Chapter 23

Legal Disclaimer-Larson's Own, I still rent.

Author's Note: My reviewers are golden. I love you all, you keep me writing. Merline-your thoughts made this chapter work, thank you and accept my humble dedication. I promise this is coming to an end soon, I see 30 chapters total. What's going to happen? You'll see, (sing it Taye)….You'll see boys….

When morning dawned, Mark knew that the sun wasn't his friend. The injuries of the day before were beginning to rear their collective ugly heads and he knew that the phone ringing was going to wake up everyone. He tried desperately to move to get the phone, but he was so stiff it was hard to move. Mary had curled up on him with her long hair covering him. It was more comfortable to stay where he was, but he knew that he would have to get up. The slight knock on the door was no help.

"Mark?" Roger asked softly, "It's Buzzline for you."

"Yeah, I'm getting there," Mark replied, shifting a pillow under Mary's head so that she wouldn't feel him moving, "Tell them to hang on, will you?"

He stood up quickly, bit his lip to stop the lurch that the room gave him and headed for the living room. He looked back at Mary still sleeping and realized that the evening hadn't been great to her. She had bruises on her face from the mugging.

He picked up the phone as Roger looked at him. The cringing look Roger gave him let him know that he hadn't escaped bruises either.

"Hello Lexi," Mark began, "Yeah, well, I had this little mugging happen so I apologize for not calling you yesterday. No, I can get in there this afternoon if it can be arranged. Feature story? I thought it was going to be a Christmas segment. Network? WHAT!"

Roger put his coffee cup down and stared at him. Mark was awake now. He thanked Lexi then put the phone down.

"Network," Mark said to himself, staring at the phone.

"What?" Roger asked, "What about the Network?"

Mark turned and looked at him with a look somewhere between shock and joy.

"Lexi said the networks loved my Christmas piece so much they are airing on the NATIONAL networks. I need to go to the studios to add music to it and pick up my additional check," Mark said, his hands shaking, "I'm getting 10 thousand more dollars for it."

Roger gave Mark a bear hug and whooped.

"Holy shit, man, that is fantastic," Roger said, gently putting Mark back down, "You okay?"

"It's not selling out is it?" Mark asked, "I mean we need the money, Rog."

Roger stared at him for a moment. Mark's work was so unique and like nothing anyone had seen on TV that he wasn't selling out. Buzz line, after "Today 4 U" acknowledged his style and left him alone with it. They didn't tell him how to shoot and what to shoot, they just watched what he shot, then told him if they would air it or not. For this to happen, they must have liked it. For it to go Network meant it was fantastic.

"Depends," Roger said, "What music do they want you to use?"

"Nothing that people already know," Mark replied, still stunned, "It just needs to be cleared to air. And they said it was my choice, they want to leave the shots alone as is."

"Make sure it's music you're happy with and you should be okay," Roger replied, "Don't let them dictate what you put in."

"Amen," Mark laughed, giddy, "You don't have anything you want to add, right?"

"Music?" Roger asked.

"I've heard you out here," Mark said, making tea, "You have something in the works."

"Yeah, Yeah, I know," Roger replied, "You'll hear what I have eventually. I don't think it's ready for broadcast though. The Well Hungarians are not their type of music anyway. Thanks for thinking of us. Way to go, Mark."

Mark mused over the prospect. Ten thousand dollars and he didn't have to sell his soul. Finally.

"What happened?" Mary asked softly, from the door to Mark's bedroom, "I heard the noise and cheering. What did Buzz Line say?"

"Sorry, Mary," Roger said, "Didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh, it's okay," Mary said, heading for the kitchen herself, "I'm usually up at this hour. Mark, how are you feeling this morning?"

"Wealthier," Mark laughed, "Buzz Line's airing the piece NATIONALLY!"

Mary smiled as their eyes met. Her right eye had raised a black mark from the mugging,

he cringed as he looked at her.

"What?" she asked, noticing his look.

"Black eye," he said.

"You have a matching one, but it looks more like road rash," Roger interrupted, "Doctor warned me to expect that."

"Great, you decided to not tell us this?" Mark said, heading for the bathroom to look at his confirming reflection, "Hard to talk to Buzz Line looking like this."

"Yeah, I know," Mary replied, "Try dancing like it."

"How's your hand?" Mark said, walking back to the kitchen and stopping in front of her.

"Hurts," she said, kissing him, "But nothing I can't handle."

"Head?" Roger asked.

"Hurts, and that's what is bothering me," Mary replied, "You guys have anything for it? What did this doctor recommend?"

