DESTROYED

Chapter 23

SUMMARY: Okay, this chapter is with Collins' speech. Mark and Julia have a moment. Angel speaks. Okay, hold on tight! This is gonna be a full chapter… also, Collins' speech is one that I believe represents who he is, and who his friends are… the spirit of Rent.

Collins stood to the side of the stage and looked out across the see of people who arrived to lend their support to the purpose of the benefit. He wasn't nervous… there was nothing to be nervous about, at least not for him. He wasn't trying to impress anybody (on the contrary, he was about to piss practically everyone in the room off, if things went his way) but he was anxious to get out of there. Hopefully he could get out before Devon strung him up in the auditorium… well, whatever. The thought of getting back to see Angel and be with him again was the only thing that was keeping him from going insane. The pompous ass that was Devon McAdams was standing at the podium, blabbering on about the benefit of promoting the republican values among society and encouraging a democracy that would, in Collins' mind, never be fulfilled. Not while there was all this bullshit going on. Toying with the papers in his hands, Collins stood there waiting for his cue. What was he gonna talk about? Well, in the speech he had written out, he was gonna say he agreed on many of Devon's points and those represented at this event… about society and values, etc. But things were different now. Ever since that encounter in Devon's office half an hour earlier, there was no way he could go up onto that stage and lie about who he is… not to them, but to himself. That's when he'd know he's lost Angel for good… when he can't even be honest with himself. The situation had been changed, unknowingly by Devon. There were cameras there and news people ready to cover what he was gonna say.

Collins looked down at the suit he was wearing (one in which he rented earlier that day), to make sure there was no stains or bits of food sticking too it, or anything that would suggest that he's from a less than civilized place. In thirty seconds, Tom Collins would be standing before a room full of republicans, expected to give a speech on family values and how the promotion of republican ideals would inevitably bring around a more stable environment and economy for future generations to enjoy. Blah, blah, blah… pure propaganda. Without warning, he was brought back to reality when he heard Devon speaking…

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm very pleased to announce our main speaker for the evening," Devon's bright white teeth glistened under the glaring lights. The fakeness of his enthusiasm was lost on all except Collins who rolled his eyes and was silently laughing bitterly about the irony of this all.

"He is one of the most… unique… professors we've had here at MIT for quite some time now. And although some of his theories have proved intriguing and argumentative at times—"

Argumentative! Collins' mind was screaming. WHAT! That fucking—

"He's without a doubt a very popular and well-respected educator. Ladies and gentlemen, I must ask you all to join me in welcoming to the stage, Professor Thomas Collins!"

The auditorium erupted in loud clapping, in unison with their automatic actions that really held no indicator as to how they were really feeling about this new stranger invited to speak in place of someone who was more respected and admired among the republican community. Devon turned in his direction, grinning like an idiot, and only Collins could see the malicious glint behind the warm façade in his evil eyes. He stepped out onto the stage and casually walked forward; accepting the extended hand of his colleague in his own and the two men shook hands.

"Good luck," Devon muttered, still smiling. "You'll need it."

"Whatever you say, boss," Collins replied through clenched teeth. "Just prepare yourself."

The two men parted ways and Collins stepped up to the podium, unfolding the papers which contained the words he was meant to speak… the clapping quickly died down and silence consumed the large room. Over 200 pairs of eyes stared up at him, expecting to be dazzled by his words of wisdom. Ha. If only they new…

Collins stared down at the pieces of paper, with nothing in his mind except Angel. Angel… what would Angel do in this situation? Probably dance around in his Santa drag outfit, singing about killing dogs and how life is meant to be lived for the moment… but that wasn't who Collins was. The words seemed to mingle together into gibberish on the paper, with no sense whatsoever. His mind was blank as to what to say, and the sweat from his palms and his face dripped onto the words, smudging them further. God damn lights. He the looked up at he crowd… a few murmurs here and then, even a couple of suspicious looks… Devon nervously stood just off the stage.

