's all. If you want to be alone...."
"No, please stay." Elizabeth took his hand. As much as she tried to deny it, she found herself attracted to the curly haired drummer.
The angel also sensed the same thing from Micky. It wasn't as though she didn't like the other three, but from the time Micky kissed her on the couch, she felt a closeness that she hadn't felt in a very long time.
Micky smiled. "If you insist." He then turned serious. "I know this is a hard time for you. I must admit it's been kinda weird for me too. I mean...we're helping someone be arrested and executed!"
"We're making sure that things are happening to God's plan."
Elizabeth replied. "Nothing is happening that hasn't been foretold centuries ago by the prophets."
A chill wind then blew across the roof, and Elizabeth shivered.
Micky came and stood behind Elizabeth and put his arms around her to keep her warm. Elizabeth smiled at the warmth and strength of Micky's arms. She gently stroked his arm while Micky kissed the back of her head.
"We'll get through this Elizabeth." Micky said softly. "And then, when we get back to L.A, I want to talk about...us." Elizabeth hung her head. How could she tell Micky.....
Just then, Mike, Peter and Davy came onto the roof.
"Oh there you two are!" Mike exclaimed. "We were wondering what happened to you two."
"I'm sure you were." Micky said dryly, releasing Elizabeth, annoyed that his friends had spoiled his time with alone with her.
"I couldn't sleep." Elizabeth said, "So I came up here to think and Micky kept me company."
The other three Monkees nodded their heads, accepting that explanation.
"Where do we start at tomorrow?" Davy asked.
"We'll go back to Caiaphas' house and follow wherever they take Jesus." Elizabeth replied, "We must be even more alert than we were tonight in keeping Dr. Chronos and his men from changing anything."
"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye out for trouble." Mike promised.
"Elizabeth," Peter said, "Why can't you just use your angel powers and zap Dr. Chronos and his men?"
The angel smiled sadly. "First of all, Peter, I still don't have my full strength back. I can't even do a card trick right now."
The Monkees chuckled at the joke. Elizabeth continued.
"Secondly, I can only use my powers for defense or to help others, like putting all that food in your pantry."
"I thought angels could do just about anything." Davy remarked.
"Not this angel." Elizabeth replied, "I've only been given the powers I need to fulfill my assignments on Earth."
"You were 'assigned' to Earth?" Micky asked.
"Yes, Micky." Elizabeth said. "Let's sit down, and I'll tell you my story."
The Monkees and Elizabeth sat down on some reed mats that were lying on the roof. The wind had thankfully died down a little so now it wasn't too cold out. The angel took a moment to gather her thoughts and began her story.
"My name really is Elizabeth. I was born in what is called the middle ages in Burgundy in what in the twentieth century would be called France."
"You were once like us?" Peter put in, shocked.
"Yes, Peter." Elizabeth smiled, "I was mortal, flesh and blood, just like you four. But if you knew me back then, you wouldn't want to have anything to do with me."
"Why is that?" Mike asked.
Elizabeth sighed. "My mother was, shall we say, a 'woman of the night'. I never knew who my father was. It wasn't too long before I joined my mother in her life. But I wanted something better, so I slowly made contacts with the higher class and it wasn't long before I had my own 'house' and had many ladies working for me."
The Monkees just shook their heads, not wanting to believe Elizabeth had led such a life. She continued.
"I provided ladies for the wealthy and powerful. I went to any means necessary to keep my position. There wasn't a sin I wouldn't commit, there wasn't a sin I didn't commit, as long as I had a nice place to live, with plenty of food to eat, with fine garments to wear. I thought those things were the answer to life. How foolish and naive I was." Elizabeth chuckled and shook her head at herself.
"Then what happened?" Peter asked.
The angel looked at Peter. "The black plague happened, Peter. Young and old, rich and poor were not spared from the disease. It wasn't long before I myself took ill and lay on my deathbed, cursing God for my illness. Then, just hours before I died, a priest named Fr. Boniface came to see me. He didn't condemn me for my life, but told me about God, how Jesus had died to save mankind, how God still loved me, no matter what I had done in life." Elizabeth put her head in her hands and began to cry. "I accepted Jesus as my savior and was baptized and took holy communion. I promised God that if he spared my life, I would do good for other people, but God saw fit to take my life. But instead of being thrown into Hades, into the everlasting fire, I spent many, many years in purgatory, having my sins burned out of my body." She stopped and looked at the Monkees who were listening in rapt attention.
"The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, came down and brought me out of purgatory, just like she does with other souls; but before I could enter heaven, God decided to take me up on my promise. I was made an angel, but I had to live on Earth and help others in need. So, that's what I've been doing for the last several centuries, roaming the Earth, and helping those in need. It hasn't been easy, not by a long shot, but I'm so grateful to God for getting a second chance, that I'll wander the Earth forever if he wished it. I took the last name 'Boniface' in honor of the priest that converted me."
There was silence after Elizabeth finished. None of the Monkees knew what to say, it was such a story. Then the wind began to pick up again, and the five of them decided to head back down into the house. Once back in the room, as they settled back down to sleep, Elizabeth spoke one more time.
"It was God's will that we met, and I will always be grateful for that." She kissed each of the Monkees, then the five of them fell into a deep, restful sleep.