A/N: Chapter 14, everyone! Expect more drama! A lot more! You like drama, right? Tell me what you think of the chappie, please! By the way, I know next to nothing about finances or inheritance tax, so ignore any mistakes I might have made in that department, please. (You'll see what I'm talking about!)

Chapter 14

There has been an accident.

The words kept repeating themselves over and over in Leni's head. The policemen had left already, Mimi and Mark held a sobbing Jessica securely wrapped in their arms and Roger was standing by in case Leni should break down. She didn't. She didn't, because she was waiting for the nightmare to end, for someone to shake her awake and tell her that this was not her life, that she did not just lose her parents and that she was not HIV positive, since it was just impossible that so much should happen to her in so short a time.

There has been an accident.
A truck had run a red light, hit her parents' car and sent it spinning, across the street, right into traffic. It had landed on its roof, gasoline leaking out. Someone had called an ambulance. Her mother had been dead on impact, her father passed away in the back of the ambulance on the way to the hospital.

Leni didn't cry. Shock pounded through her veins, pumped through her with every heartbeat. But at the same time, she knew that she could not allow herself to mourn. Not yet, not while Jessica had no one else to rely on, not while there was so much to do.

Therefore she pushed back Roger's arms, with the mumbled explanation "I'm fine, don't worry about me," and went over to embrace her sister.

Jess collapsed against her and howled with grief.

Leni stroked her hair, mumbling soothing nonsense. Her eyes were fixed on the opposite wall, unblinking, until they started to burn from dehydration.

There has been an accident.

For a short, incredibly selfish moment, Leni thought the real accident had been her father forgetting to use a condom one night more than twenty-one years ago. If it hadn't been for her, none of this…

Jessica's voice shook her out her reverie.

"It's… it's my fault," she sobbed, "they were… coming to get me… and it was my … my fucking fault."

"Shh," Leni hushed her, although she felt like a hypocrite. Hadn't she been thinking something similar only a moment ago? "It's not your fault, baby. It's not!"

"Mommy… and Daddy… I just can't…," she started weeping again, unable to finish the sentence.

Mommy. Daddy. No.

Leni didn't cry.

It had been a difficult night. Jessica had slept curled up between Leni and Mimi, but only after exhaustion had overcome her. Roger had taken the couch and Mark had slept in Mimi's bed.

The guitarist was at a loss at how to help Leni through this. He woke up to see his girlfriend already dressed in her best pair of black slacks and a grey blouse, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Hey," he said groggily, "you going somewhere?"

She nodded. "I have a million things to do. I have to talk to our lawyer, and the funeral home, I have to call my aunt in Canada, my grandma Lillian in Minnesota…"

Roger frowned, slightly taken aback by the businesslike tone in her voice. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked tentatively, but she shook her head at once.

"No, thank you. I've got it under control."

She left shortly afterwards, giving Roger a quick peck on the lips. He knew what she was doing, he had seen Mark do it countless times. She was detaching, refusing to let any emotion get to her.

After he had gotten up and taken a shower, Mimi and Jessica came out of Leni's bedroom as well. Mimi had one arm securely around the young girl's shoulders while they took baby steps to the couch. Jessica looked terrible. Dark circles under her eyes told him that she had barely slept that night, her eyes were red from crying and already new tears were forming. Yesterday's weeping had left its tracks on her cheeks and she was shuddering with sporadic sobs.

Roger informed them that Leni was out 'taking care of a few things'. He didn't want to say outright that she was arranging her parents' funeral, but of course Jessica knew what he was talking about and she immediately broke out in renewed sobbing.

Not knowing what else to do, Roger called Maureen and Joanne, figuring that more people meant a greater distraction, which could only be good for all of them.

Leni came home in the late afternoon. Her expression was grim. She told Maureen to take Jessica upstairs, show her the loft and keep her occupied. For once, her sister didn't complain about being treated like a baby.

The rest of the bohemians gathered around the table and Leni said bluntly, "My parents were pretty much broke. Not really, of course, we were living quite well, but there's a significant amount of debts, which I'll have to take care of. We're going to have to sell the house and anything we can't use here, and even then… what with inheritance tax… there won't be much left. There's Jessica's college money, but I don't want to touch that."

Joanne realized that this was a moment in which Leni would not appreciate it if someone tiptoed around her feelings, so she asked directly, "Didn't they have life insurance?"

Leni shook her head. "They wanted to get it, but never got around to it. We weren't well insured at all. Strange though that may seem. I'm just glad I have health insurance."

"How can we help you?" Mark asked, "We'll do anything."

"I appreciate that. There is something I would like you to do with me. My parent's funeral is in three days. I want to be done with the house before that. So tomorrow, I'd like you to come with me and go through the furniture and everything and pick out what we could use here or what you'd like to keep. I'll go through mine and Jessica's room and clean them out."

Mimi shifted uncomfortably. "Leni, we can't just… take stuff."

Leni simply shrugged. "Why not? Everything you haven't tagged, I'll have my neighbours sell in a garage sale, anyway. We can't afford to be sentimental, not with me having to get AZT and putting Jessica through college."

It was incredibly strange for the group of friends to walk through a stranger's house with a stack of post-its in one hand, marking whatever one deemed useable.

