CHAPTER 12

A/N: Wow guys, thanks for the reviews! I really was expecting most of you to forget about this story, but I'm glad that I got so much positive feedback. I was surprised that I could get this chapter up today, but here it is. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review. 333

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"Oh god."

Maureen sat up and clutched the sheet around her body. She looked over and realized that Mark was still sleeping, although the sheets were tangled up around his body as well.

She blew out a long breath of air and tried to remember what happened. But she didn't remember a whole hell of a lot, to be honest. She remembered Joanne leaving for Seattle, and then coming upstairs to—wait a minute, she was in Mark's bedroom. In Mark's bed.

She glanced over the edge and looked down. She was afraid to, because she already had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that almost verified that something had happened between them last night. Various articles of clothing were scattered here and there. A bra, a pair of boxers, her jeans, his glasses.

"Shit!" she cursed out loud. She couldn't deal with this right now. Part of her was still so hung over that the only thing she could focus on was her pounding head. But her other half had sobered up pretty quickly when the realization that she and Mark had possibly had sex, drunken sex, but sex all the same.

She grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around herself, leaving Mark the sheets. She collected her clothes and quickly dressed, ignoring the fact that she couldn't find her socks or her shoes. She couldn't believe this. They were just supposed to be friends—she had just broken up with Joanne. And now what? She'd leave that morning and they'd act like nothing had happened between them? They'd just keep on being friends? Friends with what? Benefits?

She slipped out of the bedroom quietly and shut the door behind her. It was still early—the digital clock on the microwave read a little after five AM. She passed the couch, where Roger's brother was sound asleep, his face pressed into a pillow and the blankets pulled over his head.

Yeah she wants to tear you down

And she leaves without a sound

It's like falling backwards

Into no one's arms

Maureen pulled on her coat and looked back towards Mark's closed bedroom door. She hated herself for doing this, because she knew by leaving that she was going to end up hurting him like she had hurt him nearly two years before. But what else was she supposed to do? Sit here and not only announce to him, but to everyone else, including two members of Roger's family, that yes, she and Mark had sex last night. Then she'd not only get shit about it from Roger, but she'd have to deal with Roger giving Mark shit about it, too.

You're a bullet through my soul

And I'll never let you know

I won't let you fall until you let it go

She was reading into this too much. Instead, she decided to leave. As she closed the loft door, a fleeting thought crossed the back of her mind that maybe—just maybe, there was a perfectly good explanation for all that had happened between them.

Would you come my way?

Should have listened when you called my name

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"Shit! I'm coming!"

Roger bolted up in bed and grabbed his head. "What's wrong?"

Jen pulled her hair back into a messy bun and raced for the loft door, almost tripping over Roger's guitar case again. "The goddamn movers! I completely forgot that they were supposed to be coming today!"

Roger rubbed his eyes and walked into the kitchen. He downed two Tylenol, along with his pills, before shuffling back out into the living room. Joey had flipped over onto his back and was still asleep, his mouth hanging open.

"Hey loser, get up." Roger picked the pillow up off the floor and tossed it at his head. "You're drooling on my couch."

Joey grunted something in response and pulled the blankets back over himself. "Why do you have to be an asshole first thing in the morning? Don't you have any sympathy for me?" he moaned.

"Nope," Roger grinned.

Jen looked over from the doorway and shot Roger a look. "Let him sleep it off. He'll feel better if he does." She turned her back to them and resumed her conversation with the movers.

"See, at least Jen agrees with me," Joey pointed out. He sat up and dropped his head into his hands.

"Tylenol?" Roger offered, dropping the bottle into Joey's lap.

"Yeah, after I go puke up everything I ate for the past two weeks," he said sarcastically. He walked into the bathroom and shut the door with a loud slam.

"Just try to get everything in here. Yeah. I want the entertainment center by the wall and the washer and dryer in that space over there," Jen said, pointing to a space next to the bathroom. "Great, thanks."

Roger wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in closer to him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. Sorry about this. They called to confirm yesterday when I was at work but I was so busy that I forgot to tell you," she apologized.

"It's okay baby." He kissed her and rubbed her back softly. "We should do something later. You and me."

Jen nodded and linked her hands through his. "That's a good idea. Once we get the two clowns out of here."

"I'm driving them back to Scarsdale later this morning. Joey has to get a flight tomorrow morning anyway back to Boston, and plus Kyle's going to the Bahamas for the next two weeks with his girlfriend."

"I thought they were both staying here tonight?" she asked.

"Yeah they were. But then Joey realized that he needed to be back in Boston by tomorrow afternoon for college and not Sunday like he had thought. And Kyle just figured that he should go home and help Mandy pack."

"Okay. But shit, you have to work tonight, remember?"

Roger groaned. "Damn, you're right. I'll make it up to you?"

She nodded and ran her fingers through his hair. "Mmhmm," she agreed, leaning in to kiss him. "Any idea if Maureen left last night?"

Roger shrugged. "I think so. I mean, I was pretty out of it so I'm not sure. I think I heard her leave early this morning."

"Okay. Mark mentioned something about her coming by yesterday and wanting to talk to me, so maybe I'll go see her later tonight."

