Copyright: All characters from RENT belong to Jonathan Larson and whoever owns the rights now. Without his play, I'd never have my stories or anything to obsess over. The Bohemian Offspring belong to me.
December 24, 11:58 pm.
Collins pulled the leather coat tightly around his body, turning up the collar to keep the icy wind from hitting his face. Thank god everybody's ok now, he thought to himself. Mimi's safe, Roger and Mimi are together again. Angel would've loved to be here tonight. The thought of Angel made his eyes get all misty. He felt a force he'd never felt before grab his feet and drag them toward the phone booth where Angel had set up his drums exactly one year earlier. Collins sat down on the curb. Angel, girl, I miss you so much. I rewired the ATM to help anyone who types in your name. I'm leaving soon for Santa Fe to open that restaurant but it won't be the same without you. Nothing's the same without you.
His thoughts were interrupted by a wail. Collins stood up and cautiously peered around to find the source of the noise. His eyes rested on a bundle wrapped in a light yellow blanket. Upon closer inspection, Collins discovered an infant. She was screaming loudly, which probably meant that she hadn't been left there for long. Collins gently lifted the infant and wrapped part of his coat around her. He estimated her to be about 2 months old. As he walked towards the Holiday Inn, he wondered if the child had come into the world at the same time Angel had left it. Is taking care of this little girl a way to cover you? he whispered to Angel. He knew that the right thing to do was to take the infant to Children and Family Services or the police. But deep inside, he knew he couldn't. Angel had meant for him to find and raise this child. That night, Thomas B. Collins and Angel Musetta Collins (as he had decided to name her) boarded the train for Santa Fe, New Mexico.
February 12, 8 pm.
Roger entered the apartment to find Mimi sitting on the couch, arms crossed. "Hey," he said, kissing her on the lips.
Instead of returning the kiss, she turned away. "I want you to get out," she said coolly.
Roger was puzzled. He knew she wasn't using anymore, not since Christmas Eve. The Narcotics Anonymous and outpatient counseling had helped so much. So why was she being so cold? "What's wrong?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her.
Mimi tore his arm off her. Her eyes turned cold. "Get out now!" She stood up and pointed to the door. "Your guitar's on the table."
Roger stood up also. He tried to control his temper, but Mimi's bizarre behavior was making that impossible. "What the hell did I do?"
Mimi ignored his question. She frantically searched the apartment for any of Roger's belongings. He followed her as she tossed his things onto the living room floor. He grabbed her wrist and forced her to look him in the eye.
"What did I do?" he repeated.
Mimi was silent for a minute. Finally, she blurted it out: "I'm pregnant."
Roger was stunned. "You're – what?!"
"Yes, that's right," Mimi said. "I'm pregnant. Knocked up. With child. Bread in the oven. Whatever you want to call it."
"Why didn't you tell me?" He tried to steer Mimi towards the couch.
"Why didn't I tell you?!" Mimi exploded. "Maybe it's because I know how you'd handle something like this. You're not very good at it. How can I expect you to handle me being pregnant if you can't even handle anything bad happening to your friends? I know you, Roger. Every time something bad happens you run away." Roger opened his mouth to protest, but Mimi cut him off. "So I'm making it easier for you. You don't have to worry about a thing because I'm letting you go." She sunk onto the couch. Roger stood, staring at her. Mimi's eyes softened. "I'm keeping this baby, Roger. I know – I know the risks, but I just can't have an abortion." She turned his eyes to him. "Yes, you're the father, but you don't have to take any responsibility for it. I can do it myself."
Roger sat down next to his girlfriend and put a protective arm around her. "No," he whispered. "You don't have to do it yourself. I'm here." He let Mimi bury her head into his chest. "Why? Why would you think I couldn't handle it?" He didn't want to wait for an answer. How many lives have I fucked up when I was on drugs? I can't ruin another person's life, especially not Mimi's.
Mimi allowed herself to be comforted by Roger. She tried to force back the tears, but finally she just let them flow, staining her cheek and Roger's sweatshirt.
March 10, 12:03 pm.
Mimi was working on her calculus homework when she heard the knock on the door. She had quit her job at the Cat Scratch Club back in January to avoid being around her old junkie friends. Which was just as well. Dancing might damage the 2 month old fetus growing inside her. She had gotten her G.E.D. and was now taking night classes at City College. She opened the door to reveal a young woman, not much older than her, holding the hand of a small boy. The boy had brown eyes and curly blond hair. One hand grasped a blue Pokemon wheelie-bag. He was squirming, trying to get out of the woman's grasp.
"May I help you?" Mimi asked the woman.
"Yes. Is Roger Davis in?"
