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A/N: Hey just wanted to inform you guys the readers out there that the poem below in the chapter was actually written by a real woman so please do not plagiarize the poem for her sake. Thanks and Enjoy.

“Love Can Save”

-“How your love’s affecting our reality.
Every time we’re down
You can make it right.
And that makes you larger than life.” “Larger Than Life” by the Backstreet Boys.

**~A Silent Content~**

He sighs peacefully, gently gazing at the mother with her new child. Words couldn’t even begin to agree his joy that little Faith has brought him. Since her birth over three weeks ago, A.J. felt that he has changed for the better. He has grown as a more efficient man and father. And as much advice he seeks for the well being for raising of the child, no one can truly tell him how to do it. For as Brian would often tell him, there isn’t a manual on how to raise children, it’s what comes natural for both parent and child. Smirking, A.J. places the car magazine down and stands up from the large apartment he specially bought for Yasmine and her child. The shiny mahogany planks in the living room and marble tile kitchen gave the apartment a comfy feeling. He sighs in content, leaning back in the leather black sofa, watching Yasmine coo and rock little Faith in her arms.

Standing up to quietly walk into her bedroom, he watches and stands besides her as little Faith waves her gentle tiny hands around her mother. A.J. strokes the infant’s cheek as Yasmine grins and hands Faith to him. “Here you go daddy. Faith needs to spend some quality time with you cause my arms needs rest.”

A.J. chuckles and cradles Faith in his arms, rocking her slowly. “Hey momma, how you feeling?”

“Tired but good. You?” Yasmine whispers, shuffling over to her full size bed to plop down on the edge of it.

“Same. You know I go back in the studio shortly with guys. But I wanna be here for ya all the time. I don’t want to miss anything Faith does.” A.J pouts receiving a giggle from Yasmine.

“Na.” She giggles and eyes him, “I’d highly doubt you’ll miss her sleeping and eating. Cause that’s all she’ll be doing for the next few months.”

“And that’s why it’s important that I’m here cause eating is an exciting time for a person’s life.”

Yasmine breaks into a laugh, shaking her head vigorously, “What are you talking about boy?”

“Hey have you seen how Nick gets when he eats? Yassy, he gets into a whole another level of ecstasy! That’s why I want to be here when Faith has her little supper, breakfast and all that good stuff in between.”

“Alex, you’re a retard.” She responses with laughter as A.J. bats his eyes,

“Yeah, but a hot retard.” A.J. adds in, smiling proudly.

“You’ve been around Nick too long.” Yasmine giggles, reaching over to her brand new rich wood mahogany nightstand.

“So uh, what’s that?” A.J. whispers quietly, feeling Faith’s little head nodding off to sleep as the small weight shift to a more comfortable position.

Yasmine sits in the center of her quilted bed, crossing her legs beneath her, “This my boy.” She stops, holding up a soft covered navy book. “Is a book. Something one uses for learning or obtaining factual data or for simple pleasure for reading.” She grins, her lips spread apart to allow a small laughter to bubble out of her mouth from her sarcastic remarks.

A.J. smirks, walking over to the white crib to place the now sleeping Faith in it. Gently placing a small yellow and purple blanket over the tiny person, A.J. tucks the infant in, singing sweetly to Faith:

“Hush little baby, don’t say a word.” He stops as Faith rolls onto her side and strokes Faith’s little scalp, the wisps of black hair already growing darkly on Faith’s head.

“Awww. She’s all tucked in by daddy. Come, sit down with me.” Yasmine whispers, calling A.J. over. Smiling, he nods and leans over the side of the crib to place a soft kiss on Faith’s head before joining Yasmine on the bed. He flops besides her in the center of the bed, tucking on the cuffs of his black cargo pants.

“You’re quite the funny one today now aren’t ya?”

“Why you noticed? Thanks.” Yasmine teases, batting her eyes at him.

“Anyways.” A.J. smirks, reaching for Yasmine’s hands that was encased around the book. “What’s this book about?”

