A/N: This chapter will include a protest, a dead cat, and song and dance. Sound good?

Disclaimer: I don't own Rent…..(shaking head in disappointment)

Warning: La Vie boheme will remixed LOL!

CHAPTER 10: walking through fire without a burn

December 24th 2pm eastern standard time.

No one has seen or heard from Mark in more then 24 hours. Everyone is freaked by his fast transition.

(At Maureen's performance space)

"Pookie I said to make the music louder." Maureen whined.

"Maureen, if I make it louder anymore everyone will be deaf by the end of the protest." Joanne said in a frustrated tone trying to fix the microphone.

"Dammit, theses microphones always give me hell. I wish Mark was hear to help me." Joanne said.

"Maybe I can help." Collins asked as he entered the performance space.

"Hey, Collins." the women greeted him.

"Where's Angel?" Joanne asked stepping of stage.

"Her, Mimi, and Mickey went shopping. They said they wanted to make heads turn tonight." Collins said laughing.

"I can't believe they went without me." Maureen sounded disappointed.

"This is your protest, so you have to be here to help." Joanne corrected.

(at the mall)

" Does this skirt make me look fat?" Angel asked looking at herself in the mirror.

"Chica, nothing makes you look fat, I'm the one who has to worry about that problem." Mimi said dryly.

"Why?" Angel and Mickey asked looking at her with suspicion.

"I've been eating a lot lately." Mimi said trying not to give them a clue.

"How does this look." Mickey asked stepping out of the dressing room.

She was wearing a light brown sweater with black checkers , a black hat tilted to the side, and ripped jeans.

"Girlfriend you are the shit." Angel said giving her a high five.

Angel went in the dressing room next and came out wearing an orange top with red flower and a yellow skirt with white and green tights.

"SEXY!" Mimi said twirling Angel around.

Angel and Mickey went in the dressing room and changed cloths.

"Now we have to find you something." Angel said coming out of the dressing room.

"I cant find anything."Mimi said sitting on a stool.

Mickey and Angel gasped

"What? Are you sick? Your Mimi Marquez-Davis. You make fishnets sexier then Gucci,and not to mention your best friend is a fashion goddess." Mickey said looking at her sister.

"I'm touched by you complement Shelly (Angels nickname she gave Mickey)" Angel said. " She's right, what's wrong honey?"

Mimi sighed.

"Roger and I were going to wait and tell everyone tonight at life café after Maureen's show….I'm pregnant.

Angel and Mickey screamed so loud the customers in the store turned and looked at them.

"Leave us alone, we're about to become aunts." Angel told the rest of the store.

Everyone clapped and went back to shopping.

( in the parking lot)

"Can I drive?" Mickey asked innocently.

"Yeah, but if I find one scratch on my new BMW I will personally kick your ass." Angel joked getting in the passengers seat.

"Rich ass." Mimi teased while getting in the back seat.

Angel brushed her shoulder off. When they reached the Corner of 11th and B their argument on what was going to happen on Days Of Our Lives was interpreted by a thump and a meow. Mickey pulled the car over and saw a gray cat balled up in the middle of the road.

"OH GOD!" they yelled.

The three friends ran over to the cat.

"Its not breathing." Mimi said with her hand over her month.

Silence came over them, then Angel and Mimi started laughing.

"Whats so funny? I just killed a cat." Mickey said glaring at them.

Angel and Mimi told her about the time Angel killed Benny's dog.

(in the loft)

When they enter the loft Roger was standing at the table looking at Marks camera.

"Did Mark move back in?" Mickey asked with excitement.

"No." Roger mumbled.

Their smiles dropped when they saw tears running down his eyes. Mimi took him in her arms.

"He came by today." Roger said sitting in the brown chair.

Flashback:

Roger was working on a song when someone knocked on the door.

"Its open." Roger shouted.

A man with black hair and a gray business suit walked in holding a camera. Roger took a good look at him.

"Mark?" Roger asked confused.

