The Gigolo and the Angel Ch. 01

The woman's purple tinted hair blew slightly in the breeze. She sat, her green eyes watching through the front window for the little black car. Tonight was the night she was going to say something to her friend that had been on her mind for months. She was scared, but that was nothing new when dealing with her life. She glanced over at the small form laying in Finding Nemo pajamas on the couch. Scott, her three year old son had been the center of her world since the moment he was born, there was nothing in this world that would ever change that. She would do nothing to cause that little boy harm. A sound brought her attention back to the window just as the car she had been waiting for pulled to a stop at the curb out front. Standing Angel walked to the door and pulled it open just as the man dressed in long shorts and a ICP t-shirt reached the top step. As he always did James leaned forward and gave her a hug. "Sorry I'm late. You know how things are with me right now."

"Yeah I do. Was it the ex-girlfriend or the ex-wife?" she asked pulling back and softly closing the door behind him.

James glanced at the child on the couch, "The ex-wife. She wanted me to pick her up from work." He sighed, "You know sometimes I am too nice of a guy."

She fought back the urge to wrap her arms around him, now wasn't the time. "I know you think that, but the rest of us are glad you have those moments. There have been a few times that nice guy inside you has saved me from more grief than I wanted to deal with." She told him leading the way over to the other couch on the far side of the room.

"Maybe; but there are still too many people that walk all over me." He grumbled sitting down next to her and flipping on the television set.

Angel shook her head, nothing had changed so she was just going to have to bite the bullet and open her mouth. "James, we need to talk."

He turned away from the television and looked into her eyes, "What's up?"

"Why do you have to be a gigolo?" she asked without stopping to let her mind think about what she was asking, and whether or not she would offend her friend.

He coughed and sputtered for a moment, "Because I haven't found a reason not to be."

"What about the effects it could be having on your life." She asked with a hitch in her breath.

He looked at her. "Other than people like the soon to be ex what effects?" he asked clicking the remote to change the channel to something that might look better to him.

She shook her head and laughed to herself. "Never mind, you're never going to change and it's a crime." She stood up and walked over to check on her little boy. It was easier than letting him see how much his way of life hurt her.

As she came back over to the couch a few moments later her cheeks were still wet from the tears she hadn't been able to keep from falling. "Angel what's wrong?" he asked reaching up and wiping away one of the remaining tears from the silken skin of her face. "What did I do to make you cry?"

She snapped her head back out of his reach, the touch of his fingers actually hurting. "Listen James, I know you are what you are and you can't change, but that doesn't mean I don't wish in my heart you could. Now if you still want to hang out today we can, but..." she paused; her heart was breaking and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Oh okay." He stammered as he stood up and started to pace around the room. He looked at her, and with emotions tightening around his heart he turned toward the door. There wasn't anything to say in his own defense so he simply walked over and opened the door.

Angel felt the tears falling down her face again as she watched him walk through the door without a word of goodbye or anything else. It swung shut behind him leaving her in the room with her broken heart at her feet. She stumbled her way back over to the couch and collapsed onto it with her face pressed against the back of it where his back had been leaning.

* * * *

The car spun wildly through the curve, it's tires slipping off the edge of the road into the wet grass at the top of the ravine. James tried to correct it and pull back onto the road, but the car was going faster than he thought. The tires simply spun in the air as the car sped from the road and into the air. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes knowing there was nothing he could do to save himself. It was all in the hands of the Gods. By the time the car came to a rest wedged between the tops of two trees he had passed out do to the fear running through him. The next sound he heard was someone's voice asking if there was anyone in the car. He tried to respond. "Yes, help me." The words came out no more than a whisper as he realized that he couldn't feel his legs and the fear suddenly had a death grip on his heart. What would he do if he could never walk again. "Help me." He tried again, but his voice was no louder. "Damn it." He sat there for a moment listening to the voices under him.

"I don't think anyone could be in that." One voice said.

"No one could have made it through that crash." Another voice replied. They sounded like they were getting farther away, and James knew he had to do something to let them know he was in there. Inspiration hit with a clarity that could only come from knowing you are on the edge of death. His head was pinning his hand against the driver's side window. He slowly moved his head away from the window hoping he wasn't doing any more damage to his body and rapped his hand against the glass. He could hear it, but didn't think the voices below him would so he tried again. This time he hit the window with more force than he expected and his hand with through as the glass shattered raining down on the forest floor beneath him. "What in the hell? There is someone up there." He heard one of the voices yell through the tinkling of glass.

Without warning, the darkness was tugging him back under as he heard people getting closer to the car and yelling for someone to call for an ambulance.

* * * *

Angel opened her eyes as she felt her son's tiny hands touch her shoulder. "Mommy are you hurt?" he asked in his sweet little voice.

Her eyes stung from the tears she had shed laying there. She turned her head to look at him, "No baby. Mommy's fine." She reached out and picked him up into her arms for a big hug. "Are you ready to go to sleep sweetheart?"

"Where's James?" he asked.

"He went home." She answered carrying him to her room. Tonight she needed the company more than he needed the rule of having to sleep in his own room.

"I thought we were going to his house Mommy?" he asked with a big yawn. He had always liked hanging out at James' house with the dogs.

Angel traced her fingers over his face. "So did I baby, but he left without us tonight." She carried him into her room just as the phone rang. With a discussed look she just walked past the thing where it sat on the hall table. There wasn't anyone she wanted to talk to tonight.

She was just pulling the covers up over her and her son when there was a light knock on the bedroom door. "Angel sweetie, there's someone on the phone for you." Her mother's voice called from the hallway.

Angel wasn't even upset that her mother had answered her cell, it sometimes happened when she was busy with her son and her mother had a free moment. "Who is it, and if it's James tell him I don't feel like talking." She snapped suddenly more angry than hurt.

"It's not James. It's an officer Sampson." Her mother told her stepping in and handing her the phone.