"What the hell is his problem?" a female colleague asked. "He's just standing there…"

"Probably missing his boyfriend," Devon replied, a bit louder than he intended. It wasn't hard for him to work out who Angel was… nor was it easy for him to hide his homophobic tendencies. He had it in mind to expose Collins right there and then, but no – he had to be civil about this. Mature. Subtle. "Another fag running around teaching our children… he shouldn't be allowed…"

"What?" the lady whispered shocked. "He's gay?"

"Wasn't hard to figure out. Dirty, unnatural…" his voice was dripping with disdain and disgust. It really wasn't even about Collins being gay, but he just didn't like him to begin with…

So why did he invite Collins to speak at a republican convention? Because it was the perfect opportunity for Devon to show the Board just how disgusting and bad it was to keep him around. All in good time…

Collins gazed out in front of him. Looking at all these people in their Armani suits and wearing diamond earrings; $500 shoes and even more expensive perfume. That was disgusting… while he and his friends lived in almost poverty, struggling to find the money to buy food, these people were taking cruises and throwing $10,000 parties and attending all the social events of the season. No humanity did he see in their eyes; on their faces…

Looking down at the paper again, the words suddenly became clear once more however, he saw that those words had lost all of their meaning now. It was a lie. All of it. He cleared his throat.

"Okay, I started here…" he stammered and looked up and around at everyone. There was no way he could do this…

"Fuck it," he whispered and picked the pieces of paper up. Right there in front of over four-hundred people, he ripped up the lies and deceit. Truth, he always believed was non-existent in conjunction with reality. There was no one truth… just perception. There was no one reality… just perception mixed with one's values. He needed to say how he saw it. He could hear some members of the audience gasping and murmuring quietly, still wondering who this stranger was. Collins threw the ripped up shreds of paper to the side so everyone could see them lightly fall to the ground.

"You know what?" he told them, this time loud enough for them to all here. "Devon McAdams… he's right. Talking about family values, and how things should be… the perfect world. But the fact remains, there is no perfect world. No matter what people like Devon McAdams say…" the tone of his voice was harsh and disdainful, and more muttering and gasps could be heard. Devon's eyes widened. What the hell was he doing? Collins grabbed the microphone from the stand and slowly walked around the podium, now standing in full view of the people he was addressing. He then sat down, dangling his legs of the side of the stage and sat there casually.

"Y'all wanna know why I'm here? Who I am?" he laughed bitterly. "You know what? So do I? Because right now, I don't have one fucking clue!"

The shocked reaction he was already getting from the conservatives was telling him that he was doing the right thing. That he was on the right path.

"But I also know that you'd all rather have the likes of Professor Davidson here. Feeding you all this bullshit of how the world should be rid of the diseased and those who force society down. Someone… like Professor McAdams thinks… like me? Maybe?"

Collins stood back up and shoved his free hand in his pocket. "I can stand here, and recite to you all this fucked up crap I've been told from the moment I arrived here… from the Board of this institution. From my superior colleagues. Don't get me wrong," he added, defensively. "I think this is a very fine institution. One of the best in the world. And… as some of you may or may not know, I was once fired from this great place for standing up for what I believed in. And there was that thing about me vandalizing some school property, but that's beside the point."

Everyone was stunned at his words, and more so the viciousness at which he said them. Collins smirked; satisfied that he was doing a good job. The anarchist was standing before a bunch of conservatives, ready to reveal his dirty background and all the sordid, evil, sinful things he had done. To the side, Devon and a bunch of other staff were fuming with rage, and Collins saw Doctor Halton in the audience with a look of absolute horror. Collins felt in his pocket something that could be useful in proving his point, and it certainly wasn't out of character for him to be careless and even reckless in pursuing his beliefs and making them known to whoever would listen.

"Some of the things the wonderful Professor McAdams said about me… I'm respected? Unique? Well liked? He also said some other things, I can't recall all of them…" he paused to think for a few seconds, knowing that this was only the beginning. "Some of the other things he said about me, I'm not sure he told you… I remember he told some others, behind my back, not more than a few weeks ago…"

He saw the smug look from Devon's face had totally vanished. If he was revealed to be anything less than a tolerant, model human being, then he'd be crushed. His reputation would be more than tarnished, it would be destroyed.

