Uncharted Desires

Chapter 10: Numbers

SUMMARY: Before joining his friends at the Life Café, Angel decides to hang back and finish washing Mercy's clothing, when he finds something that could and would very well prove vital in finding out more about her and her connection to Samuel Michaels. The meaning of this new information remains a mystery until Mimi goes to work when a friend puts a new spin on things. I was gonna have it that she had a chance encounter with a patron, but that would've meant a whole new storyline would needed to have been developed, and I am just too lazy for that shit right now lol. Just read and review please!

Collins left with little Mercy clutching to his hand only minutes ago, and again Angel was left alone to his thoughts. It was significantly quieter and dull without his boyfriend and the child here; like life had been drained from it… not that the apartment was uncomfortable or dull, but you know Angel. His need to be with people and feel the love and warmth of people he loves and cares for was something that was one of the brightest and most vibrant aspects of his personality. He picked up Mercy's old, tattered sweater and a pair of socks off the side table where he had placed them the day before and looked around… he could take them down to the laundry room downstairs but that place was like an ice box during the winter. Sighing wistfully, Angel made the quick decision to just finish washing them in the bathroom sink – her clothes were small enough and not as dirt-ridden as one would expect an orphaned, homeless child to be wearing. Angel studied the clothing; the rough material between his fingers… it was grainy and textures that were very unhealthy and should be discarded right away, but until he could buy her more suitable clothing (only a few skirts and sweaters) had been purchased but wouldn't sustain her through the winter. With Collins' next paycheck they would buy her some more winter-friendly outfits, so for now they would keep these items just in case. When she left with Collins a few minutes earlier, she was wearing some of the second-hand clothes Angel had just bought her yesterday, but it was obvious that they wouldn't be appropriate for a child to survive a cold winter in New York City.

Angel walked into bathroom, the place where he and Collins had been a few hours earlier, and the context of it was somewhat different now. It was colder and darker. He flicked on the light and made his way to the bathroom sink; plugging it; and then turning the cold water tap on. Mercy's clothes were delicate; but had obviously been through rough times… how anyone, let alone a child, could survive the cold wearing such thin garments was a feat to be commended and admired. Mercy did what she had to do to survive, without returning to the place that multiply inflicted abuse on her. Angel smiled at the thought of having a child around… much of his own personality reflected a child-like innocence that could not be matched except by that of an actual child. In the short time Mercy had been in their lives she had put so much into perspective… much as Angel had done a few years earlier, she breathed life into what society proclaimed to be a dying by-product of a class system that alienated people. Bohemia. Different people united for a single purpose – acceptance.

He turned the tap off and stared into the cool water; the light causing a reflection and for the first time in weeks Angel noticed how more relaxed he was. That could be a good thing, but it also may not be… Mercy's arrival spoke of foreboding consequences that could result in the past revisiting them; and for Angel that was not an option. He barely survived the first time – physically and emotionally. The psychological torture though, could prove this time to be fatal if in fact Angel's fears were to be realized.

He added washing powder to the water and waited a few seconds for it to sink in a dissolve… the blue crystals breaking down as the chemicals reacted with the water. Angel then picked up the sweater and dunked it under the water; the coolness sending a tingling sensation through the tips of his fingers, up his hand. Shivering at the temperature of the water, he proceeded to wash out the stains; effectively using his fingernails to dig into the tougher stains, while muttering under his breath, an imploration for the stains to disappear. Angel shifted weight onto his other leg and sighed again; wanting nothing more than to join Collins and their friends at the café… and seeing Mercy smile and be happy as she was, it made Angel feel better. Maybe things could get better for all of them.
The stains and dirt started to lift, and the whiteness of the sweater began to show. Angel's smile widened, feeling the satisfaction that he wasn't gonna have to stand here for hours. He then left the sweater in the water to soak for a bit longer, and moved onto the tiny soaks… they were so small, and it was adorable. Angel inspected them… so tiny for tiny feet, with lacing around the edges. They, too, had sustained heavy wear and were in delicate condition.

"Cute," he muttered and lightly toyed with one of them in his hand. But on further inspection, Angel felt something inside the sock, something rough and scrunched up… like paper. He frowned and looked inside it, and sure enough there was an old piece of paper in the bottom; small, like the material it was stuffed into. He dropped the sock on the side of the basin and unfolded the paper. There was writing scribbled on it…

Stephanie Sanderson PIN 849237

'Mika'

"Stephanie… Mika?" Angel muttered, notably confused. "What the--?"

