Authors' Notes: Another chapter for my dearest readers! Hope you all like it. I'm thinking of dwindling down the story, but I'm not sure yet. I don't know how long I can keep the group going through these things without it becoming way to Soap Operaish. There are soooo many details that I haven't even touched on yet (i.e., the Mayor's wife shutting down the show which I still want to be part of the story; Collins' parents; NYU finding out that Collins is gay). Let me know your thoughts.

I OWN NOTHING (but this story & the add-ons).

Please read, review and enjoy!

Italics are memories.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

With Mimi, Roger, Angel, Joanne, Maureen and Mark

It was as if time stood still for the weary friends. Once again they were reunited, but they weren't sure how long that was going to be judging the way Roger's fists began to coil.

"Chica!" Mimi screamed her eyes brimming with tears.

Angel stood looking at her friends. She practically destroyed all of them. Mimi broke her train of thought when she embraced her best friend. "I'm so fucking sorry Angel. I'm sorry about everything! I just . . . didn't understand."

Weakly, Angel wrapped her arms around the dancer, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry too Chica. I'm just . . . not myself. Do you forgive me?"

Roger wrenched his girlfriend away the street drummer. "No, we don't."

Maureen walked over to Roger pushing him. "Don't fucking touch Angel."

"Get the fuck out of my way Johnson, this doesn't have anything to do with you." Roger said as he glared into Angel's eyes which was sunken in a bit.

Mark leaped up from his seat, whatever was going to happen it was not going to end how everyone wanted it. Roger had to be stopped. "For God sake Roger, just leave him alone!"

Angel looked down to the ground. "No Markie, let him go. I deserve it."

"You're God damned right you deserve it! You almost killed him!" Maureen stood in front of her old friend, never moving, never budging. Joanne began to panic realizing that Roger was going to get to Angel even if Maureen had stood there.

Angel looked into Roger's eyes. He was hurt. More hurt than she'd ever seen him. There was no way Roger would ever be able to trust her now. "Please Roger, I never meant to hurt you."

"Yeah but you did! You hurt us all! How could you Angel? And over some prick!"

Tears streamed down her face. "I, I don't know what came over me."

Mimi wanted to hold her best friend so badly but Roger kept keeping her from it. "Mimi, look at what he's done to Collins. Think of Collins."

"I love Collins!" Angel shouted falling to ground. "I love him so much! I never meant to hurt him! Please, you guys are all I have! I don't have anyone else that cares but you!"

It was true. It was then alone that cared for Angel in the way that she deserved. Them alone that held her heart and gave her a reason to breathe. If she were to loose them, she would loose herself. There would be a reason to live.

"I know I hurt all of you. But, please, just . . . don't leave me here alone."

Mimi yanked her arm from Roger's tightened grip and kneeled next to her broken friend. "I'll never leave you. You know that."

Lifting her head up, Angel weakly smiled. "Thank you Chica."

"Me either." Added Maureen who stood next to Angel. "We're a family."

"This is how a family treats one another! Are you all out of your fucking minds!"

Mark walked over to Angel. "Rog, we stay together no matter what. Don't dessert us. We're all in this together."

The rocker shook his head fiercely. "No! I won't let him turn you against me. You might have forgotten than he almost KILLED Collins, but I won't." Reaching into his pocket for the gun that he purchased, Roger pointed it to Angel.

Maureen walked up to Roger, her stiletto boots giving her more of a fierce look than ever before. "No one has forgotten, but we can't ignore what Angel has done for us, for all of us."

Mimi was hysterical as Joanne held her. "Roger this isn't going to help us."

Roger aimed the gun straight for Angel's head. What was Maureen talking about? Angel had never done anything for him . . .

It was late and everyone in the loft had went to bed. Mimi decided to sleep over, but couldn't stay up with Roger so she went to bed in his room. Alone. Time to think. The rocked grabbed his pack of cigarettes and lighter, walking out onto the fire escape. It must have been two or 3:00 a.m., but there he spotted Angel, out of drag walking toward the loft. Roger thought to himself 'Angel is always drifting off alone, no wonder Collins stays worried. A true New Yorker.' Before she could even gather a quarter to call, Roger yelled to her throwing the key to her. Looking up, she smiled and walked in.

Quietly, Angel closed and locked the door behind her, walking up to her friend who was looking at her coming in.

"What are you doing here? And why the hell did Collins let you out this late." The rocker chuckled taking a drag of his cigarette.

"I couldn't sleep, and I came to see you." Angel said extending the old sweatshirt of Collins' she was wearing.

"How the hell did you make it here alive?"

"I'm an Angel remember? Nothing happens to me."

Roger slightly smiled. Everyone always thought Angel was invincible, but Roger saw right through that. It was probably why they secretly admired each other, they saw their weaknesses when no one else could or wanted to look. "So why did you come to see me?"

"I had a dream about you."

Shaking the remaining ashes off of the cigarette, Roger sat himself on the floor of the fire escape. "Oh really?"

"Yep. You need someone to talk to."

"Why is it that you always think someone wants to talk about their problems?"

Angel looked up at him. "Because that's just the way people are. And you Roger Davis, are no exception."

It had only been a little while that he'd known Angel, but Roger at the time was still skeptical of the street drummer. "I love her."

"Of course you do honey." The street drummer smiled at Roger, he'd open up eventually. Roger Davis took his time with everything.

Roger lifted his head against the cold bars. "I just can't get past . . . "

"April."

Hearing that name, made Roger become numb all of a sudden. It had been so long since someone had even mentioned the name. Even when the month came along, everyone rarely used it, fearing Roger's feelings. "Yeah."

"Mimi loves you so much Roger. The girl has never been in love. But she knows that she has waited her whole life for you."

As Roger looked over to Angel, his eyes widened not realizing the extent of her feelings. Did he feel the same? Did he even want to give his heart to someone else? "How do I let go of everything Angel? How do I give myself completely to her when April seems to be screaming my name from my heart?"

"Just tell her sweetie. You know what to say. You've had it in your heart since you first saw her, tell her what comes from your heart, you'd be surprised what your heart has to say when you give it a few minutes to speak for itself."

That next morning, Roger waited until Sunrise to wake Mimi up to tell her how he felt. They made love that whole day, and Roger couldn't have been more grateful to Angel. She gave him that extra push he had needed but couldn't get from the others, just a little Angel he figured, would help everyone in the long run.

Roger looked over to his girlfriend who was hysterical and his grip softened on the gun. Without Angel, who would have never even met Mimi, or even had the courage to let go of his baggage. Luckily, the nurses weren't near the waiting room that they were in, so it wasn't known of what was about to go down.

"Please Roger, put it away. This is not the answer." Joanne said as she walked up to the rocker. Falling completely apart, Roger collapsed to the floor, weeping.