A/N: This is Cheyenne, on her knees begging for forgiveness for sort of abandoning this story for way too long. I can't promise not to be busy, but I'll try way harder than I have been to a) be inspired, and b) update. I will finish this.That darn muse of mine doesn't happen a lot, that's all. Thanks for stick around, for everyone who hasn't abandoned me. If iI/i had to go back and re-read the story cuz I forgot what happened, then it's been to long and I suck. Also, my computer doesn't have spellcheck, which is SO ANNOYING, so forgive typos.

Thanks:

Radio Edit - Thanks. Interesting lyrics, although converting is so much easier than killing them all, haha.

Sasa - I knoww! This country has the most f-ed up legal system.

Slayer - Glad it gets you all worked up! I hope my bazillion year unannounced hiatus didn't kill it. :

scary miss mary - I'M amazed at your reaction to the story. I'm so flattered by your praise.

my lovely Cuppie - Wait till you see what I have next! ;) Sorry I didn't wait for you to beta this chapter. I was just really anxious to post it. So all my crazy typos, everyone, are not my cuppie's fault, k!?

Sam - Thanks. LMAO the first sentence of your review. It just sounds so smartass and so what I deserve (even if you didn't mean it that way).

Cyberflame - I feel for you! I know it's hard to penetrate people's hearts when they're convinced that God wants them to be homophobic, but other places ARE less stupid.

Naomi Shemer - Check out Beginnings Of An Angel! It's all about my Angelo when he's young. It's cool you've got ANYONE that's out in middle school cuz that's the hardest place to be (or know) yourself concerning anything. I love it.

Mi Miguelito - What, did you like get bored after chapter 2? Just kidding doll! Thanks so much for liking it. You of course know you're number one when it comes to what readers say and how much I take it to heart.

Libris - Stop feeling inferior! You're better than me! Oh, and Denmark rocks the house.

Lazy - Thanks for reading. I'm glad you like it.

redredredred - I'm sorry!! Here's more. Thank you for the compliment.

-Cheyenne

"Put it on 96.2. This is insane"
I was in the kitchen when Kyra on the phone told me this, a certain weary franticness in her voice. I went to the radio in the kitchen and looked for the station.
"Just listen first," she said, not wanting to talk over the radio.
"Michael," I called upstairs. He came down a moment later as I was gazing at the radio with amazement for the message coming through the air.
Lies.
The person talking was self-assured in his message, his voice a mix of urgency and passion and outrage.
"The Harrisons will pay for their sins against God and humanity, but the child does not have to go with them. It is up to true Christians now, to stand up to this vicious attack on American families and keep children like Michael Angelo safe. Homosexuals should not be around children - who knows what kind of damage will have to be undone? They've taught him for six years that their 'relationship' is normal. What is normal or natural about sex between two men? The child shouldn't even know about atrocities as this, and they've had him promoting it. The psychological damage is appaling"
"Now Reverend, we see the agenda of this lifestyle choice coming more and more into mainstream society. Do you believe we will win this struggle at this rate"
"God ALWAYS wins! God always wins, but it will take a turnaround of morals in this country. We need to take a stand for this child. We do not want this innocent brown-eyed six-year-old boy in the custody of his gay father and the man he allowed to take the place of what should've been a proper mother. Help us fund the Save Little Mikey Foundation by calling in to the station at 143-ANGL. With faith, we can keep him and other children like him in the homes of Christians with ethics - "
Michael shut off the radio. We'd had enough. I reached out for him and he pulled me into an embrace where only then I noticed I was shaking. I didn't know what to do but hold him close and shut my eyes. This time I couldn't rage and say 'fuck' and rant to get my feelings out. I couldn't do anything but feel overwhelmed and weak as my husband held me.
"They don't even know me," I whispered.
Michael took the phone. "Kyra"
I could hear the conversation right by his ear. "Hey," she said. "I'm not trying to kill your day, but those are the kinds of opeople we should know are trying to destroy us. We're stronger though, because we're doing a positive thing, and not everyone is like them"
"Yeah," Michael said. "Me and Angelo need to talk right now though"
"Alright. I'm sorry, you guys. I'll call back or come over"
"K"
"Love you"
"I love you too, Kyr," he said. When he hung up, he said to me, over my shoulder, "You just need to rest. You're so overstressed. C'mon"
He led me upstairs and tucked me into bed. The only thing I could think about was that someone had created a fund to save my baby from me.

