I Do: Chapter 2

The Announcement

Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! Really made my day. No, this will not be a one shot, and I hope you'll like it. Enjoy the second chapter! Also, I think I promised someone this would be up last weekend…I'm really, really sorry. I tried to write but I never got inspiration…however, after seeing the movie for the second time last night, it's ready to go!

I do not own Rent. But hey, only 4-6 weeks till the Rent bible arrives!

"Yes!"

Collins felt his heart skip a beat or two, and before he knew it, he was on his back, being smothered in Angel kisses.

"Yes, Tom, yes!" Angel cried, finally letting him up for air. "Of course, I…oh my God, I can't believe this! Yes!"

Collins grinned, taking his hands and kissing him passionately. This was it. They were getting married. It was happening.

"I love you…" he whispered, kissing him again. "And you will not regret this…"

"Of course not, love..."

Collins had no idea what to say, so resorted to kissing him again. They stayed like that for a few moments until Angel broke away.

"Oh my God! We have to tell everyone! They'll be SO excited! Oh, and we can get a dress and a cake and a hall…and it'll be like when I used to play Barbies! …Mimi is going to FLIP! So will Maureen…"

Collins simply smiled as he listened to his lover- his fiancé ramble on excitedly.

"Come on, Collins! Let's go tell them!" Angel exclaimed, popping up from the couch and lunging for him discarded coat. Collins chuckled, kissing him sweetly, and then grabbing his own coat.

They walked hand-in-hand, talking excitedly and kissing. Everything was fine, until…

"Fags…" a woman muttered under her breath. Collins tried to urge him on, telling him to ignore the woman, but it was useless.

"Excuse me?" Angel asked, turning around to face her. Middle-aged, short, with a bad hair-do. "You want to repeat that?"

The woman stared defiantly at the drag queen for a moment, then said, "It was bad enough you queers were running around in the first place, but now you can get married…it's disgusting!" she cried out.

Collins' eyes narrowed and he grabbed hold of Angel's hand. His fiancé stepped forward.

"Hey," he cried. "Don't disrespect a sister, girl!" The woman gave her a strange look.

"What did you call me?" She asked, stepping closer so that they were face-to-face.

"Oh," Angel said, surprised. "You are a woman. Well, hon, I have some suggestions- get an open mind, a hair cut, and a tooth brush. That's disgusting," Angel cried just loud enough for the other people on the street to hear loud and clear. He wrinkled her nose as the woman stared at her, shocked. "Okay? Thanks!"

Collins had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing until the woman was far out of sight. Only then did they fall against each other, cracking up.

"Did you SEE her face?" Angel giggled, mocking the woman's slack mouth and wide eyes. Collins laughed uncontrollably.

"Serves her right!" he said between laughs. They finally arrived at the building.

"After you," he smiled as he was guided up the stairs quickly and toward Mark and Roger's loft. They stood outside the door, waiting for someone to open it. He could feel him shaking in excitement, and a wide smile was plastered on his face. He squeezed his hand.

"Hey," Mark said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you went home."

"I did!" Angel said, his voice quivering. "And now we're back."

"Okay…what's up?" He asked, letting them in. Roger and Mimi were snuggled on a chair together, while Joanne and Maureen were bickering, as usual.

"Hey guys," Mimi smiled. "Back so soon?"

"Well you know we can't stay away!" Angel grinned. He and Collins sat down together on the couch, Angel still shaking, a huge smile on Collins' face. Mark sat down again, and pretty soon the room was quiet.

"Well, this is nice…" Mark said finally, breaking the silence.

Angel and Collins exchanged a look, and Collins cleared his throat. He saw Roger sort of grin at him, and his smile only increased.

"We, uh…have something to tell you," he began, looking at his friends. Maureen gave them an almost interested look, Mimi stopped picking at her nail polish, and Mark looked up from his ever-present camera.

"Yes?" Roger asked, grinning at Collins. Mimi gave him a look.

"What?" She asked him, narrowing her eyes.

"What, what?" Roger asked, giving a weird look at the others.

