Disclaimer: I do not own RENT, it all belongs to Jonathan.

Chapter 8

When Crystal and Roger arrived back to the loft they were greeted by Maureen wearing red lingerie.
"Hey lovers! Come on into my oasis of love," Maureen said gleefully.

The loft had been even more decked out then when they left. There were pink and red candles everywhere and boxes of candy shaped like hearts on the coffee table. Every usable surface was covered in red tablecloth. On the counters there were bottles of champagne and strawberries. Joanne was wearing a red sweater with a heart on it (most likely picked out by Maureen) and didn't look too thrilled.

"How the hell did you pay for this?" asked Roger.

"Me," said Joanne.

Maureen walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it.

"Marky, our guests are here, come greet them," said Maureen.

"I'm not coming out!" said Mark defiantly.

"Oh come on pookie, for me? It's Valentine's Day, don't be embarrassed there's nothing but love here," said Maureen.

"Ok but I'm not gonna like it," said Mark weakly.

He walked out of the bathroom dressed in a homemade Cupid costume. The sash around his chest said God of Love.

"Doesn't he look adorable?" said Maureen.

Roger and Crystal laughed hysterically together at this. They didn't laugh to be cruel; it was just a natural reaction.

"You see!" said Mark, his cheeks turning red.

"No, I'm sorry man, it just threw me off," said Roger between laughs and breaths.

"You are the cutest little god I've ever seen though," said Crystal.

"Ok everyone, gather around the table. We're gonna play a fun game where you pick a card and answer the question on it to everyone. I made them myself," Maureen said, pulling out a set red index cards and a set of pink ones.

"The rule is: you gotta spill. Don't be a sore sport, and that means you Mark. The red ones are the questions, and the pink ones have our names on it. Those tell who has to answer. Ok, who wants to pick the cards first?" asked Maureen.

"I will," said Joanne. She took one of each from Maureen and flipped them over.

"Ok, Mark has to answer this one. What was the age of your first sexual experience?" said Joanne.

"That's romantic…" said Roger.

Mark looked embarrassed for a moment and mumbled "twenty two".

"You're welcome," said Maureen with a wink.

Everyone laughed and then it was Crystal's turn to pick the cards.

"Ok, the pink one says Joanne, and the question is: Besides the person you are currently with right now, which one of us would you want to hook up with, alive or dead?" she asked.

"Wow, this is tough, but I'd have to say if I was drunk and curious, it would have to be Roger," she said.

"Hell yeah the sex god is back!" said Roger raising his hands in the air like it was another victory.

"Oh please, that's only if she had beer goggles on and magically one day liked men," said Mark.

Roger was next to pick the cards.

"Ok this is for Crystal. What is your deepest desire?" he asked her.

She thought for a moment and said with a grin "Mark,"

Mark began blushing and said "Oh, no, um that's very sweet, I'm flattered but…"

"Don't worry Marky, I'll be legal in two months and then I'm all yours!" said Crystal spreading her legs in the air.

"Oh my god, Crystal, you're a sweet girl and all but it wouldn't work," said Mark, still blushing and stumbling on his words.

"You are so easy to fuck with Cohen," said Roger.

They all laughed and then Maureen got up and brought over the bottles of champagne and other liquors from the cabinet.

She set them down on the table and said "This should help us all loosen up, right Mark?"

"Yeah," he said skipping the champagne and making a grab for the Southern Comfort.

After drinking assorted things, they all were in a good mood and spoke about their day. Crystal was only having champagne and beer under the watchful eye of Roger, and not too much of it. She took the bottle of Jack Daniels but Roger took it from her and said "Easy champ you're too young for this stuff."

She pouted and said "Come on Roger, I'm gonna be eighteen soon, I can drink," and tried to grab the bottle from him but he wouldn't give it up.

"Nope," he said simply.

"Fine," she said with a huff.

The rest of the night was just a casual gathering with light chatter and relaxing. Around one a.m. everyone began to clean up and then leave. Maureen put some clothes on and then her coat. She and Joanne said their goodbyes and Crystal said "Great party Maureen."

February 14th, 3:00 AM-Standard Eastern Time

Roger's POV

Today was a good day. What an interesting party. A fit of coughs all of a sudden came over me. I can't breathe, I need to breathe. My breaths were short and every one of them felt like a chore. I got up and went into the bathroom. My reflection looked pale and I began coughing again. This time it felt like my chest was tight. I started shaking and sweating. Now my chest hurt and it felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I fell to the ground and tried to remain calm.

Breathe, whatever you do, damn it, just keep breathing.

Mark's POV

After the wildness of the party calmed down, I was very happy to get out of that goddamn cupid outfit. I tried falling asleep, but spent most of my time fiddling with my camera. I heard a harsh sound and sat up. Roger. It sounded like someone was choking him. I didn't know if I should have gone to help him. Roger hates it when people fuss over him. The coughing became worse. I walked over to my bedroom door and put my ear to it. My heart started racing. It sounded like he was dying. No, it can't be. Not yet. I walked back over to my bed and put my pillow over my head.

If I can't hear it, it isn't happening…If I can't hear it, it isn't happening…It's not real, it's a nightmare. A sick and twisted nightmare.

Crystal's POV

That fucking coughing! Every time I hear him it feels like it'll be the last time. How can someone so caring and so supportive be dying?

I got up and looked out the window. The same view Roger loves so much from the roof. It hurt me a lot to see him in so much pain.

Our time together can't be over. There's so much more he has to teach me.

I hear Roger walk back into the living room after a while, and I can breathe easier again. My heart stops pounding in my chest, for now.