Disclaimer – I own nothing of RENT. That belongs to the wonderful Jonathon Larson. I can say, however, that I own Orphan, the dog in this story.

Italics are thoughts, song lyrics and flashbacks

A/N: As I spent time with my wonderful dog (I have a Labradoodle – a lab (black, chocolate or yellow) x standard poodle mix), I came up with the idea for this story. Orphan is based on a dog I know from the dog park.

Summary: AU: After Mimi dies, Roger decides that something is missing from his life. When he's out walking one day, he stumbles across Orphan, a dog needing love, a chance at life and a loving home. This one-shot is filled with love, hope and a very special bond between rocker and dog. Rated K. Takes place in 2010.

Genre: General

Rating: K

It had been three long hard years since Mimi Marquez-Davis passed away. Roger had gone into a deep depression and it seemed as though nothing could get him out of it. Mark was a big supporter of Roger, that is until he developed leukemia and struggled to survive. Collins and Angel had passed away from HIV. Joanne and Maureen had broken up, but remained good friends. Joanne moved in with Roger and helped take care of him. Maureen, however, moved to Mississippi to help her younger sister move into her new house.

Benny, however, had died in a car accident two days after Collins' funeral. Roger had been hit the hardest by the news – he and Benny had slowly become friends and slipped even further into his depression.

"Roger, I'm going to work. Promise me that you'll get out of the house today." Joanne told Roger the following morning. He just yawned and watched the lawyer exit the loft and go down the stairs. He sat on the couch with his new favorite cereal, Chocolate Cheerios, and turned on the TV. There was nothing on, so he turned it off and went to get dressed. He had been cooped up in the loft for a little over four years and wanted to get out and see the world.

Once he was dressed, he scribbled a note for Joanne and exited the loft, not knowing what was in store for him.

Roger entered Central Park around noon and went to get something to eat from the vendors. He settled on popcorn, a hot dog and a soft drink. He then went to find a bench to sit on while he ate.

In the middle of eating his hot dog, he heard something whine. Roger took a drink of his soft drink and listened for the whining again. He was an avid dog lover and was hoping to get a dog with Mimi. That seems like so long ago Roger thought to himself.

Suddenly, the whining came again. Roger listened hard for where it was coming from. It sounded as though the whining was coming from the bushes where he was sitting.

"Hello?" Roger called in a soft voice, not wanting to startle the animal. Roger then heard loud sniffing and smiled when a medium-sized dark gray dog exited the bushes, tail wagging wildly. The dog sat in front of Roger and looked up at him with pleading brown eyes. Roger eyed his hot dog and gave the rest of it to the dog, who gobbled it up greedily.

"What's your name?" Roger asked the dog, looking around its neck for a collar. He got down on the ground in front of the dog and looked for any sign of a collar or whom this dog belonged to. The dog, sensing that Roger wanted to play, let out a loud bark and wagged its tail happily.

"You're so silly." Roger remarked, frowning when he didn't see a collar. He spotted a long piece of rope near his bench and tied one end around the dog's neck and held on tightly to the other end. Roger was surprised at how obedient the dog was walking home. He began pondering a name for the dog.

"Orphan." Roger said out loud. The dog just panted and wagged its tail. The dog had two things – one, a name, and someone who cared about it. Roger looked under the dog's belly to tell what gender it was.

"It's a boy." He muttered to himself as they walked. Suddenly, a group of children between the ages of eight and ten, ran over, startling Orphan. Orphan ran behind Roger's legs and stayed there. A girl with blond pigtails was the first to arrive.

"Hi mister. Can we pet your dog?" the little girl asked.

"I'm sorry, honey. He's brand new and a little shy. Maybe next time, okay?" Roger told the little girl. He and Orphan were near the loft, so Roger was happy about that.

Once they were in the loft, Roger led Orphan to the bathroom to give him a bath. Orphan balked as Roger pulled him into the bathroom and closed the door.

"It's okay." Roger soothed as he turned on the water, making sure it was the right temperature before getting Orphan in the tub. Roger found an old pair of gardening gloves that he chose to wear while bathing Orphan. Orphan's whole body shook as Roger poured strawberry-scented shampoo over his coat, gently talking and singing to him the whole time.

