A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, both old and new! You guys are great, seriously! Everything with Roger and Jen will be pretty smooth sailing from here on out, for those who were wondering. Thanks Erica, Kelby, EMI, Jennie, Amy, and the-fraulein.

I'm leaving for vacation on the 10th and I will be gone for a week. I don't plan on writing during my vacation, but I can promise you all that I'll try to have another chapter of this story up before I leave, maybe even two, if I can manage it between my other active fics.

Thanks for all the support!

I also apologize if the formatting is a little off for this chapter. FF.net seems to be working on something lately.

Mari

. xxx.

October 12, 1998 Roger's 27th Birthday

"Jen, do you need any help in there? Benny and Mark should be back from the store with those appetizer trays any minute now." Alison stuck her head into the kitchen while sharply keeping an eye on her and Benny's rather active ten-month-old son, Jesse. He had done a combination of crawling and walking around Jen's entire apartment for practically the whole afternoon, only content to sit or stand still when he found something interesting to look at. Alison had proudly told Jen that he had only taken his first steps about a week beforehand and was finally getting the hang of it, although he was a little unsteady at times.

Jen gathered the extra set of paper plates out of the cabinet and shook her head. "No, but thanks. I think everything's set. Roger's mom, Maureen, and Abby should be back any minute with Ryan."

Alison crouched down next to Jesse and smiled as he hugged her loosely around her neck. "You think the walk helped any?"

She shrugged. "I really hope so. Roger didn't get any sleep last night. Ryan was really fussy and wouldn't sleep. I found the both of them asleep on the couch this morning when I took Abby to preschool."

"That totally reminds me of how Jesse was. He used to be so fussy, and Benny used to stay up with him all night to let me sleep, because I'd be up with him all morning."

"Roger's aunt said it might just be gas, so we'll see. Hopefully he's not like this tonight during the party." Jen laughed as Jesse toddled towards her and collided with her legs. "What do you want, little man?"

"Dada bah!"

Alison sighed and got up off the floor, only to have Jesse cling to her right leg as she unzipped his diaper bag. "Roughly translated, he wants Benny home to give him his juice." She tied back her straight, light brown hair with a scrunchie and prepared the apple juice in a small bottle.

"How are things going with your parents?" Jen questioned. She thought back briefly to two weeks ago, when Alison had first told her that her parents, David and Catherine Grey, were in the middle of a nasty divorce settlement.

She pulled Jesse comfortably into her lap and handed him his juice bottle, which he drank thirstily. "Don't ask me why they're getting divorced now. All they're doing is pulling my little sister and I into it. I think they're still pissed off that I married Benny in the first place. You think that even though I'm twenty-four years old and have been married for three years that they'd finally accept him as their son-in-law, but apparently my dad's still holding a grudge about the incident at the Life Café over two years ago when he found out that the kind of people Benny was hanging around were not the sort he wanted me to associate with. There's some kind of bad blood between them now, and my father's so disgusted with the rebuilding and rezoning of the apartments after that fire that he's had it up to here with Benny. My father adores Jesse, though. The kid is the apple of his grandfather's eye and he knows it too," Alison laughed, smiling down at the baby.

"Please!" Jen laughed back. "You should see Roger lately! If he's out, he calls constantly. All I hear lately is 'How's Ryan, How's Abby, How are you? Want me to bring anything home? I'll get him, go back to sleep!' If there's such a thing as taking too much parental responsibility, then he wins that award for the year." She smiled just as the front door opened. Sandra walked in with the folded up stroller in one hand and the other hand holding Abby's, while Maureen trailed behind, cradling a bundled up six-week-old Ryan in her arms.

"Hi!" She called out. "Oh Jen, he was so good!"

Sandra smiled and set the stroller in the hall closet. "Didn't cry at all. I think he just needed to get out, that's all. Although he might be getting a little hungry."

Jen got up off the stool and took Ryan from Maureen's arms. "Hey buddy. I'm going to go and nurse him in the bedroom. Abby, Jesse and Alison are here."

