Disclaimer- Jonathan Larson owns them. i'm just playing.

You'll See

There was death silence in the loft as the horrible news slowly sank in. They looked at each other, than at him, as if waiting for him to say how stupid they were to believe such a thing. Since when did they start to take him so seriously? Of course he didn't mean it.

He said nothing.

They were spending a quiet afternoon in the loft, since it was snowing pretty badly for most of the day. Mark was trying to solve a crossword and was constantly interrupted by an obviously bored Maureen, who was sitting in his lap. The snow kept her out of trouble that day, and she tried to convince Mark to read a dialogue with her for her next audition. Collins was grading term papers, and since April had a nicer handwriting, he allowed her to write the grades on each paper in a red pen. When he didn't notice, she would draw a small smiley next to the grade on the better papers. Roger sat with his fender in his lap, desperately trying to compose a new tune that wouldn't sound like Musetta's Waltz.

And then, out of nowhere, Benny was back from wherever the hell he was. Before they even had a chance to blink, he dropped the bomb on them. He was about to marry Allison.

There was a consensus among the loft's residents about Allison Grey, or Muffy, as they all, thanks to Roger's encouragement, called her behind Benny's back. They hated her. They hated everything about her. She was the daughter of his boss and definitely one of the most snobbish, obnoxious girls he ever dated, and he dated a lot of those. From the first moment she had stepped into the loft, that appalled expression plastered on her face, they all knew she meant trouble. She and Benny were dating for couple of months now, and they found it surprising mostly because they all knew that Benny wasn't the guy who'd last in a long termed relationship.

Soon they started to see less and less of him. He hardly spent time in the loft anymore, just for sleep every now and again. He started to resemble her in everything. It was like he became her male version. The first time they had seen him wearing a suit she bought him, they couldn't stop laughing at him. They didn't think it was serious. She was rich, and he had never dated a rich girl before. He was making the best out of it, that's all. But then, couple of weeks later, he suddenly started talking like her, making nasty comments about the horrible condition of the loft, the way they were all dressed, the fact that they were jobless. They all saw him fall, but he was never around for enough time to get their warning.

They were kind of surprised that he came all the way down there, in such weather of all things, to personally deliver his news. They haven't heard from him for weeks and suddenly, there he was, in his expensive trench coat and Armani suit. They all started at him jaw dropped once he had finished talking.

"You're WHAT?" Mark asked eventually.

"I'm getting married," said Benny again, repeating those three fatal words they all thought they misheard.

April smirked. "You're kidding, right?" she asked, looking at him hopefully.

Benny shook his head. "Why would I make up something like this?"

"With Muffy?" asked Roger, but was quickly smacked by Collins with a folder. "OUCH! Was that really necessary, man?"

"Shut up," Collins muttered.

Benny shot Roger a cold glare. "Allison."

There was a bit of awkward silence as they all looked at each other, but not directly at Benny. That is, except for Maureen who looked straight into his eyes and asked, "Why?"

He looked at her, then at the rest of them, and it was clear to him that they were all asking themselves the same question, yet none of them dared speaking it aloud. "Because I love her. And she loves me," he said. Suddenly, it sounded like a really lame excuse.

"Oh, wait. Mark, where's your camera?" The sarcasm was clear in Roger's voice. "I see this is a photo opportunity."

Collins didn't smack him this time, but the glare he shot him shushed him up immediately. Collins looked seriously at Benny. "You can't be serious, man."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Benny, obviously offended.

"It means that maybe you should think about it again before you walk down the aisle with her," said Collins.

There was a short pause. "Is that how you all feel?" asked Benny quietly, looking around. Their silence made it pretty clear that they did. "I see. Well, I didn't come here asking your generous advice, guys, I'm telling you. Allison and me are getting married. That's it, that's final. And to tell you the truth, I was expecting your support, not your condolences."

"Oh please," snapped Maureen, who was quiet all this time. Too quiet, they now realized. Oh uh. Collins gave her a look of warning, but she ignored him. "Don't give us this you-are-my-friends-and-need-to-support-me crap, Benny. When was the last time you did something for us? You haven't been here for couple of months and then suddenly you show up here and expect us to congratulate you? What kind of a friend does that make you? Give me a break!"