Re-reading it three, four, five times didn't help clarify the words anymore than the first time; it was all nonsensical to Angel, there was no context to put it into and whatever it meant, it definitely pertained to Mercy. The PIN was the most confusing thing of all, and… who was Stephanie Sanderson? And who or what is Mika? To Angel, the only thing that could be done was to tell Collins and for them to both as Mercy together. Though whether she would know anything was a different story and the fact that she was so young was another obstacle; she might not remember who gave it to her or when. Angel's chest tightened and his breathing became sharper, and shoved the paper into his left pocket. This was another complication they didn't need. He then put the socks in the water and decided to let the clothes sit there to soak, and would remove them when they got home that night. Right now, he had to get to the Life Café…

AT THE CAFÉ, WITH COLLINS, MERCY, ROGER, MARK, JOANNE, MAUREEN, AND MIMI… 11:46 AM

"She is too adorable!" Maureen squealed, watching Mercy pick at her food and stare out the window with a somewhat confused expression. She chewed her sandwich slowly, sitting on Collins' lap, thinking deeply, and not really noticing or caring about the conversations going on around her. Adult conversations were boring to a child, so she wasn't paying much attention – like Angel, Mercy had a tendency to disconnect and exist in her own world at times.
Collins sipped his coffee and rolled his eyes – his friends were completely overreacting to this whole thing, though Mark and Roger were the ones who seemed calmer. Mimi, too. Joanne had been completely taken by surprise by this and was still having trouble accepting that there, on the professor's lap was a child as innocent and sweet as God intended, yet had seemingly been unaffected, but has seen and knows so much of, the tormented world around her. A normal child would be so scared to suddenly be surrounded by strangers… but she wasn't. In fact, Mercy seemed to enjoy it… even revel in it.

"How old is she again?" Joanne asked.

"Five."

"You know you can't keep her, right? She's not a pet…"

"I know, Joanne!" Collins snapped, stroking the child's hair. "Trust me, its Angel you gotta get through to. But she had no where to go, what were we supposed to do?"

"Um… take her to the police?"

"Yeah, so they can dump her back in the foster home she ran away from to begin with?"

"That's if you believe she's telling the truth…"

"Why would a five year old make up something like that?" Mimi challenged her.

"Maybe if she felt like she wanted more attention…"

"She was cold and hungry and tired," Collins explained. "Would you have done any different?"

Joanne sighed – being a lawyer; she knew the potentially devastating legal ramifications that could threaten Angel and Collins if they decided to pursue a path without going through the appropriate legal avenues. But she shook her head. "No… I guess not…" she turned her attention to the little girl who was still staring out the window, not paying them any attention. She was waiting for Angel to come, and picked up her soda… she sucked on the straw and shivered at the chilled liquid running down her throat and looked up at Collins and smiled.

"Cold." She whispered.

"You okay?" he replied, pulling her closer to him to wrap his coat around her further. Mercy snuggled against him and nodded. The others watched the interaction; all of them still finding it strange that their friend could have such paternal instincts. The little girl trusted him.

"Where's Angel?"

"She'll be here soon, sweetheart," Mimi told her, rubbing her arm.

"This is fucking weird," Mark muttered, shaking his head.

"It's their funeral," Roger replied. "They got themselves into this…"

"I heard that," Collins said. "Back the hell off, okay?"

"Sorry," Roger defensively said. His reservations about this weren't gonna lift any time soon, and the look on Joanne's face told him that legally was a tedious thing and they could be in a lot of trouble. Meanwhile Joanne was sitting there, thinking how she could possibly work this if they got in trouble and turned to her for help. Maureen rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"You okay, pookie?"

"Hmm…"

"What does 'hmm' mean?"

"It means I hope they don't screw this up. They can be in heaps of trouble…"

Maureen laughed. "Sooo uptight! This is so awesome, Joanne! They're parents!"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at her – she said that a little louder than she probably should have.

"What?" she continued. "It's true! I mean its sooo adorable! Collins, honey I think you and Angel will make the best parents…"

"Um, I hate to disappoint you, Mo, but we—"

"Yeah, yeah I get it," she interrupted. "But it's still an awesome idea, though don't you think? The kid already has Angel's attitude!"

Mercy leaned further against the window, still looking for Angel, and Collins let her sit up further to get a better look. Finally, after another few minutes had passed and the people around the table fell back into their multiple conversations, she saw the now-familiar figure turn the corner and she squealed and happily jumped on Collins; who let out a cry from the sudden impact of the weight jumping up and down on him.

"Oww! Merc, what you doing?"