Mark walked out of his bedroom with a pair of shoes and socks balled up into his hand, just as Joey came staggering out of the bathroom.

"Hey," Roger greeted Mark before his gaze shifted to his brother. "Feel better?"

"Like new," Joey grumbled. "Got anything to eat?"

Roger released Jen's hand as he followed Joey into the kitchen. Jen then picked up her laptop and stretched out on the couch to check her email. "Hey Marky, you okay?"

"What?" He spit out some toothpaste into the bathroom sink. "Yeah, I'm fine," he added nervously.

"Okay. You and Maureen seemed to have a lot to talk about last night." Jen typed a few lines and clicked her mouse. "Everything okay?"

Mark coughed into the sink and wiped his mouth on the towel. "It's fine. We're fine."

Jen stared at him suspiciously. "You sure? When did she go home?"

"Like early this morning? Why? What's the big deal?" He walked past her and stepped out of the way of the movers, who were lugging the washer through the door.

"Okay, jeez sorry. I was just wondering if she was okay."

"She's fine." Mark pulled on his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck. "I'm fine. Just lay off."

"Sorry," she muttered.

"I'm going for a walk. I'll see you later."

"Uh huh."

Roger walked back into the living room and handed a cup of coffee to Jen. Joey plopped down next to her and stretched out. He was attempting to eat a peanut butter sandwich and drink coffee at the same time, but unfortunately for him it wasn't working out too well.

"How can you eat that this early? It's 8 AM," Jen pointed out. She took the cup of coffee from Roger and he sat down in front of her on the floor.

"I don't know. Roger didn't have any leftover pizza," Joey grinned.

"That's sick," Jen laughed.

"Where'd Mark go?"

Jen closed her laptop and placed it on the coffee table. "He went for a walk. He was sort of grumpy."

"Mark? Grumpy?" Joey asked. "I thought he was the peaceful one."

"He is," Roger pointed out. "Did something happen with him and Mo last night?"

Jen shrugged, but then shook her head. "I don't think so. Maybe he's just overtired."

"Yeah, maybe."

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You're cynical and beautiful

You always make a scene

You're monochrome delirious

You're nothing that you seem

I'm drowning in your vanity

Your laugh is a disease

Mark knocked on the apartment door and waited. He had to know what had happened between them last night, but considering he had woken up with nothing but a sheet covering him, he had a pretty good idea. He figured that Maureen wasn't completely out of the loop either. He knew that after they had a few drinks, Maureen had wanted to go lay down. He remembered him kissing her, and then her kissing him back, but after that it was just blurry. He couldn't really remember a damn thing, but by coming here to drop off her shoes and socks, he hoped that she remembered something about last night that he didn't.

He impatiently knocked again, hoping that she was home. She had to be, where else would she be this early in the morning? He heard the familiar scrape of the chain as it was unlatched from the door, and then—he was face to face with her.

"Um. Hi." He was fumbling around for words and trying to preoccupy himself with the fringe on his scarf.

"Hi," she said, just as nervously. She was toweling off her curly mess of collarbone length dirty blonde hair. "Sorry, I just got out of the shower and didn't hear you knock."

"It's okay. I just wanted to drop off your shoes. You left them upstairs."

"Oh," she blushed. "Thanks. Do you want to come in?"

He nodded and she let him in, closing the door behind him. "So."

Maureen dropped the towel into the basket near the bathroom and followed him into the living room. "Yeah."

You're dirty and you're sweet

You know you're everything to me

"So how are you?" he asked her. Great question Mark; you're such an idiot. Stop avoiding the topic.

She retied the sash on her robe before looking up at him. "I'm okay, yourself?"

"I'm okay. How's your hangover?"

"Um, it's bearable." She adjusted the tiny space heater before sitting down on the couch. "Yours?"

"Same."

She cleared her throat and tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "I think we both know why you really came here. I mean, we're adults, let's talk about this like adults."

Mark nodded his head. "Yeah, I agree with that."

"Okay. So now that it's out in the open, did we or didn't we?" she asked him, biting her lip.

"I'm pretty sure we did. Considering it took me five minutes to find my boxers, that were scrunched up on the floor by the foot of my bed."

Maureen smiled a little. "Yeah. I couldn't find my bra easily, either."

"So we did."

"I guess so. Plus if it's any consolation, I'm a little sore down there, so that pretty much gives us the green light that we had sex last night."

Mark blushed again. "Sorry."

"It's okay."

I wanna kick at the machine

That made you piss away your dreams

"So."

Maureen sighed. "Look Mark, I don't—I don't know what happened last night. I don't know what I'm feeling right now. I just, I'm really confused about a lot of things. And I'm not saying that shouldn't have happened, but I don't know. I just have a lot to deal with right now. With Joanne gone and everything. I mean, I have to reconsider things. I'm going to have to work more hours at the Life to pay the rent. I think I just need to lay low for a few days."

Tear down your defenses

Until there's nothing there but me

Mark cleared his throat and started playing with his scarf again. "Yeah, that's fine. I was pretty much thinking the same thing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay with what happened between us. I didn't want you to feel obligated to do anything because of what we were before Joanne."

