A/N Thanks to everyone that's reviewed! It really helps! It's been fun
having a non-angsty yet fun Mark!
I'm going out of town and won't have computer access for almost a month, so I've decided to post the last three chapters so no one loses interest or has to wait for the ending. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks again for all the reviews I have received so far. Please let me know how you liked it once you've completed it.
Chapter 6
"Ms. Jefferson, he won't give me any information. All he says is to tell you its Mark."
"That's fine. Put him through." She waited for the call to be connected. "Hey, Mark."
"Hey. What was with the third degree? Are you trying to avoid me too?"
"What? No." Joanne laughed. "She's just new. Trying to make a good impression I think. So what's up?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. What did I do this time?" He asked her, somewhat disgusted.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Maureen. What else? The last time I talked to her was the middle of November. That was almost a month ago! I've been trying to get a hold of her for the last three weeks. I wanted her advice with something and to talk to her and she won't return my calls. What did I do? Why is she avoiding me?"
Joanne sighed. "The one time she actually listens, she takes it to extremes! I swear. I'm sorry Mark."
"What's going on?"
"Look we all know Maureen has 'issues' involving you." He started to say something but she kept going. "She's somewhat possessive of you. Well, maybe not as possessive anymore, maybe more like protective of you."
"Great." He muttered.
"Look, I'm sorry. She's got an issue. You know how she is. I told her she had to just leave it be. I figured she could stew on it for awhile, then by the time she was ready to talk to you, she would have calmed down and not make a big scene. I'm the one that told her if she couldn't leave it be, then she needed to leave you alone for awhile. I'm sorry Mark. I had no idea she'd been avoiding you for a month. That's just so, not Maureen."
"Well, what's her problem? Does this have something to do with Chelsea?"
"Somewhat yes. Look, go over to our place tonight. You two need to talk. She'll be there, I promise. And I'll find a meeting or something to go to."
"But what's it all about?"
"Please Mark, just talk to her. You need to hear it from her. Okay? I'm sorry. It's not my place to tell you. I don't think it's her's either, but if she doesn't, it's going to tear your friendship apart. Please."
"Okay. Tonight. Bye Joanne."
*********
Maureen heard the knocking and started walking to the door. "Pookie! Can't you find your key?" She started to unlock it. "I picked up Chinese food like you asked. But why did you want general's chicken, You never eat that. Mark does!" She opened the door. "Oh."
"Can I come in?"
"Joanne will be home soon. We're having dinner."
"No you're not, she's the one that told me to come over tonight."
"Oh." Maureen looked at the floor. "That explains the general's chicken."
Mark walked past Maureen into the apartment. "What's going on Mo? Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not." She lied.
"Not an academy award winning performance. Now tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing." She could feel she was losing her resolve.
"Bull."
"Mark.."
"What's going on Mo? Does this have something to do with Chelsea?"
"I."
"Damn it Maureen! Tell me!"
Tears were welling up in her eyes. "I just don't want to see you wasting your life over him anymore!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Him!" She was crying hard now. "You've spent your whole life running after him. Taking care of him. Even now. He's gone Mark. Gone! Roger's dead and you can't do anything about it!"
"Roger? Maureen what the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you love her? Do you?"
"Who? Chelsea? Yeah, I do." He told her, slightly meaner than he meant. He was just very confused at the moment.
"Why? Why do you love her?"
"Because I do. What do you care?"
"You can't fall in love with someone because of him! You can't do it Mark! Not because of Roger. They won't bring him back!" She yelled at him, tears running down her face.
"Maureen you're really starting to piss me off. What about Roger? What, are you jealous of Chelsea? Cause you need to get over it!"
"No! You need to get over it! You can't spend the rest of your life trying to live Roger's! Roger is dead Mark! He's dead and he's not coming back!"
"Maureen I'm gonna say this once!" He yelled at her. "Either you start explaining now, or I'm leaving!"
She walked over to the desk and yanked open a drawer. She was crying so hard she was taking great big sobbing breaths. "This!" She slapped the envelope down on the table in front of him. "This is what I'm talking about!"
***********
Chelsea opened her apartment door and walked in. Suddenly the living room light flicked on. She jumped before realizing it was Mark. "Hey sweetie. I didn't think you were coming over tonight. Is everything okay? Is Adam okay?"
"He fine. He's at his sleepover."
"Oh. Good. Then we get the whole place to ourselves." She grinned at him as she started to sit down next to him on the couch. Suddenly she felt the coldness between them. "Mark, what's wrong?"
