I know I said I wasn't going to update for another week, but I've been dead bored at home today, with no one around to hang out with or talk to, so I decided to update to give myself a little something to do. This chapter is pretty long, but I didn't want to shorten it any or put anything into another chapter, because everything in it is so important. The title doesn't relate to the entire chapter, since it has two important events in it, but it was the title that refers to only one of them that I liked best. You'll see. We are working our way toward the climax of the story, which will begin in the next chapter. I'm going to post the climax chapters all at once, so you guys don't have to wait for anything. Happy Reading.

Chapter Six – Coming Home

Two weeks later, Roger picked up the phone and called Joanne.

"Hey, Jo," he said, "I'm in need of a favor."

"What's up, Roger?" Joanne asked.

"Well... I want to find Mimi," Roger said. "I know she's with family in Mexico City and I'd like to get in contact with her, at least. Is that possible?"

"Sure. I mean, it's sort of a long shot," Joanne said, "but as long as you know where she's living, then it should be easy."

"OK, so how much do I owe you?" Roger asked.

"Don't worry about it," Joanne said. "You are more than likely not the only one who wants her to come home. It's just a favor."

"A really expensive one," Roger muttered.

"Don't worry about it," Joanne said firmly. "I'll start working on finding her right away. I'll let you know as soon as I know anything."

"Thanks, Jo, see you," Roger said, and he hung up.

Three weeks later, Joanne called Roger's cell phone, when he and Elise were having coffee and breakfast with Dominic.

"Roger, you aren't gonna believe this," she said.

"You found Mimi?" Roger asked.

"Better," Joanne said, "We're paying for her to fly back home this weekend. She even wants to move back."

"Oh, wow, Jo, that's... soon," Roger said. He hung up the phone and looked at Elise.

Elise was confused. "Wait, what's going on?" She had heard Joanne's voice coming from the earpiece, but couldn't make out what she said, so the one-sided conversation had confused her.

"Joanne tracked Mimi down and she's coming home," Roger explained.

"Oh," Elise said, a quizzical look on her face, "how come you didn't tell me?"

"I forgot," Roger said honestly. He had been so excited and nervous about the idea of Mimi coming home, that he had completely forgotten to tell anyone. "Sorry."

"No worries," Elise said. She kissed him. "Congratulations. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Roger said, smiling. "I've missed her. But hey, it isn't going to be... weird or anything for you, is it?" he added.

"No, why would it be weird?" Elise asked. "Zero weirdness."

"Good," Roger said, smiling and holding her close. "You'll like her."

"I bet I will," Elise said, "since you do." She smiled, too, and held Roger close.

Roger paced around and ran his fingers nervously through his hair as he, Elise, Mark, Collins, and Dominic waited at La Guardia airport for Mimi's plane to land. When it finally did, Roger's mouth broke into a wide smile, as she came running toward them through the baggage claim.

"Roger!" she yelled happily, running over to hug him.

"Mimi," Roger said breathlessly, grinning and hugging her tightly. "I've missed you so much. How have you been?" He gave her a quick once-over and said earnestly, "You look amazing."

"Thanks. So do you," Mimi said, smiling brightly. "I feel amazing. I've missed you so much, too. Collins!" she squealed happily, hugging Collins tightly.

"Baby girl, you look so great!" Collins said, beaming at her.

"You look great, too, honey," Mimi said to him, smiling as she kissed him on the cheek. "Man, I am so glad to be home!"

"We're so glad you're here," Roger said to her.

"Who is this?" Mimi asked, turning to face Elise.

"Mimi, I'd like you to meet Elise," Roger said. "She's my girlfriend. This is her son, Dominic. He's three."

"It's nice to meet you," Elise said.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Mimi said, smiling and shaking Elise's hand. "Where are you from? Hi, Dominic, I'm Mimi," she added to Dominic.

"Hi, Mimi," he replied. "That's a pretty name."

"Aw, thank you," Mimi said, smiling and hugging him. "I think your name is pretty cool, too."

"Well, I was born in France, but we immigrated to America when I was six months old. So being raised in New York City, I consider it my hometown," Elise said.

"I thought I heard an accent," Mimi said, smiling. "It's great to meet you. How long have you two been going out?"

"Almost four months," Elise said.

"Well, I'm happy for you," Mimi said.

"Thank you." Elise smiled at Mimi.

"Where are Maureen and Joanne?" Mimi asked, looking around.

"They're living in San Francisco," Roger said. "They hope to start a family there. I think Mo wants to adopt."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Mimi said, smiling. "Can we call them? I haven't talked to them in so long..."

