Author's Notes: Another chapter for my dears!

I OWN NOTHING.

Please read, review and enjoy!

Italics are thoughts.

Chapter Three

Angel watched as the lock unlatched itself slowly, a shuffling noise heard outside. She did nothing to help the process along, she just watched. The door slowly opened to reveal Collins' tall frame, illuminated by the cheap hallway light. Angel still did nothing, but continued to watch her lover as he stumbled into the room and closed the door loudly.

Throwing the keys down on the floor, Collins slid down the door and landed on his behind, crying. He cried and he cried, a broken man. Angel realized that he was crying and reached over to the remaining lamp, turning it on. The light startled Collins as he looked up at Angel who was sitting on the couch, a blank look plastered onto her face.

"Tom." Was all she said to him before he crawled over to her, laying his head in her lap. She rubbed the back of his lovingly as he continued to weep into her lap.

He sobbed into Angel's lap, clenching her pajama pants with his scarred fists. "Oh Angel…"

"What's the matter lover?"

When he heard her, he cried harder, his body shaking with uncontrolled sobs. "She's gone Ang, she's gone."

Ever the caring and loving person, Angel lifted his head so their eyes met. "Who is gone Tom?"

"Gran." Collins said as tears poured down his dark face.

"I don't understand honey, you said she was doing fine. Are you sure? Have you seen her?"

The professor nodded into Angel's lap as he began to sob once again. "I saw her Angel. She's gone, she's gone."

Collins' grandmother, whom he either called 'Granny' or 'Gran' had been sick for a about a month now and Collins would go visit her everyday after work. She practically raised him, teaching him everything, and besides Angel she was his world. It wasn't until Collins' uncle called him to tell him that he was taking Gran to the hospital that Collins began to become worried about Gran's health. She was the opitomy of strength having gone through a triple bypass surgery, losing a child three years after and recently having a stroke. He knew she had been upset about a lot of things going on with the family, but little did he know that it would eventually take her life.

"Is that where you were?" Angel asked quietly as Collins continued to cry aloud.

Nodding again into Angel's lap, the drag queen needed no other explanation. Her man would never lie to her. "How do I live without her Ang? Oh my God what the hell do I do?"

She leaned down to kiss her boyfriend's head, taking in the scent of his hair as she did. "We'll figure something out sweetheart, we're in this together okay. I'll be right here with you. Don't take this alone."

Collins lifted his head up and held out his hand to caress Angel's soft cheek. He pulled her into him and kissed her, falling apart again. "I'll kill them Angel. I swear to God I'll kill them."

"Who honey?" Angel tried to stay as calm as possible because is she blew up at Collins for not calling or being there when he said he was it would put a huge strain on each of them. Collins didn't need it right now, and Angel didn't want to be the one to put anymore pressure that what already had.

"Aunt Doris and Uncle David."

His father's siblings. They had moved in with his elderly grandmother earlier that year, causing a lot of trouble that Gran never wanted anyone to know about. Collins didn't like it one bit, but he also knew that Gran would never put any of her children out if they needed a place to stay. Collins would have understood if his Aunt and Uncle had actually tried to make an effort to help Gran out, but these people didn't even have jobs. Trying to ignore the fact that they were completely crowding Gran, Collins tried to act civil with them when he went to visit his grandmother. The last straw for Collins was when his Uncle David had brought a woman into her house, a woman that wasn't involved with the best things. Hints of drugs and running from the law from his closest cousin Alan, deeply worried Collins. Why would they want to bring that world into their mother's after all she'd done for them?

"Would Gran want you to do this Tom?" Angel asked wiping the tears that had fallen on Collins' neck.

Lifting his head up slowly, Collins began to regain his composure. He sighed heavily, his breath wavering. "No, she wouldn't. I just wish…I just wish that they would think about what they do when they do things. It just doesn't affect them, it affects all of us. Even if I don't talk to them, their shit still follows me."

Angel looked at her man, she'd never seen him like this. Then again, how many times can you loose a grandmother that meant everything and anything to you?

"And now she's gone."

"Honey, she loved you…she still loves you. She'll be with you with every step you take."

