Dear New Friends

Chapter 1

A/N: I know that certain parts of this chapter might lead you to believe that the story is going to be Mark/Roger. But I promise it's not. It's just two friend's comforting each other from the loss of another friend.

Roger clutched the dying Mimi's hand to his heart as tears flowed freely down his face. "Don't leave me.," he whispered to her. "I love you."

Mimi smiled weakly and drew a ragged breath. "I love you too Roger. But it's time for me to go. Promise me you'll be strong, that you won't shut your friends out." she said softly.

"I can't lose you Mimi." Roger said back.

"Promise me Roger." Mimi insisted. Roger bowed his head, and tried to squelch the flow of tears for Mimi's sake.

"I promise." he said finally. "Say hello to Angel for me." Mimi heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at him one last time and then she was gone.

"Mimi!" Roger screamed as he woke up. He sat up panting and looked around his dark room. The clock on the table beside his bed said it was 3:07 am. He sighed and ran a hand over his sweating face. This was the third night in a row that he had dreamed about Mimi's death, even though it had been nearly a year since she'd died.

Then there was a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in.", he called knowing it was Mark. Every time he dreamed about Mimi and woke up screaming, Mark came to check on him, no matter what time it was.

Mark pushed the door open and came to sit on Roger's bed. "You okay?" he asked, concern shining in his blue eyes.

Roger nodded as tears threatened to spill from his green ones. "I just miss her.", he said, his voice cracking. He leaned his head on Mark's shoulder.

"We all miss her." Mark said softly. "Not in the same way you do, but we miss her just the same. You promised her you'd be strong remember."

Roger nodded and buried his face in Mark's shirt. "I'm trying to." he said. "It's just really hard."

"I know." Mark said rubbing his best friend's back. "I know." They stayed that way until Roger fell asleep and then Mark tucked him back under the covers and went back into his own room. He was very worried about Roger. Since Mimi had succumbed to the AIDS virus, he'd stopped eating and was losing weight he couldn't afford to lose. It was just like when he'd lost April. Roger didn't leave the loft anymore and he was always sad. There was nothing Mark, Collins, or even Maureen could do but keep watch after him to make sure he didn't do anything foolish.

Without warning tears coursed down Mark's cheeks. He hadn't really allowed himself to grieve for Mimi because he knew he had to be strong for Roger's sake. But sometimes, like now, when he was alone, he thought about how much he missed the light that Mimi brought to everyone's life and he just couldn't help but cry. Soon there was a knock on his bedroom door. Without waiting for a response, Roger opened the door and came to sit with Mark.

"Sorry I woke you up." Mark said wiping his eyes. "I'm okay." Roger wrapped his arm around him, and Mark leaned his head on his shoulder.

"It's okay to cry Marky." Roger said. "I know you feel like you have to be strong for me. But it's okay for you to cry if you need to. I know you miss her too." The two best friends lay back on Mark's bed and Roger pulled the covers up over them. Soon they were asleep in each other's arms.

The next morning the sun was shining brightly as Roger woke up in Mark's bed alone. He was confused for a minute until he remembered what had happened earlier that morning. The last thing he remembered was he and Mark falling asleep together. But Mark wasn't in the bed.

So Roger went in search of him. "Mark?" he called.

"Hm?" came the muffled reply. Mark was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and getting ready to go to work.

"Oh there you are. I was just wondering where you'd gotten to." Roger said. Then he went and flopped down on the couch.

Mark came out of the bathroom and grabbed his stuff. "Sorry I left you in there alone. I had to get ready and you were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you up."

"S'okay." Roger said as he turned on the T.V. that had been a Christmas gift from Benny.

"I'm off then. I'll try to bring home some food from work. See you around six." And with that, Mark left. He had gotten a job at the local supermarket as a clerk/ produce boy and he was always bringing home the damaged cans and bruised fruit for him and Roger to eat.