Don't own RENT.

Only Mary Jane is my creation.

Enjoy!

Mary Jane felt confused, hurt, and scared all for the same reason. After her birthday, Mark disappeared and she couldn't understand why. He didn't even leave notes. It was early December, ten months after her birthday, when Mary Jane finally saw Mark again.

"Mark!" Mary Jane yelled, running up to him and giving him a hug, "I haven't seen you in forever!"

Mark weakly returned the hug. "Hi MJ," he said quietly.

"What's wrong?" Mary Jane asked, "You look terrible!"

It was true. Mark's eyes were sunken in and the dark circles were clearly visible even behind his glasses. His camera bag was gone and Mark looked as thin as a skeleton.

"I haven't slept in five days or eaten in three," Mark answered, yawning, "I'm exhausted and hungry."

"That's unhealthy!" Mary Jane insisted, "What's going on?"

"When I got home after your birthday celebration," Mark began, "I came home to Roger sobbing. He just pointed to the bathroom and wouldn't say a word. So I went in and…god. April, his girlfriend, she committed suicide in the bathroom. There was blood everywhere from her slit wrists. 'Don't touch it!' Roger insisted. It turns out both Roger and April had gotten AIDS from sharing needles for their drugs. For the first few months Collins was there to help me get Roger clean, but he had to leave for MIT, he's coming back for Christmas though, so I was left alone with Roger, who got violent. Benny sold out and married his rich girlfriend, and Maureen dumped me for a lawyer named Joanne."

"Oh, Mark," Mary Jane said sympathetically, putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "Things will work out. But first, sleep. You look dead."

A week after Christmas, Mark looked significantly better than the last time they'd met.

"You were right," he told Mary Jane, "Things are working out. Collins met a guy named Angel, who is probably the nicest person I've ever met. I wish you could meet him…er…her. I've have to get used to that. I met Joanne, and she's nice. And Roger left the house for the first time in almost a year. And on top of that, he's met a nice girl named Mimi. Maureen had a protest the other day, and my footage of the riot following it was on Buzzline the other night."

"I'm really happy for you, Mark," Mary Jane said, "Honestly."

"And what's been up with you?" Mark asked.

"I…I was in my school musical. I got the lead. I loved it! I want to be a singer on Broadway, but my parents don't want me to. They say it's too risky."

"Don't worry," Mark comforted, "Everything will work out."

Exactly a year later, Mary Jane was comforting Mark once again.

"I can't believe she's gone," Mark whispered, his eyes dry while Mary Jane, who had never even met Mimi, was sobbing.

"How's Roger taking it?" Mary Jane asked.

"Better than he took April," Mark answered, "He's not holing himself up. Maybe it's because she went slowly, instead of so suddenly and intensely."

"So he's looking for another girlfriend?"

"Not exactly…"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he found someone, but it's not really a girlfriend…"

"So Roger has a boyfriend?"

Mark blushed a deep red. "Yes…"

"Oh Mark, are you Roger's boyfriend?" Mary Jane asked.

"Maybe……"

Mary Jane squealed in delight. "That's so wonderful! You must be happy!"

Mark nodded sheepishly. "I've kind of liked him since I first met him all those years ago, so this is a dream come true."

"Aw, that's so cute," Mary Jane teased, poking Mark in the side, causing him to blush even more.