"Angel!" she pointed. Collins faked an excited smile, but was secretly gritting his teeth and rubbing his thigh which caught the most damage from her excited ness.

"That's great, sweetie… why don't you go a meet her…" he then helped her off him and she squeezed past Mimi and Roger. Mimi held the child's arms to balance her until both feet were firmly planted on the ground and as soon as she was stable, Mercy took off in the direction of the Café's door, ducking and weaving her way around other customers, and quickly disappeared through the door.

"Well that was unexpected," Roger said. "She's already so attached to Angel…"

"They're so much alike," Mark pointed out and all of them watched the tiny child reappear moments later on the other side of the glass, and she ran over to Angel, who greeted her with his arms open and enveloped her in a hug, lifting her up into his arms. "How can a child be so trusting?"

"Trust me, I've wanted to know that for a while now," Collins told him. "That's the problem. I'm terrified that if she does have to go back, then it'll be hard to separate them. Angel's fallen in love with her already." They silently watched the interaction between Angel and Mercy; and it was unanimous that Collins was right in his observations. The drag queen and the child were very comfortable in each others presence, and that could present itself to be a problem. Collins knew, and was more willing to accept, that there could be potentially bad consequences should he let Mercy stay with them. But at the same time, the intense emotional attachment that both he and Angel have already developed with the little girl was way too deep to just let go and forget about; and it was clear just how much she already wanted to stay. She never had a so-called 'normal' environment to grow up in… what was normal to her was the bohemian world, so why not let her stay? They wouldn't hurt her and she'd be safe, secure, and most importantly feel it. There were an equal weight of pros and cons, and sitting there watching his lover get so excited to see the little girl, giving her hugs and kisses… warmth and love… the decision seemed one to be easy to make. Mercy was gonna stay, no matter what happened.

"I knew it…" Mimi whispered, with a sly smile, effectively bringing Collins out of the deep trenches of his thoughts.

"What?"

"She's staying, isn't she?"

He looked away from them; unable to give a verbal response… because it seemed if he replied either way, then there would be consequences. That it would seal the deal. But his silence only did more to confirm Mimi's comment, not hold onto a neutral position and she smirked.

"Wow…"

Mark pointed the camera towards the window, intent on capturing this sweet moment on film. Angel was genuinely happy; and it would be a good moment to immortalize on film for eternity. There would be rough times ahead; the other problem being that both Angel and Collins have AIDS. They wouldn't be around forever to stay with the child, and if they were going to keep her, then that meant she would need memories. Moments she could relate to. No doubt his and Angel's mortality had crossed Collins' mind too, and it worried him… the fact of the matter is this: out of both of them, Angel would most likely to die first, as his illness was in far more progressed stages that Collins'. But when it comes to AIDS, it's best not to take chances. Angel taught them all to live for the moment and not worry about the future, but when it comes to the welfare of a child it was hard not to.
He turned the camera on and filmed the next few seconds, keeping the camera as steady as possibly. Angel whispered something in Mercy's ear, sending the child into a fit of giggles as they approached the entrance to the Café. Mark turned the camera off again when they went out of view to come inside, and replaced the lens cap again. That was some good, quality footage. A second later, Angel walked still caring Mercy and approached the table surrounded by his six friends.

"Hey!"

"Angel!" Mimi jumped up and threw her arms around Angel, hugging them both. "Good to see you, chica!"

"Oh I know, Mims, I know" Angel gushed, melodramatically, setting Mercy back down on the floor. He then returned the hug and turned to his friends.

"Hey guys… hi sweetie!" he added, winking at Collins.

The others, including his boyfriend, returned the greeting and Joanne scuffled over to give Angel a bit of room to sit down, which he did as Mimi returned to her seat. Angel pulled Mercy onto his lap and whispered something into her ear. A grin spread across her face and she nodded, happily, and Collins handed her the food that had been ordered for her. Sitting across from her, Mimi watched Angel so carefully, paying attention to how he interacted with Mercy… like any parent or guardian tending to their child, Angel knew the responsibilities that would entail, and certainly wouldn't put her in any danger. It was still very, very strange. Having played dressup with them the day before, Mimi saw close up just how well connecting they were with each other; for Mercy it was as if she had finally found something that she never had, but knew what it was. Maybe it was the same thing as all of them wanted… acceptance. She had never been accepted before, in fact, she had been straight up rejected by most adults in her life.

"Oh my gosh, Angel!"

"Yeah, Maureen?"

"You have to come over tonight and check out the new heels I got, they're so rockin'. I wore it with that gorgeous slinky black dress last night, the one you got me, and oh my God you're so right! I think everyone at Dynasty almost had heart attacks!"

