AUTHOR'S NOTE : Sorry it took so long to update, I've been busy with work and school. I STILL do not own any of the orriginal RENT material, just Zoe. She's my muse! Happy reading!

Angel's jaw dropped and she and Collins exchanged a look of disbelief. Zoe saw them exchange the glance, and turned red. Collins chuckled and shook his head.

"So you're saying you are the kid sister of Roger Davis, musician extrodinaire?"

"The one and only." Zoe smiled, "I take it his reputation preceeds him?"

Angel laughed. "Not quite, chica. We're friends with him!" It was Zoe's turn for a jaw-drop. She couldn't believe it. These people KNEW her brother. They were his FRIENDS! This was possibly the best news she had ever heard. They could show her where he was! Her face lit up with excitement and she laughed for the first time since meeting Angel and Collins. Or, in actuallity, for the first time since her brother had stopped writing her three years ago.

"We didn't know he had a sister, girl" Angel said, not knowing how else to tell her that they'd never even heard her name. Zoe's face fell. She feared that she had gotten her hopes up, only to have them come crashing back down on her again. What if he doesn't remember me? she thought, Or worse, what if he doesn't WANT me? The fear of her brother not accepting her back into her life was her biggest fear. Sure, she was angry and somewhat sullen at him for leaving her, but he had no right to be mad. It was him, after all, that had done the leaving - not Zoe. Her heart seemed to hit her stomach with the weight of a ten pound led ball. She didn't know what to do, or how to react. Angel hugged Zoe once more.

"Don't worry chica! Roger will be at the Life for dinner, you'll see him and everything will be alright again!" she smiled, a ray of hope radiating from her entrancing personality. She supposed this girl was telling the truth. It wasn't like Roger to talk about his past or his family anyways. For all they knew he could have had twenty siblings, but it seemed that this girl - Zoe - was the only one. Collins put his hand gently on Angel's knee.

"Don't you think we ought to tell him BEFORE we go to the Life?" he asked seriously, fearing the reaction from both parties if they just happened to meet in a public setting without giving Roger fair warning. "I'd bet Zoe wants to see her brother soon anyways after traveling all this way for him." Zoe nodded, shyly and unsure at first, but after looking into Angel's eyes she became more confident in her decision, and it showed. Collins then reached for the phone and dialed the number to the loft. One ring - Two ring - Three - Four - "SPEEEAAAAAK!" The answering machine went off. They were probably home, just not answering the phone, as usual.

"Roger? Mark? It's Collins! Answer the phone I have a ..." Collins paused momentarily and Zoe ran her fingers through her hair nervously. Angel then recognized why the trait looked so familiar. Roger did the same thing when he was nervous, or consumed by thought. "Mark?" Collins continued, "We have a slight change of plans... Yes, we're still eating tonight, but there's going to be an extra guest at the table... No we didn't pick up some dazed viewer of Maureen's performance last night... No it's not... No... MARK! Is Roger home?... NO! Keep him there!... You'll see... Angel and I will be there in about fifteen minutes... Ok... Bye." Collins hung up the phone and looked at Zoe and Angel sitting together on the couch. "They're expecting us." he smiled, "Though I'm pretty sure Mark was more worried about food than about a visitor." Mark? Zoe thought, That's the one Roger wrote about... his roommate... the film maker! Zoe'd heard of him in Roger's letters, but she wasn't so sure that the man she'd understood her brother to hold in such high regards had ever even heard of her, and it cut Zoe to the bone.

"We should start walking so we can be there on time." Collins said, picking up his jacket. Angel grabbed her own and looked at Zoe frowning.

"We can't let her go outside in a beater." she stated, and ran off into another room. She came back momentarily with a baggy pink hooded sweatshirt, the exact same shade as the tank top. "It's not much," she said, offering the hoodie to Zoe, "but it will help keep you warm." Zoe gladly took the hoodie and pulled it over her head, snuggling down into the warmth. She followed Collins and Angel out the door and down the fight of stairs to the main entrance. Bracing herself for the shock of the cold air, they walked out into the street.

"Two blocks down and one to the left." Angel told Zoe, without having been asked for directions. She linked arms with Zoe and Collins and began to prance down the street, Zoe speeding up a bit to keep up with her. The entire way there Angel and Collins were talking about how to tell Roger his sister was there, and even asked her if she had any ideas. Zoe just shrugged. She really had no idea. I haven't even seen him in four years, how would I know? she thought. It took about fifteen minutes, as Collns had predicted, before they stopped in front of a building.

"We're here!" Colllins said, opening the door for the girls. Zoe looked up at the building quickly before she was ushered inside by Angel. It was another old abandoned warehouse. "Top floor." Collins directed, and began leading the way up the stairs, Angel in tow. Zoe followed slowly, lost in her thoughts, and slightly afraid of her brother's reaction to her just popping out of nowhere. Angel noticed Zoe lagging behind them and backtracked, putting her arm around Zoe's shoulders. Zoe was still akward, but realizing that this was just how Angel showed affection, and she was a very affectionate person.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked. Zoe just shook her head and looked at her feet as they continued upward. "He won't reject you." Angel said, sensing Zoe's fears, and Zoe looked up at her with big eyes.

"I, know." she said. "Logically... but -"

"But it's a normal fear." Angel finished for her. "C'mon, you'll do just FINE!" Angel smiled at Zoe and she pearked up a bit.

They walked in silence from then on, untill reaching the top floor. Angel put her hand on Zoe's shoulder and stopped her at the stairs.

"Stay here, chica." she said, smiling warmly. "We'll prep him for you." Zoe nodded silently, swallowing hard to keep the cookies she had eaten at Angel and Collins' place down. Angel noticed her terrified look and gave her one last hug. "Hang in there, girlie. We'll call you in in a moment." Collins and Angel then walked into the loft and Zoe heard loud greatings from different people. She just couldn't understand what was being said. She then sat down, listening to nothing but the silence and her own thoughts for what seemed like an eternity. She was considering running and just figuring out where to go on her own, but as that thought crossed her mind, Angel opened the door and motioned for her to come in. As she reached the door, Angel put her arm around Zoe and pulled her all the way into the loft, and pulled the door closed behind them. Zoe was met by the stares of a man sitting on the couch with Collins and a woman who was draped over a chair across from them. Most importantly, she was met by the open-mouthed bewildered stare of her own brother standing right before her.

"Zoe?"