Summary: She was an angel, returning to him the son he had lost. He was a cowboy Casanova, riding off into the sunset with her heart in his hand. Fate and the luck of the Irish would bring them together, love would keep them there.

Disclaimer: Twentieth Century Fox Cinemas owns the Sons, not me. I own this story and my OCs.

WARNING: I curse, so does Eli. So do the Sons.

Author's Note: I know, I know, I'm nowhere near done with Midnight Rider but the little plot bunny for this gem bit me, and I'm pretty sure it had rabies. To any of my Midnight Rider readers, glad to have you on this ride as well. To new readers of mine, welcome! Hope you all enjoy!

PROLOGUE
|Haven, OH|
|2008|

Elizabeth 'Eli' Grey was not a morning person. But, after finally accomplishing her dream of opening a tattoo parlor in her relatively small suburban town, she'd been getting up at six in the morning for the past two months to open up early. All the same, there was no way in Seven Hells that she was even going to attempt to start the day without her ritual morning cup of coffee.
After pouring herself a steaming cup of joe from her Starbucks brew, the redheaded twenty-six-year-old went over to her warm toffee-colored couch and plopped down, tucking her legs underneath her and wrapping a fuzzy Harley Davidson blanket around herself in a little cocoon. After a moment of internal debate, Eli shrugged and decided that the parlor could open a few minutes late today because she was just too comfortable and warm to get up and do it right then.
However, as if she'd managed to jinx it by thought alone, there was a knock at her front door. Eli groaned, resisting the urge to mutter a few choice words (though she didn't hold back in her head), and lugged her sorry self off of the couch. She sat her coffee on the table in front of the couch and wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders before heading towards the door. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the shotgun leaning against the wall next to the door, before she shrugged the thought aside and unlocked the door.
Slowly, Eli opened the door and peered out. Her breath left her in a huff of indignation when she found no one on the other side. She made to close the door, making a mental note to have a talk with the good Chief of Police about the neighborhood kids messing with people again, but she froze when the sound of a quiet whimper reached her ears.
Eli's eyes widened when they landed on a bundle of blue blankets laying innocently on her doormat and she hesitantly opened the door completely so that she could kneel down next to the little bundle. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart began to hammer away in her chest as she took the little bundle into her arms and gently pulled the blankets aside. Her blue eyes met with the clear blue of a beautiful baby, and Eli founder herself grateful that she was already sitting on the floor because she was sure she would have ended up there anyway. "Shite," she whimpered.

Alexander Grey, Chief of Haven PD, was having a good morning. Keyword? Was.
He looked up from the paperwork he was finishing when there was a knock on his office door, and his deep blue eyes met the warm brown of his best deputy. Sarah Marshal smiled at her boss, "Your sister's here." Alex sighed, rubbing a tanned and calloused hand over his face, "What'd she do now?" Sarah looked amused, but a short time ago it wasn't uncommon for Eli Grey to end up in holding into it with someone or another. "Chief," Sarah started. "Eli isn't here in lock up, she's here on business. Asking to see you about something she found." Inwardly, Alex groaned. Outwardly, he stood from his desk, following Sarah out of his office and into the waiting area of the relatively small station. There he found his sister, in her Batman pajamas, with wild hair and terrified eyes as she cradled a bundle of blue blankets tight to her chest.
Eli stood the moment Drew approached, babbling away at top speed. "Thank God you're here," she rambled frantically, "I didn't know what to do, I was panicking!" She would have gone on, most likely growing even more hysterical than she already was as she did so, but Alex stopped her. "Who, slow down there Eli. What's wrong?" Alex asked, stepping forward and placing his hands on her shoulders in what he clearly hoped was a calming way. Eli stared up at him for a moment, his 5'9 frame towering over her 5'2 one. Her mouth opened and her jaw moved, but no sound came out. Finally, she settled for taking a trembling hand and moving of the blankets in her arms around. Alex stared.
"Eli," he began slowly, "Why do you have a baby?" Eli stared at him, "I was having my coffee this morning before going to open the parlor when there was a knock on my door. When I opened it, there was no one there. I figured it was just the neighbor kids, but then I heard a whimper and I looked down to see a bundle of blankets on my door mat. The thing was, they weren't just blankets." She motioned to the baby staring up at her, apparently fascinated by her blood red locks. The look on her face was one of helplessness and Alex stiffened, strong protective instincts flaring. This time, Eli was the one whimpering and not the baby, "I didn't know what to do with him, I wanted to take him to the hospital right away but I knew I had to tell you first."
Alex sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and nodding slowly. "You did the right thing," he told her. He glanced over to his deputy, Sarah had been dutifully been copying down his sister's statement and sighed again. "I'm taking her and the baby to the hospital," he told her before turning back to his sister, "Come on Eli, let's get the kid to Haven General." Eli nodded, trotting after her brother obediently. The two Grey siblings got into Alex's squad car and the Chief turned on his sirens. Eli gave her brother a look and he shrugged sheepishly, fighting off a childish grin, "We have to get the kid there quick." Eli shook her head, her lips twitching upwards at the corners in amusement, and gently rocked the bundle in her arms.