Joanne groaned. She was sick of fighting with Maureen about her indiscretions, and Mark immediately noted that she was so close to giving up on Maureen, but couldn't bring herself to leave her. That's just the kind of person Maureen Johnson was, she could suck you in and also suck the air out of any room she walked in. Angel hid a smile, and rubbed Joanne's arm for support, though continued to listen to Maureen all the same. Together, they ruled the fashion, at least in Alphabet City; they knew everything about shopping for clothes on a budget, but still looking fabulous!

"Mo, you know I'm there, for sure!"

"Oh, and bring Mercy. I think I got something's that would look so hot on her."

"Maureen!" Joanne almost yelled, causing Mercy to jump on Angel's lap. "She's five years old!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Maureen insisted. "Gees, Joanne, lighten up! I meant that it would look really good on her - What's with you having that fucking ten foot pole shoved up your ass all the time?"

"You God damn bi—"

"Hey!" Collins barked. "Swear in front of Mercy again and you'll regret it!"

"Sorry!"

"Sorry!"

Angel rubbed Mercy's belly and kissed the back of her head, whispering soothing words, fearing that a fight might break out. "Don't worry, honey, this happens all the time."

"Why are they so mad?" she whispered back.

"Because it gives them something to do. Don't worry; it'll be over in a minute."

"Angel, move!" Joanne harshly instructed, moving to get up. Angel and Mercy moved out of their place in the booth so Joanne could get out and she did, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She looked pissed.

"Joanne, come on!" Roger told her. "Let it drop, guys, seriously…"

"No," Joanne held her ground and turned back to face Maureen, who was also looking extremely bitter. Mercy rested her chin on Angel's shoulder and watched this new drama unfolded with curiosity more than fear. Angel held her on his hip and exchanged concerned looks with Mimi… this had been accumulating for too long, and Joanne looked as if enough really was enough. "I'm done. Okay? I'm done with this; I'm done with her… I love you guys, but seriously, I can't do this anymore. Not with her!" she spun around on her heels and stormed out of the Café. Maureen shuffled out of her seat and took off after her, not necessarily intent on trying to win her back, but she had been humiliated! She'd never let anyone, including Joanne, humiliate her like that, and she wasn't prepared to lose this argument either. And probably they'd be at the corner making out again within the next five minutes, so the rest of them weren't very concerned that this might be the end of their relationship. It never was.

"I swear, they're gonna put each other in their graves," Mark sardonically mocked them, and Angel put Mercy down on the seat and she scooted over to sit between him and Mark.

"Do they always fight?"

"Pretty much."

"Why?"

"Because, baby," Angel leaned down to her. "Love's kinda freaky like that," and then he pretended to bite at her nose and she giggled again. It didn't take much to entertain her, and Angel knew exactly what to do to keep her happy, so she didn't worry about things like this. If she did stay with them, permanently, then these kind of things were gonna happen more than once.

"You still gonna go there tonight, Ang?" Collins asked.

"Probably. You know, just to make sure they didn't kill each other or anything…"

"Can I come?"

"Sorry, Merc. You better stay with Collins, k?" Ang told her, though looked around at his friends. "Just in case they have killed each other," he mumbled, so that only Mimi could hear and she nodded in agreement. The conversation kinda died right there and then, and things returned to normal for a bit. Mimi and Angel continued to play with Mercy, giving her all the attention she wanted, while Collins, Mark and Roger talked about what they were gonna do with this kid now – Collins enjoyed watching his girl happy again. But the nagging thoughts of what would happen when he and Angel were no longer around could not be ignored… though Mercy didn't need to know.

"Can I get another drink, please?" she asked, showing Angel her empty soda cup.

"Sure," he said and moved to get up, but as Mercy stood up off his lap first, she turned back.

"Can I get it?"

"Huh?"

"By myself."

Amused by this, Collins held back a laugh. "Mercy, you can't reach the counter, sweetheart."

"PLEASE? I'm big enough!"

"Honey, I can take you—" Angel offered but, like any other stubborn child who didn't get their way, Mercy pouted and crossed her arms over her chest and stomped her foot.

"Why not?"

