Standard disclaimers apply. If I owned Rent, I'm sure Jonathan Larson and I would have issues, LOL. He wouldn't do this to his characters (or would he?), so this story must be mine.

This story takes place right as Roger has returned home from Santa Fe. Since I don't like Mimi and Angel being dead, they aren't, for now. As much as I hate to have my favorite character be the victim here, he seemed the only one (besides Mark) that would have enough money to even consider buying a car for the story.

The story involves only the Bohemians, and there will be no original characters introduced. I hope you like it. I had to finally put the idea down, since it's been bothering me for days. It begins right as Roger is returning from Santa Fe, and then it will go to right after Mimi leaves, just in case you get confused. I realize that's a little rushed, but it's all AU, so try to work with me here.

Roger turned off East Highway 139 and entered Brooklyn. He breathed a sigh of relief as he slowed down, upon entering the city. Within the next ten minutes, he would finally be home at last. He had been gone for almost a month and he couldn't say how happy he was to finally be home.

Roger drove up to the loft and parked his car. He went over to the pay phone and put in a quarter. He heard the phone up in the loft ring before he got the answering machine.

"Speeeeeeak!" Mark and his obnoxious voices said together. Roger smiled. Then the machine clicked. "Hey, Mark, it's me, Roger. I'm back from Santa Fe and you locked me out. Quit screening your calls and throw down the key."

Roger watched as Mark came out and looked down at him. "Roger!" he yelled happily. "It's about time you came home!"

Mark threw down the key and Roger caught it and quickly let himself in. He went up to the loft and the two best friends hugged.

"Hey, Rog," said Mark, "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," said Roger. "Santa Fe just wasn't the same without my family."

"It's good to have you back. Have you had anything to eat?" Mark asked, as they walked into the loft.

"Not yet," said Roger. "I had lunch a couple hours ago."

"I'm going to get you something to eat, then."

Roger smiled at his best friend's antics. "Marky," he said, "you don't have to. I'm fine, really. In fact, food can wait. We need to get everyone together at the Life to celebrate."

Mark looked up. "Celebrate what?" he asked.

"My up-and-coming rock stardom," Roger answered, grinning.

Comprehension dawned on Mark's face and his jaw slowly dropped. "You got a record deal!"

Roger grinned again. "Yep, I did; it's great. I sold that car I bought to get to Santa Fe, in order to get my guitar back, and they liked my acoustic stuff enough down there that I got a record deal. It's minor, but still good. I'm 'authentic,' they said."

Mark smiled. "That's great, Roger," he said, "really great. What else happened?" Mark could tell Roger was still hiding something from him.

"I got a new car."

"Really? Wow, that's neat."

"Yeah, it's sweet. It's parked down below if you want to see it before we meet everybody at the loft."

"Well, of course I want to see it. Let's go," Mark said eagerly.

"We have to call everybody first, Mark," Roger said, grinning.

Mark grinned and went to the phone. He quickly called Maureen, Joanne, Mimi, Angel, and Collins.

"Hey, it's Mark," he said to whoever had answered, "Roger's back in town… Yeah, I thought that might make you happy… We're meeting everybody at the Life tonight to celebrate… He got a record deal and a new car… Yes, you'll get to see it… OK, see you there."

Mark hung up the phone and turned back to Roger, smirking, after he had called everybody. "You are not gonna believe how happy Mimi is that you're back," he said in a sing-song voice.

Roger smiled sadly. Mark knew why Roger looked that way. He'd broken up with Mimi before he'd left. "I know," he said. "It'll be nice to see her again. It'll be great to see everyone's familiar faces again. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," said Mark, and he quickly grabbed his camera and they left.

Everyone met up at the Life Café a little while later, and they were celebrating Roger's return to New York. Mimi barely left his side, but he was just fine with that. Angel kept dancing around on the tables, along with Collins and Maureen. Mark was going around, filming everyone together again and happy, and he was grinning. It was perfect for his next documentary.

"So Roger," said Maureen, "since you have a record deal now, you have to sing us one of your new songs." Roger stared at her. "Come on," she insisted, as she saw the look on his face, "if you can't do it in front of us, you certainly can't do it in front of hundreds or thousands of people."

"And if you can sing in front of us here, Roger," Mark said from behind the camera, "then, once you're disgustingly famous, we can go to your concerts and shout out how we used to know you when you were just a struggling, starving musician."

Roger grinned and got up on one of the tables. He thought for a moment which one he wanted to sing, and then it came to him. He sang it for them and then sat down as they clapped happily.

"Congratulations, Roger," said Collins, holding out his hand, which Roger shook. "We're all so excited for you."

