The days slowly began to pass by more and more, then suddenly two weeks had come and gone since the day Maureen had confessed to Mark and Joanne that she was pregnant. And even though so much time had passed by, Joanne still refused to talk with Maureen about the situation. Perhaps, thinking that if she just ignored it that it would just go away. Saying that she just needed more time because she didn't know whether she was ready to have a child in her life yet.

Course she had thought ahead to the future where her and Maureen would try to either adopt or try artificial insemination but those were mere thoughts nothing she thought would happen this fast...and without her! This wasn't her and Maureen's baby. It was Maureen and Marks! She just didn't know how to deal with this. Besides having a difficult time adjusting to the news that her girlfriend was pregnant she had to also think on the part where she also cheated.

Mark completely understood where Joanne was coming from. He would most likely be acting the same way if the situation were reversed. Once upon a time it kinda was. Back in the day when he was dating Maureen and she started her cheating habits with her 'current' girlfriend. He was devastated when he had heard the woman he was in love with had cheated on him and was leaving him for...her!

Even though Mark was feeling guilty and a little bad for the other woman her found herself in, he just couldn't help but relish in the fact that Maureen was technically back in his arms and in his life. Literally. They were going to have something that would keep them tied to one another for the rest of their lives. A baby. Meaning they had a lot to do in order to get ready for his/her arrival.

The first thing on Mark's lists of things to get done before the baby came was to find an apartment for his family at a reasonable price. This proved to be just as hard as he thought it was going to be but once he was able to narrow it down to two different lofts, he set up a date and time with his Realtor so him and Maureen could tour the place.

Checking out the first loft seemed to bore Maureen to no end. She whined and complained the whole time they were touring the apartment. All she could do was point out every single flaw it had and to her standards it simply was not good enough for her child. Mark tried to debunk every remark that was made, trying the best he could to get her to see the potential the loft showed but it was no use. He just hoped that the second place would be more to her liking.

At the second loft and seeing it at first glance as they walked up to the door, it held Mark's interest right away considering that the front door was exactly the same as the one back at his apartment. Only this one seemed more cleaned up. When the Realtor unlocked the door and pulled it to the side to allow them to enter, both Maureen and Mark stood in awe once inside. It was much more than that of the first place they had visited and it was holding Maureen's attention!

When first walking in, to the left was the kitchen and straight away was the obvious living room area which connected to the kitchen. The space was large and had nice hard wood floors. And it looked to have a nice modern kitchen.

When first walking into the loft, to the left was a nice size kitchen that was nice and modern. Straight ahead from the front door was the obvious living room which was connected to the kitchen. All opened to one room to the next. No halls. Course, off to the left hand side past the kitchen was an actually hall which led to two different rooms. One large room and next to it a nice sized bathroom. Beside the hallway out in the living room was a black cast iron spiral staircase that led to the second story. Three nice size bedrooms.

The place was remarkable. It was like a dream home for both Mark and Maureen but they both had one question burning in the minds about this place.

"What's the catch?" Maureen asked, turning on her heel to look at the Realtor. Her hands planted on her hips as she stared the man down.

The man looked at her and easily became nervous. It was clear that wasn't too used to having someone as beautiful and sexy as Maureen this close to him. He quickly looked away from her and down to his notes so that he could answer her question. "Well, it seems the owner inherited the loft from his uncle. He has no use for it and just wants to get rid of it." He says reading through some before glancing at Mark. "And there are also some minor things that need fixing."

That caught Mark's attention and he took a step forwards. "Like, what types of things?" He questioned, using his index finger to push his glasses up before he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, the pipes are a bit old. And will most likely need to be replaced. The water comes and goes. Making it seem that it has a mind of its own when deciding it wants to be hot or cold." He responded, chuckling a bit at the last thing he said before abruptly stopping at the sight of Maureen's raised brow.

He cleared his throat looking down a moment. "Replacing the pipes is spendy. Most people who've looked at this loft had decided against it due to the hard work and cost that would go into it to have it fixed."

