AN: I'm going to have a lot of fun writing this story. I've been looking forward to it for a long time. Early on, I had intended to have this take place before The In-Crowd, but decided against it, for reasons that might be made obvious in a much later chapter. Anyway, this chapter is mainly Benny-centric, and I've made my attempt to portray him in a loving relationship with Allison. (Ever notice how some people try to paint off the pairing as Benny only marrying her for money and being unfaithful to her? I know there's the whole Pre-RENT Mimi/Benny thing, but as I said, that was Pre-RENT, and I don't think we're ever completely sure how long Benny and Allison were married at the start of RENT, unless I'm mistaken; it's been a while since I saw the stage show version.)

In an unrelated story, the results from my previous poll have finally been made available for public viewing. A huge thank you to everyone who voted. Be sure to watch for a new poll to open up this Saturday.

Benny stepped off the elevator on the 23rd floor of the Gracie Mews apartment building on a snowy December evening. His day at work had been extremely tiring, especially for this time of year. In between his nearly back-to-back meetings, he had to confirm the hotel reservations and flight tickets for the 19th. In two days, he was required to go on a business trip in San Diego, and his family was planning to tag along and do some sightseeing while he was working.

Upon entering his apartment suite, the first thing Benny saw was his son, Alvin, stretched out on the couch and flipping through a San Diego travel book, marking the places he wanted to visit.

"Hi, Dad," Alvin greeted his father the second Benny closed the door behind him, keeping his voice to a loud whisper. "Mom's not feeling well right now. She said I could order a pizza for delivery while she took a nap in your room."

"Sounds good," Benny nodded, glancing to the bedroom door. "Thank you, Alvin."

As Alvin went back to his travel book, Benny slipped off into the bedroom where he could make out Allison lying down in bed, holding a damp washcloth against her forehead.

"Hey, Ali," Benny spoke softly, sitting down at her side. "Alvin says you're not feeling good."

"I'll be alright," Allison muttered, keeping her eyes closed. "I feel drained and achy, but it's probably just a 24-hour thing. I'm sure I'll feel better in the morning." Reaching out, Benny felt Alison's forehead and discovered that she had a high fever.

"Would you like anything?" Benny offered, smoothing Allison's hair away from her face.

"Some tea would be nice," Allison replied. "But don't bother bringing me anything to eat. I'm just not hungry right now."

"Okay," Benny agreed, stroking her hand with his thumb. "Just let me know if you change your mind, okay?"

"I will," Allison promised with a tired smile.

The next morning, however, Allison did not feel better at all. In fact, she felt even worse. Deciding to play it safe, Benny ended up calling his friends, Mark and Emily, remembering that their adult daughter, Penny, was a registered nurse. Within two minutes of hearing what was up, Penny had agreed to swing by the Coffins' place on her way to work to see what she could do to help.

"Well, based on what you've told me, Mrs. Coffin," Penny surmised shortly after arriving at the apartment suite, feeling Allison's forehead before checking her pulse, "it could be just about anything. Many illnesses share your symptoms, so you could have anything from a common cold to the flu. You'd need to have an examination to determine exactly what's wrong, but I think the best thing for you to do for now is to just stay in bed and drink plenty of fluids."

"Maybe I should just cancel my business trip tomorrow," Benny suggested, visibly concerned about his wife.

"No, Benny," Allison shook her head. "You can't say you won't go on such short notice. People are counting on you going."

"I can't just go off and leave you here while you're sick, either," Benny pointed out.

"I'll be just fine," Allison insisted. "Like Penny said, it might be nothing."

"But what if it isn't 'nothing'?"

"Mr. Coffin," Penny spoke up. "If you like, I could stay here for a few days and take care of her while you're away. It won't be any trouble, and I could keep you posted on how Mrs. Coffin is doing."

"You…you're really okay with that?" Benny asked unsurely.

"Of course," Penny nodded with a kind smile. "You're part of the family, remember? I'm due for some vacation time from the hospital, anyway."

"You hear that, Benny?" Allison continued. "I'll be just fine, so don't cancel the trip just because of me."

"Well…if that's what you want," Benny sighed, giving in. "But I'm not looking forward to telling Alvin he has to stay home, too."

"And why shouldn't he go?" Allison challenged. "Alvin has been looking forward to going with you to San Diego since the beginning of the month. And it could give you a chance to have some important bonding time with your son. He'll be going off to college in a few more years, remember? Your opportunities to share some real time with him are running out fast. Besides, I don't want to risk him catching what I have, especially if it is the flu."

"And what is Alvin supposed to do while I'm working?" Benny pointed out. "He's a teenage boy, Ali. He can't just wander around a strange city by himself."

"Well, what if my friends come, too?" Alvin, who had been secretly listening to his parents talk with Penny outside the door, suddenly stepped into the conversation. "Rodolfo, Zack, Kris and Zoey! Why can't they come with us? I mean, you already had two rooms booked at the hotel, Dad. They could easily come with us. That way I could still do some sightseeing and I won't be alone."

"In other words," Benny eyed his son sternly, "you're asking if you and your friends can walk around San Diego without an adult around."

"We do it all the time here in New York," Alvin pointed out. "And New York is a bigger city than San Diego. Please, Dad? I really want to go to San Diego with you!"

For the longest time, Benny was quiet, thinking the situation through. Alvin did have a point. He had booked two rooms at the hotel, and having his son's friends come along would mean that Alvin wouldn't be completely alone in San Diego. In addition, he couldn't pretend that he didn't like the idea of spending time with Alvin in-between business meetings.

"Don't get your hopes up, Alvin," Benny finally decided. "I'll need to speak to your friends' parents, and Zoey's grandparents, first. If they say it's okay, then…I suppose they can come, too. But if they're not given permission to come to San Diego with us, then you're just going to have to stay home and help Penny take care of your mother. Deal?"

"Deal," Alvin agreed.