"So am I," said Roger, smiling at Collins. "And you know what's even better?"

"What?"

"They're letting me write most of my songs from right here at home, and then taking them back for editing and recording every two weeks. This means, when I'm not touring, I can spend my time here at home with you guys."

"Wow," said Joanne, "that's amazing, Roger. Congrats."

"They don't this very often, so I'm feeling very special. Thanks, Joanne." He smiled gratefully at her.

They continued partying for a while, and then Mimi came up to Roger. "Rog," she said, taking his hand, "we need to talk."

Roger didn't say anything, just simply followed her outside. They stood out in the cold, in the snow, and looked at each other.

"I'm glad you're back," she said finally, after several moments of awkward silence. She stepped closer to him, shifting around nervously.

"So am I," said Roger evenly, but he wasn't smiling.

Mimi noticed his silence. "But not to see me?" she asked.

"Look, Mimi…" Roger began wearily, and he sighed. "I told you before I left, I couldn't do this. You had an affair with Benny, my landlord, the man who shut off our power on Christmas Eve last year. Why even be with a man that does something like that? Plus, he's married, Mims. Come on." Roger stared at her.

"I know, Rog," Mimi said pleadingly, "and I'm sorry. But please, Rog, don't do this. I love you."

"I know you do," said Roger, backing away a few steps, "and I did, too, once. But I can't save you, Mimi. This drug problem, too; it used to be my problem, but now it's not. We're over, Mimi. I'm sorry."

He looked into her brown eyes one last time, and then, without another word, he turned and went back inside. Mimi watched him go and then went the opposite direction, away from the Life and all her friends, away from her life. He had just said it. He was done with her. Their relationship was over.

What am I gonna do now? Mimi thought helplessly. She turned and started running down the street, as rain starting to fall mixed with the tears streaming down her face, and she disappeared.

Several hours later, the party had ended and everyone began to go their separate ways, as the rain came down evermore, darkening Roger's mood. Joanne and Maureen headed to their place, and Collins, Angel, Mark, and Roger went to go crash at the loft. Until Angel said something when they arrived there, no one noticed that Mimi was gone.

"Hey, where's Mimi?" she asked, after finding herself a chair and sitting down.

Roger didn't say anything, but Mark and Collins turned to him all the same. "OK, tell us what happened," Mark said sternly.

"Mimi and I… we, uh… we had a fight," Roger said nervously, biting his lip.

Three sets of eyebrows rose. "What?" Mark said. "What about?"

"Her affair with Benny and her drug problem; I told her that I couldn't be with a girl— woman— who would do something like that, and that she had to quit it by herself, like I did. I can't save her from that, if she doesn't want to be saved. I said I was firm about breaking up with her before I left for Santa Fe."

Everyone stared at Roger in shock. They couldn't believe he would say something like that. "Wow, Roger," Mark said, shaking his head, "that's quite harsh, don't you think?"

"No, I don't. It's about time somebody set her straight, and I figured it had to be me. We're all her friends, but she only really listens to me."

Nobody could really believe their ears. "So where is she now?" Angel asked.

"I don't know. She ran off after we were through arguing."

Everyone sighed. What had Roger just done?

"Hey, don't look at me like that, guys," he said defensively. "I was just finally completely honest with her—"

"To the point of being brutal," said Mark.

"Don't you see how much she needs you?" Angel asked Roger, staring at him.

Roger shook his head and turned around. "Hey, where are you going?" Mark called after him.

"I'm going to look for her," said Roger. "She may not be my girlfriend anymore, but she's still our friend. Are you coming or not?"

Mark, Collins, and Angel looked at each other. Roger was so indecisive sometimes. But they nodded and followed him out of the loft nevertheless.

Roger drove through New York City, thinking about his argument with Mimi. He was furious with her, but that didn't change the fact that she was now on her own, still using, and it was all his fault. Why did he have to snap at her like that?

Roger's mind drifted elsewhere as he took different routes around New York City, looking for her. At one point, he pulled over at a pay phone and called the loft, but no one answered. That meant they were all still out looking for Mimi. Roger hung up the phone and went back to his car.

After a while of searching for Mimi, he couldn't concentrate on that any longer, so he hit the freeway in hopes that the speed would take away some of his tension. The rain continued to fall in sheets and Roger soon got lost in the sweeping motion of his windshield wipers. He didn't notice the overturned tractor-trailer that came flipping across the median and skidding into his lane until it was too late. Roger let out a scream of terror and then everything went black in a crash of glass and metal.

Review? Please tell me what you thought. Again, this is mostly fluff and I'm just trying it out. Thanks for reading.

Until next time, lots of love,

Renthead07