SUMMARY: Robin and Sonia were complete opposites, but they had one thing in common. They both followed the man who turned their lives upside down and changed the world: Jesus. 2011 Broadway revival

CHAPTER 1 — Arrival of the Master

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This going to be a Lee*/Robin pairing, with Anna Maria Perez de Taglé as Robin (Day By Day) and Telly Leung as Lee* (All Good Gifts). Jesus is based off Hunter Parrish, but Hunter is obviously not actually Jesus.

*The reason I changed Lamar (AGG) to Lee is because I don't really like the name Lamar. I am giving the last names of the 2011 revival cast to the characters, whose first names are from the original 1971 cast.

The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

- Mark 1:3 KJV

On the corner of 82nd Street and Schwartz Avenue, the lost and broken were found, glaring angrily at the world who looked down upon them. The people who lived there were prepared for worst, and rarely expected the best in a situation. This was the perfect place for a Savior to come.

On the edge of 82nd Street stood a small coffee shop with a blue door. To the right was a bar full of customers, unlike the fairly empty coffee shop. A young woman was behind the counter, waiting for more customers to arrive. She was pretty, with long black hair falling around her shoulders, pale skin, and a slender figure. She was of Asian descent, and was not even five feet five inches, but her personality made up for her height or lack thereof. It was the height of summer, a warm evening, and she wore a light blue tank top, a frilly skirt, and Converse. The twenty-four-year-old had lived on 82nd Street for two years, and her name was Robin.

She looked up as an old man entered the coffee shop. Robin involuntarily took a step back, thanking her lucky stars that the counter stood between her and the old man. He grinned at her, a sly grin that meant more than appeared on the surface. "Why, hello, pretty Birdie." Old Harry had always thought her name was Birdie ever since she arrived in the neighborhood, but she wasn't about to correct him. "How are you doing today?" he asked, smiling. Old Harry was in all actuality harmless, but he was seventy-nine and she was twenty-four. Fifty-five years was way too large of an age difference in Robin's opinion. He hit on her almost every morning, and she had always been able to turn him away. But this was getting ridiculous.

"What type of coffee can I get you, Harry?" she said firmly, looking desperately out the window to see if there were any people to help her if Old Harry got persistent. Though the street was full of people, none looked into the coffee shop. Even the couple of customers who had been there previously had left. "Can I get you straight black?"

"Black will be just fine. Like your pretty hair, Birdie," Old Harry said. Robin considered taking the pepper spray out of her purse in case things got out of hand.

"Excuse me."

Robin looked up to see a young man standing beside Old Harry. She instantly knew there was something different about Him — something good, but that made Him stand out from the crowd. He looked about twenty-nine or so, but had a quality about Him that made Him seem ageless. He had blonde hair that fell slightly in His brown eyes, pale skin, and finely sculpted features. He was tall, Robin guessed just over six feet, and wore jeans, a baseball jersey the color of blue so pale it was almost white with red stitching, Converse, and a white undershirt.

"May I get some coffee, please?" He asked politely. Old Harry looked up at Him, his eyes narrowed, but he received only a polite smile in return.

"What kind would you like, Sir?" Robin asked.

"A latte, please," He replied. She nodded and quickly prepared His coffee, hardly able to keep her eyes off Him. It was not that she was attracted to Him in any romantic way, though He was attractive. There was just something about Him that drew her to Him. She handed Him the latte, and He smiled. "Thank you," He said. "How much?"

"Two dollars," she replied. He pulled out a wallet and handed her the money. He then leaned on the counter, placing His coffee down before Him. He leaned on His arms, making it clear He was not going to leave until Old Harry did. The old man started to say something, but at a warning look from the young man, Harry hurried out, slamming the door behind him. Robin found that she had been holding her breath, and released the air, grateful that Old Harry was gone. She relaxed her shoulders, running a hand through her hair.

"Thanks," she said to Him. "Old Harry was starting to get out of hand. I was thinking about breaking out the pepper spray before You came in." She laughed lightly, and He joined in. His laughter was captivating.