"Of course," Roger said. "Jo was the one who tracked you down, anyway, so I'm sure Mo knows you're back in town. Most likely, she'll want to hop a plane and come see you herself."

Mimi laughed. Roger realized how much he'd missed her laughter these past several months. "I can't wait to catch up with her," Mimi said.

"Should we go to the Life to celebrate your return?" Elise asked Mimi.

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Baby girl," Collins said.

Then the group turned and headed to the Life Café to celebrate Mimi's return and her successful return to health with a night of partying and being together.

"Hey, baby?" Roger asked Elise, a few days before their six-month anniversary. "What do you say to you and me going to Coney Island for the weekend?"

"Really, Roger?" Elise asked, surprised. "That's our six-month anniversary."

"Yeah, so I was thinking Sophia or Mimi could watch Dominic for the day and we could go together and have some fun," Roger said.

"Roger, I have fun with you, no matter where it is," Elise said, smiling.

"So what do you say?" he asked. "Of course, if you want, we can bring Dominic along. I wouldn't mind riding some of the kiddy rides with him." Roger grinned.

"I say yes and let's call Sophia and let her know," Elise said.

"Great, baby," Roger said, smiling and holding her close.

"Baby, are you gonna eat that?" Roger asked Elise, who held the ball of cotton candy. They were walking the boardwalk, eating corn dogs for dinner. Elise had bought some cotton candy to eat, she had never had it before, but after one bite, had found it to be disgusting and hadn't wanted any more.

"Ugh, no," Elise said. She handed it to him and he tore a huge chunk of it off with his teeth. She scrunched up her nose. "How can you eat that stuff? It is pure sugar and so bad for you."

"Makes me sweeter," Roger said, smiling coyly at her.

"You're already sweet," Elise said, linking her arm through his and leaning against him.

"Baby, will you go with me on the Cyclone?" Roger asked her.

"Uh, definitely not," Elise scoffed. "I'm afraid of roller coasters."

"No way," Roger said, "really?" Elise nodded. "But you'll be with me." Elise still adamantly refused. "All right, well, if you won't go on that with me, will you at least go on the Ferris Wheel with me?"

Elise took him by the arm. "OK," she said, "let's go."

"Good, because I have a surprise for you," Roger said, in a sing-song voice.

Elise laughed and squealed excitedly. "I can't wait," she said.

They ran together to the Ferris wheel and Roger got two tickets and they got into a seat. A worker came around and pulled the bar down over them and locked it and Roger and Elise waited for the ride to start. As the ride started to move backward, Roger leaned his head against Elise's shoulder and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair.

At the end of the second rotation, Roger pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket.

"Elise, I have something to ask you," he said.

"Yes, Roger?" Elise asked, lifting her head from his shoulder.

Roger held up the ring box and opened it, just as they were nearing the top of the rotation. "Elise Camille Ansell, will you do the honor of marrying me?"

Elise's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "I— um..." she stammered. She momentarily forgot where she was, then looked down as they crested the top of the rotation. "Yes, I will!" Then she shrieked and clung to Roger's neck as they went down the third time, Roger laughing hysterically the whole way.

After the ride ended, he helped her off, then slipped the ring on her finger and took her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

"I love you," he said to her.

Elise giggled. "I love you, too," she said, kissing him back.

Later that night, Elise went in to Dominic's room to see him. He was asleep, but he awoke when she stroked his silky golden hair.

"Hey, baby boy," she whispered.

"Mommy, how was Coney Island?" Dominic asked, rolling over onto his back and looking up at her.

"Coney Island was great, sweetie," Elise said. "I have something to tell you."

"What?" Dominic asked.

"Tonight, Roger asked me to marry him," Elise said. "That means he's gonna be your bonus daddy. Is that OK with you?"

"Yeah, of course it's OK with me!" Dominic said excitedly. He smiled, then looked confused. "Am I still gonna see Daddy?"

"Yes, sweetie, you will, every other weekend and for two weeks in the summer, like normal," Elise assured him. "Just go to sleep now, OK? I'll see you in the morning."

"OK. Night, Mommy, I love you," Dominic said. "Night, Roger."

"Good night, my sweet boy," Elise said.

"Night, buddy," Roger said.

Dominic rolled over to go back to sleep. Roger put his arm around Elise as she came out to the hallway. He had been watching. She nestled up close to him.

"So he approves," Roger said. "That's exciting. It was nice of you to get his input. I don't want him feeling uncomfortable with me."

