Chapter Three

Once Mark had gotten Maureen away from the protest, all he had to do was make sure she couldn't go back. The simplest, and least illegal, way of doing so was to get her drunk out of her mind.

And knowing Maureen, that shouldn't be too hard.

Mark chose the Cat Scratch Club, the local strip club, as the locale for Part Two of his scheme. He liked women. Maureen liked women. It worked out perfectly.

At first Maureen had been sympathetic to his "predicament" and wanted him to talk about his "feelings", so Mark had continued to keep up his charade and stared miserably into his glass. But after Maureen got a few drinks into her system, she began to care less about him and more about stuffing dollar bills into the dancer's G-strings. She was too drunk to notice that Mark wasn't depressed anymore, and that he was actually rather enjoying himself as well.

After watching a couple of dances, Mark figured he should give Benny a call to ensure he would be getting what Benny had promised. He was a bit shocked that he found a quarter in his pocket. Benny picked up his cell phone on the first ring, actually sounding happy.

"It's Mark," he said shortly.

"Mark Cohen!" Benny said with a chuckle. "I don't know how you did it, but you did it! Thanks to you, Cyber Arts lives on!"

Guilt seeped into Mark's system. Thanks to him, homeless people would have to find a new place to live. His friends would hate him. He already was beginning to hate himself.

"Just tell me you'll give me what you promised," Mark said stonily.

"Of course!" Benny said. "All of you guys!"

"No," Mark sighed. "No one else was in on it."

"Shit! How'd you do it all by yourself?" Benny asked.

Mark heard someone loudly clearing their throat behind him. He slowly hung up the phone and turned around. He knew exactly who was standing behind him, and it was time they had a good talk.

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"So why'd you do it?" Roger asked casually, flicking away the end of his cigarette.

"Hi, guys," Mark said nervously, eyeing Mimi and Angel suspiciously. "Who are they?" he asked Roger.

"Where's Maureen?" Joanne asked, "What have you done with her?"

Mark jerked his head towards the bar, and the group turned to see that Maureen had joined the dancers on stage, and was shaking her hips in a maneuver only she could pull off, her drink sloshing down the front of her shirt.

"Maureen!" Joanne called as she ran towards the bar in a panic, "Get down from there!"

Roger turned back to Mark to see him observing Maureen with interest. He punched him roughly in the arm to get his attention. "Mark, what the fuck did you?"

"Well, I kept thinking about what Benny said, and after awhile... it started sounding better and better."

Collins let out a low whistle. "Shit."

"I mean," Mark continued, running a hand through his hair, "I just really want to make a movie."

"Couldn't you have done that anyway?" Mimi asked.

Mark hung his head in his hands. "I know," he moaned. "I'm an idiot."

Roger stuffed his hands in his pockets and stepped towards Mark. "What happened?" he asked in a low voice. "You were always the strong one. What made you snap?"

Mark explained what had been running through his mind as he had sat in the dark loft. He told them how he feared for his life, but that he mostly feared a life devoid of any artistic accomplishment.

Roger thought this was pure bullshit. He thought about these things every single day of his life. He had AIDS. He was going to die, but Mark only feared he was going to. Hell, Mark was one of those people who would probably live to be 100. Mark didn't think he could make a movie? Then what exactly was he doing with his camera? He filmed everywhere he went, whereas Roger couldn't think of the words to make up his song. Anyone could see that Roger had it a lot worse, but you didn't see him running to Benny.

Mark spoke up again. "But, you know what the last straw was?" he said. "I was just so hungry. Hungry and frozen."

"You know," said Collins, "You don't have to take anything from Benny."

Mark was silent for a few moments, then shook his head. "I've got to take it," he said. "Or else this will all have been for nothing."

Roger stared at his best friend in shock. This was so unlike Mark. He didn't understand it at all. Mark had changed, and Roger was filled with sharp dislike.

"I guess that makes you the new Benny," Collins mused.

"No!" Mark said quickly. "I don't want to lose you guys!"

Roger shook his head as he slowly backed away from Mark, anger coursing through his body. "That's not how it works," he said quietly.

"I promise I'll send you guys money for your rent," Mark offered. "Every month."

"No," Roger said coldly. "We don't want your money." He turned sharply on his heel and exited the club, hoping he would never have to see Mark again.

Mark watched Roger leave in silence. The rest of the group followed him out the door, Maureen looking like she was going to pass out, all of them sending Mark hostile glares. A deep pain began to gnaw at his insides. He thought this is what Benny must have felt like.

This was the end of the life Mark had known. He looked around. There was no one here to help him, or to convince him that he had done the right thing.

This was the end, and he was alone.

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Benny hung up his cell phone with a smile. The thread had not broken at all. In fact, he had a feeling the thread no longer existed. His life was secure, for the first time. Everything was going to be all right.

His job was perfectly safe, and now all that remained for him to do was fix his marriage. And he was heading back to his apartment in high spirits to do just that.

Benny surveyed the area around them. He had never appreciated that the neighborhood he now lived in was actually nice to look at. He'd been to wrapped up in his own problems to see it. But now that his life was virtually problem-free, he was able to appreciate the soft white snow and the sparkling Christmas lights. He had forgotten how much he used to love Christmas as a kid. This was the happiest Benny had been in a long time.

But as Benny entered his apartment, his happiness came to a crashing halt. The whole apartment was dark except for the lights hanging around their Christmas tree. He entered the living room to find Allison curled up on the couch, crying her eyes out.

Benny silently sat next to Allison on the couch. He picked her up and held her to him. He soothed her tears as she told him about Akita Evita. He didn't even like the dog, but he still found himself truly upset about her death.

After Allison had cried out all her tears, the couple decided to make the most of their remaining Christmas Eve. They sat by the tree like children, tearing at the wrappings on the presents they had given each other. Over eggnog, Benny told Allison how he had managed to shut down Tent City, after which they fell asleep watching It's a Wonderful Life. He fell asleep peacefully, with no idea how many lives he had affected that day.

Fin.

A/N: So yes, I know this story could be continued, but I've decided this is a good ending spot. In fact, this story was originally meant to be a stupid one-shot in which Benny found he could indeed shut down an entire tent city and then watch It's a Wonderful Life on tv. (Ha Ha) But then it evolved, as ideas tend to do. So I hope you've enjoyed my first (and hopefully not last) RentFic. There may be an epilogue added in the future if I feel so inclined. It will probably tell you how Angel and Collins and Roger and Mimi end up getting together. (Because you know they will.) But no promises on the epilogue. Thanks for reading, and please leave more reviews!