Disclaimer – I own nothing of RENT or the song Whiskey Lullaby. Both belong to their respected owners. 'Nuff said.
Italics are song lyrics and thoughts.
A/N: After watching the video for Whiskey Lullaby, I thought that this would make an interesting story. As of further notice, my chapter stories are discontinued b/c they are all on my other computer and it's being a butt.
Summary: AU: Mimi and Roger loved each other – or so they thought. Set to the song Whiskey Lullaby sung by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss. Rated T for language. One-shot.
Genre: General/None
Rating: T
Roger got off the bus and headed to the farmhouse where he lived with his fiancée, Mimi. Opening the door, he placed his bag on the floor and looked at the framed pictures of the two of them taken over the years. He smiled and remembered Mimi's last words to him before he left for Iraq:
Come home alive and we'll start our family.
As Roger entered the house, he heard laughing coming from the upstairs bedroom. Confused, he climbed the stairs and opened the door. He couldn't believe his eyes – Mimi was in bed with a man he had never seen before. Shaking his head, Roger exited the house and got into his car. In the rearview mirror, he could see Mimi standing on the porch, the lavender sheet wrapped around her tiny body.
She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart he spent his whole life trying to forget
We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time
But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind
Until the night
Ever since Roger drove away that day, Mimi spent her spare time following him. She found him in a bar, getting into a fight, on the street, drunk as a skunk, but he never came home. Every night, Mimi would cry herself to sleep, hoping that someday her lover would come back to her.
In Roger's apartment, he picked up a bottle of beer and took a long drink, trying to get Mimi off of his mind. Taking another swig, he found the gun in his sock drawer and took it in his hands. Before killing himself, he wrote 'I'll love her till I die' on a piece of paper and clutched it in his hand. Feeling tears in his eyes, he pulled the trigger.
A large funeral was held for Roger, complete with military salute. Mimi saw people staring at her as they lowered Roger's casket into the ground next to a weeping willow – his favorite tree.
He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away her memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees
We found him with his face down in the pillow
With a note that said I'll love her till I die
And when we buried him beneath the willow
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby
La la la la la la la…La la la la la la laaaa...
La la la la la la la …La la la la la la laaaa…
Mimi went into town to get some groceries when she heard the townspeople talking about her. They didn't know that Mimi blamed herself to what happened to Roger.
To hide the smell of the whiskey on her breath, Mimi chewed gum, drank coffee or other tricks she knew, but no matter what, she couldn't hide the smell of the whiskey. She found herself getting drunk every night, trying to get Roger off her mind, until that night…
The rumors flew but nobody knew how much she blamed herself
For years and years she tried to hide the whiskey on her breath
She finally drank her pain away a little at a time
But she never could get drunk enough to get him off her mind
Until the night…
Mimi took her last swig of whiskey as she found a picture of Roger and held it in her hand as she pulled the trigger, falling facedown on the pillow. She was buried next to Roger, underneath the same willow tree. As the preacher spoke, a little girl with blonde hair and brown eyes placed a lily on Mimi's grave before backing away.
She put that bottle to her head and pulled the trigger
And finally drank away his memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees
We found her with her face down in the pillow
Clinging to his picture for dear life
We laid her next to him beneath the willow
While the angels sang a whiskey lullaby
Roger was so happy to see Mimi again. The two of them danced around and around, Mimi laughing the entire time.
"Baby, please forgive me." Mimi whispered in Roger's ear as they slow-danced.
"Honey, we're in heaven, so of course I forgive you." Roger whispered back, holding her close.
La la la la la la la...La la la la la la laaaa...
La la la la la la la...La la la la la la laaaa...
La la la la la la la...La la la la la la laaaa...
La la la la la la la...La la la la la la laaaa...