Chapter 2: And It's Beginning To Snow
December 24th. 10am Eastern Standard Time - 1998
"I love this time of the year." Mimi spoke as her and Roger walked down the street towards the usual Christmas tree vender on Avenue B. On top of the two sweaters, Roger had also added his jacket on Mimi to shield the bitter cold air.
"I don't. I hate the cold." He responded, arm wrapped around her waist loosely.
"Yeah, me too, but the holiday I mean.." She stuttered a little bit over her words, leaning into him a bit as they walked. Her head was throbbing and her body ached but she pushed aside the thought of pain, wanting to make the best of the day for Roger at least. "You know...this is going to be our last Christmas together." She said quietly knowing it was probably the wrong thing to say.
Roger slowed down his pace at walking and looked down at her, "Hey...don't say that. I don't want to discuss this now..." He quickly said shaking his head a bit.
Mimi didn't look at him but stared straight ahead of her. "You never want to talk about it." She responded, again lowly her tone a bit bitter, a tiny bit colder then she had meant it to come out.
"Another day..." He started before dead panning - voice drifting into the air. Mimi fell silent a bit agitated. Another day but today... She remembered that quite clearly - three Christmas's ago.
No day but today.
"One day it will be too late." She whispered to herself barely audible.
She knew it was hard for him to accept what their futures were going to amount to, but she decided it would be best not to say more.
"Hey, you want to get something to eat at The Life?" Roger asked breaking the silence between them and looked down at her offering a grin.
Mimi shook her head, "I'm not hungry but if you want to we can."
A dim frown amounted on his lips, "You haven't eaten in about a week, Meems'."
She shrugged, "Don't worry, I'll eat when I'm hungry."
Roger stared at her for a brief moment as she looked away across the street towards the empty lot that was filled with tree's resting on their sides and along the walls. He knew she had lost a drastic amount of weight but forcing her to eat, wasn't the easiest thing to do. Sighing he dismissed the subject, "Promise you'll-" He stared but got caught off by the smile that rose on Mimi's face before she turned to him.
"Hey, It's beginning to snow."
Roger managed to grin weakly at her before she kissed his cheek. "Come on." She said grabbing his hand in hers and starting across the street as white crystals danced around them.
Tossing a stack load of old lyrics and useless film plans into the wood burner, Mark rubbed his hands together next to the hot heat that he prayed would start to warm up the living room. Sitting down on the area rug he turned the camera on and turned around towards the others hoping to capture the moment behind the lense.
December 24th 11 PM Eastern Standard Time, it was hard to believe this year went by so fast. A blanket of snow now covered a inch on the ground and flurries were still falling across the ebony sky illuminated by the full moon.
"Should we put a angel or a star on the tree?" Maureen asked as she hovered over the pine tree, that Roger and Mimi had brought home with them that afternoon. It was almost painful to look at her as she was dressed in a vibrant green and red skirt blouse outfit. Joanne knelt down, hair flowing over her face as she continued to go through a small cardboard box of old ornaments they would dig out of the loft every year in attempt to bring in some Christmas spirit into the loft.
"Does it really matter?" Roger remarked lounged back on the couch, arms around Mimi who was prompted up in his lap, head leaned back, tiredly, on his shoulder.
"How bout an angel? We can all use an angel to look over us." Collins responded from the kitchen as he brewed a batch of coffee. Roger prayed it would be better then Mark's creation this morning.
"Angel it is." Maureen responded cheerfully as Joanne handed her the fragile angel tree topper and placed it on top carefully glad the tree wasn't much taller then she.
"It's done!" Maureen yelled suddenly causing them all to jump a bit. "Plug the lights in Pookie?" She asked Joanne who was kneeling down on the ground close to the electric extension cord.
"One...two...three!" Joanne exclaimed before plugging it in. Maureen shrieked in awe placing her hands together as they all observed the multi colored lights on the tree.
