A/N: I made this story because I am a big fan of Taye and Idina's and I just don't feel there is enough Benny/Maureen Storys out there!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything RENT, well the soundtracks and the movie, but the genius Jonathan Larson owns it all!

Rent Fan fiction (Maureen/Benny)

Sometimes Maureen wondered if she was ever really happy with Joanne. Of course she had loved her, but maybe it was something different she needed. She and Joanne had too many differences, and they just couldn't seem to work things out. Joanne went out to LA to pursuit her career further, but that was only part of the reason they broke up. Maureen began to realize that maybe she did prefer men's company over women's. There was just something about a man that a woman just couldn't compete with. She was beginning to fell really confused about what was really going on in her head. She had dated Mark, but she just didn't connect with him the way she wanted to. That was part of the reason she left him and thought that maybe she was a lesbian. Could it just be that she hadn't found the one yet? She yearned to be loved and held and had since childhood. Mark and Joanne did those things but it just didn't feel right because Maureen couldn't bring herself to return what wasn't there. She decided to go for a walk to clear her cluttered mind.

It was May in New York City, so it was warm, sticky, and humid. She had a pair of short jean shorts on that showed off her tanning legs. She also wore layered brown and white tank tops. Her long, curly brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it from suffocating the back of her neck.

She walked out of her apartment into Downtown New York. The streets were buzzing with daily activity, which she found to be quite comforting. She was born in New York, anything less would have been abnormal. She started walking toward nothing in particular, when she heard her name being called.

"Maureen!"

She spun around to locate who called out to her. She saw a black man dressed in red gym shorts and a white wife-beater running toward her. Benny.

Benny had changed a lot since he left Alison. They just weren't working and they both knew it. He decided to end the charade and filed for divorce. He sold his share of the apartment building, and decided to try his hand at acting and singing. He made up with Mark, Roger, Collins, Mimi, and Maureen, and had been accepted back into the big family of friends.

He finally got to Maureen, a little out of breath. He had seen her walk out of her apartment building from about two blocks down, and ran to catch her.

"Hey Benny," Maureen said, starting to continue her journey to nowhere.

"How's it going?" he asked, beginning to walk with her.

"It could be worse," she remarked, giving him a half-hearted smile.

Benny noticed that Maureen had changed drastically since Angel died. She stopped flirting with absolutely everyone and basically withdrew from the world. When she and Joanne broke up, it didn't get worse but it sure didn't get better either. She still put on shows and sang; she had a beautiful voice, but she didn't have that sparkle in her eye like she used to. She looked kind of empty inside and everyone noticed, but none of them would talk to her about it; they just didn't know what to say.

"Spill it," he told her, trying to read Maureen's expression to no avail.

"There really isn't anything to tell you. Everything just seems really shitty and I don't even know why. I just know that I want it to end. I want to be happy again, but it just seems that the light is at the end of an everlasting tunnel."

They had walked in front of a small café on the corner, and Benny decided it would be a better place to talk than the streets of the city.

"C'mon, lets go in the café and talk some more," Benny told her, starting to walk to the door.

Maureen didn't move from the spot in which she had stopped to look at Benny with a wondering look on her face. Why was he suddenly taking an interest in her, after all they had hated each other less than a year ago? She just continued to stare at him, trying to read him. She couldn't, he masked his feelings pretty well.

"C'mon!" he repeated, this time he gently grabbed her arm, guiding her into the small café.

They got inside, sitting down at a corner booth, a little farther away from everyone in the cafe so they wouldn't be overheard. The waitress went over to them.

"What can I get you two?" she asked, giving them a toothy grin.

"I'll just have water," Benny told her, looking over at Maureen, noticing she wouldn't meet his gaze.

Benny had liked Maureen ever since she dated Mark. He knew he could not do anything about his feelings, because you never go after a friend's chick. Then he married Alison and his group of friend hated him because he had turned on them. Maureen got together with Joanne and he figured that his chance was long over.

"Me too," Maureen whispered, giving the waitress a small smile before looking out the window at the busy street.