"I---" what response was there that could justify her not going to the counter by herself, other than she was too short? Not getting any help from Collins or their friends, Angel sat back down. This was the part of looking after a young person that neither had actually thought about – the temper tantrums, and Mercy's beautiful eyes made refusing her an impossible thing to do. She just stood there, pouting at Angel and held out her hand, very much resembling the scene in Oliver Twist, with the little boy asking 'Please sir, may I have some more?', only the intent in this situation was way different. Angel looked to his boyfriend for some kind of help, and for once was at a loss what to say. Giving into her would mean she'd get what she wanted, and could possibly learn that all she had to do was throw a tantrum to get her way. Angel learned that when helping his mother to raise his younger sister and brother. But on the other hand, what harm could it do? All she wanted was a soda, but the Life Café was kinda busy and people around here could be kinda pushy. Collins wanted to laugh at the apparent dilemma and leaned forward a little.

"Baby, let her go get a soda. Come on, what's the big deal?"

"Well, I—" Angel stammered. "I dunno! Can't let her throw a fit or whatever—"

"Angel, give her the money!"

He reached into his pocket and felt the coins in between his fingers, and grabbed a bunch of them and pulled them out, subsequently pulling out that tiny piece of paper he had discovered earlier, and froze. Shit. Now what? Angel had almost completely forgotten about the note until now and staring at it sitting lightly in the palm of his hand, with several coins lying on top of it. Realising that Mercy was still waiting for the money, Angel took the paper in his other free hand and dropped several coins and a couple of dollars worth of paper notes in her tiny hands and knelt down.

"Get whatever you want, baby."

"Really?" her eyes lit up.

"Yup! Go nuts."

Mercy ran off, happy to be given the 'big kid' responsibility of ordering her own drink and being trusted to do so. Angel took his seat once again and watched her leave the area, to get in line not too far away… she grinned at the group of adults; with Mark and Mimi waving back to her.

"Angel?"

"Huh?"

"Whoa… chill, girl," Roger calmly backed off. "Little jumpy there, aren't ya?"

"Guys I got a problem," he explained, idly folding and unfolding the paper multiple times. "I guess. I dunno, I don't know what to do!" he reached across the table and held the note out to Collins, who took it and looked at it.

"Stephanie Sanderson? PIN 849237? Mika? What's this?"

"I dunno. I found it in one of Mercy's sock's while I was washing it this morning."

Angel fell against the back of the seat and lifted his legs to rest on the end of the table, and covered his face. Mimi rubbed his leg and pursed her lips; whatever this was, the toll was beginning to show. Something was going on that neither of her friends was telling her, and Angel had been having those nightmares again… still, she didn't say anything. Collins slid the paper across the table to show Roger, who in turn showed it to Mark until it ended up in Mimi's hand, hoping one of them would be able to help with deciphering it, so they wouldn't have to ask Mercy. Maybe it was a bad point for her; and maybe she wouldn't remember when she got it or under what circumstance, at any rate it was confusing and something that could be related to the dream. Angel had described the nature of the dream in greater detail, emphasizing the part where Mercy was standing over the dead body of the man who raped and attempted to kill him.

Angel didn't take his gaze off the little girl who looked so proud to be doing something on her own like this.

"Whoa…" Mimi muttered.

"What is it?" Mark asked, sitting up.

"If this is what I think it is… what the hell would Mercy be doing with it?"

"What?"

She narrowed her eyes and wrinkled her nose, scrutinizing every letter of every word so as to not to jump to conclusions. Her friend's concern pointed in her direction silently demanded an answer so she had to give them one.

"Well… a few years ago I was caught in a drug bust and… got sent to jail for a bit and I couldn't make bail so they gave me what they called, some fucking nonsense… uhh… a PIN number… Prisoner Identification Number, or something like that. PIN as they called it. I dunno, it could be it…"

Angel picked at his nails and wished that he could get to a manicurist so badly, because he wasn't looking his natural best – a prisoner number? Okay that was just odd and another layer to the cake they didn't need. Did Mercy even know she had the number? And who was Mika? And Stephanie Sanderson? So many questions and with no way to answer them other than to ask her directly and that might be too much for her. Everyone had choices, and never did life present a situation where they have no choices… it's just that some decisions are easier to make than others, and the choices are more subtle than others.

"Ang? You okay, baby?"

"Uh huh. My nails are fucking driving me crazy, Collins I might go to the salon afterwards, k?"

"Uhh… okay?"

"Angel, can I keep this?" Mimi suddenly queried.

"What?"

"The note. Can I have it, just for a bit?"

"Why?"

"Just… trust me on this, girl. K?"

"Take it," Collins told her, before Angel could say either way. Everything would be revealed in due time and Mercy had barely settled in with them so he really couldn't care less about a stupid note that she's probably had for ages and probably doesn't mean a damn thing anymore. It would only get her and Angel upset and that was the last thing he wanted to see… and already Collins could feel a severe headache coming on. "It's yours, Mims."

