Author Notes: Okay well still don't own them… unless you count the fact that I mental undress Adam and Anthony every time I see them… you don't have to do that with Taye just watch How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Some things, Oh the car! I know for a face that Mercury made a Capri in 1991 because I drive one. Also I did a lot of research for this chapter and want to that the Tony award web site which is great for research. So all the other plays mentioned in this chapter are all Tony Award Winning plays. Let me explain one thing real quick, Mark and Roger's play is called No Day but Today, but it's the play we all know and love as RENT. Make sense? Also Mark and Roger changed their names in the play to Mac and Ross. Any other questions just drop me a line I'll try to explain them in my Author's notes. Chapter 3 will hopefully be up tomorrow. Love ya.

Lucky Star:

Chapter 2:

1 in a Million:

Several hours before a bleach blond pulled up in her white convertible Mercury Capri. She was small at 5'1" weighing at most 115 soaking wet. Her blond hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Her black tank top that read in faded print, "Well Hungarians." Showed smooth curves that welded nicely to long legs, she'd always complained that being only 61 inches tall her legs took up 50 of the 61 inches.

She looked at the area in Alphabet City known as the Performance Space. She smiled had is really been five and half years since she'd gotten onto the subway and left this place. Alphabet City had been her home for a year and half when she'd been just a naive 18 year old following a dream of becoming a real actress. She looked around, the place looked the same but she knew Charlotte at the A.I.D.S. foundation well enough to know that before they moved any of the equipment in they'd be down here cleaning the area up and securing it. "Lucky girl, you have finally come full circle." She muttered to herself. "And it's about damn time." A male voice said behind her.

The girl turned quickly to see a black man standing 6 foot even with no hair and a wide grin. He was dressed smartly in a long jacket and slacks. "Zach!" she squealed running and hugging him. He hugged her back and wrapped his arms around her shoulders as they walked towards the door. "When Charlotte told me about this little shin-dig I knew you'd be involved so I just had to join too." Zach said smiling at the girl. "Lucky Rohan you have finally come home." He whispered in her ear kissing her temple. "How does it feel to come back a famous actress of Broadway?"

"A lot like when I left." Lucky looked up at Zach and smiled. It was true, when Lucky had lived in Alphabet City she'd been a lonely waitress at a strip club trying to help make rent. It was sheer luck that a producer caught her in a little play that she'd been performing in just to get the practice. She'd gone on to bigger and better things and now she was back.

She looked up as they walked into the door there stood seven other people. Most she recognized from other shows on Broadway. There was Robert Dupree, and his girlfriend Brandi McNear, they'd both been in Starmites. Lucky had never worked with them before but they were said to be good.

Lucky smiled at waved at Nicholas who she'd starred opposite of A Streetcar Named Desire. He'd been really nice to work with and was always patient with her. Street car had been one of her first extremely dramatic performances.

Nicholas was pointing to something in the script to Dianna Zimmerman; Lucky had seen Dianna perform in The Goodbye Girl last year. She'd been great and had a really powerful voice.

Lucky bit back a groan as she saw Austin Calston and Sam Wilson. She'd be surprised if they ever got anything done with those two together. Austin, Sam, and Lucky had all worked together in Noises Off two years ago and they were the biggest clowns she'd ever met. They were always joking and teasing and made it difficult to be serious. But they were good especially together.

"Defiantly is no Phantom." Zach said looking around the space speaking of when he and Lucky had performed in Phantom of the Opera together. "Yeah but wait till you hear the acoustics in this place. It's amazing." Lucky smiled. "Hey Austin look who it is!" she heard Sam yell. "Well if it isn't Miss Lucky herself. And who do you suppose she plays in this script?" Austin said smirking. "I think she plays the heroine addict stripper. I think it fits her quit nicely don't you?" Sam laughed. "Yeah well at least I don't get dumped for a lesbian." Lucky shot back grinning as she flipped them off. "Always the lady Lucky." Jason Long the director said coming up to them. Lucky blushed, feeling like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Alright, I know you all are use to working in place 100 times better then this place. Fuck it, I'm use to working in any place better then this but Charlotte keeps reminding me this is for a good cause and I should do my good deed for the century. So here we all are, except maybe the saint over there." Jason said waving at Lucky. Jason Long was known for his brash attitude and sarcastic nature. Four Tony Award for best director and two for best musical or play allowed him to be. But his sister Charlotte Green who ran the fundraising portion of the A.I.D.S. foundation always roped him into doing something for a fundraiser. "I just want you guys to hear the music tonight. Maybe play around with it a little bit. Get use to each other's voices. Rich Jacobs and Sara-Anne Stones will be our music coordinators and will be in next week. Char promises me that we'll have a stage by day after tomorrow. So I expect it in two weeks."

Two hours later it was dark and the nine actors had been working on the music. Most of the extras were local people who just needed extra cash but could actually sing. Lucky was surprised that Maureen Johnson hadn't shown up. "She's probably married and has two kids by now." Lucky thought to herself. "Alright that's enough. Go home or to your hotels or wherever your staying for the next two months. Be back here in two days at eight a.m. for our first read over on Act. 1. Expect to be blocking in a week. Dismissed." Jason said. Lucky stretched her back. "I'm hungry." She heard Austin say. "Does anyone know anywhere to eat? Austin and I are sharing a hotel up the road so we walked." Sam said. "Life Café is just up the street if you want to go get something to eat." Lucky suggested.

