When Mark woke up the next morning, he wondered if he had dreamed about Roger coming home. Not that he normally dreamed about his friend, it was just the situation was really surreal.
Scratching his head, Mark walked out of his bedroom and into the main area of the loft.
He smelt coffee brewing and heard the rustle of a newspaper.
"Morning," Roger said, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Roger," Mark was shocked. He really hadn't been dreaming last night. "You're home?"
Roger smiled and nodded.
"We covered this last night," he added teasingly.
"How've you been?" Mark asked, hugging Roger and clapping him on the back.
"Alright," Roger replied with a shrug. "You?"
"Never better."
Roger nodded and went back to reading the newspaper. He'd been up for a while already.
Mark sleepily went about making himself a cup of coffee while Roger watched his slurred movements in amusement.
"Want some help?" He asked when Mark missed his cup when it came to adding sugar.
"I'm fine," Mark gritted out.
Roger shrugged.
"Got any plans for today then?"
Mark stopped what he was doing for a second. Yes, he did have plans. Plans to go searching for Mimi with Joanne and Maureen.
"Um," Mark replied. "Not really. I was going to set up the projector - I finished my film."
"Really? That's great!" Roger said happily before his voice turned sombre. "Any news about Mimi?"
And that was the real reason Roger had come home so soon, Mark realised with a sigh.
"No," he admitted. "We're going to go and look for her today."
"I'm coming with." Roger set the newspaper down and stood up to face Mark.
"Yeah," he muttered. "I thought so."
Deciding to ignore Mark's reluctance to let him help find Mimi, Roger instead decided to quiz Mark on what everyone else had been up to while he was away.
"Maureen and Joanne haven't been up to anything new," Mark told Roger as they both sat down on the couch, empty mugs scattered around them. "Collins is coming back today."
Roger laughed remembering what had happened on this day last year when Collins came back. It seemed so long ago.
"That'll be cool." Roger said instead.
The two remained in silence as the phone rang twice before cutting to answer phone.
"Speeeeeeeeak."
"Mark, it's me, Joanne. Just phoning to remind you about our plans today. I know you're there so either pick up the phone or call me."
Before Joanne could say bye, Roger snatched the phone off it's cradle.
"Finally," Joanne breathed into the phone. "Mark Cohen, you are the worst for answering the phone."
"Hey, Joanne." Roger laughed.
"Roger!" She exclaimed. "You're home! When did you get in?"
"Last night. Early this morning," he admitted. "Depends on which way you look at it. Is it alright if I join you and Mark with your plans today?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, Jo." He drawled into the phone.
He heard her laugh on the other side of the line.
"See you later."
Roger hung up the phone and smiled over at his room mate and best friend. It was good to be home.
-----
The rest of the day consisted of wasted search around Alphabet City for Mimi and the reunion of Collins with the male fraction of the Bohemians.
Now, the three men that made up the group were hanging around the loft. Mark was setting up his projector while Collins and Roger were talking.
"How's that recording going, Mr Big-Star." Collins asked his friend.
Roger laughed.
"It's … interesting." He settled for saying. "Very demanding, also. It's a tough business."
"Try teaching." Came Collins' ready reply.
Both men were laughing when they heard a shout from the ground floor.
"Mark!" Maureen shouted up at their open window as the three men ran towards the fire escape. "Roger! Anyone?"
They looked down and saw Mimi lying motionless in Joanne's arms.
"Mimi," Roger whispered full of guilt. Guilt for leaving her and for staying up here when she was down there in need of help.
Without wasting another second, Roger turned and sprinted down the stairs, Collins and Mark close behind him.
Working together, the Bohemians managed to get Mimi to the loft and set her down on the table. An ambulance had been called for and now the group sat helpless around the sick girl as Roger sat next to her, holding her hand and singing to her.
"I got a record deal, baby." He whispered to her, his voice full of pain. "They're recording my song. It might even get released."
Roger swallowed deeply as Mimi smiled weakly up at him and squeezed his hand in the faintest of touches.
"And it's because of you," he continued. "I wrote the song for you, and now it will become my One Song Glory. But it will mean nothing to me if you don't get to hear it."
Mimi's lips moved soundlessly, repeating the same word over and over again. Roger had to lean in close to be able to hear the word that rested on her tongue.
"Sing."
With a smile Roger kissed her forehead and began singing to her.
He sang to her a song that could have only have come from the bottom of his heart. It's words were painfully beautiful and it's melody haunting.
Mimi struggled to stay awake long enough to hear it all.
'I should tell you, I should tell you
I have always loved you
You can see it in my eyes.'
With the faintest twitch of her lips, Mimi looked at Roger for a long time, hoping desperately that her eyes conveyed the same message to him.
I love you, rang through her mind. She wanted the words to come out but she was just too weak. She really hoped that he knew she did.
Finally, her eyes fell shut and he body went limp, Roger's song ringing through her eyes up until the very second she lost consciousness.
Roger's anguished cry of 'Mimi' brought tears to the eyes of the surrounding Bohemians as the sounds of sirens filled the silence that followed.
It didn't matter. They were too late.