Disclaimer – I own nothing of the song Make A Wave or RENT. They both belong to their original owners. 'Nuff said.
Italics are song lyrics
A/N: I was listening to the song Make A Wave and thought about the oil spill that happened in the Gulf of Mexico and since I would love to help out, but can't because of travel issues, I thought that our favorite Bohos could do something.
Summary: AU: The RENT gang is vacationing on the beach in Alabama when the oil spill happens. Destined to help, they all lend a hand. Sort of set to the song Make A Wave by Joe Jonas & Demi Lovato. ONE-SHOT. Rated T for safety.
Genre: Family/Friendship
Rating: T
They say the beat of a butterflies wings
Can set off a storm the world away
What if the ride in the smallest of things
Can power the strongest hurricane
What if it all begins inside
We hold the key that turns the tide
"We all set?" Collins asked, plopping the basket down on the sand at his feet. The others sat down on the sand next to him, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Collins smiled and looked at the various couples that came with him – Maureen and Joanne; Roger and Mimi; Mark and his fiancée Alexandria, and Angel, of course. Benny couldn't make it – something about his daughter getting married.
"This is so beautiful. Thank you for inviting me." Alex told Collins as she spread out her beach blanket.
"Sweetie, it was nothing." Collins said, watching Alex's four-year-old daughter Grace waddle towards the water. Mark held Grace's brother, Jeremy, the other four-year-old waking up from a nap.
Just a pebble in the water
Can set the sea in motion
A simple act of kindness
Can stir the widest ocean
If we show a little love
Heaven knows what we could change
So throw a pebble in the water
And make a wave
Make a wave
It was when all of them were in the van on the way home when they heard the news – there had been an oil spill on the beach in the Gulf of Mexico and they needed volunteers to help out.
"I think we should do something." Alex and Maureen said in unison. The gang was back at the cottage where they were staying. Mark and Roger had put the twins to bed and were coming to join their friends.
"I agree with Maureen and Alex." Mimi spoke up.
"What's going on?" Roger asked. Angel went on to explain about the oil spill and that they should do something. Roger let it sink in before speaking up.
"You guys are right – I mean, I care about the environment as much as anyone else, but what are we supposed to do?"
"We could clean the oil off of the animals." Joanne suggested.
They all agreed to sleep on it and report for volunteering the next day.
The single joys to take a stand
Please touch your hand with someone in need
Don't pull yourself and say you can't
You never know what can grow
From just one seed
So come with me and seize the day
This world may never be the same
"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew." Maureen squealed as she cleaned oil off a baby river otter.
"Maureen, shut up – how do you think these animals feel?" Joanne snapped, cleaning oil off a pelican.
"I got a beached whale over here!" Kassi, the volunteer coordinator, called out. Mark, Roger, Collins and Alex dropped what they were doing and rushed over to help. Since Angel and Mimi didn't like to get dirty, they offered to take care of Grace and Jeremy for Alex and Mark.
"It's okay, baby." Roger told the whale as he, along with the others, tried to get it off the beach. The baby whale just thrashed around on the sand, only making it dirtier.
"Riptide, shh." Mark soothed the baby whale. That got it to calm down so that the others could get it clean and into a tank big enough to hold a herd of elephants.
"Riptide?" Roger asked, slightly confused.
"I'm a fan of the Percy Jackson novels and the name of Percy's sword is Riptide." Mark explained, pouring some water onto Riptide's head.
"Okay, lets get him in the tank." Kassi told the men on a pick up truck. She stuck a needle in the whale's dorsal fin. She later explained that it was so that the baby would stay calm while they were transporting it.
They broke for lunch at two, after six hours of being on the beach with the volunteer staff.
"How many animals do you think we saved?" Alex asked Kassi.
"I don't know exactly. I know that a whole lot of fish, plants and animals will die because of the oil spill." Kassi told the group, sadness in her voice.
"How many years have you been rescuing animals?" Roger inquired, taking a big bite out of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
"It started when I was thirteen, volunteering in a no-kill animal shelter. Fast forward ten years and I'm still doing what I love." Kassi answered.
"You're doing a good thing." Maureen said, taking a sip of her Coke and winked flirtingly at Kassi.
"Don't even try the flirting thing on me, Maureen. My partner is right over there and she's the jealous type." Kassi told Maureen, nodding to a dark-haired woman talking with a lifeguard. Once the woman was done talking to the lifeguard, she bounded over to Kassi and the others.
"The name's Lizabeth." The woman told the group.
"Hi." Everyone chorused.
"Babe, who were you talking to?" Kassi asked her partner as their fingers intertwined.
