Disclaimer – I own nothing of RENT. It belongs to its original owners. I do own my original characters – aka Autumn Lily and Summer Rose. 'Nuff said.
A/N: I went to the art fair two weekends and got inspired to write a story about it. I will update my other chapter stories – just having a little writer's block. Also, the art fair I went to was over the weekend. I made it a four-day one to show the friendships between all the characters.
A/N 2: Type of artists:
Mimi – knits baby things
Roger – woodworker
Collins & Angel – arts and crafts for kids
Mark – wildlife photographer
Joanne – tye-dye
Maureen – weaver
Benny – metal work
April – jeweler
Summary: AU: During the 2013 Michigan Art Fair, nine different artists have tents near each other and form an incredible friendship over the four-day fair. Rated T because I'm paranoid. ONE-SHOT.
Genre: Romance/None
Rating: T
Mimi Marquez-Davis carefully bent over and unpacked the last box, carefully getting the knitted garments out and laid them flat on the shelves. She then glanced at her stomach and sat down. She and her husband, Roger, were expecting twin girls in two months. She and her husband, Roger, had picked out Autumn Lily and Summer Rose as names for their twins.
"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Roger asked, adjusting his baseball cap. Roger's tent was next to Mimi's, so whatever she needed, Roger wouldn't be far.
"I'm okay." Mimi responded, taking a long sip from the large water bottle she had brought along. Roger kissed her forehead before putting up the bright yellow signs on the flap of their tents so people could see what sort of art they did and where they lived.
"Hello." A soft voice drifted into the tent. Roger looked up from adjusting his instruments and smiled at the man who came into the tent.
"Hi." Roger greeted the man. He took a moment to look the stranger over – he had short strawberry-blond hair, pale skin, glasses and stood a few inches taller than Roger.
"I love your work. It's amazing." The man told Roger. Roger smiled and went back to adjusting the instruments on the shelves.
"Thanks. That means a lot to me." Roger told the man. "I'm Roger."
"Mark." The man – Mark – introduced himself.
"I like your accent. Where are you from?" Roger asked as Mark paid for a picture frame he had been admiring.
"Australia. I'm actually a wildlife photographer." Mark told Roger. "It was wonderful to meet you."
"It was great to meet you, too." Roger told Mark as he exited the tent. Roger looked behind his tent and saw Mimi sitting in the shade, her nose buried in The Great Gatsby.
"Rog, would you be willing to get me a bottle of water, please?" Mimi asked just as a mother and her young daughter entered her tent.
"Sure, sweetie." Roger told his wife.
"Do you have anything for boys?" the mother asked. Mimi hoisted herself out of her chair and indicated to where the clothes were for boys.
"Why are you so fat?" the little girl asked.
"Sofia! That was rude!" the woman told her daughter.
"Oh, no, it's okay. I'm expecting twin girls in July." Mimi told the girl.
The woman paid for her purchase (a light blue baby blanket) and left the tent. Mimi felt tears in her eyes as she sat back down in her chair. She picked up The Great Gatsby, trying not to cry.
The art fair was over for the day, so the artists were heading to a nearby pub for dinner.
"Sweetie? What's wrong?" Roger inquired as he handed Mimi her water.
"Some kid called me fat!" Mimi wailed. Roger frowned, knowing how sensitive Mimi was, especially now.
"You're not fat, Meems – you're beautiful." Roger said, placing a kiss on her forehead before going back to his tent. "Oh, I met a very interesting young man this morning."
"Really?" Mimi asked.
"Yeah. He's from Australia and is a wildlife photographer." Roger told Mimi as they entered the pub. Roger instantly found Mark – he was talking with a red-haired girl and a girl with brown hair. "There he is. Mark!"
Mark turned around and smiled at Roger. He excused himself from the conversation he was having and walked over to Roger and Mimi.
The three of them, plus the two girls Mark had been talking to, got a large table toward the back of the pub.
The two girls – April and Maureen – were a jeweler and a weaver, respectively.
"Have you guys met Angel and Collins yet?" Maureen asked, taking a bite of her baked macaroni and cheese.
"Not yet. What do they do?" Roger asked.
"They run the arts and crafts tent on the other side of campus. I met them earlier today – they seem really nice." April answered.
The door to the pub opened and three African-Americans and one Hispanic entered. Maureen stood up and waved them over. The African-American woman smiled and led the others to the table.
"Luckily, you guys got a big table to seat all of us." The woman said, taking a seat next to Maureen and April. She turned to Mimi and Roger. "I'm Joanne."