"Well… what he said I better not say here. Not every pleasant. But, did he also tell you that I'm gay? That I come from the East Village in New York City? That my theories of Actual Reality threaten to destroy the very foundation of beliefs that you people build so you can sleep at night, convinced of your goodness as human beings?" his voice had risen now, even shocking himself with the force and passion with which he spoke. Some of the muttering from the first couple of rows, he could hear clearly, and none at all were positive. But he didn't care. He was doing this for Angel now. He laughed.

"Oh but wait, that's not all… something's that not even the good Devon McAdams knows!" he was on the verge of taunting the audience. It was then that Professor Carmichael stormed over to him and tried to get the mic, but Collins held it from his reach.

"What are you doing!" he hissed angrily, his face red and puffed up from the rage. "Do you know who's in the audience!"

"I'm perfectly aware, Simon," Collins repeated. "Fuck off and let me finish. Or is censorship another issue I should hook onto my speech?"

"You son-of-a-"

"Yeah, I am," Collins interrupted. "And I can't even begin to say what you people are. Back off." He was a good foot taller than Carmichael, and had a bigger build so it was pointless for Simon to challenge him further, and reluctantly he backed off and Collins turned back to the audience.

"Like I was saying," he continued. "I'm sure there's heaps of shit Devon hasn't found out about me, so I'll save him the trouble and expense of having to find out. After all, who here wants a gay man running around teaching your children all the nasty things gay people do? Let's see, well… Angel. My lover. Love of my life, I swear, you should see him… a total character. Beautiful person. Right now, he's lying in a hospital bed fighting for his life, because my psycho ex-lover decided he wanted to get back at me for leaving him, and blah, blah, blah…. You know the situation. Anyway, while Angel was recovering, my ex's drug-dealing business partner, Julian, decided to finish the job. Only, he fucked up too and instead of killing Angel by slitting his throat, Angel lived! Yep." he stated in a matter-of-fact tone, like it was something that happened every day. Like it was normal. It was amusing to him to see how stunned everyone was, so he didn't break. It was all coming out now, and he was remarkably calmer than he thought he'd be. Staring out across that sea of people, all of whom were probably despising him right there and then in their moment of humiliation. Collins wasn't intending to share the recent tragedies in his life, but his friends were the best example of everything these people are not.

"And so this is where Devon comes in – he comes to the hospital and tells me that unless I want the entire Board digging through my background and basically making my life more hell than it already is, that I'd have to come here and speak to you lovely people tonight. Basically lie to you and tell you that all these bullshit ideals you have actually have some merit in my world. Trust me. None of you would last ten minutes. The dirt. The drugs. The not knowing if your gonna live or die; if the person your fucking is giving you virus that so many of you barely want to acknowledge exists… oh and that reminds me. I have HIV. Angel? He has AIDS too. Also, Roger Davis… my best friend… a former junkie. He's HIV positive too, as is his girlfriend Mimi who is, in fact, still a junkie. And then there's Maureen, the ex-girlfriend of Mark Cohen, my other best friend… and also Joanne, Maureen's girlfriend. Maureen left Mark for her. Then there's Benny, a former friend of ours who betrayed us all to become someone like you."

The sarcasm and bitterness and anger in which he spoke took everyone by surprise, and to see how people were reacting; telling them that this was his reality, was a very satisfying experience. Not to mention the shit load of trouble Devon would be in with the Board. Collins leaned against the podium again.
"Screw it. No matter what I say, none of you will get it… having society condemn you for being poor and following your dreams. I don't have the ambitions my friends to, but I don't want them to lose theirs. And that's all I see happening now… people who live a life of bohemia are the ones who need the help most and never get it. And you all go on to your cocktail parties, pretending like none of this exists… and those of you who do… look down at us with disgust. Contempt. Like we're the ones who are not human and aren't fit to breathe the same air as the rest of you." He removed his jacket and let it drop to the floor. Devon whispered something to a nearby staff member, who nodded and quickly turned and left.