Mark stood up before turning the camera around in attempt to get some footage of himself. "The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of 1998." Roger made some remark along the extent of a 'hey!'. Spinning the camera in on the tree he smiled to himself.
"It's gorgeous. Good job you two." Mimi exclaimed with a smile as she stared at the tree. Her last Christmas tree.. Roger kissed the side of her head as he gazed at the bright lights that lit up the room along with the burner. The rainbow colors illuminated on to the ceiling above them almost looking like multi colored stars.
"Merry Christmas everyone!" Maureen smiled before sitting back down next to Joanne wrapping an arm around her. Everyone mumbled a Merry Christmas back tiredly.
Mark focused the camera on Mimi and Roger who didn't seem to take notice of it at all, too pre-occupied with one another, whispering in each others ears, kissing, and giggling like teenagers. It was the first time in awhile Mark felt like things were back to how they always were.
He then moved the focus from the two to Joanne and Maureen who were both staring at the tree, talking quietly amongst themselves. Joanne seemed to take notice of Mark and hid behind Maureen's big head who didn't seem to care as she beamed up at him with a smile. Smiling a bit he shut the camera off before placing it on the coffee table.
Collins, who wore a limp santa hat walked in and passed around coffee mugs to everyone and held his cup out, "A toast to a very Merry Christmas." He grinned softly.
"And a Happy New Year!" Mark added holding his mug up into the air as he stood beside Collins.
"To health." Roger added from the other side of the room.
Mimi nodded resting her head back on to his shoulder and raised her own cup, "And love."
"To me!" Maureen squealed out of nowhere smiling brightly. Everyone stared at her blankly, "Hey! I'm just kidding guys... To family!"
Everyone took a sip of their coffee and made themselves comfortable around the warm fire as they awaited the morning hours of Christmas day.
A/N: Hmm a short chapter but alright. Well I already have about 4 chapters written and I do have some sort of direction. Go me! My muse is alive! I'm not updating till I get reviews. Hehe bribbing now I am. =]
December 24th. 10am Eastern Standard Time - 1998
"I love this time of the year." Mimi spoke as her and Roger walked down the street towards the usual Christmas tree vender on Avenue B. On top of the two sweaters, Roger had also added his jacket on Mimi to shield the bitter cold air.
"I don't. I hate the cold." He responded, arm wrapped around her waist loosely.
"Yeah, me too, but the holiday I mean.." She stuttered a little bit over her words, leaning into him a bit as they walked. Her head was throbbing and her body ached but she pushed aside the thought of pain, wanting to make the best of the day for Roger at least. "You know...this is going to be our last Christmas together." She said quietly knowing it was probably the wrong thing to say.
Roger slowed down his pace at walking and looked down at her, "Hey...don't say that. I don't want to discuss this now..." He quickly said shaking his head a bit.
Mimi didn't look at him but stared straight ahead of her. "You never want to talk about it." She responded, again lowly her tone a bit bitter, a tiny bit colder then she had meant it to come out.
"Another day..." He started before dead panning - voice drifting into the air. Mimi fell silent a bit agitated. Another day but today... She remembered that quite clearly - three Christmas's ago.
No day but today.
"One day it will be too late." She whispered to herself barely audible.
She knew it was hard for him to accept what their futures were going to amount to, but she decided it would be best not to say more.
"Hey, you want to get something to eat at The Life?" Roger asked breaking the silence between them and looked down at her offering a grin.
Mimi shook her head, "I'm not hungry but if you want to we can."
A dim frown amounted on his lips, "You haven't eaten in about a week, Meems'."
She shrugged, "Don't worry, I'll eat when I'm hungry."
Roger stared at her for a brief moment as she looked away across the street towards the empty lot that was filled with tree's resting on their sides and along the walls. He knew she had lost a drastic amount of weight but forcing her to eat, wasn't the easiest thing to do. Sighing he dismissed the subject, "Promise you'll-" He stared but got caught off by the smile that rose on Mimi's face before she turned to him.