"Life, as in the play? It's a real place?" Dianna asked. Lucky nodded. "How do you know that?" Robert asked. "Don't you know? You're talking to a local girl here. Lucky's from here." Zach informed everyone. "You used to live here?" Brandi was surprised. "Yeah, about three or four blocks that way. Actually from what I can remember I use to live not to far from the loft in the play." Lucky smiled. She had some good memories of her life here in 1988. "Wow, your bravery then me. I'm scared to go outside." Brandi whispered embarrassed. "Come on you and Robert can both come. I swear there's nothing to be scared of as long as you're with a group." Lucky smiled encouragingly. Brandi looked at Robert who grinned and nodded. "In fact why don't we all go?" Zach said, "Consider it a bonding for the stars of the show." Zach had this energy that Lucky was convinced was magnetic.

Lucky smiled as she walked arm and arm with Sam down the road. Behind her were Austin and Dianna, Austin was humming the main theme to the play, Sam then joined Austin in the humming. I saw Dianna roll her eyes knowing what was coming. Sam stopped and grinned at Austin when he began to sing, "How do you document real life? When real life is getting more like fiction each day. Headlines -- bread-lines, Blow my mind and now this deadline "Eviction -- or pay" Rent!" Austin picked up after him strumming on an air guitar.

"How do you write a song when the chords sound wrong though they once sounded right and rare? When the notes are sour where is the power you once had to ignite the air." Sam grinned at Lucky twirling her around singing "And we're hungry and frozen." Austin twirled Dianna the same way continuing their song, "Some life that we've chosen." They then stopped and looked at each other singing together. "How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? Last year's rent!" Sam took a lighter out of his pocket striking it as he and Austin continued.

Sam danced around in front of the group his voice carrying up, "We light candles"

Austin, not to be out done saw a piece of ice and slide across it grinning as he sang, "How do you start a fire? When there's nothing to burn: and it feels like something's stuck in your flue."
Sam rubbed his hands together blowing in them. Being from Florida originally he wasn't use to the fridge New York air and his voice showed it, "How can you generate heat when you can't feel your feet…"

Austin came up and blew in Sam's hands. Lucky smiled knowing that the friendship that Sam and Austin shared was growing into something more. Something she'd only seen one other time. Lucky liked how their voices sounded together as they sang, "And they're turning blue!"

Sam blushed at Austin's attention continuing their game, "You light up a mean blaze…" Austin grinned at Sam almost whispering his next line, "With posters" Sam equaled Austin's quiet voice, "And screenplays" As if afraid they were embarrassing themselves they began to sing louder, "How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? Last year's rent."

" Don't screen, Maureen it's me – Joanne your substitute production manager. Hey hey hey!" Dianna sang enjoying being silly with Sam and Austin. Brandi grinned as she and Robert came up to the group. Brandi looked at Robert the joined in on the group's fun. "Did you eat?" Dianna looked delighted at Brandi. "Don't change the subject Maureen But darling -- you haven't eaten all day. You won't throw up. You won't throw up. The digital delay ---Didn't blow up (exactly) There may have been one teeny tiny spark:
You're not calling Mac."

Robert shrugged his shoulders at Lucky knowing he wasn't going to ruin their fun he began to sing his part, "How do you stay on your feet? When on every street It's 'trick or treat' (And tonight it's 'trick') 'Welcome back to town' Oh, I should lie down everything's brown: And uh – oh I feel sick."

Sam grinned as he threw a snowball at Robert singing, "Where is he?" Robert packed his own snowball singing, "Getting dizzy." The snowball fight was on as the cast continued singing, "How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? How we gonna pay? Last year's rent." The group didn't notice Nicholas walk up to him till he began to sing,

"Alison baby -- you sound sad I don't believe those two after everything I've done Ever since our wedding I'm dirt -- They'll see I can help them all out in the long run." The group turned and looked at him leaning against the light pole. Each packing a snowball Dianna, Sam, and Austin, continued their parts,

"Forces are gathering. Forces are gathering. Can't turn away. Forces are gathering." Sam threw the first snowball at Nicholas singing, "The music ignites the night with passionate fire" When Nicholas turned his back to avoid Sam's snowball Austin threw his singing "The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit"

The two grin as to group started walking again towards the Life Café continued their impromptu practice. Sam grinned as he pointed to two homeless guys as the stood bedside a barrel with a fire in it he sang, "Zoom in as they burn the past to the ground: And feel the heat of the future's glow. Hello? Maureen?--Your equipment won't work?
Okay, all right, I'll go!"

Lucky, Zach, and Brandi joined Sam as he sang, "How do you leave the past behind? When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart: It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out: Till you're torn apart: Rent!"

Robert, Dianna, and Nicholas joined Austin in his half of it, "How can you connect in an age: Where strangers, landlords, lovers: Your own blood cells betray." The two groups drew together as they continued to sing, "What binds the fabric together: When the raging, shifting winds of change: Keep ripping away." Lucky saw Life Café coming closer she smiled. She was gonna be okay. The likely hood of running into anyone here was 1 to a million.

Lucky grinned at Nicholas as he sang, "Draw a line in the sand and then make a stand." Austin pretended to have a camera in his hand pointing it at Sam as the group came to the door, "Use your camera to spar" Sam grabbed the handle pulling the door open, "Use your guitar."

Everyone pushed threw the door of the restaurant singing "When they act tough - you call their bluff! We're not gonna pay: We're not gonna pay: We're not gonna pay: Last year's rent! This year's rent! Next year's rent! Rent! Rent! Rent! Rent! Rent! We're not gonna pay rent: 'Cause everything is rent." The group busted out laughing as the host tried to quiet them. Lucky looked around the restaurant and then stopped. That one in a million had happened to her.

END OF CHAPTER 2:

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