“Oh, it’s a bunch a poetry done by people around the country, some of it really inspiring. Like take this Alex.” Yasmine happily whispers, flipping open the book to a page. “Read this one. I like it. Maybe ‘cause it just reminds me of those I care about.”

A.J. smiles, taking the book in his hands, his eyes gazing over at the poem.

“Read it out loud Alex quietly so Faith doesn’t wake up again.”

“Aight.” He whispers, holding the open book, his eyes finding the poem. Lying on his side, he adjusts the book and whispers out the poem:

“The Songs of Angels
By Natalie

There was an improper age
Where songs were incomprehensible,
and the Seven Deadly Sins were romanticize,
Ruled the world

Gone were the songs of love and happiness
Gone were the songs of joy and fun
They were considered weak
And songs of darkness and violence became popular

Goodness seemed forever lost,
never to be seen again
Being nasty, disrespectful, and crude, was cool
Gone were the days of kindness and compassion
It seemed Music was in corruption's grip,
never to be free

Then, a wonderful, magnificent, gorgeous, miracle happened
Angels appear.
Beautiful angels who sang in elegant voices
A tiny spark of goodness appeared.

Angels of Courage, Trust, Hope, Knowledge, and Love
brought goodness back into people's hearts
Angels of Justice, Patience, Caring, Happiness, and Faith
brought joy back into people's hearts

More angels came
One for each season
By 3 x 3 x 3
And one who followed his father's path,
but not his footsteps

They sang about the Seven Virtues
and peace came back
Their songs comfort souls
and goodness was back
These angels fought against those who sing of evil, and won.
This is good.

Alas, alas, there were those who dislike the angels,
and mocked them, ridicule them,
Saying they were mindless and arrogant
They were even those who said they were only passion was for each other!
They were even those who said they hated each other!

Lies, Lies, all Lies
Why must this be so?
Why this must happen?
Cannot people see the glory they brought to the world?

What a pity
They don't realize the virtues the angels have
And how much good the angels done

Some angels laugh when people mock them
Showing their humble side
Which is good
Some angels showed some rumors were false
Showing bravery
Which is good

Still, it hurts when someone taunts them
Do people hate them?
It seem so
Why do some people crucify angels?

Even though some people despise angels
There are even more who love and respect angels
This is good
The angels' songs won over the songs of destruction
Some angels even battled one who is Faust, and won.

The angels became popular
Which is good
People loved them
However, there were those who loved them too much,
and cause a frenzy when they saw angels
Some never gave angels time to relax
Which is sad
They deserve to relax.

Then, one day, the angels mysterious disappeared.
Now, they do different things
One can reappear again
Still, it's not the same

I miss those days.
Days of cheerfulness, peace, and wonder
Are now days of nostalgia
Still, they deserve to relax
Perhaps this is it.

Will they come back?
Hopefully they will
This I know
Angels are always welcome.”

A.J. whispers out, a smile plastered on his face. “This is wonderful stuff you got here. Why this poem?”

“It reminds me of you and the guys. You never know if you’re talking to angel at times, and it sounds so encouraging on my behalf.”

“I remind you of an angel?” A.J. breathes softly.

“Sometimes. Friends are just like angels. Always faithful, loyal, caring and loving.” She whispers out gently.

He cups her chin, staring into her mesmerizing emerald eyes, “Aww, thanks honey. For a moment it sounded like you describing a dog’s attitude though.”

“Shut up!” She giggles out, pushing him away from her.

“But seriously. That’s so sweet Yas. You know I always have your back no matter the consequences.”

Yasmine giggles and nods, “I know. Thanks so much.”

“So who gave you this book?” He lifts the book in his hands and closes it, placing it on the bed.

Yasmine grins, shaking her head, “You’ll never believe it, it was Nick. He has a taste for poetry in case you never noticed.”

“NO?” He playfully gasps in surprise, “You serious? This is the same Nick that counts all the strands of his hair to make sure he isn’t losing hair? The same one who always asks if his butt is getting too big, the same one who…”

Yasmine intercepts, her laughter flowing in the air, “Yes, Alex, get over it. It’s our Nick. He may have a screw loose but he’s quite the intelligent man pass that bleached hair of his.” She smiles as A.J.’s laughter disappears, getting his full attention on him. Her hands crawls over A.J.’s knuckles gently as she smiles, “I’m just amazed at the fact that you went through all of this with me. You could have easily backed down from caring for Faith but you went for it. And for that I’m for ever grateful.”

