This is a story that picks up where the movie left off. It encorporates ideas from the original show. Mark is essentially trying to finish his film as the rest of his friends waste away. He even finds new love that is brutally taken from him.
December 24, 1991. It has been 1 year since Mimi's near death experience and 2 years since Angel passed. Mark has been working on his film now more than ever. He fears that he may be running out of time. Roger bustled into the apartment followed by Mimi. Mark barely recognized her. Her once glowing skin was now pale and clammy. Her once beautiful gleaming eyes now sunken and full of sadness and pain.
"Hey guys!" Mark called out from across the apartment. "I thought you guys would never get here!"
"Merry Christmas, Mark." Mimi said weakly
Roger nodded and waved as he helped Mimi over to the worn couch. Mimi wasn't the only one changing. Mark noticed lately that Roger just wasn't the same. He too had become pale, his face hollow. He just didn't have the same energy he had a year ago.
"Mimi are you ok?" Mark asked setting down his camera.
"Yeah, yeah…I'm ok. Just tired I guess." Mimi replied pulling out her AZT.
Watching Mimi, the love of his life, die slowly as he too wasted away was very hard for Roger. It brought him back to a time about 3 or 4 years ago. There was a girl, April, they fell in love. Then one night he called Mark. From the minute Mark answered the phone he knew it was serious.
"I've got…I have AIDS…oh God Mark, I'm dying!" Roger said in a panic choking back tears.
"It's going to be ok, buddy." Mark replied shocked.
Roger came home that night. He and Mark finished off the lunchmeat and kicked back to relax for the evening. Roger worked on a new song and Mark just gave advice. They both tried to forget about the conversation earlier that day.
Three days later, after April had spent the night, Mark wandered to the bathroom for a shower to find Roger sobbing on the floor. He looked up at Mark, his face contorted and soaked and he pulled back the shower curtain to reveal April lay limply in a mixture of murky water and blood. Her eyes gazed blankly up at the ceiling. Her arm was draped over the side of the tub revealing deep gashes in her wrists.
It was then that Mark noticed a piece of paper balled up in her pale lifeless hand. He couldn't resist reading it, but not out loud. It red:
"We both have AIDS; I can't watch you die…"
Mark tucked the note away in his pocket. He never did show Roger the note. They never did really talk about it. Mark never did find out if Roger knew about the note at all. Roger spent an entire year in seclusion. He rarely left the apartment. Roger was letting the disease rule his life, but Mimi changed that. She taught him that just because they have this disease doesn't mean they would die right then.
"Mimi would you like anything " Mark questioned sounding a little concerned.
"Yeah, water, please." She answered.
Roger stood up and silently followed Mark into the kitchen. Their kitchen is cramped, consisting only of a refrigerator, a stove, a counter and a sink. Mark bent down to get a glass from under the sink. Roger leaned on the counter with his face buried in his hands, weeping quietly.
"Hey man, you ok?" Mark asked.
"Mimi, she stopped going to Life Support meetings," Roger started between heaving sobs, "She says they're depressing and she just stopped going. I think it's almost…"
Roger trailed off, overwhelmed by the fact that this could be the end. Mark knew there was nothing he could do so he just got some water and carried it out to Mimi. When he reached the living room, he found Mimi stretched out on the couch asleep. She must've been really tired. He set the glass on the coffee table and went to bed.