-1A/N: Sorry the updates are taking so long, but I'm very lazy. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner though, I promise. Oh, and if you want translations for the Spanish, just tell me ).

Maureen left the apartment the next morning before anyone woke up. She figured she'd go to some diner, have a cup of coffee, and look through the classifieds of the local paper. She knew there wasn't much chance of finding a well paying job with her level of education, but there was always hope.

She had only made it three blocks out of the apartment before it started to rain. She contemplated going back to the loft to see if Joanne had packed her a raincoat, but decided against it. It was just water. She bathed in water. She drank water. It wasn't going to hurt her.

As Maureen made her way to the diner, her attitude towards the weather shifted slightly. The drizzle turned to a steady rain, the steady rain to a downpour. Her new shoes were soaked. Her curls were plastered to her face. She was amazingly thankful for the fact that she'd chosen to wear her black shirt today instead of her white one. She was in no mood for a wet T-shirt contest.

By the time she reached the diner, she looked like she had been pushed into a pool with all her clothes on. She stood outside for a few minutes, ringing her hair and clothes out. It didn't help much, but at least she wasn't dripping anymore. Well, at least not a lot.

She walked in, receiving odd looks from the customers there. She heard one man who looked like he was wearing a toupee muttering how disgraceful it was to walk into a public place like that, and she should know how to dress appropriately for the weather. If it weren't for the presence of children, she'd flip them off. Instead she flashed the man a smile and continued walking, swaying her hips maybe a little too much.

The waitress who was seating smiled at her, and grabbed her a menu. She was about Maureen's age, and didn't look like she was raking it in herself.

"Bad day?" she asked.

"The worst," Maureen replied. She pointed to the stack of newspapers by the check out desk. "Mind if I take one?" she asked, "I'll try not to soak it too much."

"Of course," the waitress said with a smile. She led Maureen to a table that was more or less away from all the glaring well-to-do customers, and left to get her a cup of coffee.

Maureen picked up the paper, and looked at it for a while, completely perplexed at where to begin. She didn't think she'd ever read a newspaper in her life, save the comics and the crossword puzzles.

After about five minutes, Maureen had managed to not only to find the classifieds, but to completely mangle the paper, with sections strewn across the table, and ink running from places that had been so much as brushed by her wet fingers or dripping hair. Not only that, but she managed to find all of one job that would accept someone with her level of education; a position at the JC Penny's where she and Joanne used to shop.

Maureen spent the next fifteen minutes trying to piece the newspaper back together, all the while collecting more odd stares than she already had. When she finished, it looked anything but as good as new, but at least everything was more or less in the right spot. Almost. She left a tip under her coffee cup, thanked the waitress, and made her way out of the restaurant, and back into the pouring rain. It had let up when she was inside, but started again only a few seconds before she left. She shook her head at her luck, and made her way back to the loft.

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"So you're not going to stay?" Mimi asked as she crossed her arms over her chest, watching Maureen change into dry clothes, and shivering all the while.

"I can't," Maureen answered, pulling a coat out of one her bags and draping it over Mimi's shaking shoulders. "I have to prove that I can take care of myself. Living here and letting you guys pay for my rent won't exactly help my cause." She glanced at Mimi, who was lying down on the bed now, looking up at the ceiling. "You understand, don't you?"

She let out a deep sigh. "I guess."

Maureen smiled and went back to the pair of pants she was folding.

"I wanted to help," Mimi whispered about a minute later.

Maureen looked up, confused. "What do you mean?"

Mimi sat up, still not looking at Maureen. "When I was sick, you found me. You brought me back to Roger. You helped me," she muttered, embarrassed, "I never really...thanked you for it. I thought if I could help you back to Joanne..."

"Mimi," Maureen cut her off, "You were dying."

"So are you."

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Maureen eventually gave in. Twenty minutes of Mimi pestering her in a foreign language was more than enough to change her mind. The only condition was that Maureen insisted to help pay for rent and food, which the others weren't opposed to.

"Don't think of it as slacking," Mimi had assured her, "Consider it an intelligent career move. I mean, it's less expensive than paying for your own apartment."

She had landed the job at Penny's, which ended up being one of those annoying women who sprays perfume in the faces of flustered customers who just want to buy some sheets. Usually, Maureen would love to get paid to make people uncomfortable, if it weren't for the fact that the smell of perfume gave her a headache. She was getting paid though, and she supposed that was all that really mattered.

