"Aw! I fold." Mark cried, as Noah deviously took the pot from the middle of the table. "How can you be so good! You just learned how to play!" Mallory smiled sweetly at Mark.

"I guess it's beginner's luck. You know, you're really good at poker, Mark." Mark raised his eyebrows.

"Um, thanks." He exchanged glances with an equally confused Allie. Allie shrugged.

"Geez, how many boxes is Ma making Roger move?" Allie asked, looking up the stairs. Noah looked up from counting his chips.

"You know, I don't think we have any boxes." Noah said, following Allie's gaze up the stairs. "The only heavy thing I can think of that Mama would want moved would be that statue of the old guy on the third floor, but that would take at least three other people." Mallory nodded.

"It's true. I wonder what they're doing then…" Allie's eyes widened at all the possibilities, as did Mark's. "Maybe they're talking about you." Mallory continued naively. Allie and Mark both stood up.

"Somehow, I don't think that's what it is." Allie replied, as she began up the stairs with Mark close behind her.

"Mark, wait! Where are you going?" She asked, following them.

"Um, Mallory, why don't you stay and keep playing poker? We'll be back soon." Mallory sighed and sat back down.

"Kay, but please, call me Mal!" She called, as Allie and Mark disappeared down the hallway. Allie laughed.

"I think my sister has a little crush on Marky." Mark blushed.

"Really?" Allie nodded.

"Should I set something up?" She asked, nudging him with her elbow. Mark shrugged.

"No…no. How old is she? Seventeen?" Allie laughed.

"Nineteen. So it's not illegal."

"That's still like six year's difference." They turned up the stairs to the third floor, and began looking in all the doorways.

"Love knows no age." Allie mocked, which caused Mark's face to flush red again.

"Shut up." Allie laughed, but stopped making fun of him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sutherland had led Roger up to her bedroom. She sat herself daintily on her large bed as Roger looked around.

"So, what do you need me to move?" He asked, scratching his head. Annabelle giggled.

"I have a confession to make." She stood up and moved close to him. "I don't need you to move anything." Roger backed away from her.

"Then why did you call me up here?" He stammered uncomfortably. Mrs. Sutherland traced her fingers across his chest.

"Why do you think?"

"Wow, ok, look, I'm with Allie…" Mrs. Sutherland backed up a little bit.

"I figured. But of course, you aren't married or anything…" She pushed him against the wall and kissed him fervently as Mark appeared in the doorway.

"Holy shit!"

"What? Did you find them?" Allie's voice echoed through the hallway as she appeared next to Mark. Roger and Annabelle quickly broke apart, but not quick enough. "What the-"

"Allie, let me explain-" Roger started, as Mrs. Sutherland straightened her shirt and lipstick.

"I'm so sorry, Allison! He just came at me." Allison returned her gaze back to Roger, who was standing innocently in the corner.

"Honestly, I didn't-"

"I really don't think he did anything, Al." Mark added, defending his friend. Roger nodded sincerely. Allie looked back at her mother.

"Mama…what the hell is wrong with you? Dad just died! And Roger is like, 80 years younger than you!" Mrs. Sutherland turned towards her daughter.

"80, I beg your pardon! I am only 44 years old! Honestly, for all that money I put towards your education! You must not have been paying attention in math." Allie rolled her eyes.

"Right, I forgot, you started young. Much younger than I am, just to point out."

"Yes, but I was married when I had your brother, we were out of school, it was all appropriate and proper!" Allie laughed.

"But you never went to college! You never did anything you wanted, except sit on your ass your entire life and be a rich man's wife!"

"I am not going to stay here and be insulted!" Mrs. Sutherland remarked, taking small steps towards the door, although Allie and Mark blocked her exit.

"Well, then leave! God, you are fucking nothing but a bitch, Ma." Allie moved, as an upset Annabelle left the room in a hurry. Roger rushed to Allie.

"God, Allie, I am so sorry, she just came at me!" Allie nodded and closed her eyes.

"I-I know." She continued to try to wrap her head around this. Mark felt his presence was unwanted.

"Um, I'll just go downstairs."

"Say hi to Mallory for me!" Allie called after him with a giggle. Roger was confused.

"Does Mark like your sister or something?" Allie shrugged.

"You could say that. Now, tell me about this whole you-and-my mom thing." Roger sighed.

"She was being all seductive and came at me…it was the freakiest thing." Allie sighed as well and collapsed on her mother's bed.

"I can't believe she would do that. I mean, Dad just died…" Roger sat next to her and grabbed her hand.

"You miss him, huh?" Allie thought for a second.

"Yeah, I guess I do." He gave her hand a small squeeze.

"When's the service?"

"Tomorrow." She replied, laying her head on his chest. He softly kissed the top of her head.

"Allie!" Mallory called up the stairs to her. "Allie, come here!" Allie smiled apologetically at Roger for ruining their moment, as she scurried down the stairs.

"Mal, what's up?"

"Mama just fired all of the help!"

"All?" Mallory nodded.

"Everyone. She just stormed down the stairs and fired everyone! Who's gonna make the food for the…" She gulped down her words. "For tomorrow?" She heard several doors slam upstairs, and figured it was her mother, still pissed off at her. Roger jogged down the stairs as Allie formulated a plan.

"We'll have to do it ourselves, I guess. So, what is left to cook?" Mallory shrugged and went into the kitchen, followed by Allie, Roger, Mark, and her brothers. Mallory looked around, at all the food that had yet to be cooked.

