I know it's been awhile, but I'd still really appreciate reviews! They make me smile and motivate me to write more. =]

June 1st

Jen stirred slightly, lifting Abby's head off her chest carefully. The four year old had climbed into bed with Roger and Jen earlier that night, and with the kidnapping scare that had happened the week before, Jen didn't ever want to let Abby out of her sight again.

Roger was snoring slightly, his right arm draped off the bed. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair softly. He didn't stir.

Quietly, Jen swung her legs over the side of the bed and pressed her feet against the wood floor. She knew what she had to do, and she had to do it quick, without anyone catching her and trying to change her mind.

Jen was leaving New York City with Abby.

In all honesty, it wasn't a complete spontaneous decision. She had been giving a lot of thought to it over the past few weeks. With nothing really working out with Roger, with his affair with Beth, with the fire at the loft…Jen needed to get away. She didn't want to raise Abby here. The "ransom" note still remained a mystery, but Jen didn't want to take any chances. Too much had happened in the seven months since she had come back to New York City, and the bad was starting to outweigh the good.

She had called the airline earlier in the day and booked two tickets on a flight to Los Angeles for seven in the morning. Now it was just a matter of packing some things to take temporarily and sending for the rest when she arrived. So far, Maureen was the only person who knew what Jen was up to, and absolutely refused to let her travel all the way to California by herself. The condo she was going to be staying in was owned and had been lived in by Jen's grandparents until they retired to a smaller place in West Hollywood. For now, it was just kept for any family members passing through when they visited. Jen had never been to the condo, but when she and Maureen looked the floor plan for the place up the next day on the Internet, they realized it was pretty suitable. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a spacious living room, a full kitchen and dining room, two walk in closets, and a private balcony with a great view of the ocean. It was perfect. Abby and the baby could have separate bedrooms.

Quietly, she tiptoed out into the living room, making sure not to make any of the floorboards creak.

"Don't do it."

Jen jumped. "Jesus Christ Mark, what are you doing up?"

He looked up at her from the couch. There was something small in his hand, but Jen couldn't make it out. "Thinking."

"Oh."

"Don't go to Los Angeles."

Jen sighed and sat down next to him. "That's not your decision. Please don't ask me that."

"Did you talk to Roger about this?"

She shook her head. "No. He doesn't know." She started tracing the pattern on her pajama pants. "I don't want Abby to grow up here. Not in the city. Not in Scarsdale. I can still work for the same magazine I do now in California. I'll just be on the West Coast branch. I'd be living in my grandparent's condo."

"Yeah, but who would watch Abby during the day? Or help you take care of the baby? Around here you have five babysitters willing to watch her with one phone call."

"I don't know Mark! How did you find out about this anyway?"

"Maureen. Except she didn't really willingly tell me, I got it out of her."

"Oh." Jen glanced down at the square object Mark's hand. "What is that?"

"I've been thinking about asking Maureen to marry me."

Jen rested her head against Mark's shoulder. "I think you should."

Mark nodded. "You know, if she was still pregnant, she would be five and a half months. We would have been able to find out what we were having."

"I'm sorry, Mark."

He opened the ring box and handed it to Jen. Inside was a princess cut diamond ring on a gold band. Simple, but beautiful. There were even two topaz jems on the side of the diamond. It was completely Maureen.

"Oh Mark, you shouldn't have," Jen joked, batting her eyelashes. "It's gorgeous. She'll love it."

"You think so? I had Roger help me pick it out."

"Uh oh," she replied. "He's been telling me for the past month that I'm supposed to be getting an engagement ring."

"I'm sworn to secrecy. Scouts honor or else," Mark laughed. "Do you…know what you're having yet?"

She handed the ring box back to Mark and smiled. "Yeah."

"I thought Roger was supposed to go with you when you found out?"

"He was. But I was at my doctor's last week, and I just wanted to know. It was a spontaneous thing, I guess."

"Don't leave me in suspense here."

Jen rested her hands in her lap and grinned. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone. Not a soul. Got it?"

"Of course."

"A boy."

"Roger's going to have a field day," Mark laughed, hugging Jen tightly. "Congratulations."

