AN: I have some sad news to report. My Assistant Principal died last night. A moment of silence please.

Thank you. This chapter is dedicated to him as well. So on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: Oh, yeah. I own Rent. I am also Bill Gates. Hi, how ya doing? Billionaire on the line.

Surprises

"Marky?"

He smiled. "Abby?"

It was as he heard the burst of laughter that realized: not Abby.

"Ugh. Morning, Mimi," he greeted grouchily as he rolled over and grabbed up his glasses. When he looked down at her, he saw she had rolled off his bed (mattress with their favorite decoration of duct tape) as was cracking up on the floor. He was really having the worst mornings lately.

Roger poked in his head, signaling to Mark that the bad part of the morning was no where near over. "What's so funny?"

Mimi sat up, grinning, and pointed to Mark. "I tried to wake up our little filmmaker over here, and," she giggled, "he thought I was his new 'special friend'."

Roger started to chuckle. "He thought you were Abby?"

Mark sighed as Mimi nodded and Roger started to laugh. "Oh, yes. So amusing." He saw the coffee mugs that his friends were clutching and glared at them. "Things were so much better here when there was none of that damn stuff and you slept til noon."

Roger shook his head at him. "No righteousness, Cohen. This is getting back for when we wake up with hangovers and you're all cheerful. Merry freakin' Christmas, buddy."

"God, is it really?" Mimi sighed then gave a tiny grin. "At least I'm not in critical condition this year." Roger pulled her up and hugged her tightly. That was a night that had been scary for all of them.

Mark decided that he was intruding on a moment (even they were in his room) and walked past them into their apartment. "What the ...?"

There, in the middle of their living room was a tree. A big, decorated Christmas tree.

"Merry Christmas, Mark!" Dave was sitting with Collins on the couch, beaming at him. "We felt like we owed you for last night, so we woke up early and got you a tree!"

Mark ignored the first question he wanted to ask (Um, don't you guys remember I'm Jewish?) and instead inquired, in awed voice, "How did you afford this?"

"Hello! Professor and bookstore clerk. We can manage to get a tree if we want." Dave looked slightly indignant.

Roger plopped down on the armchair by them, Mimi settling on his lap. "You should keep it for you. And I thought you were cutting back at the store so you'd have more time to write your book?"

Dave rolled his eyes. "Just a little. God, can't you guys take a gift!" He was starting to look upset.

"Of course," Mimi told him, patting him one the knee while shooting both Mark and Roger looks. "We love it. Thank you."

"Good," Collins retorted, his eyes crinkled with laughter (looking, with his red shirt and green mesh cap, like a black Santa). "Cause you're also having a party here. In, oh ..." he checked his watch, "about an hour."

Mimi sprang up. "What!"

Everyone laughed at her, except for Dave, who began reassuring her. "It's ok, sweetie. Just us, Maureen, Joanne, Mark's girlfriend," Dave gave him a wink, "and Benny. Opening presents around the only tree we have ..."

"Getting warm by the service elevator when it catches fire again," chimed in Roger with a grin.

"Praying the company Benny sold the loft to won't shut off our electricity," added Mimi.

"And, of course, having that lovely Christmas cuisine of stale bread, bad coffee," Mimi glared, "fake brand cereals, and whatever else is laying around that is edible," added Mark. He grabbed his camera from it's spot next to the couch (where he had left it the night before) and narrated while panning the loft. "No stockings, no chimney, no food. Oliver Twist, move the hell over."

Collins and Dave began to laugh hysterically. Roger frowned at them. "I'm glad you find our living situation so damn funny. Of course, we can just return your gifts and use the money to buy real food, but hey, whatever."

"Calm down, Rog." Collins began to reassure him between chuckles. "We come bearing more gifts." He pulled out a sack of food from behind the couch (prompting Mark to exclaim "Cap'n Crunch!") and grinned. "Consider it a payment for giving us your old apartment," he nodded to Mimi, "and setting Dave up with a job," he glanced at Mark, "and dragging me to Life Support when I got back to NYC last year," he finished his speech with a gesture to Roger. "We owe you guys a lot, and currently we are in such a financial position as to send you a little flow."

Mimi (who seemed to be a little teary) asked (in a choked sort of way), "Coffee? Anyone want some ... I'll go get some coffee," and hurried towards the kitchen, sniffing the entire way.

Mark looked at the pair. "Um, Abby's coming?"

Dave grinned at him. "You are so cute when you're in love." He looked contemplative. "And I don't think this one will leave you for a girl. But you never know."

Mark glared daggers at him. "Like you'd even know. You weren't around back then," he grumbled.

Collins raised his eyebrows. "So you want him to be wrong?"

"You know what would be nice?" Mark remarked to nothing in particular. "Friends who didn't make fun of you for something two years after it happens."

"We wouldn't mention it if she weren't another Johnson," Roger pointed out.

"I told you, she's a Rosenbaum!" exclaimed Mark, who was really starting to get annoyed.

"Same difference," rejoined Roger dismissively. "The point is, she's related to Maureen, and that could be trouble. Watch yourself, Mark."

"You know we're just worried about you, man," Collins added. "It took you a while to get over Maureen."

Mark just sat there, sullen. Who needed that kind of crappy help? He knew in theory his friends were looking after him in their own, twisted way. Knowing really didn't help.

Mimi broke the tension by chiming, "Coffee's ready!" Collins and Dave got up speedily, but Roger stayed next to Mark.

"You know we really just want to help, right?"

Mark nodded. "Yeah, I know." He sat thinking for a minute, then nearly whispered. "You don't think she's going to go gay on me, do you? It's bad enough one time, but ..."

Roger shook his head. "We're really just teasing. Don't worry. She won't leave you for a girl." Then he grinned. "Now whether she'll leave you for a lawyer is totally up in the air."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Funny, Roger. Hysterical," Mark deadpanned. Roger laughed as they headed over to the counter for their coffee.

AN: Kind of a filler chapter. More actual plot next chapter. Love? Hate? My reviews are declining at fixed rate – please review!