A.J. smiles and nods his head, “No problem, you would do the same for me… errr well maybe not since I can’t get pregnant but you know what I mean.”

Yasmine giggles softly, “Sadly, yes I know exactly what you mean. But I want to thank you seriously again from the bottom of my heart. This all means a lot to me. This beautiful home you got me and the little one. And for your presence. You give my new life with Faith meaning. I know God places certain people in our lives for a reason and I’m so glad you’re one of them.”

A.J. inhales, taking in the soft whiff of Yasmine’s perfume and gentle green apple spray she previously squirted on her arm back at the store. He smiles at her comment, “God’s got his ways I guess. And thanks again. I’m sounding like a tape recorder repeating all these thanks.” He stops, hearing Yasmine’s giggles before continuing. “So I’m thinking I’m pretty lucky to have you in my life then huh?”

“What do you think?” She grins sheepishly, batting her eyes at him.

“You know exactly what I mean. But let me let you get some rest. I know you’re tired. Daddy A.J. will watch over Faith as you rest.”

“See, now I’m just scared.” Yasmine giggles as she kicks off her white addias and head to the bathroom to change and wash up.

“Aight.” A.J. whispers, heading out to the newly polished furnished living room. Some cardboard boxes still remained unpack but eventually it will it all get done. A.J. was lucky enough to find a quaint place with Kevin’s help. The apartment was located across the magnificent Trump Towers providing the view of the Manhattan west side coast line and the place was highly secured with guards on standby downstairs in the lobby 24/7. Which Yasmine found grateful for. He walks over to a window pane and takes a seat on the ledge, the window provided. His smile spans over his face as he gathers his thoughts about the last few weeks with Yasmine. Since Faith was born, A.J. felt a deeper connection to Yasmine than ever before. They still considered themselves friends but he sometimes wonder if she ever thought of becoming more than that. Of course he was head over heels for her but at the same time: he respected her and was unsure what to make of their friendship. Howie would call him often to bug him about what was the deal with Yasmine and him. A.J. couldn’t answer that, he told him about Yasmine’s daring confession of falling in love with him during her time in labor but he wasn’t quite sure what to think of it. Howie told him just like the other guys in the group to go up and talk to her about it. But A.J. didn’t even know where to begin. ‘Easier said than done D.’ It wasn’t as simple to go up and drag the topic of their relationship up again. He wasn’t sure what he wanted from Yasmine but one thing was certain, he wanted to be in her life no matter what comes out of it. In fact he wanted to take part of Faith’s life as well. He had a promise and he was going to keep it for all three of them: Faith and Yasmine. Sure he wasn’t the child’s true father, but the fact can not be denied any longer, he loved Faith as if she was his own real child. Nick would constantly tease him about it yet with a hint of pride that his friend was taking on real responsibilities. That always encouraged him to see the others respond to him in such a way.

He listens to the running shower water coming from the bathroom as he sighs and walks over to the kitchen to get a drink from the fridge. He tilts his head as he opens the fridge over to the front door to see a white envelope sticking out of the crack of the door.

“What the…” A.J. whispers, pulling out a can of Pespi , closing the fridge behind him. He walks over to the door and kneels down to get a hold of the envelope. Glancing at the unknown person’s name, he drops the letter on the kitchen counter, assuming it was one of Yasmine’s friends.

