A/N: Still hoping to be contacted by someone telling me I now own RENT.

Still not happening.

A short, angsty chapter.

Drama brought to you by the world's favourite drama queen: Maureen.

Here I was, freaking out, still in Joanne's bed. I was pulling on my leather pants, about to go back to the loft, when I realized something. It was way too late, time-wise. It was way past the time I should've been back if I was only having coffee. So, my brilliant brain thought of a great excuse. It would also buy me more time with Joanne.

"Hey, Jo, can I use your phone?" I asked her.

"Umm... in a sec. Maureen, who's Mark?" she asked me. Then, I realized that I'd never told her I had a boyfriend.

"Okay, Jo, don't be mad, I just forgot to tell you, it was an honest mistake. Mark is... my boyfriend," I told her. She looked kind of stunned, which I guess makes sense, since I'd just had sex with a woman, and now I was telling her about my boyfriend.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a boyfriend. More importantly, I didn't know you cheated," she said coldly. "Well, I guess you better use the phone, cover it up. Go make up an excuse. Please, I don't want him to find out about me," she told me. So I went and called Mark from her phone.

"Hey, can I talk to Marky?" I asked when Roger picked up. He passed the phone to Mark.

"Maureen! Where are you? I thought you said you were just having coffee."

"I was, Marky... but then we went home to her house. She and I were just watching sappy romantic comedies on the couch. It's just that we haven't seen each other in years... and I just forgot the time. I'm so sorry, Marky, never meant for it to happen. I promise."

"I see... what was this friend's name again?"

"Joanne," I responded automatically.

"I see... is she there? May I please speak to her?" he asked, suspiciously.

"You don't believe me?" I pleaded.

"I just want to make sure," he told me, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Okay, let me go get her." I went to Joanne's room. "Hey, Jo, can you talk to Mark? He doesn't believe me, so could you just tell him that we're just hanging out at your house... watching romantic comedies?"

"You want me to lie and cover for you?"

"Yes, just this once, I swear it'll never happen again. Just once, for me, babe?"

"Fine, for you. Stay here." And with that she got up and went to the phone. This is what I heard from her end of the conversation.

"Hello? Yes, I am. Joanne Jefferson. I met Maureen in... high school. We just met up again on the subway when we were going to work... I asked her to join me for coffee. And then we came back here. I guess she forgot... sorry. Yeah. America's Sweethearts and American Pie 1 and 2. Okay... yes, I'm just getting over a nasty breakup. And they help... yeah. Sorry, want her to go home? Okay then. Should she stay here with me then? We can have dinner here. Yes, there's room. Don't worry... she'll go back in the morning? She has the car. All right, nice talking to you, Mark. Goodbye." Then she hung up and came back into the bedroom.

"You're safe for today. Roger has a gig tonight, so you're staying with me. You'll go back tomorrow morning. But don't expect me to do that ever again."

"Yes! Thank you Joanne!! I love you! You're my hero!" I yelled, jumping up and down. Then I kissed her. We settled back onto the bed.

We stayed up most of the night making passionate love, as both of us knew we would do the second Joanne got off the phone. By this time I was definitely feeling a guilty vibe. I felt really bad doing this to my Marky. I promised myself that I'd never do it again, never see Joanne again. Because I loved Mark, right? I was in love with him.

This thing with Joanne must be a fling, a one-night stand. Mark was forever. Or so I thought.

But Joanne was really growing on me. I justified the actions of that night by saying that a) Mark had totally allowed me to do this, b) it was only for one night, no more, and c) I would never see Joanne again. I wouldn't let myself. So I let myself have fun, love it while it lasted. Live in the moment, that's what I always say.

After I had that conversation in my head, I made myself forget abut Mark and concentrate on the one who was here right now, in front of me: Joanne. That method worked, and I started to enjoy myself again. For the moment.

After many hours (it was quite dark now) we'd gotten tired of sex, for the monemt. We dragged urselves into Joanne's tiny kitchen for some food. I had a bowl of cereal and a banana. She had leftover spaghetti and an apple. We both drank seltzer.

We finally decided it was time to go to sleep. We laid down again in the bed. She fell asleep immediately.

I couldn't sleep, however. Guilty thoughts of Mark were flashing through my mind again.I thought of his sweet face. Then it was crumpled, crying because of what I'd done to him. He was then trying to stop, not to cry. His look of misery was replaced by one of fury. His face contorted in rage, he squinted at me thoughevil eyes. They were glowing red. He took a stickfrom the ground and started to hit me.

I woke up crying.

I tried to fall back asleep but every dream I had was similar. Mark was always the center. Finally I gave up on sleep and just watched Joanne. I felt my eyes drift closed, but in my mind I could still see her, slumbering peacefully. Soon, as it often happens in dreams, things began to change. She was no longer in her bed. She was in mine, back at the loft. Then, slowly but surely, she morphed into Mark. Then Mark woke up. He said to me, "Who is Joanne? Why were you sleeping with her? I thought you loved me, Maureen. What happened?"

In my dream I broke down crying. I started screaming, "But I do love you! I do! I didn't mean for it to happen this way! Really! Please, Mark! Don'tdo this to me!"

He looked at me. "Don't do this to you? To you? As if you're the hurt one? Don't play martyr, Maureen. You've done this enough."

I heard his voice change halfway through his last speech. Now it was deeper, sexier. I looked up into the piercing green eyes of Roger. He glared hungrily at me. He pressed me up against a wall. He ripped my shirt off and started caressing me.

"Let go! Stop it, now! I hate you! Stop! Mark! Help me! Please!!!!!" I screamed, still crying. But Mark, still in the bedroom, pretended not to hear me. He shut his eyes and rolled over, turning the other way. I was in Roger's power, and Mark was just lying there, letting his rape me.

But I had had enough of being raped. I screamed and thrashed and cried. No matter how much I begged him, Mark would not come save me. And that feeling was the worst in the world.

When I woke up in the morning, my pillow was stained with tears.