AN: WOW!!!!!! I've gotten so many reviews for that last chapter. (Okay, so it was big for me.) Thanks you guys! ( And to love, I can't promise if Joanne and Maureen will get back together. Joanne will make a guest appearance, though, so keep an eye out for that.)

So the Angel & April guest appearances worked, huh? I can't promise you yet, but it's a possibility they might show up again!

Otherwise, I own nothing.

* * *

Tara ran her fingers over the hospital sheets. Once I think I'm outta of here, it just pulls me back in, she thought, Two freakin' years.

"Ms. Wendko?" One of the doctors stood at the door with a clipboard in his hand. "I need to speak with you."

"I'll be back, 'kay, Dave?" She got up and went over to the door.

"I just want you to know that we're expecting him to make a full recovery. He should be out in a day or so."

"Thanks. That's great."

"However, we did have to get blood samples for drug testing, just to see if there was anything that might have brought this on."

"Well, I can understand that, but I know Dave doesn't do drugs."

"Just a procedure, Ms. Wendko. But we did find something very important. There was evidence of the virus HIV in the-"

"I know." The doctor stared at her. "He contracted it from his boyfriend."

"I see," he said, "I need to fill out an AZT prescription for him. You two can pick some up when he gets discharged."

"Thank you." She looked back into her room. Dying like Mom, but you almost went out like Dad. Tears pinpricked the back of her eyes. I don't want to lose you, too. "Just hold on, okay, Dave?"

"Tara?" Someone put a hand on her shoulder. "Oh, hi, Mark."

"How is he?"

"Fine." She looked away. Hospitals were a great place to contract depression. No wonder nobody liked them.

"Hey, Tara- about, you know, that day. At the Life?" Mark pushed up his glasses. "What, um, were you doing?"

"Waiting for you."

"And Benny? I mean, you know-"

"I didn't." She stared at him. "I never met him until that day."

"Then why were you, you know-"

"Talking with him?" Tara couldn't believe this. He didn't know? Okay, so they had only gone for three weeks, but still it was something he should caught, like the first time they met. "I'm a nice person, Mark. I see someone who's having a bad day, I want to help them out. Listen to them." She started back into the room, and Mark grabbed her wrist. "Remember what Dave told you that first night? About there were no nice people in New York?"

"Of course I do." Memo: Kick self in ass as soon as possible. Mark couldn't believe of how big of an idiot he was. Damn, that was something Old Roger would do. Of course she was a nice girl!

"I thought you weren't like the rest." She pulled away and shut the door.

"Shit." Mark felt like punching the wall at that moment.

* * *

Beep. Beep. "Hey Dave!" Tara yelled. "AZT!"

He popped the pill. "You don't need to remind me."

Tara frowned. "I just wanted to make sure that you're actually taking the stuff. You going out with Collins tonight?"

"Yes, we're meeting out at the Life for coffee and prescription drugs."

Tara glared at him. "Funny. This isn't something to joke about."

"You should talk about your own life."

Mark sat on the couch. "Okay, heads, I apologize, and tails, I get drunk, and try to forget about this whole damn thing." He flipped the coin. "Ah, shit."

* * *

Dave kissed Collins. "Honestly, I can't live with that girl anymore."

"You wanna know a living hell? Live with Benjamin Coffin the Third sometime."

"Oh, no. Ever since the discharge, it's like 'Dave, are you ok? Dave, you gotta take your AZT'." He ran a finger around his glass rim. "She's being so hypocritical, saying I'm so dependent, but she's making me that way."

"Well, maybe you are, and maybe you aren't."

"What does that mean?"

Collins put his hand on Dave's leg. "Ever think 'bout moving in with someone else?"

"You want me to live with you?" Dave felt his heart leap a little. Maybe this was what he needed to become more independent.

"Well, yeah, up in the loft, but we could move somewhere else if you like."

"Collins! That's so great!" Dave gave him a kiss. "When can I move in?"

* * *

Tara propped her feet up on the outside fire escape. This was a ton of fun, spending at night in the city with a nice cooler of liquor. Lonely girl living it up in the big city, she thought, Story of my wonderful, fuckin' life.

She could hear someone knocking on the door. Now, since when did she get visitors? For all, Tara knew, it was probably Dave coming home from his date. "Door's open!" she yelled, before taking a swig of Captain Morgan.

No answer. Well, it might have been some other apartment in this shithole. She didn't really care anymore. It was one thing to lose your parents in a year. It's another to lose your brother and your boyfriend in two weeks.

"You sharing that?" someone asked.

Not just someone. Mark. He had his head hanging out of the window.

"Maybe. There was nothing better I could do tonight."

"Everyone's out and about, but you're stuck at home." He smiled at her.

"Oh, and since did we become the party animal?"

"I never said anything about that."

Tara glared at him. "Really? I don't think I've ever seen you come home drunk."

"Ha ha. Do Meems and Dave keep you up-to-date?"

She nodded while taking another swig. "Last I heard, there was something 'bout you getting a job, I really don't remember what they told me."

"Huh." Christ, Cohen, he thought, what the fuck are you doing? You're not here talk to about your stupid job. "Hey, about what happened at the hospital- I'm, well,-"

"What, sorry?" Tara started laughing. "Oh my God, I can't fuckin' believe you just brought that up. You actually thought I was dating someone else. God, Mark, are you that stupid?"

"Tara, no- well, yeah, actually, but that's not the point. I just, I don't know, took it the wrong wa-Tara?" She was holding on to her sides, and was laughing really hard. "Are you drunk?"

"No. It's just so fuckin' funny. You actually thought that? What, do you think I'm a slut, huh, Marky?" She kicked back another drink. "Boy, if I could'd seen your face when you saw us- why didn't you bring that camera, it's like a body part to you."

"Yeah, you're drunk. Come on, I'll take you back inside."

She pulled away. "Noooo. I'm okay. This is the only thing I've had."

Mark pulled out an empty bottle of drink mix. "Really? I think you need to take a nap."

"Mmm." Tara snuggled herself against Mark's arm. "That sounds nice."

"Yeah, yeah. Come on in." He pulled her into the apartment.

* * *

Dave walked into the loft's kitchen. "God, I never really noticed how ugly this place is."

Mimi laughed. "Be glad you don't live here. Then you'd put up with it every day."

"Well, hopefully, that's going to change soon." He smiled at her.

Mimi looked at him weirdly. What was he talking about? Last she remembered was Dave was pretty much living with Tara because he couldn't make it on his own. Unless- "Did Collins, ask you-" He nodded. "Oh my God, Dave, that's so great! When are you moving in?"

"I really don't know. I want to tell Tara first, and then, I don't know!"

"This is gonna be really interesting."

PS: Ooo! Tara drunk. That turned out…interesting. Anyways, REVIEW! PLEASE! I beg of you! If you do not, I will break up the couples AS WE KNOW IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!