"I'm Roger and this is my wife, Mimi." Roger introduced himself and Mimi.
The conversation was kept light, fun and happy. Roger found himself laughing at Maureen's jokes and smiling at a sentimental story that Joanne told.
Before they knew it, it was time to head to the hotel where they were staying. Roger helped Mimi up from her chair, waving goodbye to their friends.
The following day, Roger, Mimi and the other artists were down at the art fair early to set up. Mimi sat in her director's chair while Roger put everything out. He kissed her forehead and went next door to his tent.
Mimi's first customers were a couple who smoked. They looked at each garment, their cigarettes dangling from their mouths.
"Um, excuse me, could you not smoke in here, please?" Mimi asked. The woman smoker turned to Mimi, her eyes on her belly.
"No." The woman told Mimi, getting another cigarette out of her pocket as she stomped out the other one. The man smoker turned to the woman and also stomped out his cigarette. He didn't light another one.
"Muriel, can't you see she's pregnant? It's bad to smoke around a pregnant woman." The man told his wife.
"How do you know she's really pregnant and not hiding something under there?" the woman asked.
"Because I really am pregnant. I'm due in July and am expecting twin girls." Mimi spoke up, rubbing her temples.
The woman removed the cigarette from her mouth and stomped it out. They then exited Mimi's tent without purchasing anything.
"Roger, can you get me some water, please?" Mimi called next door.
"Sure, love." Mark responded, going to get Mimi a bottle of ice-cold water. He returned a few minutes later and handed Mimi the bottle.
"Thank you, Mark." Mimi thanked him, instantly unscrewing the top and drunk half the bottle.
"No worries. You need anything else?" Mark asked.
"Not right at the moment." Mimi answered, resting her hands on her belly.
The rest of the fair dragged on at a snail's pace. Mimi sold two pink blankets, four burp cloths and eight pairs of baby booties.
She put a fair volunteer in charge of her tent while she went to the bathroom. She looked in April, Joanne, Maureen, Mark, Roger and Benny's tents as she passed by.
Mimi returned to her tent and thanked the volunteer. The volunteer smiled and went on his way. Mimi eased herself into the director's chair and watched the crowds of happy people pass in front of her.
When the art fair was closed, Roger and Mimi took a minute to look at everyone's art and to meet their new friends for dinner at Diane's – a little diner that wasn't too far from campus.
Roger and Mimi were the first to arrive. They found a big booth towards the back of the diner and waited for their friends to arrive.
Mark, Joanne, Collins, Angel, Benny, April and Maureen entered the diner ten minutes later. They saw Mimi and Roger sitting at the booth toward the back and made their way over.
The girls sat on one side, with Mimi on the end and the guys sat on the other side.
"That was delicious!" Mimi said, patting her belly.
"Wow – nothing left." Roger remarked.
"I'm eating for three, in case you haven't noticed." Mimi teased, reaching across the table for Roger's hand. He smiled and squeezed Mimi's hand.
"April, Joanne, Maureen, Angel, Collins, Mark and I are going dancing. You wanna join us?" Benny asked as everyone exited the diner.
"I think we're gonna head back to the hotel, but thanks for the offer." Roger told Benny, putting an arm around Mimi's shoulders.
It was a short drive back to the hotel. When they entered the room, Mimi took a shower while Roger watched the news.
Twenty minutes later, Mimi was out of the shower and in bed. Roger watched her sleep for a bit before turning off the TV and the lights before climbing in next to Mimi.
The last day of the art fair was here and the friends didn't want to leave each other. They quickly packed their things and went to the ice cream parlor on campus to hang out with each other one last time before heading home.
"I'll call you guys when Mimi has the babies." Roger told his friends, giving all of them his and Mimi's cell numbers.
They all then said goodbye to each other and exited the parlor, knowing that it wouldn't be the last time they were all together.
Two months later
Roger and Mimi were watching the fireworks light up the sky like a million candles when Mimi felt something run down her leg.
"Roger, I think my water broke." Mimi told her husband.
"Are you in any pain?" Roger inquired.
"Not right now." Mimi answered, going to change clothes. As she was putting on a green tank top, she felt the first contraction. "ROGER!"
Roger ran into the bedroom and saw Mimi hunched over.
"Okay, let's get you to the hospital. It's all right." Roger told his wife, getting her overnight bag and his cell phone. He said goodbye to their dog – a beautiful Golden Retriever named Penny and black cat named Simon. A neighbor said that they would take care of Penny and Simon while Mimi was in the hospital.