However, Maureen was extremely impatient. Sure, she made money, but not quite enough money to buy what she currently had her eye on. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to find a higher paying job, she opted to just work a second one.

One morning, about two weeks after Maureen moved in, Mimi found her tearing up the classifieds at the kitchen table.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting in the seat across from her.

"Looking for a job," Maureen replied, squinting at the tiny print.

Mimi looked confused. "Did you get fired honey?"

Maureen shook her head, turning the page.

"Did you quit then? Did the fumes get to be too much?"

"I didn't lose my job, Mimi." Maureen replied, annoyed, "I just...want another one."

Mimi looked amused, "One wasn't good enough, babe?"

Maureen forced a smile, "Actually, no, it wasn't."

Mimi nodded, and watched her for a while, twisting her hair around her finger. It reminded Maureen of how she used to watch Joanne.

"Well..." Mimi started after about five minutes, "I know a place that's looking to hire..."

"Where?" Maureen asked, glancing up for only a second.

"I don't think they want people who are unenthusiastic, Maureen"

Now Maureen looked confused. "Since when have you ever seen me unenthused?"

"Right now."

Maureen rolled her eyes, and let out an obviously overdramatic sigh, before putting on a bright smile. "A job? Where Mimi, where is this wonderful job?"

Mimi laughed, "That's more like it."

"But seriously Mimi, where's the job?"

"The bar at the Cat Scratch Club," she said, looking thrilled with the notion.

"Hell no." Maureen replied, shaking her head and resuming her search.

"Come on," Mimi whined, "It'll be fun!"

"Define fun."

"Come on Maureen!" Mimi begged, giving her puppy dog eyes.

"No. You're not going to use those on me. I taught you that."

"If you don't, I will speak only Spanish until you move out," Mimi persisted.

"You wouldn't."

"¿Usted desea apostar a chica?" Mimi asked, a sly grin across her lips.

Maureen groaned. "You win."

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"Despierte a chica!"

Maureen groaned, having had another sleepless night, and pulled a pillow over her face. There was only one alarm clock in the loft, and that was in Mimi and Roger's room, so Mimi took it upon herself to be the alarm clock for everyone else in the apartment.

In Spanish.

"Levántese," Mimi urged, pulling on her hand. Maureen moaned. She was not in the mood for Spanish. She didn't even know what "levántese" meant.

"Can you speak in English please?" Maureen whined. "I thought you were going to speak in English if I took your stupid job." She knew it was hopeless, though. Mimi always woke everyone up in Spanish. She just loved the frustrated looks on people's faces as they battled sleep deprivation and the language barrier at the same time.

"Hablaré en inglés cuando usted se levanta," Mimi replied. God only knew what she was saying. She continued to yank on Maureen's arm, rambling on in Spanish all the while.

Maureen sighed as she reluctantly got out of bed.

As Maureen stood up, she was surprised to see her clothes laid out on the floor for her.

"Come on," Mimi urged her, "You need to get ready for work!"

Maureen rolled her eyes, "You didn't happen to get me a cup of coffee too, did you?"

"What do you I think I am, your slave?" she asked. "Now come on, get moving," she ordered, slapping Maureen's backside before going off to wake Roger. Not even an alarm clock could stir that boy.

"IF YOU UTTER ONE MORE WORD IN THAT WRETCHED LANGUAGE!" she heard Roger scream three minutes later. She would've laughed if she hadn't been in that situation only minutes before. She finished dressing, and poured some coffee for herself into a Styrofoam cup that she could take with her.

Before Maureen could get out of the loft, Mimi was screaming after her.

"Mo! Don't forget, tonight's your first night at the Cat Scratch!"

"Joy," she replied, sliding the door open.

"Well don't act too excited," Mimi replied. Maureen could hear the pout in her voice. "Aren't you glad we get to work together?"

Maureen turned around and gave Mimi a sincere smile, "I'm glad we'll be together...it's the working part I'm not so fond of. Those bars are usually swimming in smoke." Maureen was terrified that smoke would make her voice scratchy and end her performing days.

Mimi rolled her eyes, "You and your precious voice will get over it," she replied.

Maureen shrugged as she started to walk down the hall.

"Plus!" Mimi shouted after her, "they'll be plenty of nearly naked women around!"

Maureen nearly choked on her coffee.