Yeah so this is written in response to challenges 9 and 25 from Tina's Challenges. Crossover fic. hope you like it. More chapters to come.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Look, all I'm saying is that it wouldn't kill you to leave the camera at home once in a while."
Mark didn't look up from his filming. "I need all the day traffic footage I can get. Besides you never know when something interesting might happen."
Roger snorted. "Yeah, I guess you're right. The other day I saw this pigeon taking a crap in the street and I thought to myself 'Man, I bet Mark would have loved to have caught that.'"
Mark scowled while Mimi, walking on the other side of Roger, snickered loudly.
"This from the guy who once wrote and performed an entire three verses and a chorus about the adventures of Captain Crunch and his brothers, Hook and Cook," Mark reminded him, focusing his lens on a strolling beat cop.
Mimi shrieked with mirth as Roger's face flooded red. "Hey! We still don't know what Collins put in those cigarettes that night."
"Whatever. We're here."
"Here" was the Life, where they were going to meet the others for lunch before Maureen, Joanne and inevitably Mark headed over to the new "Performance Space", a burned-out, abandoned gymnasium, where Maureen would be rehearsing her latest of protests, called "In the Corner." The show was slated to open in a week, but Maureen insisted on everything being perfect.
As Roger approached the door to pull it open, it was suddenly flung wide and a tall, white man with dark brown hair rushed out, nearly running Mimi over.
"Hey, what the hell?" she protested, but the guy didn't even look at her as he shoved past her and raced away. Hurling an expletive in his direction Mimi stalked into the café, the boys following.
The Life was fairly empty and Maureen and Joanne were seated at a large booth toward the front. The three made their way over and Mimi plopped down, still muttering hotly.
"You okay?" Maureen looked at Roger quizzically who just shrugged.
"Some people are just so rude!" Mimi complained, shedding her coat.
"I know what you mean," Maureen agreed, jerking her head at Joanne. Now it was Mark and Roger's turn to look quizzically at her. The lawyer rolled her eyes.
"Wouldn't let her flirt with the hot, new waitress."
"I asked her a simple question!"
"'Could you please butter my muffin' is not a simple question!"
Maureen opened her mouth angrily, but before she could say anything, a gunshot suddenly rang out through the din. The café went silent for a second and then a couple people began screaming.
The five of them looked at each other, shocked, then they leaped up and ran outside, Mark leading the way. When they saw what was outside, they stopped cold.
A young Hispanic male, dark-skinned with a mustache, lay crumpled and still on the sidewalk on top of a steadily growing puddle of blood. All around people were coming out of shops and restaurants to see what was up. Everyone looked at each other in shock. No one knew where the shot had come from and it seemed that the gunman was in the wind.
Maureen let out a strangled noise. "I know him. I mean, I knew...Antonio. He…he came to a couple of my performances." Mimi made a sound of sympathy, but the others were still too stunned to say anything.
A nearby bystander bent down to check the boy's pulse, just in case. She shook her head sadly and pulled out her cell phone, dialing 911.
As soon as they heard that the police were coming most of the people from the café and on the street scattered. However after a quick check to make sure none of them were carrying any drugs or had committed a crime recently the five friends decided to stay. Maureen insisted. He had been a friend and they had been there. Paramedics arrived along with some beat cops and a Narcotics detective who had been around the corner. They taped off the area forcing the stunned onlookers along with the Bohemians to back off a little. None of them noticed a dark police car pulling up to the sidewalk.
"Let's go people back it up, police coming through." Two men in suits maneuvered through the crowd. Mark moved to let them pass, then suddenly he stopped and gaped at one of them.
"Collins?"
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