A/N: the following chapter is a personal favorite of mine, so I hope you like it. Make sure to let us know if you do! Happy reading x ~ThexInvisiblexGirl

Chapter Nine

She should have known making up wouldn't change much between them. Even though Mark had forgiven her, things were still cold between them. Sure, he still called her every day, but there was something off about it. When she did see him, he was still sort of distant. When he kissed her, he looked as if he was forced to do so. Never once did he ask her to stay the night, nor did he stay at hers. More than she was upset, she was helpless. She had no idea how to fix this.

"You know, if you came to see him and not me, you're wasting your time," Roger said then. She blinked. She almost forgot he was there. His eyes were resentful, as if her thoughts were laid out at his reach. "He left about an hour ago."

"Do you know when he's coming back?"

He rolled his eyes. "I don't know, I don't care," he stated, calmly sipping his coffee. Then he made a face, and when he next looked at her, it was with appreciation. "This is good stuff, Maureen. Thank God you can afford it."

"Don't get used to it, I'm not gonna spoil you often," she muttered, tracing the carton cup with her finger. Earlier that day she had a meeting with Anthony at Purple Sky. On her way to the loft, she stopped at a coffee shop and got them some coffee, the better kind, the one they couldn't afford on a normal day. Today, however, she felt like celebrating. Anthony was so impressed with her performance the previous week that he wanted her back at his club the week afterwards.

"I hope this guy keeps you in his club," said Roger, taking the lid off his cup to sniff the coffee. "I could definitely get used to this," he added, carefully tossing the cup in the air.

"If he keeps me, it's not thanks to you," she commented, narrowing her eyes at him. He seemed puzzled; she gave him a reproaching look. "You still haven't told me what that was all about, that day with Snaps."

Roger pursed his lips. "No comment."

"She and Mark seemed pretty close that night."

But before she managed to complete her inquiry, he cut her off. "If this is about Mark again then I told you. I don't know, I don't care. As far as I know, he talked Alex into helping him make up with me because he didn't have the guts to come and speak to me himself. It hardly changes things. So if asking me about him is all you mean to do today – "

"Whoa, chill, Roger, I didn't say anything. God," she shook her head. "You're acting really immature about all this."

He glared at her accusingly. "I thought you were on my side."

"I am on your side! But you and Mark are best friends – "

"Were best friends."

"Are best friends," she scowled at him, "and you can't throw it away because of what happened! You don't want to forgive Mimi, fine, no one is making you. But Mark has been there for you in the shittiest moments of your life; don't you think you owe him a sincere apology at the very least? Is it better to be shut in here all day by yourself?"

His eyes were hard and cold, but she didn't flinch when he glowered at her. "If you came here to preach, Maureen, I think you'd better go. I'm not in the mood."

"That's just it! You're never in the mood! All you do is mope around and feel sorry for yourself! Be honest, now. Do you see anyone else except for me and Alex?" she pressed him. He lowered his head in silent admittance. She sighed. "I thought so," she said quietly.

"You know what might help."

His tone was half a question, half a statement. She was kind of taken aback he was initiating an idea to help himself. "What?"

"If you moved back in." She didn't even have a chance to respond when he continued, his voice earnest, his eyes urgent on hers. "It will bring some life into this place. It's been ages since someone laughed here. Please think about it, Maureen, you were supposed to move back in anyway."

"I… don't know," she replied, her mind racing. What was she supposed to say? It was a sealed fact she'd move in, but that was… before.

"Why not? Because of him?" he sort of spat the last word. She flinched beneath his resentful glare. "He wouldn't mind. It was his idea, remember?"

That was weeks ago, before Mimi and Alex and everything else that had happened. Did Mark still want her to move back in with them? She wasn't sure anymore. He had never brought it up again. "Don't you think we ought to tell him, at least?"

"If that's what worries you then fine, I'll talk to him," he said, but it didn't sound as if he really meant it. She'd talk to Mark herself, she decided. "Please, Maureen? Just say you'll think about it. Give me an answer over the weekend. No pressure."

She laughed nervously. No matter what he said; she could feel the pressure alright. "Fine. I'll think about it."

His relief was instant, but it felt so wrong. His eyes were glimmering with hope now, but it wasn't enough. Depression and misery still lingered beneath it, like a shadow. He shouldn't rely on small things like that. It shouldn't come to this. When she next spoke, she kept her tone gentle. "Honey, you can't do this to yourself just because a girl has turned you down. You need to go out, you need…" Then something dawned on her, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. She knew what he needed – she knew exactly what he needed. "Why don't you get the band back together?"

