A/N: Hee. Fun idea. Wait until you see where Mimi's working…
Five, Six, Seven, Eight…
Chapter 1
It was three AM. Mimi threw her bag on the couch in the loft. She kicked off her black faux-leather boots and walked barefoot quietly into her and Roger's room. She kissed his cheek as he slept. "Hey, Rog. I'm home."
Roger rolled over and stared at her through his half-open eyes. "Hey, Meems," he mumbled. "Why are you so late?"
"I'm always late coming home. You know that."
Roger groaned. "Why can't you work the day shift?"
She laughed and crawled into bed next to him. "There is no day shift at the Catscratch Club."
"Well, work somewhere that there is one. That way, I can sleep."
"You can sleep? You aren't the one giving lap dances to strangers all night!" Mimi teased.
Roger's snores meant that he had fallen back to sleep.
Mimi couldn't sleep, though. She couldn't help but think about what Roger had said. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was out too late. If only there was another job for her…
Mimi, as usual, didn't wake up until around noon. Roger had woken up at seven, and was already wide-awake.
"Hey, Mimi," said Roger, taking a sip out of his coffee cup. "Have a nice sleep?"
She nodded groggily. "Wish I could've slept longer."
"If you went to sleep earlier, you could sleep for longer."
She rolled her eyes. "Shut up."
"Roger, don't be so mean to Mimi this early. You know she's cranky when she first wakes up," Mark said over his newspaper.
Mimi nodded in agreement.
"Hey, Meems!" said Mark. "I found a job for you."
"Where?" she asked hazily.
"Pierre's Dance Studio needs an instructor for their beginning ballet class."
Roger spit out his coffee. Mimi's eyes fully opened.
"WHAT?!" they said simultaneously.
"You wanna teach a dance class?" asked Mark.
Mimi nodded. "Always have."
Roger stared at her. "So you're going to quit the Catscratch, then?"
Mimi nodded.
"If that's what it takes to make you quit that place, then okay!"
She grinned and pecked Roger on the cheek. "I need to practice my combination for later."
"You need to practice a combination? Why?"
"They need to know that I can dance!" She ran down the fire escape into the alley.
"I hope she knows I was joking…" said Mark.
"There's no job opening?" asked Roger.
"There is. But I didn't really mean for her to go after it…"
"Well, too bad. She is."
"I never knew she was a ballet dancer."
"Yeah, she is, are you kidding?"
"Huh?"
"She's been in ballet since she was four."
Mark peered at Roger over his paper. "No joke?"
"Nope."
Mark kept reading.
"Hey, guys!" said Maureen, who decided to come over with Joanne. "Where's Mimi?"
"Outside," said both Roger and Mark.
"In this weather?" gasped Joanne.
"She's practicing for a job interview later," Roger explained.
"I'll help her!" chirped Maureen, and she rushed out the fire escape.
"… Chasé, plié in second, double pirouette, and finish," Mimi whispered silently to herself. She wore her pajamas and was barefoot.
"Hey, Mimi!" called Maureen. "Whatcha doing?"
"Practicing. I haven't done this combination since I was fifteen."
"Huh?"
"I'm gonna be a ballet teacher."
"You? I don't know if parents will want a stripper teaching their little darlings."
Mimi glared at her. "Thanks for the support."
"It's cold. Do you want a sweater?" asked Maureen, quickly changing the subject.
"Please. And could you get my pointe shoes? They're under my bed."
Maureen nodded and went back up.
When she came back, she carried a black sweater and a pair of old, beat-up pointe shoes. "These are what you wanted, right?" she asked hopefully, handing them to Mimi.
Mimi nodded and quickly put the shoes on. She pointed and flexed her feet a few times. "I can't believe they still fit."
Maureen smiled and nodded.
"Wanna see my combo?"
The diva nodded.
"…Five, six, seven, eight," she counted softly, and then she began.
In Maureen's eyes, it was a perfect performance. She could hardly believe how elegant Mimi was. Even with her pajama pant legs rolled up past her knees and a pair of old pink shoes that the satin was peeling off of on her feet, she was beautiful. Her curly dark brown hair whirled around her face with each turn. When Mimi finished, Maureen rose to her feet, applauding.
"You've got it! You are so gonna get this job!" she cheered.
Mimi blushed.