A sane angel and a drunken saint

Sweet child of mine?

The man was holding the boy. The kid was like a toy in his arms.
But what shook Saul the most were the judging eyes of Jades husband. That familiar,stern glare.

The little boy had his hair.

" Mamma!" the kid screamed again.
Jade turned from excited to dangerously insecure, even frightened.

" Your son?" Saul knew how impossible the situation was...  This little curly head was something he could not understand.

" Yes," Jade answered.  In her eyes Slash could see a fierly wish. A wish for no more questions, not a bit of curiosity. Please, don't...

" What's his name?"

" Tom."

" Tom? " Slash almost choked with laughter. " After his father?"

" No," Jade narrowed her almond shaped eyes. She became aware of the changes three years have left on Saul.

" Maria," a man, Tom, took a step closer. " Tom wants to go home. Are you coming? "

" Sure," she said. " Go ahead, get him into the car. I'll come right away."
The man didn't seem to like that very much. And yet with a short " Okay." the big Tom was gone. " Come," they heard him say to the boy. " Mamma will be right back." With that, they walked away just like every father and son should.

" Meet me at Devils, at nine." Jade said, glaring carefully at the two of them getting further and further. " We'll talk then."

" And if I don't? "

" Well, " she smiled. " That's not quite a possibility,  is it?"

***

Slash showed at the Devils at quarter to nine. He knew it very well and have been there in the first months of his visit in the big city amost every day.
It was a night club and he invited the boys to come with him, but not till eleven. He had to deal with some things alone.

Jade sat by the counter, alone. Her dress was cut short, with no sleaves and Saul wondered if she picked it up on purpose.
To expose his weakness.
With the coldess face he could make, he walked to her place.
" Good evening. "

" Good evening, " she smiled. " I ordered you a Jack."

" My favourite girl with my favourite booze," he winked.

" I'm not your favourite, Hudson." she laughed. " But thanks for reminding me," she stared at the glass in front of her. Saul took the glass that a waiter,  who wore a lot of make up, had given him. But he could not drink from it. At least not now.

" I didn't call." he said.

" I noticed. But I waited. When they threw me out of collage, I still had some hope. I bought a phone. My own."

" That's... Fucking loyal, Moore. But I expected no less. Why did they throw you out?"

She laughed.  " You've seen this place before?"

" Yeah."

" I worked here, for a few months. After Thomas was born."

" You were a witness? " Saul took a sip out of his glass.

" A waitress at daylight, a table dancer at night..." she trailed of. " I did all kinds of stuff. But when I stopped, I stopped for good."

" Why? Why did you do it?"

" Because of the baby. We had to heat up our little apartment. Sue watched over him for me, when I was working."

" Sue?"

"Blond, tall, pretty... Michaels friend. "

" Ah."

" Well, then someone on the campus couldn't keep his mouth shut. They found out about the Devils. And I flewww out."

" Sorry to hear that..."

" You never called..." she repeated. " Not once, Hudson. My worries were the least of yours."

" I called you once. When you were at the hospital, the day that Tom was born. Sue picked up. I didn't say my name and she didn't figure it out... It was just a few months after I went to Europe. "

" Nine." she corrected. With her white palms she hid her face. He had the information, but had to process it.

" You met Tom Sheridan before I left." he said slowly in a half wisper. " I see that he's just as charming as once were."

Jade shot him a bewildered look.

" Yeah, I recognised him... I just came to wonder, why didn't he recognise you. You haven't changed a lot since you were sixteen..."

" He did, " Jades face was still hid between her palms. " Maria
Bellando never existed,  Hudson. You were the reason she was born. You were the one who could try to find me when you came back and, if I was still Jade Moore, you would for sure."

The moment of silence passed between them.
" I see. Hide and seek. But why?"

"  You left, Hudson. Tom pulled me out of poverty even Sue couldn't do a thing about. I'm not his wife. He would let me go, if I wanted to. And I don't. "

" Then why did you come?"

She didn't answer. " How many women have you had since that night, Saul?" she asked in a low voice.

Slash leaned forward.  He stopped by her ear and wispered into it, through a wall of hair.

" You know, sweet half neighbour,  I'm still bad at maths."

She turned, trying to protest, maybe about the sweet or half neighbour,  but haven't got the chance. Slash was already at her lips, blocking her words, swallowing them at the point of her tongue. His curles in her straight hair,  mixed into one. Just like their faces were. Jade grabbed his shirt tighter, almost with anger, but deepened the kiss.

That was until a voice came behind them.

" Lovely." he said, causing the two of them to break apart in an instance.