I'm officially suffering from a severe case of boredom. The symptoms include laziness and being bored. Pretty self-explanatory if you ask me.

Disclaimer: I don't own RENT. Blah, blah, blah. But If I did I'd do all kinds of wacky stuff like own Mark, Angel, and Roger. Maureen and I would be best friends and Collins would be my big brother. Joanne and Mimi would be around too.

Here's Chapter 3. Yay…I guess…

Mark's POV (Some random street)

There was just something about catching memories on film that I enjoyed. Today had been a great day for filming, and I'd gotten so great shots. There had been some kids playing in Central Park. I had filmed them for over an hour. They had been so happy and carefree; I couldn't help but get it on camera. I they'd gone home. I'd been gone all afternoon, I should probably have gone back but I didn't. I started to walk towards the Life Café my mind still on what had gone on this morning.

Symphony was…a handful. She was funny, and clever, God was she clever. Symphony was inspirational and optimistic. She was beautiful, guys were after her, and she had that stupid waiter, Charles, wrapped around her finger.

Charles. That guy was such a man-whore. He slept with any girl he could find; whether she wanted to or not. He had thought about Mimi and Joanne for a while, he was smart enough not go within a foot of Maureen, but Collins, Roger, and I had 'talked' to him. Actually, we had only talked to him, but I think it was more that Collins was half a foot taller than he was that made him back off. Lately, he'd been eyeing Symphony and if I had any say in it he wouldn't look at her again. I was going to have to talk to that guy. He was such a creeper and I didn't want him hanging around her.

I opened to the door to the Life Café twenty minutes later. There were very few people in the restaurant, probably because it was only 3:30. Aside from a couple in the very back and the normal waitresses there wasn't a soul around. And Charles didn't count as a soul. He was sitting on a barstool and checking out girls who looked to be seven years younger than he was. Pervert. "Hey Charlie." I said walking up to him. My words were friendly enough, but my tone wasn't.

He eyed me distastefully. "Cohen. What brings you here? Upset that your new Bo-ho girl doesn't love you back?"

I swallowed trying to keep my cool. "I have no clue what you mean, but if you're talking about Sym and I there's nothing going on." I pretended to clean the lens on me camera.

Charles grinned hideously. He looked as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. The small bruise on his cheek didn't help. "So you would mind if I made an…advance? She's pretty damn good looking. I'd be willing to bet she's easy to get into bed."

It all happened so fast; I hit him. I hit him so hard I heard his nose crack. Charles fell off the barstool and stood up shakily. "Never talk about her like that again." I kept my voice calm, but on the inside I was fuming. I grabbed my camera and stormed out. I headed towards the loft. It didn't mater that no one was probably there; I just needed a place to get control of myself.

Symphony's POV (Mark and Roger's loft)

I shut the door to Mark's loft and plopped down on the couch. Mimi and Roger were hanging out at Mimi's and I politely excused myself and left. Roger and Mimi were such an adorable couple. There was just something about them. The looked at each other like they were the only ones in the room. Of course, Angel and Collins did too, but they mostly kept the lovey-dovey stuff to themselves. Maureen and Joanne, well, they did whenever they weren't fighting. Which was about every other day.

The door opened and Mark walked in. "Uh…hey Sym. Where's Roger?"

I looked down. "Oh…uh he's at Mimi's. I was feeling kind of like a third wheel so I let myself in."

Mark frowned. "How did you get in?"

"You guys keep the key in the plant." I said, pulling the keys out from my pocket and bringing them to him. "Uh…can I crash on your couch?"

Mark shrugged. "Of course." He walked over and pulled a blanket out from under the couch. He laid it out on the couch. "Sleep tight." He grabbed his camera off the counter and sat in the chair. Quietly, he began to watch some of the tape.

I walked over to couch and sat down gingerly. My back hurt and I winced, trying to hide it from Mark. He noticed. "What happened?"

I twisted slightly trying to pop my back. "Uh…not much I…well…it's not important." I twisted again; it still wouldn't pop.

Mark raised his eyebrows. "Uh-huh. Now scoot over." I did and he walked over and sat by me. I looked at the ground. "Uh…Sym?" He cleared his throat. "You know you can, uh, tell me anything…right?" I looked at him. His face was bright red and I'm sure mine was too.

"Uh…yeah." I muttered.

Mark gave me a pleading look. "Please Symph?"

I adverted my eyes. "Okay…Well, when Mimi and Angel took me shopping we were walking past the life and that guy Charles, he…said some things."

"What kind of things?"

I bit my lip and looked at him. "He-" I couldn't go on. Mark was looking at me, hanging on every word I said. I looked away again. "He…he said things about Angel. I told him to stop, but he didn't listen. So I took care of it."

*FLASH BACK (Sym's POV Days earlier)*

I walked along side Angel both of us carrying shopping bags in each hand. Mimi had gone off to meet Roger somewhere promising to meet us in her loft soon.

"Get that thing out of here!" I heard a voice yell from the Life. I stopped. Angel kept walking.

"Don't worry about it honey," she said. "It's fine."

I shook my head. "No. No it's not. You don't deserve to be talked to like that; no one does." I turned to the voice. "Hey! Come here."

Charles stepped out from the shadows with a wicked grin plastered on his face. A few of his friends stayed back in the corner. "Symphony, Symphony, Symphony." He cooed, stepping towards me. "What are you doing; hanging out with company like that? Why don't you come with me?" He put an arm around my shoulder. I could smell the cigarette smoke on his breath. His finger began to caress my neck.

I turned around and hit him right in the gut. "Don't. Touch. Me."

Charles held his stomach a bit. "Oh…come now. You don't want to fight do you?"

"Actually, I think I do." I hit him again; right on his cheek. His head snapped sideways and I gave a self-satisfied humph. Charles stepped back toward me. His lower lip was bleeding a bit.

Wrapping an arm around my waist he purred, "Maybe next time." And with that he threw me against the brick wall of The Life Café and was gone.

I connected with the brick painfully. I felt my back hit, but I was able to keep my head from colliding with the brick. Angel was at my side in moments offering me medical help, but I refused. I would be fine, but Lord help Charles the next time I saw him…

END FLASHBACK (Sym's POV Mark's loft)

Mark jumped up.

"Mark! What are you doing?" I asked, worried he was about to do something impulsive. "You're not going to go kill Charles."

Mark shook his head. "Sym, we cant' just let him do that. I mean, just a punch or two isn't going to do much."

I walked over to him, grabbed him by the wrist, and pulled him over to the couch, with some effort. "Mark, don't you think you've hurt him enough for the day?" Mark's eyebrows shot up. "Yes, I heard, but please don't go get yourself killed. He has friends bigger than Collins. I don't want you to get hurt," I added quickly, probably too quickly.

"Yeah…I guess, but if he even thinks about doing it again-"

I shook my head. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then you can beat the shit out of him. But only then." I yawned.

Mark got up again. "Here, you go to sleep and I promise I won't leave." He grabbed the blanket, which had fallen on the floor and tucked me in. "Night Symphony," he whispered.

"Goodnight Mark."