"And you know what I say to that? To Devon McAdams? To the pretentious bullshit that people like Doctor Halton spit out? Fuck you. I betrayed my Angel once, and came back here to escape my past… but being here only let my past consume me again and it almost killed the one person I love. So fuck it. Screw the politics, because I wouldn't give up Angel or my friends for anything. I wouldn't give up the life we share together, as a family… for anything."

Collins again stopped, this time to take out what was in his pocket. A lighter. Come on, you can all see where this was going… giving an anarchist something that could cause destruction and still get his point across, was like giving a vampire the keys to a blood bank.

"There's an old saying we have in the East Village… my friends and I didn't really believe in it until Angel came into our lives. No day but today. Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. People like you spend all your time condemning us; treating us like shit, instead of making yourselves useful. I don't care. You can judge Angel for yourself. He's a street-drumming drag queen with AIDS. But he's the only person I've ever known to really know what the meaning of love is – and he tries to spread it wherever he goes. Some of you might think he tries to spread the virus wherever he goes, because according to the republican stance – all gays are dirty, vulgar perverts who wanna kidnap their children, do nasty and disgusting things to them, and perform in hardcore gay porno movies and spread a virus. But that's not Angel. That's not us. Angel and I share something that none of you could understand," he fingered the edge of the lighter. You might be wondering why no one was stopping this, and the answer is because everyone was so damn shocked… stunned by his words. Even Devon. Silence…

"The love I have with Angel is not gonna last forever. Angel will probably die before me. Ironically, probably not from having his throat slit… but because he was stupid. And reckless. Just like me," he started flicking the lighter on and off. It was a fact Collins had only recently accepted, and now he wanted to make everyone minute with his Angel count.

"So to hell with it all. Y'all can have your cocktail parties and luxury cruises or whatever. None of you know what it's like to live your life for no other reason than survival. And love. Love's the most important thing… that and friendship. My purpose for living is those two very reasons, and that's all I need. All I want."

Devon was fuming, and was about to storm the stage, but another person held him back. As bad as things were looking, everyone was hooked on Collins' words, and there were, of course, the news cameras rolling. Well, this was certainly gonna make good news, at least.

"I fucked up," Collins scoffed. "A lot of things in my life are my fault. The HIV. Angel's condition. But you know something? I figure… it's all worth it if I get to have just one minute longer with Angel in my arms each night. To hear his voice. So I was never gonna stand up here and lie to you all… I'm everything you hate. My friends and I are everything you stand against and want to protect your children from, and that's cool. I understand. But you can't pretend it doesn't exist. That these problems aren't yours. They're everyone's, because the worse you treat people like us and the situation… the worse it gets. The less likely it'll be resolved," Collins flicked the lighter on once more and watched the flame.

"We can't pay the rent, but we still know more love than any of you can hope to know. The fight isn't worth losing anymore. You wanna win the war on drugs but don't wanna accept the responsibility of cleaning up the mess and helping those left behind. The problem isn't us. Y'all can fight it out between yourselves, because this ain't about us anymore. And this isn't something I wanna be apart of anymore…" he then lit the piece of paper on fire and watched it ignited.

On the paper was a list of the university's benefactors, a lot of whom were in the audience watching him… a very symbolic gesture. It was then that security guards came storming up onto the stage, and Collins dropped the piece of paper on the ground, near where the curtain met the floor and he simply looked at Devon and gave him a nod and a wink. Knowing he was no longer welcome, Collins allowed himself to be escorted from the stage just as the bottom of the curtain caught alight. There were plenty of fire extinguishes, so he had no fear that the fire would get under control, but the anarchist felt he had proved his point. The two guards held him by his arms and harshly pulled him away from the auditorium, and Collins could hear panicky voices and terrified women demanding the fire be put out. Needless to say, he had proven his point and never did Collins feel more proud of his achievements than he did now – and he didn't lie to Doctor Halton. He did deliver a powerful speech none of them would forget.
At the end of the hall, Collins was shoved up against the wall where his arms were violently pulled behind his back and two police officers took over from the guards, slapping the silver chains on his wrists.

