DESTROYED

Chapter 10

SUMMARY: Samuel's worst fears are confirmed. Mimi and Maureen shower Angel with gifts and love. Collins and Angel share an intimate moment.

Sam's heart pounded so hard in his chest that he felt it was gonna break his ribs – he started hyperventilating and combined with the ecstasy, he wasn't feeling too good, to say the least. He placed his hand out against the wall to keep him self from falling over, and clamped the other one over his mouth in a frivolous, pathetic attempt to not get sick, but it was too late. Leaning over one of the garbage cans, Sam threw up and started gagging – Julian rushed over to make sure he wasn't choking and patted his back, and knew what the likely prognosis would be from his childhood friend. And Angel was gonna pay for it. Granted, he knew that Sam would've forced Angel against his will to have sex, but still… the fact that Angel never disclosed his disease to Sam was enough reason for Julian to want to kill him. And yes, we all know that Angel did try… and that he was terrified of what was happening to him, so we can't blame him for not saying – but Julian sure as hell didn't care. His lifelong friend had now probably been infected with HIV, and for him that meant he was gonna die. For many people, the words HIV and/or AIDS were terrifying because the first thing they would think of is death… early death… and also the fact that it's so contagious and at the stage of becoming a pandemic… but it was terrifying. So people with it often get alienated, abused, misunderstood…

Of course, AIDS does not at all mean death – far from it. People with it can lead normal, long, productive lives under the right conditions and medical supervision, but it's not like they had the luxury of that in environment people like Samuel lived in.

With a shaking hand, he wiped his mouth after he was done, and he looked up at Julian, who was watching him with concern. Sam's eyes were bloodshot and watery, from the shock and horror of what he faced, and he leaned against the wall and Julian could hear his voice quivering with fear.

"Wh… wha…" Samuel stammered, confused. "… No! Fuck! No!" he then started to get angry and went into denial. "You're bullshitting me!"

"Oh yeah," Julian spat bitterly. "I have an awesome time telling my friend he's been exposed to AIDS by a flamboyant drag queen who stole his boyfriend! Sure, I get off on that!"

"I don't believe it," Samuel shook his head and stood up straight, with a renewed look of determination and stubbornness. "No… you're just messin' with me, man," he ran his fingers through his matted hair and started walking away, back towards the rest of the group. But Julian would have none of it, and he reached forward and grabbed Samuel harshly by his shoulders and pulled him backwards, almost sending them both crashing into the discarded debris that littered the back street.

"SHIT!" Sam yelped and grabbed a hold of a drain pipe to keep him self from falling over completely. After regaining his balance, he spun around and saw his friend struggling to get up from the floor, and he glared down at him with a look of betrayal and hurt.

"Who the fuck do you think you are!" he kicked Julian in his stomach causing the younger man to scream in pain and wrapped his arms around him self to prevent any further attacks, or at least to lessen the damage an enraged Samuel could inflict on him. His screams and Sam's hysterical yelling at him was enough to catch the attention of members of their group, who all came over and two of them, Jamey and Donovan, grabbed Sam by his arms and pulled him off, still kicking and screaming.

"You son of a bitch!" Sam screamed at Julian. "I don't have AIDS!"

"Sammy, calm down!" one of the other men said, and the two friends were dragged apart, with Julian staring at Sam, shocked at what had just gone down.

"Are you fucking crazy!" Julian launched himself at him, but was held back at the last minute. The fact was, Sam claimed that he loved Collins and had embraced his homosexuality, but still wouldn't admit to the risks involved in the behavior he engaged in with other men, including making sure they were clean of disease – again, especially because of their environment. He still wasn't willing to accept the consequences of his actions, and as mentioned before… it was more of an addiction to him… unlike Collins, he still didn't accept it as his life…

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I DON'T HAVE AIDS, you fucker!" Sam screamed hysterically at him and in his rage, pulled the gun out of its holster and nervously pointed it at Julian, and everyone fell silent. Still. Being jacked up on X and God only knows what else he had in his system, it made for a very volatile, hostile situation… and how it would end would be determined only by him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Julian held his hands out defensively. "Dude, calm down!"

