Disclaimer: I don't own RENT or any characters, lyrics borrowed, or plot references. They belong to Jonathan Larson

Enjoy.

MIMI

Winter had long passed on the dirtied streets of New York City, home of starving artists, hundreds of homeless, and business executives. She missed the winter; she missed the seemingly innocent picture of snow on the sidewalks below. She missed the dirt that seemed to reveal itself so openly during winter's harsh months. Now that it was spring, the dirt could hide. Fucking cowards. Mimi pulled her hair up into a ponytail and looked at her deteriorating complexion in the mirror. She leaned in and began to poke and the sagging skin beneath her eyes. She had lost twenty-pounds so far. AIDS was really a wonderful diet. Groaning at the pain that began to build behind her eyes and in her lungs, Mimi gripped the countertop until the tremors passed. They always did, nowadays they just took longer. Her eyes welled up but one minute passed, then two, and the pain was gone. She popped her AZT and a few prescribed pain pills. It was useless now though, she always knew it eventually would be.

Walking out of the bedroom she stopped to look at the bed she shared with Roger. Rolled over on his side Roger was sound asleep. Mimi smiled softly at him, she always loved to watch Roger sleep. Gently she walked over to him and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. Roger stirred. He opened his right eye and looked up at Mimi. Grinning he asked, "Going somewhere?" Her smile reappeared. "I'll be back in an hour or so." Roger looked up at her and saw something flash in her brown eyes. "Want me to join?" He asked cautiously. Mimi shook her head. "Not this time."

Roger nodded and soon fell back asleep. Mimi kissed him once more and closed their bedroom door behind her as she left. In the den she saw the glow of television screens and she snickered. Mark was up. She walked over and tapped on the door frame. Mark's thick glasses looked up at her. He eyed and her and waved her in. "What's up?" Mimi shrugged, "Going out for a bit. Probably to the park. Need to think some things over."

Mark understood, so he simply nodded in response. "I think I've finally finished Collin's montage." Mimi looked relieved. "Is it any good?" She asked him. Mark grinned at her playful tone. "I'll let you decide once I'm done." He replied. Mimi nodded, "I'm sure it will be Marky, Angel's was beautiful." Mark looked up at Mimi and she saw the pain that continued to build behind the blue depths. She couldn't take it anymore. She cleared her throat.

"I'll be back in a while Mark."

"Does Roger know you're heading out?"

Mimi cocked her head to the side, "Of course, I told him."

Mark nodded. "Later then."

"Bye." Mimi whispered. She turned around and left the apartment. Shoving her hands into the jacket she borrowed from Roger she jogged down the steps and out of the dumpy building that littered Avenue B. Alphabet City was just a joke. She looked up at the sun that rose over the city and breathed in the polluted scent of New York. Sadly enough, she knew she'd miss it. She would miss a lot once she left.

Death had plagued her mind for a few weeks. I guess most people with a terminal illness finally know when to give up and let go. Mimi had reached that point. She wondered if it would be painful. She wondered if Angel or Collins's death had been painful. Tears burned behind her eyes as she thought about them. Angel's death had changed everything. At first it seemed to tear everything apart, inevitably it brought everyone back together. She had known Angel through life-support. Life support is for people coping with life, you don't have to stay too long… It was in life support that Mimi had learned to cope with the inevitable, and to embrace the days she had, instead of cowering of the day that lay ahead.

Mimi finally reached her destination. The City Park. Since Collin's death, she and Roger had found a solace in the park benches and the innocent sing-song voices of the children that played there. Mimi shook her head, she hoped they never had to face reality. Reality was cold and calculating, she should know, it had bitch slapped her onto her ass. She sat down and stared through her fingers and knees at the gravel beneath her. Angel filled her mind once more. She choked back a laugh as she remembered that Angel always had her word. And it was always right. She remembered Angel's memorial:

Angel was one of my closest friends. It's right that it's Halloween,

because it was her favorite holiday. I knew we'd hit it off from

the moment we met. That skin head was bothering her, and she said

she was more of a man than he'd ever be, and more of a woman than

he'd ever get...

Mimi sobbed into her hand. Angel's funeral had been one of the toughest things she had ever done in her life. The second-saying goodbye to Roger last Christmas Eve. She leaned back into the bench, she hated saying goodbye the first time, she had no idea how she would do it again. She covered her face with her hands.