He gave her a look, but she didn't let it deter her. "I'm serious! It did the trick for me. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have those few performances at Purple Sky last week." She smiled sneakily when another thing occurred to her. "I bet I can even get you guys a gig there." It was like showing a kid a candy. Or so she hoped.

"I'm not getting the band together."

She wasn't really surprised, but she was quite pissed off he just negated the idea without even thinking it through. "Why the hell not?"

"Just forget about it, Maureen, this is a bad idea."

"I'm only trying to help," she said, looking at him beseechingly.

"You are helping. You're here. That's all the help I can ask for."

A knock came at the door. She leaned back in her seat, too baffled to feel uplifted at the possibility it would be Mark. She wasn't used to not getting her way, and she really thought she'd get her way over this. Roger's reaction made no sense to her at all. He lived for his music; why wouldn't he want to give it a chance? She wanted to say more. She wanted to yell at him he had to get a grip and stop being so passive or she'd get Collins. Hmm. That might actually work.

She was so absorbed in organizing her new tactic that she didn't notice the attack before it was too late.

"'Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!"

"Hi, kid, what are you doing here?" she giggled, trying to balance herself against Jacob's death grip. The guys' sofa was a mess, but she didn't think extra coffee stains would improve its look. She gave Roger an inquiring look from over Jacob's shoulder as she leaned forward to place her cup on the coffee table.

He shrugged. "We have a lesson. I thought I'd told you."

"I think you forgot," she laughed. "Well, I'll be going then."

"No, don't go, 'Reen, please stay and play with us! Please, please, please!" He spoke about 100 words per second. He wasn't in the room for ten minutes, and already she was feeling dizzy. He climbed onto her lap and wrapped his small arms around her neck. "Now you have to stay," he stated, flashing a toothy grin at her.

Roger burst out laughing. The sound was strange to her ears, but she embraced it. "I'll go get my guitar. You can stay if you want, Mo, although I doubt it's a matter of choice now." He was still laughing when he disappeared in the hallway.

"Where's your daddy, Jacob?" she asked once Roger was out of her hearing range. Considering her recent experience, she knew how he'd react to a question like that, and she decided to spare herself the annoyance of having to clear things out again.

"Dad is working. He fixes bikes," Jacob informed her. There was such admiration in his voice, as if fixing bikes equated to being a lawyer or a doctor. As far as Jacob was concerned, it was right there at the top.

"Really? So how did you get here? Did you fly here?" she asked casually, keeping a straight face as she tickled his sides.

"No, 'Reen, don't, stop it!" Jacob yelped.

"His babysitter dropped him off," said Roger, who was back now carrying two guitars. His eyes glimmered mischievously; she wondered if he had overheard her.

At the sight of his guitar, Jacob's eyes lit up. Laughing, she released him and watched as he took the smaller guitar from Roger. She scooted to the corner of the sofa, tucked her feet beneath her and retrieved her coffee. A small grin curled on her lips as she watched the two of them.

"Okay, Jacob, listen. Today's lesson is very important," Roger said. His expression was strict and his tone somber, just like a teacher's. "Today we're going to learn how to play in front of an audience," he continued, nodding towards her. "And we'll have to do it well. Maureen is a singer, you know, so she'll be able to tell if we fake it."

Jacob's eyes were on her again. He looked awed. "You sing?"

"Yeah, I do," her grin widened.

"Maybe if you're good, she'll agree to sing with you."

Jacob almost dropped his guitar in his excitement. "Please, 'Reen? You can sing and me and Uncle Roger can play the guitar and Dad can bring his drums when he – "

For a moment, she panicked. She didn't know any kids' songs! How could she possibly let that sweet boy down?

Roger, who seemed to be sensing her distress, took advantage of Jacob's enthusiasm (he was bouncing around the room trying to persuade her to sing with him) and leaned closer to her. "You're good at improvising," he said. "Make something up."

Roger taught Jacob how to play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Maureen found herself humming the lyrics as Roger demonstrated the song to Jacob. Every few notes he stopped to correct the position of Jacob's fingers on the guitar or to give him performance tips. She was so proud of Roger. He actually got over himself, dropped the bitterness and resentment, and invested himself in his job. He was taking it so seriously; it was admirable.

Once Jacob got the whole tune, Maureen and Roger sang along, and Roger also accompanied Jacob on his own guitar, all the while keeping their pace slow to match Jacob's. The dork that he was, Roger somehow managed to manipulate the last note so that they ended the song in a perfect harmony.

