Chapter 7

Author's Note: Okay you guys, so I've been thinking about it a lot and this is going to be the chapter where all the secrets come out. Thanks for the reviews everyone I love getting them. Anyway, I still have a few places for new characters, maybe like two. So send me the info if you want to be in this.

Earlier that day, Joanne, Collins, and Jaylah had come in to New York from Boston on the train. Deciding that she needed a break from her sweet but very chatty daughter, Joanne had dropped her off to stay with Mark. Then she and Collins had decided to go and see Mimi a little early. They arrived at her house at the same time Roger was walking up to the door.

"Rog!" Collins had exclaimed seeing his old friend. "Hey man."

Roger looked up and saw Collins and Joanne heading for Mimi's house like he was. Good, he thought, maybe they can help me figure out what's wrong with Mark.

"Hey Collins, hey Jo." he greeted them. "It's great to see you both." The friends embraced and Collins knocked on Mimi's front door. It took several seconds but then it was opened by a young woman with glasses.

"Oh. My. God!" she exclaimed. "You're Roger Davis."

Roger blushed and muttered something incoherently. Collins rolled his eyes and cut off his friend's babbling with, "Yeah he is, and I'm Collins, Tom Collins. Is Mimi Marquez here? We're friends of hers."

"Oh, yeah come on in." the girl said. Then she turned and yelled back into the house "Little Senorita Mimi, you have some visitors."

They all filed into the house and stood in the parlor admiring the fineness of every thing. Then Collins spoke the words on every body's mind. "We've all come a long way from Alphabet City."

Suddenly there was a shriek and some incoherent Spanish and Mimi was in the room hugging them all.

"Jo, Collins, it's so great to see you. Roger I thought we were meeting at five. Anyway how are you all?"

The young woman with the glasses came into the room as well. "Mimi you said you knew Mark Cohen, but you never mentioned Roger Davis, rocking sex god extraordinaire."

Mimi laughed. "Sara this is Joanne Jefferson, Tom Collins and of course, the sex god Roger. You guys this is Sara, she's a new dancer at the Pascal Theater where I work."

At the mention of Mark's name Roger remembered why he came over to Mimi's house in the first place.

"Look you guys," he began. "I need to talk to you about Mark. He was at my hotel earlier and he blew up at me about how I walk all over him or something. Do any of you know what that's about?"

Mimi lowered her eyes, "Sara, could you give us a minute please? We really need to discuss this."

"Sure." Sara agreed. "I need to run home and change anyway. So I'll see you all again at five."

Once she was gone, Mimi gestured for them to follow her into the living room. When they were all seated, Mimi spoke up.

"Okay, so I might know a little something about why Mark is upset. The night you left for L.A. Mark and I were sitting in the loft talking about you. I was saying how I was going to miss you and all that, and Mark said that he understood why you left, but he thought you should have made sure I was okay first. Then I had a seizure. Mark was so scared and all he kept saying was Roger should be here to help. I tried to tell him it was okay, but he just kept saying it."

Roger grew pale at this. "Oh, god are you okay?" he said worried.

Mimi laughed, "Of course I am, I'm here aren't I?"

Then Joanne remembered something as well. "Roger, I might know something else." she said. "A few years before we got Jaylah, Mark came to visit us. It was about a year after you left. I was surprised to see him because I thought he was taking care of Mimi. But he said that she had just gotten a job and moved. So then Maureen asked Mark how you were doing. He just looked at her blankly and said he didn't know because he hadn't heard from you in a year. I said I hoped you were doing okay without him, and Mark kind of lost it. He started saying how he wasn't your mother, and it wasn't his job to take care of you and your problems and that you obviously didn't need him anymore."

Then Joanne's cell phone rang. "Hello?" she answered it.

While Joanne talked on the phone Roger thought about what he'd been told. Basically Mark was mad at him for leaving. Well too bad he thought, I have a life too. I can't take care of him forever.

Mark was very upset. He hadn't meant to break down like that in front of Jaylah. But once he'd started, he couldn't stop.

He deserved to hear all that. Who does he think he is, he just up and left Mimi alone. He was supposed to love her. He was supposed to love all of us. He was supposed to love me. Mark sighed, Jaylah was right. Roger was cuter in person than he was on television. His blond curls had gotten longer and his green eyes brighter. Great so now I sound like I'm in love with Roger. Then it hit him. Oh God, I'm in love with Roger.