Welcome to 'Angels Fall'.

I will caution you that no more of this will post till I have it written in its entirety. I have two, maybe three chapters left to write. I just couldn't wait to share it with you all.

See you at the bottom

Chapter 1: Seasons in the Sun

When angels fall with broken wings

I can't give up, I can't give in

When all is lost and daylight ends

I'll carry you and we will live forever, for ever

I'm playing with my dolls on the floor in my room, looking up only when I hear my bedroom door start to open. When my mom and dad walk into my room and take a seat on the bed, I set my barbie down then walk over to stand between my daddy's legs. He pulls me onto his lap and gives me a kiss on the top of my head. Once I hear mommy's voice, I raise my eyes to look at her.

"Elena, daddy and I need to talk to you about something."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Oh no sweetheart," daddy reassures me, giving me a light squeeze.

"Mommy's friend can't take care of her little boy right now so he is going to come and live with us. His name is Damon and he's a very sweet little boy."

"Why can't his mommy take care of him?"

"Damon's daddy was a soldier. He was killed in the war. He was my actually my best friend and that's how mommy got to know his mother. She can't give him a good home right now so daddy and mommy told her that he could live with us. What do you think about that?"

"Daddy, will he play with me?"

"I'm sure he will. He's a very nice little boy," Momma says, squeezing my hand gently.

"When is he going to get here?"

"Tomorrow."

"Where is he going to sleep?"

"Daddy and I are going to get the guest bedroom ready for him. We're going to get him some new bedding, some toys and clothes. Do you want to go shopping with us to get him some things? We want to make him feel welcome."

"Yay! Can I pick something for him?"

"Sure, you pick up your dollies and then we'll go." As soon as I jump off of daddy's lap, I pick up my Barbie dolls and put them away. Once I get downstairs, the three of us leave to go to the store.

"Come on in, Ellie," my mom says to whoever is at the door before stepping aside to let them in. I watch as a sad looking lady, holding a little boy's hand walks into our house. Mommy stoops down to say hi to the little boy.

"Hello Damon. I'm so glad to meet you. My name is Miranda and this is my husband Gray." He's clinging to and hiding behind his mommy's leg. He looks real scared.

"Sweetheart, you don't have to be scared," mom reassures him. The lady loosens his fingers from her leg before she stoops down too. She gives him a big hug and whispers something in his ear. When I see daddy gesturing for me to come over to him, I suck my lower lip between my teeth but I do as he asks. He bends down to introduce us to each other. The little boy has dark messy hair and pretty blue eyes but he looks like he's afraid of his own shadow.

"Damon, this is my little girl. Her name is Elena and she's six. How old are you?" Daddy smiles when he holds up five fingers.

"Ellie, do you have the guardianship papers? We'll need them if he would ever get sick, we'll need to be able to give the doctors permission to treat him."

"Yes, Gray. They're right here," she whispers, pulling an envelope out of her purse and handing it to him. Daddy gives it to mom before extending his arms to the little boy. When his mom nudges him forward with her hand, he raises his arms and daddy picks him up with one hand while reaching for his suitcase with the other.

"Come Elena, let's show Damon his new bedroom," I run up the stairs and open the door for the two of them. Damon's mommy is crying by the time we get back downstairs. Mommy is giving her a hug and telling her that we'll take good care of her little boy. Seeing his mommy cry, Damon runs over to her. Clinging to her legs, he starts crying when daddy tries to take him in his arms again.

"How would you like to go to the park?" Damon sniffs a little bit and looks up at his mommy. When she tells him it's okay, daddy helps me put my jacket on and then takes my hand. After Damon's mommy gives him a big hug and a kiss and tells him to be a good boy, the three of us go bye, bye, not realizing that we wouldn't be seeing Damon's mommy again for a very long time.

"Happy Birthday dear Damon, happy birthday to you." Mommy sets the birthday cake in front of him so daddy can light the candles. He takes a big breath and blows all six of them out. Damon has been with us a whole year already. He's my best friend. Mommy's belly is getting big cause I'm going to get a new baby brother. Damon is a little scared that we're going to make him go away when the new baby comes. When I told daddy about him being scared, he took Damon aside and told him that he's just as much a part of our family as the new baby will be. Damon gave my daddy a big hug.

After we finish eating cake and ice cream and we get our hands and face washed, Damon gets to open his presents. Daddy and mommy got him a Tonka truck and some play cars. Mommy let me pick a couple of cartoon movies for us to watch. Once he's through opening his presents, mommy hands him a card telling him it's from his real mommy. When he opens it, six one dollar bills fall out.

"Wow, you're rich," I gush, running my finger over the crisp new bills.

"Will you buy me some candy, Damon?" I ask, my smile enough to show my missing front teeth.

"Can we get candy?" he asks, excitedly.

"Not tonight. You already had cake and ice cream. I'll take you to buy candy tomorrow if your rooms are cleaned. Okay?"