After rinsing the shampoo off Orphan's coat, Roger could see that the gray was fading to a different shade of gray, a little lighter than the topcoat was.

"You're such a handsome dog." Roger told Orphan as he dried him off with an old towel. Orphan shook like a wild thing, making Roger laugh.

"Are you hungry?" Roger asked, setting up a spot for Orphan in his room. If Joanne found out that Roger "adopted" a dog, she would have a cow. Roger then walked to the kitchen and looked for anything that a dog could have. He found a baked potato towards the back of the refrigerator and cut it up into small pieces. He then put it in a plastic dish, along with some water in another one, and walked to his room. He watched Orphan gobble down the baked potato and lap up the water.

While Orphan napped, Roger decided to call the animal shelter and a nearby veterinarian's office, just to see if anyone had lost a dog. He described Orphan for both the people who answered the phone at the animal shelter and the veterinarian's office. They told Roger that no one had lost a dog, but if the owner didn't call within four days, they would let Roger know.

"Thank you…Bye." Roger concluded, hanging up the phone just as Joanne entered the loft. Roger ran to make sure that Orphan was still asleep on the four towels Roger had laid out for him. Orphan was fast asleep, all four paws in the air. Roger sighed and closed the door.

"Hey Rog." Joanne greeted Roger, entering the kitchen.

"Hey Joanne." Roger greeted her back, sitting on the couch in the living area.

"What have you been up to today?" Joanne inquired, going to the refrigerator and got a bottle of water out.

"I got out and went to the park." Roger answered, tuning his guitar.

Scratch Scratch Scratch

"What was that?" Joanne inquired.

"It was me." Roger answered.

Orphan's whining came from Roger's bedroom.

"Roger." Joanne's voice was stern – Roger hated that.

"Yes?" the rocker inquired.

"When you went to the park, you didn't happen to bring a dog home, did you?" Joanne asked. Roger couldn't lie anymore – he would just have to face the consequences.

"Yes, I did, Joanne. His name is Orphan. He's very sweet and loving." Roger told the lawyer, opening his bedroom door. Orphan came bounding out of Roger's room and looked lovingly at Joanne, tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth.

"He is cute, Rog." Joanne told Roger, giving Orphan a pat. "But you know you can't keep him."

"Just give me four days – that's all I ask." Roger pleaded. Joanne hesitated for a minute.

"Fine, but after four days, he goes to the shelter." Joanne told Roger after a moment of silence. Roger nodded and looked at Orphan.

"We should get him some supplies, shouldn't we?" Roger inquired. Joanne nodded, gave Orphan a pat and took Roger's hand in hers.

"Wait – I need to put him in my room – I don't want him to make a mess or anything." Roger said.

"What makes you so sure he won't make a mess in your room?" Joanne asked, watching Roger put Orphan in his room and slid the door shut.

"I trust him." Roger answered simply, following Joanne out of the loft and to her car. The two of them drove to PetCo for some pet supplies for Orphan. Roger picked out some squeaky toys (his favorite was a squeaky electric guitar) and a matching collar and leash set. Joanne picked out food and water bowls that said Good Dog with giant paw prints on each of them. At checkout, Roger found a purple pooper-scooper.

Arriving at the loft, Roger entered his room and put the collar on Orphan, who just looked at it as though it was a foreign object. Roger snapped the collar around Orphan's neck and made sure it was loose enough so that it fit snugly around Orphan's neck, but tight enough so that Orphan couldn't get out of it.

"We should schedule a vet appointment, shouldn't we?" Roger inquired, tossing a ball for Orphan. Orphan picked the ball back up and trotted over to Roger, plopping the slobbery ball in the rocker's lap. Roger threw the ball again, throwing it a little further. Orphan's nails skidded on the hardwood floor as he retrieved the ball and trotted back to Roger. Joanne smiled as she looked up from filling out legal forms.

"Rog? What do you want for dinner?" Joanne inquired, putting her briefcase in her room.

"Chinese sounds good." Roger told the lawyer, rubbing Orphan's ears.

