AN: Hello to all. I want to start out this story with a little announcement. It has not gone unnoticed that quite a few people have been asking about Mark/Emily. Well, this story, and the immediate sequel, will cover the possibility of that pairing once and for all. And also: MoowitMi324, once you asked about Emily's ex-boyfriend, I believe. Well, I can promise he'll make an appearance in this story, along with the reason for their break-up. Hope it's to your liking. Now, on with the story.
Mark had to say that the Loft had never been quieter then it was on this day. Roger and Mimi were still away at Niagara Falls, and, knowing them, having a very good time, Maureen and Joanne were off doing who knows what, and Collins was most likely visiting Angel. Emily had left a while ago to take Penny to a friend's birthday party, and then was going to stop by to see Nana. This left Mark alone to spend a few moments to look over some of his footage. At that moment, the Loft door opened and Emily walked though the door, followed by Nana. The two appeared to be a small argument.
"Nana, I don't care how nice, sensitive, and charming this guy is," Emily stated. "I'm not going out with him."
"Emily, he's a government official! The women throw themselves at this man."
"He's a forest ranger! Raccoons throw themselves at this man."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Nana turned to Mark. "Mark, would you please tell her that she's not getting any younger?"
"Will you please tell Nana I don't go out on blind dates?" Emily imputed.
"Oh, come on, Emily," Nana persisted. "What do you have to loose?"
"Self respect, for starters."
"All I'm saying is you haven't been on a date in about eight years. I realize that you might be hesitant after the whole incident with …"
"Thank you, Nana!" Emily interrupted in a tone that clearly suggested that she didn't want to discus the incident Nana was trying to mention. "I'm putting my foot down. No blind dates."
"Fine," Nana sighed heavily and turned to walk out. "But remember, Mr. Right is not just going to come up and knock on your door, and say 'here I am!'"
"Hey, that's how it worked with Roger and Mimi, you know!" Emily called after her before taking a seat at the metal table across from Mark, who passed her a mug of tea.
"So… same old, same old?" Mark smirked.
"Yep. You?"
"Naturally." The two paused to flash a mutual smile at each other before focusing their attention to their tea. A few seconds later, the phone rang from across the room. Emily found herself fighting back a chuckle from the fact Mark was ignoring the ringing. It always drove her crazy, his insistence at screening every phone call. But that was just one of the things that made him Mark.
"Mark, please pick up the phone," the familiar voice of Nancy, Mark's mother, called out. "Well, never mind then. I just want you to call me back, Mark. Please call me back. And soon." After Nancy hung up, the two sat in silence for a moment.
"You know," Emily spoke hesitantly. "You really should try picking up the phone when she calls. She just wants to talk with you."
"Yeah, to talk about why I can't be more like Cindy, and how I should come back home, and on and on. You don't know how nagging my mother can be, Emily."
"At least… you have a mother." Mark froze at Emily's words.
"That's the first time you mentioned her since before the Rat Fangs were arrested."
"I was four when she died, Mark. I barely remember her. But that aside. Next time your mother calls, just consider picking up the phone. I'm a mother, too, remember? Even when Penny grows up and goes out into the world, I'll still want to keep in touch with her."
Without another word, Emily returned to her tea, as if she hadn't said anything, leaving Mark to mull her words over. He was about to reply when Emily glanced at her watch and got up. "Sorry, gotta go, Mark," she announced, moving to the door. "My shift for the Village Voice starts soon. I'll stop by later, okay? Thanks for the tea." Mark waved wordlessly, but after she'd left, he sighed and went over to the phone to dial.
"Hi, Mom," Mark began. "It's me."
AN: The little bit about 'he's a forest ranger' was from an episode of Caroline in the City. I loved that show, and am still ticked that they stopped production at a cliffhanger, so we'll never know what happens with Caroline and Richard. GRRRR!
Next chapter might be a while. I have to type up a stupid outline for a paper. I hate outlines, because usually, I prefer to wing it when writing papers, and just let the information flow naturally. Outlines interferes with that process. (Doesn't help that I'm still looking for information on my topic.) So, until next time...