"No, he's rehearsing with his band," Mimi answered. She opened the door wider and gestured towards inside. "Won't you come in?"
The woman and the boy entered the apartment. Mimi invited the woman to sit on the couch. "Why do you need to see Roger?" Mimi asked suspiciously.
"Is it alright with you if my boy plays in the kitchen? I don't want him to hear this."
Mimi covered the table with newspaper and set the boy up with paper and crayons. The boy turned to his mother to protest.
"No, you stay here and color. Mommy will talk to you in a minute, Roger dear."
When they were back on the couch, Mimi turned to the woman. "His name is Roger?"
"Yes, and Roger Davis is his father." The woman extended her hand. "I'm Delores."
"Mimi. Roger never told me…"
"Why would he?" Delores' eyes hardened. "Do you know what that jerk did when I told him I was pregnant? He threw me an amplifier [or any small piece of equipment if an amplifier is too heavy]. Told me to sell it and pay for an abortion." Her bitter laugh made Mimi nervous. "You wanna know something? The damn piece of shit was broken! That bastard! I should have known he didn't love me. He only came crawling to me when he and that bitch April had a fight. I should have known."
Mimi interrupted Delores' angry rant. "Roger's changed since then."
Delores looked skeptically at Mimi. "A bastard like that never changes."
"Well, for starters, he's off drugs." She didn't think Roger's HIV status was any business of this woman's. Well, it is her business – who knows if she got infected? Mimi reminded herself. It's not your place to tell her. "And – and we are having a baby."
"Wait a few months," Delores warned. "It'll finally hit him and he will leave you."
Mimi shook her head. "You don't understand."
Delores jumped up. "I understand perfectly!" She leaned down until her face was level with Mimi's. "Don't say I didn't warn you," she half-sang.
Mimi eased herself off the couch. "If you hate Roger so much, why did you come to see him?" Mimi asked.
"I got a job offer in L.A. and I'm not taking Roger with me."
"You-you're abandoning your son?" Mimi shook her head in disbelief.
"Oh? You think you're boyfriend's any better?"
Great! What's Roger going to say when he hears this? "If you wait around, Roger will be home in a few hours."
"No, I'd best be going," Delores said. "If Roger has any questions, he can call the Marriott in Westwood. I should be checked in by 4 pm California time." She went into the kitchen and hugged her son. The boy grabbed onto his mother's shirt. "Mommy, don't go!" the boy shouted. Delores tore away. "I'll call you tonight, ok Sweetie?" She and Mimi both knew that was a lie. "You stay here with Mimi and be a good boy. You're gonna see your daddy soon." With that, Delores opened the door to the apartment, never to be seen again.
Mimi pulled a chair up to the table. "What are you drawing?" she asked.
"My dog." Roger grabbed a brown crayon and shaded in his picture.
"That's a good dog. Do you like dogs, Roger?"
The little boy nodded. "I had a dog once. His name was Rusty." He looked down to the floor.
"Was it a nice dog?" Mimi asked gently.
Roger nodded. "My mommy gave him away. But I'm gonna grow up and get a dog of my own and nobody will take him away."
Mimi asked the boy's age. He told her that he turned six in April.
March 10, 2 pm.
"Mimi, I'm home!" Roger called as he entered the apartment. He placed his guitar by the coffee table. "Mimi!"
Mimi entered the room and planted a kiss on his mouth. "Shhh!" she whispered. "You'll wake him up."
"What? Did you have the baby already?"
Mimi pointed to the small figure curled up on the couch with a brown and white rag dog. She grabbed Roger's wrist and led him into the kitchen. He absent-mindedly picked up a piece of construction paper with an amateur drawing of a dog. In the bottom left corner was a child's scrawl. Roger. The letters were all uppercase, except for the e. And the R's were backwards.
"His – his name – is – Roger?" Roger sputtered.
"Roger, you're his father," Mimi informed him.
Roger sat down. "Oh my god!" He ran his fingers through his hair. "What was her name? Donna? Delores?"
"Delores," Mimi told him, reaching for his hand. "She's heading towards L.A. now. I called Joanne. She said that before you do anything, get a paternity test. You might not be the father."
"You saw him when he was awake?"
Mimi locked her fingers with his. "He has your eyes," she confessed. She heard a stir from the other room. "I think he just woke up. Go on, talk to him," she urged.
Roger cautiously stepped into the living room. "Hey, Roger, buddy."
* * *
Well, that was my first attempt at fanfic. There will be more soon. Roger and Mimi's child will be born, and the three kids will grow up and interact. I just did this one to introduce the children. Please R and R so I know what to do differently next time.