"Come on, man…" Jamey also tried, but his tries fell on deaf ears. Sam's face was tear-stained and red, not wanting to accept the reality that was his exposure to the disease. "Chill!"

"You're lying," Sam growled at Julian, not noticing the others around him. "You wanna get rid of me! Well I—" Julian just stared at him, as did the others, as he was ranting and raving… the drugs mixed in with the hurt of rejection from Collins was becoming overwhelming, dangerous, and soon could be deadly. But then, from behind them…

"Wow, someone's paranoid," came a familiar and somewhat arrogant, deep voice. Everyone turned around and there was Randy, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest… an emotionless expression blocked any attempt for anyone to read what he was thinking. But the general feeling was… he wasn't impressed. Now, Samuel was the official leader of the gang, but Randy was really the muscle – he was the one who went on the deals, and was the main protection for them all. He could strike fear into the hearts of anyone he met, and those he couldn't just met him with total respect… so he did follow Sam's orders, to an extent. It was really an uneasy relationship; they both needed each other… Sam had the goods and the money, while Randy had the connections, the security, the muscle, and therefore the power to bring them all more street credibility. If anything, the relationship between him and Sam was tense… not hostile, but it was like on the edge of a knife – it could go either way.

"What you doin' here?" Sam spoke in a low tone, his eyes narrowing and growing darker, losing his focus on Julian and turning fully around to face the cocky Randy who pursed his lips and didn't break eye contact.

He finally stood up straight but still had his arms crossed over his chest and casually began strolling up to face the slightly shorter man who he could tell was so pumped up on his own shit that he really wasn't thinking straight. He didn't actually know about the issues with Collins; only that Sam had recently had been responsible for an attack on someone over near Avenue B… of course, if he had known about Collins, he probably wouldn't be as docile and calm. He was a strict business man, and if anyone got in his way whose personal conflicts could negatively influence his business dealings… well, they really didn't have much hope of living to tell the tale.

"Whoa… calm down. Got finished with Mr. Jordan," he casually smirked and took out of his pocket two small pocket bags that where obviously filled with cash, as Sam could see the impressions of bills against the soft exterior of the bag. Needless to say, Randy was well worth the effort in securing his services, so to speak. It was then he lost all interest in shooting Julian, and placed the gun back into his holster, and stepped forward to meet Randy. Although slightly scared of him, Samuel wouldn't back down… after all, Randy was usually a lone worker, and Sam had his goons around. Even if Randy wanted to start shit, he wouldn't be able to get far at all – that was the only comfort the smaller man had and the only reason he had the guts to challenge him as he was doing.

"How much?"

"70"

"Is that all?" Donovan spoke up, but Sam quickly hushed him with a very dark glare.

"Not bad," Sam tried to remain as cool, calm, and collected as possible. "What happened to the other 30?"

"Oh I'll get it when the deals done. They want another five semi automatics before they set the deal by the parameters you demanded, but uh…" he eyed the semi-controlled Samuel Michaels up and down before continuing. "Thirty is my cut."

"What!" Julian roared and stormed over to stand next to the man who was, seconds earlier, ready to blow his head off. "No way! We agreed twenty!"

"No," Randy replied, kind of patronizingly. "Twenty, we agreed, was a base cut. You got your deal now the rest is mine…"

"That's not what we talked about!" Julian insisted and suddenly felt the urge to take him apart, but Sam stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Fine," Sam quickly diffused the situation. "Thirty's fine." Without taking his eyes off the dangerous man in front of him, he addressed Julian. "It's cool, bro. Seventy's fine… we got we need."

"Who the fuck does this guy think he is?" Julian hissed in his ear. "We had a deal!"

"Deals change!" Sam insisted. "Look, its cool. Done deal."