"The lifeguard, Bobby. He's helping get a barrier set up so that we don't get any more animals over here." Lizabeth explained. She spoke with an understandable New Jersey accent and wore an old gray T-shirt, jeans torn at the knees and a Yankees baseball cap.
Once lunch was finished, it was back to work. Kassi had told the volunteers to work until seven and then they could leave. The Bohos ended up going home at six-thirty – Maureen wasn't feeling well and Alex was getting a headache. Joanne and Mark escorted them home while Collins and Roger stayed behind to clean up some animals and check on ones that needed immediate medical attention.
"Hey Scruffy." Roger greeted the tiny Sea Lion pup he had saved earlier that day. Scruffy barked a weak response – Roger had heard the vet saying that Scruffy had phenomena and wasn't expected to live. The vet figured that Scruffy was an orphan and barely able to survive on his own. Roger had dedicated that day to staying by Scruffy's side, but was called away when Kassi found the beached whale.
Just a pebble in the water
Can set the sea in motion
A simple act of kindness
Can stir the widest ocean
If we show a little love
Heaven knows what we could change
So throw a pebble in the water
And make a wave
Make a wave
That night, Roger went to get pizza while Collins, Mark, Alex, Maureen and Joanne told Mimi and Angel about what they did.
"That sounds like so much fun." Mimi said, sighing.
"Meems? You okay?" Mark asked.
"I'll wait until Roger gets back to say something." Mimi told the group.
Five minutes later, Roger returned with three boxes of pizza and cheesy bread.
"Okay, Roger's here, sweetie. What is it?" Angel asked her best friend.
"Ilostit." Mimi mumbled. Everyone looked at each other.
"Lost what, hun?" Roger asked his girlfriend, running a hand through her hair.
"The baby we were carrying." Mimi sobbed. The others looked at each other and thought of things to say to Mimi, but nothing came out right.
"Shh, honey. It's okay." Roger soothed, getting his guitar and strummed a gentle tune. It always worked when Mimi was feeling depressed, but it didn't seem to be working. She just sobbed harder, making her little body shake.
"How far along were you?" Alex asked, reaching over to take Mimi's hand, but she shook her head.
"T-two m-m-months." Mimi bawled.
"Oh, sweetie. I'm so sorry." Alex said, hugging Mimi. Mimi broke out of the hug and went upstairs to her and Roger's room, wanting some space.
"Angel, how was she today?" Roger asked once Mimi was upstairs.
"She seemed fine until twenty minutes ago." Angel chirped. Roger sighed and went out on the porch, taking his pizza and guitar with him.
He was on the porch for what seemed like twenty minutes when he heard the door open and close. Looking up, he saw a figure wrapped in a blanket.
"Keep playing – don't mind us." Alex whispered, adjusting a sleeping four-year-old in her arms.
"Can't sleep?" Roger asked as the four-year-old opened their eyes.
"He's been having trouble sleeping." Alex told Roger, looking down at Jeremy.
"I have just the solution. Hey Jer, do you like Tarzan?" Roger asked.
"He loves any Disney movie." Alex told Roger.
"Then he'll love this." Roger said, tuning his guitar. He then began playing You'll Be In My Heart and just like that, Jeremy was off to sleep.
"Thank you." Alex whispered, going to the screen door. She let herself in and closed it behind her without a sound.
The house was quiet as Roger walked up the stairs to the room he and Mimi shared. He knocked on the door before entering.
"Whaaat?" Mimi asked sleepily.
"It's me – can I come in?" Roger questioned, opening the door a little.
"Yeah." Mimi told him. Roger opened the door and saw Mimi with her back to him.
"Meems, I'm sorry about what happened. I know how much you wanted to start a family." Roger soothed, climbing next to Mimi and held her for a while. He hummed a little bit of You'll Be In My Heart in Mimi's ear, which seemed to help a little bit.
Make a wave
Show me all the love for the seasoning
Make a wave
Heaven knows what we can change
So let's show a little love
We never know what we could change
The Bohos left the cottage a week later, knowing that the animals they helped rescue would be in good hands.
Mark and Alex were married as soon as they got home. A year later, welcomed a healthy baby girl – Annessa Gayle Cohen – into the family.
Roger and Mimi were married that summer and two years later, welcomed a son – Gavin James Davis – into the world. Gavin was born two months early and stayed in the NICU for ten days.
Maureen and Joanne went to a pet adoption at PetCo and adopted three animals – two cats (Marius and Cosette) and a black lab puppy they named Athena, since both of them love Greek Mythology.
Unfortunately, Collins and Angel passed away within a week of each other due to AIDS. Angel went to heaven first, followed by her beloved Collins.
Throw a pebble in the water
Make a wave
Make a wave