Author's note: My God. I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you guys. Writer's block hit hard. Well, here you go!

June, 1994

Firefly carried Marina around her apartment. Marina refused to stop crying. "Ssh, it's okay, Mommy'll be home soon, I promise." She had tried everything, Marina refused to be consoled. "Honey, calm down. Are you hungry? Do you need a diaper change?" She sighed. "Baby, hush, it's okay, Auntie Firefly's got you." She set Marina down on the couch, wincing as she straightened up and her baby kicked hard. "I'm calling your mommy, okay?"

The phone rang. Firefly groaned. "Terrific." She reached for the receiver, noting Marina's sudden silence. "Hello?"

"Hi, this is Alexi Darling from Buzzline. Is this Firefly Davis?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Yes. We're doing a piece on people who've lost friends or family to AIDS. Would you be willing to answer a few questions?"

"Um…no. I wouldn't feel comfortable. It's too soon for me."

"Okay, that's completely understandable. Thanks for your time, Miss Davis." Alexi hung up.

Firefly blinked back a sudden rush of tears, slamming the phone down. "Damn you, Roger! God fucking damn you! Why the hell did you…" The phone rang again, cutting off Firefly's rant. She grabbed the phone. "Hello?" she snapped.

"Whoa, what'd I do?" Joanne's voice bubbled out. She was laughing. "Seriously, Firefly, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm doing good. Um…how's Maureen?"

"She misses you. We all do."

"Yeah, I miss you guys too, especially Mo. But she had to learn that I can't bail her out of everything!"

"That's exactly what Mark told her.'

"How are you two?"

"Over. Don't ask."

"Okay, I won't. Look, I gotta go. I'll call later. Um, tell Mo I said hi." Joanne hung up.

Firefly sighed, heading back over to the couch. It dawned on her suddenly that Marina hadn't uttered a sound for at least five minutes. "Marina?" Not even a whimper. She took Marina's hand. It was stone cold, and Marina was turning blue. "Oh my god!" Reaching for the phone, she frantically dialed 911. "Please, help me, my niece isn't breathing!"

"Miss, calm down. Take a deep breath." The woman on the other end tried to sooth Firefly's nerves a bit. "What is you're location?"

"Um, 4520 Avenue B. East Village."

"What seems to be wrong?"

"I'm babysitting my niece, like I do every day. Her mother has to work, and her father –my brother- died several months back. I set her down on the couch to answer the phone, and when I checked on her, she was cold and not breathing."

"Your name is?"

"Firefly Davis. Please hurry."

"A unit is on the way. Can you administer CPR?"

"Not currently, I'm pregnant, and not to an infant."

"Stay calm, help is on the way." Click.

With trembling fingers, Firefly dialed the number for the Loft. She got the usual "Speak!", even though she knew Mark was home. Her voice shook. "Mark, please answer. It's Firefly. Um, something's wrong with Marina. I'm…I'm really scared, Mark. She's not breathing, and she's ice cold."

She heard the receiver lift, and Mark's voice. "I'll be there in five minutes."

True to his word, Mark was there quickly, just behind the ambulance. Wordlessly, he pulled Firefly into his arms, where she sobbed quietly. One of the paramedics looked over. "Miss Davis, I'm afraid there's absolutely nothing we can do. She's already dead."