Julian let out a frustrated yell and stormed off, with and gesturing for the rest to follow him, which they did, and left Randy and Sam alone to talk some more. After everyone else had disappeared around a corner, Randy sat down on a couple of cardboard boxes and looked at Sam, expectantly.

"So…?"

Uncomfortably, Sam turned away. "So what?"

"What was that whole performance back there? Never seen you so, how should I put this…? Aggressive."

"None of your damn business!" Sam surprised himself with his assertiveness when he didn't have any of his goons around to protect him, but he was too strung out to really give a damn at that moment.

"Hey, just concerned for a friend, is all!"

"No, you're concerned about your damn gun and drugs supply," Sam retorted and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Randy wasn't the kind of guy to snap and go all psycho on someone who challenged him, no… he was way more subtle then that, and Sam was right. He didn't want to be cut off from his supply, as he mainly worked as a middle man…

Randy had his own stash of guns and drugs, but preferred to run between gangs as it paid him a hell of a lot of cash without losing his leverage on the 'market'. He laid back so he was staring up at the bright morning sky and pouted his lips, deep in thought. He was definitely a laid back kind of guy – dangerous at times, when he had to be – but he generally didn't like hurting or killing people… the drug/gun loving community of New York that handled their business transactions on the illegal side of the tracks was becoming narrower and narrower as the mayor of the city launched a nation wide crack down on their playing field. So, Randy realized, it wasn't worth it to limit his potential customers even further…

He knew Sam was watching him, and enjoyed the fear he could instill in people, and that was probably more powerful than the actual violence, or his physical status.

"And so what if I am?" he finally replied. "I need to know why my main supplier was gonna blow his right hand man's head off. If this could affect business…"

"It won't! Personal issues, man. Got nothing to do with this!"

Randy's attention was peaked when he heard the words 'personal issues', which were two words he hated to hear more than anything when it came to business, and he knew Samuel was lying.

"Then it's my business," he sat up. "Your business is my business. Talk. It might actually help you…"

"Yeah," Sam scoffed and kicked the dirt with his shoe. "Look, forget it. Deal is done. I'll call you for the next deal, cool?"

"I heard you say something about AIDS…" Randy continued as if he hadn't heard him, and stood up from off the boxes. "You got it?"

"NO!" Sam protested, extremely angrily. "Fuck! How many times do I have to say it! I—"

"You fucked a guy with AIDS…"

"NO!" the emotion began to squeeze his soul (or what little bit of soul he had left in him), and tears clouded his vision. "No!" he began to crack under the pressure and finally he broke down, sobbing against the wall. "Shit!"

Randy didn't blink; he didn't move to comfort the man – after all, he was strictly a business associate, and any dealings he had were Sam were strictly on the business side. He had no care for what happened to him or who he slept with; or what had gone on to cause him to crack like this.

"Look," he said. "I don't give a crap what you do in your own time. I don't give a damn if you got the disease or whatever… but go sort this shit out, or our business is done. And when I eliminate a contract, I don't mean tearing up a piece of paper… sort your self out, man." Randy knew he was all talk, and that he wouldn't actually follow through on hurting Sam – not unless he was pushed to the limit. The psychological game he liked to play was a lot more effective, as was his way with words.

He turned and walked away, leaving Sam sobbing on the ground, alone. If it was anyone else, I'm sure it'd be a pitying, sympathetic site. Soon, Sam was left alone in a pool of his own grief and misery, with the thought of AIDS spreading through his veins, infecting every single one of his blood cells with a ravaging force that couldn't be stopped. Maybe this was karma coming back to bite him on the ass?

Looking around into the cool midday surroundings, he was all alone and no sound could be heard except for the cars in the distance; buses; people going about their daily lives, while his was falling apart. Sam knew the dangerous of the business he was in, but as cocky as he was, he thought he was immune to it – invincible as his notoriety and power in the community strengthened.

"Fuck…" he muttered and gritted his teeth. He could feel his heart wrenching in his chest and it was causing physical pain.

Then, suddenly a hand came into his field of view, and he looked up and blinked to see Julian standing over him, looking rather pissed. After hesitating a few moments, Sam finally accepted his offer and was helped to his feet.

