The idea for this fic came to me when I listened to the full version of "Goodbye love" sung by the cast of the movie, and when Roger says, "Mark has got his work", they say, "Mark lives for his work", and "Mark's in love with his work", it made me think, is that what Maureen felt as well? I hope you like this!
And of course, I do not own any of these characters, that were written so fabulously by the amazing Mr Larson.
The china shattered louder than they both had anticipated and Mark jumped slightly, the noise ringing in his ears. Her eyes cast over the mess she had made, his favorite mug now completely obliterated on the kitchen floor. Her right hand curled into a fist and she breathed deeply, her chest rising and falling so quickly it was nearly making her light headed. Tears streaked down her face, staining her features black with mascara and red with rage and hurt.
"You don't get it!", she shrieked, raising her fist slightly, her eyes only focused on his. "Goddammit Mark, why can't you just take some responsi-"
A sharp laugh cut off her sentence, "Responsibility, Maureen? Is that what you were going to say? Take some responsibility for the fact you've been cheating on me with a woman you met in the Kink Club?!"
Maureen let out an exasperated sigh and leaned up against the kitchen worktop, both of her hands pressed against the smooth, granite counter.
"No, Mark, I meant...the reason, that I've been seeing Joanne…", she said quietly, ignoring the intake of breath she heard when she mentioned her girlfriend.
"What do you mean?", his voice rose, and he took a shaking step towards her.
"THAT is what I mean", she shouted, her trembling arm pointing to the camera that was held in his right hand, filming their whole interaction. "The camera, Mark. Every single day, every single minute, that THING is constantly just…I can't…", she broke off as he raised the camera to get a better view of her face.
"Can you just LISTEN to me and put that fucking thing down?", Maureen nearly screamed, leaning forward to knock the damned contraption onto the floor, but Mark was too quick and dodged out the way.
She stretched her fingers on both hands and let out an angry sigh, if he wanted this breakup on film, then she would just have to live with it.
"I met Joanne four months ago…", she said quietly, looking at the dirty, worn floorboards that covered the floor of the loft. "And at first, it wasn't anything, she'd been pulled out on a girl's night with some of the people she works with that wanted to see 'how the other half live' and I was trying to- never mind, I was just trying to live a little y'know…and well, we started talking and it just, something clicked…oh, I don't know how to explain it, she made me feel special, like I was wanted and- "
"And I didn't?", His question cut through her speech, and for a second she wondered if his heart was beating as fast as hers was, it seemed as if it could just combust in any moment.
"What do you think?!", she nearly laughed, "With that stupid thing following me around the whole time?!"
"You want to be an actress Maureen, I thought- "
"Of course I do! But that doesn't involve being on camera every second of the day, Mark! Plus, I would get paid for it! This, what you do, whatever this great vision you have for this 'work' it takes EVERYTHING, it has taken everything from me, Mark and I just couldn't do it!"
"You could have said something…"
Her shrill chuckle echoed through the loft, bouncing off the nearly empty walls.
"I did! But oh no, let's keep filming to help Roger stop shooting up every chance he gets, to show Roger what amazing sights New York still has to offer now his world is a complete and utter shithole! But what about my world?! I was your girlfriend, Mark! And the only time you very nearly saw me was when you decided you wanted to have sex with me once a week. I was RIGHT HERE, I was right in front of you and I felt as though you didn't see me!"
Her voice broke then, at the highest octave she possessed. The tears streamed down her face again, and she looked down, straightening her leather jacket.
"Joanne saw me, when I was basically nothing, and she made me feel as if I was worth something to her…and I haven't felt like that in a long time"
"But my work Maureen, it helped me get through Apr-"
"Don't you SEE?! I was supposed to help you! This was a relationship, Mark! The crap you film every day, that isn't what's supposed to be what you live for, it's the person you love, the person that LOVES you..."
He sniffed at that, "Clearly you didn't love me very much, it isn't like Joanne, although she'd probably the first woman, but she isn't the first person you've cheated on me with since we started going out…"
Maureen swallowed, shaking her head. She ran her fingers through her tangled nest of brown curls, and rubbed her lips together.
"She was the first one that meant something. That wasn't just for pure enjoyment. I felt something and that's when I knew it wasn't like the other times. I didn't want you to forgive me like you always do- oh don't look at me like that! YOU KNOW what I've been doing when I come home at four in the morning after just being 'out', and yet you ignore it and just go back to sleep, or keep on watching those damn home movies. She," a small smile graced her lips, "wouldn't let me away with that.."
The silence in the loft seemed almost deafening before Mark spoke, the ticking of the clock in the kitchen ringing in Maureen's ears as if to the same beat as her heart.
"So that's it?"
She bit her bottom lip, nodding. Taking a couple of steps towards him, she held his face in both her hands, pressing her lips against his quickly, tears starting to roll down their cheeks.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as she pulled away, "I love her…"
He cupped the left side of her face and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.
"Goodbye Maureen…"
She smiled feebly, and turned, picking up the bag that she had thrown to the floor earlier in determination, before telling Mark she was leaving him.
As she reached the door, she turned one last time, taking Mark in, camera still focused on her every move. She raised her hand in a slight wave and pulled open the door, shivering as she stepped out in to the freezing hallway, down the stairs and out into the dark New York City night.
Back home, where her love waited.
Please review, and let me know if you have any requests at all!