A/N: This is my first rent fic, so please bear with me. I love the Maureen and Joanne relationship, and decided to play with them a bit. Thank You Jonathan Larson.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any original RENT characters, ideas, or themes... just my brain going crazy. Please Review!
Prologue
"Viva, la vie boheme!" The group of friends yelled into the crowd surrounding them at the Life Café. Those were the good and happy times… if you can consider fighting off AIDS, coldness, loneliness, and with drawls.
After that night at the café, things went down hill rapidly. Roger and Mark almost lost their loft to their ex-roommate Benny, who had bought the building. Angel died, and Collins lost the love of his life to AIDS. Mimi got back into drugs and lost it.
And then there was Maureen and Joanne. The most unexpected and accepted couple of the group. Joanne was an "anal retentive" lawyer who saw nothing but commitment in a relationship. Maureen, however, was completely different. Passive, "No Day But Today", a performer, and loved to flirt. Maureen and Joanne never were expected to last longer than a fling, but they did. Their friends had their hopes up. They wanted to see the two girls grow and learn together, and build a beautiful relationship in the slums they lived in.
Their hopes were dashed when Maureen told Joanne to take her, or leave her, during their engagement party. Joanne, who had never been so confused, upset and just plain pissed off, left her with no regrets. She was not going to miss her because even though she loved her with every ounce of her being, she did not need the stress of their relationship.
During Maureen's performance, she was silently praying to whoever was listening, that Joanne would take her and forgive her, but it didn't happen. She was a broken woman since that day. She had never wanted to work in anything other than performing arts, but after being kicked out of Joanne's life and apartment, she was forced to get a job. She chose to work at the Life Café seeing how it was close and convenient. Then the day came when she went to see Angel in the hospital, boy was it a difficult day.
Chapter One
The phone rang in the tiny one bedroom studio apartment on Ave. A in New York city.
Maureen Johnson rolled over and looked at her alarm clock; it read "3:24 AM"
"You've gotta be kidding me," Maureen groaned and rolled out of bed to catch the phone before the answering machine picked up.
"Hello?" a sleepy Maureen said into the receiver.
"Mo, you need to get to the hospital a.s.a.p." Roger said with fright in his voice.
"What's wrong Rogie?" A nickname she seldom used for her best friend and/or big brother figure.
"It's… it's Angel. She's not doing so well…" Roger said, choking back tears.
"I'll be there in 5," Maureen said throwing the cordless phone onto the couch and running out of the apartment without shoes, purse and a coat.
It was cold, and a long ride to the hospital, but she had to go. She didn't want to loose Angel. Angel was the heart of the family, the person and reason that kept everyone together, even when they all hated each other. She was their Angel, in the literal sense of the word.
She knew that this day was coming for some time though. She had seen Angel and Collins in the Life about three weeks ago, and Angel hadn't been wearing his normal bright and cheerful outfit. He had been wearing sweats and a t-shirt. Her heart dropped when she thought about how bad he had looked. Beautiful even in a time of sheer and utter pain and exhaustion, she had thought to herself.
As the taxi rolled into the parking lot of the hospital she threw money at the cabbie, and ran to the doors.
"I need to know what room Angel Schunard is in, now please!" The diva shouted, scaring the receptionist.
"485," the receptionist replied with a sad smile, "I'm sorry dear, Angel is in my prayers."
Maureen gave the receptionist the same sad smile and ran to the room. She didn't care what she looked like, didn't care if she almost knocked somebody down, and definitely didn't care when she saw Benny sitting outside Angel's room, making funeral arrangements.
As she reached the door, she took a calming deep breath and slowly opened the door, peering inside to see 6 dying souls. She slowly shut the door behind her and stepped into the room.
"Hey everybody," she said quietly. She noticed that she was the last one there, and smacked herself mentally for it.
"Late as always huh diva girl," Angel said, trying to smile, even though it hurt.
Maureen grabbed Angel's hand, "You know it honey."
Everyone said their hi's through looking into each other's eyes. Even Joanne was there, and she grabbed Maureen's hand and gave it a small squeeze. Joanne was scared and Maureen could tell. She hated seeing any of her friends in pain, but especially Joanne.
After an hour or so, everyone started leaving because they wanted Angel and Collins to get some rest. Maureen had no money for a taxi, so she just sat in the room trying to fall back asleep.
Ten minutes later, the door opened again, and Joanne walked in carrying a small stuffed bear with angel wings sewn to it.
"Angel, it's so cute, and…. And I just want you to have it." Joanne said, leaning over and kissing Angel on the forehead.
"Thanks baby girl. It is adorable, and hey, an Angel, how ironic huh…" Angel smiled at the beautiful black woman.
Joanne looked over at Maureen, who had tears in her eyes. Maureen had always figured that Joanne only hung out with her friends because that's where Maureen always was. But the interaction between Angel and Jo had definitely said differently.
"It is beautiful Jo…" Maureen whispered and wiped at her eyes. Joanne smiled back and walked over to the weeping woman.
"Do you want a ride back to your place? They need some space I think." Maureen nodded and walked over to the two and kissed them both goodbye.
The walk to Joanne's car was an awkward one, but it was strangely comforting. As soon as Maureen walked through the door in front of Joanne, Joanne let out a small giggle.
"What's so funny?" Maureen asked.
"Mo, where are your shoes?" Joanne asked smiling at the diva.
Maureen pouted, "I forgot them…"
Joanne smiled brighter and linked her arm through Maureen's, trying to keep her warm in the cold October air.
Maureen shivered from the cold, but more from Joanne touching her. She didn't want to deal with this. She didn't want to have Joanne back for one night simply because of need. She didn't want any of this to be happening and she broke down and cried.
Joanne stopped when she felt silent sobs breaking through Maureen's body. She turned to her and hugged her.
"Shh, it's going to be alright… everything will be alright." Joanne was now crying with her lost lover and she didn't care who saw it.
The two stood in the middle of the parking lot at one of the hospitals in New York, holding each other and bawling. Maureen felt better and worse at the same time when Joanne took her into her arms and held her. She never wanted to leave those arms. They were stability, love, safety, happiness and joy, but she knew that it wasn't time to try yet and she had to accept that.
On the way to Ave. A and 11th street in New York City, the ride was silent. Then all of the sudden, they were at Maureen's apartment.
Joanne put her car into park and looked over at her ex-fiancé. Maureen was still crying, and she felt horrible for having to leave her, but she just didn't know if she could handle it.
"Oh fuck it," thought Joanne. "Do you want to stay with me tonight… so you don't have to be alone. I can sleep on the couch if you'd like."
Maureen was absolutely shocked at the question. "Uh, Jo…. I don't know."
"Look Maureen, I know that we have a lot of shit to work through before any thing happens, if it ever happens again, it's just…" Joanne took a calming deep breath as the tears flooded her eye lids, "I just can't be alone. I need you if just for this once. Please, don't leave me tonight…"
Maureen knew that the only person Joanne had ever known that had passed away was her grand mother, and Joanne didn't even get the chance to go to her funeral and deal with it in the right way. Her parents forbade it because she was 10 years old. But Joanne knew that she needed to be there, and never got to.
Maureen sighed, "You don't have to sleep on the couch. It's your apartment, your bed, so I'll sleep on the couch."
With that Joanne smiled at Maureen and started her car. It sure was going to be a long night.