"I'll forget about you trying to shoot me," he told him, and Sam nodded.

"Thanks, man—"

"IF, and only if we go find out for sure what's up with you. Go get a test done or whatever it is they do – if it's positive, we track down this bitch and take care of what you should've done two nights ago."

"Julian, I—"

"This is non-fucking-negotiable, Sam. I saw Randy, he's looking rather pissed and I don't really want him to take his business elsewhere, you hear me? We're gonna find Angel and tear him – her – apart."

Sam was too high and tired to really debate with him, so all he did was nod again and look around, trying to think of what to do next. "Man, I'm sorry…" he apologized, not wanting to look at his friend. "I fucked everything up with my personal shit…"

"Forget about it. Totally forgiven. Just don't let it happen again. Right?"

"Fine."

"Good. Let's get you to a doctor…"

WITH COLLINS AND ANGEL – 12:45PM

"How you feeling?" the same nurse, Emily, smiled and checked on Angel's stats as he was eating lunch and Collins as sitting at his side, watching the television. Angel smiled at her while sipping his water, in his usual charming way. Collins had not left his side since the night before, even after Angel told him what Sam had done – he just couldn't bring himself to leave his side again; it was a symbolic gesture as well as an emotional one. Truth be told, Angel was comforted by that fact, though he could see time and sleep deprivation was taking its toll on the MIT professor, especially since he had to head back to Massachusetts tomorrow for his classes. Collins told him that he would quit his job and move back to the city, in which Angel started to protest, but he had effectively silenced and couldn't convince the man otherwise to change his mind. Sure, they were on the way to getting back together, but there was so much more at stake now then just the state of their relationship… they still had to decide what to do with Samuel. The cops weren't gonna do anything, and Sam was bound to find out about the AIDS (if he hadn't already), and come after him again.

"Every hour the better," Angel grinned and nibbled at his sandwich. Contrary to popular belief, hospital food wasn't as bad as people made it out to be – at least, not to him. Collins rolled his eyes at his cheeriness and remained silent… coming between Angel and his food was like coming between him and his clothes or his favourite shoes. The nurse continued to make sure all the vital equipment was still working as it should before changing the IV bags and making sure the drip was continuing to deliver the appropriate fluids into Angel's system.

"Good, good," she replied and smiled back, patting his arm. When she saw that he was actually eating the hospital food, she made a 'grossed-out' face at him, and Collins bit his lip to stifle a laugh. "Oh my gosh… Angel! Honestly! You're in hospital to get better!"

He shrugged in return and took a greater bite out of the sandwich and grinned even more "Iphh gooph!"

"What!"

Angel swallowed the food in his attempts to prove his point. It wasn't that good, but he just wanted to play around with her a bit. The good thing was, the amount of morphine that was being pumped into his system had lessened today, although it would still be another week before he'd even be considered for discharge from the hospital.

"I said 'It's good!'," he smirked.

"Ewww," Emily replied and grimaced. "That's just disgusting!"

"It's funny what'll taste good when you haven't had a good meal for a while…" Collins made a passing comment; his eyes not leaving the screen.

"Thank you, honey," Angel replied, and smiled triumphantly knowing that it was a 2-against-1. Collins paused… that was the first time Angel called him 'honey' like he used to. Of course, he's said it to him during the duration that he's been back in New York, but now… the tone of Angel's voice, the life that's back in it now that they're sort-of back together. That's not to detract from the seriousness of the situation to their understanding, or that Angel was okay and that he had gotten past the emotional stage of the recovery process, but… having Collins at his side made him feel like he could get through it. And Collins knew it – hearing Angel speak the way he used to was music to his ears, and just made him want him even more. But he still said nothing…

Emily stuck her tongue at them both and winked at Angel, letting him know that everything was cool and it was all in good fun.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she told him and started to leave, but he called her back.

