Claire walked down the cold Avenue A. She was cold and the weather seemed to be getting colder. Claire didn't own a proper jacket so she tried to make her own jacket out of layers of clothing, it didn't keep the cold out but rather it just made it easier for the wind to go through the layers of clothing and hit Claire's skin like a ton of bricks and Claire gasped every time a strong wind came around.

New York seemed to be getting colder since Claire moved to Alphabet City, it was if the whole outside world had walls around it keeping the actual wind and coldness out and send it to the people who had been suffering enough without the wind.
Claire didn't seem to understand it, she used to have a life where wind only bothered her when she hadn't dressed properly to go to school, but now wind and coldness seemed to be everywhere, in her small two bedroom apartment off of Avenue B, under her skin and worst of all in her ten year old daughters immune system.
Everything that Claire tried to make her daughter well, never worked she always seemed to be sick and Claire was very worried that her daughter might have the virus that everyone had been talking about for the last few years. The thought of aids had always scared Claire when her daughter was sick.
Whenever her daughter lay in her bed shivering and coughing, Claire remembered the one night when everything changed. And Claire wondered if maybe Claire and her daughter had gotten aids from that one night.

Claire opened the door to the small apartment building and walked up the four flights of stairs to her apartment. Claire knocked on the door of apartment 207, the room across from her apartment.

A young looking twenty year old girl answered the door.

"Oh Claire, how was shopping?" the girl asked

"good, good. I didn't get much done but I got with the money that I had. And that will have to do for awhile." Claire answered

Claire walked into the girls apartment. And looked around, no sign of her daughter.

"How is she today?" Claire asked

"She's holding in there. I set up the television in the guest bedroom and she's watching tv, she falls asleep for about half an hour every three hours and then wakes up with horrible coughing fits. But they usually die down after about five minutes. They're getting shorter."

Claire smiled at that fact. At least the cold seemed to be subsiding.

"But besides that, she's been doing great. She seems to have more energy today then I have seen in her for quite some time."

"thanks Alex." Claire said

Claire walked into the guest bedroom and saw her ten year old daughter lying up in bed watching cartoons in black and white.

"hey, how's my Hope doing?" Claire asked sitting next to her daughter Hope and putting her hand on Hopes forehead.

"I'm feeling better, better than I have in months." Hope answered.

"that's good." Claire said "Hey guess what I picked up today?"

Hope looked at her mother, her beautiful brown eyes gazing up at her mother awaiting the surprise.

"what?" Hope asked full of intisipation

"Coke-a-cola!" Claire answered

Hopes eys got big "Really? We never have that."

"I know, I thought I'd get something special for once, and it was on sale."

Hope laughed "I cant wait to have some."

"You will. Now shall we go home and watch tv on our color screen?" Claire asked

Hope giggled "Sure."

Angel

Angel walked down the block to the Life Café and walked in, there sitting in their usual booth was the most beautiful man Angel had ever seen. Collins was sipping on his tea and looking at some papers. Angel smiled and walked to the booth.

"You started without me." Angel said sitting down in the booth

"Yeah, you took such a long time. What were you doing? Shopping in Paris?" Collins asked

"You never know." Angel responded a smile on his face

"Well I ordered you something, its on its way." Collins said

"Thank you sweetie." Angel said picking up Collins hands and kissing them.

Collins smiled, he loved the man in front of him, the over dramatic drag queen.

"So what was so urgent that you needed to talk to me right away? You got me worried." Collins said

Angel looked at the man he loved, the beautiful black man, the man that had absolutely no money except when it came to Angel.
Angel smiled shyly, he didn't really want to talk about it but it had to be done.

"Something's been going through my head a lot lately, and I cant seem to get away from it no matter what happens…sex wont even solve my problem." Angel said causing Collins to blush and smile.

"Well what is it? Cause usually our sex helps anything." Collins said this time making Angel blush and smile.

"I know. Collins this is serious, and I want you to take it seriously when I tell you I don't want you to just smile and think I'm joking because I'm not and this is something really important to me."

Collins got serious, Angel wasn't smiling anymore but looking down at the table as if he was embarrassed about something.

"Ok, I want laugh or joke. Its serious I get it." Collins said

Angel looked up, tears in his eyes.

"You know I ran away from home when I was seventeen right?" Collins nodded "Well I didn't tell you the whole truth about what happened afterwards."

Angel took a breath and wiped away the tears.

"I think I gave an innocent woman aids."

"A woman? What?" Collins was confused to say the least.

"yeah. A woman." Angel said

Collins looked away, why would Angel think he would joke about this, this was serious. Angel having sex with a woman.

"And do you mean sex?" Collins asked

Angel paused then nodded. "yeah sex. I had sex with a woman when I was eighteen."

Collins looked away, why hadn't Angel told him this before? When they were telling each other of all their past experiences…that is what Collins was wondering the most, not the fact that Angel had sex with a woman.

Flashback

Angel ran into the hospital,

"Where is she?" Angel asked Lauara

"She's in that room." Laura answered and pointed to room 306.

