A/N: Just a brief warning about this chapter. I might have gone a little overboard with the 'F' word...just felt it was necessary. Also, it's very dramatic. But I feel anyone would react the same way to finding out what Kate's about to find out.

Disclaimer: Don't own RENT. Also don't own the quote about life being beauty and pain...that belongs to Jon Foreman from Switchfoot.

Mark didn't like what he saw. Kate, he knew, didn't have a lot of luck with relationships. She'd had a boyfriend in the past, but he eventually left her, claiming that she was too needy and emotional. Which was something Mark didn't actually see.

For someone who'd been beaten most of her life, she dealt with it pretty well.

Or she at least hid it pretty well.

But anyway, a relationship with Roger was the last thing on earth that Kate needed. Roger, whether she knew this or not, was dying. Roger's body was an AIDS infected, beautiful disaster.

And neither Mark nor Roger knew if even the AZT would save him.

Mark knew that he couldn't let Kate get attached. But seeing them laughing and having fun together, he also knew that that would be easier said than done.

Not to mention, it was the happiest he's seen Roger in...

Since April.

Mark didn't know if he could just take that away from him. He deserved happiness.

But Kate also deserved to know the truth.

---

Kate lay on the couch, watching the blonde man quietly play his wooden acoustic guitar. She watched as he leaned his head back, closing his eyes and exhaling, satisfied for once with the sound he produced.

It had taken him a long time after April's death to even look in the direction of his guitar. It took him much longer to pick it up. But suddenly, it seemed worth it to make music again.

"You're good, you know." He heard a voice say. Turning his head, he saw Kate watching him, a smile playing on her lips. He smiled back.

"Thanks, but no."

"I mean it, you really are!" It would be a lie if Roger said he wasn't flattered. It had been a while since someone actually liked his music.

"You like music?"

"I do...but it's not as if I was exposed to a lot of it as a child. My dad wouldn't let me have a stereo or anything, so I was forced to make my own music. I sang with a few choirs in school. It kept me musically satisfied and it kept me away from my father longer."

Roger nodded, understanding that feeling entirely. The feeling of doing anything to stay away from home...if you could even call it home...as long as possible. That could've been the reason why Roger was such a trouble maker in high school. He did anything to get detention...and stay away from his father.

"You're girlfriend wouldn't like you staring at me like that." Kate told him softly.

"What girlfriend?"

Kate looked at him, confused. "Girlfriend? You must have a girlfriend..."

"No...not anymore, anyway."

"What, you break up with her?"

Roger shook his head. "She...kind of broke up with me...in a sense."

Kate continued to stare at him, even more confused than before. "Well, she either broke up with you, or she didn't."

Roger sighed, getting up to leave. "We'll talk about this another time, okay?"

"No!" Kate shouted, getting up as well. "We always get to talking about you, and then you hide yourself. You bottle up everything. Just fucking talk to me, okay?"

"She's dead, okay!" Roger shouted back. Kate took a step back, not expecting any of it.

"...She's...she's what?"

"Dead. Is that what you wanted to hear? She fucking killed herself in my bathroom. Slit her wrists." Kate's heart sank as she saw Roger begin to cry. "I did nothing but love her and she killed herself." Roger slid to the floor, leaning against the kitchen counter.

"God...I've never said that out loud. Fucking hurts..."

Kate bent down next to him and brushed the blonde hair out of his face. With the back her hand, she gently wiped away his tears. "That's life, Roger...life is beauty and it's pain. For a lot of us, life is mostly pain...but it's the beauty that makes everything worth it."

Roger let out a small laugh. "You get that from a Hallmark card?"

"Shut up." Kate laughed, smacking him.

Roger looked up at her and before he knew what he was doing, placed a small kiss on her lips. Kate was too stunned to even move, but found herself eventually leaning in, kissing him back.

---

After working up his courage, Mark finally exited his bedroom to talk to Kate. It would be hard, but she had to know about Roger's condition. Before it was too late.

But looking at his cousin on the floor, kissing the diseased man, he saw it was already too late.

For some reason, Mark felt...angry. At himself, at his cousin for kissing Roger, at April for making Roger the way he was. So he did was most angry people do.

He yelled.

"Kate, what the fuck!"

Kate jumped off of Roger and turned around, seeing her cousin. She'd never seen Mark so angry...and thinking on it, she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him angry.

"Mark...it was just a kiss..."

"Kate, you know nothing about Roger. You just met the guy. You can't get attached to him like this."

Kate was appalled. "Who are you to tell me who I can and can't get attached to?"

"Roger," Mark ignored her. "Does she know?"

Roger froze. "About...about what?"

"Don't play dumb, Roger, does she know?"

"...about April? Yeah, she knows..."

"And the AIDS? She know about that too?"

The room went silent. Mark was glaring accusingly at Roger, Roger was staring at Mark, jaw wide open, and Kate was staring at Roger...completely stunned.

"...AIDS. You...you have AIDS."

"Kate, I was going to tell you..."

"When!" Kate shouted. She felt herself get choked up. "You kiss me...and then I find out you're probably going to die?"

Roger flinched. It was the first time anyone had ever said the words to him so harshly.

You're probably going to die.

"I...I have to go..." Kate answered, not looking at either of the two men. "I'm going to take a walk...I just need to think for a while." She quickly grabbed her coat and ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Roger glared at Mark angrily. "Nice going, Mark. I finally get something good back in my life, and you go and take it away."

"She was going to find out sooner or later, Roger. I had to do it before you two got too attached. I saw it coming."

Roger began walking away to his room. "Oh, just fuck off already. Just because Maureen dumped you doesn't mean you have the right to make everyone else miserable!" Another door slammed.

Mark stood in the center of the living room, completely disgusted with himself and with the events that just occurred. "That was definitely not how I planned things out."

A/N: I know, a lot of you probably hate me for how I'm making Mark sound, but I'll make up for it eventually. Promise!