Disclaimer – I own nothing of RENT except my original characters and the plot. All the rest belongs to the wonderful Jonathon Larson. 'Nuff said.
Italics are thoughts, flashbacks and song lyrics.
A/N: I went out of town for the weekend and I got this story idea while I was out kayaking one day.
A/N 2 – original characters:
Ariel Davis – 39 years old & Roger's wife – long honey-colored hair to the lower part of her back, hazel eyes hidden behind green and blue glasses. Is really sweet, down-to-earth, loves everyone and loves nature.
Makaylah Rose Davis – 15 years old – looks and acts exactly like Roger.
Benjamin David Davis – 13 years old – looks and acts exactly like Ariel.
Amber Cohen - 40 years old & Mark's wife – short curly black hair, brown eyes. Not really a nature person. Puts her family first before making major decisions.
Michael Roger Cohen – 15 years old. Looks and acts exactly like Amber.
Alanna Grace Cohen – 12 years old. Looks and acts exactly like Mark.
Elizabeth Mary Cohen – 9 years old. Looks like Amber, but acts like Mark.
Cheyenne Maureen Cohen – 6 years old. Looks like Mark, but acts like Amber.
Rosemary Joanne Johnson-Jefferson – 10 years old. Looks like Maureen, but acts like Joanne.
Donna Elizabeth Johnson-Jefferson – 10 years old. Looks like Joanne, but acts like Maureen.
Henry James Johnson-Jefferson – 8 years old. Looks like Maureen, but acts like Joanne.
Ryan Scott Coffin – 12 years old – looks like Benny, but acts like Alison.
Sara Marie Coffin – 9 years old – looks like Alison, but acts like Benny.
Owen Noah Coffin – 2 years old – is a spitting image of Benny.
Summary: AU: Roger, Mark, Maureen, Joanne and Benny take their families to an outdoor nature center for the weekend over Memorial Day. Based on actual events. Rated T for safety. Four-shot.
Rating: T
Genre: Family/General
CHAPTER ONE
(chapter title – Prologue)
Roger Davis never thought he would find love again after Mimi died in the fall of 1996. They had a daughter together – Makaylah Rose, who was two years old when her mother died. Roger was now a single dad trying to raise his daughter by himself – he couldn't do it.
By the time Roger went back to work at the high school where he was the band and choir director, Makaylah was three-years-old, so Roger sent her off to nursery school. He wasn't looking for love, but he couldn't help looking at a beautiful woman with long honey-colored hair and piercing hazel eyes. One of the fellow teachers told him that she was the history teacher named Ariel Thomason.
Ariel and Roger ended up having lunch together and they learned everything they could about each other. Roger felt himself falling in love with her every time he looked into her hazel eyes.
After two years of lunch dates, Roger took Ariel on a real date – to an Italian restaurant called Bella's. That's where he proposed to her and of course, Ariel said 'yes'.
When Makaylah was four-years-old, her little brother – Benjamin David – joined the family. Roger felt that his life was complete now that he had his daughter, wife and son.
Mark, however, found it difficult to find love until he met Amber Hart – a twenty-something intern working for Alexi. Amber was beautiful – short curly black hair and big brown eyes that melted his heart. She knew the right things to make him smile – his soul mate.
The two of them went on a few dates and it wasn't until they were watching a movie on Mark's couch that he realized that Amber was the one for him. He asked her to marry him that night and Amber told him 'yes'.
They welcomed their son Michael Roger Cohen into the world on Halloween. A year later, their daughter Alanna Grace Cohen, joined the family. After Alanna was born, Mark and Amber tried to have another baby, but Amber kept having miscarriages. They went to the doctor and he told them that Amber had something wrong with her overeries and to stop trying to have a baby for a while. Three years later, they welcomed Elizabeth Mary Cohen, into the world on Amber's birthday. Another three years later, Mark and Amber welcomed their forth and final baby – Cheyenne Maureen Cohen – into the world on a cold December evening. Mark finally felt that his family was complete.
Maureen and Joanne had their make-ups and break-ups, but finally stayed together in 2000 when Joanne was raped and became pregnant with twin girls. On New Year's Eve, they welcomed their daughters – Rosemary Joanne and Donna Elizabeth Johnson-Jefferson – into the world. Two years later, Maureen was on her way home and got attacked by a guy in a ski mask. He beat her and raped her before getting up and ran away. Hurting all over, Maureen managed to get herself home. She and Joanne welcomed their son, Henry James Johnson-Jefferson – into the world on Joanne's birthday.
The Coffin family had a lot of problems with getting pregnant, but they welcomed their son Ryan Scott Coffin – into the world on Benny's birthday. Three years later, while vacationing in the Bahamas, Alison got pregnant with their only daughter, Sara Marie Coffin. Benny felt an instant bond to his daughter and dubbed her, "daddy's special girl." After years of miscarriages, stillbirths and fake pregnancies, Alison and Benny welcomed their son – Owen Noah Coffin – into the world on Mother's Day. Benny, like Roger, Mark, Maureen and Joanne – couldn't put into words how happy he was to have a family of his own.