Some time between January and February, 1990 - New York

Mimi paced around her apartment, sure she was going to make a permanent rut in the floor. But what else could she do? Roger could be so infuriating sometimes! She needed some air, but had decided that had been a bad idea the second she had stepped out onto the fire escape.

The soft strains of a guitar had met her ears, drifting down from above. That meant Roger was out on his fire escape trying to write another song. She had gone back in because the last thing Mimi needed was a confrontation with him. They were still at odds ever since she had convinced Benny to let them back in the building.

Roger could be so hard headed! He really believed that she had slept with Benny and wouldn't listen to reason. No one, not Mark, Angel, Collins, or Joanne, could convince him otherwise. He was right and she had been vilified.

Mimi stopped pacing and squeezed her eyes shut. She would not cry. Not over this. Not over a stupid boy who was too stubborn to…

Ring Ring

The sound of the ring phone shocked Mimi out of her thoughts. Turing she crossed the room and grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Mimi?"

"Hi Maureen, sorry. I wasn't near the phone."

"It's alright," her friend assured her. "I just wanted to call and see how you're doing."

"I'm fine," Mini lied. She sat crossed legged on the floor. "How are you?"

"Worried about you," Maureen stated blatantly. That was her way though, nothing got sugar coated when Maureen was on a mission. "This feud with Roger has got to stop."

Mimi sighed. "Well then shouldn't you be yelling at him? I've done nothing wrong. He's the one who refuses to let this go."

"Have you talked to Mark?"

"Of course I have," Mimi replied. "But that just made things worse."

"Worse?"

"When he brought it up it caused a fight between the boys and now they're not speaking to each other."

"They're so immature," Maureen said. "God, you'd think they're the ones having the lover's quarrel. They need to kiss and make up already. Roger's only doing that to displace the fight with you."

"I know," Mimi told her. "But what can we do about it?"

"I've got a few ideas," Maureen said. "He's gong to regret… Hold on a minute, I've got another call."

"Sure," Mimi replied half heartedly. She hung her head as the line went silent. She stared at the floor and idly traced patterns on the cold stone floor.

The line clicked. "Mimi I'm back. That was Angel, I put her on the three way."

"Angel?" Mimi questioned.

"I'm here girls." The third voice filled the line, as cheery and chipper as ever. "How's our Mimi?"

"Trying to explain to Maureen that I'm not the one you should be talking to," Mimi said.

"Do you love him?" Angel questioned.

"I don't see what…"

"Do you love him?" Angel repeated, cutting Mimi off.

After a moment of silence Mimi sniffled. "God help me… Yes. I don't know why."

"Someone has to fall for the broody types," Maureen said. "But seriously, Mark told me that he wants to believe you. He just can't admit that he's wrong."

"He's really torn up over this," Angel added. "Honey, you may have to be the first one to break. Walk up the stairs, knock on the door, and lay one on him."

"There's only one problem with that," Mimi replied with a laugh.

"What's that?" Maureen asked.

"What if Mark answers the door?"

Maureen laughed. "Better you than me. If I laid one on him he might think I've reconsidered the break up."

"And what would Joanne think?" Angel questioned.

"But this isn't about Mark and Joanne," Mimi told them.

"No," Angel agreed. "But it is about getting your mind off of other, less appealing things."

"Like hearing Musetta's Waltz for the hundredth time!" Mimi exclaimed, suddenly exasperated. "I swear I'm about to throw him off the fire escape! I think he's playing louder on purpose, trying to rile me."

"Alright, calm down girl," Angel soothed. "What if he's just trying to serenade you?"

"Then I'm gonna take his guitar and sho…"

"Ok, that does it," Maureen cut in. "I'm coming over there before this out of hand. Don't do anything until I get there."

"Me too!" Angel agreed. "I'll be there soon."

Maureen and Angel both hung up, leaving Mimi alone with a silent phone line.

Meanwhile…

Joanne sat in the Life Café alone and irritated. She had been trying to call her fiancée Maureen do discuss their engagement party, but had been getting nothing but a busy signal for the past half hour.

She didn't want to be paranoid, but Joanne did know Maureen's history. So her long time girl friend had commitment issues, but she just couldn't help being in love with Maureen.

"Joanne?" The woman looked up and saw Collins coming towards her. "Hope you don't mind, I saw you though the window."

"It's alright," Joanne replied. "I could use the company."

"You don't look so good," Collins noted. "Coffee not agreeing with you?"

Joanne shook her head. "It's Maureen."

"Uh huh."

"I can never get a hold of her when I need her," Joanne told him. "I swear, it's like she knocked the phone off the hook to avoid my calls."

Collins gave her a look. "You're paranoid."

