Sarah readjusted the bags in her arms and opened the front door. Inside it was quiet and dark, except for the small stairwell light. On her way into the kitchen she noticed Mark, curled up on the sofa with his arms tight around a pillow. He was snoozing peacefully as a child, and had a little smile on his face. Sarah wanted to know what he was dreaming about. She set down her groceries, quickly put away the cold things, and dug out her sketch pad. It had been quite some time since anything new had been drawn inside. Sarah lit a candle to see by and settled back against the wall. As she drew, she thought.

What made Mark so immediately appealing? There was something sweet and guileless about him. Sarah could see the good heart through his eyes. And such pretty eyes, too. Blue as the cliché, metaphorical sky.

Mark shifted in his sleep, and the glasses slipped off his nose and onto the floor. Smiling to herself, Sarah crawled to the sofa and picked them up. She hesitated. In the flickering candlelight, Mark's skin was golden. His eyelashes looked like strands of silk, gently lying on his cheek. Sarah felt intrusive, somehow, watching this peaceful rest. So softly that she wasn't sure it actually happened, she touched an eyelash. Smooth as silk, just as she'd thought.

If only.

Sarah slipped the glasses back onto Mark's face. Much to her alarm, his eyes fluttered open. Sarah dropped her hands to her lap, though trying to look casual still wouldn't account for why she was so close to his face.

"Hi," Mark whispered groggily.

"Hi."

The streets felt strangely silent, even for a Thursday night. Maybe it was because Mimi had been staring stonily forward for the entire walk home. What had he done? Roger racked his brain, trying to remember any accidentally rude comment. Nothing came to mind. He adjusted the messenger back on his shoulder, the one he'd borrowed from Mark. It was filled with the least messy food he could find, wrapped in napkin. Even though Roger was sure no one had seen him do it, and Joanne wouldn't have minded anyway, the embarrassment made his cheeks flush. They needed stuff to eat so it was necessary, but that made Roger feel even worse. Maybe Mimi had seen him, and that's why she was upset. She was ashamed to be with him.

Roger stopped walking and turned to Mimi, grasping her thin shoulders in his hands. It was getting colder, and their breathe was white in the October air.

"Babe, what's wrong? What did I do?"

Mimi shook her head quickly and bit her lip, obviously fighting away tears.

"You didn't do anything."

"Then why do you look so…depressed?"

Much to his surprise, Mimi burst out laughing

"Oh, great. Now what? Is there something in my teeth?"

Mimi just shook her head, still caught in an uncontrollable giggle fit.

"Your face! You looked like a lost puppy."

She grinned and wrapped her arms around Roger's neck, kissing his nose.

"Cold." She licked it. "And wet."

They continued on in a more comfortable silence, hands intertwined, but Roger knew that whatever Mimi had on her mind was still there. Why couldn't she talk to him about it? He had the unnerving sensation that he was becoming his father, and the thought terrified him. Roger didn't know what made the next words roll off his tongue. So easy, too, as if they were really true.

"I wanted to save it as a surprise, but I can't wait any longer. I've called some old friends, who've talked to some friends…and we've got a gig."

This time Mimi stopped walking, her face bright with elation.

"Oh, baby!"

She threw her arms around his neck a second time, kissing him much thoroughly than before. Roger's heard thudded painfully. Such an unnecessary lie, one that would surely lead to disaster. But to see Mimi this thrilled…it was almost worth it. And after all, how hard would getting a band together be? He'd done it once before. He'd done lots of things under pressure. As Roger opened the door of their apartment and Mimi coquettishly dropped her coat, he realized that maybe he'd still been hiding. Even after what the last two years had taught him about seizing the day and living as if there was no tomorrow, his own insecurity had kept him inside- and poverty was hardly an excuse.

Mimi kicked off her heels and pushed Roger against the wall.

"Can I be your groupie, Syd Barrett?" she growled, running her hands over his chest and unbuttoning his shirt. He grabbed her hips.

"Only if you ask nicely."

Mimi pulled off Roger's shirt and trailed kisses down his neck and hard nipples and flat stomach, until she wordless and effectively asked very nicely.

Katherine stopped walking near the hotel building.

"This is it."

Collins eyed the place distrustfully. A man sat on the curb smoking a crystal meth pipe, and hookers congregated on the corner. Alphabet City wasn't British Columbia, but at least the squatters didn't have suspiciously gun shaped bumps in their jacket pockets.

"Absolutely not."

Katherine raised her eyebrows in amusement. "I'd love to stay in the Hilton, but this was the cheapest thing I could find. What would you suggest?"

What was he suggesting? Collins didn't want Angel's best friend to be murdered in a stairwell, but on the other hand…inviting her back to his place would be awkward at best and completely inappropriate at worst. Luckily, Katherine saved him the trouble of answering.

"If you're having some misguidedly chivalrous thoughts about taking up on the sofa so I can stay in your bed, I'll have to say no. Really Tom, I'm a big girl. I've survived territorial tribe wars and very angry monkeys. This is a piece of cake."

Though Collins wanted to ask about the monkeys, he was more concerned with trying to figure out a way for Katherine to be sensible. He had to do it tactfully, too, without sounding like he wanted a lay.

"But this place is…dirty."

Katherine laughed. "And so is Africa! It's fine. If it makes you feel any better I can call you tomorrow morning and let you know that I've survived the night."

"Thank you."

"No problem, dad," Katherine teased. "We could get breakfast?"

"I actually have work in the morning, but you could always meet me for lunch."

"Where do you work?"

"Jackson High, a few blocks over."

"A teacher?"

"Guidance councilor."

"I can see it, unfortunately for the children," Katherine said with a smile. "I'll be there at…"

"Twelve."

"Twelve it is."

Katherine walked towards the cloudy glass doors, but first she turned around, a very small grin on her face.

"Really. Thank you, Tom."

Collins shrugged. He wanted to say something else, but what was there?

"Not a problem, Katherine. Sleep tight."