Disclaimer: Still don't own it.
Author's notes: Nothing to add this chapter. Just edited the ending a little.
Italics are flashbacks.
"Roger!" All traces of Anger left Mimi's face and she rushed forward, hugging the musician with a force that caused him to drop the little white bag that held the prescriptions.
"Mimi." Roger repeated in a shocked tone. He didn't return the hug, but at the moment he was having a hard time doing anything. "What are you-."
"It's so good to see you!" Mimi pulled away, doing a little twirl as she grinned. "I missed you so much."
"I uh…where have you been?" Roger was able to ask the question that Mark had been unable to formulate just minutes ago. He was most definitely shocked about seeing her at the loft, and he was naturally curious…about everything.
"I went back to my mom. She put me through rehab. I'm clean now Baby." She put a hand on his arm, bringing him further into the loft. "I'm clean, and I'm not dancing anymore. I got a job at the Macy's. It's really boring but it pays better than the Cat Scratch ever did." Mimi was positively glowing, and hanging onto Roger, like she had before she disappeared. "And I start school next month. I'll finally be able to make something out of myself, like we always talked about. You know, what I told you about wanting to be a teacher. Remember Roger?"
"Yeah I remember." Roger sighed. He remembered that that particular confession always came when she got high.
"Roger, baby. You don't sound happy." Mimi rubbed his arm, up and down, as though trying to stimulate him. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." His eyes wandered around the loft, and they landed on Mark's closed door. Why had he left so quickly? "It's just…god Meems. What are you doing here?" He ran a hand through his hair, moving away from the girl.
"What do you mean? I came to see you."
"That's just it Mimi. Why?"
"Because I love you Roger."
"No. Why now, Meems? Why not ten months ago?"
"I didn't want you to see me like that Baby. I went through some bad shit. I didn't want you to see me until I was really good again."
"And you couldn't write or call? Mimi we thought you were dead."
"But I'm not." She tilted her head a little at his face. "Roger…Baby…I did this for you. Back then I didn't deserve you. You turned your life around, and I was still a junkie. I know you wanted me clean, but I just couldn't do that. Especially not here. I had to leave so I could do this."
"Mimi, you shouldn't have gotten clean for me."
"But that's what you-…"
"You should have gotten clean for yourself."
"Roger, I don't understand. Aren't you happy?"
"No, I'm not Mimi. You can't expect me to just drop everything now that you're back."
"I thought you loved me."
"Meems, I haven't been burned a lot in my life, but it feels like every time that I am you're involved." Roger turned away. "I can't just start something with you again. It would be great for a couple months, and then something would happen and we'd all be back where we started."
"Baby, it's not gonna be like that anymore." Mimi walked so that she was in front of him, showing him the candle that she still held in one hand. "We could light the candle."
"Mimi…I've moved on. I don't want your candle anymore."
She leaned in closer. "Roger, just give this a chance." She placed her lips on his, starting gently, and then going harder, just like she used to.
He pushed her away quickly. "Mimi, I don't want to give this a chance. You're acting like a kid who didn't get what she wanted for Christmas."
"Stop talking to me like I'm a little kid!" She glared, her attitude switching once more.
"You are a little kid. You're barely 21."
"That didn't matter before." She pleaded a little with him.
Roger rolled his eyes. "You didn't act like it before. Mimi, this…" He used his arm, gesturing around the loft. "Isn't going to be enough for you very long. I don't want to have to waste my time worrying about whether or not you're keeping your word about staying clean and whatever else."
"I should tell you you're a bastard."
"Just take your candle and get out of here Mimi. Maybe we can talk when we're both thinking clearly." Roger ushered her out of the apartment, closing the door quickly behind her. Then his game plan quickly changed. "Mark?" He changed directions, heading over to the closed bedroom door. "Mark?" He tried again, rapping his knuckles on the wood.
"It's open Roger." The filmmaker's voice drifted through the door. It wasn't an upset tone like Roger had thought it might have been, just an indifferent one.
Roger opened the door, leaning against the doorframe as he did so. Mark was just sitting on his bed, thumbing through a magazine. He would have thought it was normal, except that he had three bloody red scratches on his cheek. "Shit Mark, did Mimi do that?"
"Yeah." Mark mumbled, closing the magazine, looking up at his friend, who looked like he was about to start laughing. Not what he expected after hearing the argument that he just had.
"Geez. We're gonna have to get you in a self defense class or something. You're always getting beat up." The line wasn't really all that funny, but it got Mark to smile a little.
"Don't be such a dork Rog." For a moment it was as though Mimi hadn't just shown up and had a fight with each of them.
But then Roger caught sight of the scratches again. "Come on. We should get those cleaned up. You don't want an infection." Mark just got up and followed him to the bathroom, where the first aid kit was. He knew at this point there wasn't really any point in arguing with Roger. Normally he was the one that took care of everything, but Mark knew that when Roger decided that he was going to take care of something, he was stubborn. "Sit." He ordered.
Mark complied, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. He watched as Roger turned, opening up the medicine cabinet. "You should put on a pair of those rubber gloves we had for back when I wasn't positive." He informed quietly. "You have that cut from trying to make dinner the other day, and we could have different strains of the virus. We shouldn't risk infecting each other with different strains."
"How'd you know that?" Roger asked, taking out their first aid kit. It was something Mark had insisted on buying after they had found April, but they rarely used it.
"It was in that pamphlet the clinic gives you when they give you your results." Mark shrugged.
"You actually read that?" Roger gave him a look, as he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves as was requested. Mark nodded. "And you were calling me a dork." He opened the first aid kit, looking over it real quick, before pulling out an alcohol wipe. "What did you say? To piss Mimi off like that?"
"Same thing that you did." Mark answered. "Just a little less patient than you were." He paused, seeing the irony in the statement. "Bet you never thought you'd hear that did you?"
Roger just shook his head smiling, ripping open the alcohol wipe packet. "This is gonna sting a little." He started to pat it along the scratches gently, and heard Mark hiss at the contact. "That is what I'm supposed to say isn't it?" He aimed at distracting him.
"It's something like that." Mark wasn't really focused on him though. His dream was trying to force it's way back to the front of his mind again. "Take a leap of faith, Honey." He was trying to force it away again, but for some reason it was harder, with Roger right in front of him…touching his face.
"Wow, she dug you pretty good." Roger remarked throwing the wipe away.
"I was a little harsh with her." Mark sighed, as though trying to justify it.
Roger sighed, pulling out a band aid. "Why? She never did anything to hurt you."
"Well, she hurt you. And I'm allowed to be pissed off about that. So in turn I'm allowed to be pissed off at her." Mark explained easily. "Take a leap of faith, Honey." The voice was there again, louder. Still just as cheery.
"That's oddly touching of you Cohen." Roger grinned, plastering the band aid across Mark's cheek. "There you go. Good as new."
"I'm so glad that I have Dr. Davis here to help me." He rolled his eyes. Neither of the bohemians moved. Away that is. To Mark it seemed like Roger was coming closer to him. "Take a leap of faith, Honey." So Mark closed the distance, and their lips met, in a gentle yet passionate kiss.
OK, more next weekend. Please tell me what you think.