The couch, loveseat and armchair from the Hollis' living-room would replace the duct taped piece of crap in the loft. Kitchen appliances would be taken and distributed to the two apartments. They would trade in the lumpy, wobbly mattresses they slept on with real beds, with good mattresses, nice fluffy pillows and warm quilts.

Books were packed in large cartons. Cutlery, glasses and plates were wrapped in newspapers and packed.

Leni went about it all with cold practicality. However, she absolutely refused to let Jessica help with it. Her younger sister had come once, early in the morning, to say her farewells to the house. Then she had been sent off with Maureen, who had volunteered to take care of her through the day.

Leni also spent entire hours on the phone with the family's lawyer, a real estate agent, a social worker and her aunt in Canada.

On the evening before the funeral, she sat down in the loft's living-room with her sister to explain a few things. She had also asked Mimi, Mark and Roger to stay and listen.

Jessica was cuddled up on the familiar couch next to her sister and clutched a dilapidated teddy bear to her chest.

"In their will," Leni began, "Mom and Dad put me down as your legal guardian, if anything should happen to them. Now, I know you'll be eighteen soon, anyway, but until then, I'm responsible for you… after that, too, as far as I'm concerned. I don't want to just order you to stay with me, however. Aunt Cynthia has offered that you could stay with her. In Canada. Or you could stay with me, either here, if the others don't mind, or we'd find some new place."

Jessica didn't even have to think about it. "Wanna stay with you," she announced and snuggled up closer to her sister.

"And of course you're going to stay here," Mimi said firmly. "We're family."

The two men nodded their consent.

"Thanks, guys," Leni told them before turning back to Jessica. "But if you're going to stay here, there's something you have to know." She took a deep breath. "Perhaps you have noticed Roger, Mimi and me taking pills a couple of times during the day."

"No, I hadn't noticed," Jessica answered, looking worried.

"Well, you will notice. Those are AZT. Mimi, Rog and I are HIV positive."

"What?" Jess sat upright at once. Before she could panic, Leni grabbed her hands. "Listen to me, sis, okay? I'm fine! I'm healthy, I get regular checkups and I'm taking my meds. I'm being careful and so are the others. I'm not going anywhere, not for a long time. Don't worry!"

"How can you tell me not to worry… how can you…" Jessica said shrilly, her eyes wide with fear.

"You have to trust me," her sister answered calmly, "I'm not leaving you!"

The funeral was relatively simple.

Two coffins on the dais. White lilies and roses. A photograph from Edward's and Andrea's wedding on an easel.

There weren't many people there, either. Aunt Cynthia and her family hadn't been able to come. Grandmother Lillian from Minnesota was there, a few colleagues, a few friends.

Collins had taken a couple of days off from NYU to come and be there for Leni and Jessica. Maureen and Joanne had come, as, of course, had Mimi, Mark and Roger.

Jessica had wanted to say something, but her throat had closed up and she had simply started crying. Leni didn't even make the attempt to give a speech. How could she say goodbye to her parents in front of all those people?

Therefore, a few family friends spoke about how wonderful Edward and Andrea had been, how much they would be missed and how much good they were leaving behind in their two daughters.

Jessica sobbed quietly into Collins's shoulder. Mimi cried silently, Mark's arm around her waist. Maureen and Joanne were holding hands.

Roger would have liked to hold Leni or comfort her in any way, but she hadn't allowed him to come close to her at all. In fact, she tried not to touch anyone but her sister. Her stoic expression had not changed once since she had first heard the news of her parents' death.

As the others were leaving the church, Leni asked them to go ahead without her. She wanted a few moments alone. Her friends complied, but waited right outside the church doors.

Leni approached the coffins. They were closed, and she was grateful for that. She wanted to remember her parents alive and vibrant, not lying in that final bed of satin.

Taking a deep breath, she placed one hand on either coffin and spoke.

"Mommy… Daddy…" she swallowed, "there are…um… a couple of things I wanted to say to you and… I never got the chance. So here goes. I'm sorry you had to worry so much about me. You were… really great and I didn't mean it when I said that you were putting me down on purpose. I never hated home, I just… outgrew it. But I did have the greatest childhood. … I'm gonna miss your cookies, Mom. There's just something about them I can never get right. … Also, I… I didn't not go to college to piss you off, I just didn't want anymore school. I'll see to it that Jess goes, though. I hope I can take care of her properly, at least for a while. I should tell you… I'm HIV positive. So we'll be meeting again sooner than you might think." Her eyes were itching. Tears made her throat close up, but she refused to let them fall yet. She had more to tell them.

"I'll miss you. I'm sorry for yelling at you. I hate that… the last things I ever said to you were while we were fighting. I'll… really miss you, Mommy… and Daddy…" Now the tears started flowing, and she barely managed to choke out, "I should tell you… I love you!" before sobs shook her body and, her strength finally gone, she fell to her knees. Her sobbing had alerted the others and before she had even registered that there were other people around her, Roger had his arms around her and she cried until she felt as if there was not a single tear drop left in her body.

… to be continued

Review please! See that little button on the back of the Maureen doll, right above the star-tattoo on her behind? Press that and hear your Maureen moo! In exchange for reviews for this chapter, you'll get a Joanne action figure whose accessories include suspenders, bottles of champagne and awesome tango skills! Enjoy!