"Is this April?" Ashley asked looking at a picture of a younger Roger with a pretty red head.
"Yeah, a long time ago." he told her as he flipped through another stack of pictures.
"She was pretty. I can't believe how short your hair was. And how blond." she said smiling at him.
"Yeah, I was going through a punk faze. Luckily I grew out of it." he said leaning over to kiss her before showing her another picture.
"This has got to be Benny." she laughed looking up at him.
"Yeah, that's when he was living with us. We were all really tight back then." he said smiling down at the pictures. It was before April and the drugs.
"Are you wearing eyeliner?" she asked laughing looking up at him.
"We all wore eyeliner back then, Baby." he said laughing.
"Look at my baby in those leather pants. Tell me you still have them?" she asked smiling up at him.
"Yeah, somewhere around here." he said kissing her again.
"This must be Mimi." she said showing him a picture with him and small Latina woman in a leopard print coat.
"Yeah, that was New Years a couple of years ago." he said smiling down at the picture.
"You loved her, didn't you?" she asked looking up at him.
"Yeah, I did." he said quietly as she leaned up to kiss him.
"I can see." she told him smiling as she caressed his cheek.
"Do you want to see a picture of Angel?" he asked holding a picture in his left hand trying to change the subject.
"I would love to." she said excitedly as she sat up straighter.
"This was right after we met him." he said handing her a picture.
"Wow. He looked amazing." she said smiling at the picture.
"Yeah, he was great for Collins. And everyone else for that matter." he said leaning into her looking at the picture.
"I wish I could have met him." she said playing with his hair.
"Me too. He would have loved you." he said looking you at her.
"And I'm sure I would have loved him too. Anyone who makes my Collins smile this big, I would love." she said kissing his head.
"Yeah, it hit us all pretty hard, watching him die the way he did." Roger said looking down sadly.
"I know. I've seen terminal patients. It's a very cruel disease." she said caressing his cheek.
"Yeah it is." he said looking up at her.
"Roger, you're gonna be OK, you know. You're healthy and I'll make sure you stay that way for as long as this disease gives you. Everything's gonna be OK." she said leaning down to kiss him.
"I know, Baby. I just don't want to leave you." he said smiling up at her.
"And you won't. At least not for a while. You just keep taking your meds, going to the doctor and taking care of yourself and you won't." she said moving her pile of pictures onto the floor.
"I will, Baby. I promise. I'll do everything I can to stay here with you for as long as possible." he told her holding her face before kissing her.
"I know you will. Because you love me." she said smiling at him.
"And you love me." he answered bringing her into a deep passionate kiss.
"Yes Ash Baby, I do." she said as they moved the remainder of the pictures off of the bed and began to make love. As they lay in each others arms, they fell asleep. The next morning when the alarm went off Roger woke up first.
"Baby, it's time to get up." he said kissing her face.
"I don't want to. I want to stay here with you." she told him bringing him closer to him.
"No, Baby you have to get up. You have work and I have to go to that interview your dad set me up with." he said caressing her hair.
"Why are you being so mean to me? I thought you'd want to stay with me in bed." she said looking up at him.
"Baby, there is no place else I would rather be then in this bed with you for the rest of my life. But you have a job and I want to get one closer to home so I can spend more time with you." he told her kissing her gently on her head.
"I know. I just hate being away from you." she said holding him tight.
"I hate being away from you too Baby, but you have to go to work." he said caressing her cheek.
"OK. I know." she said reluctantly getting out of bed.
"You go in the shower and I'll make your coffee." he told her watching her walk to the bathroom in a tee shirt and pink underpants.
"Thanks Baby." she said running her fingers through her hair. Roger just laughed and went into the kitchen to make the coffee. He felt so domestic. Him making his girlfriend coffee while she got ready for work. It was a far cry from life at the loft. Usually he worked at the bar until midnight and slept until about 10 or so when he had to get ready to meet Ashley for lunch. He was looking forward to working closer to home, so he would be home at a decent hour. Mr. McCoy had gotten him an interview with a friend of his to manage the bar he owned. He had experience running a bar from his job in the city so he was really excited.
"Baby, your coffee's ready." he told her hearing her come out of the shower.
"OK. Let me just get dressed." she said sorting through her closet for a set of scrubs.
"Do you want to come to band practice with me?" he asked handing her a coffee mug.
"I would love to but, I'm not singing with you guys." she said smiling at him as she took her mug.
"But come on, Baby you are so awesome. I want to sing with you." he pleaded sitting on the bed.
"Roger, you know I can't sing in front of people." she told him setting her coffee mug on the dresser.
"You did Saturday night." he told her smiling up at her.
"I wasn't singing in front of people. I... I was singing in front of you. I can't sing in a club with a band. I just can't." she told him sitting next to him.
"Baby, you can do it. You can just sing to me." he told her putting his arm around her bare shoulder.
"I have to think about it." she said as he held her close.
"OK Baby." he said kissing her head.
"Yeah, yeah, I need to get dressed now." she said kissing him before getting up to put on her work scrubs.
"OK. I'm gonna go clean out the coffee pot so you can get ready." he said kissing her head.
"You are too good to be true, Baby." she said smiling up at him.
"Nah, just good to you." he said before leaving the bedroom. As she got dressed and put her hair in a neat braid she thought about Roger. She smiled at the thought of him making her coffee and cleaning up the coffee pot. Usually she and Kelly didn't clean it up until they got home from work.
"Baby, you're gonna be late." he called out as she stood in front of the mirror in her room.
"I'm just putting on my eyeliner. Do you want some?" she asked giggling as he stood in the doorway.
"I am not gonna live that down, am I?" he asked with is arms crossed.
"Eventually, but not yet." she laughed blowing him a kiss.
"Come on, you're gonna be late." he said smiling at her.
"I know. I'm ready." she told him leaning up to kiss him before they left the apartment.
"I'll call you when I get out of my interview. Be careful Ash Baby, I love you." he told her kissing her at the bottom of the train stairs.
"I love you too, Roger. I'll see you at lunch." she said kissing him again before rushing up the stairs to go to work.