"Collins—"

"Angel, drop it! Literally, just let it go, ok? You're gonna get yourself all fucking worked up again, and in turn that'll get the kid upset and seriously, enough is enough, okay? Baby, I love you but I swear to God I'd have to kill you if you keep up this okay?" the mischievous glint in his eyes was an automatic tell, at least to Angel, that he wasn't being serious, and his the corners of his lips trying so hard no to turn upwards, but failing miserably. Collins was only joking around, and even if he could do a more convincing job of keeping a straight face, Angel could tell it was nothing to get serious about. And, not surprisingly, Collins was right again… the voice of reason; the picture of a logical mind working as best it could in a much screwed up world. Their world. Their home. Angel smiled and stretched out, feeling the weight of the worries lifting a little bit; his partner's eyes not leaving him, while he still watched Mercy jump up and down, more in a fit of nerves, and stepped closer to the counter when the next person got their food and moved away. Such a small child in a huge world; taking one baby step at a time… Angel remembered what that was like. Hell, he felt like sometimes he was going through it again… being a baby taking those first steps that would forever be the moment that defined the time they started to grow up into the world. Not being assisted by anyone. After the hell of last year, Angel felt like he was being forced to go back to the beginning and take those steps again. Perhaps that was why he felt so connected with this child who had so much done to her, but she could still smile and love… that was a true child spirit that could only be felt during those years as a child. It was so hard, next to impossible to recapture as an adult, but somehow Angel managed to keep that innocence alive, even when the world was against him and everything was being done to him.

Mimi looked up and down, between the paper and Angel, occasionally switching her gaze to Roger, or Mercy, or Mark, or Collins… it sure did seem like a prisoner's number to her. She silently mouthed to herself, counting the amount of numbers that made up the overall number. Six. Standard for a prisoner, she remembered her own… she had drilled it into her mind when she was first issued it. Hopefully someone at the club would confirm this suspicion.

"Angel! Angel! Collins!" a shrill, excited voice broke through the clouded silence that had accidentally consumed them all, and Mercy bounded over to the table, carrying her small soda in both her hands. "Look I did it! All by myself!"

"Excellent, bubby!" Angel cried and clapped his hands just as excitedly, allowing the child to bask in the glow of everyone's attention. He looked up at Collins who smiled too, and nodded, though not with as much enthusiasm.

"Oh mi Dios that's awesome, sweetie!" Mimi praised her. "Well done, you did it all by yourself! She's a big girl now, right Roger?"

"Uh huh," Roger was determined to say as little as possible… he could barely understand adults let alone children, and he didn't know how to talk to them. Mercy's big grin was enlightening and she allowed Angel to lift her up to sit on his lap once more, content to simply sit there and drink the soda she got to purchase all by herself. Mimi lightly tapped the table, sitting back while the others carried on different conversations about things, with Angel spending most of his energy focused on Mercy; it was sweet. This day quickly focused away from Mimi being clean… well, semi-clean… she had almost given in a few times, and had been caught by Roger buying drugs a few more times, luckily before she got to use any of it, and he hauled her back off to rehab after a few more nasty arguments and almost-break ups. And she was glad, too… such things were kinda depressing and she much preferred focusing on the child – she loved kids so much, and maybe this was the closest she would ever get to having one of her own, now the virus had entered her blood in a strange hold that would never be released. Mimi's vivacious, infectious personality only made her that much more of a 'cool adult' to most kids she encountered (and now there weren't many). Oh God, can you imagine what could happen to Mercy after hanging out with Maureen, Angel, and Mimi for a while? Hilarity would ensue, I'm sure but it was an odd thought all the same.

LATER THAT EVENING

Mimi hung up her jacket just inside the large room (the note still tucked neatly into one of the pockets), kicking the door shut behind her and looked around. The room was so brightly lit, with the loudness of the music playing as her colleagues did their thing out on stage could be heard backstage, and the hustle and bustle of other girls, whom she considered friends, getting ready was enough to get the adrenaline flowing. From what she had seen as she entered the club where she had been working for the past four and a half years, it was gonna be a very busy night. It was only 10:49 PM and already the place was filled to near-capacity, and the hooting and howling of the paying customers was getting louder by the second. She knew what she'd be dancing to tonight and hurried over to her table where she began to set up.

"Mimi!"