"Who's Adam's father?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Who's his father."
"Just this guy I used to know, in Long Island. I thought that didn't matter." She started crying.
"Chelsea I gotta know." He said quietly.
"Why?" The tears were rolling down her face.
"It was him wasn't it?"
"Mark.."
"It was. You were pregnant when you left. That's why you left. It was him."
"No, I."
"Chelsea tell me. Please." He pulled the envelope Maureen had given him out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She took it. As she opened the envelope she started to cry harder. "Oh god Mark. I'm sorry. I never meant.. I'm sorry." She took the picture out of the envelope. "I'm so sorry."
"So I'm right?"
"Yes." She sobbed. "Roger was Adam's father."
**********
Chelsea sat on the floor in the dark wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said softly.
He pulled her close. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell him?"
"What was I gonna do Mark? By the time I found out I was pregnant he was getting bad. Should I have waited for him to sober up? And then say what? Guess what Roger? We're gonna have a baby? Then what? Get jobs? How happy would he have been? God he couldn't support himself Mark, it's not like he could have taken care of me and baby. What would he have done? Stopped being in the band? Start bartending? And what about the drugs? He was getting involved in some serious stuff. I couldn't stop him! You couldn't stop him. A baby sure wasn't going to stop him, hell, that kind of pressure would have just pushed him into it deeper.
"I'm sorry. I should have. I know I should have. And I wanted to come back and tell him, but I was scarred. Scarred of what he would say. Scarred of what he would do. Scarred of how it would affect Adam. I didn't know what to do. The last I heard, he was a major junkie with a major habit. I didn't want Adam to know that. Can you understand? I did it for Adam. And for him too.
"I mean I wish he could have known his son, but it only would have hurt them both. Can you see that? Both of them." She cried.
Mark ran his fingers through her hair. He just held her for a few minutes. The tears running down his face. "Yes. You're right. But why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know how." She wiped her eyes. "I didn't know what you would think. What you would do." She intertwined their fingers. "I was afraid it would be too much. I didn't want to lose you." She started crying again.
"Shhh. It's okay Chels. You're not going to lose me."
They sat there for awhile longer before Mark started to get up. She just watched him, expecting him to leave. To walk out the door and out of her life.
"Come on, let's go to bed."
*********
As they laid there in the darkness, Mark kept running his fingers through her hair. She held onto him tightly, afraid if she let go of him he might disappear. "Mark?" She finally said softly.
"Yeah baby?"
"I'm sorry. For not telling you. Either of you."
"I know. It was probably the best thing at the time. It's okay." He kissed the top of her head.
"No, I'm sorry for keeping it from you. For not telling you now. I didn't mean to keep any secrets from you. I just didn't know how to tell you until now."
"I know. It's okay. Really." He kissed her again. "But you don't have any more big secrets right? I mean your not going to tell me you were a guy once or anything right?"
"No." She let out a small laugh, glad the tension between them had dissipated. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Anything. I don't have any big secrets."
"I know that." She paused, a moment. "How did you know? How did you figure it out?"
"I didn't. Maureen did. I guess it was the picture. And she did the math. That's why she's been avoiding me for the past few weeks. But don't get mad at her."
"I'm not. I'm glad you know. Really I am. It's like a huge weight is lifted. In the back of my mind I think I was always afraid you would figure it out."
"I might have, someday. I'm surprised I didn't figure it out already. I think right now, my brain didn't want to think about all that. I mean there was always something about him. The way Adam moves. The intense way he looks at you with those green eyes. That wise cracking lay it all out there but give you a hard time first just for laughs attitude of his. It's all Roger. I think that's why we get along so well. He really is a mini Roger at times. Especially with music."
"You know, that was always the thing I figured would give me away. That's why I always steered him away from guitars." She let out a small laugh. "You were the last person I ever worried about putting a guitar in his hands."
"Hey, I'm not that bad!"
"No, I don't mean that. I just mean."
"Relax, I'm just kidding. But even that night with the guitar I didn't see it. I mean you sang and played piano, I just figured he got it from you. But is that why you were always kinda funny about taking him over to my apartment?"
"Yes. I was afraid you'd have a better chance of realizing it there."
"I can see that. I mean let's face it, Maureen still calls his room a shrine, even though I have other stuff in there. I just haven't gotten around to getting rid of a lot of his stuff yet."
"I know. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."
"It's okay. I love you Chelsea."