Angel opened the door to room 306 and there was Dara lying in the bed, her eyes were open and Angel approached the bed. He pulled up a chair to her bed and took her hand in his.

"Hey sweets." Angel said

"hi." Dara squeaked.

"How're you doing baby?" Angel asked

"As good as I can get." Dara answered

Angel looked at Dara, her face was black and blue, her neck had a light slash through it.

"Oh huney, what happened to you?" Angel asked kissing Dara's hand.

Dara took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"A man came into the apartment, I don't know who he was, but he came in and he called me something that I didn't hear, but he said that I shouldn't be living with a fag. And he began beating me."

Angel hung his head, this isn't what he wanted, not to anyone ever. Not because he was gay. Nobody should be objected to beating just because she lived with a gay.

"Oh baby. No."

"I don't care." Dara said. As she squeezed Angels hand.

"You should care, I care. You shouldn't be objected to violence because of me. Never!"

Dara was about to say something, when Angel shushed her.
Dara was soon asleep and Angel was left to his own thoughts. He didn't, couldn't be gay. Not if this is what happened to the people he loved.
Angel wrote a quick note to Dara and left it on the bedside table.

Angel walked out of the hospital and took the subway to a neighborhood he thought he'd never go back to. He walked to an apartment and rang the buzzer.

Claire opened the door.

"ANGEL!" Claire flung herself into Angels arms and kissed Angels cheek.

"I need your help Claire." Angel said as he was escorted into the living room.

"Sure what is it? Money, an apartment anything…I'll do anything for you." Claire said

"I can't be gay anymore." Angel said as he sat down on the couch.

"Why?" Claire sat down across from Angel.

"Someone I loved got injured because of me being gay."

Claire put her hands over her mouth "oh my god. I'm so sorry Angel."

"I need your help." Angel said again

"Like I said I'll do anything for you. Anything."

"anything?" Angel asked

"yes, anything! I love you Angel. Anything!" Claire said moving beside Angel on the couch.

Angel leaned over and kissed Claire on the lips. Claire's eyes popped open, and she pulled away.

"What are you doing?" Claire asked

"You said you'd do anything." Angel replied.

"Really?" Claire asked not believing what Angel was asking her to do.

"yes, I need you to have sex with me. I cant be gay."

"Angel cant we just talk about this? And you know figure it out?"

Angel shook his head. "No, if being gay causes pain to the ones I loved then no. if you love me, then love me!" Angel said

Claire closed her eyes, and shook her head. She opened her eyes and then opened them.

"ok." Claire answered

Claire took Angels wig off and unzipped his jacket. She began kissing Angel.

"Are you sure?" Claire asked between kisses.

Angel nodded his head and began unbuttoning Claire shirt.

Claire held Angel in her arms and kissed his forehead.

"Honey, don't let anyone change you. People are stupid and they do dumb things."

Angel looked at Claire.

"And baby, you cant change. Your always gay, you can never change and don't try." Claire whispered in Angels ear.

Angel looked at Claire, he tried to say something but Claire interrupted him.

"Now honey I want you to get dressed, forget about this night, never look back on it and just live your life. Fall in love, and just live your life until the day you die. I will always remember you. And remember that I love you."

Angel looked at Claire, and slowly got up out of the bed, and got dressed. Claire got up and put on a shirt. The shirt went past her knees. The two friends walked to the door and paused.

"Claire…" Angel began

"I know, listen I'll always love you." Claire said "You're my best friend."

Angel and Claire kissed, and hugged.

"I'll never forget you." Angel whispered into Claire's ear. "Thank you. I love you!"

Angel opened the door and slowly walked out of Claire's apartment.

End of Flashback

Claire looked at her daughter, the nights sleep had done her well, and she was probably in the best mood that she had been in months and Claire was thankful.

"Hope, what do you think about going out today? Maybe shopping?" Claire asked as she kissed her on the cheek.

"do you really mean it?" Hope asked her mother.

"yeah, lets go to the park." Claire said

"Lets go!"

Hope jumped out of bed and began dressing. Claire laughed.

"Hold on, you need to dress properly for the weather. Its getting cold outside and I don't want you getting sicker then you already are."

Claire pulled out a old jacket and shook it out.
Hope put it on and looked at her mother, her smile was so huge Claire had to laugh.

"Ok, lets go."

Claire grabbed a few sweaters and put them on, she opened the door and just as they were about to walk out apartment Hope got a coughing fit. She fell down on the floor and began throwing up on the hallway carpet. Claire knelt down and patted her daughter on the back.

"We'll go out another day. You my dear have to be in bed today, I'm sorry."

Hope stopped throwing up and Claire picked her up in her arms and lifted her back to the bed. Hope had passed out. Claire immediately went knocking on the door across the hall.

"I have to go out, and I need your help."

Claire walked down the street, she passed the usual musicians on the street, but as she looked at them and passed them, one particular musician caught her eye.

"Angel?" Claire asked, as the street drummer looked up

"Claire?"