"Well Miss Grey," the doctor said after checking the baby over,"It would appear that little Abel is doing just fine." Abel, they had discovered, was the name stitched with obvious care onto the baby blanket the little boy had been wrapped in. "However," the doctor continued, "it would seem he's got a congenital heart defect and was born extremely premature. At the moment, it's nothing to worry about. In fact, he appears to be just fine. However, should he have any issues of any sort, even a cold, I highly suggest bringing him in just to be safe. But, I've got a feeling the little guy's a fighter." A weight she hadn't known was there disappeared off of Eli's chest at the doctor's words. She breathed a sigh of relief, gently taking Abel back into her arms when the doctor handed him over. "Thank you, Doctor Smith," Eli said and the older woman smiled, "Anytime." Eli followed the doctor back out into the waiting room where her brother sat. He stood when she approached. "Well?" Alex asked and Eli smiled, "Abel's just fine. He has a congenital heart defect and he was born premature, but the doctor says it's nothing to be worried about." Alex smiled, "Well, alright then! While you two were in there I made a call to Child Services, they'll take Abel and put him in foster care until we can locate a relative or parent." Eli was quiet as they began the walk back to the cruiser, her face troubled. After placing Abel in a hospital loaned car seat, Eli slipped into the front passenger seat and buckled up. It was then that she spoke, "Alex, what are the chances that Abel's even got any family?" Alex looked troubled as he shook his head, "They aren't good, to tell you the truth. It's pretty obvious that any family he has isn't exactly an option, seeing as he was left on your doorstep." Eli nodded slowly, "And what'll happen if they can't find his family?" Alex sighed, "He'll be classified as a ward of the state and he'll end up in the system." Eli bit her lip, glancing in the rear-view mirror at the tiny baby boy in the back. Her mind was made up then, although her heart had been decided the moment she'd known there was an option Abel had no one else. And she'd be damned if she let this sweet little boy go through what she had. "Alex," she began strongly, "I want to take him." Alex wasn't surprised, "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

Not even a day later, Eli met with a social worker. The woman was very kind and understanding, sympathizing with Eli when she told the woman that Abel had stolen her heart from the moment she happened to lay eyes on him. At the end of their meeting, the other woman had a smile on her face, "Well then, I do believe Abel will be in the best possible care with you. Congratulations." Eli smiled, beaming with happiness, and signed the papers that made it official. Eli Grey was now Abel's foster mom, and hopefully, she'd be his adopted mom.

|Four Months Later...|

The entire town of Haven showed up to celebrate Eli Grey's adoption of the little boy she had been caring for. Abel Grey and his new mommy were the focus of the party, and Eli couldn't care less about the attention that she was receiving. Instead, Eli focused wholeheartedly on the beautiful face of Abel, her beautiful baby boy. Her son.

Author's Note: Welcome to Cowboys & Angels! Hope you enjoyed the prologue, there's more to come on Sunday!
P.S. Eli's name is pronounced E (like the letter)-lie.
Questions? Comments? Review! I love 'em!
~E.S.