1A/N - Back in regular time, starts a few hours after we left off

Chapter 6

"Roger, I don't want to go back to work. I only want you looking at me the way all of the other men do. I only want to be yours, but I like my job. What am I supposed to do?" Mimi unsuccessfully tried to hold back tears.

"Would it help if I came to the shows? You can pretend you're only dancing for me. And if you do a good job, well, I don't have any money, but you might get a little something in return." Roger really wanted to help, and the way he saw it, this was a win-win situation for both of them. Mimi could keep her job, he could watch his girlfriend perform exotic dances, they would both be able to buy food.

Mimi stopped crying. She remembered why she loved Roger so much. He really did care for her. "Roger, you are amazing. I love you." She gave him an innocent hug. "I have to go get dressed NOW though or I'm gonna be late, and my outfit is down at my place." She grabbed her jacket off the chair and walked out the door.

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Earlier that day as they were walking home from the loft, Maureen and Joanne still hadn't gotten over the shock of seeing what they had walked in on Mimi and Roger doing.

Normally, one would think that two young women walking alone through the bad parts of New York City would run into trouble, but Maureen and Joanne were no ordinary young women. Maureen, at 5'4", looks like a vulnerable person, but when paired with menacing Joanne, even at 4'11", the pair could kick some serious ass.

"Little Mimi .. Why? Why? I didn't know she did those sorts of things!" Joanne stated in shock.

Maureen had known Mimi longer and better than Joanne. "Yes, little Mimi: stripper and ex-prostitute. She would know about sex?"

Joanne froze in her tracks, wide-eyed and disbelieving. "Mimi .. Mi .. Little Mimi .. She was a whore?"

A/N - Flashback in Maureen's POV, but she is telling the story to Joanne throughout

I was walking down the street one day to go see Mark at the loft, when I passed a vacant building, where, inside, it sounded like a girl was pleading.

'Please, just give it to me. I'm sorry I can't pay you right now. Please stop! Stop! Now! You're hurting me.'

I couldn't just walk by when I had just heard that someone was hurting this poor girl. I cautiously approached the building, and peered inside. It was a large, empty room with no furniture or any sign of life other than two people.

There was a dirty, greasy man with unkempt black hair on top of a beautiful young girl. He was obviously a man I didn't want to cross, but he was there on the floor violating a young girl, and instinct took over. I made myself visible in the doorway.

"Whoever you are, get off her right now and get the hell out of here or I'm calling the police!" I screamed at the man and stood her ground in the doorway, unconsciously afraid of what he was going to do next.

"Who the hell do you think you are? Get out of here and mind your own fucking business!" He screamed right back at me but made no move either off of the girl or in my direction.

The girl turned her head to look at me, and I saw the face of a beautiful Latina, no older than 16, with tears streaming down her face. I felt like she understood everything. I had to help this girl, or she might get seriously hurt.

"I'm going to give you 5 seconds to get your pants on and get out of here! 5 .. 4 .." I felt courage like nothing before as she yelled at this man.

"To hell with you. Fine. I was finished anyways. Don't throw a hissy fit. Here's three bags, only because I don't want you coming back for a while." He spoke to the girl in a demeaning tone and threw a few small objects at her. "By the way Mimi, I guess I forgot to mention that I'm positive. See you later." He laughed at both me and this girl, Mimi, in a way that made me sick. At least he was gone now, but I wondered if he was serious. I needed no telling that 'I'm positive' meant that the man was HIV positive. If he was joking, he was a sick man, and if he wasn't joking, he deserved more than to burn in hell.

I approached Mimi slowly, as not to alarm her; I felt a connection with this girl now.

"Honey? Are you ok? What was he doing to you? What did he throw at you?" I stopped asking questions and decided to backtrack. "I'm Maureen Johnson. You're Mimi ? .." I paused, waiting patiently for the girl to offer her last name.

"Marima Marquez. Thank you for that. He just .. had something I needed. I'm used to it though. How else does a 16 year old get money around here?" She opened up to me rather quickly.

"You deserve better than this. It's no way for you to live by. What he said about HIV .. do you think he really has it? He could have given it to you. I know a clinic where you can go to get tested. Let me help you up." I offered her my hand and pulled her up.

I looked the girl up and down. She had long, wavy, dark brown hair, tan skin, and ragged clothes. It was pretty obvious that she was living on the streets, but under the dirt and rags, I saw a beautiful girl who had lost her innocence at a young age. She was very, very thin, but her stomach stuck out more than I expected. It was hard to tell under her loose fitting clothes. I must have been staring because she answered my unasked question.

"I'm pregnant, alright? Stop staring." She seemed a bit annoyed at her situation, and didn't want anyone criticizing her life choices. "Some idiot didn't use a condom, so here I am, living on the streets, and I'm going to have a baby to take care of in 5 months. I ran away from home about a month ago cause my dad died and my mom started using."

I felt so bad for her. It seemed like she was on a dangerous roller coaster through life and couldn't get off. "Oh. Marima, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Listen, there's this apartment that no one's living in downstairs from me and my boyfriend's. I'll take you home and get you cleaned up, and you might be into that place by tomorrow. Will you come with me?"

