Chapter One: Don't Ask, Don't Tell
Disclaimer: I don't own, claim to own or will ever own the characters or storyline borrowed for this fanfiction. I just play with the toys.
Mark sat in his studio, rocking aimlessly back and forth on his chair. The jingle he was meant to be writing for Cocoa-Brand cereal just wasn't working. He exhaled sharply and let the legs of his chair fall back onto the floor as he put his head into his hands. Spread out in front of him on the desk were piles of storyboards for possible ideas the marketing team had sent him. Harsh, Technicolor pictures stared up at him, all of happy smiling families complete with happy smiling children. He couldn't help it, he couldn't concentrate. All he could think about was Juno.
From the time she'd walked through the front door, he knew something was going to change. His marriage to Vanessa five years ago had started well enough but after 3 years of trying to conceive, things between them had turned fractious. After IVF had failed on it's forth round, every argument and raised voice seemed to escalate back to their lack of children. There were days when the couple would not speak, even reaching the point where Mark would feign sleep in bed at night so Vanessa could not pester him for sex. In the early days of their marriage, sex had seemed so easy and liberating. But as his wife became more and more desperate for a child, Mark began to see a different side to her. Every night he would feel her light touch across his back, reaching around to his groin as she kissed the back of his neck. He'd have thought it would have been everyman's dream to make love to a beautiful woman every night but things were going bad. He could remember the days when they'd lay in tangled sheets after hours of passionate sex but this wasn't the case anymore.
Juno, still only a child in the eyes of the law; was a positive breath of fresh air into the static-charged atmosphere of their home. She had seemed dismissive and off-beat as many 16 year olds often were but there was something else too, the genuine innocence of a scared little girl hiding under the attitude that bathed the room. Mark tried not to stare but something in her face pulled his attention back to her. As Vanessa sat sown next to him on the sofa, she put her hand on top of his. After a few seconds he pulled it away under the pretence of scratching his neck. The conversation between Vanessa and Juno seemed to float over Mark's head, he suddenly felt removed from the situation as if he had drifted out of his body. He didn't know whether anyone else could tell that he was so unhappy. But if they didn't know, it wouldn't be long until everyone involved found out.
"I just don't see why you are doing this now" Mark was leaning against the counter top, watching his wife pace about in front of him "I mean, we've entered into an adoption, a binding legal transaction and you say you want some space!?"
Mark took one last look at his wife and turned to leave the room. He walked back into the living room and poured himself a neat scotch from a bottle on the sideboard. He could still hear Vanessa screaming behind him, her voice quavering; almost at the point of tears. The alcohol was bitter in his mouth and it burned slightly as he swallowed. He had waited to tell his wife until he knew he had something to fall back on. The previous evening, they'd made love. It had been as passionate as when they were first married but there had been a reason for this. It wasn't Vanessa he had thought of as he laid between his wife's legs that night, instead it was Juno. He felt unable to keep the feelings that raged through him ever since he had met the mother of his future child bottled up any longer. Vanessa had thought all his desire was meant for her. He'd come to her after an argument that evening and folded her into his arms, pulling her close against him. Mark turned his wife around against his chest so she would feel the pressure of his erection pressing against her waist.
"We can't tell Juno" Mark's attention slowly fell back into the room "that poor girl is giving us her baby, if we tell her we are having problems, she could just turn around and decide to give it to someone else".
With these last few words, Vanessa dissolved into tears. Huge wracking sobs shook here slender frame, her dark hair falling forward in-front of her face. Mark had thought he would have felt like a bully but he didn't . Strangely enough, he felt almost free.
A/N: Well, that's the first chapter :) If you liked it or even if you didn't, drop me a review and if you want to be a super star, click on the box below and select 'add author to favourites' and you'll get a message when I update . Much love.