Wow. I haven't been here for quite a while, so you can imagine how surprised I was at the changes to the site. Anyway, chapter two! Here we go.

I own the plot line and the OCs. I do not own the title, anything Law & Order related, or anything RENT related.

Collins kept his attention on the amulet around his neck as he climbed the stairs to get to the apartment he shared with Angel. He wasn't entirely sure what to make of Zina's predictions. He wanted to believe they weren't true, but he had never met Zina before today and she knew things about his life that no stranger should. His mother had told him at a young age that psychics were frauds and no one could truly predict the future. As he reached his apartment, he silently decided it would be best to deal with this strange matter on his own. He tucked the amulet underneath his undershirt, took his key from his coat pocket, unlocked the door, and entered the apartment.

"Hi, honey," Angel said pleasantly. She was sitting on the couch holding Maureen and Joanne's six-month-old baby boy, Anthony. His and Angel's one-year-old daughter, Olivia, was sitting on the floor next to Maureen. There were crayons and pieces of paper all around them, indicating that they had been coloring.

"Da-dee!" Olivia exclaimed, reaching her arms out to her father. Collins chuckled and made his way over to her. He picked her up and held her close as Angel smiled at him.

"How was everything?" Maureen asked as she stood up. Collins searched his brain for the best way to describe the events of the meeting.

"Emotional," he replied. His best friend simply nodded. "So, where's Joanne?"

"She left like a half hour ago for something work related." Before Collins could ask any more questions, Olivia pulled the amulet from underneath his shirt and bit down on it. Collins gently pulled the amulet out of his daughter's mouth.

"Don't eat that, Liv," he told her. Angel placed the sleeping Anthony on the couch and stood up. She walked toward her lover and examined the amulet.

"Sweetie, where did this come from?" she asked. Collins hesitated before answering.

"A woman gave it to me."

"What woman?"

"She told me to call her Zina."

"'Zina?'" Maureen repeated. "The psychic?" Angel looked to Maureen and raised an eyebrow. Collins avoided making eye contact with either of them as he put Olivia back down on the floor. He watched the little girl pick up a crayon and begin coloring.

"Collins, you went to a psychic?" Angel asked. "I thought you said you don't believe in psychics."

"I don't," Collins replied. "And I didn't go to her. She came to me."

"Zina's the real deal, Collins," Maureen said. "I went to her when Mark and I started fighting about stupid little things back when we were dating. She told me that I'd be happier with someone more like me and that I would meet my soul mate soon. Three days later, I met Joanne."

"Mo, Joanne is nothing like you."

"We're both girls." Collins rolled his eyes. "So, what did she say? And why did she give you that necklace?"

"First of all, it's an amulet. Second, what she said is not important."

"Can I try it on?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not an answer."

"Could you two not argue right now?" Angel pleaded. "You're going to wake Anthony and you're setting a bad example for Olivia. Collins, just let Maureen try it on. You know she's never going to stop bugging you if you don't."

"She can't try it on," Collins said, causing his best friend to frown. "I'm not supposed to take it off."

"What do you mean you're not supposed to take it off?" Maureen asked.

"Zina told me to keep it on at all times."

"But you don't believe in psychics." Maureen folded her arms while Collins tried his hardest to think of a way to explain exactly why he was keeping the amulet on.

"She's kind of creepy," he said. "The way she looked at me made me feel like . . . I'll die if I take this thing off."

"But if you don't believe in her powers, then that shouldn't scare you."

"Maureen-"

"You're arguing again," Angel interrupted. Collins sighed heavily as someone knocked on the door. Just to get away from the conversation he was having with Maureen, the anarchist went to answer it. One of his and Angel's neighbors was on the other side, clutching an envelope in his hand.

"Hi there, Collins," he said. "I got this letter that's addressed to you by mistake."

"Oh, thanks," Collins replied. He took the envelope and received a simple nod from his neighbor before he left. Collins looked at the return address on the envelope as he shut the door. He froze and his eyes widened.

"Who's it from, honey?" Angel asked, crossing the room to get to her lover.

"It's from Connor." Collins tried to keep all traces of panic out of his voice. He stood there and just stared at the envelope for a long moment. His mind immediately went back to what Zina had said about his former student coming to him for help.

"Are you going to read it?" Maureen asked. Collins slowly opened the envelope, took the letter out of it, and looked it over. It read:

Dear Professor Collins,

I know you probably find it odd that I'm writing you so suddenly, so I'm not going to make this any longer than it needs to be. You were there for me when no one else was and you helped me through an extremely rough time in my life. I was hoping you could help me again. You see, I've recently been deemed well enough to take care of myself by Dr. Fletcher and am being released from the hospital very soon. About two days after I was told I was being released, I began getting strange letters. They come without a return address and are always signed, "Yours Truly." The person who's writing them makes sure to mention that they "can't wait to see me," which can only mean they somehow found out that I'm being released. Could you possibly make it here by the end of the week? I think someone is watching me and I'm frightened. Please help me, Professor.

Sincerely,

Connor A. Bennett

Collins stared at the letter in disbelief. There was no way Zina could have known this letter would be delivered to him. Even though all signs were pointing to it, he still didn't want to believe she was actually psychic. If she was and she was right about Connor needing his help, she could be right about he and Angel being attacked. He didn't want to accept that as the truth.

"Collins, your thing is glowing," Maureen pointed out. Collins tore his attention away from the letter and looked down at the amulet. Sure enough, the ruby was glowing just as it had on the subway.

"What does the letter say?" Angel asked.

Keeping his eyes on the glowing ruby, Collins remained silent.

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