[AN: This is quite an exciting chapter. Roger is a bad guy. . .but don't worry. His actions will be explained in future chapters. ::lots of scary music::]

Roger walked into the loft late that evening to find Mimi and Maureen asleep on the couch. A snow storm was taking place outside, and he was surprised that the two of them could sleep through the howling wind and hail. He nudged his girlfriend awake.

"Hey."

Mimi yawned and opened her eyes. "Hey. How was the gig?" She could barely see Roger's figure in the darkness. She reached for the lamp and switched it on.

He shrugged. "It was all right. Sorry I stayed so late. The guys and I went out for a drink."

"I can tell. Your breath reeks," Mimi pointed out. "And you're slurring your words."

"I am not!" Roger whined in slightly slurred speech. Mimi would have laughed, but something about him scared her. Roger wasn't himself tonight . . .at least not his normal self. She wondered if Roger was high, but Mimi quickly pushed the question out of her mind. She trusted him.

Roger motioned towards Maureen. "So did everything go ok?"

Mimi sighed and put a hand over her eyes. "No."

"What happened?"

"She didn't do it."

"WHAT?!" Roger gaped at her.

"Shhh!" Mimi glanced at Maureen to make sure she was still asleep. "Yes, Roger. She didn't do it. She couldn't, ok?"

"So she just. . .she just went and then left?!"

Mimi nodded.

"What the fuck was she thinking?! Does Mo realize that this affects US too? It's always been all about her. That self-centered bitch. . ."

"ROGER!"

"What?"

"Shut the fuck up."

Roger stared at Mimi in shock. "You don't talk to me like that!" He attempted to slam his fist on the nearby coffee table and missed.

"Well I just did," Mimi said flatly and ignored his clumsiness and the possible cause of it.

"Why? So you can defend Maureen the Drama Queen?" he shot back with sarcasm.

"Roger, it's not just like getting rid of some crap in the back of your closet. This her baby, ok? Maureen was basically going to kill her baby, and she didn't want to do that. Why can't you just respect her decision?"

"I dunno. Maybe because now we have a fucking pregnant woman living with us! Her pay is shit, so basically we're supporting her. We're already struggling ourselves, Mimi. We have our own problems! I'm not letting her dump this on us!" Roger yelled.

Maureen finally rolled over and opened her eyes. "Meems. . .? Who are you talking to?" She blinked a few times. "Oh hey, Rog. What's wrong?"

Before Roger lost it, Mimi cut in. "Nothing. Go back to sleep, honey. I just have to talk to Roger about something." She glared at him.

Maureen looked from Mimi, to Roger, and then back again. "Seriously. . .what's going on? Oh my god, you told him." Maureen cringed.

"Why the fuck didn't you do it, Mo?! Could you please answer that?" Roger shouted.

"Roger, let's talk about this when you're not. . ." Mimi began.

"I AM NOT HIGH OR DRUNK! I JUST HAD A FEW SHOTS!" Roger turned back to Maureen. "So why?!"

"I don't know! I just couldn't. . ." A tear escaped from the corner of her eye.

"Exactly. You don't know! You're too busy being selfish to realize that this affects everyone. It's not all about you!"

"I. . .I'm really sorry, Rog. . ."

"Well that isn't good enough! So you get an abortion or you're moving out!"

The words seemed to hand in the air for a moment. Mimi, Maureen, and even Roger had to stop a moment to take it in. Mimi returned to her place on the couch and wrapped her arms around sobbing Maureen.

"It's ok," she murmured as she stroked her hair. "He didn't mean it. He's not thinking straight. And I won't let him."

"I think I know what the fuck I mean when I say it!" Roger was enraged. "Go ahead! Take HER side! See if I care!"

Maureen stood and threw her arms in the air. "Stop it! Just. . .just stop! I don't want to be the cause of this. Please. . .stop fighting. Please. . .I don't want . . ."

Roger turned back to Maureen. "If you weren't such a whore this never would have happened! You were stupid enough to go and sell yourself. . ."

"No!" Maureen sobbed. "Don't say that!"

"It's true! You know it's true! God, do you EVER stop crying?! Maureen, LISTEN to me!" He knocked the lamp over. The light bulb flickered and went out.

"ROGER!" Mimi yelled.

"What?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Roger turned to his girlfriend with eyes blazing so fiercely that they were visible in the dimly lit apartment. Mimi's stomach dropped. She had never seen him so angry before, and there was no telling what he was going to do.

"You don't EVER talk to me like that again!" Roger cornered Mimi and raised a fist.

"No!" Maureen screamed as he brought down his strong hand across Mimi's face.

Mimi cowered in the corner and touched her left cheekbone gingerly. She winced as it stung with pain. "Meems, oh my god. . .are you ok?" Maureen moved towards her, but she was stopped by Roger. "Don't touch me!" She pushed him away. "You hit her, Roger. Oh my god. . .what's wrong with you? Do you even know what you just did? This isn't ever about her!"

"Don't, Mo," Mimi said quietly. "He's drunk. . .or he's on something. . .he doesn't know what he's doing. . ."

Roger wheeled around to Maureen. "You're right. It's not about her. It's about you! You had to come here and ruin everyone's lives!"

"That's not true!" Maureen had never seen Roger like this in her life. Something was very wrong.

"You cheated on Mark. You cheated on Joanne. You moved in with us and expect us to support you and this baby of yours! You can't expect us to be sympathetic . . . it's your own fault that you're a slut! You had an opportunity to fix everything, Mo, but you didn't do it! So like I said, get an abortion or move out!"

"You bastard!"

Roger shoved Maureen roughly slamming her into the wall. Her body lay entangled on the floor, limp and lifeless.

"Maureen! Oh my god . . ." Mimi tore across the room despite her throbbing cheek and kneeled beside her unconscious friend. She was breathing, but totally knocked out. Mimi's tear-stained face looked up at the face of the man she had loved until that night. "You hurt her," she sobbed. "I can't believe you tried to hurt her . . ." Roger's expression did not change. He showed no sign of feeling or regret in the least. Mimi's feelings of sadness and terror were quickly replaced with anger. "Get out of here," Mimi snarled at him. "Stay away me! And don't you ever, EVER touch Maureen! I never want to see you again!" The ease in which those last words flew out of her mouth surprised Mimi. Never in her life had she imagined saying it to Roger.

"Good." Roger's stone cold eyes proved that he meant it. He grabbed his jacket and left, slamming the door behind him.

Mimi shook Maureen slightly. "Mo? Maureen, wake up. Please be ok . . ." She cradled Maureen's head in her lap.

After a few minutes, Maureen's eyes fluttered open. "Mimi. . .it hurts. It hurts so bad."

"Don't worry, honey. I'm going to get you to the hospital so we can make sure the baby's ok."

"Oh my god, the baby!" Maureen whimpered. "He tried to hurt me, Meems. He really wanted to hurt my baby. I'm so sorry, Mimi. . .I'm so sorry he hit you. . ."

Mimi touched her swollen cheekbone and winced. "And to think that I loved him. . ."

[AN-::hugs Maureen and Mimi:: I'm sowwie I had to hurt them. . .please don't kill me! ::runs:: Review and make my day!]