AN: Many thanks to Mari, Elessar, and BohemianCane for reviewing!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, sorry this took forever, but I'm still kinda writing this as I go along. I'll try to be faster with the next segment.

Dave tried to focus, but found that he really couldn't. Wasn't their bathroom ceiling blue? That was his favorite color. He picked it out, Tara did the paint job. It was called Blueberry. He was staring up at a white ceiling. They probably called it-

"Bleach White. Be glad that you can actually see it." Dave looked over at the side of his bed. Two people were standing there. "And I'm glad that you're awake, honey," the taller of the two said. Dave couldn't tell if they were a man or woman, mostly thanks to the voice pitch, and the fact that the person was wearing a white, sparkly dress.

"That was a close one, David. It's a good thing that Tara came in at that time to apologize." The second one sat down, and began stroking his forehead. She smiled down at him. In fact that smile reminded him of- "I know, I know. My ex-boyfriend said the same thing when he met his current girlfriend."

"Aren't we the jealous type?"

"Funny," she said, "Dave, you're a really lucky guy. When I slit my wrists, they came too late." Huh. He hadn't notice the two bandages on her arms. Or on his.

"We know what happened with you and Tom." Her friend put their arms around hers. Now closer, and he still couldn't figure out what the hell this person was supposed to be. "And I want to tell you something very important." Oh, boy, was he going to get a huge long speech? "No. It might sound like that, but I really don't mean it to.

"Dave, like we said, you're special. SO many people love you. Like Tom, and Tara. Mimi adores your shopping tips. Unfortunately they're not as good as mine, but she still appreciates them. Sorry about that, hon."

That's why these people were here? Christ, why didn't he just slit the veins back open. "Oh, no, no, no," the girl said, "What we're here for is to tell you is that you got a second chance. Use this experience to change your life." So? It didn't change the fact that he was going to die.

"Honey, what people don't realize is that we're all gonna die, AIDS or no AIDS. And a lot of them just waste their lives. But you were saved." The other person smiled at him. "We've got a busy night tonight, so we've gotta go. But remember what Tom said to you. Oh, and tell him that I miss him, and I can't wait 'til our next date. Just not that way." The girl just rolled her eyes and smiled.

Dave closed his eyes. What kind of morphine did this place have, anyway?

* * *

Collins laid back on the plastic couch, waiting to hear if Dave woke up or not. And he wanted him to.

"You okay, honey?"

His head snapped up. It couldn't be. Even though it sounded exactly like him and-

"Tom, honey, it's me." He sat down next to Collins on the couch. "I am so happy for you."

"Of what? My-" He had been at loss for words very few times in his life. This was one of them.

"Oh, you can say it." Angel giggled. "Boyfriend. I know everything that happened."

"Yeah. Um, you know, it just- I mean we only went out-"

"Doesn't make a difference. You love him. He loves you. Just because I'm dead doesn't mean you can't have a lasting commitment. No day but today, 'member?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Look, honey." Angel took Collins's head in his hands. "Love Dave as much as you loved me. And help him through this. He's might need it."

"Thanks. You know, I-" He looked up in his ex-boyfriend's eyes. "I still love you."

"I do, too."

Collins woke up, his back hurting from the plastic chair. "I know you do," he whispered.

* * *

Tara stood outside the hospital cafeteria, clutching a Styrofoam cup. Dave-it was almost like Dad. Except he wanted to go quickly.

"I really feel bad for you, y'know?"

Tara looked behind her shoulder. Another girl, with curly brown hair and two wristbands, stood there. "About what?" The girl looked familiar, but at that moment, Tara wouldn't have known her own self.

"About Dave. And your parents," she said, walking up to her, "And Mark." The girl held out a hand. "I'm April."

Tara shook it, but not before she noticed that the bands were stained with blood. Correction: they were bandages. "How did, you know- I mean-"

"I think you know who I am."

Okay, now she was hallucinating. "Well, no. I mean, if you were-are-that April, I mean-" She took a deep breath. "Mark told me you-you-"

"Killed myself, I know. I did it. You wanna go for a walk?"

Screw hallucinating, Tara was going insane. There was no way that she was taking a walk with Roger's dead ex-girlfriend. "How do you know about- you know, Dave?"

"It's really boring being dead, I'll just put it like that."

"Oh." Tara scratched the surface of her cup.

"But," April continued, "I'm not really here to talk about Dave."

She didn't just say that. "You mean he's-"

"He's okay, and awake. Someone's gonna find him, calm down. But I really wanna talk about what happened with you and Mark."

Tara looked away and bit her lip. Not one of the things she was ready to have a long-winded conversation about. "Yeah, um…he-we-broke up."

"It was an accident. It's not like he really wanted to break up with you, but he's got some kind of instinct."

"What do you mean?"

April shrugged. "Personally, I blame Maureen." Ah, yes. Another one of Tara's favorite topics. She had nothing against the woman, but she had heard from Mimi that Maureen didn't like Tara, reasons unknown. "It's just that- Maureen's kind of a flirt. And she cheated on him. And her ex-girlfriend too, now that I think about."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"I wish I were. It was nothing serious, but sometimes they would go out and she would start flirting with everyone in sight. And he really got hurt by it."

"So when he saw Benny and me-"

"Exactly. Listen. Talk to Mark. Tell him what happened. I don't know what he's gonna say, but it's worth a shot."

Tara nodded, and gave April a hug. "Thanks," she whispered, shutting her eyes to hold back tears.

When she opened them again, she was back outside the cafeteria, her coffee still hot.

* * *

Mark opened the fridge and grabbed a beer. God, Tara's brother was one the last people he would've suspected to commit suicide.

Then again, he thought the same about April.

"Honey, he's alive and okay."

That voice sounded way too familiar- especially the fact since he hadn't heard it since last October. "Am I dreaming?"

Angel pushed himself up on the counter. "I don't know. But I'm glad you're still worried about those two."

"What do you mean? Tara and I broke up."

"Oh, I know all about that, Mark honey. Why did you do that?"

Mark couldn't believe it. Him? He was the whole reason because of what happened? "If you didn't know already, she was with Benny."

Angel sighed. "Boy, he does ruin a lot of relationships around here, doesn't he?"

"Seems like it."

"But-" Angel came down from his perch. "You're still at as much fault as Benny is."

"Why? She's the one who had lunch with him."

"Mark, did you ever consider why they were having lunch?"

"Yeah, I did." He knew what he saw.

"Did she tell you her side of it? Why she decided to talk with him while waiting for you? And at the Life, where you two were meeting anyway?"

"Well-" Mark stopped. Holy shit, he didn't. He just thought that, and…"Well, it could have been anything. I'm not a mind reader, Angel. As far as I knew they could have been talking about anything."

"Hm. I suppose you're right. Just remember, Tara is no Maureen. She doesn't believe in flirting around, and was really upset when you two broke up." Angel smiled at him. "By the way, April says hi, too."

Mark found himself standing at the fridge, and the door was open.

* * *

PS: Angel and April, making a very important guest appearance. Does it work?

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