A/N: Pure AngelCollins fluff, guys. Dedicated to all the crazy AngelCollins fans out there (I, being one of them, know what it's like to be obsessed with them. LOL)...
DISCLAIMER: Don't own it.

Angel awoke to the sound of Collins' deep and gentle voice humming in her ear. Her eyes fluttered open and she recognized the tune as the "Happy Birthday" song.

"I was hoping you'd forget," she whispered, smiling.

Collins stopped humming and looked down at his lover. "Now why, my dear, would I forget?" he asked.

He leaned down and gave her a kiss, breaking away only to say, "Happy birthday, Ang!"

She smiled again. "Thank you, honey. But I was really hoping you'd forget..."

Collins grabbed Angel at the waist and pulled her away from the pillow and onto his lap, causing her to giggle wildly.
"I've got a surprise for you," he said.

Angel sighed, rolling her eyes. "I told you not to make a big deal out of this, remember?"

"Oh, come on, baby, it's your birthday! I wanna make it special for you. And anyway, who said anything about making a big deal out of it? It's just a little something..."

"But you didn't---"

"Go take a shower and get ready, baby," Collins interrupted, "I gotta set everythin' up."

"Set everything up? What does that mean?" Angel asked.

Collins smirked. "You'll see..."

Angel wasn't sure if not knowing what he meant was a good or a bad thing.

After taking a quick shower and putting on her favorite outfit, Angel headed out of the bathroom and into the kitchen/living room in their tiny apartment to find Collins sitting at the kitchen table with a big smile on his face. He was holding a small box. Next to him on the table was a birthday cake with candles covering the top.

"Oh, Collins..." Angel said quietly, "You really didn't have to do this..."

"I know. But I wanted to. In fact, we wanted to. See, I didn't make the cake, Ang. You know damn well that I can't cook or bake for my life. Maureen, Mimi, and Joanne all pitched in with that. Joanne is the neatest so they had her write 'Happy Birthday Angel' with frosting on the cake...Mimi baked it, and Maureen...she kinda just tasted the frosting and ate the rest of it that was left in the bowl."

Angel giggled and sat down next to Collins, and he continued:
"And this," he held up the box, "Was a little something I picked out for you. Mark and Roger came along with me to see if we could pick out just the right present."

"Thank you, baby!" Angel gave Collins a kiss and smiled at him.

"I asked everyone if they wanted to join us this morning for your little surprise party, but they all agreed on the fact that we should spend the morning alone with each other."

"Aww, that was sweet..." Angel ran her finger on the side of the cake and licked the frosting off of her finger. "Ooh, it's good!"

"Now, Miss Angel," Collins pretend-scolded, "You ain't supposed to eat the cake until you get sung to."

"Oh, please, Collins, you don't need to---"

"What's a birthday party without the song?"

Angel sighed. "All right. Serenade me."

And that was exactly what he did. His voice rang through her ears and sent chills down her spine. The end of the song was her favorite part:
...Happy Birthday, my Angel
Happy Birthday to you
She squealed when he used "my" instead of "dear".

"Make a wish, baby! Blow out the candles!" Collins cried, laughing. Angel closed her eyes tightly and made a wish.

I wish I could be with Collins forever.

And then she blew out the candles. She clapped her hands excitedly and Collins leaned over to give her a kiss. They each cut themselves a piece of the cake and ate it happily. Finally, Angel just had to ask:
"What's in the box?"

Collins smiled. "I was waiting for you to ask that." He handed her the box. "Here, baby. I hope you like it. Believe me, if I had the money, I'd get you as many presents as you wanted...but I could only get one."

"Honey, you know that doesn't matter to me," Angel said, looking him in the eyes.

He nodded, looking down at his hands. "But you deserve so much more..." He sighed, and then looked back up at her. "Open it, baby!"

She took off the top of the box slowly, and gasped at what was inside. It was a necklace...one of the most beautiful ones Angel had ever seen. There was a heart-shaped diamond on a gold chain that glistened in the sunlight streaming in from the window. She stared at it, then at Collins, then back at the necklace again.
"...Collins..." she whispered. "But...how could you...afford...?"

"Don't worry about that, Angel. It doesn't matter. I needed to get you something special. When I saw that necklace, I knew that was the perfect thing to get you...I know we can't afford it, but I scraped up every last penny I had to get it for you." Collins looked at the expression on her face. "Do you like it, Angel? Mark and Roger said you would..."

Angel looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "It's...beautiful. One of the best presents I've ever gotten," she said, her voice quavering.

"Then what's wrong, baby?" Collins asked. He was completely confused. She put the box down on the table and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I love you so much..." Angel whispered. She sniffled and looked up at him. Collins looked very worried.

"I love you too, but...Why're you crying? What's the matter?" he asked, holding onto her shoulders.

"It's just...this is probably...gonna be...my last...birthday." She choked out the words as if every word was causing her pain.

Collins pulled her into his arms. "Oh, Angel, don't talk like that...please...not now..."

He let her cry for a while.

"I'm sorry," she said, a little while later, "I don't like to cry..."

"Don't be sorry, baby," Collins said quietly, "I just don't like seein' you get all upset like that..."

"Well, it's just that...when I blew out the candles, I wished that I could be with you forever...even though I know that's not going to happen..." Angel mumbled, sniffling.

Collins held her for a long moment until she calmed down, and then finally spoke. "First of all, you ain't supposed to say your wish out loud, young lady."

Angel laughed a little.

"Second of all, it is going to happen. Because you'll always be with me. In here." He pointed to his chest where his heart was. "You know that, and I know that. No use spoiling your birthday over it." He gave her a kiss. "You better now?"

She nodded and rested her head on his chest for a moment, closing her eyes and holding his hands tightly. Then she broke away and smiled at him.

"Could you put on the necklace for me?"

"Of course, Angel."

He took the necklace out of the box and carefully unhooked the clasp. When he had put it on her, Angel ran over to the nearest mirror and looked at the beautiful piece of jewelry on her neck. She felt Collins creep up behind her and put his arms around her small waist.

"It is beautiful, isn't it, Collins?" Angel whispered.

"I can think of something much more beautiful..." Collins replied. "You."

Angel turned away from the mirror to give him a kiss. "Thank you, Collins...you know, for doing all of this..."

"Anything for my Angel," he said, smiling. Taking her hand and bringing her out of the bathroom, he sat her down on his lap on the couch.

"I'm just warning you, Mimi's gonna call you and invite you over to the loft...everyone else got some things for you too. So be prepared for more than this little necklace. And probably another cake..." He laughed.

"Oh, they really didn't have to go through all that trouble..." Angel began.

"But they did. Because they love you, Angel. And so do I."

Angel had already decided that the morning had begun the best birthday she'd ever had. She promised herself she'd cherish every moment, unbeknownst to her that it truly would be her last.