"I love you too Mark."
I'm going out of town and won't have computer access for almost a month, so I've decided to post the last three chapters so no one loses interest or has to wait for the ending. Hope you enjoyed it, and thanks again for all the reviews I have received so far. Please let me know how you liked it once you've completed it.
Chapter 6
"Ms. Jefferson, he won't give me any information. All he says is to tell you its Mark."
"That's fine. Put him through." She waited for the call to be connected. "Hey, Mark."
"Hey. What was with the third degree? Are you trying to avoid me too?"
"What? No." Joanne laughed. "She's just new. Trying to make a good impression I think. So what's up?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing. What did I do this time?" He asked her, somewhat disgusted.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Maureen. What else? The last time I talked to her was the middle of November. That was almost a month ago! I've been trying to get a hold of her for the last three weeks. I wanted her advice with something and to talk to her and she won't return my calls. What did I do? Why is she avoiding me?"
Joanne sighed. "The one time she actually listens, she takes it to extremes! I swear. I'm sorry Mark."
"What's going on?"
"Look we all know Maureen has 'issues' involving you." He started to say something but she kept going. "She's somewhat possessive of you. Well, maybe not as possessive anymore, maybe more like protective of you."
"Great." He muttered.
"Look, I'm sorry. She's got an issue. You know how she is. I told her she had to just leave it be. I figured she could stew on it for awhile, then by the time she was ready to talk to you, she would have calmed down and not make a big scene. I'm the one that told her if she couldn't leave it be, then she needed to leave you alone for awhile. I'm sorry Mark. I had no idea she'd been avoiding you for a month. That's just so, not Maureen."
"Well, what's her problem? Does this have something to do with Chelsea?"
"Somewhat yes. Look, go over to our place tonight. You two need to talk. She'll be there, I promise. And I'll find a meeting or something to go to."
"But what's it all about?"
"Please Mark, just talk to her. You need to hear it from her. Okay? I'm sorry. It's not my place to tell you. I don't think it's her's either, but if she doesn't, it's going to tear your friendship apart. Please."
"Okay. Tonight. Bye Joanne."
*********
Maureen heard the knocking and started walking to the door. "Pookie! Can't you find your key?" She started to unlock it. "I picked up Chinese food like you asked. But why did you want general's chicken, You never eat that. Mark does!" She opened the door. "Oh."
"Can I come in?"
"Joanne will be home soon. We're having dinner."
"No you're not, she's the one that told me to come over tonight."
"Oh." Maureen looked at the floor. "That explains the general's chicken."
Mark walked past Maureen into the apartment. "What's going on Mo? Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not." She lied.
"Not an academy award winning performance. Now tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing." She could feel she was losing her resolve.
"Bull."
"Mark.."
"What's going on Mo? Does this have something to do with Chelsea?"
"I."
"Damn it Maureen! Tell me!"
Tears were welling up in her eyes. "I just don't want to see you wasting your life over him anymore!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Him!" She was crying hard now. "You've spent your whole life running after him. Taking care of him. Even now. He's gone Mark. Gone! Roger's dead and you can't do anything about it!"
"Roger? Maureen what the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you love her? Do you?"
"Who? Chelsea? Yeah, I do." He told her, slightly meaner than he meant. He was just very confused at the moment.
"Why? Why do you love her?"
"Because I do. What do you care?"
"You can't fall in love with someone because of him! You can't do it Mark! Not because of Roger. They won't bring him back!" She yelled at him, tears running down her face.
"Maureen you're really starting to piss me off. What about Roger? What, are you jealous of Chelsea? Cause you need to get over it!"
"No! You need to get over it! You can't spend the rest of your life trying to live Roger's! Roger is dead Mark! He's dead and he's not coming back!"
"Maureen I'm gonna say this once!" He yelled at her. "Either you start explaining now, or I'm leaving!"
She walked over to the desk and yanked open a drawer. She was crying so hard she was taking great big sobbing breaths. "This!" She slapped the envelope down on the table in front of him. "This is what I'm talking about!"
***********
Chelsea opened her apartment door and walked in. Suddenly the living room light flicked on. She jumped before realizing it was Mark. "Hey sweetie. I didn't think you were coming over tonight. Is everything okay? Is Adam okay?"
"He fine. He's at his sleepover."
"Oh. Good. Then we get the whole place to ourselves." She grinned at him as she started to sit down next to him on the couch. Suddenly she felt the coldness between them. "Mark, what's wrong?"