"I just hope Abby takes it well. She said it didn't matter as long as she got to play with it," Jen smiled. "Which is cool."

"Definitely." Mark looked up at her and smiled. "I'm not going to try to make you stay, but I know that Maureen's going to need a maid of honor and a flower girl."

Jen nodded. "I can always credit those airline tickets, and my condo isn't going anywhere."

"See? I knew you would stay for me," Mark teased. He kissed her cheek before standing up. "I'm proposing to her tomorrow. I have this whole thing worked out."

"I know she'll say yes."

"I hope so. I know things have been rough between us lately."

"Don't worry. They can't possibly be any rougher then how things are between me and Roger sometimes."

June 2nd

Maureen tapped her foot impatiently against the carpeted waiting room of her doctor's office. She had already been waiting here for over twenty minutes, and didn't understand what the hold up was. She was just here about test results from her last routine checkup the week before.

She hadn't been very healthy since her miscarriage in February. First she came down with strep throat, and then it had been bronchitis, and then the stomach flu, twice. Then it was a regular head cold last week, which had prompted her to come in because she was so congested. The receptionist had called and asked her to come in to discuss test results, so Maureen assumed they were just going to prescribe another medication for her to take. She hoped she could get out of her by three, because Mark was taking her out late that night—somewhere "secret". She had no idea, but was looking forward to finding out. She knew it wasn't to celebrate their anniversary, so Maureen couldn't imagine why he could be taking her out.

"Maureen?"

"That's me."

The nurse nodded and Maureen quickly followed her down the corridor and into a spacious exam room. "If you could have a seat, the doctor will be in with you shortly."

"Thanks."

Not even five minutes later, Dr. Martin, a petite brunette woman in her late thirties appeared with a smile. She closed the door behind her and set her clipboard down. "Hi Maureen. Thanks for coming in."

"No problem. Is everything okay? I was told I'm here for some test results?" Maureen twisted a piece of her hair nervously.

"Yes, but don't worry. Now according to my notes, you miscarried your first pregnancy towards the end of January?"

Maureen nodded. "Yes."

"Well the reason I called you in here today, Maureen, was because when we ran those tests last week, they returned with a very high hCG level."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand what that means."

Dr. Martin smiled and sat down. "HCG is a pregnancy hormone found in the bloodstream, and we discovered this in your blood test."

Maureen's jaw dropped and she stopped playing with the piece of her hair. "What does…what are you saying?"

"Maureen…you're pregnant. About eleven weeks along."

She paled. "Pregnant? But isn't it too soon? I miscarried."

"Yes, but these things can happen. Conception probably took place a few weeks after your miscarriage."

"Are you…sure?"

Dr. Martin nodded. "Yes, I am, but I'd like to do an ultrasound today to verify and see how things are progressing. How have you been feeling in the mornings?"

"Well I've been feeling tired, but not really so nauseous, is that normal? Some of my clothes have gotten tighter, but…are you really sure I'm pregnant? I can't believe this!" Maureen laughed. "I never expected this."

The doctor handed Maureen a gown. "Sometimes woman go through a pregnancy with little to no morning sickness. I'll have the ultrasound set up in a few minutes, but for now, change in to that and I'll be right back."

"Sure." Maureen started to undress. She couldn't believe this! She was pregnant, again? What would Mark say? She could just picture the look on his face right now. No wonder she had been feeling so crummy and her clothes hadn't been fitting right. In fact, her favorite pair of jeans barely fit anymore, and she had gained some weight. But through all the things that ran through her mind, Maureen smiled with excitement.

The doctor returned quickly, and within five minutes, she was moving the wand over Maureen's abdomen.

"Hmm."

Maureen looked at the screen. "What's wrong?"

Dr. Martin smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. I'm just trying to get a good position. Nothing to worry about."

"Okay. Does everything look okay?"

"I'd say everything looks more then okay. It looks like there are two fetuses. Which can certainly explain your excess tiredness and quick weight gain."

Maureen sat up in shock. "Pardon?"

Dr. Martin pointed to the ultrasound screen. "Here. There's one, and right over here is number two. It's very clear to me that you're having twins, Maureen."

"Twins?!"