"I just came by to give you this." Mark said handing him the camera.

"WHAT IS YOUR FUCKING PROBLEM? I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU ANYMORE MAN. I'M NOT TAKING IT." Roger said in a violent tone pushing the camera away.

"I NEED TO CHANGE MY LIFE ROGER, I'VE FOUND THE GREATEST WOMEN IN THE WORLD, SHE THE BEST THING THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO ME." Mark shot back.

"WHAT ABOUT ME, MIMI, MAUREEN,JOANNE, COLLINS, ANGEL , AND MICKEY? YOUR LIKE MY BROTHER MARK. WE'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH SHIT TOGETHER, HOW CAN YOU JUST IGNORE US? Roger was furious.

"I'm going on a job interview for cyber ar-."

Roger cut him off.

"GET THE FUCK OUT MARK." Roger ordered. To know that Mark was going to working for Benny's company really pissed him off.

Roger could tell Mark wasn't comfortable with his sudden new life. As Mark walked out the door he turned around and looked at Roger.

"You were the one who always said I detached myself with this damn thing, I want you to have it now." Mark said quietly shoving the camera in Rogers chest and walking out the door.

End of flashback

"I cant believe him." Mimi said furiously

"I knew Mark was scared to be alone after we die, but I didn't know he was that desperate." Angel said in a hurt voice.

There thoughts were interrupted by a beeper.

"Not mine." Roger said looking at his side.

"I took my AZT in the car." Mimi said.

Angel looked through her purse.

"Not mine." Angel said.

Shit. I thought I put it on vibrate.

Mickey thought to herself. Everyone looked at her.

"I didn't know you had a beeper." Mimi said to Mickey.

"Uh, yea I have to make a phone call." Mickey lied.

She went to the phone and pretended to talk.

"Hey Mo……you want me to come over……ok…..bye." she hung up the phone.

"Mo wants me to help her out with some stuff." she said walking out the door.

Mickey stopped at Kates door and took her AZT.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

She dropped the pill bottle when she heard Roger's voice.

"I don't want anyone to know." Mickey said carelessly not looking at him.

"Does Mimi know?" Roger asked picking up the bottle for her.

"No and I would appreciate it if you kept your mouth closed." Mickey reassured him snaching the bottle back.

"Lets go up to the roof, talking in front of our new worst enemy's home is not very soothing." Roger said putting his arm on her shoulder.

(on the roof)

"Talk." Roger demand

"Where should I start?"

"Maybe HOW you got it?" Roger implied.

"The same way you and Mimi got it." Mickey said looking at her feet.

Roger gave her a sympathetic look. Mickey took a deep breath and closed her eyes

"I was diagnosed with HIV 4 months ago….how do expect me to be open about it? " Mickey continued.

Roger didn't answer, he bit his bottom lip and looked at the sky.

"That's what I thought." Mickey said

"Are you still using." Roger hesitated to ask, but wanted to know.

"No. I was at a party and some junkie pulled out his stash and we all use the same needle.it was just a one time thing."

"I know how that goes, in my case me and April fell in love and thought since we were going to be together for the rest of our lives we could share needles." Roger said." That's the dumbest thing I've done."

"Same here." Mickey agreed. "The day I found out I locked myself in my room and held a knife to my wrist... I stopped… couldn't bring myself to suicide…..I had this gut feeling God wanted me to stay a bit longer, so I dropped the knife and said 'No day.."

"But today." Roger said with a smile " Are you going to tell her?"

"Yeah." Mickey said smiling back. "How did you know I was lying back there?"

"The red light goes off when you're making a phone call." Roger said with a smirk.

"Really?"

"Yeah." he said walking her back inside

( at Maureen performance space)

Roger: December 24th 1991, 9pm eastern standard time. Does that sound right?

"Yes Roger , could not have the camera so close to my face I'm fogging the lens." Mimi said.

Roger: Sorry babe, here we have the great Thomas Collins and the amazing Miss Angel.