"Do you want to go out or have it delivered?" Joanne asked.

"Let's go out. I trust Orphan enough so I know he won't get into trouble." Roger said. Joanne smiled and together, the two of them went out to dinner.

Two hours later, Roger and Joanne returned from their dinner, talking and laughing. The talking and laughing stopped as soon as the loft door was open. Roger saw Orphan in a corner, tail between his legs and a guilty expression on his face.

"What did you do?" Roger asked Orphan. Orphan crouched down in the corner, a guilty look still on his face. Roger walked through the loft and heard a soft squish. Looking down, he saw that his boot was covered in dog poop.

"ORPHAN!" Roger yelled, wiping the poop off his shoe with a paper towel. Joanne exited her room, carrying four paper towels.

"Rog, calm down." Joanne told the rocker, throwing the paper towel away in the trashcan under the sink and washed her hands. She then went to find Orphan, who went into hiding when Roger yelled at him.

I really hope someone calls for this stupid dog Roger thought angrily as he cleaned up the dog pee from his bedroom. Orphan had gone everywhere in Roger's room, which made Roger very upset.

That night, Roger looked over at Orphan. Orphan was in his dog bed, curled into a ball, facing away from Roger.

"Orphan, I'm sorry." Roger apologized. He saw Orphan stir in his sleep. "Do you want to sleep up here?"

No response.

Sighing, Roger fell back against the pillows and fell back asleep.

The next morning, Roger opened his eyes and saw Orphan asleep on the end of Roger's bed. Roger smiled and reached out to pet Orphan, knowing that the dog had forgiven him.

Four days had passed and Roger was on the phone with the animal shelter.

"I'm sorry, sir. No one has called for the dog. He's yours." The girl on the other line told Roger. Roger looked over at Orphan, who was getting a belly rub from Joanne's ten-year-old niece, Rebecca. Rebecca was staying with Roger and Joanne for spring break. He and Joanne were taking Rebecca out to dinner and to see In the Heights, so they needed to leave soon.

"Okay, now what do I do?" Roger inquired, twisting the phone chord around his index and middle fingers.

"I could set you up with our traveling vet – Dr. Simms." The girl suggested. She suggested a date and gave Roger the vet's phone number.

"Thanks…Uh huh….Okay, bye." Roger hung up the phone and let out a relieved sigh.

"What's going on, Roger?" Rebecca asked, standing up and went to wash her hands.

"He's ours – I mean, mine." Roger told the girl, giving her a hug just as Joanne entered. She was wearing a red blouse, black pants and black shoes.

"What's yours?" Joanne inquired, giving her hair one more fluff.

"Orphan's mine. I just got off the phone with the girl at the animal shelter. It's been four days and no one has claimed Orphan." Roger told Joanne. She smiled and grabbed her purse. She wasn't a dog person, but Joanne admitted deep down that she was very happy for Roger – this was something he had wanted for a while now and he had it.

A week later, the traveling vet, Dr. Emma Simms, arrived at the loft and set up shop. Joanne was at work and Rebecca had gone home two days ago, so Roger was left alone in the loft.

"Are you Mr. Davis?" Dr. Simms inquired, setting up a small examining table in the far corner. Roger nodded and watched the vet set up her office. She had short strawberry-blond hair that barely touched her shoulders and green eyes. She stood about Roger's height and was skinny as a broom. She wore silver glasses that took up most of her face, but Roger didn't care.

"Could you bring Orphan over here, please?" Dr. Simms inquired. Roger nodded and clipped Orphan's leash to his collar and led him over to the vet. When they got close to where Dr. Simms was, Orphan balked.

"Come on, boy." Roger coaxed, holding Orphan's squeaky electric guitar in his hand. Orphan lunged forward and took the squeaky toy in his mouth.

"He's a Pitt Bull/Chow mix. He's neutered and he's exceptionally sweet." Dr. Simms told Roger as Orphan licked the side of Dr. Simms' face. She laughed and looked at Orphan's teeth.

"How old is he?" Roger inquired, watching the vet work.

"I would say between two and three years." Dr. Simms told Roger, giving Orphan a pat.

