Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Author's Notes: Thanks for the reviews and happy holidays to everyone. For those of you who are wondering, the book Roger started reading to Mark was The Catcher in the Rye. Quite a few of you got it right.
Well here's more.
Italics are film. Which technically is also a flashback, but it's important to realize that somebody is watching it.
It never ceased to amaze Mark how quickly a year could go by. Well, not really, but watching it all on film made it seem so long ago. It was a good day, which meant that he was out and about, filming, and then working at the theater.
That was the routine now. On the days that he was sick he would stay home, Roger would be there, taking care of him. He would do the same on the days when it was Roger feeling sick. They would sit and read, or just hang out, doing little things that would make each other more comfortable. If it was Mark that was sick he would make Roger play his guitar; Roger would take up watching Mark edit his film. Sometimes they would just sit together and talk, or sometimes they would just stare at the wall. They liked being together on these days…These days that were starting to come more frequently for the both of them, more so for Mark.
And then on the days when they weren't sick, it was a whole other story. They loved to go out on these days to film, or be with their friends. It didn't really matter what they did, they just made sure to live their lives, and get as much done as possible. When Mark wasn't working. He would only work in the afternoons or evenings anyways, so even on these days if they got up early enough they could get out and do something.
Mark's boss, Rose, was understanding about everything. She would always pay him for his sick days and sometimes something extra that neither of them ever spoke about. When he would go into work, a lot of the time he would start the film, and she would come in, sending him off to work on his own film in the basement. That was where the previous owner would work on his own movies, and he had left all of his equipment. This happened on most days, but sometimes he would stay and watch the movie he had started. Those were the days that he was well enough to work, but not enough to do much else. Those were the days that Roger always tried to convince him to stay home.
That wasn't the case now. Now he was watching some of his footage downstairs in the basement, sitting on the only chair that wasn't covered in dust. It played on an old screen that was up against the wall, and he was wondering when he had shot this footage, because he had no memory of such events.
Collins, Roger, and Mark were sitting on the floor of the loft in a sort of semi-circle. Each were nursing drinks that were in front of them, clearly all in various states of inebriation. "OK." A female voice from off screen spoke. It was clearly Maureen. "I'm gonna ask a question, and all of you have to answer truthfully. No making shit up." She giggled. "First question, when and with whom did you lose your virginity? Collins, you're first."
"Let's see." Collins leaned back on his elbows. "I was 17, it was the fourth of July, and his name was Max Jones."
"And how was it?" Maureen asked.
"Well it wasn't his first time so…" Collins trailed off, a huge grin on his face. "Let's just say there were a lot of fireworks that night."
"OK, Roger what you?"
Roger was clearly the most drunk of the three, otherwise he wouldn't have agreed to do this. "Veronica Andrews…almost sixteen…at her senior prom.
Mark rolled his eyes. "Figures."
"And your story is any less predictable?" Roger challenged.
"Rosalyn Phillips. I was 20. It was sometime in the fall." Mark shrugged. There was enough alcohol in his system to prevent him from being embarrassed by such a simple question.
Roger looked at him for a second. "I thought for sure you were a virgin until you met Maureen."
"Oh no." Maureen denied. "Marky was definitely not a virgin when he met me." His cheeks did redden a little at that comment. There was a pause. "Next question…Where is the wildest place that you've ever had sex? Roger you first this time."
Roger didn't answer for a moment, thinking over the question. Finally he scratched his head. "I guess it was probably when I did it with this girl in the Life Café bathroom."
"And you Collins?"
"Mo, you know I'm the kind of guy who likes this type of thing to be romantic and private." Collins took a sip of his drink.
"So where was it?" She pressed.
"Airplane bathroom on the way to Europe." He grinned a little.
Maureen just laughed at the joke that Collins made before advancing onto her ex. "Mark, what about you?"
Now his cheeks did go bright red. "You already know the answer to that Maureen."
"Well yeah, but Roger and Collins don't…And this tape is gonna be for after you're famous. We can sneak copies of it onto the street for all of your fans and give you your first big scandal. It will be fabulous. Now answer the question."
"Onthelawnchairthat'sontheroof." Mark's head lowered and he spoke the words quickly.
"What was that Marky? We couldn't hear you."
"On the lawn chair that's on the roof." This time he spoke slowly and deliberately.
Roger's express turned from laughter at his friend's embarrassment to disbelief. "That's…that's…I sit on that chair!"
The scene cut off and the screen was black for a few seconds. In that period of time a voice came from behind Mark. "Mark, the movie upstairs is over. Are you all set down here?"
He turned around to face the woman who was in her forties, with a matronly look about her. "Yeah Rose." He nodded, switching the projector off, and removing his reel of film. "Do you need some help closing up?"
"That would be wonderful." The two didn't say much else until they were upstairs, Mark had started sweeping the lobby floor, where stray pieces of popcorn and gum wrappers littered the black and white checkered tiles. " So how's your film coming along?" She asked as she started emptying the register.
"Actually, I think I'm almost done." Mark admitted. It had only taken him four years to get it to the point where he was really happy with it. "I just need to piece together some of the footage I found tonight, and then find a good ending."
Rose smiled before ducking down behind the counter to her safe. "That's wonderful. You'll have to let me know when it's done so we can premiere it here."
He blushed a little at the thought of his film actually in a theater. "Don't be crazy. You have actual movies to show here. Nobody would show up to see my film. You'd lose money."
"I don't need the money." She pointed out as she stood back up. It was true. Rose was part of a well off family, and she only ran the theater because her husband was the previous owner. "I want to show it."
"People wouldn't come." He repeated.
She shrugged. "So we use a little trickery. We show it before the movie they show up for and only charge them for that one."
Mark shook his head, putting the broom back in it's place behind the snack counter. "Rose, you're crazy."
"No, I want to help you Mark. Now, you should go home and get some rest. I can finish up here." She stepped out from the ticket booth smiling.
He was going to listen, and grabbed his coat from where he kept it behind the counter. As he slipped into it he glanced around the theater's lobby. It was old, run down, but still had an antique beauty to it. Mark knew it didn't get the business it deserved, but business actually was starting to pick up, which didn't surprise him. He suspected it had to do with the fact that Rose refused to change the prices of tickets and snacks while all the other places in town kept raising them. He just didn't get why she kept it the way it was…why she kept it at all. "Rose, why do you stay with this place?" He asked her quietly.
She smiled again, walking out closer. "To honor my husband. He loved this place…He was a lot like you. Always with a camera. After he passed on I couldn't part with it, so I've just kept things the way they were." He had to smile, the way she was so happy about being able to do that. "And he would want to screen your film here too."
"Well I can't say no to that one." Mark sighed, rather contentedly. "If I don't get sick I should be able to finish it by the end of the week…OK, well I'll see you tomorrow."
"I'll see you then Mark. Have a good night."
OK, I know that that was a bit shorter than usual but I'll have more up very soon, and I wanted this chapter to illustrate what his job was really like and to move time along once more. This puts them towards the end of August of the year after the car accident that killed Richard.
Sorry that there was no Mark/Roger fluff in this chapter, but I just couldn't find away to fit it in. I will fit some more in soon.