Hello everybody! Okay, this is the sequel to No Day But Today. This is my first sequel to anything so be nice to me. Please?

I own nothing. The Almighty Larson owns it all.

It had been a little over a year since Collins' attempt at suicide and things seemed to be going back to normal. Maureen and Joanne had broken up and gotten back together two weeks later, Mark was filming again, Roger was writing more songs, and he and Mimi were doing well. Collins, on the other hand, was still having a tough time dealing with the loss of his love. He moved back in with Mark and Roger, but wouldn't really socialize with anyone. He'd stay in his room for hours on end, only leaving it to go to the Life Café occasionally. He wasn't talking to his friends as much and when either of them asked him a question, he only gave half an answer.

Mark came into his room one day armed with his camera and narrating voice.

"Close up: Thomas B. Collins. Our favorite computer genius, college professor, and anarchist in his natural habitat," he said, taking the camera off of Collins and filming around the room. "Notice his pigsty of a room."

"You left out 'sexiest gay guy known to man' when you were describing me," Collins said with a serious expression on his face. Mark laughed.

"I'm sorry. Would you like me to do it over?" he asked.

"No. That's okay." Collins chuckled, laid down on his bed, and stared at the ceiling before Mark broke the small silence.

"Uh, Collins? Can I ask you a question?" he asked. Collins sat up and looked at him.

"Didn't really give me much of choice there, did ya?" he retorted. Mark thought for a moment.

"Guess not," he said.

"Well, what's your other question?" Collins asked.

"Um . . . why does E equal MC squared?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"I've just always wanted to know. I mean, how'd Einstein figure it out?"

"Why would you be asking me this?"

"Cause he was a genius and you're a genius. I figured maybe you could tell me."

"Okay first of all, when it comes to smarts, Einstein was at the shallow end of the gene pool."

"Meaning?"

"He wasn't that smart."

"Then how'd he come up with that equation?"

"It's simple really. A monkey could figure it out . . . if monkeys could talk."

"Well, what's the answer?"

"He made it up." Mark's eyes widened.

"What!?" he said.

"Yup. The old dude with the fucked up hair lied to the world," Collins said, laying back down. "That all you wanted?"

"Uh . . . I guess." There was another small silence. "Well, I'm gonna go now."

"Bye." Mark started to leave the room, but stopped himself.

"Um . . . Collins?" he said. Collins turned his head toward Mark.

"Yeah?" Collins replied.

"We're all going to Life Café a little later . . . wanna come?"

"Nah. Thanks for the invite though."

"Collins, come on. Seriously, everybody's worried about you."

"Why? I'm fine. I just don't wanna go."

"It'll help you take your mind off Angel." Collins inhaled sharply. "I'm sorry. Was that the wrong thing to say?"

"No . . . I just . . . yes I'll go to the Life Café with you guys." Mark smiled.

"Great. We're heading out at 7:00." Collins nodded and Mark left the room. After staring at the ceiling for a record 15 minutes, Collins grabbed the picture of he and Angel off of the night stand next to his bed. He'd taken it himself after buying a camera to capture the still moments in everyone's life. He sighed and thought about that day.

"Come on Collins! Just one more!" Maureen begged.

"Mo, you know I love takin' pictures of you, but I gotta save some film for everybody else too," Collins told her.

"Fine." She folded her arms, waited a few moments, then lunged at the camera, but Collins held it out of her reach.

"Gotta be faster than that Mo!" Collins teased, holding the camera right above Maureen's head and then put it out of her reach whenever she grabbed for it.

"Collins," she whined.

"Maureen."

"Don't mock me!"

"I can do whatever I want. I'm bigger than you."

"Gimmie the camera! Angel, make him give it to me!"

"Maureen, sweetie, although we can never have enough pictures of you," Angel said, "everyone else needs some pictures too. Okay?" Maureen re-folded her arms and sat down on the couch next to Joanne.

"Okay, who's next?" Collins asked, holding his camera to his face.

"Collins you have pictures of everyone except for two people," Mimi said.

"Really? Who?"

"You and Angel! Duh!"

"Oh. How'd I forget about us?"

"I'LL TAKE IT!" Maureen yelled.

"No. You. Won't," Joanne replied, forcing Maureen to sit back down.

"Honey, you should let Mimi take it," Angel suggested.

"No, I got it," Collins replied. "You ready?" Angel went behind Collins, wrapped her arms around his neck and smiled as Collins also smiled and held the camera out in front of their faces. He then pushed the button and there was a flash.

"That's gonna be a nice one," Mark said, cranking up his camera.

"We can keep it in the frame Maureen made us," Angel said just to cheer the pouting drama queen up.

"You're gonna use my frame!?" Maureen asked rather excitedly.

"Of course."

"YAY! Pookie, did you hear that?"

"Yes, honeybear," Joanne said. "I heard it."

"You always know how to cheer someone up," Collins said sitting in the armchair next to the couch and pulling Angel on top of him.

"I do what I can," Angel replied. She and Collins then shared a deep, loving kiss.

Collins turned the picture frame around and read the small inscription that read: To Angel & Collins. I hope you reach your 1,000 kisses. Love, Mo. He smiled sadly.

"We did Mo," he whispered to himself, "but we never got to 1,001." He turned the picture back over, stared at Angel's smiling face and ran a hand over it before bursting into tears.

"Collins, why haven't you touched your food?" Mark asked. Collins apparently didn't hear him because he continued to move his pasta around with his fork. "Collins?"

"Hmm?" Collins said, suddenly realizing someone was talking to him.

"You okay baby?" Maureen asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Collins said in the most assuring voice he could.

"You sure man?" Roger asked.

"Yeah," Collins replied. "I'm just gonna step outside for some air." He got up from the table, walked out of the Life Café, crossed the street, and walked into an alley. Leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, he barely heard the footsteps coming toward him.

"Hey," a voice said. Collins opened his eyes to find himself face-to-face with The Man. "You look depressed."

"I am depressed," Collins said.

"I got somethin' to make that depression go away." Collins wasn't falling for that one. He knew this guy. Well, not personally, but he knew him enough to know what he was about.

"No. That's alright. I should be gettin' back to my friends." He started to walk back across the street.

"It'll make all your troubles go away," The Man called after him. Collins stopped dead in his tracks though he did everything he could not to. Before he could gain control of his feet, they turned him back around and took him to where The Man was still standing.

"What exactly do you mean?" he asked. The Man took a small stash and a needle out of his pocket.

"This'll take all your troubles away," he said. "Take it." Collins reached for it, but pulled his hand back as soon as he realized what he was doing. "Go ahead. Take it."

"No," Collins said, trying to get his feet to take him back to the safety of the Life Café.

"Come on. First one's free." Without even thinking Collins grabbed both things and stared at them. Then he looked up at The Man. "You'll thank me later." He looked down at the two objects and back up again to find that The Man was gone.

Collins sat in his room, the door locked, and stared at the now heroin filled needle in his hand. He'd been doing this for about 20 minutes, occasionally putting the needle to his arm and then pulling it away again. The picture of he and his Angel stared him the face as he tried to make up his mind about what to do. Not able to look at the smiling image of Angel anymore, he plunged the needle into his arm. And then he felt it. That carefree feeling The Man said it would bring. He felt as if all his troubles had been lifted and carried away. Like he was floating on air. The feeling that he thought equivalent to happiness. An addictive feeling that only lasted a few minutes, but he wanted it to last forever. He wanted more. Despite his beliefs of never shooting up, he wanted more.

He needed more.

Review please. Please? Press the button and make my day bright! Mistakes ain't my fault!