Roger helped Mimi into the car and raced to the hospital, which was five blocks away. Sweat and tears were streaming down Mimi's face as Roger parked the car and helped Mimi into a wheelchair.
Two nurses helped Mimi get ready while Roger called his friends. First to arrive were Mark, April, Joanne and Maureen.
"I have to go be with Mimi. I'll let you guys know how it's going when I can." Roger told his friends.
He then sprinted to the delivery room where Mimi was. The contractions were getting closer together. According to the doctor, Mimi was fully dilated and it was time to push.
"I can see the head. Push, Mimi!" the doctor encouraged. Mimi nodded, sucked in a lot of air and pushed with all her might. Roger squeezed Mimi's hand and shoulder for encouragement.
An hour later, Autumn Lily was out. Mimi was having some difficulty with Summer Rose, so she was going for a C-Section. A nurse put Autumn in an incubator so Roger could be with Mimi.
An hour later, Roger, Mimi and Autumn were in a private hospital room. Summer was having some difficulty breathing on her own, so she was staying in the NICU for a while.
"I'll be right back." Roger told Mimi, kissing the top of her head. He went to the waiting room where his friends were.
He saw Benny and April playing checkers; Joanne, Maureen, Collins and Angel were playing a card game and Mark was asleep. Joanne looked up when Roger entered the waiting room.
"Mimi had the babies – Summer is having some difficulty breathing, so she's in the NICU. Two people can come with me and meet Autumn and see Mimi." Roger told his friends. Benny and Mark went first. Collins and Angel would go second, Joanne and Maureen would go third and April would go last.
Mimi was nursing Autumn when Roger, Mark and Benny entered the hospital room. Mark and Benny waited outside the room while Roger went over to Mimi. He kissed her forehead and looked down at Autumn. She was fast asleep.
"Hun, we have company." Roger told Mimi. She handed Autumn to Roger while she closed her hospital gown. Roger sat on the bed next to Mimi, holding Autumn in his arms. Roger then nodded to Benny and Mark.
Mark rubbed hand sanitizer on his hands before picking up Autumn. He held her for a little bit before handing her to Benny.
"Mark and Benny, would you like to see Summer?" Roger whispered as Benny handed Autumn to Mimi. The men nodded and followed Roger out of the room. Roger stopped in the waiting room to let Collins and Angel know that Mimi was ready for them. He then told them where Mimi's room was as he led Benny and Mark to the NICU.
"Sara, these are my friends, Benny and Mark. Mark and Benny, this is my sister, Sara. Could I get some scrubs for them?" Roger asked the NICU nurse. She nodded and got three teal scrubs for Roger, Mark and Benny.
"Um, what are these for?" Mark asked as he put the scrubs on over his clothes.
"To keep the germs away from the babies." Roger told his friends as they entered the NICU. Benny and Mark took a moment to look at all the babies that were in the NICU as they made their way to where Summer was.
A few minutes later, they found Summer's incubator. Roger took the top off and looked down at his daughter.
"Benny, Mark, I want you to meet Summer Rose." Roger whispered as he carefully picked up Summer. He carefully handed her to Benny.
"Wow, she's tiny." Benny remarked as he held the baby in his arms.
"She's perfect." Mark said as Benny carefully handed Summer to him. Mark smiled down at the little girl and handed her back to Roger.
Roger ended up spending the night with Mimi and Autumn. First thing in the morning, Roger would go to the NICU and see how Summer was.
He was surprised when he returned to Mimi's room to see Benny, Collins, April, Joanne, Maureen, Angel and Mark sprawled out around the room. Mark, Joanne, Collins and April were in uncomfortable hospital chairs; Benny, Maureen and Angel were on the floor.
"When did they get here?" Roger asked Mimi.
"A few minutes before you came back from the NICU." Mimi responded, resting her head on Roger's chest as he climbed in behind her. "Autumn is in the nursery for the night."
Roger watched Mimi as she slept. He watched her breathing and her long brown hair cascade over her shoulders like a waterfall.
"I can't believe I'm a dad." Roger said to no one in particular before falling asleep.
At 6:45 the next morning, Roger's alarm on his cell phone went off, startling everyone.
"What the bloody hell was that?" Mark inquired.
"Sorry. Go back to bed." Roger told his friend, getting out of bed and threw on some clothes. He then snuck his way out of the room and to the NICU.
"Good morning, Rog." Sara, the NICU nurse chirped.
"Are you always this chipper in the morning?" Roger asked.