"Maureen-" Collins tried again. There was no stopping her now, though.

"No, let her continue, I'm kind of curios to hear what her highness the queen of Avenue A thinks," said Benny nastily.

"I think it sucks, that's what I think," Maureen shot back, her tone as nasty as his.

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn!"

"Of course you don't give a damn, I would be very much surprised if you did! You forgot your real friends once you started working in this place!" At this point, they were both standing, glaring at one another, their voices gradually rising. The rest were watching them in shock. Benny and Maureen arguing was not a new thing to the loft residents, yet now it seemed to have reached a whole new level. This was not an argument for the sake of teasing one another or loosening aggression. Maureen was really steamed, and Benny wasn't too far behind.

"At least I've got a steady job, which is not something I can say about any of you."

"You know what, I take it back. You should marry her. Marry the rich boss' daughter. Maybe a cold hearted wife is exactly what you deserve."

"Watch your mouth, Johnson, you don't even know her."

"Who even wants to?"

"At least she's not some drama queen egocentric bitch!" They gasped. They couldn't believe he actually told her that. Even Benny didn't get that low, ever. Maureen didn't seem the least offended. "Why can't you just accept the fact that I'm happy with her?"

"With her or with her money?" she asked. Mark was about to get up from the couch, probably to restrain his girlfriend. Collins laid a hand on his shoulder. Leave them. Mark sat back down. "No, Benny, I can't accept that. I don't buy this 'I love her' shitty explanation. You don't even know what love is!"

"Yeah, because you know all about love! Isn't that so, Miss screwing-around-and-cheating-on-her-boyfriend?" The gasps were louder after that one. They all looked horrified at Benny, then at Mark who went pale, as if he didn't know whether to take this seriously. Maureen was even paler, but only for a slight second. Then before they knew it, she approached Benny and slapped him forcefully across his face. The sound of the slap was still ringing in their ears couple of seconds later. Caught completely off guard, Benny nearly toppled backwards. Instinctively, he laid his hand on the place her hand hit only seconds ago. It hurt. Only then he realized what he had just said.

"You'll regret that," she said in the coldest tone imaginable, before she turned her back to him and walked away. Couple of seconds later, they heard a door slamming shut.

"Maureen…" Mark was soon to follow her. Well, what else would he do?

The rest of them, all standing now, looked at each other, glancing at Benny every now and again. He still looked kind of stunned from Maureen's slap.

"That was really dirty, man," said Collins, breaking the awkward silence.

"I know. I'll apologize," said Benny. He felt really bad. He didn't mean it. He knew she had never cheated on Mark. He knew, because long time ago he, too, fell under the spell of the heart breaker of Avenue A. And he stayed her victim to this very day, no matter that he was engaged and fairly happy. But she was wrong. No one knew better than him what love was. He looked at the people who used to be his friends. "Look, you guys… it doesn't have to end that way. You are still my friends, and I still care about you. Nothing has to change. And once Ally's dad owns the block, you won't have to worry about paying the rent ever again. You'll be golden."

Mark went back into the living room, looking defeated and concerned. "She locked herself in our bedroom. She won't open the door."

"She'll be fine," said Collins. "You can sleep in my room tonight. I've got an extra bed, remember?" he added, looking sadly at Benny. They used to share that bedroom until not long ago.

"Mark, I didn't mean it. She didn't… I mean she never-"

"It's not me you should apologize to," Mark cut him off abruptly. They had never imagined he'd speak in that tone to anyone.

This was when Benny started to feel slightly uncomfortable, like he was no longer welcome in the place that used to be his home. Well, if this was how they thanked him after promising them to take care of their rent forever… maybe he'd better go. What was their problem, anyway? He was only trying to be a good friend.

He put his hand on the knob, but then turned to look at them again. No matter how assholes they all were sometimes, he couldn't help it. He loved those people to death. He smiled, feeling a new confidence.

"Everything will be alright, you guys. You'll see."