"Ahh! Fuck!" he grimaced, gritting his teeth. "Man, too tight!"

"Too bad!" growled a familiar and extremely angry person from behind. The two officers turned Collins around when he was safely secure and in their control. Devon and Dr. Halton were standing in front of him.

"Devon… Doctor…" Collins greeted, catching his breath from being thrown around a bit between the guards and the cops. Civil unrest is what the great anarchists aim to achieve. He was no different. And this was just the first step. "Told you I'd give you all something you wouldn't forget."

"You made a mockery of our distinguished guests!" the doctor fumed, almost foaming at the mouth with anger. If he got any redder, his head might explode. "You made us the laughing stock of the entire Massachusetts republican community!"

"Oh damn," Collins sarcastically taunted. "I was aiming for the entire east coast. I guess I'll have to try harder next time."

"Do you have any idea what you've done!" Devon screamed. "You've humiliated—"

"Shut the hell up, Devon!" Collins interrupted. "Don't talk to me about humiliation until you get down and really experience it. My friends and I live through it every day, you have no idea what humiliation and degradation is! Angel was viciously attacked and raped in an alleyway," he choked up and bit his lip, wanting so desperately not to cry. "And the cops, they did nothing. Angel was humiliated. He was abused and almost killed! And no one did a damn thing, and you've got the never to condemn me! I'm not the one who has no humanity. You think that if someone's not as successful, that makes them not human, and you know something? Maybe you're right. You treat someone like an animal for so long, sooner or later they're gonna believe it. And Sam, my ex, he believes that it's an animal world out there and I don't think he's necessarily wrong." Collins was sick of this bullshit. It was ending now.

"You know nothing of humiliation. I stood up for what I believe in, that's how we live. For ourselves and for each other. Nothing else."

"You think you're some sort of hero? Some sort of speaker for the poor?"

"No!" Collins disagreed. "Not at all. All I can do is see what's happening to the one I love and see how he almost died because no one cared… I'm not the disgusting one here. You and your homophobic brethren can say and do what you want, but it doesn't change the reality of it. And then you, Devon, have the nerve to ask me, knowing what you know, to come here and speak lies to people who hate everything I stand for, even as the love of my life lies in his hospital bed, fighting for every breath! You people hate everything I am! And you KNEW IT, you sick son of a bitch! You knew it! And you wanted me to be humiliated, well from the looks of it – on the faces of those news personnel… you're the one who has to wipe the egg of your face."

Collins made sure to have the last word in it all. Whether it was destroying a virtual reality equipment set or setting a fire, the anarchist always made his point. Devon opened his mouth to speak, but Collins got in before him.

"No matter what you say now, Devon… nothing can erase what just happened in there. Those people will leave with my words still fresh in their heads and there's nothing you can do about it!"

The two cops then began leading him away, unsure of what to charge him with if anything. It wasn't the first time he had been arrested, and it probably wouldn't be the last…

He left Devon and the doctor to think about what he said, and was satisfied that now he could move on. His past was just that. His past.

WITH ANGEL, MIMI, JULIA, MAUREEEN, JOANNE, MARK, AND ROGER…

"Here, baby," Mimi placed the cup of water at Angel's mouth, helping him get the straw in between his lips. He had been able to gain a little more movement in his arms and legs, and was more aware of his surroundings however pain prevented him from speaking. But he was able to take in some liquid at times, and Angel was able to smile more and interact more with his friends.