"Wow! Awesome! Again, 'Reen!" Jacob exclaimed, clapping and bouncing in his seat.

"I think it's time we show the kid how it's really done, Mo, what d'you say?" Roger asked, winking, before he disappeared in the hallway again. She knew what he was planning when a minute later he got back with his fender and plugged it in.

The rock rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star was even better. About three lines in, both of them were completely into it. Roger even did those rock star movements that made Jacob holler with laughter. Ever the actress, Maureen used the guys' coffee table as her stage and the remote as a mic. She sang her throat out, riffing the hell out of every line. Honestly, she had never thought that a simple lullaby could sound so hardcore. Now she was seriously considering to talk Ryan into getting it on her setlist for the next –

"My, my, it's quite a party in here."

She froze mid-note at the sound of Alex's voice. He stood by the door and observed the scene in front of him, his full lips curling with a smile. His black shirt stretched across his broad, muscular chest, his jeans were a perfect fit, hanging low on his waist but not too low. Even for a jerk, he was good-looking. She hoped she wasn't staring.

"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Jacob yelled, nearly knocking Alex over as he threw his arms around his knees.

She took advantage of Alex's distraction to hop off the table. If she was guilty at staring, he was definitely looking her over as well. She was glad she had her best jeans on.

"What's going on here?" Alex asked, laughing, as he rumpled his son's hair. He scowled at Roger, but he was obviously kidding. "This is what I pay you for?"

"Well, you should know better than to give Roger your money," said Maureen, smiling sweetly.

"I'd pay you for a longer performance," he suggested, winking.

She rolled her eyes. "Dream on."

"Ready to go, rock star?" Alex asked Jacob, who nodded. "Roger, thanks for everything, man," he added, throwing Jacob's bag over his shoulder.

"'Reen, you coming too, right?"

There was death silence in the room. Suddenly they were all looking at her. Jacob's eyes were pleading. She didn't even want to start pondering what she had found in Alex and Roger's eyes. She tried not to look at them as she replied. "Sure, I'll just grab my stuff."

Jacob grabbed her hand as soon as they were out of the door. He didn't stop chattering from the moment Alex had walked in, and now he was telling his dad about their little performance. Alex walked a few paces ahead of them, as if to make sure Jacob wouldn't slip down the stairs in his enthusiasm.

She lost track of the conversation once they passed Mimi's door. She squinted, trying to see if there was a light beneath the threshold, but it was impossible to tell. She hadn't seen her since the day Collins left. It sounded like she was doing better than Roger, from the little she had gathered from Mark. For a moment she thought she should stop and say hi, but quickly decided against it. What if Mimi had to work that night, and she was taking a nap or something?

She scolded herself the moment the excuse invaded her mind. Coward is what you are, she told herself. And she was. She just couldn't figure out which one was scarier: confronting Mimi, or confronting Roger if he ever found out.

She was still trying to decide which of the two was worse when two flights down, Alex's voice suddenly rose above his son's and erupted her daydream. "Mark! Hey!"

She halted, and gasped. He looked equally surprised to find her there. His eyes widened for a split second, betraying the indifferent apparel she came to know so well in the past week. But there was something else there, a shadow she didn't recognize, and then she realized what it was when she remembered whom she was with. Shit.

"'Reen, come on!" said Jacob as he tried to pull her down the stairs.

"Just a minute, sweetie," she said weakly, her eyes still on Mark. Her mind was working furiously. She couldn't decipher his expression. What he was thinking?

"Come on, Jacob, I'll race you downstairs."

At his father's suggestion, Jacob instantly let go of her hand. She smiled involuntarily. He had so much energy; it was unreal. She waited until she could no longer hear their shuffling feet and looked up at Mark. He just stood there, his hands in his pockets. His expression was the same as a few moments ago – a mixture of surprise, reluctance, betrayal…?

"Roger said you were out," she said softly. "I guess I missed you by a few minutes, I came straight from my meeting."

"Yeah, probably." His tone was flat, indifferent, like he couldn't care less whether she had missed him or not.

The silence on his end was not encouraging, to say the least, but she found herself talking again. Anything was better than silence. "Anthony is giving me a few gigs next week, too."

Not a hug, not a hint of a smile. "That's great."