She spun around to see Marcela Sanchez bounce over to her, wearing a skimpy outfit, and sweating a bit, meaning that she had probably just finished her set for the hour and she was grinning from ear to ear. Mimi greeted her with a hug, as usual, the two friends happy to be on the same shift together – granted, all the girls usually got along well enough, but out of all of them Marcela was probably the closest to her. Marcela was a twenty-six year old Latina dancer from Puerto Rico, and had moved to New York with her then-four year old daughter, Anna, in 1988. She and Mimi met when the former junkie had just got the job at the Cat Scratch, and she was still turning tricks on the street. Yes, Marcela worked as a hooker for only a few months as she struggled to feed her sick daughter, who has cancer, and pay the bills and medical bills at the same time. A tragic story she lived, though was doing much better since Anna's cancer went into remission. For about eighteen months she and Mimi lived together, and even when Mimi moved out and into the building shared with Roger and Mark, they remained close friends.

"Oh my gosh chica, you're late!" Marcela gushed, roughly pulling away to get a better look at how her friend was doing. Mimi rolled her eyes and let her go, dumping her bag on the table. "Where the hell were you?"

"Yeah, yeah I know… I'm sorry, honey. Got hung up at home, Roger was bitching and moaning about some of his angst shit again; I got held up. How's Anna?" she diverted the subject to something she knew Marcela loved to talk about – her daughter. She proceeded to set up her make up kit and removed her shirt, with a rather revealing laced corset underneath. She had made the effort to wear her stage clothes underneath her normal day clothes, knowing she was gonna be late. It was now 10:54 PM. She had to be on stage at 11:00, but she was such an expert at being late and being forced to do things as she went, it would only take exactly three minutes to finish applying her make-up, get another two minutes to get into her full stage attire, and one minute to get to the stage. Six minutes. Not a new record; she had done it in five minutes a couple of times.

"Anna? She's good, good, ya… getting to be a handful, she always wants her little friends sleeping over. Oh God she reminds me of me at her age."

"Eight year olds tend to do that. They think they fucking rule the world and demand everything from it at the same time…" Mimi smirked and applied her lipstick.

"Wow that was almost poetic, sweetie."

"Roger's been rubbing off on me, I think—"

"In more ways than one, I bet."

"Oh Marcela you have no idea, babe." Mimi then threw the lipstick down onto the table and stood up straight. 10:56. "That reminds me, there's something I gotta tell you, I need your advice on something…" her friend eyed her, with slight suspicion and also curiosity. Quite often enough

"What is it? You know I'm here for you, girl." Marcela smiled, chewing her gum loudly. "Anything wrong?"

"No, no, not exactly… it's not about me, about my friend. Friends. Something's come up, and—"

"MIMI?" a harsh voice boomed. Her boss, Jonathan – he was normally a sweet guy, but tended to get a bit pissy when she, in particular, was late, because she had done it a few times before. She turned around to see him standing in the doorway that led to the entrance to the stage. "You here yet?"

"Here, sir! I know, I know I'm late I'm sorry something came up at home and—"

"I don't wanna hear it right now, Mimi. You're up in…" he checked his watch. "Two minutes. Go."

Mimi groaned and walked quickly over to him, and he stood aside as she rushed by him, Marcela in tow.

"Wait, what is it?" she pressed. "Come on, Mims, don't leave me hanging!"

"I'll tell ya later, Marc! Chill okay? It's nothing bad, but I gotta go, hold up…"

"Mims!"

"Quit whining, and get your ass back there before Johnny boy has both our asses on a platter."

30 MINUTE LATER

Mimi sat the especially cornered-off portion of the bar where dancers and employees could relax. She still had two more sets to do that night, and wasn't at all tired – she was used to it, but the feelings were still strange because she wasn't using junk to keep her going anymore. Now she ran on pure adrenaline and energy. She sipped her drink and sighed at the cooling effect the liquid had on her from the inside out. Marcela was finishing up her set and the music was still blaring as loud as it always way… Mimi didn't know if she should be revealing Angel and Collins' situation to anyone else, but Marcela knew all about the prison systems, since she had been in and out of them ever since she was ten years old, and only since the birth of her daughter had she started cleaning up her act. Maybe she could shine some light on it, or at least confirm what Mimi already suspected and felt was true in her gut. She finished her beer and ordered a second one to help loosen her up for the second session, which would involve a little more S&M and each time she did it, it was intense. A little alcoholic buzz never hurt anyone, especially in this business, right? It was much better that shoving a needle into her half-dried up veins.

"MIMI!"

Marcela ran over to her, with still the same amount of energy as she had come to work with. She had finished her last set, but decided to stick around and wait for Mimi to finish her shift for the night and they could go light up the town once more – and be home by three o'clock, just what she told Anna's babysitter.

