Chapter Sixteen:I Remember When...
As told by Mark
20 June

There will always be days, moments you don't forget.

The day I met Roger, our parents worked together and his mother gave me 5 bucks to "keep an eye on the twins" while she went out with the other two, it was theonly time I've ever got paid to hang out with him...he won it back later thatday in a bet...

The day I had..well, the day Cade happened.

The moment...okay, well, the moments.. I realized Maureen was cheating on me.

Just basic stuff nobody would forget...

And some more stuff "normal" people would forget, because all those rolls of film won't let me forget.

On most days I can push those thoughts to the side, but ever since I met Ella there is one moment I can't push away...

Roger had gone to get some cherries and caramel, the craving at the time for the five month pregnant Mimi while Collins had went to the Life to get some dinner...making a quick stop at a certain rewired ATM.

(June three years previous; Mimi is 5 months pregnant with Noah)

"Mimi, what are you doing?" I bring the camera to my eye after making sure it's rolling.

"Making sure I can still touch my toes." she replies sarcastically, "I can't...I'm trying to...reach."

She's leaning to pick up a spoon that's on the floor. She sighs and drops on the couch, "I'm so damn fat...Mark get the fucking camera out of my face."

I turn it off, "It's just for posterity...the kid."

"Well, just try that when you get your own posterity."

I chuckled, I had and Maureen had given me a huge bruise on my shoulder for a week to show for it, but of course I don't tell Mimi that instead,

"Mimi, to do that I would have to have a wife...or girlfriend."

I sit next to her. And we just kind of sit there waiting forRoger and Collinsto get back.

"Mark?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Have you ever loved someone?"

"I thought I loved Mo." I offered.

"Marky, you're not a very good liar."

I laughed, "I didn't know I was lying."

"Oh! That's so sweet...and pathetic." She squeals.

"You even lied to yourself." She explains.

I try to protest, until I realize she's right.

"Anyone else?" she prompts.

"Then no, Mimi, I've never loved anyone like Roger loves you."

She smiles.

"Can you get my spoon?"

I chuckle and oblige her, leaving my camera to the side. I pick up the spoon (one of the plastic ones we've collected from the Life) and take it into the kitchen to wash it off.
When I come back Mimi has turned the camera on me,

"Zoom in on Mark...who is desperately looking for someone to love."

She's mocking me.

"You'll find her,...or him," She smiles slyly at me, "Hey, maybe that's where you're going wrong...you're looking for the wrong parts."

"I don't think that's it."

"Well, either way, they'll take you by surprise...they'll probably be looking for you...and you'll know."

"Meems, I never you to be a hopeless romantic."

She brings the camera lens sothat they'reparallel to my pants.

"Zoom on Mark," She starts again, "Whose deepest wish is to get someone in his pants..."

I try to dive to retrieve the camera.

"Hey, how are going to explain to your best friend that you were attacking his pregnant girlfriend."

"I'm not attacking you, I'm getting back my camera...which said best friends girlfried stole."

"Roger doesn't know that."

"You wouldn't do that."

"Watch me."

I walk down the street once agian going over what Mimi had said that day.

I stop in front of the place I had stopped in front of for the last five days.

Maybe five months is too soon.

But I can't stop thinking that Ella is what Meems was talking about.

Well, if she says no, I could always pawn it off.

Here goes nothing, I inhale and finally open the door.

The elderly man behind the glass counter smiles, "I was wondering if you were ever going to come in...I think what your looking for is over here."

He leads me to the other side of the room.

Exactly what I'm looking for.

Author's Notes:

This was going to be a poor-Benny chapter, but Mark got the me-first-syndrome. So here it is.

Hope you all like it. I've been dying to write a non-poor-Mark, well there's a little in there but oh, well...
I'm rambling

BwayDiva: Thanks...I hope anticipation didn't get to you to much...Thanks.

Lils: Yeah, I mentioned in the AN for Ch. 14 (#15: the Life she wanted) but I added that shortly after I posted...yeah, "Norbert was(according to the RENT book) an original replacements, specifically for Roger/Adam Pascal andin a even weirder twist Sherie Renee Scott was a replacementfor Maureen Johnson/Idina Menzel)..).which oddly as it is Idina Menzel was a replacement for the role of Amneris in Aida; and Sherie Renee Scott played opposite Adam Pascal who was in Rent with Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs (who was a replacement for Norbert Leo Butz in Wicked"...minorly obbessed with Broadway and did one of those Six Degrees of Seperation things for the RENT cast when I got bored...hope you like this chapter.

carsonheir: yep, comes out 11-11, which would be somewhat interesting if one was to catch an eleven o'clock showing...the official website is ok? but if you can check out the blog...there's a link on the official site...and the trailer was officialy released "7 June."

And to everyone else is even reading it...whether you like it or not...I'm happy you found it and grateful that of all the fics you could read who choose to spend your time reading mine.

I really appreciate it (whether you've reviewed or not)

Hope you all have a good day.

and happy reading

until next time, this is me...signing out.