"Don't mention it," He said with a smile. "I saw you were having a bit of trouble, so I thought I'd step in." He held out a hand. "I don't think we've met."

"Robin Perez de Taglé," she said, shaking His hand.

"Jesus Parrish," He said. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Robin." She could tell He truly meant it.

"The pleasure is all mine," she said sincerely. "So, are You new around here? I don't think I've seen You before."

"I actually just moved in today," He said. "I'm staying at John Smith's place for the moment," Jesus said. "He's My cousin."

"John, the street preacher?" Robin said. "He's Your cousin?"

"The one and only," He said with a smile, taking a drink from His latte. "So, you've lived here a while, haven't you? Two years, wasn't it?"

"How do You know that?" Robin asked, surprised. If it had been anyone else, she would have been alarmed that a practical stranger knew how long she lived on this street. With Him, she was not really shocked, but she somehow knew that He knew everything about her. Not in a creepy, stalker sort of way, but almost in the way that a close friend, parent, or sibling knows someone else inside and out. With Jesus, it seemed that He knew her even more. She didn't feel the need to hide anything from Him, because it seemed that He already knew.

"I've heard it around," He said. "Where did you go to college?"

"Lewiston University," she said. She found herself saying, "I studied history, but I... I couldn't finish it. I dropped out after a year and a half." She looked down at the countertop, her cheeks turning red. "It was expensive tuition," she added, trying to defend herself. But You already knew that, didn't You? she thought. Robin looked up and saw Jesus looking at her, with no hint of judgment in His eyes.

"I went to Johnston-Smith College and studied ministry," He said. "I've been wandering for a while. I haven't really found a home base yet." He paused. "It's getting late. May I walk you home?" He offered. Robin glanced out the window and saw that the block was dark and the streetlights had turned on.

"That would be great, thanks," she said. "I have to lock up, so I'll be a minute."

"I'll wait outside," Jesus said. He left, throwing away His latte that He had finished. He stood outside the blue door, hands in His pockets as she locked up. As she grabbed her purse on her way out, she saw a homeless man approach Jesus. Instead of recoiling and crossing the street to avoid the ragged man, He handed the homeless man a few dollars and said something to him that Robin could not make out. The homeless man nodded, and instead of going to the bar as Robin expected, the man went to a 7-11 across the street. She could see him buying a few items of food, not even approaching the beer aisle. She was impressed as she locked the blue door of the coffee shop.

They walked in silence for a moment as they crossed the street. Then Jesus broke the quiet. "So, what do you like to do?" He asked.

"I'm interested in history, specifically the Victorian time period," she said. "I'm trying to write a book about Queen Victoria, but I don't have the resources I need to properly research it." She looked up at Him. "What about You?"

"Ministry is My main interest," He said. "But I've always liked carpentry. There's just something I love about making something wonderful out of a block of wood that could just have easily been discarded. Some people may say that piece of wood is worthless, but I see its potential. Nothing is an accident." They walked in silence for a moment. She could He was talking about more than wood. He was really talking about people, and she could tell He felt that every person had meaning.

"Here's my place," she said, stopping in front of an apartment building. Robin walked up the steps to her door and searched for her keys. When she found them and unlocked her door, she looked back at Jesus. He stood on the sidewalk, hands in pockets.

"Thanks," she said. "For everything, I mean."

"You're welcome," He said. She could tell He knew everything she was trying to say. Robin paused at the door, and He took a step back, waving a hand in farewell. She waved back as she heard her door open behind her.

"Robin? Are you coming in?"

She turned to see her boyfriend standing in the doorway. Lee Leung looked at her in concern. "What took you so long? You usually get home earlier."