"Where you going?" he asked, confused. The answer was blindingly obvious, though…

"Aww," Emily cooed. "I'm flattered to know you'll miss me, but my shift is over. I need to sleep too, ya know!"

Angel pouted and gave her the cutest, saddest face he could, but she remained undaunted. She and Angel had become friendly during the course of his recovery over the past two days, and she had made his fear of hospitals a lot lighter. During his tearful breakdowns or morphine-induced ramblings, Emily was very understanding for a nurse and was very reassuring of him. And best of all – she didn't judge him.

"Who said anything about missing you?" he teased.

"You're face, darling!" she replied. "Anyway, I'll see you later… take care of Ang for me, Collins?"

"I got it covered," he played along.

After she left, closing the door behind her, once again Angel and Collins were left alone to enjoy each other's company again, and the professor just watched him eating his lunch without a complaint from either one. To Collins, his beautiful Angel was more radiant than ever, beyond all the bandages and taping that secured his wounds… there was life there again – every time his lips curled into even a weak smile, it was there. In his eyes, which sparkled against the hospital light became mesmerizing and reminded Collins of why he fell in love with him in the first place.

Angel chewed his food carefully, aware of the stress from his broken ribs and the knife wound in his torso, studied what in fact he was eating… he lifted up the top piece of bread and inspected the pieces of ham and cheese that were cut evenly. Also on his tray was a small bowl of jelly, a glass of milk, and an apple cut into small bits… very health conscious, as it was a hospital. Like most drag queens, Angel was fully aware of his health and maintaining his weight, so this was a nice change from the fast food or the junk he usually had to eat, or whatever Roger and Mark brought back to the loft… which was usually junk. But with the virus, and Angel's energetic personality, his metabolic rate was very quick and so he never usually put on weight – in fact, now with the virus becoming more intense, Angel had lost a bit of weight. But he still loved to eat healthy, and did bitch when he didn't get his way when it came to food – everyone else generally found it funny, and didn't pay too much attention except to try satisfy him by bringing slightly healthier meals. It really depended on who had the money to buy the food, and what they were into. Nevertheless, for Angel, this hospital food was very good compared to the 'crap' he had to eat back at the loft on a daily basis. He then noticed Collins watching him, and he playfully blew a kiss at him.

"What?" he coyly asked.

"Nothin'," Collins shrugged and reached across, gently stroking behind Angel's ear. "Just can't believe how beautiful you are…"

Angel heart started to race and he was pretty sure he was starting to blush. "These bandages do nothing for me…" he complained, hoping Collins wouldn't notice him becoming flustered. "Honestly… and these gowns?" he shook his head in disgust.

"Aww you work it well, baby."

Angel loved having his ego boosted, especially at this time… and especially coming from the one person who meant most to him in the entire world. So what was his response?

"I know!" he winked and playfully licked his lips in an enticingly seductive way that always got Collins heat up. He then pushed his tray away, not wanting to eat anymore and to just focus all his energies on his lover… Angel's mind didn't want to focus on what had happened, just what was happening now. There would be a time for more tears… more anger… more frustration… more fear… but for now, all there was, was him and Collins, and that's all he wanted.

Tom moved the tray down to the end of the bed and moved over to sit closer to him, placing his arms on either side of Angel's slender body so that he was leaning over him.

"You okay?" he asked the beautiful angel lying there. Angel's eyes flickered with uncertainty.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm okay. I'm fa-bu-lous!" he added the last part with a bit of flair and Collins laughed. There were serious moments like these that were somewhat lightened by Angel's diva-ness that tried to lift some of the stress and heaviness off their shoulders. Under the circumstances, he should be depressed; terrified; and, well… different. But with his one true love with him, none of it seemed to hurt as much as it had when he first woke up – and the memories were easier to deal with during the physical recovery.