"Aspirin," Mark replied, before Roger answered, "I read the forms from the hospital Roger. It's in the cabinet, you need help with it?"

Mary walked into their kitchen area behind him and opened the cabinet he pointed to. The aspirin was in a child proof container. It would take two hands and Mary couldn't do it.

"Like the two of you would have children running through here ," Mary said, "Ha."

She looked at Mark, handed it to him and held out her good hand, palm up.

"Two should do the trick," she said, "But there's no way that I can open it."

Mark obliged and put the medication in her hand. He pulled out one for himself then poured her some coffee.

"Sugar and milk, right?" Mark asked, "You go sit, baby."

"Really? Thanks honey," Mary kissed him on the cheek, "You are a god."

"A filmmaking god," Mark smiled, "Mary, I have never gotten ten thousand dollars for a job in my life."

"Fantastic," she said, settling into her chair, "That's wonderful. What are you going to do with the money?"

"I don't know," Mark replied, sitting down next to her, "I know we need to get some advance on the rent, then there's the medical bills, food, film costs…"

"Medical bills? Oh, Rog and Mimi's AZT," Mary said, sipping her coffee, "Film costs, you thinking up a new one?"

"Have been," Mark continued, "It will be nice to be ahead with Benny for once. I also want to pay you back for the E.R."

"No Mark, don't," Mary said, "That was done out of love and necessity, honey."

"Thank you, but I must," Mark continued, "I don't feel right about it."

Mary put her coffee down and looked at him. She was getting upset, which didn't help her head, but she took a deep breath.

"You don't feel right about me doing something for you?" she was blunt, but she realized she snapped, "Mark, I thought we're in a relationship. Damnit. I told you money is evil."

"No, it's not," Mark said, "It's useful when you have it."

"Bullshit, Cohen," Mary said, "I have money and I dance to get the hell away from it. You don't see it, do you?"

"See what?" Mark asked, clenching his jaw, "That my girlfriend has more money than me? Yeah, I see it, Mary."

Mary stood up slowly, knowing the nausea from the headache that was starting. She was getting angry, very angry.

"Money isn't everything, Mark Cohen, I thought we were more than that," she spat, "I wanted you to get medical help quickly. You were unconscious; I thought you were dead when that guy hit you. It scared me so badly that I gave up my bag willingly. Now, if you weren't so stubborn, you might have realized that money got you the medical help that you needed quickly. I understand pride, Mark, but this is stupid."

"Why is my pride stupid?" Mark asked, " I appreciate what you did Mary, but you didn't have to do it."

"Actually, she did," Roger interjected, "They weren't going to do much with you otherwise. They were swamped when I got there, Mark. Mary kept insisting that they look at you first because she was so scared."

"Oh," Mark's reply was soft, "I didn't realize that."

"There's a lot you aren't realizing, Mark," Mary continued, "I'm beginning to wonder if they knocked the sense out of your head."

"Probably did," Mark said, "I also didn't get how bad it really was."

"Mark," Mary shook her head at him, "You infuriate me sometimes."

"So do you," Mark said, "I don't know how to handle you sometimes."

Roger looked at both of them and realized that the one place he really shouldn't be was right there. He stood up and quietly left the room, allowing them to glare at each other some more.

"Handle me?" Mary asked, "Since when do I need to be handled?"

"Sorry," Mark said, standing up, "I'm sorry this set you off so badly. I was raised to pay back people who do things for me, Mary. I didn't mean to touch a nerve."

Mary met his eyes. She couldn't help but see the sorrow inside.

"I was the idiot here, Mark," she smiled, "Sorry, baby. I know that you meant well, just that damn money again."

He looked at her and drew her into a kiss.

"I love you, you know that?" Mark asked, "I don't love the money. It's great that they want to pay me more for it, I think it's great. I have an idea. I'm going to update my camera, get a good suit, which I do need, take you to DINNER for Christmas, someplace we both haven't been to, and I'll take the rest and save it. Work for you?"

"Mark, it's your money," Mary replied, putting her good hand around the back of his neck, "Do with it what you must, but can you get your glasses fixed first?"

Mark laughed and took off his glasses.

"What, you don't like the tape?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't," Mary laughed with him, "Same frames work for me. Tape makes you look even more nerdy."

"Me too," Mark agreed, "Come with me. I have to go to the studios, then we can actually go shopping."

"Only if Roger comes with, ok?" Mary said, "With Mimi working at the bookstore, he's wandering around here too much. Besides, you might want a male perspective on clothes."

"And dress like a rock star?" Mark laughed.