Sara's smile disappeared as Roger entered the NICU. He turned around and frowned.
"Sara, I'm sorry." Roger apologized.
"It's all right, bro." Sara told him, handing him a pair of lavender scrubs. "It's all that's clean right now."
"How did you know that lavender is my favorite color?" Roger asked, pulling the shirt over his head.
"I just know these things." Sara said, smiling as she opened the door to the NICU. "Say hi to Summer for me."
"I will." He gently squeezed Sara's shoulder and entered the NICU.
He went straight to Summer's incubator and lifted the lid. He then picked up Summer and held her against his scrubs.
"Please get better soon, sweetie, so I can take you home." Roger pleaded.
He spent a few moments holding her before going to the nursery to see Autumn.
Roger was finished visiting his daughters and decided to get breakfast from the hospital cafeteria. He was picking at his scrambled eggs when four people sat down at his table. Looking up, he saw Joanne, April, Benny and Mark.
"Everyone else still asleep?" Roger asked, looking at his watch. It was 8:30.
"Most everyone. Mimi's taking a shower and the rest of our lot is sleeping." Mark told Roger, diving into his pancakes.
"So, when do you think you'll go home?" Joanne asked, taking a bite of her grapefruit.
"I'm hoping to take both girls home at the same time. I would hate leaving Summer here while Autumn is at home." Roger responded.
"Speaking of going home, I'm going home today." Benny announced.
"Why? What's going on?" Mark, Roger, April and Joanne asked.
"My mother-in-law passed away. I was very close to her." Benny answered.
"I'm so sorry. Keep us posted, okay?" Roger said. Benny nodded and hugged everyone before exiting the cafeteria and made his way to the elevators.
"I should probably get going, too. I have an art fair in Flint that I'm showing at." Joanne told Roger, gently squeezing his shoulder. Roger smiled and looked at Mark and April.
"I'm showing in the same art fair as Joanne, so I should go, too." April said. She also squeezed Roger's shoulder and was on her way.
"I live here and I'm not showing at any more art fairs this season." Mark spoke up after everyone left.
"Want to check on Mimi?" Roger asked.
"I'll be right there – I need to go to the restroom." Mark told Roger. Roger nodded and headed to the elevator. The doors opened and Roger stepped in, pushing the button of Mimi's floor – 7.
It was a slow and tedious ride up to the 7th floor. Roger kept checking his phone every five seconds to pass the time.
The doors opened on the 7th floor what seemed like an eternity later. Roger made his way to Mimi's room and sat on the bed next to her.
"Honey, are you okay?" Roger asked.
"I'm fine – just tired." Was Mimi's response.
"Can I get you anything?" Roger inquired.
"I would like to see Summer." Mimi told Roger.
"Do you feel like seeing her now or do you want to rest?"
"I'll rest first then we'll go. Give me fifteen minutes."
"Okay."
Mimi took a twenty-five minute rest. During that time, Roger called his mother in Florida, his brother in San Francisco and his dad in Indiana.
"Congratulations. I bet you both are extremely happy." Roger's brother, Steve said.
"We are, but Summer is having some trouble breathing on her own, so she's in the NICU." Roger told Steve.
"What about the other one?"
"Autumn? She's doing fine. She looks a lot like me whereas Summer looks like Mimi."
"Has Sara seen them yet?"
"Yeah, she works in the NICU, so she sees Summer every day. I don't know if she's seen Autumn yet."
"I plan to make it out soon to see them. Have you told mom and dad yet?"
"I called both of them. Mom's coming up tonight and dad is coming in a week."
"Who's gonna stay with the girls when you go to work?"
"I made some friends at the local art fair this year that are happy to help out."
"You sell anything good this year?"
"You sound like dad. I sold most of what I brought with me and had three special orders."
"Wow. That's pretty good."
"Thanks. I gotta go now. Mimi's awake and I'm taking her to see Summer in the NICU."
"Say hi to Mimi and the girls for me."
"I will. Say hi to Lisa, Leslie, Taylor and Gina for me."
"Will do."
Roger smiled and hung up the phone. He put it in his jean's pocket and stood up and looked around the empty room. Most of his friends had left, except Mark. Mark was going to move in with Roger and Mimi for the first two months of the girls' lives. After that, he was going on a trip to Australia to reconnect with his fiancée and brother.
Ten days later
"Okay, girls. You finally get to get out of here! What do you think?" Roger asked Summer and Autumn as he and Mark buckled them in their car seats. Mimi was up front with the window down, head halfway out the window.