Michael and I were scared. Our custody hearing was in one week, seven days, and we couldn't bear the idea that someone would decide whether we, his parents, could raise him. They say innocence prevents fear, but we knew the system - and we were scared.
We visited a radio station on the coast called Evolve, the only queer radio station that reached a large part of Florida. We chatted with the host, DJ Spectrum, about the trial, and gay custody issues in general, knowing that masses were listening.
"The people who hold these prejudices about parenting in the LGBT community feel that way because they are appallingly uneducated and have all these crazy theories that are not supported by anything," I said.
"Not supported by anything but religious extremists," Michael added, "who unfortunately get listened to a lot of the time with legislation"
"Are you guys planning to take the issue to legislation, to change the actual laws?" Spectrum inquired.
Michael and I glanced at each other, conferencing with our eyes. We hadn't gone over that exactly. "It should be, definitely," I said. "And organizations like HRC make it a definite issue. We want our story out there, but right now we're just trying to get our baby back. We'll go from there"
"Do you think we have a chance? I say 'we', because this really has become an issue that the entire gay community has made theirs. Do you think we'll see Michael Angelo come back"
Michael shook his head in an unsure gesture. "We can't look at our chances in terms of statistics or legalese. It's too personal for us - this is our baby."
Spectrum nodded. "Back to what you said earlier, Angelo, about them having farfetched ideas about us. Do you think it's out of hatred, or just ignorance and fear"
"Ignorance and fear, definitely. A lot of anti-gay people do not hate. They just don't understand. For the ones who do hate, they wage war on us simply for that fact, and the fact that they fight dirty, exploiting our children, makes it obvious they are the true enemies of family values"
"And it's interesting what they call family values," Michael added. "I don't consider heterosexuality to be a family value. Our family operates around a very defined set of values that we know will affect our child positively - they include love, communication, education, honesty, humanity... baking cookies"
Spectrum and I laughed.
"...we spend time with our child, we instill values in him, we read him bedtime stories, we talk about things when he's upset, we put him in a corner on the very rare occasions when he's completely bratty - we have structure, we have a way of doing things that's as 'family values' as you can get. And then you get conservatives saying, "Save the children from the godless valueless homosexuals," "Preserve family values aka kick gays out of families," and it doesn't make sense. It's like, "How do you think you know what goes on in my house"
"That's the truth right there," DJ Spectrum praised. "I identify with what you said about them kicking us out of the family stucture. I was kicked out at fifteen. I KNOW that there will be hundreds or thousands of kids off the streets and hundreds and thousands of families back together the day this nation gets over their homophobia and transphobia. I know we roll our eyes over straight people who say they love us 'anyway', but if more parents out there loved their kids anyway, started with just that, damn - that's enough love to light up a new sun"
"There definitely needs to be a change in society's family 'values'," Michael agreed.
'Cuz 'hate' and 'straight' are not values," Spectrum responded, and we smiled. "And everything straight parents do, gay parents do"
"Better," Michael and I said at the same time, the humor apparent to all listening.
"Michael and Angelo Harrison, people. You know you're pissed now, so you can write to your local legislation, their local legislation, or better yet, show up. There will be a peaceful rally on Monday..." Spectrum gave a slew of information before removing his headset and turning to us with a sympathetic smile. "Thanks for doing this, guys. I hope you know you are making a difference. I have a lil girl at home and I don't know what I'd do if this happened"
"Thanks - we take that to heart," I said, putting my arm around Michael. "The community's been such a family to us and that kind of support is so encouraging"
"More than we could dream," Michael said.

We went to the ocean afterward, walking in our jeans and sandals hand in hand in the chilly isolated area.
"When we get Mikey Angel back," Michael said, as we walked slowly, "I was thinking, do you want to leave this place"
I looked out at the endless waters. "Are we talking California or like, The Netherlands"
He smiled. "Wherever. I just want a change, and somewhere a little bit away from, uh, the South. Safer"
I looked at him and nodded. My jeans by now were already wet at the bottom so I shrugged and sat, Michael coming down with me just as a wave came up and wet us. We giggled softly and huddled.
"Just something to consider. I know I'll be okay with it. Once we get Angel back, I'll have everything I need to be okay"
I wriggled out of his arms to turn and kiss him passionately. We couldn't help but feel empty without our child, but at the same time I felt an incredible strength, like the three of us could never be broken, and Michael and I could never be broken - like our love was greater than all the hate in the world.