Angel readily accepted the cool water as it rushed over his tongue and down his throat. It didn't hurt so much to drink as it did just to breathe, because they were two separate parts of the throat, but the pressure involved in swallowing did cause him to wince and tense up a bit. He grabbed Mimi's hand and she rubbed his arm, letting him know she was there. Roger sat on the other side of the bed, while Mark and Julia were in the corner, talking quietly again, and both Maureen and Joanne were sleeping. The night before had been the one moment where they all breathed again for the first real time in a week – seeing Mark's footage of Sam and Julian made it to air, and apparently caught a lot of attention as it was all over the news the next morning. Where the two drug dealers were now was anyone's guess, but from gossip around the hospital, rumor has it that the two of them went into hiding when their prospective buyers immediately took their business elsewhere. Sam and Julian were officially on the run. All of them were amazed at the footage Mark captured, and he was praised for it by all of them. Angel had remained asleep the entire time, which was a good thing, though they still hadn't heard from Collins and probably weren't going to (well, considering he'd just been arrested!). Now, it was the next day since the footage aired, and heading into the evening…

Angel sipped the water, and squeezed his eyes shut when the pain intensified. There was only so much the pain killers could do without putting him to sleep, and he had to wake up eventually so the doctors could monitor his progress. It wasn't so much pain as it was discomfort, but it still wasn't good. Once the discomfort subsided, he opened his eyes again and let them focus on Mimi who smiled down at him and wink, placing the cup on the side table.

"Better?"

He smiled.

"Good."

Roger was silently thinking, a typical brooding guy, but now he was even quieter than usual.

"Roger? You okay?" Mimi asked, seeing the concern.

"Hmm?"

"Something's wrong?"

"No, I'm good."

"Spit it out."

"What?"

"Get it out! Tell me!" she insisted. "I won't let it go until you say something."

"Collins hasn't called."

Angel perked up a bit more when he heard the mention of his lover's name, and turned his head just enough to see how Roger was reacting. Not very well. Mimi rubbed his shoulder affectionately and wanted to kill her boyfriend for mentioning this in front of Angel, who didn't need the stress.

"You know Collins, he can disappear and then suddenly reappear. He'll be back soon," she tried to remain optimistic.

"Well, whatever. He's gonna wanna see what's been happening."

"I know."

Angel wanted desperately to know what they were talking about, and everyone around him was going to great lengths to keep things quite. Fuck the stress, he was getting more of it from just wanting to know what was going on. He knew it was something to do with Sam and Julian, and that Mark had done something that was apparently really good but they weren't saying a damn thing around him! His entire body was aching and the discomfort of having to lie in the same position for the entire week was just more annoying than anything else now.

He knew the risks of trying to talk now, but wasn't really known for playing it safe. Angel opened his mouth and braced himself for the searing pain that was surely gonna burn in his larynx should he force the air to reverberate a sound. But feeling the pressure was enough for him to quickly shut his mouth again. This was gonna take a while…

Mark watched Julia stare out the window – she didn't look bored, but it was clear that she was trying to absorb all these events and trying to make sense out of them. How she was dealing with it, he didn't know… he couldn't see it, but it was an inner turmoil she was dealing with. Everything she knew was being challenged by everything she was taught over the years… she was always taught to cross the street to avoid contact with people like those she was sitting with now. That her father would cut her out of his will should she get involved with someone like Mark – no future, no hope, no Ivy League education, no respect for authority and the establishment. But all the bad things she was taught, none of them were true… or at least, what she was told was way exaggerated. These were some of the finest people she knew – not because of their bank account balances, or where they grew up, or how they lived… but because they knew unconditional love and friendship. Ties that bind, with no strings attached. And they were cool… not uptight assholes like the ones she grew up around her entire life.

"Hey," he said, softly, out of earshot of the others. "You okay?"

She looked up. "What?"

"Something's up?"

"Yeah – no… I dunno. I really wanna understand you guys… this place. It's just too hard, you know?"

Mark crossed his legs and leaned his head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. "Don't stress over it. You're not the only one."

"I don't get it, Mark. You see all this shit going on with your friends, and… I don't know what I'd do. You're really strong, you know that?"

Mark scoffed. "Strong? Me? Heck no. Just used to it. It's all about survival, really."