"Thank you, Roger, that's very sweet of you," Elise said. "But I don't think you have to worry about that. He loves you just as much as me and his daddy. He's my little protector." She looked up at him. "Hey, how about you spend the night here tonight? Get away from the loft for a night?"

"Are you sure?" Roger asked. "What will Dom think?"

"Roger, we're engaged now," Elise said. "He will have to get used to Mommy sleeping with his bonus daddy, since we are going to get married."

"Hey, I like that term," Roger said seductively.

He picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. They lay down on the bed together.

"Good, because I do, too," Elise said. She went into the bathroom and changed into a pick lingerie nightgown.

"Hey, you look beautiful," Roger said in awe, his voice a few octaves lower than usual.

"You mean, for a model?" Elise asked.

"I mean, for a bride," Roger said, going over to her and taking her into his arms.

They lay down on the bed together in companionable silence. Roger leaned over and kissed her tenderly. Elise deepened the kiss. They broke away only when the need to breathe was high. Roger and Elise attacked each other's mouths in a playful, yet firm manner. They kissed each other on opposite lips, alternating dominance. Roger had stripped down to his boxers while Elise had been changing, so there was little need to remove any clothing.

"Do you have any condoms?" he asked her.

"In the nightstand drawer," Elise said.

Roger nodded, opened the drawer, took out a condom, opened the package, and put it on. Then he took Elise back into his arms and kissed her.

"Are you sure you're ready?" he asked her.

"Yes," Elise said. "Roger, I love you. You're gonna be my husband soon. I want to be with you."

Roger nodded. "I want to be with you, too." He began to make love to her. It was fluid and passionate and beautiful.

When they were finished, Roger lay next to Elise and held her slender frame next to his.

"I love you," he whispered, his mouth close to her cheek.

"I love you, too," Elise said.

She rolled partially over and leaned up and kissed him tenderly, running her fingers through his long curly hair. Then they fell asleep in each others' arms.

The next day, Elise invited Mark and the Bohemians over to her house, so she and Roger could share the big news.

"So what's the emergency?" Collins asked, as he walked into the loft. Mimi was with him; she was staying with him at his place.

"Well, it is two things, really," Roger said, as everyone, including Dominic and Sophia, sat down in the living room area. "First of all, I'm moving out of the loft."

Roger was expecting the reaction he got. "What? Why?" Collin and Mark asked simultaneously.

A look of comprehension and suspicion dawned on Collins' face, as his eyes darted to Elise and he saw the ring. "Oh, no way," he said. "I know what's up."

"Elise and I are engaged," Roger said, grinning.

Collins, Mark, Mimi, and Sophia beamed.

"Baby girl, that's amazing!" Collins said, hugging Elise. "I can't believe Roger's actually finally settling down."

"Chica, that's so great," Mimi said, bounding forward and hugging Elise.

"That's great, Elise, really," Mark said earnestly, smiling.

"I mean, it won't be the same without you, man," Collins said to Roger, hugging him and patting him on the back.

"But I also won't have been the first person to move out of the loft, either," Roger pointed out.

Roger was right. He felt ready to move out, away from the memories of April's suicide, Mimi's overdose and leaving to go to Mexico (even though she had now returned), to somewhere new, to start over. And it wasn't like he was leaving the country, not even the city. He would still be close to Collins and Mark and Mimi and everyone else, save for Maureen and Joanne in San Francisco.

"Well, whatever you decide, I'm happy for you," Collins said. "But I'm gonna miss you, man. Believe it or not, it's gonna be quiet around here without you."

"I'm probably gonna miss it around there, too," Roger said.

"Me too, Rog," Mark said. "Hey, you should call Maureen and Joanne and tell them."

"Oh man, Mo's gonna be bad, isn't she?" Roger asked, grimacing.

"Yeah, especially since she hasn't even met Elise yet," Collins said, grinning.

"It'll be kind of crazy," Mark said. He went and got the phone and put it on speaker. "But a good crazy, I think." He dialed their number in San Francisco and squeezed his eyes shut and waited with bated breath.

Maureen picked up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Maureen, it's Mark," Mark said.

"Oh, hey, baby, how are you?" Maureen asked in a babyish voice.

"I'm good, I'm good," Mark said, blushing at the others laughing silently at him. He wished Maureen would stop calling him that; after all, she and Joanne were working out quite well now, after counseling and a lot of talking. There was no need for her to continue speaking to him in such a flirtatious manner. "Hey, I'm calling because Roger has good news. Put us on speaker, will you?"

"Sure, hang on." Mark heard a click. "OK, you're on speaker. What's up, Roger?"

