Note: Hey all I hope you don't mind I don't know legal stuff so well so I kinda just used what I know. Which is possibly wrong so…sorry in advance. I hope you enjoy.
Joanne had had enough. She had enough with this job. She had enough with Maureen. She even had enough of her friends. Every day there would be a new message from someone telling her how much Maureen missed her. Usually it was Mark as he knew Maureen the best out of them all. But everyone would do their share. Even Roger. But the lawyer wouldn't budge. Their engagement party was worse than a natural disaster. Not only did it leave her relationship with Maureen in shambles, now her whole family was beginning to question her sanity. How could their darling Joanne be with someone who was so…wild?
"If only she wasn't so damned gorgeous." Joanne mumbled to herself as she took a sip of her coffee. The heat of the liquid scorched her tongue. With a shout she dropped the cup on her desk and the coffee poured out all over her files. "No no no dammit!" She screamed throwing the cup in the garbage and using tissue after tissue to sop up the liquid.
"Damn it." She whispered this time. Her eyes were filling with tears. "Could this day possibly get worse?" Just as those words came out of her mouth she knew she would regret them.
"Ms. Jefferson." The intercom light turned on, it was connected to Joanne's secretary, "Ms. Jefferson there is someone here to see you."
Joanne rolled her eyes and continued to wipe the desk with one hand. With the other she pressed the intercom button, "Who is it Cheryl? I'm kinda busy."
"He says his name is Angel." Cheryl answered.
"Angel?" Joanne whispered to herself. "Oh yes Cheryl show her-him…in. Show him in." As quickly as she could, she gathered all of the soaking wet papers and put them on her windowsill with the ferns. Hopefully they would dry out.
Then Joanne sat down at her desk and let out a sigh. What in the world was Angel doing here…out of drag as well. Her friend had never came to visit her at work. In fact the two weren't all that close. Joanne knew that Angel loved her and that she loved Angel…but they never really bonded on their own.
"Ms. Jefferson?" Cheryl said opening the door, "Here's your guest." Angel popped his head in and smiled gently. Joanne frowned when she got a better look at his face. He was pale…very pale. His lips were chapped and his eyes looked sore. Joanne's heart did a flip. She then realized it had been a week since she saw him. When the group got together the day before, Collins made an excuse for his absence and Joanne hadn't given it a second thought.
"Hiya honey." He said quietly looking back to see Cheryl close the door. Joanne stood up quickly and hugged Angel tight embrace.
Angel hugged her back but his usual tight grip was much weaker, "Nice seeing you." Joanne said guiding Angel into a seat. "So why did you come in? Need a lunch date?" She asked cheerfully trying to hide her fears.
He smiled as he always did, his chapped lips couldn't stop that smile, "No. I didn't come for lunch. I just got back from visiting Collins at school. We had lunch there."
"With all of his students watching?" Joanne asked. Coming out among lawyers was hard enough, but coming out in front of a large mass of stupid kids well…that was another thing.
"Yeah. I met a few. They're nice." Angel said quietly. He cleared his throat a few times and rubbed his throat with his fingertips. "Could I bother you for-"
"Oh, of course Angel." Joanne knew what he meant reaching over for a cup. She filled the cup with water and handed it to him, "There you go."
Angel took it right away letting the liquid slip down his throat, "Thank you." He said when he finished. "Umm…Joanne. I was wondering if you could do sometime for me."
Joanne nodded taking her seat again and unconsciously folding her hands, "Of course. What do you need?" She asked. What could Angel really need? Perhaps she was having problems with Collins…she doubted that. Perhaps she needed money, that would be likely…but somewhere inside of Joanne told her exactly what Angel needed.
"I want to make a will." Angel said his eyes steady and calm, "I want to be prepared."
"Angel…" Joanne started to say, "You're not…you're not…"
He smiled again and shook his head gently, "We all are one day aren't we? I want to be prepared Joanne. That's all." Angel explained soothingly.
The lawyer pressed her lips together and nodded pulling out the correct forms. "Ok…I'll need your full name…." She was never sure if the name he used was truthfully his own.
"Angel Dummot Schunard." Angel supplied easily.
Joanne nodded filling the form out, "Ok now…you'll need to name someone as you beneficiary."
"What's that?" Angel asked quietly almost embarrassed that he didn't understand.
"A beneficiary…" Joanne paused wondering how she could word it, "That person is the one who will see to it that all of your wishes have been carried out. In life…and afterwards. That person will help with the distribution of your assets as well as…"
Angel leaned forwards, "Yes?"
"In case…if you…were to be in a vegetative state. It is the beneficiary's choice to do what he or she thinks is best." Joanne explained gripping her pen tightly with her fist. All of these words that she had memorized…they all seemed so hallow now. This wasn't a fifty something being careful. Or an eighty something writing a son out of the will just to screw him over. This was her friend. A boy really. Madly in love. Just twenty years old…but then she knew Angel had lived a fuller life than most.
