MILLIWAYS

[fallen_april]

Let's pretend it's still September 23rd...

That means it's April's 23rd birthday.

She's sitting on a couch in front of the fireplace, scribbling in a sketchbook.

Feel free to wish her a happy birthday.

Comments

[bohemian_mark]

Sneaking up from behind her is a filmmaker. Grinning, he pokes her on the shoulder. "So, a little bird reminded me that it's a certain day today."

[fallen_april]

April practically glows. "Mark, you remembered!" she squeals happily, pouncing him.

[bohemian_mark]

Mark hugs her tightly. "Of course I did, April." He grins, pulling back and holding out a brown-paper-wrapped package. It is the size and shape of a book, tied with film instead of ribbon. Inside are pictures, developed film cells, actually, of April with Roger, and himself, and everyone back in New York. All are happy pictures, from the good times before everything went to hell in a handbasket.

[fallen_april]

April grins at the ribbon, and opens the package carefully.

Flips through the pictures.

And tries very hard not to cry. She rather fails, but... well, they're not exactly happy tears, but they're not upset tears, either.

"Mark, thank you..." she whispers.

[bohemian_mark]

He hugs her for a moment, smiling. "I thought you'd like it." He knew it wouldn't be the most happy-making present ever, but something told him that she'd appreciate it. He tries to say something, but he can't.

[fallen_april]

April rather buries her face in his shoulder for a moment, trying to get ahold of herself, then shifted a little with a smile, looking at one of the pictures.

"Oh, god, I remember this..." she murmurs, looking at a picture of her and Maureen hamming it up for the camera, with some outrageous boxers on their heads and a bottle of whiskey in Maureen's hand.

[bohemian_mark]

"Oh, god." Mark facepalms. "That was hilarious. I kept telling you all that you were smashed. Remember? You didn't believe me." He blinks at the boxers. "What the hell. You're wearing mine, and Maureen's wearing Roger's."

[fallen_april]

April laughs, a little hysterically, and shakes her head. "Our logic was, I believe, that if we did that, we could each say that we'd been in each other's boyfriend's pants... Or maybe something foursome-related, I'm not entirely sure."

It was interesting logic, regardless.

[bohemian_mark]

Mark cracks up. "That's just creepy, you realize, April." He shakes his head. Somehow, the thought of a foursome which includes Roger would take a lot more alcohol than Mark has had. Or perhaps a lot more alcohol than even Milliways could provide.

[fallen_april]

April nods, now giggling rather hysterically at a picture of the two of them each kissing one of Mark's cheeks, in a park somewhere, most likely with Roger behind the camera. It's a cute picture, actually.

The funny bit is Mark's expression. It's rather... indescribable. And hilarious.

[bohemian_mark]

Couch back? Meet Mark's head. "I don't know what possessed me to put that one in there. I really don't." Probably because he remembers that afternoon well, and how much fun April was having.

[fallen_april]

"God, where were we?" She asks, squinting at the picture for any sort of clue.

[bohemian_mark]

Mark squints at it for a moment. "It doesn't exactly look like Central Park. Although.... huh. Hold on. Wasn't that Washington Square?"

[fallen_april]

April glances at it. "Oh, yeah, there's the very edge of the arch, there, see?" She points to something and sighs a little. "God, these were good times."

Collins with a Christmas wreath on his head, pretending to be Father Christmas. Roger and April curled up on the couch together, not noticing Mark or the camera. Maureen sitting on Benny's lap, using a hairbrush for a microphone and singing something, April laughing hysterically in the background.

And then she stops and stares at one picture, a picture Mark wouldn't have necessarily known was after things started sliding, with her in a long-sleeved shirt, sitting on Roger's lap and smiling too-wide into the camera, the barest barest hint of something else in her eyes. She remembers that day far too well. She'd started cutting again that day.

Hardly a week later, she'd started using.

"God, it seems like another lifetime..." she murmurs.

[bohemian_mark]

"It does in a way." Mark stares at the picture for a moment, his own mind a bit far-away. Little does April really know what happened after she'd left. Mark's still holding off showing her the film, somehow wanting to save her the knowledge of what went on after... "So much has happened."

[fallen_april]

"And everything's so... split up, I guess." she frowns. "At least, with me. You all are back, living your lives, a whole lot older than me, and I'm... here." she makes a little face. "Nowhere."