Hi everyone! I really hope you are enjoying this fic. I am having fun writing it. Please read and review. Mimi and Roger have a weird mental breakdown in this chapter. It was kind of weird to write and I just felt like telling you about it before you read it.

On another note, Fan Fiction is messing up my spelling and stuff. I have like O.C.D. about making the spelling and format perfect, but the website is screwing it up. If you find any spelling errors or stuff, please tell me because I am going crazy editing these chapters.

Thanks!

Like A Child

Roger woke up and saw Mimi sitting right next to him.

"Hi," he said, yawning.

"He is going to kill you," Mimi said, looking down.

"Who?" Roger asked, sitting up.

"I need to go back to drugs or else he is going to kill you," Mimi sobbed.

"Who?" Roger said. He grabbed Mimi's arms and stared at her.

"Gordon," Mimi said. She suddenly gasped, not sure what to do. "I need to go! I need to find him. I need to buy some. I can't have him do this. Where is the note?"

"What note?" he asked.

"You know what fucking note! You are such a fucking idiot. I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Mimi jumped off the bed and made her way to the door. She tripped on the way. She just lay on the ground, crying and shaking.

Roger moved over to her. He picked her up and she weakly began punching his chest. She lost all energy and gave up.

Roger cradled her in his arms.

"Meems," he said, "you already told me he wanted to kill me."

"Yea," she sobbed, "but this time I actually believe it. Allison's father told him to do whatever it takes to get a new client. Benny called and warned me."

"Benny is in on this?" Roger yelled.

"Shut up," she cried. "Shut up! Get over it. He cares about you and wanted to warn you."

"Mimi," he said. "Gordon is always threatening someone. Besides, he got caught today and was sent to jail."

"Seriously?" Mimi asked. Her face turned red slightly. She felt bad that she had just had a dramatic melt down in front of him. She felt like such a child. She sat up straighter trying to look more mature.

"Yes," he said into her hair. "It was a story on Buzzline. Mark told me about it. It is going to be alright. He isn't going to be bothering us for a long time."

o o o o o

The next couple of days, Roger was forced to stay in bed. Mark and Maureen came down everyday to visit him. They would all hang out in Mimi's apartment. Roger was very grumpy during that time, because he wasn't allowed to get out of bed. Half the time he slept, so he wouldn't have to be bored.

"Wake up," whispered Mark. Maureen sat at the end of the bed. Mimi watched Mark's hopeless attempts to wake Roger up.

"Scream it," she said.

"No way," Mark laughed. "He needs to be woken up a certain way or else he will be angry."

Mimi rolled her eyes and pushed Mark on top of Roger. Mark was just about to stand up and yell at Mimi, when Roger put his arm around Mark, pulling him back down.

"Mimi," he whispered.

Maureen and Mimi burst into fits of laughter. Roger opened one eye and saw Mark staring at him with a look that said, "This isn't what it looks like."

Roger pushed Mark off of him with all his might. It sent Mark flying into Mimi who fell on her back.

"Fuck Mark," Roger yelled. "What are you fucking doing?"

"It was Mimi," Mark whined.

"No," Maureen laughed. "Roger thought it was Mimi."

"Fuck off Maureen," Roger yelled. He lay back down, pulling the covers over his head. "Mark," he said from under the blanket. "If you come near me I will punch your fucking face in!"

Mark swallowed and stood up and got off of Mimi. Maureen followed, laughing her head off.

"I will see you guys later," Roger heard Mimi say. She came into the bedroom. For a second, it seemed as if time had frozen. Mimi was looking at him through the bead hangings around the bed. She had color back in her face. Her mouth was set in a half smiled. Her eyebrows were raised. She seemed to be glowing despite everything that was happening.

"What?" Mimi asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Just thinking."

"Bout what?" Mimi laughed sitting down.

"I was thinking about how everything at this exact moment is perfect," he said.

"Besides the fact that you have a drug seller after you, we have no heat or water, and that your head has 21 stitches in it," she laughed. She lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling.

Roger frowned at her. She looked at him. "I am just kidding. Everything is perfect!" She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

Roger smiled. "I love you Mimi."

"I love you too," she said looking at him weird.

"Will you love me forever?" he asked suddenly. Mimi was so shocked. Roger had never opened up with his feelings like this before. Mimi looked at him.

"What's wrong babe?" she asked. She pushed his hair away from his forehead.

"Just answer the question Meems," he said seriously.

"Of course, I will always love you, till death do we part," she said. The reaction Mimi got from Roger shocked her. The color from his face drained and he stared into space.

"I hate that word," Roger whispered. Mimi came behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Roger would usually have never let Mimi hold him. He would usually pull away and walk away. He hated feeling weak or vulnerable, especially around girls. Today was a different story. He felt like a little kid, being held by his mother. He began to sob silently and leaned into Mimi's small frame.

"Rog," she whispered. "It's okay. It's okay baby. Calm down."

Mimi began to rock Roger back and forth, when Mark silently walked into the room, unheard. He came around the corner and saw Mimi holding Roger, who was crying without letting a single tear fall.

Mark stood there, shocked. He never saw his best friend act this way at all. He just stood there and watched as Roger fell asleep. Mimi laid him down and stood up. She jumped at the sight of Mark.

"Mark," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

"I never saw him act that way," he said. "I have known him for over 6 years and never has he opened up like that."

Mimi smiled. She felt good that Roger felt comfortable to open up with her. Mark then looked serious, "Maya hasn't come home at all today. She went to some audition and never came back."

"I will go look for her," she said, grabbing her coat. "Just promise me that you will check in on Roger every couple of minutes."

Mark rolled his eyes and put the camera to his eye.

"Close on Mimi, she is out on an expedition to find a whore in the making," Mark laughed.

"Fuck off," Mimi laughed.

"That is Roger's line," Mark said, following her out of the room.

o o o o o

Mimi had not been to her dance studio all week. She missed it, but she couldn't be distracted by the flashy lights, not now. She began asking any instructor she saw if they had seen Maya. After what seemed like forever, she met a man named Francisco Raulez.

"Have you seen a young girl with big brown eyes and brown curly hair? She has really light skin and a beauty mark on the corner of her lip."

"Maya Collins?" he asked.

"Yes," she gasped.

"She went home with Nikole Gerhard," he said. "Do you know her?"

"I know Maya, but not Nikole," Mimi said. "Where did they go?"

"I think to Nikole's place. She lives in the apartment building around the corner of The Life."

Mimi nodded and walked away, but the guy called after her. "You work at the CatScratch club, right?"

"Yes," Mimi said.

"Would you consider auditioning for an off-Broadway job?" he asked. "Call me." He handed her a card and walked away. She shoved it in her pocket and left.

Mimi ran five blocks, until she got to the apartment building. She pushed the intercom to talk.

"May I help you?" said a bored voice through the machine.

"Nikole Gerhard," Mimi said.

"Room 17," the lady said.

The run down building looked uninviting, but Mimi had been in worse situations, so she made her way up the stairs.

She knocked on door Room 17. A young red-haired girl opened the door.

"Can I help you?" she said.

"Are you Nikole?" Mimi asked.

"Lillian," the girl said. "Who are you?"

"Mimi Marquez, I am here to see Maya Gomez de Collins."

"That is a gay last name," the girl laughed.

"It is her birth parents last name and her adopted father's last name," Mimi found herself explaining. She then realized that she didn't have to explain that to a young girl. "Where is Nikole?"

"Probably the alley next to the old Cyber Arts Studio. You go down main street, then make a-"

"Thanks," Mimi said. She rushed out of the building as fast as she could.