Mark sat in the back with the babies while Roger drove to their two-story townhouse. Mark's job was to keep the girls quiet while Roger navigated his way home.
Mimi and Roger put the girls in the nursery while Mark made them something to eat. Most of what he found wasn't edible, so he called out for sub sandwiches.
Ten minutes later, the subs had been delivered and half an hour later, Mimi and Roger made their way down the stairs, looking exhausted.
"Food's here." Mark said as he set the table.
"Not hungry." Mimi told Mark, heading back upstairs. Roger watched his wife for a moment and sighed.
"You all right, mate?" Mark asked as Roger joined him on the couch.
"Yeah, just worried about Mimi. All she ever does is sleep." Roger answered, turning on the TV to the news.
Mark took that as his cue to be quiet. He and Roger watched the news while Mimi, Summer and Autumn slept.
That night, the girls did not sleep through the night. Somehow, Mark slept through all the noise.
At 1:15 in the morning, both girls had settled down for the night. Roger and Mimi slowly backed out of the nursery and went back to their room.
Summer woke at 3:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep. Mark took care of her, since both Mimi and Roger were out like a light.
Mark sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the nursery and sung Waltzing Matilda to Summer. She closed her eyes and fell asleep just as Mark finished the song. He carefully stood up and put Summer back in her crib.
When the twins were two-months-old, Mark left to go to Australia. Mimi and Roger hugged him tightly, thanking him for everything.
Mrs. Davis came to stay with Roger, Mimi and the girls until the twins were four-months-old. She loved watching her granddaughters grow before her eyes.
A year later
"Are you sure you'll be okay, Meems?" Roger asked as he packed his wooden instruments into four boxes. He was showing at the four-day Michigan Art Fair – the first time without Mimi.
"Yes, I'll be fine, Rog. If I need help, I'll call someone." Mimi assured her husband, placing a kiss on his cheek.
"I'll be gone for four days, but I can stay for one if you want me to." Roger said, taping the last box closed.
"Roger Timothy Davis – don't even think about it!" Mimi snapped. She then lowered her voice. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, sweetie. I'll be home before you know it. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Roger arrived at the art fair half an hour later, registered and went to find his tent. He was in tent number 777 – the same tent he had the previous year.
"G'day stranger." A familiar voice greeted Roger as he set up his instruments.
"Well, well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in." Roger said, smiling. He went over to Mark and hugged him.
"ROGER! MARK! HI!" Angel's shrieking voice greeted their ears.
"Is everyone here?" Collins asked.
"Not everyone – Mimi is staying with the twins this year." Roger told his friends.
They all purchased something from Roger before going to their own tents.
At lunch, Roger called Mimi to see how she was doing. He got her voicemail and called the house. He got the voicemail there, too.
He tried Mimi's cell again and left a message. Ten minutes later, his cell rang.
"Mimi? Baby, are you okay?" Roger asked, his voice panicked.
"I'm fine, honey – I was taking a nap with the girls." Mimi told her husband.
"I was really worried, sweetie."
"Rog, I'm fine. How's the art fair going?"
"Great – everyone's here. They all say 'hi' and wish that you were here."
"I'm actually thinking of bringing the girls tomorrow, if it's not too hot."
"Wonderful, Meems. Well, I gotta go – my lunch break is over."
"Okay. I love you and can't wait to see you."
"Love you, too and can't wait to see you, too."
Roger hung up the phone and put it in his pocket.
He sold two of the four boxes he brought, which was amazing, considering that he had a pretty steep price range. His prices ranged from $10.00 to $600.00. He also had free guitar picks to give to customers who bought more than $50.00 in sales.
He was getting a rather heavy piece out of a box when he felt an extra pair of hands help him steady the piece. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Mark.
"Are you stalking me or something?" Roger teased.
"Me? Stalk you? Oh, not at all, mate." Mark answered.
Roger smiled and got the piece how he wanted it and put his hands on his knees. He then made his way to his director's chair and sat down.
Roger was closing down his tent when Joanne came over to him. She had already closed down her tent and helped Roger finish with his.
Joanne, Roger, Mark, April, Benny, Maureen, Angel and Collins ended up going to Charlie's for grilled subs.
Roger stayed for a while before going home to Mimi and his babies. He told everyone that he would see them the following day and to take it easy.
He went to the garage where the artists kept their cars and found his. He drove home, all thoughts on Mimi, Summer and Autumn.
It's time now, to sing out, though the story never ends
Let's celebrate, remember a year in the life of friends!