Yasmine opens the bathroom door and lets out an exhausted sigh of relief. Putting on a thin strap navy blue top and matching bottoms, she pads out of her room barefooted to see A.J. leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed. Smiling, she heads over to him and gently leans over to give him a warm kiss on his forehead before heading to the kitchen counter. She was about to put away a utensil when she spots an un-open envelope on the black and white Formica counter. She glances at A.J. for a moment knowing he must still be slumbering away in his sleep. She smirks and holds the envelope in her hands, tearing it open to see a folded letter topple on the counter. Curiously, she unfolds the sheet of paper and in neatly type written words: she reads the letter off silently to herself:

-My Love, do you remember me? I remember you. Why are you so scared? Why did you back away when you saw me? Confessions of your words run through my head since that last day I saw you. You are beautiful, alluring in so many ways. My desires have only increased since the last you’ve seen me. I can’t seem to get you out of my head since that day. And yes, do you still remember what happened that time when you gave yourself to me? Call it force, I prefer to call it territorial. It wasn’t a rape that I committed: you willingly gave yourself to me. I have the one thing that your little companion can never get. Even if he has your love, I have your innocence and no other man can ever experience that. Not even that pesky friend of yours. So I wanted to write to you to tell you that I haven’t forgotten you no in fact I’ve been waiting patiently till we meet again. I’ve been watching you consistently. Even when you ran to the police to try to book me, I watched and laughed knowing not even the police can save you from me. I’ll never hurt you, nor was that ever my intention. I love you sweetheart, there isn’t anything in this world that would make me a happier man than to see your smile when I touch you, but that night all you did was scream, telling me you didn’t want my love, my touch. I wanted that night to be special for the both of us but you turned it into something more, something I feared turned to violence. That wasn’t my intention darling. All I wanted was for you to be with me, to always be with me. I’m not obsessed. I’ve passed that line too long ago. So go ahead and show this letter to the police, your friends, family and anyone else you choose. But my desire for you won’t die. And until you belong to me, it never will.

-Longing to be yours always, your friend K.C.

Yasmine gulps as she nervously folds the letter back into the envelope. This isn’t what she needed to hear at the moment, why this letter? Who was this K.C? She had received a letter from him before but nothing this extreme that sent shivers down the core of her spine. “Dear God, not again! I can’t have this.” She whispers out, feeling tremors rush down her body. She tucks the envelope away, placing it away inside one of the kitchen cabinets buried beneath rolls of paper towels and folded dish rags. She closes the cabinet in time to see A.J. stare at her strangely.

“Is everything is ok?” A.J. whispers, slowly standing: fearing he would scare her of any sudden movements.

Yasmine gulps and shakes her head rapidly, clutching her hands tightly together.

“Are you sure?” A.J. whispers, approaching her and pulling her to him in his embrace.

Yasmine buries her head in the nook of his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around him. “Please I just want to go sleep. Can you take me to bed?” She softly cries out.

A.J. watches her quietly, dreading to know what could be the cause of Yasmine’s deposition and actions. “Yasmine, did you read a letter that was on the counter?”

“Huh what letter?” She lies, pretending to look over his shoulders to gaze at the counter.

“I left a letter on the counter for you. Do you know the person?”

“Yes, just a buddy of mines. Don’t you worry about it. But please, just take me to bed ok, I’m tired. You don’t have to stay here for the night if you don’t want too.” She whispers as they shuffle over to the bedroom.

“I’m staying, I won’t leave you alone. I never will.” A.J. whispers , tucking Yasmine into her bed. Sighing, he sits on the edge of her bed as she buries her small self beneath the quilt.

“Will you watch me as I sleep?” She whispers softly.

“If you don’t mind. I just want to make sure you’re alright. And Yasmine if you want to talk about anything, and I mean anything. You know I’m here right?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” She whispers as A.J. shuts off the lights and takes a seat besides Yasmine’s bed.

“Can you sing me to sleep?” Yasmine whispers timidly.

“Anything for you girl. And you don’t have to ever ask, I’ll gladly do it.” A.J. whispers as he begins a soft ballad. When he was done with the song, he sighs gently to hear the gentle slow breathing of Yasmine sleeping in the darkness of her room. He closes his eyes, thoughts flooding into his mind. He was tempted to race out of the room and search through the cabinets to see what exactly was in the letter. He knew she read it, he wasn’t naïve in that part and she was left troubled after reading it. He would have to look go in search for that in the morning. For now he had a promise to keep, he wouldn’t leave Yasmine alone no matter what and he closes his eyes hoping for some form of rest.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**