"Hey bitches!" Collins said to the camera.

Angel waved. Roger walked on the stage were Mickey and Joanne were talking.

Roger: Hello ladies.

They waved and he jumped between them and accidentally hit Mickey in the eye with the camera.

"SHIT. YOU KNOW MY EYES STILL HURT." Mickey informed him.

Roger: Sorry, I think I'll put the camera down until this show starts.

Roger turned the camera off and jumped of stage and went back to were everyone was standing.

9:15pm eastern standard time.

The lights went low and Maureen pulled up on her motorcycle, Roger stared filming. She hopped on stage and began talking about having another conversation with Elise again and how Elsie's cousin Katie was killed and then given to a 10 year old who smelled like sushi. Everyone cheered her on, loving her story and the best part about the protest was there wasn't a no riot.

10:30pm eastern standard time.

(at the life café)

The bohemians put all the tables together and sat in there normal spot and talked. Eddie walked around and took their orders.

"That's five mistro soup, four seaweed salad, three soy burger dinner, two tofu platter, and one meatless balls." Eddie read back.

"I still think that's gross." Roger said to Collins.

"And I still think it taste the same." Collins replied.

"If you close your eyes." Mimi and Mickey said in unison.

Everyone started laughing. The laughing and joking stopped when Mark came in and sat at a different table. Roger picked up the camera standing up on the table

A/N: I will be writing this part of the story in script form because there singing.

Roger: Zoom in on Mark Cohen, Alphabet City's newest yuppie scum.

Mickey stood up.

Mickey: Who sold out quicker then a Madonna concert.

Mickey sat back down and Mimi and Angel stood up from their seats and started to vogue.

Collins: How did you convince your master to let you come out without a leash?

Mimi (dryly): He kissed her ass.

Everyone laughed.

Joanne ( talking to Maureen): Baby, we should change ours names, Throw away our dreams, and live isolated.

Maureen: Oh, sounds sexy.

Joanne and Maureen kissed.

Mark (mad): Its not like that, the reason I'm hear is because she grieving and wants to be alone.

Angel: Who died?

Mark: Kates new cat whiskers, she got him yesterday and today she found him in the middle of the street dead.

The 8 bohemians gasp and eyed Mickey. The color in her face drained and they giggled.

Mark (mad): That not funny.

Angel: How did your "interview" go?

Mark: I got the job.

Mickey stood on the table.

Mickey: Dearly beloved we gathered here to say our goodbyes.

The rest of the table started saying something in a different language .

Mickey: Here he lies no one knew his worth the late great brother of our turf. On this night when we confront his choice. In that little town of Alphabet, we raise our glass and kick kates ass…. La Vie Boheme.

All of them: La vie boheme……la vie boheme……la vie boheme….

Mickey jumped down and tagged Roger and he got up on the table.

Roger: To days of inspiration, playing hooky making something out of nothing.

Roger tagged Maureen.

Maureen: The need to express to communicate.

Maureen tagged Mimi

Mimi: To going against the grain ,going insane, going mad.

Mimi tagged Angel.

Angel: To love and tension, no pension.

Angel tagged Collins.

Collins: To more then one dimension, to starving for attention.

Collins tagged Joanne.

Joanne: Hating conversion , hating pretension

Roger: not to mention of course,

Joanne: Hating dear old mom and dad.

Maureen: To riding your bike, midday past the three piece suits.

Angel: To fruits

Collins: To no absolutes.

Mickey: To absolute, to choice, to the village voice.

Mimi: to any passing fad, to being an us for once.

Mickey: INSTEAD OF A THEM.

All of them: La vie boheme.

Mark walked out looking stupid and Mimi went after him.

Mimi (smiling): Mark, I'm pregnant.

Mark (shyly): that's great.

He got on his bike and left.

Mimi went back in and told the ones who didn't know her news.

A/N: this chapter was a little cheesy but I had to do it. LOL! Chapter 11 wont be weird. Please REVIEW! NO FLAMERS