"Yeah," Collins' voice softened and he kissed Angel's neck and then just underneath his ear, and then his lips, tenderly… smoothly… the kind of kiss that was as soft as butter and could melt Angel's heart twice as fast… or at least, cause it to skip a few beats. "You are… I can't believe you took me back… you don't have to do this… I do not deserve you, Angel…" (A/N: Those familiar with Rent – think 'Christmas Bells')

"Hush you're sweet mouth," Angel told him. "Don't start again or I'll cry. And I already look like hell… I'll hold you personally responsible should I start breaking mirrors."

"Angel—"

"I won't hear any of it," the drama queen (yes, I said drama!) insisted and cupped Collins' face in his hands. "You hear me? And I'm the patient, so you're supposed to do what I say."

Collins raised and eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since everyone feels sorry for me and take pity on me!"

"And since when did you take anyone's pity?"

"I don't, but it works really well in getting me what I want."

"Such as?"

"You!"

"Oh yeah?" Collins challenged and lowered his face so that his was just touching Angel's, careful of his broken nose and the various cuts on his face. Their lips just grazed each other and it was like electric impulses crosses paths, and sparks were flying – the magic was still there.

"Yeah," Angel softly met the challenge and smiled innocently, leaning up and kissing him. But this time, instead of it just being a simple kiss, Collins met him by deepening it and moving into a more comfortable position where their passion could be explored more greatly. The softness of Collins lips on his own made Angel wish that this moment could last forever, and as the kiss deepened, a small moan escaped the back of his throat – a moment that indicated the passion and desire they had for each other that knew no bounds… even lasting beyond infidelity and death itself. Damn I've missed this… he thought and didn't shy away when Collins' lips massaged his own, and they could taste each of the others love and its depth, that's how passionate they were about each other and still are.

Collins' hand gently worked its way down Angel's body and came to rest on his abdomen and started massaging him, much to the delight of him. They knew how to work each other well enough to the point where they both had to have each, but also knew when to back off. The nagging voice in the back of Collins' mind kept screaming at him to be careful and to stop before he did aggravate the injuries further. Angel's arm (his good one) slipped around Collins' waist and just pulled him closer, telling him that he didn't care and that he wasn't about to let him go. But that voice continued to grow stronger… and finally he forced himself to break the kiss, though his face remained close to Angel's.

"Angel…" he whispered. Angel's eyes begged him to continue, and his pouty lips were enticing the professor to continue, but alas he managed to find the strength to stop. "We can't… we shouldn't… I won't risk aggravating your injuries."

"And just when it was starting to get good," Angel replied – his voice was breathy as he tried to regain his breath from the heavy kissing… with Collins' lips occupying his own, and the bandages over his nose, it didn't take a brain surgeon to realize that he couldn't breathe, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to feel the warm of their lips intertwined. "Come on…" he seductively used his fingers to trace along Collins' back, trying to manipulate him into giving in, but his lover held his ground.

"I can't," Collins confessed. "Otherwise… I won't be able to stop. You know what you do to me…"

"Baby I can do a hell of a lot more if you just let me…"

"No" it pained him to deny them both of something they wanted, but acting responsibly didn't always mean acting fairly."I want to, Ang… but come on, it's no fair…"

"You're a fucking tease…" Angel continued to pout but Collins was relentless.

"Uh huh. You just rest, okay?"

"Whatever."

Knock, knock

Thankful that someone had interrupted to prevent him from giving into Angel's playful, and deeply seductive behavior, and they both looked over to the doorway to see it open, and who should be standing there…?

"ANGEL!"

"MIMI! MAUREEN!" Angel lit up when his two of his favourite girls came bounding into the room with what look like… "Oh myGod, you guys went shopping!"

Mimi ran straight over to the bed, on the other side to where Collins was sitting, and Maureen came up behind him before grabbing his arm and yanking him backwards, making him almost fall off the bed.

"Sorry, honey!" she apologized, but not really meaning it, and sat down in his spot next to Angel… Angel also seemed not to notice the dazed and very confused expression on his boyfriend's face as the two girls began to fuss over him and Mimi glanced at Collins and she and him then both looked at Maureen who was talking to Angel at a mile a minute – and Angel seemed to be keeping up with every word she was saying.

