AN: Thanks to those who reviewed last time. I love yunz!

Very short chap, but big things. I need to write more for this. Also, the rating might go up for language.

"Marky!"

Mark shuddered. "Why does she do that? Why?!"

Tara laughed a little. "Oh, come on. It's not as bad as, say, Pookie, for example." She slung her bag over her shoulder and they started walking toward the front door.

"Hi, Mom." Mark, while completely embarrassed, did manage to give her a hug.

"I've missed you so much! Why don't you show up anymore for the holidays?" Hanna Cohen smiled. "And you are…?"

"Mom, this is my girlfriend, Tara. Tara, sigh this is my mom." Tara started to shake Mrs. Cohen's hand, but ended up hugging her instead.

"She's beautiful, Marky? How did you two end up meeting? You know I'm surprised he can even get a girl at all, carrying around that camera all-"

"Okay, Mom, I think she gets the point."

"It is an amazing thing, isn't it Mrs. Cohen?" Collins and Dave came up behind Tara.

"Thomas Collins, well, I'll be! You've just got the whole group here, haven't you, Mark, hon? Come in, get settled. Dinner's not for another hour and a half."

"Which means Cindy hasn't shown up yet," Mark muttered.

"Oh, be nice," Tara said.

"I have to go out tonight"

Bel left a note on the counter. Going out to meet some friends. Be back before midnight. At least she could trust Mimi with this sort of thing.

Fifteen minutes later, she was waiting outside a club. She didn't get the name of it, but this was where Paul wanted to meet her. She put on some lipstick, and looked around. Where was he?

"Lookin' for someone, Sweetheart?" A man with a dirty brown coat stood like five feet away.

"My boyfriend. Whatsit to you?" Bel stood up more. The last thing she wanted was to get raped.

"I've got somethin' that'll cheer ya up. Won't cost ya much. Free of charge, to be exact."

Bel pressed her lips. She was trying to get clean, some of the reason why she had run away.

But the craving was still there.

"Hey, how much's he chargin' you, babe?" Paul appeared right behind her. "No one shortchanges my girl."

"Hey, Tough Guy, you still owe me froms last week's shit."

Paul, who stood about six-one, and did work out a ton, basically hovered over the other guy. "I toldja, I ain't got the money. Give me another week."

"Fine. My offer's still up, Sweetheart," he said, giving and dark brown smile to Bel.

"Fuck off, asswipe," she said, and walked away.

Mimi threw her keys in the corner. "I just wanna sit down." She hit the couch and sighed. "You," she said, looking directly at her stomach, "are beating the shit out of me."

Mimi stretched from where she was laying. "Hey, Rog!" She waited. Was that-couldn't have been…

Moments later, she found Roger playing in his room. "What are you doing?"

"Practicing."

"Why? Did someone ask you to be in their band?"

"No, not exactly…I'm cutting a demo. Next week."

What? "You're making a tape? Of what?"

He smiled. "Our song."

"I think that's simply awful, the two of you losing your parents at such a young age." Hanna cut her chicken and took another bite. "I mean, it's horrible to lose one, but both, my dear…"

"Mom, stop it." Mark looked over at Tara quickly, and then saw Collins looking over at Dave. Why did she have to bring that up?

"I know, Mrs. Cohen," Tara said, trying to resurrect the conversation, "Dave and I knew how to take care of ourselves."

"Well, I'm just glad you and my Marky found each other."

"God, Marky, I can't believe you found a chick." Cindy Cohen-Lippant smirked at her little brother across the table. "The only thing you were ever capable of loving was that stupid camera."

Mark contemplated the fact for second. "Hey Cindy, where's Jack?"

She stiffened, and then tossed her medium, curly brown hair over her shoulder. "Business trip to Detroit. He sends his regards, Mom." Turning her attention to Tara, she said, "Honestly, the man never had a date in high school. It wasn't until he moved to New York that Marky here actually found some action-"

"Cindy, really, you shouldn't use that kind of language," Hanna interrupted, "and Mark certainly did have dates. What about Nanette Himmelfarb?"

Tara nearly choked on her piece of chicken from laughing at Mark, turning a bright red. Collins just smiled. "Oh, yeah. Mark and Rog used to talk about her all the time," he explained to Dave.

"Hey!" Bel yelled over the thumping music. Paul came over with their drinks; a Coke for her, tequila for him. As he sat down, they kissed, long and hard. "I took care of that guy for you," Paul yelled back.

"My God, what a creep," Bel took a sip of her Coke. "I missed you."

"Where ya stayin' now? Anna's place?"

Bel shook her head. "Nah. My sister's. Avenue B, it's called CyberArts." She blinked a little. Man, did she ever need to get more sleep. "Hey, Paul?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"Can you take me back? I don't feel too-"

The last thing Bel saw before she blacked out was Paul wiping her face down.

"So, little brother," Cindy said, smirking across dessert, "How exactly did you two meet?"

"Broken hot plate," Tara and Dave said at the exact same time.

"Really? So what's like a date for you two, a cheap dinner and film?"

"Cindy, I got a job," Mark groaned.

"And I have managed to sell some of my poems. It's not much but it gets things paid." Tara smiled over at him. Mark only saw one thing that she was begging inside to say: We should tell them.

Mark cleared his throat. "Speaking of getting things paid, Mom, um, Tara and I, well, we're kind of-"

"-putting all of our eggs into one basket, so to speak," Tara finished for him.

"Are you moving out of that squalid loft? Not to offended you but you certainly have your father's talent for messiness, Mark. I mean, it's a wonder how I could have kept this house clean when you kids-"

"No. Um, Mom…Tara and I, well, um-" Tara held up her left hand.

"My dear God." Hanna Cohen almost fainted back into chair.

Cindy gaped. "Not only is he banging you, but you're getting hitched? Wow. Mazel tov, lil' bro, mazel tov." She looked over at a beaming Dave. "Lemme guess: moving to Massachusetts to do the exact same thing?"

Albeit the fact that to Hanna the joke was completely inappropriate, there were still a few smiles cracked-and that Collins had been thinking about something. Just not Massachusetts and weddings. Well, at least his own.

PS: Okay, I want at least seven or more reviews for the next two chapters. If I don't have at least thirty-five after my next update, I will hold the ending for ransom! So please, REVIEW! FLAME! DO SOMETHING!