"I guess, everything." James, being the oldest, immediately took charge.

"Ok…Roger and Allie, you cut the vegetables, Mal, you do the cake, Fin, you make the dips, Mark, help Mallory, and Noah…"

"I'll make the crème puffs!" He offered, getting himself the ingredients from the refrigerator.

"Ok, Noah will make the crème puffs, and I guess I'll make those little sandwich thingies…where's the meat?" Allie wrinkled her nose as she pulled out the large cutting board.

"Yuck." James found the deli meat in the fridge, un-sliced.

"Ok, just because you don't eat meat is no reason to freak every time someone mentions it." Allie threw a piece of carrot at her brother.

"You're a vegetarian?" Roger asked her, as Allie handed him a knife. She nodded.

"Have been since I was 13." She replied, cutting the tops off the celery. Roger shrugged.

"Didn't know." He started cutting the leaves off the carrots, when the knife slipped. "Ah, shit!" Allie rushed to him.

"Oh, you cut yourself!" She reached for his hand but he pulled it away.

"Don't touch it." He turned from her.

"What the hell? It's just a cut…" Fin grabbed a Band-Aid from the cupboard and handed it to Roger.

"Thanks." He said, wrapping it around his finger. Mark walked over to him.

"Did you get any on anything?" Roger looked around to the cutting board and the vegetables.

"Naw, just the knife." Mark nodded and grabbed it, holding it away from him before dropping it in the sink. Allie watched this with furrowed brows.

"Ok, what is going on? Do you have AIDS or something?" She joked, but when she saw his expression, realized it wasn't a joke. "Oh my god, you have AIDS?" Roger nodded with embarrassment.

"Um, HIV." Allie gasped, and punched him on the arm. "Ow! What?" She crossed her arms.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He looked around to see everyone looking at them and listening intently.

"Um, can we go somewhere more private?"

"Sure." They went into the dining room. "Now answer my question!" Roger sighed.

"I was…scared, I guess. I thought you would hate me or something." Allie laughed.

"Why would I hate you? I l-" She stopped herself, and felt her face growing red.

"What did you say?" Allie shook her head.

"Nothing, I just asked why-"

"No, you started to say that you l-"

"No, no, I wasn't going to say anything." Roger smiled.

"Say it." She shook her head again.

"No." Roger came towards her, and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Say it." She tried not to smile.

"No…" Roger lifted her up.

"Please?"

"How can you hold me? I probably weigh like eight hundred pounds." Roger shook his head.

"Yeah right! Now please, do me a favor and say it."

"Put me down first." Roger obliged, and waited. Allie sighed. "I-I love you, Roger." He smiled and kissed her.

"I love you, Allie." She squealed with delight.

"You love me?" He nodded and kissed her again.

"I love you." She giggled like she was a teenager again.

"I love you!"

"Oh my god, you both love each other, shut up!" Called Fin from the kitchen. Allie and Roger laughed in between small kisses.

"So, talk to me about this whole HIV/AIDS thing." Allie began, sitting on the dining room table. Roger sighed and sat next to her.

"What do you want to know?" She intertwined her fingers with his.

"Are you going to die?" Her voice was small, low, and scared. Roger took a deep breath.

"Maybe." He let out a nervous laugh. Allie gave a small cry.

"Maybe? Oh, Roger…" She sighed and rested on his shoulder. "Is there something you can take?" He shrugged.

"I'm supposed to take AZT…" Allie lifted her head.

"And do you?" He nodded.

"Sometimes."

"How often are you supposed to take it?" Roger thought about this.

"About every five hours." Allie slapped him across the face. "Why are you always hitting me?"

"I know you don't take it every five hours!" Roger sat there, trying to come up with an excuse.

"I, well…I mean…fuck, I don't have a reason. Sorry."

"Don't apologize to me! You're hurting yourself!" Roger sighed.

"I know, but it's my choice…" Allie stood up and let go of his hand.

"Ok, maybe you should apologize to me! If you aren't going to take your AZT for yourself, then take it for me, take it for Mark, for Collins…god, so many people care about you, and you are throwing away your life! I can't let you do that."

"Allie, you have no say in this, ok?"

"Goddamn you, Roger." She turned away from him, but he pulled her back.

"Allie! Allie, wait, I'm sorry…" She spun back towards him. "You should have a say, and…and if it's really that important to you, I'll take my AZT." Allie's face lit up.

"Really?" She threw her arms around his neck as he nodded.

"For you." She twisted her mouth to the side.

"Can't you do it because you want to live, not because I want you to?"

"Well, I want to live for you." Allie gave him a long kiss.

"Stop being sweet!" She cried with a smile. He shrugged.

"You know that's impossible for me."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

A/N: Hey guys! Quite a long chapter as well! I just want to give a little background on Allie's family: Her Mom had James at 17, and James is currently 27, and the oldest. Fin is 25, Allie is 22, Mallory is 19, and Noah is 15. Mallory has a little crush on Marky…and he's kinda digging her too. This might not be mentioned but I spent a lot of time thinking about all this, so I am giving you the history: James and Fin are both working for Papa Sutherland's insurance company, Mallory is in college studying to become a lawyer, and Noah is still in high school, with a secret passion for crème puffs. So…that's the brief family history. Um, I know like, the insides and outs of their family life, so ask me anything, go ahead! I will marry you if you review! (Or at least give you a big hug/cookie!)