"Ya, sweetie?"

"I got a question for you…"

"Oh another one? You're mind is rolling tonight…"

"Shut up and fuck you, I take offence to that," Marcela poked her tongue out and turned serious straight after. "What's this?" she stuck her hand out and Mimi looked into the palm of her hand, and almost fell off her chair. Marcela was holding the note that Mimi thought she had hidden quite well in the pocket of her jacket. Apprehensively, she remained calm and collected, and blinked.

"Where did ya get that?"

"I went to get my jacket, to find my Nicole's number – she's Anna's babysitter – and I accidentally knocked your jacket off the wall and the paper fell out."

Blank stare.

"What? It's true!"

Blink.

"I swear, Mims…"

Cough.

"Okay, okay!" Marcela broke, having been caught red-handed. "You were on-stage and you got me, like, really curious about whatever it was you were babbling on about earlier and so, I kinda… sorta… went looking for it…"

Mimi groaned and practically grabbed the beer from Mike, the bartender's, hand and gulped down half of it. She should've known better than to leave Marcela hanging like that; her friend was not afraid to go searching for something if she felt compelled to do so. Even if she didn't. "Marcela, I love you but I—"

"I'm sorry, gorgeous, but come on! What is this?" the Latina beauty quizzed her younger friend and shoved the paper into her hand. "Where did you get this?"

"It's what I wanted to ask you about, later on, after I finished my shift so I could focus better, but now that's shot to hell," she spat. "Sit down. It's kinda a long story…" it didn't take much for Marcela to have the incentive to sit down. She crossed her legs and stared expectantly at Mimi, ready to hear the story and waiting for an appropriate answer to her question.

"So?" she encouraged. "You gonna tell me what this is about?"

"Wanna drink first?"

"Come, come now, Marquez. I'm warning you…"

"Okay, okay. I surrender. Okay, here's what happened." Mimi sipped a bit more of her drink, preparing herself to revisit this long story. "My friends, Angel and Collins, you met them at a party once, remember?"

"Uhh… oh you mean the drag queen and that teacher? The lovers?"

"That's them. Anyway, yesterday they found a homeless child on the street, Mercy. Don't know her last name, but she's five years old and oh my God, Marcela she is, like, the most gorgeous kid… blood-red hair and those sparkling green eyes. She's totally beautiful. Anyway, she's been homeless and ran away from these abusive foster parents, I think, and Angel really wants to keep her—"

"What about Collins?"

"I think he's still got reservations, but he's coming around… they've both fallen for this kid, hard, and they've only had her one day! Even I love this kid, she's totally a mini-Angel. It's freaky how alike they are! I guess that's why Collins gave in so easily into letting her stay."

"And…?"

Mimi leaned forward, getting more comfortable with the position of gossiping about her friends; it didn't present itself to be a moral mess to her. Everyone gossiped about everyone and everything around these neighbourhoods; friends or not. "Angel's still having these creepy nightmares, and this last one… it had Mercy standing over his attacker from last year, Sam… he was dead and she was holding the knife. I mean, she's five years old, for God's sake! And then, the next morning, he found this note in her pocket or whatever… that's why I wanted to show you, this is getting too freaky girl… and I was thinking, maybe it's a prison number, you know? PIN? I'm only asking you cause you know the system like the back of your hand, you know what I'm saying?"

Marcela gave her an evil look. "Thanks."

"You know what I mean."

"Whatever. But to answer your query, my friend, I do know this is a prison number."

Mimi's heart almost burst from her chest when she heard those words… not for the fact that it was a confirmation of her suspicions, but because what this would mean for Angel and Collins, and of course, Mercy. "Wow… that was easy. Now if we just knew what the kid was doing with a name and PIN number, and what 'Mika' meant, we'd be all set."

Marcela shook her head and sighed. Her friend was right – she did know the prison system so well, she had been through it so often as an adolescent and quite a number of times as an adult; so what she'd be telling Mimi next was probably not a good thing. Or, in fact, it could be a good thing because it could help them find the source of this Angel person's nightmares, and it was worrying Mimi, she could see. "I can do you one better, sweetheart. Stephanie Sanderson? I know her."

Needless to say, Mimi almost had a heart attack.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, that took ages lol. Anyway, I hope you like it so far. In the next chapter, Mimi reveals this newest development to Angel and Collins; while Marcela pays a certain someone a visit in prison. Mercy spends some quality time with her new guardians, and they bond. Angel has another dream.