AN (skip down if you don't want to read): I wrote this a while ago, but I recently revised it and added some stuff. I first wrote it right after I wrote "Unfaithful".
Quote at bottom.

Warnings: homosexuality, heterosexuality

Disclaimer: RENT was written by the late, great Jonathon Larson.

1st Reviewer Dedication goes to: PinkElf

Why Joanne? Of all the people, of all the girls, of all the lesbians on Earth, why the hell would I choose Joanne? She's pushy, and uptight, and overly possessive. She's not a free thinker (well, not often, anyway), and she concentrates too much on what society and its laws say is correct. Why, of all they women who would love to spend even one night with me, would I choose her?

It's not because opposites attract, like some might say (and have said, for that matter).

Well, actually, if I'm perfectly honest (which is not nearly the rarity some make it out to be, thank you very much), it is. But only partially.

I love the way Joanne is so different from me, but not because that's part of what makes her her. I love those differences because they're part of what makes her Mark.

It's confusing. Everything I love about Joanne I only love because I loved it in Mark first. They both have that same dedication, that same serious thoughtfulness punctuated by moments of spontaneity. They both dedicate great deals of time to their craft, Mark with his film making, and Joanne with her law firm. And, most importantly, they both think I'm a goddess on Earth and would do almost anything to please me.

So why leave Mark if I'm so hung up on him that I would go out and find another person with so many aspects of his personality? I guess I was scared. I'd never been in a relationship so long, never had to be committed to one man for such an extended period of time. And things were getting serious, I could tell. He wanted dedication, loyalty, "'till death do us part", and all that shit. And I just snapped. I started sleeping around, not really trying to hide it in hopes that he would back off, or even break up with me, because I wasn't strong enough to say the words. But he didn't do it. I could see the pain and the hurt in his eyes, but he never backed down, never let go, never stopped needing that commitment. And I couldn't take it.

So I left. As much as I hated to, I left. And I found Joanne, some one with so many of Mark's personality quirks and yet not him. Someone I could love (just 'cause we fight doesn't mean we don't love each other) and yet not fear commitment because, after all, women can't get married in this day and age (thank God, Buddha, and anyone else who may me listening). So we can still get as serious as we want, but, if I ever feel like I'm drowning in her feelings or expectations, I can still bail without dealing with a court case (or children, for that matter). And yeah, I doubt Markie would have made me get married to him or have children, but…

…well, I guess hindsight's twenty/twenty, isn't it.

Quote: It is remarkable how similar the pattern of love is to the pattern of insanity. – Merovingian, The Matrix - Revolutions