Was he waiting for an explanation? Surely she had nothing to apologize for, didn't she? She came to see him, and he wasn't in. And the thing with Jacob, well, she would have told him if he bothered to say more than three words to her whenever they talked. She sighed inwardly. There was no point. "Well, I… I'd better go." She took a decided step forward and laid a kiss on his lips. "I'll talk to you later."

Only when she left the building, it dawned on her he didn't kiss her back.

Jacob ran to her as soon as he saw her go out. "Did he kiss you? Did he kiss you?" he demanded, all but dancing around her excitedly.

"What?" she asked, flustered. She shot Alex a murderous glare.

"He wanted to know why you stayed behind," he shrugged, not the least intimidated. "I explained Mark was your boyfriend."

She didn't know why she was surprised. It was Alex, after all. As far as she knew, he had already given that kid the sex talk. Why wait until he was 18, really?

"So did he kiss you?" Jacob asked again, and she nearly toppled forward. It was like being pulled by a tow truck.

"No, he didn't." She didn't realize how much it hurt until she had to admit it.

"My friend Taylor's brother has a girlfriend," he struggled a bit with the long word, "and they kiss all the time. It's gross!"

"It can be nice, if it's someone you love," Alex told him, throwing a glance at her. She wondered if he was thinking of how he had kissed her a few weeks back.

"You love Mark?" Jacob inquired.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling sadly. "I do."

The rest of their walk was quiet on her side. There was just too much on her mind to take an active part in the conversation. Luckily, Jacob didn't notice. Alex kept him well distracted as he told him about this bike he was fixing at work. His words passed right through her, almost a background noise. Her thoughts were gloomy again, wandering between Roger's refusal to reunite his band, his suggestion she'd move back in, and Mark's indifference. Her energy was all gone. She just wanted to be home again.

Soon, she got her wish. They crossed the street with her, and only when they stopped on the sidewalk, Jacob let go of her hand. "Dad," he said urgently, and went to whisper something in Alex's ear.

Alex nodded, and looked up at her. There was apology in his eyes. "Looks like we're gonna have to go up for a sec, if that's okay."

Although she had vowed never to have him in her apartment again, she guessed she could make an exception for Jacob.

Alex went to show Jacob where the bathroom was, and then joined her in the living room. "I'm sorry about the kissing thing," he said. He actually looked sheepish, which caught her a bit off-guard. "Being a dad sucks sometimes. He asks really tough questions."

He looked so frustrated, as if for the first time in his life, he was helpless. It made her smile. "It's fine. I don't mind it, coming from him."

He returned her smile, but only for a moment, before he observed her more closely. "Are you okay? You were kind of quiet on the way here."

She should have known it wouldn't escape him. "Yeah, I'm just… it's nothing."

"Talking helps," he said, smiling a bit, as if with encouragement.

Hmm. Maybe he could help. Roger would listen to Alex, if he didn't listen to her. "I was trying to talk Roger into getting your band together. I was thinking that the music would get his mind off the Mimi thing. But he won't listen. I can't stand to see him like that," she confessed, peering up at him. The worst thing he could do now was make fun of her.

But he didn't. He stared contemplatively at the opposite wall before he replied. "You know what, that's actually not a bad idea."

She frowned. "He doesn't think so. He wouldn't listen."

"Well, he'll listen to me."

He sounded confident, but she didn't know anymore. She had seen Roger in bad shape once and it wasn't pretty. Now was a completely different case, but she still worried about him.

Alex took her hand; her heart skipped a beat. He locked his gaze with hers. "I'll fix this, okay?"

She couldn't bring herself to speak; she nodded briefly.

"Is there anything else?" he asked, gently squeezing her hand.

She'd tell him, she decided. She knew he was waiting to hear what happened anyway. "Mark – "

"Dad?"

Alex's grip loosened; her arm dropped to her side. "Are you ready to go?"

Instead of replying, Jacob walked towards her. She hoped he didn't get a chance to see them holding hands. Not that it meant anything, but Jacob's perspective was different than hers. He would interpret it as something. She smiled when he hugged her knees. He looked upset. His eyes looked huge when he looked up at her pleadingly. "Can't we stay over? Please?"

She stared at him speechless. Alex was right. He was asking tough questions. How was she supposed to respond to that?

"I think Maureen is kind of busy today, Jacob," said Alex. "Come on. Let's get you home."

"No, I wanna stay," he insisted. His lower lip began to tremble.

"How about this," she found herself say as she knelt next to him. She couldn't stand seeing him so sad. The way he pouted his lips made her heart twitch. "Go home like your dad says, and you can stay over some other night." She threw a glance at Alex, hoping it was the right thing to say. He mouthed 'thank you' from over Jacob's head.

