First of all, I fixed the Dazed and Confused mistake. Sorry about that! Secondly, I've had this chapter finished since last Tuesday, but Fanfiction wouldn't let me post it. Darn that Fanfiction!

Also, to anyone who has reviewed this story, especially the last chapter: You guys are AMAZING! I have gotten what are definitely the best reviews EVER while writing this story, so once again, thanks you guys! You're the best! Finally, to all those who are reading and aren't reviewing: Just remember that as this is FINALLY the last chapter (no joke this time) it is your last chance to review. So please take that into consideration.

I don't own RENT or Dazed and Confused.

P. S. This is a SUPER long chapter to make up for all the short ones! Yay!

Dinner actually turned out okay. My dad did somehow cook one burger so that it was completely burnt on the outside and completely raw on the inside, but my parents had bought enough so that we could throw it and still have enough for all five of us.

"So," I asked Kathleen and Amy after we'd been eating dinner (in silence) for about five minutes. "Are you guys going to semi-formal in a week?"

"No," Kathleen answered simply. "I don't see the point in getting all dressed up and stuff just for that. Besides, it probably won't even be that fun." I couldn't help but think that thirty years ago, my dad would have made a very similar comment.

"I think so," said Amy. "I already have a dress and everything. Except I can't walk in my shoes at all."

"How tall are they?" asked Angel, looking slightly excited that the conversation had turned to shoes.

"Only about 2½ inches," answered Amy, looking at Angel interestedly. "But the heel part is really skinny."

And with that comment, Amy and Angel began a very detailed conversation about different types of high-heeled shoes that I could only half understand. Apparently, after Amy had gotten over the initial shock of Angel, the two of them seemed to get along quite well.

While they were talking, Kathleen, as I'd expected, was getting along very well with my dad. We had only been sitting down for about five minutes when they started up a conversation that the rest of us couldn't follow about how computers were going to completely change the human race.

After dinner, Amy, Kathleen, and I all went into the family room to watch Dazed and Confused. Personally, I didn't see what was so special about Anthony Rapp, other then the fact that he looked a little bit like Mark. But Kathleen did get very excited the first time that he appeared on screen.

More than halfway through the movie, the phone rang. I heard Angel pick up, but then after talking to whoever it was for a minute, she came into the family room where we were.

"Amy honey?" she asked as she walked in. "Your mom's on the phone." I paused the movie, and Amy stood up to get the phone from Angel. She took it into the other room with her for a second.

"Hi mom," I heard her say. "No, that was Angel." Pause. "Well, I told you that Carlie's parents………" her voice got quieter, but I was sure that she had just lowered it to tell her mom that my parents were gay.

"It's fine," she said, normally this time. "No, Mom, I'm fine." Pause. "No, it's………" She lowered her voice again, but I was pretty sure that she had said 'not weird.' Her voice went back to normal again, and I heard her say, "Well, there's only about half an hour left of the movie, can't you just wait until then?" Pause. "Mom, I'm having a good time." Pause. "Yes, I'm fine." A longer pause. "Can't you just please wait?" Pause. "Fine. See you then." I heard her turn off the phone, and then she walked back into the family room.

She rolled her eyes as she came in. "Well, I guess that you guys heard all of that?" she asked with a smile. Kathleen and I exchanged guilty looks before nodding. "My mom's just being stupid," she said as she sat back down on the couch. "She thinks………well, never mind."

I bit my lip, having a pretty good idea on what Amy's mom thought.

"She said that she was coming to pick me up now though," Amy continued. "And I told her that there was only half an hour left." Amy rolled her eyes again. "Whatever," she said. "Can you just play it?" So, I resumed the movie.

A couple of minutes later, my dad came in and sat down next to me on the couch. He was closely followed by Angel who, upon seeing that there were no open seats, promptly sat down in my dad's lap.

About fifteen minutes later, we all heard the sound of a car in the driveway. I picked up the remote, about to pause the movie again, but then decided just to leave it on for as long as possible.

The doorbell rang. I looked over at Amy. She looked upset and apprehensive. Angel happily bounced off of my dad's lap and walked into the hallway where the front door was. With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I heard Angel open the door. Quietly, I picked up the remote and paused the movie so that I could hear what Angel and Amy's mom were saying.

"Hello. I'm Sarah, Amy's mom," I heard a new voice say. Then I heard a sharp intake of breath, which I presumed to be Amy's mom seeing Angel.

"Hi, I'm Angel," I heard Angel say. Suddenly, Amy got off the couch and walked into the hallway where the front door was.

"Hey mom," I heard her say in a forced manner. "Can you come over here for a second?" I heard the two of them walking away from the door.

Then, Angel came back into the family room. She had a slightly grim expression on, which I rarely saw, but I could tell that she was trying to act normal. She sat back down in my dad's lap, folded his arms across her lap, and absentmindedly started drumming softly on her knees. I could tell that my dad could sense Angel's anxiousness, but he too seemed to be trying to act normal. Kathleen was looking at the two of the apprehensively. The four of us were completely quiet, and we could all clearly hear the conversation that was going on between Amy and her mom.

"Mom, why are you acting like this? I told you that there was only half an hour left. Why couldn't you just let me stay?" we all heard Amy say.