Robin opened her mouth to speak, but turned out to the street. Jesus was gone, and she scanned the darkness for Him. But He was nowhere in sight. "I... um, I got held up at work," she said. "Old Harry pestered me again." She stepped into the apartment she shared with Lee, setting her purse on the kitchen table. She looked up at Lee. He was Asian like her, with suntanned skin, messy black hair, friendly dark eyes and a willing smile. He was tall, maybe a couple inches shorter than Jesus, but not by much. Robin and Lee had first gone out as a joke, because he was so tall and she was so short. But their relationship had developed into more, and he had moved into her apartment. Lee had an open, honest, almost boyish quality, though he was twenty-six, about him that had attracted Robin to him when she first met him. But for the first time, she felt as if she should not in this situation with Lee. Her boyfriend was one of the sweetest people she had ever met, and he wasn't going to abuse her. But she had a feeling that Jesus wouldn't approve of her living with Lee. I don't need His approval, she told herself. But you want it, a voice whispered. Don't deny it.

"Was it Old Harry again?" Lee asked. "I can talk to him if you want. If he's really bothering you..."

"No," Robin said. "Well, yes, he has been bothering me. But I think he will be leaving me alone for good from now on." She got out leftover takeout and put in the microwave. "Did you already eat?"

"Yeah," Lee said. "It's nearly nine o'clock, Robin. You're supposed to get off at eight. What held you up?"

She took the leftovers out of the microwave and stirred it with a fork, trying to formulate a sentence about meeting Jesus. "Well, Old Harry talked to me again," she said, choosing her words carefully. She sat on the couch, and Lee sat next to her, his arm around her shoulders. "He was really persistent this time, and I almost got out my pepper spray." Lee tensed, and she could tell he wanted to strangle Old Harry. "Calm down, Lee! A guy walked in, and Old Harry left." She paused. "The guy is actually is John's cousin, and he just moved in today. You know John Smith, the street preacher."

"How do I not know John?" Lee said, grinning. "He's as much a part of this neighborhood as the cement itself. I didn't know John really had any family, though," he said, growing more serious. "He's a loner, but of course everyone has family."

Robin finished the takeout and started to get up, but Lee took her plate. "I'll take it," he said.

"Thanks, Lee," she said with a smile. As he went into the kitchen and began to rinse off the plate, Robin said, "John's cousin's name is Jesus. He went to Johnston-Smith and studied ministry."

"Johnston-Smith? Isn't that the big spiritual college?" Lee said, coming back.

"That's what I've heard," she said with a shrug. "He said that He doesn't really have a home base, so He's staying with John." She yawned.

"Do you want to go to bed?" Lee asked. "I know it's early, but..."

"Lee..." Robin said. She battled with herself, and the need to have Jesus' approval won. Even if He wasn't here, she didn't want to go behind His back to do something that was starting to feel wrong. "I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight."

"What?" Lee said, confusion and hurt in his eyes. "Are you okay? Was it something I said?"

"No, it's not you!" Robin said, desperate to make him understand. "It's me! I just need to... sort some things out. Please, Lee," she said. "It's not you! Please believe me! Lee..." she said as he stood and went to the bedroom they usually shared.

"Goodnight, Robin," he said.

"Lee!" But he had already shut the door. Robin brought her knees up to her chest, loathing herself for hurting Lee. But at least she was starting down the right path of leading a better lifestyle. Wasn't it? Her parents, devout Jews, had been disappointed when she told them she was living with Lee. She had tried to ignore what they said, but now that Jesus had stepped into her life for only an hour, she thought back to what her parents had said. Her mother, in a fit of tears right before Robin drove home after visiting them, had told her that good girls didn't live with a man before their wedding. At the time she had replied that she still was a "good girl," but that didn't mean she had to be a goody two shoes. Now, however, she really thought about what her mother had said. Was she really that good?

Robin debated with herself for hours, falling asleep at one in the morning curled up on the couch, still fully dressed.

Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God's arrival! Make the road smooth and straight!

- Mark 1:3, The Message

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope everyone caught the reference to Steven Schwartz with Schwartz Street. Since Godspell is set in modern times, up until Jesus dies and is resurrected, there are no churches, or Christians, for that matter. Most people, if they believed in God, would be Jews. The only Christians at the time would be Jesus' followers. The "churches" would be synagogues. The Bible verse at the beginning of the chapter is from the King James Version of the Bible, and the verse at the end of the chapter is from the Message Bible.