The doctor laughed and rested a hand on Maureen's arm. "Yes. Twins. Now, there is a test I'd like to run on you today. It's called an alphfetoprotein test and measures the protein created by the fetal liver, or in your case, livers. If this test comes back with a high measurement of this protein in your bloodstream, it can be safe to say that you are pregnant with twins, but I will follow up that test with another ultrasound."

"So how positive are you that I'm having twins?" Maureen glued her eyes to the ultrasound screen, where she almost couldn't believe what the doctor was saying. First, she was surprisingly pregnant again, and then there was a high chance that she could be having twins? Mark would pass out when she told him for sure, and she would probably join him.

"I'm pretty positive, Maureen. I've done ultrasounds on many women who have been pregnant with multiple babies."

"…Okay."

"I'd like you to take that test today and schedule the second ultrasound for next week, okay?"

Maureen nodded. "Uh huh."

Around nine o'clock the same day, Mark and Maureen were well on their way towards the place of Maureen's "surprise." The cab ride had been silent, with Maureen just loosely holding Mark's hand and staring out the window. Mark was worried about her, but nervous, and kept feeling around in his pocket for the ring box.

The cab skidded to a halt, and Mark quickly helped Maureen out of the cab. "You have to close your eyes."

She nodded with a smile. "Okay." She shut her eyes obediently and allowed Mark to help her towards their destination. As long as she wasn't expected to talk for a few minutes, Maureen was able to think. She was pregnant. Again. With twins. Two. Not one baby, but two. She was having a hard time digesting the news herself. How was Mark going to take it? Yes, they both had jobs—but paying for two babies was expensive. How the hell were they going to afford everything? They'd have to find their own place to live and could no longer live with Jen in her apartment. They just wouldn't be able to fit.

Maureen had learned that her due date was expected to be the day before Christmas Eve, although the doctor had told her that often, twins could be born weeks earlier and sometimes by cesarean section. So many thoughts ran through her mind that she was surprised when Mark told her to open her eyes. She did so, and immediately covered her mouth in shock.

They were standing on the stage of the Gershwin Theater. It was entirely empty, except for a small white table set in the middle of the stage underneath the spotlight. On top it had two tall candles and the tablecloth was sprinkled with rose petals—a favorite of Maureen's.

"Marky…what is all of this for? It's beautiful."

"Sit down first."

She nodded and sat down. "Okay."

Mark cleared his throat and started pacing back and forth in front of the table. "I just uh…I've been doing a lot of thinking, lately. And I love you, Maureen. I wake up in the mornings and just watch you sleep and think how lucky I am that we gave this—us—a second chance. Everything we've been through, good or bad, has brought us closer together this time around." He hesitated for a moment, and then walked over to her and got down on one knee.

Maureen sharply breathed in and felt her eyes start to water. "Oh my god, Mark…"

"I don't know how else to say this without sounding like a complete moron, but I love you, Maureen. Even if we have nothing but each other, I'll still always love you." He took the ring box out of his pocket and held the ring in front of her hand. "Will you marry me?"

She nodded and started crying, hard. She could barely get the words out. "Yes. Yes." She kissed him softly and allowed him to slide the ring on her finger before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Now I think you need to sit down. I have something to tell you."

He nodded and sat down, grinning at her from across the table. "Okay, Mrs. Cohen."

Maureen started playing with the champagne glass in front of her nervously. "I went to the doctor today."

"Yeah, I remembered you saying you had an appointment. Everything okay?"

She nodded. "You could say that."

"And?"

Maureen swallowed, taking a sip of the champagne nervously. "I'm pregnant."

Mark smiled proudly and stood up in excitement. "Really? That's great! Do you know what we're having yet? We're going to have to get our own place." He pulled Maureen up and out of her seat and started twirling her around.

"Mark," she giggled. "What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know, maybe the fact that my gorgeous fiancée just told me we're going to be parents?" he smirked.

"I'm not finished," she laughed nervously. "Are you sure you don't want to sit down for the rest of this?"

"No, I think I can handle it."

"I'm pregnant with twins."

Mark stared at her. "Twins?"

Maureen nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah."

"Wow. I don't know what to say."