"Eww!" Maureen exclaimed when Angel pulled the covers down to show her the 'ugly' hospital gown that they made him where.

"No kidding, I mean… EWW!" Angel was grateful he finally had his girls who shared his appreciation for the importance of fashion and accessorizing, even though Maureen seemed to be more into at the moment than Mimi was.

"Well, don't you worry baby," Maureen smiled and pulled two bags onto the bed. "Mimi and I were prepared for this and so we took the liberty of making a few – essential – stops on our way, and… here!"

She placed the two bags she was carrying within Angel's grasp.

"No way, you didn't!" he squealed, happily reaching for the bags and peering inside. "Oh my God, I love you guys!"

He reached into the bag and pulled out a couple of coloured skirts and a pair of black heels that seemed just his size, and started shaking with anticipation.

"You guys rock! Oh my God!"

"You shoulda seen it, Ang!" Mimi gushed. "The entire street was—oh gosh, I can't even find the words for it!"

"It was insane!" Maureen continued and helped Mimi with the other couple of bags they brought. Standing to the side and watching with amusement, all Collins could do was watch in stunned silence as all three of them fussed over the clothes and Angel was gushing over them and almost crying, knowing that he had real clothes that he was looking forward to wearing.

"Right there…" Maureen started getting all dramatic. "The streets were just filled with stalls and boutiques… miles long, into the distance!"

"And I'm stuck here!" Angel whined.

"Speaking of which," Collins jumped in. "I'm gonna go make a phone call. Can I leave him here without you two jumping all over him!"

"No more than you were just a few moments ago!" Maureen retorted playfully, knowing full well what activities Angel and him had been engaging in only minutes before.

"You'll be right back!" a sudden look of concern befell Angel, and Collins moved next to him.

"Of course, baby," he kissed him and stood up, and then turned his attention to Maureen and Mimi. "Be gentle."

"Be gone!" Maureen gestured, over-dramatically, pointing towards the door.

"We'll take good care of him, Collins!" Mimi reassured him, though neither of them exactly filled him with confidence. Both of them had a tendency to go over board, and with Angel's physically delicate condition they weren't exactly the most trustworthy people to make sure that Angel didn't get over excited and do something that could hurt him further. "Honestly, we won't do anything stupid."

Reluctantly Collins moved to the door and gave one last glance over his shoulder. "I'll be right back…"

"Oh please do, honey!" Angel called after him, flirtatiously. Another thing in common between Maureen and him was that they knew how to push the buttons of their respective lovers – knew how to get them 'hot under the collar' so to speak, and could flirt so well it was a second nature to them. Collins closed the door behind him, leaving the two girls and drag queen to go nuts over the clothes.

"So you and Collins are really back together?" Mimi queried, searching through another bag for one of the purchases she made for him. Angel smiled slyly but didn't say anything, though still confirming what both girls already suspected, and Maureen squealed with delight.

"Oh my gosh… Angel, that's awesome. Congratulations…" her smile faulted a bit. "Are you sure, though? I mean… is he serious about this?"

"I don't know what it is," Angel explained. "But I just… I can't stop loving him. I can't stop trusting him, you know?"

Mimi nodded and understood exactly what he meant, because it was just like her and Roger… there was something about him that just made her love him and place all her faith; all her trust in him, despite what he had done to her before… with the rejection and the constant betrayal and denying of his love for her. So she knew exactly what he meant.

"I know what you mean," she confessed.

"I don't!" Maureen, confused, frowned at her lack of understanding. She's not dumb. She's not clueless. But it was usually Maureen doing the heartbreaking and not being on the receiving end of the heartbreak… first with Mark, and then what she was doing with Joanne… but in a way, her confusion was kind of amusing.

Angel linked arms with her. "I hope you never do…"

AUTHOR'S NOTES: in the next chapter, Collins seeks counsel from a friend. Samuel's worst fears are officially confirm, and he and Julian get into a confrontation with Roger and Mark outside the hospital. A twist is revealed in the test results…

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