Maureen and Mark looked at one another for more that a second before they both shifted their gaze back to the Realtor. "We'll take it!"

Course it was going to cost them an arm and a leg to get the pipes replaced but they new that they had the patience to save up the money. Well, Mark did at least. Plus, they have had to deal with the pipes in the apartment they were staying at now. Usually they have more cold water than hot, so this was definitely something they could handle.

It was finally official. With the papers signed in both their names, Mark and Maureen had a place to call their own. A place where they could raise their child and they were both extremely happy about getting their things all packed up so they could finally move in. While Mark and Roger packed up all his things at their apartment, Mimi had gone with Maureen back to her old place she had shared with Joanne so that she could pack up all of her things.

Once the two had filled all of Maureen's suitcases with all the cloths she own from the closet, they resorted into getting big black trash bags to gather the rest of her belongings. They didn't get too far in filling up the first bag when the door in the other room opened and closed, letting them know that Joanne had come home early. This was something Maureen was hoping for yet she was still dreading.

Joanne made her way into the bedroom, seeing both Maureen and Mimi shoving various clothing into a black bag and two full looking suitcases that sat close to the door, ready to be removed from the room and take away. Her dark eyes glanced towards the closet to see her lover's side empty. She wasn't surprised considering she was witnessing the two woman in front of her packing up everything. Sighing softly some before looking to her friend who was helping the woman she was still in love with.

"Mimi, can I please talk to Maureen for a few moments?" She asked softly while setting her keys down on top of the dresser.

The young woman looked over at Joanne and studied her for a brief moment then shifting her gaze to Maureen wondering if she wanted her to stay or to leave them two talk alone. The choice was hers but it didn't surprise her none when she got a nod in response, letting her know that she didn't mind being left alone. "Yeah. Sure." Mimi agreed before she lifted herself up off the bed and walked out of the bedroom and to the living room. Trying to give them the privacy that she wanted.

Once Mimi had left the two lovers alone, Maureen just continued to pack up her things. Not once turning her head to look over at the woman that she loved. Course, this didn't stop her from being the first to speak. "What do you want?"

The lawyer sighed softly at the tone that had been used. She didn't want the two to start fighting again, seeing this was the first time they had seen one another since 'that night'. Joanne just wanted to discuss her feelings on the situation and express what she wanted without a confrontation which would be difficult seeing that it was Maureen she was talking to.

"Look, Maureen. I'm real sorry that I was being such a bitch." She started out. "But you can't really blame me. I mean, you cheated on me. Again. And you got pregnant."

"But I thought you wanted us to have kids?" Maureen suddenly inquired as she turned around to look at her.

"Yeah, I did. I wanted us to have kids." She drug out, getting a bit frustrated. "I didn't want you to go and get knocked up by your ex."

Maureen turned away from Joanne and continued her packing, trying to keep herself from arguing. "I said I was sorry. I don't know what else you want from me."

"It's easy to forgive but it's hard to forget." Her voice soft and under control as she started to close the distance between the two. "You know, I never asked you to move out."

It was true. She never once told Maureen that she wanted her to leave. "I know. But, Mark and I found a place..." She trailed off a bit, not really able to finish her sentence when seeing her girlfriends face.

"What? You and Markgot a place together?" This wasn't where she saw the conversation going when she first walked into the room but then again she just found out her girlfriend was going to move in with her ex.

Nodding her head some. "Yeah. We thought it would be a good idea. Besides, I thought you were going to kick me out."

"I should." Joanne said bluntly before shifting uncomfortably some, thinking of what to say before standing up more confidently. "But I'm not. I want you to stay."

Chapter 4!Another chapter down, and a few more dozen to go! I'm planning a big story. So if this one ends look for sequels! I totally dreamt this up so, I'm just writing it all down. Let me know what you all are thinking. If you have any ideas or concerns let me know! Please review! It inspires me to continue.

Ashes2181

Special thanks to:

ME: I love the story so far!

NARUSAKUFAN101:Finally Finally Finally! A new Mark/Maureen fanfic, I love this, I swear I'll review everytime you update, update soon. :D