"You're mad about this, aren't you? I know, it's going to be a lot of work, and believe me, I was so scared when I found out Mark—"

Mark hugged her gently and ran his fingers through her hair. "It's okay. This is great! You're right, there's going to be twice as much work and things to buy for them, but in the end we're going to get twice as many smiles, hugs, kisses, and laughs. And I think that really pays off in the end. We're going to have to get our own place, and try to plan a wedding, but we can do this. I promise. I'll be here every step of the way."

"Good," Maureen smiled, wiping at her eyes. "Because we have about seven months to go."

Midnight

"Roger…" Jen straddled his lap and rested her chin on his chest. "Wake up."

"Mmph…what time is it?" He opened his eyes and smiled, kissing her quickly. "You're crushing my ribs."

She whacked him with the pillow and crawled off of him. "Thanks a lot."

"Hey, your elbow was in my ribcage. I wasn't saying that you were fat." He rested his hands on her stomach and smiled. "So, what did you wake me up from my nap for?"

"Abby, you can come in now!" Jen called with a smile.

Abby ran into the room with a small gift bag. "Here, Daddy! You got to open it!"

"Okay cutie." Roger lifted her onto the bed and into his lap. Abby tugged on one of her blonde pigtails and giggled. He lifted a square object covered with blue tissue paper out of the bag. "What's this?"

"Open it, duh," Abby giggled again.

Roger obliged and tore the tissue paper off of the square to reveal a blue picture frame with the words "It's a Boy" were scripted onto the edge of the frame. Inside was Jen's latest ultrasound photo at twenty-three weeks.

"We're having a boy," Jen told him softly.

"Yep! I'm gonna have a little brother!" Abby squealed, tackling Roger with a hug. "Mommy says she doesn't know what his name is gonna be yet."

Jen smiled and let Abby sit down in her lap. "What do you think? Now we know exactly what color to paint the nursery, whenever we get started on it."

"I think…wow. I don't know what to say," Roger grinned. "We're going to have a son."

"And me!" Abby smiled, looking up at her parents. "Cool."

"And you. Very cool," Roger agreed, leaning in to give Jen a kiss.

A knock at the door was heard, and then came Mark's voice. "Hey, can we come in? I know it's late."

"Sure!" Abby yelled out. "Come on in, Uncle Marky."

The door opened and Mark and Maureen walked in. Maureen smiled and sat down on the edge of the bed while Abby crawled into her lap.

"Well, we have something to tell you guys," Mark admitted. "Even though it's way past Abby's bedtime."

"Hey!" she protested. "Mommy said I could stay up!"

"Two somethings to tell you," Maureen added with a smile.

"Big somethings?"

Maureen nodded and kissed Abby's forehead. "The biggest."

"Maureen and I are getting married."

"Oh, congratulations!" Jen smiled up at them.

"Yeah, congrats," Roger agreed. "You guys set a date yet?"

"You're one to talk," Jen laughed, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Not…yet," Mark said quickly. "Something came up."

"What do you mean?" Jen asked.

"Well…I'm pregnant again," Maureen gushed. This emitted a giggle from Abby.

"Hello, baby," Abby added, poking Maureen's stomach. "Cool." Maureen laughed and hugged Abby tighter.

Jen got off the bed and gave Maureen a hug. "I can't believe it! That's awesome, you guys."

"Yeah, really. That's great news," Roger said with a grin. "Good work, Mark."

"I wasn't exactly finished," Maureen laughed. "I'm pregnant…but with twins."

"Come again?" Roger coughed. "Twins? Really good work, Mark!"

"Babies! Two?!" Abby giggled.

Jen smiled and wrapped her arms around her chest. "Wow…two babies. I can't wait to go shopping for them Mo. You have to come shopping with me too! We can go shopping together!"

"Oh my god, we can! This is going to be great! We can buy things together!"

"Yeah, and toys!" Abby squealed.

Roger and Mark uncomfortably glanced at each other and winced.

"They've officially gotten baby fever," Mark noted with a smirk. "We better run while we still can."

"You can say that again."

Review please!

Also, I'm taking boy names for Roger and Jen's baby. I already am set on what the names of Mark and Maureen's twins are going to be, so any suggestion for Roger and Jen's baby would be perfect and much appreciated.