"What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing!"

"What are you keeping from me, Roger Davis?" She asked, poking him again. Collins cleared his throat impatiently.

"Actually…" Collins interrupted.

"Sorry," Mimi replied sheepishly, poking Roger once more for good measure. Collins and Angel just grinned. The group stared at them expectantly, but they continued to grin out at them.

"Were…were you going to tell us today or tomorrow?" Mark asked, staring at them impatiently. The two men on the couch glanced at each other.

"Were you going to say…" Angel asked.

"Well, not unless you want to…"

"I'm too excited!" Angel giggled, taking his hand. "You say!"

Collins smiled. Maureen and Joanne were staring at them impatiently.

"Well," Collins laughed. Now he was excited! "Well, we…Angel and I are…you see…"

"We're getting MARRIED!" Angel cried out.

The group stared at them, jaws dropped.

"Sorry, hon…" Angel giggled as Collins pressed a kiss to his temple.

"Um…" Maureen said, for once at a loss for words. "You guys DO know that two men can't get married, right?"

"It's legal now!" Collins exclaimed happily. "It was in the paper today…"

"MAUREEN!" Joanne cried. "I TOLD you to save the paper today! I've been following that debate for months!"

"Relax, pookie, I saved it. It's got Madonna on it! That woman has the thighs of a goddess!"

Joanne let out a humph, then smiled at Angel and Collins. "Well, congratulations, you two. You should really go and get a license, you know, and set a date. And make all the necessary arrangements…"

"Can't you stop being stuffy for ONCE?" Maureen cried, running over and squishing onto the couch beside Angel. "It's a WEDDING!"

"Yeah!" Mimi exclaimed, squishing down on Angel's other side, succeeding in accidentally knocking Collins off. "There's so much to think about!" She gave Angel a hug, kissing his cheek. Maureen, not wanting to be left out, did the same. "Congratulations, Angel chica!"

"We'll need a dress," Maureen said excitedly. Mimi and Angel nodded.

"And flowers,"

"And a bridal shower!"

"And…"

"And…"

Collins grinned as the three of them chattered excitedly, the two women fussing over Angel like she was a new toy to play with.

"I'll do your hair!"

"I'll do your make up!"

"I'll--holy crap! Mimi, check it out!"

"Oh my God!" Mimi exclaimed, turning around and facing Collins. She held up Angel's hand, motioning to the ring. "VERY nice!"

Collins grinned. After awhile even Joanne was talking about the wedding, though she was of course adding more practical suggestions.

"Tom…" Mark said, patting his shoulder. "I…" Without another word, Mark's arms were around him.

"Awww…" Angel giggled, watching them.

"I never thought you'd be getting married…" Mark said, breaking apart. "Sorry, it's just…I never thought it would happen for you guys, you know?" He turned on his camera, filming the moment.

"Well, you know what this means, eh?" Roger asked, a grin suddenly forming on his face. Collins gave him a strange look.

"…What?" he asked, a little scared by the mischievous look on Roger's face. Suddenly, Mark's eyes widened, and his smile matched Rogers.

"You mean…" he asked.

"Yup…" Roger replied, grinning. "We get to throw a bachelor party!"

And before Collins could object, the two of them were talking about their own plans. Tom considered just letting them have their fun, but the second he heard the word 'stripper', he knew that it wouldn't work.

"Er…guys?" Collins asked, fighting back a laugh. Roger and Mark stared at him.

"Yeah?"

"Remember who I'm marrying."

The three men were silent for a moment.

"So…" Mark said finally, putting his camera down for a moment. "How do you host a gay bachelor party?"

However, before the boys could even begin to brainstorm, they were quite rudely interrupted.

"Maureen, you are NOT wearing a see-through dress!"

"Oh, why the hell not?"

"You'll steal the attraction! Not to mention, some whore will steal YOU!"

"Oh, so I'm a whore now, is that it?"

"That's NOT what I said!"

