Someone knocked on the loft door. Mimi got up and answered it. Dani poked her head out from behind Mimi's legs. She shrank back from Cindy.
"Mimi?" Cindy asked.
"Yeah, hi." Mimi shook Cindy's hand. "Come on in." Cindy grabbed a large trash bag from next to her feet and followed Mimi inside. "I can't thank you enough for giving us all this stuff."
"It's no problem." Mimi looked at Cindy. She had the same blue eyes, blonde hair and pale skin as Mark. There was no doubt that they were related. "The furniture is in the van downstairs."
"Mark and Roger are at work, so we'll have to move them up here." Cindy lead Mimi down to the moving van on the street below.
Mimi and Cindy spent the greater part of an hour moving the twin bed, dresser, mattress, drawers and nightstand up to the loft and Dani's room. Cindy also brought three boxes of toys and books for Dani and two large garbage bags of clothes. Dani sat on the couch and watched Cindy and Mimi move around. Finally, Mimi put the humidifier down in Dani's room.
"Wow, thank you," she said. Cindy waved off the comment.
"Don't mention it; I'm happy to help." Dani began to cough in the other room. Her cough rocked through the loft. "I hope she feels better." Mimi sighed.
"So do I."
once Cindy had left, Mimi set to work setting up Dani's room. She grabbed the toolbox from under the kitchen sink, tied back her hair and began to put together Dani's bed. Dani stood in the doorway.
"Can I help?" she asked. Mimi looked up from what she was doing.
"Why don't you go through that box of toys right there?" she suggested. Dani didn't need telling twice. She ripped open the box and pulled out as many toys that she could.
When Mark and Roger got home from work that evening, there were toys strewn all across the loft. Roger sighed.
"Looks like your sister was here," he said. Mark gave him a look that said, 'you think!?' He and Roger followed the toys to Dani's room. Dani was lying on her stomach on the floor in her room coloring.
"Mimi was busy," Mark said. "Dani, where's Mimi?" Dani looked up from her coloring.
"In her room getting changed." Roger went to go see Mimi.
Mimi was pulling on a pair of jeans when the bedroom door opened. Roger wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
"You got a lot done," he said. Mimi turned around in his arms.
"Yep, see, I don't need a macho man like you." Mimi wrapped her arms around Roger's neck. Roger began to force Mimi to back up.
"Oh you don't, do you?" Smiling, Mimi shook her head.
"Nope."
"Then whatever shall I do?" Roger back Mimi up so she fell onto the bed. He pinned her under him and kissed her neck. Mimi wrapped her legs around Roger's neck and pressed her lips against his. Just when Roger got comfortable with this, Mimi flipped them over. She took Roger's face in her hands and continued to kiss him. She began to run her fingers through his hair as she straddled his hips. Roger's arms found Mimi's waist. Mimi left a trail of kisses down his jaw line to his ear.
"I love you," she whispered in his ear.
"I love you too." Mimi began to nuzzle Roger's neck affectionately. They were both happy to have their bedroom to themselves again.
Around noon the next day, Maureen and Joanne arrived at the loft. Mimi was sitting on the couch reading Dani a book when they arrived.
"Hey Dani!" Maureen chirped.
"Hi Maureen," Dani said, which promptly turned into coughing. Mimi rubbed her small back until she stopped.
"Hi Dani, I'm Joanne," Joanne said as she sat down in a vacant chair. Dani smiled shyly. "I'm here to talk to you about Zia."
"Zia left me all alone."
"I know. Do you know any of Zia's friends that would know where she is?" Dani stopped to think.
"There was this man," she started slowly. "He had hair like Roger's but dark and a face like Collins'."
"You mean Black like me?" Dani shook her head.
"No, he had a beard like him."
"You mean a goatee and a mustache," Mimi said. Dani nodded. Mimi looked at Joanne and Maureen. "The Man," she said gravely. Dani began to cough.
"Come on, Dani, let's get you some water," Maureen said as she stood up. Dani got up and followed her to the kitchen. Maureen handed her a napkin. "Here, cough into this so you don't get us all sick." Nodding, Dani coughed into the napkin. Once she was done, Maureen noticed something on the napkin. She held it up and said, "Hey Meems, you should see this." Mimi stood up.
"What is it?" she asked. Maureen handed Mimi the napkin. Sure enough, there was blood on it.
A/N: If you liked "Off-Camera" and "Off-Set" I'm posting an original story (no Rent cast or anything like that) on the same site that's like them both. Link is on my profile.
Tina101