Chapter 11:
The Bohemians sat around Maureen and Joanne's apartment snacking on junk food. Arianna's experience on the roof left her with a nasty cough, rendering her unable to be with her friends for the evening. Brooklyn was at her Mother's place winning over the hearts of the Bohemians while Damian was watching the basketball game at a nearby bar. There was a knock on the front door.
"I'll get it," Joanne said as she stood up. When she opened the door, she found a cop standing there.
"Is this the residence of Joanne Jefferson?" he asked. Joanne stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her.
"Yes, I'm Joanne Jefferson. What can I do for you, officer?"
"Do you know Damian Brass?"
"He's my ex-boyfriend, why?"
"Mr. Brass was involved in a bar fight this evening." Joanne's hand flew to her mouth. "I'm sorry, he was killed." Joanne began to cry. "We'll need you to come ID the body."
"I'll come first thing in the morning. Now's a horrible time."
"Of course." The officer gave Joanne his card and left. Joanne stood out in the hall for a minute before going back inside.
As soon as Joanne got back inside, she picked Brooklyn up and held her close. Brooklyn returned the affection.
"What's wrong, Mommy?" she asked. Joanne put her daughter down.
"Why don't you go get ready for bed, and I'll be right there to tuck you in?" Brooklyn scurried off to the guestroom where she was staying.
"What's wrong, Pookie?"
"Brooklyn's father was killed in a bar fight this evening." Maureen got up and wrapped her arms around Joanne. "I don't know how I'll tell Brooklyn."
"Don't you worry about that right now, okay?" Joanne allowed herself to be held and comforted for a few minutes before pulling away.
"I have to go take care of Brooklyn. I'll be right back." Maureen and everyone else watched as Joanne went to go tuck Brooklyn in.
Brooklyn was lying in the daybed in the guestroom/office waiting for her mother. Joanne leaned over and kissed Brooklyn's forehead.
"Sweetie, I have to talk to you about something," Joanne said as she sat on the edge of Brooklyn's bed. "Daddy was in an accident earlier this evening. He died honey."
"What?"
"Daddy's with the angels in heaven now."
"Oh. Will I ever see him again?"
"Of course, one day you will. We have to remember him until we see him again, okay?"
"Okay Mommy. I love you."
"I love you too, Brooklyn." Joanne tucked Brooklyn in and went to go join her friends.
After everyone left, Joanne sat on the bed and began to sob. Maureen came out of the bathroom and comforted Joanne.
"What am I going to do, Maureen? I just had to tell my daughter that her father's dead. A bar fight! Damian always had a temper." Maureen rubbed Joanne's back. "I don't know what's going to happen next."
"We'll take care of Brooklyn; you're her mother after all." Joanne leaned against Maureen.
"Thanks, Honeybear, I don't know what I'd do without you."
When they got home, Mimi sat Roger down on the bed and kissed him tenderly on the lips.
"If we're going to get married, we need to talk about some things," she told him.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" roger asked. Mimi took his hands in hers.
"It's about those nightmares. I, I stabbed my stepfather when I was thirteen. It was self-defense! He was trying to attack me," Mimi sobbed as she fell forward into Roger's arms. "I didn't mean to, it just happened. He fell on top of me, and, and died!"
"Shh, shh, it's okay. You had to. The bastard didn't deserve to live if he tried to hurt you." Mimi slowly calmed down at sat up.
"I need you to tell me about April." Roger froze. "Please, I need to know about her."
"Why?"
"You're talking about her in your sleep. Are you over her?"
"Of course I am!"
"Then why are you talking about her in your sleep?" roger sighed. "Please tell me!" Mimi stroked Roger's rough cheek.
"Her birthdays in a few weeks, she'd be twenty four. Sometimes, I wake up and think that she's back, that it never happened." Mimi's gaze drifted to her lap.
"Sorry I can't be April for you." Roger realized what he had said.
"Oh no, baby, I didn't mean it like that. You're the love of my life. After all, we're getting married." Mimi stood up.
"Why?" she demanded. Roger stood up too.
"Because I proposed to you, and you said yes." Mimi jerked away from Roger when he tried to touch her.
"Am I filling a void left by April?"
"No, of course not. Let me prove it to you." Without warning, Roger grabbed Mimi by the waist and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Mimi as stunned for a second. She grabbed the collar of Roger's leather jacket and kissed him back with all the love she could muster. Roger broke off the kiss and pressed their foreheads together. "Does that prove my love?" Roger left a trail of kisses to Mimi's right ear. "You're my life, I die without you," he whispered. His hot breath tickled Mimi's skin. Mimi tilted her head towards Roger.
"I'm sorry, baby; I don't know what came over me."
"Don't be, I should have talked to you about all this earlier." Mimi nuzzled Roger's chest for some body heat.
"It's so cold," she muttered. As if in cue, the power flickered off. Roger swore. "Let's just go to bed, it's freezing, and I can think of a way to warm us up." roger didn't need telling twice. He pushed Mimi back on the bed, and they curled up together, simply enjoying being together.
Arianna picked up the phone next to her bed and dialed the number to Mrs. Cohen's house. She needed to talk to her about a few things.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Mrs. Cohen, it's Arianna."
"Hi sweetie, what can I do for you?"
"I don't want to help you anymore with this Mark thing. I 'm sorry, it doesn't feel right anymore."
"You've fallen for Mark, haven't you? You agreed to help me keep an eye on Mark if I helped you out. If you don't keep your part of the agreement, I won't keep mine."
"What!?"
"We had an agreement. If you stop keeping an eye on Mark, I'll stop paying the bills." Arianna closed her eyes.
"Okay, I guess. Let me sleep on it." Arianna said goodbye to Mrs. Cohen and hung up the phone. Now, she had an ultimatum to face.
A knock on the door shattered Arianna's thoughts. Before she could even get up, the door opened, and Mark came inside.
"Hey," he said before kissing Arianna's cheek. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess." Arianna covered her mouth and coughed. "What's up?" Arianna sat up.
"Brooklyn's father died."
"That's horrible! How's Joanne taking it?" Mark sat on the bed next to Arianna and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"She's upset, which is understandable. Her main concern's Brooklyn right now." Arianna rested her head against Mark. Just then, the power flickered off. "Great." Arianna slid her hand across Mark's chest.
"Will you stay here with me? It's so cold." Mark kissed Arianna's temple.
"Of course, there's nowhere else I'd rather be." Mark lay down on the bed, and Arianna curled up next to him with her head on his chest. Soon, they were both fast asleep.
When Angel and Collins got home from Maureen and Joanne's, there was a message on the answering machine for Angel. Collins didn't understand a work of the rapid Spanish, but Angel sure did. By the time the message was done, she was fuming.
"Who was it?" Collins asked.
"My brother; giving me the same song and dance as before. Sometimes I can't stand him!"
"And other times?" Angel sighed.
"He is my brother." Angel leaned against Collins. "You know, he's the one that encouraged me to come out of the closet. Now, he's trying to drag me back in."
"Maybe you should talk to him."
"I think I will. I dunno, I guess I'm still getting over Damian's death. I guess I want to make amends with my family after seeing what happened with Joanne." Collins kissed Angel's cheek.
"I think that that's a great idea," he whispered in her ear.
A/N: My friend is FINALLY home after 15 days of being away. Of course, I haven't seen her, she's been with her family (perfectly understandable). Anyway, I don't know if she's a hundred percent better yet, she sounded fine on the phone, but I honestly don't know so you're continued thoughts and prayers are appreciated.
Tina101
