Swimming to the Other Side, a rent fanfic

Disclaimer – I own nothing of RENT or the song Swimming to the Other Side. Both belong to their respected owners. 'Nuff said.

Italics are song lyrics.

A/N: I was listening to the song Swimming to the Other Side earlier today and I thought that it would be a cool idea.

Summary: AU: Roger gets a new song idea and decides to share it with his friends who are still alive. Takes place five years after the movie. One-shot.

Genre: General/None

Rating: T

Roger Davis looked through the grungy window below, his green eyes filled with tears. Two years ago, Mimi had died of AIDS. She was just twenty-one-years-old. To make things worse, she had been carrying her and Roger's baby.

"Rog! I'm home!" Mark Cohen called into the loft, startling Roger out of his thoughts.

"Jesus Mark!" Roger exclaimed, quickly rubbing his eyes so that Mark wouldn't question whether he had been crying or not.

"You okay?" Mark asked, placing cartons of Chinese on the kitchen table. Roger nodded and looked for the container labeled 'sweet and sour chicken.' He scooped some onto a paper plate, along with some rice, grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and headed back over towards the window.

"We are living 'neath the great big dipper
We are washed by the very same rain
We are swimming in the stream together
Some in power and some in pain
We can worship this ground we walk on
Cherishing the beings we live beside
Loving spirits will live forever
We're all swimming to the other side." Roger sang softly, quickly scribbling the words onto a blank page before they disappeared from his mind.

"What did you say, Rog?" Mark asked, cocking his head to one side.

"Nothing. I'm just singing to myself." Roger told the other man, tapping his pen against the page impatiently.

"Can I hear what you have so far?" Mark inquired, walking over to Roger.

"Um, sure." Roger said, picking up his Fender and strummed a gentle tune. Instantly, he began to sing.

"I like that." Mark told Roger as soon as he stopped singing.

"That's all I've got so far."

"It's good."

"Thanks."

"What's it called?"

"I don't know. I have to write some choruses to decide what I'm going to call it." Roger paused to take a sip of beer.

"Does it have a working name?" Mark asked.

"I guess it's called Swimming to the Other Side."

"That would be a perfect name for a song."

"Thanks."

"In a way, I guess we're all swimming to the other side." Mark pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Roger said, smiling.

As Roger continued to write, images came floating into his head – Collins, Angel, Mimi and Joanne were four of them. Collins had died from AIDS in the fall of last year and Joanne was murdered violently in May of that year. No one knew who murdered her and why. There were no witnesses.

Maureen had moved to Michigan and worked at a performing arts center there. No one knew where Benny was, nor did anyone care. He had started drinking and had very bad mood swings. That started after Alison disappeared four years ago.

"Hey, Rog. I know you usually don't like to hear my suggestions or ideas, but I wrote something for your song." Mark said, placing a piece of paper in front of Roger. Roger stared at the paper for a moment and smiled – what Mark wrote was perfect.

"Mark. I like this. I like it a lot." Roger said, smiling. Mark smiled back and looked at Roger's hands – they had calluses on them and they looked dry.

"Would you like some lotion, sweetie?" Mark asked, not realizing what he said. Roger's head shot up.

"What did you say?" Roger asked, a little shocked.

"I just wondered if you wanted some lotion." Mark told him. Roger shook his head and read the words that Mark had written. He hummed a tune and sang the first verse with Mark's lyrics.

I am alone and I am searching
Hungering for answers in my time
I am balanced at the brink of wisdom
I'm impatient to receive a sign
I move forward with my senses open
In humility I will listen
We're all swimming to the other side." Roger sang. He smiled – it was perfect.

"Mark! Listen to this!" Roger called the next day. He had been up all night working on the rhythm, chords, melody and words of the song.

"Okay! I'm coming!" Mark called from the bathroom. Roger heard the toilet flush and the door to the bathroom swing open.

"What's up?" Mark asked, walking over to where Roger was seated on the couch.

"I finally got this song figured out." Roger told Mark, smiling. Mark cleared his throat and made himself comfortable as Roger played the opening chords.

"I decided to dedicate this song to my friends." Roger announced, looking down to make sure he had his fingering right.

"That's nice." Mark said, getting his camera and filmed Roger playing and singing.

"Oh, I decided to call this song Swimming to the Other Side." Roger added, still looking down at his fingering.

"I knew you would." Mark told his friend.

I am alone and I am searching
Hungering for answers in my time
I am balanced at the brink of wisdom
I'm impatient to receive a sign
I move forward with my senses open
Imperfection it be my crime
In humility I will listen
We're all swimming to the other side

On this journey through thoughts and feelings
Binding intuition my head my heart
I am gathering the tools together
I'm impatient to do my part
All of those who come before me
Band together to be my guide
Loving lessons that I will follow
We're all swimming to the other side

We are living 'neath the great big dipper
We are washed by the very same rain
We are swimming in the stream together
Some in power and some in pain
We can worship this ground we walk on
Cherishing the beings we live beside
Loving spirits will live forever
We're all swimming to the other side." At that point, Roger stopped for a little instrumental break before moving onto the next verse. Mark smiled and could feel tears streaming down his cheeks.

"When we get there we'll discover
All of the gifts we've been given to share
Have been with us since life's beginning and
We never noticed they were there
We can balance at the brink of wisdom
Never recognizing that we've arrived
Loving sprits will live forever
We're all swimming to the other side." Roger looked up and nodded to Mark, wanting him to sing the final verse with him.

"We're all living 'neath the great big dipper
We are washed by the very same rain
We are swimming in the stream together
Some in power and some in pain
We can worship this ground we walk on
Cherishing the beings we live beside
Loving spirits will live forever
We're all swimming to the other side." Mark and Roger finished, smiling at one another.

"I love that song, Rog." Mark said, wiping the tears out of his eyes.

"I thought you would." Roger told him, smiling.

"I just wish the others were alive to hear that song." Mark told the other man, trying to smile through his tears.

"I know. So do I." Roger said, his smile turning into a frown.

"I loved that last verse. Amazing."

"Thanks."

"It's one of the best songs you've written in a while."

"You think so?"

"Of course."

"That really means a lot to me, thanks Mark." Roger reached over and hugged the small filmmaker.

A month later, the Life Café was having a song performing night. Instantly, Roger signed up with 'Swimming to the Other Side.'

Mark felt more than a friendship for Roger and he felt that Roger didn't feel that way about him. To Mark's surprise, Roger had feelings for Mark.

In June of 1997, Roger and Mark were committed at City Hall with two witnesses – Roger's friend from high school named Matt and Mark's sister, Cindy. Also, in September of 1997, Swimming to the Other Side, was the most recommended song on the radio, right after Your Eyes and Book of Endings.

In February of 1998, Roger and Mark filled out paperwork to adopt a little girl from an orphanage in New York City. The girl's name was Sara and she had been in the orphanage since she had been three months old – she was now one and a half. Officially, on February 24th, 1998, Sara Maria Cohen-Davis came home with Roger and Mark for the first time.

On this journey through thoughts and feelings
Binding intuition my head my heart
I am gathering the tools together
I'm impatient to do my part
All of those who have come before me
Band together to be my guide
Loving lessons that I will follow
We're all swimming to the other side