"Take it from a real outsider," she smiled. "You're doing well."

An awkward silence quickly followed and neither was in the mood to continue the small talk. Things were getting tenser between them for no other reason than they got along so well and understood each other better than others would think.

"Thanks," Mark softly accepted the compliment, though wasn't sure of the intended meaning behind it.

"Man, what a fucked up life," Julia casually remarked, tracing the edge of the window. "So why is it so damn appealing?"

"You gotta be crazy," Mark joked. "But I guess… here, no one expects anything of you. Am I right?"

"I guess. It's crazy because I've only known you for like a couple of weeks, and already I feel safer with you guys than I do back home. At home, everyone's got something to lose. Here, you don't. I like that."

Mark sat forward. "You're not a bad person because of where you come from, Julia."

"Then why do I feel so shitty?" she responded. "You never really know how big the gap is until you experience both sides of it. Doesn't exactly make me feel good." She turned to Mark, with sadness. "I learned a lot from Tom when we first met, and I immediately knew he was different. I didn't understand why until now."

Mark touched her arm and found himself not entirely disagreeing with her. His easy ability to trust her didn't mitigate the fact that she had grown up in a world which condemned his, so to ask her to forget everything she's grown up with wouldn't exactly be fair.

"You're a good person, Julia. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise – that's not what we're about."

"I don't think I'll ever be one of you, you know…"

"Probably not. Doesn't mean we don't like you any less."

Another awkward moment. Great. If this was how things were gonna be between them, then there wasn't much point in denying the inevitability. The kiss was nothing that was unexpected – it was bound to happen sooner or later (you all saw it coming, admit it!), but the experience of it made Julia's heart flutter and twist and turn. Neither she nor Mark understood what the attraction was, but feeling his lips willingly meet her own relieved her of the pressure of not knowing whether or not to make that first move. If anything, this would determine if anything was there that could be worth pursuing, or whether they should remain on friendly terms. Mark, however, was not sure of what to make of this at all.

"Whoa, go Mark!" Roger's taunting voice broke the serene, quiet atmosphere and the two of the pulled apart and put distance between each other, both embarrassed at being caught up. Roger and Mimi were staring at them, with shock and amusement. It wasn't very nice to tease Mark or Julia about this, but there was no resisting the temptation. Could it be that Mark Cohen was finally getting over Maureen?

"Nice work, man!"

"Yeah, yeah," Mark muttered sullenly. "Go to hell."

Mimi was trying to contain her giggles, acting like a school girl. It was a sweet sight, to see Mark and Julia hook up, especially under these circumstances.

"Aww Markie! Markie and Julia? So sweet."

"Ha, ha, ha!" Mark mocked and stood up. "Love the comedy act guys."

"Maybe you should film it, Mark, and send it to America's Funniest Videos," Julia commented. An easy way to distract themselves for what just happened. Embarrassed by the situation she was in, Julia hurried to the door.

"Where you going?" Mark called after her.

"Just need to walk. I'll be back soon." She left the room, leaving Roger, Mimi, and Mark there silently wondering what just happened with her.

"Wait up!" Mark followed her, as he didn't wanna be left to the teasing and taunting of his 'friends'. After he left the room, closing the door behind him, Mimi and Roger looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"What was that about?" Mimi asked in between gasps of air, she was laughing so hard.

"Who the hell knows?" came a weak voice from her side, and Roger andMimi looked down.

"Hey guys…"

Their jaws dropped. Angel spoke.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: I know I was supposed to add more to this chapter, but I figured this was a good spot to break the chapter. Collins' scene got a bit heavy and it dragged out a up, Collinsfinds himself in a bad situation and calls on Joanne for some help. Someone is attacked (not as bad as Angel, though). Angel speaks. Sam and Julian are forced to run. Collins returns to New York.

Sorry guys, I know I was supposed to put some of next chapter's parts in this one, but I'm trying to keep a consistency in how much I write per chapter. You're gonna have to wait to see who gets attacked.