"Okay," Jacob finally relented. He didn't object when Alex scooped him in his arms. His body was sort of limp; she figured he must be worn out.

"Hey, I was thinking of something," Alex said as she walked them to the door. "Didn't you used to have a bike?"

Although Jacob was tired now, his eyes lit up when he heard the question. "You have a bike?"

"Yeah," she said, replying to both. It was in a pretty bad shape, and she couldn't afford fixing it, so she hardly used it. It spent most of its time in the basement. "I don't think she's seen daylight since last Christmas." And even then, she was scared shitless to go on it, but the diva in her had wanted her grand entry for her performance at the lot.

"I could fix it for you, if you want."

"I won't be able to pay you."

"Pffftt, I don't need your money," he said, looking offended. "I'll have a look at it."

"It's really hopeless," she tried to protest. She didn't feel comfortable with him doing things for her. It didn't feel right. She didn't want anything from him.

"Leave that to me," he assured her, smiling confidently. Then he gave her that look again, and she was glad Jacob seemed to be dozing off against his shoulder. Please don't kiss me, she thought anyway. She wouldn't know what to do with herself if he did. She didn't have feelings for him, honestly, she didn't. But she was vulnerable. She couldn't trust herself not to do something stupid when that was the case.

To her relief, he just took her hand again (which was good because Jacob couldn't possibly notice it) and squeezed it again before he turned to go.

xoxox

Mark didn't call. She was trying to tell herself she wasn't staring at the phone, that she was extremely interested in the movie on-screen, but she couldn't even lie to herself. And now, hours later, she was starting to feel guilty – guilty, of all things! But why did she have to choose sides? Roger was like a brother to her. So what if he and Mark had issues? Was she supposed to stop hanging out with him? Ugh, boys. Sometimes she just couldn't figure them out. She wished they'd stop behaving like second-graders.

The loud shrill of the phone came out of nowhere. Her heart threatened to burst in her chest as she grabbed it. "Hello?" she said breathlessly.

"Maureen?"

Her heart sank, or exploded. Disappointment hit her like a punch. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm down and tell herself it didn't matter. "Alex. Hey."

"Are you okay? You sound kind of weird."

"I just… thought it was someone else." She didn't know why she was admitting this to him.

"Oh. Sorry." She knew he knew. It wasn't that difficult to guess whom she hoped it would be. "I just thought you'd want to know I talked to Roger. We're getting the band together."

She sat up, her own problems gone. "Really?"

He laughed softly. "Yeah. Really. So you might want to make that call to your manager or whatever the hell he is for you."

She could hear the excitement in his tone. "Oh my God, how did you even – what did you – "

"I told you. He'd have to listen. I'm gonna call Chuck and Ashley tomorrow. Roger wasn't too thrilled about asking Snaps back in, too, but it just won't be the same without her."

"What do you know about Snaps and Mark?" she blurted the question without thinking.

He snorted. "Snaps and Mark? Where did you get that idea?"

"I don't know, they just… seem pretty close."

"Don't tell me you're jealous," he said incredulously. "She ain't got nothing on you, Maureen, you know that." She snorted. Snaps might be weird, and she might have turned Alex down in various opportunities, but she was by no means unattractive. Huge eyes, gorgeous smile, curvy hips, and those body paintings. Back in the day, she used to think those were sexy as hell. Well, if she was honest with herself, she still did. "You have nothing to worry about. They're just about as close as you and me."

But that made her twice as worried, because she suddenly realized they did become close, closer than she had ever thought she could get with Alex Meyers.

"Still there, Maureen?"

She closed her eyes. Over the phone, his voice sounded deeper, raspier, getting right through her. "Yeah, I'm still here."

"Anyway, I don't want to keep the line in case he does call," he said, his voice softening. "I just thought you'd want to know about Roger."

"Yeah, thanks for telling me."

"And I'll see what I can do about that bike."

"Sure. Thanks."

"You're welcome." She thought he was smiling. "Good night."

She was slightly more optimistic when she hung up. Alex would get the band together, and tomorrow she'd ask about getting them a gig at the club, and it would be just like old times. Maybe she could do a few songs with them. This was just what Roger needed. She'd move back in with them, and soon everything would be okay again. They didn't need Collins' help after all. She was glad things didn't get to that.

Only when she began to doze off on the sofa, she remembered Mark still hadn't called her.