She was silent for a while, weighing what I had just offered. We had just met, and I knew that her trust would be difficult to gain. Mimi needed my help, whether she wanted it or not. She needed to see a doctor, and get tested for HIV. She needed to get off the streets and find a better job too. A 16 year old prostitute would soon run into trouble. Her job had already gotten her pregnant with a child she can't take care of.

She was unbelieving. "Are you sure there's a place? And I can't pay the rent. I don't want to screw your life up. You don't have to help me."

"But I do, Marima. Come on, let's get back to my place so we can find you some decent clothes and a hot meal." Even though the last I had real food was before I moved to Alphabet City, I was determined to help Mimi out and make friends.

We walked back to the loft across town, and I introduced her to Mark and Roger. I gave her some of my smaller clothes, and the boys and I pooled all our money to take her out for a decent meal at the Life Café. Later that night, I met up with Benny and explained Mimi's situation, and then told him that whether he let her move into the apartment or not, I was going to make sure she did anyways. That same night she moved into the place downstairs and slept on the floor with the blankets off my bed.

Joanne has listened intently the whole time, but Maureen had anticipated her first question. "So, where's Mimi's baby? Wouldn't it be about 3 years old by now? Does Roger know?"

"She never had the baby. She miscarried rather late in her pregnancy. The doctors told her that it was because of her heroin use. I still can't believe that she shot up while she was pregnant. It killed that baby. As sad as it is, it could be a good thing for everyone that it didn't live to be born. Mimi couldn't afford a child, and the baby would have had AIDS, and might have even been dead by now." I stopped and thought about the last part of Joanne's question. Roger had never mentioned Mimi being pregnant after the miscarriage. Maybe he wanted to pretend it never happened, Roger was that way.

Joanne had been told so much in one sitting. "That is so .. terrible. I had no idea that Mimi dealt with all that. And without you, she could be dead, or still living on the streets."

Maureen took a while to process thoughts. "I never thought of it that way. We were both just kids really. I was a stupid one, and Mimi was just unlucky I guess. No kid plans on having a baby of their own on the streets."

"I almost feel guilty that I didn't grow up the way you guys did. I had loving parents, I went to private girls schools, I went to Harvard. My parents gave me everything they could, I hope I can do that for my .. oh never mind."

"What? Give what to who? Pookie, you're not making any sense." Maureen held Joanne's hands lightly.

"You might get angry at me for this, so just for the record, you made me tell you. It's just .. all of this has got me thinking. I've never asked you, Maureen. How do you feel about .. about families. Poor Mimi left hers and ended up almost starting her own."

Maureen didn't understand. "I have one. They suck. Why do you think I'm living out here?"

"That's not my point, Maureen. I meant, how do you feel about children? Babies. A family. One of our own." Joanne spoke slowly as if she were worried that Maureen would get angry.

Maureen, who had always been afraid commitment, had never really given the thought of being a mom more than a once-over. She didn't know how to respond. "I really don't know, Pookie. Do you want to have kids?"

"I guess it's always been a dream of mine. A dream made harder by certain life choices I've madeBut there's always .. adoption. I want to take care of my own family and give kids like Mimi a better chance at life." She sighed, as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"You know what? If you want to adopt kids, I want to adopt kids. Let's do it." Maureen made up her mind.

"I love you, Mo." Joanne stopped and gave her a kiss.

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Mimi was standing on a large metal structure at the Cat Scratch club when the music started.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom

She played with her silk robe seductively and threw it off, focusing on Roger. Underneath it she was wearing black underwear and a sparkly bra.

What's the time? Well it's gotta be close to midnight. My body's talking to me, it says time for danger!

She ran a hand sexily up her body.

It says I wanna commit a crime, wanna be the cause of a fight. I wanna put on a tight skirt, and flirt with a stranger.

'Focus on Roger. Look straight at him.' Mimi told herself to keep going.

I've had a knack from way back at breaking the rules once I learn the games. Get up! Life's too quick, I know someplace SICK where this chick'll dance in the flames!

Mimi struggled to ignore the other men crudely staring at her. Roger watched in amazement in the center of the crowd.

We don't need any money. I always get in for free! You can get in too if you get in with me! Let's go OUUUUUUT tonight.

'Roger. Roger. Roger.'

I have to go OUUUUUUUT tonight!

Mimi got down on the floor and spread her legs. 'Roger. Roger. Roger.' She noticed "the beaver" staring at her. He was at the front of the stage, close enough to touch Mimi.

You wanna play? Let's run away! We won't be back before it's New Year's Day! Take me out tonight. MEOW!

When Mimi got back down on the floor, the man grabbed her breast and began groping her in a drunken stupor. She tried to shove him off, and the next thing she knew, Roger had punched him in the face. The man lay bleeding on the floor while security guards made their way through the crowd. Roger grabbed her hand.

"We have to get out of here! Mimi! Let's go! Take my hand!" Roger pulled her off the stage and they ran out the back door of the Cat Scratch, not stopping until they were in front of the loft.