Disclaimer: Don't own it.

Author's notes: Here's the next one. It's really only an interlude to show some stuff that Mark and Roger are thinking. I know that they seem kind of OOC, but I was kind of drawing from them, and what the situation would feel like and combining them.

Thanks for the reviews.

Italics are flashbacks.

Interlude One

Roger brushed away the snow on the ground a little before kneeling down in front of Angel's tombstone. It was the three month check in with Angel. The entire group had come. One at a time they would each go up and talk to Angel. A lot of the time Roger blew these things off. It didn't really make sense to him to talk to some one that was dead. But this time he had to come. "Hey Angel." He waited a minute as though she was responding. It was easier that way…to pretend that she was there. "I know that I don't always come to talk to you like the other's do, but I know that you can understand that. You were the most understanding person I know."

He paused again. "Angel, I don't know what to do. I know that Collins has told you that Mark got attacked. Since then we've had a fight. A big one. And I've realized that he was right….but every time that I try to apologize, he ignores me. The only time he talks to me is to remind me to take my meds. He doesn't talk to anyone and I don't know why. He's pushing us all away, and it scares me."

"Guys I think that we have a problem." Roger had gathered them at the Life Café a week after his fight with Mark. Maureen, Joanne, and Collins. "It's Mark." He had thought for a moment that they would be confused and wouldn't believe him. But Joanne was quick to agree.

"You mean Mr. Fuck Off?" She scoffed. The language was different for Joanne, the big hint that she really knew what was going on.

Roger winced. "That would be the one."

Then again, they didn't all get it. "So he's been a little pissy for a week." Maureen shrugged. "Me and Joanne get like his once a month and you're never this concerned."

"He hasn't said a word to me or Roger for a week. Just tells us to take our AZT." Collins had experienced the wrath of Mark first hand when trying to get him to talk. It hadn't been pretty. "Ever since his mom and step dad came to visit."

Joanne frowned. "Why is that bad?"

Roger hung his head. "I don't know. I mean I know it was a bad day for him. I know that his mom helped him run away because of something that his stepfather did, and I know that he hates her because she wouldn't leave him. But I don' know what his stepfather did."

Collins put a hand out. "We'll all work on him. And if that doesn't work we'll figure something else out."

"Yeah sure."

"Angel, you know that I don't scare easily. But Mark is scaring me. He's just not himself. I want to be able to just have things go back to normal.

"And I know what you'd say. You'd say that you have to just let things run their course, and that he'll come around on his own, because he may be a scrawny little filmmaker, but he can be a tough scrawny little filmmaker if he really wants to be, and for once he needs to just do things his way. And I know that you're right. But it makes me feel helpless." After a long intake of breath he spoke again. "Thanks for listening Angel, I'll be back soon."

Two people later and it was Mark's turn. Normally Mark loved the trips to Angel, but today he hadn't wanted to come. Today they had forced him to leave the lot. Maureen, Joanne, Collins, and Roger. They were all standing a couple of rows of tombstones away, where they always stood, and they were watching him. He knew they were hoping for him to let it all out with Angel, and then maybe he'd be OK.

"Well, hey Angel." It was the most awkward greeting he had ever given her, because today he didn't want to talk. He wanted to just forget. "I don't know what to say, because I haven't sorted things out myself. Angel, you're the only one that I ever told about my step father."

"Honey, how'd you meet Roger?" Angel was smiling as she curled on the couch, taking a cup of tea from Mark gratefully.

It was just after New Years. Roger was somewhere with Mimi, and Collins was teaching, so they had chosen to hangout together. "It was when I was fifteen." Mark sighed, looking at his own tea for a moment, sitting next to her. "I was running away from home, and he brought me here."

Angel took a sip of her tea. "And you never left when you finished school?"

"I tried to…but that didn't work out." Again he was looking at his cup of tea. "And when I came back Roger needed me. So no, I never really left."

"Why'd you run away?" For some reason the question coming from Angel sounded so much easier to answer than it had when Roger had asked it.

It still flustered him though. "I…well…uh…"

"It's OK if you don't want to tell me hon." Angel put a sympathetic hand on his.

"No. It's just…I ran because of my stepfather." It sort of just came out with Angel, and then he looked at his tea again.

She didn't say anything for a moment, just looked into blue eyes that seemed almost lost. "He didn't treat you right did he Hon?"

Just looking at her he knew that she knew exactly what had happened. Even without his explanation. "Yeah."

"It gets better if you talk about it. I'm here if you need it."

"Well he came up to visit two weeks ago, so I guess that kind of explains things to you anyways."

Mark stood, sticking his hands in his pockets, feeling the crumpled paper, and the cold plastic; feeling the new part of his life. "I'm sorry Angel. That was probably the worst talk we've had." So he turned and left. Not just Angel's grave, but the graveyard, without a word to anybody. Tears were gathering in his eyes again, like they had for over four weeks. But he wouldn't let them fall as he found his way into the bar across the street. Tears were not allowed to fall.

There's the interlude.