Her mom was harder to hear because she seemed to be making more of an effort to keep her voice down. Still, I could make out most of it."Amy— I just thought— you might want to leave………don't you have to get up early tomorrow?" Amy's mom answered anxiously.

"No I don't," we heard Amy answer. "You're just acting like this because— because—" Amy seemed unwillingly to finish her sentence.

Suddenly, Angel, with a sigh, got up off of my dad's lap. She bit her lip, brushed off her skirt, and smiled. Then she turned around and held her hand out. My dad took it with a sigh of his own and stood up. Still holding hands, the two of them walked over to the front door.

"Amy sweetie?" Kathleen and I heard Angel say sweetly. The two of us quietly got off the couch and crept over to the side of the door so that we could see everything that was going on. "Why don't you go and finish the movie with Carlie and Kathleen?"

"Umm………okay," Amy replied nervously, looking anxiously from Angel and my dad to her mother. Amy walked over to the family room. As soon as she entered it, I grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the side of the door with us. She quickly took my lead and turned around to watch the adults with us.

"So," Angel said with a smile to Amy's mom, while still holding my dad's hand, "First of all, this is Collins, my husband."

"Hi," my dad said. He looked as if he was trying very hard to hold back laughter.

"Hello," Amy's mom said stiffly.

"Anyway," Angel went on, "I'm not that stupid."

"W—what?" Amy's mom stuttered. "I didn't— I mean— Ex-cuse me?"

"I just mean," Angel continued, "That I can tell, very easily, when someone doesn't like me because of who I am."

"I never said—" Amy's mom began.

"Honey, you have a problem with Collins and me being gay."

Personally, I wasn't too surprised about Angel's blatancy, but Amy and her mom's eyes both opened wide with shock. My dad continued to fight back laughter, and it seemed as if Kathleen was also about to laugh.

"Now, I don't really know why you have a problem with that," Angel continued. "I mean, I'm a person. A very good one too, if I do say so myself. I don't think that I've ever done anything to hurt you or your daughter. I didn't try to impose 'dangerous ways of thinking' (Angel made quotation marks with her finger around those words) on Amy. Actually, I think that Carlie, Collins, and I have done a very good job on opening up Amy's mind. She's going to have a much easier time getting through life and cooperating with different types of people now than she did a month ago."

"I— you— you have no right—" Amy's mom started to sputter.

"Sweetie, listen. This is life. Not everyone grows up to be perfect have a picture perfect family. Because if they did, life would be incredibly boring. So don't try to get everyone to act the same. It won't work. And personally, I don't want to act like everyone else. Now, I believe that Amy wanted to finish the movie with Carlie and Kathleen. I suggest that you let her, because now neither of you have any reason to leave immediately."

And with that, Angel gave Amy's mom one last smile before quickly kissing my dad on the cheek. With a squeal, I ran up to Angel and gave her a big hug as my dad finally burst out laughing, wiping tears from his eyes.

"So, can I stay mom?" asked Amy with a huge smile.

"Well— yes. Fine," her mom answered stiffly. This time Amy squealed. Then she ran over to Kathleen, who gave her a huge hug while laughing hysterically.

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A couple of hours later, I was sitting on my bed reading, still fighting back the huge smile that kept coming across my face. After I had been reading for a few minutes, Angel came into my room.

She didn't say anything; she just walked over to my dresser and picked up my comb. Then, she sat down cross-legged behind me on the bed and slowly started to comb out my wet hair. It was something that she had used to do every night when I was little, but now I always did it myself. Even though I had already combed my hair myself that night, I didn't say anything.

The two of us were quite for a little while. I could feel her loosely braid my hair, just for the sake of combing it through again.

"Angel?" I asked suddenly putting my book down.

"Mm hmm?" she answered tiredly, still playing with my hair.

"Thanks," I told her quietly.

She stopped combing my hair, and her voice grew more alert. "For what honey?" she asked.

"Just— just for you know, shouting at Amy's mom and stuff. I didn't really think that anything bad was going to happen."

"Oh sweetie," Angel said to me softly. I turned around so that my body was facing her, but I didn't look at her eyes. She was in her pajamas, which meant completely out of drag and makeup. "Nothing bad happened tonight."

"But— but Amy's mom………and you had to stand up for yourself………and— and I just didn't think that that would happen."

"Honey," Angel said, putting her hand on my head and running her fingers through my hair. I looked up at her. "There's nothing wrong with that. Carlie, you did a really good thing tonight. Amy's not like she used to be, is she? I don't think she's going to be that prejudiced anymore, sweetie."

"Well, no………" I answered.

"And I think that her mom will think twice before not liking people because they're gay, don't you?" she asked with a smile. I laughed.

"Yeah, I think so," I answered, still smiling.

"Good," Angel said to me. "You ready for bed?" I nodded. "Okay," she answered. I put my book on my night table and crawled into bed. "'Night Carlie," Angel said to me as she gave me a hug.

"'Night Angel. Love you." She walked over to the door, turned out the light, and started walking out.

"Love you too, honey," Angel answered.

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Wow! I finished it! Finally! Yay! I love you guys all so, so much!