Joanne sighed. "I know. One more time." She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Maureen's number.

Ring Ring Ring

"Hello?" Maureen sounded out of breath, as if she had raced to the phone.

"Maureen?"

"Pookie! Sorry, I was just getting ready to run out."

"Really?" Joanne was suspicious. "Because I've been calling you for a while and the line's been busy."

"I'm sorry baby," Maureen cooed. "Angel called while I was on the phone with Mimi. We're going over there to knock some sense into Roger."

"What did Roger do now?" Joanne asked.

Collins just rolled his eyes.

"You know, the whole Mimi and Benny disaster."

Joanne repeated it back to Collins. "He's making a mountain out of a molehill. He should be glad Benny let him and Mark back into the building."

"Maybe we should go over there too. Strength in numbers, you know?"

"That's a good idea," Joanne agreed. "He seems to do better when we all…"

"Gang up on him?" Maureen offered.

"When we show we truly care," Joanne replied. "I mean, he did start going to the Life Support meeting at the community center."

"Well then I'll see over you there," Maureen said. "Bye Pookie!"

Joanne hung up and dropped her phone on the table. "You know, I really hate it when Mark's right."

Collins nodded sympathetically, but kept his thoughts to himself.

Not much later…

"Hello?" Mark grabbed the phone after one ring.

"Hey, it's Collins. Throw down the key so Joanne and I can come up."

"What?" Mark yelled. "I can't hear you over all the yelling."

"The KEY," Collins repeated, louder this time.

A minute later Mark came out onto the fire escape. Collins waved and Joanne caught the key when Mark dropped it.

"You sure you want to come up?" Mark called.

"We know all about it," Joanne assured him. "We'll be up in a minute."

When the two came into the room they saw the battle lines had been drawn. Mimi was huddled against Angel and it was Maureen who was screaming in Roger's face. Roger yelled back, undaunted by Maureen's spiteful accusations. His jaw was clenched and his hands were balled into fists at his side.

"You have a lot of nerve, Maureen! How can you defend her after what she did?"

"She didn't do anything," Maureen yelled. "At least not with Benny. Are you too self-absorbed to admit you might by wrong. She loves you and you're going loose her because of Benny!"

"You should be grateful," Joanne spoke up.

"What?" Roger wheeled around. "When did you get here?"

"That doesn't matter." Joanne waved him off. "You're being ungrateful. Mimi got you back into this building permanently, giving Mark the time to earn the rent money. You could have been sleeping out on the snow covered street wondering why no one stepped into help your sorry ass. You need to apologize to her."

Roger sputtered.

"Seriously, this jealousy needs to stop," Mark said.

"I'm not jealous!" Roger insisted.

"Is he for real?" Maureen questioned.

Roger stood his ground. "She can't have it both ways. It's either him or me."

"It's you," Mimi whispered. "I told you a hundred times, Benny and I were long over before I met you."

"That's like her holding one of your exes over your head," Angel said pointedly. "How would you like that?"

"I…" Roger shook his head. "I need some air." He went for the window.

"Don't you dare walk out," Maureen called after him.

"Go after him," Angel pushed.

Mimi seemed hesitant, but she trailed after Roger, following him out into the cool early evening. He gripped the rail, back to her. And he was… shaking?

She tentatively reached for him. "Roger…"

"It's stifling in there," he said. "Everyone's here and sticking their noses in our business and I don't like it."

"Would you rather they not care?"

"I don't know."

Mimi sighed. "They're worried about us."

"They're worried about you."

"Roger!"

He turned. "What?"

"I want this to work. Do you?"

He motioned for her to come closer, which she did. "This isn't easy for me to say."

"I should have told you about him sooner. I'm sorry."

"So am I." Roger looked up. "I was jealous and mad and…"

Mimi cut him off by pulling him close and kissing him. Roger only hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back.

Benny grumbled as he pulled on his coat. He had had just about enough of his obnoxious neighbors. He had been trying to clean and organize the space he owned in preparation of his new studio and condo project and now the only thing he wanted was to take a long walk.

He had opened the windows to let the breeze in but that had made him privy to the shouting matches next door. Mimi and Roger were arguing over something and after Mimi left Mark had taking over the argument. Then Maureen had slammed doors and started screaming. Not even Angel could defuse her ire.

But the real fun started twenty minutes later when the doors slammed yet again. Collins' voice was added to the fray which meant that the second set of footsteps probably had belonged to Joanne.

Benny went to close his window and stopped dead. Mimi and Roger had apparently made up despite the evidence to the contrary. He slipped the curtain closed, not wanting to watch them make out on the very public fire escape.

"That settles it," Benny told himself. "I'm moving to Chicago. Maybe I can run a nightclub or something."