Collin's funeral had been a little bit easier. A little. Collins was the wisest man she had ever known. True she was only twenty-one, but most girls tend to think that their daddies are pretty damn wise. Collins took it all though. He was smart, a genius by all means, but misunderstood by the technologically advanced Americans by every means. I teach Computer Age Philosophy, but my students would rather watch TV…Collins memorial had been just as heartfelt as Angel's had been. Mimi understood how painful Angel's death had been to Collins. That was Mimi's biggest problem, she understood emotions perfectly. Collins had died a few days after the New Year. "Happy New Year…" she sang softly. Mimi felt the tears fall, she slowly ran her fingers under her eyes and saw the blackened tears. Eyeliner would be in rivers down her face by the time she returned to the loft.

Gradually she stood up and waited for the blood to reach all muscles before she began to walk further into the park. A few late morning joggers passed her, and Mimi smiled her greetings. She tried to hide from the one person that would have her on her knees in pain, instead she thought about Maureen and Joanne. Things had quieted down considerably between the two. They had finally gotten it. Mimi did a silent victory dance in her mind. Dance…

God how she missed dancing. A few months ago the manager had come up to her. "Mimi love, you're just too weak to continue dancing. Besides, you look sick now. You just don't pay as much as you used to." Mimi didn't look at her manager in anger. She had understood. He hadn't meant to be cruel, but money was money and healthy bodies brought that in. Despite her efforts to maintain a confident posture, her eyes had teared up as she left the club forever. It was a living. It promised a sense of normalcy, however warped that seemed.

She ducked her head and memories of Mark's strong demeanor filled her. Grinning she thought fondly of Marky. Her Marky. He had so often stood up to Roger for her. When Roger was determined to leave for Santa Fe, he had seen right through it. Even told Roger so. Mimi still loves Roger, is Roger really jealous, or afraid that Mimi's weak? He had desperately told Roger, hoping that Roger would take the bate. He relented that Mimi looked pale, but in the end, Roger had run off.

That moment was the breaking point for Mimi. Despite their arguments, despite her fling with Benny, she had hoped that she and Roger would be able to smooth things over. Eventually they had, but it had taken months, months that took their toll on Mimi. After Roger left, Benny had offered to pay to send her to Rehab, at first she accepted. Eventually fear set in and she ran off. She began to live on the streets and off people's wasteful habits of dumping food. She quit drugs the hard way, and often found herself in alleys on all fours sweating profusely and screaming endlessly. No one ever answered her calls. Fall eventually turned to winter, and with the bare trees came to the depletion of her immune system. On Christmas Eve she huddled on a bench shivering for the warmth that refused to come. That's when Maureen and Joanne had shown up. They carried her back to the loft, and Mimi saw Roger for the first time in months. Even in her dire state, his eyes still made her knees weak. She had told him goodbye that night. I should tell you I love you- Afterwards the world around her grew dim, and only Roger's voice remained.

She awoke that night in Roger's arms and since then they had been inseparable. They still argued, Roger was still scared shitless, and Mimi was still as crazy as ever. They were opposites, Mimi knew it. She loved him all the same. She pushed the heel of her hand into her mouth. She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want him to live through another death, another Mimi death. Tears flowed freely down her paled complexion. He knew she was soon to die. But how do you cope with that? You don't. You pretend. He pretended that she was fine, and Mimi pretended that the fear in his eyes didn't exist. It was just the two of them, it would always be the two of them. She tried her hardest to divert her memories to something calmer to her family to the world around her. Roger plagued her mind though. She had to do it. Tonight. God give her courage.

She walked back to the loft willing the tears to dry, at least for now. She couldn't go upstairs a mess, it would send him into a panic. Sweet Roger. Once she finally reached the building she looked up at their loft and the empty lot beside it. Benny's business had yet to build anything. Sighing she looked up. No day but today, right?

A/N: A bit longer than Collins's entry, but they'll get longer as the point of views change. I hope you enjoyed it. If so, I have a few other stories you may just enjoy.

And I'm Alone- my first Mark one-shot fic.

For Once I didn't disengage- My first Roger one-shot fic

Will I Wake Tomorrow- my first Mimi one-shot fic (all three are first person point of views)

And my first multi-chapter Rent fic- Give into Love.

Remember (hah no pun intended) that there will be three more chapters with three different leading characters.

REVIEW please, I just like to know if you've enjoyed it or would like to critize it.