"So," Benny started, staring at Maureen's profile, man she was beautiful, "When did you start to feel...shitty?"

"What are we playing therapist now?"

"Easy girl, I was just trying to help you."

"Sorry," Maureen whispered, trying to hide the fact that she was crying by quickly wiping tears before they got a chance to fall.

She had one hand on her face, the other lying on the table. She was still staring out the window, afraid to look Benny in the eyes. She jumped at the physical contact of Benny gently grabbing her hand on the table. She tensed up, but quickly relaxed as he rubbed his thumb across the top of her hand.

"Come on Maureen, tell me what's going on, hit me if you have to, but get it out. Its bad to live like this, you need to release what ever it is that is holding you down," he told her, trying to get her to look at him.

Emerald eyes coated with big tears finally met his brown ones, and he was shocked at the pain he found within them. Maureen shut her eyes letting the tears escape and fall onto the table beneath her. Benny's heart sank in his chest as he watched Maureen fall apart in front of him. He felt her try to reach out, but withdraw for of heartache once again. He slide out of his side of the booth and went over to hers. She instantly clung to him, resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and soothed her by rubbing her back.

"Maureen?" Benny asked, situating himself to be a bit more comfortable.

"Yeah?" she replied, starring up at him through vulnerable green eyes.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Maureen sniffed as she sat up again. She twisted her body so her back was against the window and her feet were on the booth. She was facing Benny, her head placed on her knees.

"I don't know. I would like to think so, but who knows," she told him, wrapping her arms tighter around her legs.

"How about this," he started, catching her attention, "let's go somewhere tonight and you can actually tell me what's going on."

Benjamin Coffin III, are you asking me out?" she asked, a smile starting to form on her face.

"Maybe," he told her, a grin not being able to escape his face, followed by blushing cheeks.

Okay, I'll go, but I can't guarantee too much."

Benny smiled at her, his mind screaming with joy. He finally had a date with the Maureen. Men and woman alike swooned over whenever she set foot through a doorway. The old Maureen loved it, by the Maureen now hardly noticed anymore.

"I'll walk you back to your apartment," he told her, extending his hand for her to take.

She hesitated before sliding her hand into his. He helped her to her feet, holding her hand for a minute longer before releasing it. They walked to the door, opening it to get hit with the rush of the city. Maureen and Benny slowly paced down the sidewalk toward her apartment. Silence hung between them, not an awkward silence, something more comfortable.

They finally reached Maureen's apartment, both standing on the set of two stairs that led to the door of the building. Shuffling their feet, neither knew what to say to the other. Finally Benny broke the silence.

"Let's see," he started, looking down at his black sports watch, "it's around four; should I pick you up around seven, seven thirty?"

Maureen smiled as she nodded her head as a response. She grabbed the handle of the door to her apartment and pulled hard, causing it to creak open.

"See you later, Benny," Maureen chimed before entering the building.

She entered the lobby and shut the door behind her, leaving Benny alone on the stairs.

Benny hopped down the steps, a huge smile on his face as he walked down the sidewalk toward his own apartment.

Maureen trotted up the four flights of stairs to apartment 71D, unlocking the door and throwing her keys on the bowl inside on a shelf. Her mind was racing with a million added things, which was not what she had hoped for. Benny, whom she hated with a passion less that a year ago, had asked her out on a date, and she just agreed! What was coming over her? She didn't know, but she couldn't help but to feel a little giddy about her date tonight. She had always found Benny to be very attractive, but those feeling were overthrown by her hatred toward him. Plus, she had a very serious relationship, or so it was thought to him, with Mark, who was best friend with Benny at the time, and acting upon feeling toward an ex's best friend just wasn't right. Now she just didn't care. Mark and her had ended their relationship two years ago, they both had moved on, and Mark had found himself a new friend, Roger, who basically took over the role of Benny in Mark's life.

She went over to her stereo and pushed play, causing her favorite singer, Chaka Khan to come blaring through the speakers. She cleaned around the apartment singing "Ain't nobody" as she did it. She moped around until 5:30, when she decided to get ready for her date with her once enemy, now friend and could be something more.