Disclaimer: I sadly do not own RENT. All rights go to the late Jonathon Larson.
December 25th, 1989
"December 25th 7 a.m. Eastern Standard time. Close up on Marley Davis waiting patiently for her Uncle Collins to show up so she can open her presents. Marley want to say anything to the fans watching from home?" Mark says to the 5 year old sitting on the counter watching her father cook breakfast.
"Hi guys! Mewwy Cwhistmas and a Happy New Yeaw." Marley says. Roger laughs as he enters the room. Marley turns around and runs towards Roger. "Mewwy Cwhistmas Daddy!"
"Merry Christmas nugget." Roger says giving Marley a kiss on the cheek. "Are you ready to open your presents?"
"NO DADDY! Uncle Collins isn't hewe so we hafta wait!"
"Okay baby. Where is Collins anyway?" Roger asks Mark whos setting up his camera near the Christmas tree. "He was supposed to get here last night."
"I don't know man. I threw him the keys last night and when me and Marls went down to look for him we couldn't find him. The door sliding open and closed makes Mark, Roger, and Marley look up.
"Merry Christmas Bitches!" Tom Collins yells as he walks through the door.
"Uncle Collins!" Marley yells running to go give her Uncle a hug.
"Hey Collins watch the language Miss Marley has been picking up some new words lately." Mark says going to greet his friend.
"Sorry man I forgot." Collins says giving his friend a hug. "Merry Christmas Marley. Jeez you've grown so much in a year. Let me guess your like 20 years old now?"
"Uncle Collins don't be silly! I'm only five!" Marley says obviously oblivious to her Uncles joke.
"No way! Hey Marls where's your father?"
"He's coming. Daddy's been weally slow lately and all he does is wite songs."
"Does he now?" Collins says turning to see Roger come into the room.
"Oh hi." Roger says quietly.
"Oh hi" Collins says mocking him. "It's been a year man come on where's my hug?"
"Sorry. How you doing Collins?" He asks embracing his friend.
"I'm good. I Got kicked out of MIT, now I work at NYU and I brought somebody today."
"What?" Roger and Mark ask.
"Yeah everyone I would like you to meet Angel." In walks a man dressed as one of the most beautiful women anyone has ever seen. He has a Santa jacket on and black and white leggings with boots on. He is carrying a sack of gifts.
"Hi nice to meet you all I'm Angel. You must be Mark and Roger. Collins has told me so much about you both." He says very sweetly.
"Hi yes nice to meet you." Mark says extending his hand.
"Nice to meet you." Roger says doing the same.
"Hey Uncle Collins look at this colowing book Aunt Mauween got me-" Marley stops talking as she notices an unfamiliar face in the room.
"You must be Marley."
"Yes." Marley says shyly.
"Hi I'm your Uncle Collins friend Angel."
"Nice to meet you."
"Its nice to meet you to. I brought gifts for you I heard you like to play with toys."
"Yes I do." Marley notices the big sack of toys and looks at Angel with a smile. "Angel?"
"Yes Marley?"
"Should I call you Auntie or Uncle." Everyone in the room starts to laugh. Angel looks at Marley with a smile.
"You can call me Auntie Angel." Marley smiles and then makes her way over to the tree.
"Lets open pwesents!"
"The princess has spoken!" Collins says. Everyone laughs and follows Marley to the tree. Everyone sits around and watches Marley open up her presents. Mark obviously records the entire thing. Angel got Marley some new dolls and a dollhouse for her to use them in. Collins got her a new stuffed animal. It was a pug which is Marley's favorite dog.
"I think I'll name hew Gabbana!" Marley says earning a laugh from everyone. Mark got her a plastic camera so she could pretend to film things on hers and not break his every time she touched it. "Look Daddy! I'm just like Uncle Mawky!"
"Thanks a lot Mark now I'm never going to get privacy in this house." Roger says sarcastically.
"Close up! Daddy is getting vewy angwy at Uncle Mawky." Marley says imitating her Uncle. This earns her a laugh from the four adults.
"Here Marls open up this one it's from Santa." Roger says sliding a box over her way. Marley opens the box and screams.
"DADDY! SANTA GOT ME A GUITAW I'M JUST LIKE YOU!" Roger laughs at the excitement his daughter has over the new guitar. He had saved a whole year for it. Marley has been bugging him to teach her how to play.
"No way that's super cool!" Roger says. "There's one more present for you to open peanut." He picks up a small box and hands it to her.
"Is this fwom you Daddy?" Marley asks.
"Yeah go ahead and open it." Marley opens the bow and pulls out a necklace with a heart. Marley opens up the heart and inside is a picture of her and Roger.
"Daddy I wuv it!" Marley gets up and gives Roger a big hug and a kiss. "Now can we go bwing Mommy hew pwesents?" Everyone looks shocked.
"What present Marls?" Roger asks.
"We hafta bwing hew flowews to hew gwave because it's Cwhistmas." Marley says. Roger is so taken aback by his daughters words he doesn't know how to respond. Tears begin to fill his eyes. He knew she would remember. Mark quickly realizes his friend struggling and answers for him.
"We're going to eat breakfast first and then I'll take you to get her some flowers and we'll bring them to her grave."
"Okay. Let's go eat bweakfast then." Marley gets up and runs to the kitchen. Roger is still sitting their stunned. He gets up and walks to his bedroom and starts crying. After a while he looks up and see's a note written on his window. 'XMAS BRUNCH JUST THE TWO OF US - MIMI' it read. Roger didn't know how to feel. He felt attracted to her from last night but he can't. He has a five year old daughter who lost her mom a year ago. He didn't know what to do. Mark walks in and is about to say something when he notices the writing on the window. He points to it.
"Are you going?"
"No are you crazy. It's Christmas Day and I have a five year old daughter-"
"We can watch Marley it's not a problem." Collins says stepping into the room.
"She wants to go to Aprils grave Roger. We can take her there you should go out with Mimi." Mark says.
"Are you guys crazy. The only person taking Marley to Aprils grave is me and I'll do that when I'm ready." Roger storms out of the room angrily. The gang follows him.
"Daddy can we go to Mommy's gwave now?" Marley asks. "I made hew my own flowews."
"Marley no we aren't going today."
"But why not?"
"Because I said so."
"But Daddy it's Chwistmas." Marley says with tears in her eyes.
"I said no Marley-"
"But she needs hew pwesents-"
"MARLEY JEANNE I SAID NO!" Roger yells. Marley is shocked but soon tears begin to fall from her eyes and she runs into her room. Roger feels terrible but he's not ready. He convinces himself he's doing the right thing by not taking her. Mark seems to think otherwise.
"Come on Roger what are you doing? Are you trying to make this the second worse Christmas of Marley's life."
"She doesn't understand Mark. April left us, she left her. She didn't care about us."
"Roger go out with Mimi and I will take Marley to Aprils grave. She will be happy and I think you will be a lot happier too."
"Mark it's only been a year. I will take MY daughter when I'M ready to. She's not ready for another woman to be brought into her life it's just to soon." Roger walks into to his daughters room hoping to make things right. Mark can't help but think to himself.
'Marley's not ready or are you the one not ready Roger?'