"Well, Mo," he said, "there's someone here I want you to meet. Mo, Jo, meet Elise."

"Hi, Maureen, Joanne," Elise said.

"Ooh, she has an accent," Maureen said excitedly. "Is that French?"

"Yes," Elise said. "My last name is Ansell. I model for Ralph Lauren."

"Ooh," Maureen squealed, "how did you two meet?"

"My son ran into Roger on the street, actually," Elise said.

"Aw, you have a son," Maureen asked, sounding delighted, "how old?"

"Dominic will be four in December," Elise said.

"Well, if that isn't the cutest thing in the world," Maureen cooed. "I'm happy for you two."

"There's more, Mo," Roger said, coming back into the conversation. "We're engaged."

Silence, then Maureen shrieked happily.

"Oh, my God, Roger!" she squealed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Mo, we only got engaged yesterday," Roger said, laughing. "You two are the third and fourth people to know. Next up are my parents and Mark's."

"Oh man," Mark groaned, "my mother's going to revolting."

"Your mother, Mark?" Roger said pointedly, grinning. "I'm the one who's engaged and they haven't even met her yet. We gotta do that and fast."

"Roger, it'll be a few, maybe several, months before the actual ceremony can be performed," Elise said, "assuming it isn't just City Hall. We'll have time." Roger nodded.

"Well, it is great to meet you, Elise," Joanne said, "unofficially. Next time, I won't let Maureen do all the talking. Call us with the date and we'll fly in for the ceremony and to meet you officially."

"Sounds great, Joanne," Elise said. "It was great to meet you unofficially."

"Bye, Mo, Jo," Roger said, and he hung up the phone. "Well, that went well."

"You're surprised?" Collins asked. "Mo was bound to go happy ballistic on you getting married."

Roger smiled and hugged Elise close. "I'm so happy right now, I could burst," he said, nuzzling her hair with his nose.

"Me too, Roger, but don't," Elise said, holding out her arm so Dominic could join in on the group hug.

"Hey, Elise," Mark said, "do you think you could help me with something?"

Elise, Roger, Dominic, Mimi, and Collins had hung out at Elise's house all day, a week later, celebrating Roger's official moving out of the loft into Elise's house.

"Sure, Mark, what's up?" Elise asked him.

"Not here," Mark said, shaking his head. He beckoned to her and she followed him into the kitchen.

"I'd like to take you to Tompkins Square Park," Mark said, lowering his voice, "to do a little... project. I'd like to photograph you to make a collage of sorts for Roger, as a wedding gift. I'll have a hairstylist and make-up artist and everything borrowed from Ralph Lauren. I know it's rather spontaneous, but..."

"No, Mark, it's a really sweet thought, thank you," Elise said. "Let's do it."

"OK, cool," Mark said. "So meet me tomorrow morning at the loft and we can have breakfast, then go to the park and do the photo shoot? It might take several hours, maybe even all day, depending on the weather and crowds and stuff."

"Sure, I'll let Roger know. He and Collins can spend the day with Dominic and give Sophia the day off. He and Dom would love that," Elise said.

"Great," Mark said, smiling, "thanks, Elise. Want to go back out to our family now?"

"Yes, please," Elise said, smiling at him and going back out to their family in the living room.

I know this chapter was different than the rest of them, but I wanted a family scenario and to bring Maureen and Joanne a little bit back into the story. Their pairing isn't a major part of this story, but they are still just a phone call or letter away. And I think it was just like Maureen to hog the phone, don't you? And I've wanted Mimi to return, happy and healthy, ever since hers and Roger's argument earlier in the story about her entering rehab in Mexico. A picture of happy, healthy Mimi (my first Mimi since becoming a Renthead, and third-favorite of the portrayals I've seen, Rosario Dawson) is below this author's note. And I bet you guys saw an engagement coming, didn't you? If you did, ha ha, you know me too well!! LOL.

This chapter is building up to something really big, the climax of the story, which will be posted up soon. All three climax chapters will be posted up at once, starting around Thursday, I think. We'll see. If I have nothing to do, I'll update sooner. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review! Thank you kindly. I'll update again soon. The climax chapers will probably be posted up this coming weekend, so keep an eye out for them.

A happy, healthy Mimi, returning clean and sober from rehab in Mexico: http:// www. instablogsimages .com /images/ 2008/ 01 /28/ rosario-dawson_191 .jpg (no spaces, of course)

If any of the links do not work or are broken or anything, let me know and I will do my best to remedy this ASAP. Thank you.