Joanne frowned. "Fine, I'll buy it. But you owe me."

"Yep. $3.50. I'll even write it down so I won't forget."

"Honeybear, you know I love you."

"Yeah, yeah, now just buy me the journal."

They were in a store. Maureen had seen a really cute notebook that she could write protests in, but she didn't have any money with her, so Joanne was covering for her. The woman at the counter raised an eyebrow lazily at the two women - the drama queen in skin-tight leather pants and a tank top that exposed a strip of stomach, and the lawyer in suspenders and a suit. They were an odd couple, and had long gotten over the looks thrown their way. Maureen wandered off as Joanne paid for the journal, and when Joanne was done, she couldn't find Maureen. Her heart skipped a beat, and then she calmed. Maureen wasn't 5. She was fine.

"Mo?" Joanne called tentatively. There was no response. "Maureen!" Still no answer. Joanne was beginning to panic when a familiar brunette skipped out to join her. Joanne visibly relaxed. "Honeybear, don't do that!"

"Do what?" Maureen smiled, only revealing a little bit of her perfect white teeth.

"I thought you were lost!"

"Pookie, I'm fine! Really, you have to stop worrying so much. You're stressing. You'll get wrinkles!"

"C'mon, Mo, let's get home."

"But I found this matching pen-"

"Let's go."

Maureen capped her pen and shut the new journal as Joanne walked into the bedroom.

"Hey, Pookie!" Maureen said, hoping to either make Joanne forget about the money or convince her to let it slide.

"Hey, Honeybear," Joanne responded. At the tone in Maureen's voice, Joanne knew a pout was coming. "No, Mo, that face won't work on me. You still have to pay."

Maureen pouted, her green eyes growing and filling with tears. "You think I'm trying to wiggle out of owing you?" She sniffed. "Is that what you think I do, Pookie?"

"Maureen, no, Honeybear, I don't think you do that," Joanne said softly, her heart melting. Maureen blinked twice, the tears vanishing.

"Great! So I don't owe you?"

"You still owe me, Mo. C'mon, it's only $3.50."

"Fine," Maureen huffed.

"I'm going to go down to watch Law and Order, okay? Bye, sweetie."

"Bye, Pookie," Maureen grumbled.

An hour later, Joanne was starting to get worried. She hadn't seen Maureen since she'd gone to watch Law and Order. Now the show was over. There was a sudden jangling from their room, following by a scream of frustration. A Maureen-like scream of frustration. Joanne walked over to the doorway to watch Maureen. The girl looked up at Joanne, her makeup streaked.

"Mo, baby, what's the problem?" Several piggy banks were upside down. Maureen spotted a penny on the floor and pounced, grinning triumphantly.

"Nothing! Well, I didn't actually have any one dollar bills, just fives, so I couldn't find $3.50 easily, so I had to use change, and I didn't have any damn quarters, nickels, or dimes, and I could only find 349 pennies, but we're all good now." Maureen pulled a fistful of pennies from her bulging pockets.

Joanne looked at her for a minute, then burst out laughing.

"What?" Maureen asked. Joanne shook her head, tears creeping out from her eyes as she laughed. Maureen pouted.

"It's nothing, baby," Joanne said, calming herself. She giggled. "Nothing at all."