"I'm just curious, but how did you come up with the name Orphan?" Dr. Simms inquired, rubbing Orphan's ears.

Roger explained how the dog got his name as Dr. Simms packed up her things. Roger helped her fold her examining table and put it in the bag.

"That's very sweet. Orphan is lucky to have an owner who cares as much as you do." Dr. Simms told Roger, smiling.

"Thanks. What should I be feeding him?" Roger inquired before the vet left.

"Crap – I forgot about that. Thanks. I would start by feeding him Pedigree Dog food – dry. Start with a cup and a half twice a day." Dr. Simms answered, writing down the name of the dog food for Roger.

"Thank you so much for everything." Roger thanked the vet, helping her with the bag the examining table was in.

"You're welcome. I'll mail you the bill." The vet told Roger as she turned on the ignition.

"Thanks." Roger said, staying outside until the vet was out of sight. He then went back to the loft and stood on the fire escape, thinking about life and everything that had happened to him.

"Roger? Where are you? I'm home." Joanne's voice echoed through the loft. Roger came in from the fire escape and closed the window.

"Hey Joanne – let me help you with that." Roger told the lawyer, rushing to get a large bag from her.

"Thanks. Do you have any plans tonight?" Joanne inquired.

"No. Why?" Roger asked.

"Nothing. Go to your room – take Orphan with you. Don't come out until I tell you to, okay?" Joanne said, shoving Roger and Orphan into Roger's room before Roger could say anything. Roger sat on his bed and watched the small TV in his room, Orphan at his feet.

"Rog, you and Orphan can come out now." Joanne told the rocker. Roger turned off the TV and exited the room, Orphan at his heels.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROGER!" Joanne, Mark, Kathleen (Mark's girlfriend), Maureen and Ivey (Maureen's girlfriend) yelled out, coming out of their hiding spots. Orphan barked and raced to Roger's room, hiding under the rocker's bed.

"Orphan, it's okay. They're my friends." Roger talked to Orphan in a soothing voice. After an hour of coaxing, Roger finally got Orphan out from under his bed and went to introduce Orphan to his friends. Mark, Kathleen, Maureen and Ivey fell in love with Orphan as he licked all of their hands or faces.

Roger felt tears in his eyes as he rubbed Orphan's ears for the last time. Orphan had gotten very sick and Roger felt as though the end was very near.

"Are you ready?" Dr. Simms inquired. Roger nodded and slipped Orphan's collar off just as Dr. Simms administered the shot that would end Orphan's suffering. Orphan's breathing became short and labored as he struggled for life. Roger massaged his paws as Orphan drew his last breath and passed away.

Roger cried into Orphan's soft fur as Dr. Simms rubbed Roger's back. She put a hand over Orphan's eyes and closed them for him.

"What would you like to do?" Dr. Simms asked after a moment of silence.

"I want to cremate him." Roger croaked. Dr. Simms nodded and hugged Roger again, knowing what exactly he was going through.

A week later, Roger placed Orphan's ashes in an urn that Roger picked out. It was sky blue with a pattern of clouds on it. Roger placed the urn on the mantel across from his bed, knowing that Orphan had a special place in the rocker's heart.

"Rog? You okay?" Joanne inquired, wrapping her arms around Roger's neck. After living with Roger for nearly six years, Joanne felt a special bond with him. Roger felt the same way about Joanne.

"Yeah, Jo. I'll be okay. I know that Orphan is in dog heaven." Roger said, feeling a single tear run down his cheek. Joanne kissed Roger's cheek and unlaced her arms from around Roger's neck and walked to the other room, knowing that Roger would be all right.

Turns out, Roger wasn't all right. That night, Kathleen called Roger and Joanne to let them know that Mark had passed away from his leukemia. Roger cried like a baby as Joanne held him, letting him know it was okay to cry.

The funerals for Mark and Orphan were beautiful. Orphan's funeral was attended by Roger, Joanne, Maureen, Ivey and Kathleen. Mark's was attended by his friends and family. Roger performed a song he wrote at Mark's funeral called Swimming to the Other Side and read a poem about friendship.

Roger knew that he couldn't replace his best friends, but he knew they were in a better place.