"I understand." Angel murmured, "Collins…"
Joanne blinked a few times pulling back the moisture growing in her eyes, "Could you say his…"
Angel nodded solemnly, "Thomas Byron Collins."
"Ok." Joanne continued to work on the form adding in Collins' phone number and place of residence on her own. She waited for a moment to wipe away one tear that had escaped. "Next…your belongings. Your…estate if you will. You can list them off."
"My wigs and all of my clothes…I want them to be donated. There's a charity at the community center…Collins will know which one. Except my flower skirt. The one with the beautiful large flowers. All different colors. Bright colors. I would like Mimi to have that. She's always wanted it." Angel smiled again perhaps imagining Mimi in the skirt, "She should have it. She's my girl."
"Go on." Joanne said.
"My shoes. I want Maureen to have them." Angel glanced up at Joanne with some concern in his face.
Joanne shook her head, "Go on Angel…this is about you…not me."
"Say that…I know they'll look great with her cat suit. And that she should wear the suit…as often as possible. She looks hot." Angel smirked.
Joanne chuckled quietly the moisture now turning into tears, "Continue."
Angel breathed in deeply ignoring a raspy sound that followed, "For Joanne. My jewelry. I know they aren't the authentic pearls that you're used too…but I know they'll look amazing on you."
Joanne blushed and nodded for Angel to go on.
"My pickle tub…I want Roger to have it." Angel said quietly, "Just in case he wants to start up a band again…he has my encouragement and my pickle tub. Markie…I want him to have the little bit of money I have left…after hospital expenses…" Angel paused knowing barely anything would be left after the expenses. But he continued nonetheless, "He needs the money to get his film off the ground. And hopefully…quit that job he hates so much."
Joanne sniffed and shook her head, "He doesn't hate it that much. After all…it pays the rent."
"I always believed a job should pay you back in fulfillment. Not in money." Angel whispered to her a cough soon erupted from his chest. Joanne jumped to get him a new cup of water. Placing it in his hands, Angel drank it slowly. "Thank you."
Joanne took her seat again without taking her eyes off Angel, "Do you maybe want to continue this later?"
"I don't know how long…Collins said he was coming out of class early to take care of me. I don't know when he's coming and I'd rather him not know right now. I'll tell him tomorrow…not right now." Angel explained.
"It's understandable." Joanne replied wondering how the hell Collins was holding up. When they got together yesterday he seemed fine. His normal insane self. Was he that good at hiding his emotions? Or was he in denial? "You can continue."
"The apartment…my drumsticks…they go to Collins." Angel said now showing clear sadness for the first time since he walked in the door. "I would like him to go find my family…and explain. What happened. And tell him to ignore my Aunt Rita…she's a bitch."
"It's noted." Joanne said not being able to stop a tiny smile.
"My fake flowers…he can have them all. Everything left over…and of course all my love. He's everything to me." Angel blinked a few more times before taking a deep breath. All of his sadness had disappeared and he was once again glowing with a deep sense of calm.
"Is that all?" Joanne questioned being used to will writings taking hours and hours.
"I don't have much…" Angel pointed out without a feeling of regret, it was a simple fact, "But I want to give all I have to the people I love. Cause I want them to continue to love as they have when I knew them. And to learn." He carefully raised himself from the chair, "Thank you Joanne." Angel turned to leave putting his hands in his pockets.
"Wait! Angel…you have to sign." Joanne said holding out a pen to him.
Angel came back and slowly took the pen. Then she saw it. How his hand shook. He could barely write his first name. So he left it at that, "Angel", and put his hands back in his pockets.
"Thank you again." He nodded and headed for the door.
"Wait." Joanne stood up holding out her hand.
Angel looked up, "Something else I have to sign?"
"No…" Joanne started to say before running up to Angel and hugging him tightly. "You'll get better. You have to."
Angel kissed her temple, "I wish I could think that way honey. I wish I could say things will be ok with me…But I know. I just know. You'll be fine. I know we all will…maybe there will be some rough patches but we're family, chica. Ain't a thing in this world that can break our love for each other. Not a thing. Not even AIDS. Not even death."
Joanne's shoulders shook, her tears now flowing freely from her eyes, "How can you…I'm supposed to be the one comforting you. Not the other way around."
Angel's laugh chimed through the office, "I've never done what I'm supposed to, Jo. You haven't noticed? I wear women's clothes. I don't have a steady job. I love another man. Hell…I killed a dog for money."
"That you did." Joanne laughed as well wiping away the tears from her face. "I love you…you know that?"
"I do." Angel whispered kissing Joanne's cheek to let her know he felt the same, "I have to go. Collins will be worried. Thank you again." He walked to the door and closed it before Joanne could reply.
Joanne walked back to her seat and stared out into space. How could they loose Angel? She took the form, now Angel's will, in her hands. Her eyes scanned the words. Dropping it to the desk she signed her own name at the bottom. She placed her fingertips over his signature and let one last tear smear the letter "l".