"Okay daddy," I squeal clapping along with Damon. After supper, me and Damon go into the living room to watch one of his cartoon movies and play with his new cars. When we finish playing and the movie is showing the end credits, I look at Damon who's sound asleep, spread out on the floor. I crawl over to him, whispering, 'I love you' in his ear, finishing just as daddy comes into the room. He picks him up and carries him to bed. Yawning, I follow along, kiss daddy and mommy goodnight then crawl under the covers and go to sleep, safe and warm in my bed.

The years went by and Damon continued to live with us and the two of us grew closer with each passing year. My little brother, Jeremy is six, I'm thirteen, and Damon just turned twelve. When I walk past my parents bedroom, I hear my mother sobbing, her voice coming in gasps, punctuated by sniffles. Worried, I raise my hand and knock on the door.

"Is something wrong?" I ask when I push their door ajar, peaking in.

"Elena, Damon's mother got married again. She's going to take custody of him again."

"What does that mean?" I ask, feeling really scared knowing it's bad.

"Damon is only a twelve. He's going to have to move away to live with her."

"No, no, no. He's part of our family now. She can't take him away," I blurt out, tears springing immediately from my eyes.

"Yes, honey she can. Damon is her son. If he was older, he could decide on his own but he's not."

"But daddy, I don't want him to go."

"Neither do we, Elena. Neither do we." Breaking down into ugly tears, my dad wraps me in his arms, holding me against his chest as I cry till no more tears come.

"Does he know yet?"

"No. We just found out today. Ellie is coming for him this weekend. We'll have to start packing his things."

"Please don't let her take him. Mom, please?"

"I wish it was that simple, Elena. But he's her son. We can't keep him."

"Then I'm going to run away with him," I protest, burying my face further into my dad's chest. After rubbing his hand down my back for a few more moments, he tells me it's time to go to bed. Nodding, I walk out of their room and down the hall to my own room. Seeing the light still on under Damon's door, I quietly turn the knob. Although his bedside lamp is still on, he's sound asleep. Tiptoeing over to the bedside, I just stand there, staring at him for a long time. Although I don't want to wake him, I just can't help myself. Using the backs of my fingers, I wispily run them up and down, stroking his cheek. When he stirs, I step back, grimacing in hopes that he won't wake up. I breath a sigh of relief when he doesn't. I give him one more wispy caress before sneaking out of his room and into my own.

After I get washed up, I slip under the covers, clutching the teddy bear he gave me tightly. Not wanting to begin to imagine a life without him in it, my tears flow anew and continue till I drift off into a restless sleep.

"Are you ready to go, Damon?" she asks, standing in the doorway. Damon is trying to be so strong but I can see the sadness in his eyes. He doesn't want to leave either. I watch as he swallows thickly barely nodding at her. His mom is going to have another baby. After he sets his suitcase down, he walks over to my dad and wraps his arms around his middle, squeezing tightly. I can't stop my tears when he tells my dad how much he loves him, saying thank you for taking him into our home and making him feel so loved. I don't miss how dad sneaks a little money in his hand, whispering that he should buy himself something special with it. Damon tries to protest but dad refuses to take it back.

Once dad releases him, he says goodbye to Jeremy and then my mom, wrapping his arms around her too, both of them crying.

"Sweetie, if it's okay with your mom, maybe you can come back and spend next summer with us? I love you so much, Damon."

"I love you too," he blubbers, reaching up to wipe his eyes.

"Damon, we need to get going. Your father is waiting for us." He looks at her, nodding although his tears don't abate. Finally he walks over to me. The two of us wrap our arms around each other, holding on like we're the last survivors of the Titanic, clinging to the piece of wood as it floats in the cold north Atlantic. I feel him press a kiss to my cheek and whisper that he loves me in my ear. I pull back slightly to look him in the eyes. This time it's me who mouths, "I love you" so only he can see what I'm saying.

Sighing heavily, he gives me on last long look before turning his back to me and walking to his mom who's waiting in the doorway. He picks up his suitcase and follows her outside. I watch as he stuffs his suitcase in the trunk. Once more our eyes meet. Some unknown force pulls me to him, I run out of the house and into his arms, kissing his cheeks and hugging him one last time. I don't know how much time passes, both us refusing to let go, both of us quivering under the weight of so much sadness. We hold each other, hanging on for dear life till his mother tells him they need to leave. Wiping his eyes, he slides into the passenger seat of the car. When she pulls away from the curb, Damon quickly rolls down the window, waving animatedly till the car disappears around the corner, taking a piece of me with him.

Thank you so much Eva. I would never be here in this place, writing stories if not for your love and invaluable assistance. I would be lost without you.

Thank you Kate for another brilliant cover image.

Lisa, I hope you like this story.

Lyrics: 'Angels Fall' by Breaking Benjamin

Anxious to hear your thoughts on this. Please remember to click that *Review* button.

I have updated 'Tears in Heaven' and 'Rainy Days and Mondays'. Please give those a look too.

Chapter title: 'Seasons in the Sun' by Terry Jacks.

I'll see you at the bottom of chapter 2.