"This is…" Mark shook his head. "It's fitting, that today is Christmas Eve. Five years ago today, we met Mimi and Angel. If it wasn't for the two of them, this day, Roger's funeral, would have come a lot sooner. We lost Angel, but Roger got to live another five years. He's always been there for us…"

"…and I always thought 'Wow! He's going to go places.'" Maureen smiled. "Even while he was addicted to smack, I knew he'd be the first one out of this hellhole. I always thought he was related to Superman somehow. I never imagined he could die."

"…can't even begin to describe how I felt about him." Mimi's voice was shaking. "If it hadn't been for Roger, I think heroin would have killed me. He loved his daughter fiercely as well…I think if it'd been up to him, she'd have been named after Angel. But he didn't say a word, just let me choose her name…"

"I've known Roger for awhile now." Joanne sighed. "He was always a bit like Maureen, in my opinion. Kind of flighty, not always mentally here. But he was a loyal friend. Fiercely protective of Mark. You wouldn't believe how mad he was at me when Maureen dumped Mark for me…"

"I just recently met Roger, but he was protective of me from the start." Firefly was still very ashen-looking, but everyone understood. Roger's death had come as a shock to her more than anyone. "I wish I'd been able to spend more time with him. Even when we first met, he was so worried because I was underage…"

"I've known Roger since middle school. We weren't very close, but he trusted me." Benny bit his lip. "We were just starting to become better friends. I regret how I came off to him sometimes, but I know he forgave me…"

"…he always stood by me, no matter what." Collins twisted his hands. "He never cared that I had AIDS. I actually always thought I'd go first, but I guess fate has a different plan."

Mimi stood up. "Roger idolized Jimi Hendrix. It was his wish that we play a Hendrix song at his funeral. He wanted a song that not only celebrated his life and Jimi Hendrix's life, but Angel's life as well. He wanted the song 'Angel' played. So, here it is."

After the funeral, Benny offered to buy dinner. No one accepted. Maureen and Mimi wanted to take Marina to meet Roger's grandmother, and Firefly had decided to tag along. Mark had to finish a film he was working on, and Collins wanted to visit Angel. Benny nodded. "I understand." He pulled Mimi aside. "If you ever need anything…"

"I'll call you." Mimi smiled slightly. "I'm really gonna miss him, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. But you know he'll always be watching over you."

"Yes. But what are we going to do without him?"

Author's note: Are you all crying yet? Don't worry, so am I. This was just as emotional for me to write as I'm sure it's been for you to read. It was very hard to write a funeral scene after burying my dog, but I did it for you guys. I know you are probably all going after the torches and pitchforks right now. I'm sorry, but it had to happen. Keep an eye out for the final part of the Mommie Quintet, Book of Endings, coming very soon. Till then, this is AlyssaLLBLack13, signing off!