"Hey, It's beginning to snow."
Roger managed to grin weakly at her before she kissed his cheek. "Come on." She said grabbing his hand in hers and starting across the street as white crystals danced around them.
Tossing a stack load of old lyrics and useless film plans into the wood burner, Mark rubbed his hands together next to the hot heat that he prayed would start to warm up the living room. Sitting down on the area rug he turned the camera on and turned around towards the others hoping to capture the moment behind the lense.
December 24th 11 PM Eastern Standard Time, it was hard to believe this year went by so fast. A blanket of snow now covered a inch on the ground and flurries were still falling across the ebony sky illuminated by the full moon.
"Should we put a angel or a star on the tree?" Maureen asked as she hovered over the pine tree, that Roger and Mimi had brought home with them that afternoon. It was almost painful to look at her as she was dressed in a vibrant green and red skirt blouse outfit. Joanne knelt down, hair flowing over her face as she continued to go through a small cardboard box of old ornaments they would dig out of the loft every year in attempt to bring in some Christmas spirit into the loft.
"Does it really matter?" Roger remarked lounged back on the couch, arms around Mimi who was prompted up in his lap, head leaned back, tiredly, on his shoulder.
"How bout an angel? We can all use an angel to look over us." Collins responded from the kitchen as he brewed a batch of coffee. Roger prayed it would be better then Mark's creation this morning.
"Angel it is." Maureen responded cheerfully as Joanne handed her the fragile angel tree topper and placed it on top carefully glad the tree wasn't much taller then she.
"It's done!" Maureen yelled suddenly causing them all to jump a bit. "Plug the lights in Pookie?" She asked Joanne who was kneeling down on the ground close to the electric extension cord.
"One...two...three!" Joanne exclaimed before plugging it in. Maureen shrieked in awe placing her hands together as they all observed the multi colored lights on the tree.
Mark stood up before turning the camera around in attempt to get some footage of himself. "The Charlie Brown Christmas Tree of 1998." Roger made some remark along the extent of a 'hey!'. Spinning the camera in on the tree he smiled to himself.
"It's gorgeous. Good job you two." Mimi exclaimed with a smile as she stared at the tree. Her last Christmas tree.. Roger kissed the side of her head as he gazed at the bright lights that lit up the room along with the burner. The rainbow colors illuminated on to the ceiling above them almost looking like multi colored stars.
"Merry Christmas everyone!" Maureen smiled before sitting back down next to Joanne wrapping an arm around her. Everyone mumbled a Merry Christmas back tiredly.
Mark focused the camera on Mimi and Roger who didn't seem to take notice of it at all, too pre-occupied with one another, whispering in each others ears, kissing, and giggling like teenagers. It was the first time in awhile Mark felt like things were back to how they always were.
He then moved the focus from the two to Joanne and Maureen who were both staring at the tree, talking quietly amongst themselves. Joanne seemed to take notice of Mark and hid behind Maureen's big head who didn't seem to care as she beamed up at him with a smile. Smiling a bit he shut the camera off before placing it on the coffee table.
Collins, who wore a limp santa hat walked in and passed around coffee mugs to everyone and held his cup out, "A toast to a very Merry Christmas." He grinned softly.
"And a Happy New Year!" Mark added holding his mug up into the air as he stood beside Collins.
"To health." Roger added from the other side of the room.
Mimi nodded resting her head back on to his shoulder and raised her own cup, "And love."
"To me!" Maureen squealed out of nowhere smiling brightly. Everyone stared at her blankly, "Hey! I'm just kidding guys... To family!"
Everyone took a sip of their coffee and made themselves comfortable around the warm fire as they awaited the morning hours of Christmas day.
A/N: Hmm a short chapter but alright. Well I already have about 4 chapters written and I do have some sort of direction. Go me! My muse is alive! I'm not updating till I get reviews. Hehe bribbing now I am. =]