"I know when I've been insulted!" Maureen screamed, grabbing her coat. "Good bye, Joanne!" She paused at the door, and giggled and made a little, flirtatious wave. "Bye, Marky!" She shot Joanne a glare before stomping out the door.

The room fell completely silent for a moment. Mark flushed deeply. Joanne grabbed her coat.

"Congratulations, you two. MAUREEN!" She cried as she ran out the door. Collins simply rolled his eyes. Knowing them, they were probably making out in the hallway already. Mark blushed a deep scarlet.

"Well, I've got to get to work, any way…" Mimi sighed, checking the clock. "I am SO happy for you!" She hugged Angel again, and kissed Collins' cheek before leaving.

"So…" Mark said, holding his camera up to his face. "Can we get a shot of the ring?"

Angel's face brightened again, and he held out his hand. Mark zoomed in, making a whistling noise. Collins grinned and placed his arm around his shoulders. It was pretty simple, he knew, but was still very pretty. The band was thin, and adorned with a small jewel. Alright, it was very simple, but it was a hell of a lot better than some of the gaudy rocks some of the richer people wore.

And, besides, it put a smile on his Angel's face…and that was the important part.

Said Angel was currently explaining exactly how he'd been proposed to, putting pieces of hair behind his ear and showing off his ring as much as possible.

"…But of course, I knew there HAD to be a reason he was over here, right? But of course, I trust Tom, and so I didn't really think it would be anything TOO out of the ordinary, right? Well…"

Trust. He did trust him, right? Collins knew he had a jealous streak, but if anything it made him love him more. Still, he trusted him…right? Trust and love were the pillars of a good marriage, and without one, a marriage crumbles. He trusted him…

"…and, of course, I said yes!"

Collins smiled, and hugged him from behind. Trust. Love. There was love, any one with eyes could see. But you needed both…

The next hour or two seemed to go by exceptionally quickly, and before long, Angel was raising his left hand, yawning and showing off his ring at the same time.

"Tired, baby?" Collins asked, a small smile on his lips.

"Mmm…" Angel yawned again. "Maybe a little…"

Tom chuckled as the two of them bid Roger and Mark good night. They drew close to each other as they walked, the cold night air making them shiver. Collins didn't want to say anything, but the truth was, he still felt slightly troubled by Angel's distrust earlier. Today, he realized, was not a normal day. But sometimes, he just had to work late. Would he get such a confrontation every time? He let out a sigh as they reached their door. As Collins pulled out his key, Angel stopped him with a kiss.

"I love you, baby," he whispered, wrapping his arms around the taller man's neck. Collins smiled, then frowned. Angel cocked his head. "What's wrong?"

He sighed, cupping his face gently. "Do you trust me?"

"Hm?"

"It's just…" he sighed, his hand dropping to his waist. "It's just…earlier…"

"What?" Angel asked, genuinely confused. He looked so cute, and Collins forced his mind to stay on task.

"Just…sometimes, I'm going to have to come home late, or I'm going to go somewhere, and it's just…" He still looked confused, his dark Latino eyes wide. "It doesn't mean I'm cheating on you. You have to trust me."

Angel's eyes softened, and he smiled. "I do…honey, of course I do!"

Collins grinned as he envisioned Angel saying the same words, on their wedding day. He pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Promise?"

"Of course. Do you trust me?"

Collins laughed. "Angel, sometimes I think you're the only one I can trust!"

"Well, you too! I said I was sorry about this…can't we just…move on?" he gave him a sleepy smile. "I'm tired, sweet. I trust you understand that?"

Collins smiled, opening the door. Trust and marriage were the pillars of a good foundation. They had both.

Angel kissed him gently, gradually letting the passion mount.

This was promising to be a very good marriage.

I can't believe I'm finally done the chapter! Oh, and just a thing about the timeline, this roughly takes place around January of the next year, so in movie terms, January 1991. However, its AU because not only will Angel be alive, but Benny will make an appearance or two. Also, if this chapter seems not that great, its because its currently 1:30 right now and I'm really trying to get this done before bed ;) Hope you enjoyed it, and chapter 3 should hopefully be up soon!