Collins looked up at Angel, a faint smile coming upon his face. "What would I do without you?"

"I was beginning to wonder that when you didn't show up for half the night." Angel said laying back on the couch. "Tom, I was worried sick."

Placing his hands on Angel's thighs, Collins noticed how red and swollen Angel's eyes were. "Oh God baby, I'm so sorry. I was just so…"

Angel raised her hand in protest. "No, I understand. I was really upset, but I'm okay now you're here." As Angel thought about what she had been through the past few hours, a tear fell down her cheek. "I thought I'd lost you forever. I even sent Mark and Roger out to find you."

The professor caressed Angel's cheek. "You'll never loose me Ang, I love you."

Faking a smile, Angel pointed toward the phone. "Better call Roger and Mark, they were worried too."

For some reason Angel still wanted to yell at Collins for leaving her alone and to panic. Her thoughts went back and forth, forgive or don't forgive. Yell or don't yell.

"What the hell happened to the lamp?" Collins said picking up pieces of glass on the floor. He looked over to Angel, who had her arms crossed, pissed. After Angel didn't answer, he walked over to Angel standing above her. "Babe, what happened to the lamp?"

"I was pissed that you didn't call."

Collins looked at his lover, surely she wasn't getting mad at him for not calling. "Ang, you know where I was."

Feeling the tension rise between them Angel grabbed her knees pressing them against her chest. "Yeah I know that now, but I told you I was worried. I got pissed and threw it."

"Just like that you throw things and not care about what happens to them?"

Angel placed her fist up to her mouth, feeling herself grow angry by the second. "At the moment, I really don't Tom. You know how I get when I get angry."

The professor backed away from Angel slightly, sensing that she was going to blow up at him. "Apparently I don't know how you get Angel. How do you get?" Didn't she understand? His grandmother died, Angel Dumott Schunard the angel of love herself didn't understand that.

"Tom, don't push me."

"No one is pushing you. I'm trying to find out who the hell you are because apparently I don't know you."

Angel threw her legs down on the floor. "Tom, you're here and you're okay to a point…that's all I care about alright? Just drop it."

Collins watched Angel as she walked over to the sink to get a glass of water. "So what do I do about the lamp that you broke?"

The drag queen slammed her hand on the counter with a loud slap. "Throw it away God dammit!"

Walking over to the trashcan that sat beside Angel, Collins eyed her. Where was all of this anger coming from? "Excuse me." He said sarcastically, accidentally hitting Angel on the leg in the process.

"Don't hit me Tom." Angel said looking at him as he slowly came up. He was bigger than she was, but she had fought off her uncles who were 20 times bigger than Tom.

"No one is hitting you Angel, calm down." Collins said completely fed up. He was tired and he had to be at the funeral home in the morning.

After cleaning up the pieces, the professor walked toward the bedroom leaving Angel in the living room to stew in her anger. "I'm goin' to bed. I'll see you tomorrow. I've got to be at the funeral home tomorrow morning…or should I say a few hours."

"Are you not going to call again? Am I going to have to cry for you again?"

So she was crying.

"I'd like for you to go with me if you like, but I understand if you're too pissed to support me when I need you the most."

Just as he was about to go into the bedroom, Angel sprang up her fists clenched. "I am supporting you Tom! Don't fucking say that."

Collins had had enough, they could argue tomorrow. "Goodnight Angel, I love you." He said turning into the bedroom.

"Ah!" Mimi cried.

"Holy shit! Mimi?"

The dancer immediately got up, fixing her shirt which was falling off of her. "I came to stay with Angel because she was becoming hysterical. Are you okay?"

"Thanks for staying with her Meems, let her tell you why I came home late. But she might not be able to, she's too pissed at me for not calling when she wanted me to."

Mimi walked into the living room seeing Angel fuming on the couch. "Chica, I'm going to go home now okay?"

Angel just stared out into the living room. "You know you can't go now, it's too late. Come sleep here." She said patting the couch. Mimi did just that laying her head on Angel's lap as Angel pulled the blanket she made and threw it on the dancer. Staying in the same position, Angel sat stoned face until the sunlight hit her face telling her of the coming morning.