"Yeah."

You're angry when you're beautiful

Your love is such a tease

I'm drowning in your dizzy noise

I want to feel you scream

Mark walked back over to the door. "Things aren't going to be weird between us now, are they?"

Maureen shook her head. "Why would they be?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to check."

"I'll see you later Mark."

"I'll just let myself out," he added. "Bye."

"Bye," she said softly.

Do you listen to yourself?

Never live for someone else

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"Mommy look!"

Abby pressed her hand against the frosted windowsill. "It's snowing!"

Jen walked over to the window and lifted up Abby, placing her against her hip. "Yeah baby, it's snowing. What do you think about snow for Christmas?"

"I hope it does."

Jen kissed her forehead and set her back down. "Me too. Now how about I tuck you into bed so I can watch a movie with Uncle Mark?"

"Can I watch it with you?"

"I'm sorry baby, but it's already past your bedtime. Plus it's a grown up movie that only me and Mark can watch."

"When's Roger coming home?" Abby walked into her room and slipped under the sheets of her bed.

"Late tonight. You'll already be sleeping when he gets here."

"Why?"

"Because he works late on Friday and Saturday nights. And tonight's Saturday, so it's a late night. But you'll see him in the morning, I promise."

"Okay. How come Joey and everybody was sick this morning?"

Jen laughed and tucked the comforter around Abby. "Because last night when you were sleeping we all had lots of something to drink that made us all sick."

"But I drink chocolate milk all the time and it doesn't make me sick," she protested.

"I know, but this is an adult drink that makes your tummy hurt if you drink too much if it."

"Then why did Roger drink it?"

"Because Roger's an adult and he can."

"So when I'm an adult I can drink it?"

"Yup. Now how about you get some sleep?" Jen asked her.

"Okay. No story tonight, I just want to go to sleep."

Jen raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure?"

"Uh huh. Can Roger come in and say goodnight to me when he gets home?"

"We'll see, okay?" Jen stood up and made sure the nightlight was on. She blew Abby a kiss and Abby blew one back to her. "I love you sweetie."

"I love you too. Tell Uncle Mark I love him, okay?"

Jen nodded. "I will."

"And Roger too."

"Okay. Goodnight." Jen left the bedroom door open a crack before heading back into the living room.

Mark was sitting on the couch, flipping through channels. Jen's entertainment center had finally been set up that afternoon and wired for cable.  "Hey."

"Hey. She told me to tell you that she loves you," Jen smiled at him.

Mark grinned. "Oh. Okay. I'll tell her I love her in the morning then."

"Yeah you better. Boost her three year old ego."

Mark's smile then turned into a frown. "Jen?"

"Yeah?" She grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bowl.

"I slept with Maureen last night."

Jen propped her head up against the couch and looked over at him. "I had a feeling something happened by the way you were acting this morning. Are you okay with it?"

"I don't really remember most of it, but once my head stopped pounding I remember asking her if she wanted to and she said she did, and then, it happened."

"Oh. So what are you both now?"

Mark sighed and set the remote back on the table. "Just friends. She says she doesn't want to get involved."

"I'm sorry Mark."

"I know. So am I. I mean, me and her, we have this ridiculously fucked up history together. Who cheats on their then boyfriend with another woman?" he laughed. "But last night when we were together, it felt right. Almost too right. Like the year we had spent apart was just a test or something. I realized that I missed her when I woke up this morning and she wasn't there. But I don't think she feels the same and I don't know what to do about it," he added.

"Well what's going on with her and Joanne?"

"Joanne moved to Seattle yesterday."

"What?"

"That's what I said. She just sprung it on Maureen last minute. But when I talked to Mo about it, she seemed okay with it. Like she knew it was coming and it was just a matter of when."

Jen adjusted herself on the couch some. "So basically, they broke up?"

"Yeah. Joanne's taking a job as district attorney. So naturally she wants to move away. Her job's always been important to her."

"Mark, do you love Maureen?"

Mark sighed and looked down at his hands. "It's complicated. I do, but she's done a lot of things to hurt me in the past. And I don't know if I should be that forgiving. I haven't really talked about any of that with her. I just went to her apartment today to make sure she was okay with what happened between us."

"And was she?"

"Yeah. She just told me she needed a few days to figure some things out. Especially with her job and her rent and everything."

"I don't think Benny would kick her out," Jen said, grabbing another handful of popcorn from the bowl.

"Neither do I. But what should I do, about her? And about the situation."

"Let her hang out for a few days. Basically let her come to you. If she doesn't come around by Christmas, then bring it up with her. Don't force anything on her. Just wait it out and see what happens. I know that's probably tough to hear, but let her come to you. Then you'll know that she's missed you all this time."

"Yeah."

"So you want to watch that movie now?" Jen asked.

Mark nodded and pressed play on the remote. "I'm glad you came back."

"Yeah well, so am I," she smiled, resting her head against Mark's shoulder. "Really."

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Songs:

01. Bullet Proof: The Goo Goo Dolls

02. Dizzy: The Goo Goo Dolls