"Who's Adam's father?"
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Who's his father."
"Just this guy I used to know, in Long Island. I thought that didn't matter." She started crying.
"Chelsea I gotta know." He said quietly.
"Why?" The tears were rolling down her face.
"It was him wasn't it?"
"Mark.."
"It was. You were pregnant when you left. That's why you left. It was him."
"No, I."
"Chelsea tell me. Please." He pulled the envelope Maureen had given him out of his pocket and handed it to her.
She took it. As she opened the envelope she started to cry harder. "Oh god Mark. I'm sorry. I never meant.. I'm sorry." She took the picture out of the envelope. "I'm so sorry."
"So I'm right?"
"Yes." She sobbed. "Roger was Adam's father."
**********
Chelsea sat on the floor in the dark wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry." She said softly.
He pulled her close. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell him?"
"What was I gonna do Mark? By the time I found out I was pregnant he was getting bad. Should I have waited for him to sober up? And then say what? Guess what Roger? We're gonna have a baby? Then what? Get jobs? How happy would he have been? God he couldn't support himself Mark, it's not like he could have taken care of me and baby. What would he have done? Stopped being in the band? Start bartending? And what about the drugs? He was getting involved in some serious stuff. I couldn't stop him! You couldn't stop him. A baby sure wasn't going to stop him, hell, that kind of pressure would have just pushed him into it deeper.
"I'm sorry. I should have. I know I should have. And I wanted to come back and tell him, but I was scarred. Scarred of what he would say. Scarred of what he would do. Scarred of how it would affect Adam. I didn't know what to do. The last I heard, he was a major junkie with a major habit. I didn't want Adam to know that. Can you understand? I did it for Adam. And for him too.
"I mean I wish he could have known his son, but it only would have hurt them both. Can you see that? Both of them." She cried.
Mark ran his fingers through her hair. He just held her for a few minutes. The tears running down his face. "Yes. You're right. But why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know how." She wiped her eyes. "I didn't know what you would think. What you would do." She intertwined their fingers. "I was afraid it would be too much. I didn't want to lose you." She started crying again.
"Shhh. It's okay Chels. You're not going to lose me."
They sat there for awhile longer before Mark started to get up. She just watched him, expecting him to leave. To walk out the door and out of her life.
"Come on, let's go to bed."
*********
As they laid there in the darkness, Mark kept running his fingers through her hair. She held onto him tightly, afraid if she let go of him he might disappear. "Mark?" She finally said softly.
"Yeah baby?"
"I'm sorry. For not telling you. Either of you."
"I know. It was probably the best thing at the time. It's okay." He kissed the top of her head.
"No, I'm sorry for keeping it from you. For not telling you now. I didn't mean to keep any secrets from you. I just didn't know how to tell you until now."
"I know. It's okay. Really." He kissed her again. "But you don't have any more big secrets right? I mean your not going to tell me you were a guy once or anything right?"
"No." She let out a small laugh, glad the tension between them had dissipated. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Anything. I don't have any big secrets."
"I know that." She paused, a moment. "How did you know? How did you figure it out?"
"I didn't. Maureen did. I guess it was the picture. And she did the math. That's why she's been avoiding me for the past few weeks. But don't get mad at her."
"I'm not. I'm glad you know. Really I am. It's like a huge weight is lifted. In the back of my mind I think I was always afraid you would figure it out."
"I might have, someday. I'm surprised I didn't figure it out already. I think right now, my brain didn't want to think about all that. I mean there was always something about him. The way Adam moves. The intense way he looks at you with those green eyes. That wise cracking lay it all out there but give you a hard time first just for laughs attitude of his. It's all Roger. I think that's why we get along so well. He really is a mini Roger at times. Especially with music."
"You know, that was always the thing I figured would give me away. That's why I always steered him away from guitars." She let out a small laugh. "You were the last person I ever worried about putting a guitar in his hands."
"Hey, I'm not that bad!"
"No, I don't mean that. I just mean."
"Relax, I'm just kidding. But even that night with the guitar I didn't see it. I mean you sang and played piano, I just figured he got it from you. But is that why you were always kinda funny about taking him over to my apartment?"
"Yes. I was afraid you'd have a better chance of realizing it there."
"I can see that. I mean let's face it, Maureen still calls his room a shrine, even though I have other stuff in there. I just haven't gotten around to getting rid of a lot of his stuff yet."
"I know. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."
"It's okay. I love you Chelsea."
"I love you too Mark."
