A/N: Whoo! Chapter 7, exciting right? Anyway, this chapter didn't turn out the way I intended it, but I like it anyway. It is a filler, because it was getting too long once I got to the point, so have fun and don't forget to review. They make me happy, so make a girl happy and review!
Disclaimer: RENT equals not mine:(

Chapter 7 – Scared

Bright light shone through the window, abruptly waking Benny up, due to the fact that his face was directed toward the open window. Squeezing his eyes shut, he quickly opened and closed them to gradually get used to the light. Noticing that he was not at his own apartment, he suddenly felt the added weight that lay on his arm. He smiled to himself when he remembered that Maureen had asked him to stay with her, and how she snuggled up to him when they talked late into the night. He had never had conversations like that with any woman in his life; Allison stuck to small stuff, she never wanted to take part in anything big. Maureen was different, she was passionate about so many things, and a lot of those things she shared that passion with Benny. Things like the epidemic disease, known as AIDS, that is still growing that has touched them deeply, and the need to get kids off the street and interested in making their lives better through educating themselves. Benny sensed that Maureen wanted to change the world, but she was so caught up and confused in hers, she wasn't sure where to even start. He was so occupied with his own thoughts, he didn't notice that Maureen had woken up and was staring at him trying to read what his thoughts like a book. Smiling to herself at how cute he was when he was concentrating on something, Maureen brought her hands up to his face to guide his lips to hers. Their lips parted, but their eyes remained locked together.

"Good morning, beautiful," Benny whispered with a smile that crossed his face from ear to ear.

"Morning, baby," Maureen said slowly. "So what's on your mind?"

"What?"

"Benny, I have been awake for a couple minutes now, and I could tell that you had a lot on your mind. Tell me, I want to know," she told him, watching his eyes dart around the room

"Oh, nothing much. Just about last night," he responded, his eyes meeting hers again. "It was nice to talk about real issues and things that you feel passionate about and watching you get all worked up over stuff you someday want to change."

Maureen smiled at his honesty, "Yeah, it was nice. I really want to thank you for listening, most guys wouldn't care about what I think, or they would act like they did just to get me into bed. Everyone just thinks I'm this easy slut, but I'm not! I used to come off that way, and maybe I have slept with a few of men and women but I thought they felt something toward me. I would always figure out the real truth the next morning."

Benny could hear a change in Maureen's voice and watched her face wash over with sadness and guilt. "I always knew you weren't really the way you tried to be perceived."

All Maureen could do was smile at him, as she brought her lips up to meet his. Benny broke the kiss and put his tingling lips merely centimeters away from Maureen's ear, "I will always be here to listen."

He backed his face and met her eyes that peered right into her soul. He knew that she trusted him now with all her heart and soul, and if he did anything to hurt her, she would be crushed. He wasn't so sure he would be able to live with himself if he caused her any further pain, she had suffered enough in this life.

Maureen's phone started going off, breaking them out of their trace. The raven beauty let out a heavy sigh, crawling over Benny to get to it.

"Hello?" Maureen said, her slight annoyance evident in her tone, "Oh hey, no it's cool, I'm up."

Benny eyed the woman that was still sprawled out across him, and tried his best to keep his laughter contained. Maureen noticed his state and quickly retreated to her side of the bed, smiling at Benny who had to get up to keep from distracting her from the phone call.

"Yeah, we—I can do that," Benny heard her say as he went to the bathroom across the hall.

When Benny wandered out of the restroom, he saw that Maureen was no longer in the bedroom as he heard ruckus coming from the direction of the kitchen. Following the noise, he found Maureen sticking bread in the toaster.

"Who was on the phone?" Benny asked, watching her jump slightly at his words.

"Mark," she said plainly, "He wants to meet up with me today so I can meet someone."

"Someone? As in a girlfriend someone?"

"I don't know, I suppose, why else would he want me to meet them?" Maureen shot back, avoiding contact with Benny.

Benny could see that she was trying her best to steer clear of him, which was the total opposite of how she was two minutes ago.

"Mo, are you alright?" he asked, worry showering his words.

Still not facing him, Maureen started to butter her toast, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Benny knew that she was lying, and wanted to know what was bothering her, so she could get back to the Maureen he knew.

The brunette tried her best to hold back the tears that stung in her eyes, but as she felt two strong dark arms wrap around her waist, she couldn't stop them anymore. Maureen grasped the edge of the countertop to assure that she wouldn't fall to the ground, even though she knew that Benny would easily catch her.

"Baby what's wrong?" he asked into her ear, as if it was a secret.

"I scared."

Benny turned her around revealing eyes full of fear and worry that he had never seen before, at least not to this extreme.

"Of what?" he wondered as he brushed strains of curly hair from her face.

"Of you, of this, of us," she stuttered, eyes trying to focus on anything but the brown pools in front of it. "Mark calling me reminded me that I have never had a stable relationship in my life. Him, Joanne, and the others, they were just—I don't even know what to call it, but they were not stable relationships and I'm worried that because of that, I'm going to lose you. I have never felt like this and it worries me to death that I'm going to screw it up!"

"Mo, listen to me," the dark man demanded as he took her face in his hands, forcing her eyes to do nothing but look in his, "You are not going to lose me, I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry about never having a stable relationship; there is a first time for everything. We are going to get through everything together, alright?"

Eyes glistening with tears, all Maureen could do was nod as Benny gently kissed her forehead.

"What time are we supposed to meet him?" Benny asked, letting her get back to her toast.

"You want to come with me?" she sputtered bewildered.

"Well, yeah, if you want me to be there," he told her, going to the refrigerator to grab something to eat.

"Yeah, I would like that," she whispered, going to him to give a gentle kiss before sitting down on the couch to eat her toast.

Benny joined her on the couch when he couldn't find anything to eat in the fridge.

"Around Noon," Maureen simply said as she snuggled closer to Benny when he sat down next to her.

"Huh?"

"Mark wants to meet around noon at the Life Café."

"Oh, all right," Benny replied, tightening his grip on her waist, as if this was all a dream and would vanish if he let her go.

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