"If you need anything, let me know, honey," Sandra told her. "What time is everyone going to get here? Joey called and he's on his way with his girlfriend, Jerry, Lindsey, and her daughter, Marissa. Kim's kids all have the flu except for the twins, so she and Jimmy can't come up. "

"Rissa's comin'!" Abby squealed. "The coolest!"

Jen smiled. "I told you that she would."

The best part was, though, that the idea for Roger's surprise party hadn't even come from Jen herself. Maureen and Benny had put the entire thing together behind Roger's back, with only minor help from everyone else. Roger was supposed to be arriving with Wes, Evan and Steve, the new keyboardist, straight from band practice. Jen knew that he still had no idea what was going on, and definitely wanted to keep it that way.

. xxx .

By four-thirty, Wes had secretly called and informed everyone that band practice was finished for the night and they were on their way to the apartment. Hiding places had been resumed, and Sandra had rocked Ryan to sleep and put down for a nap.

"Mark," Maureen whispered harshly. "Your damn knee is in my back."

"Sorry," he whispered back. "You're crushing my shoulder."

"Hey, shut up!" Benny scolded. He had both Alison and Jesse situated in his lap, the latter of which was dozing quietly against Alison's stomach. "You're foot is in my ass!"

Maureen turned around and glared. "Well you're a pain in mine!"

Jen snorted and Sandra let out a small laugh. Abby giggled and waved at 'Uncle Benny', who smiled and waved back, blowing her a kiss.

Collins shook his head, the remnants of a smile resting on his lips. He, Logan, Mark, Maureen, Benny, Alison, and Jesse were stashed in the kitchen, all hidden in a corner where the island blocked them from view. Jen, Abby, Sandra, Jerry, Lindsey, and her daughter Marissa were tucked away behind the couch, while Joey and his girlfriend Alicia had chosen the closet as their hiding place. Every so often a giggle and the sound of lips meeting skin could be heard, and both Sandra and Jen had to whisper over that there were young children present in the room.

Frustrated, Maureen rubbed at her back. "I can't sit here anymore waiting for Roger's lazy ass to get here! It's uncomfortable! I have to pee and my back is killing me! I'm almost seven months pregnant, I can't stay huddled up like this!" she whined. She tilted her head to the sound and rammed the back of her head into Mark's nose.

"Christ, Maureen!" he shouted out in pain. "Great, now I'm bleeding!"

"Uh, we've got a bleeder over here."

"Shut up, shut up!" Jen hissed. Footsteps could be heard in the hall outside the door, as well as deep voices. "He's coming. Mark, pinch your nose off or something. Tilt your head back."

Maureen looked like she was about to cry. "Oh sweetie I'm so sorry!" she apologized. "Benny, you ass, get a tissue!"

Benny blinked at her before kissing Alison on the back of the neck. "Me, get a tissue! You're the one that almost broke Mark's nose."

"QUIET!" Collins, Logan, Jen, and Sandra all whispered at the same time.

The key turned in the lock, and Roger appeared, followed by Wes, Evan, and Steve. "Yeah, so that could work—"

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Roger jumped slightly, but quickly regained his composure amongst the laughs of his band mates. "Jesus, what the hell are you all doing here?"

Abby dashed towards him and hugged him loosely around his legs. "Happy Birthday, Daddy!"

He scooped her up and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Thanks baby." She giggled and threw her arms around his neck as he hoisted her up onto his shoulders.

Jen walked towards him and smiled. "Happy Birthday. And before you yell at me for it, this wasn't my idea. It was completely Maureen and Benny's. So go ahead, let 'em have it."

"Oh really," he laughed, kissing her softly on the lips and pulling her close. "Well I've had it in for Benny for awhile now, but Maureen…I think being engaged to Mark is enough punishment."

Benny only laughed as he set a now awake Jesse onto his feet. He stared shyly up at Roger and clung to his father's leg. "Happy Birthday, man. I know things haven't always been the best between us, but I figured you deserved this and all."

"Thanks man," Roger agreed, shaking hands with Benny quickly."

Maureen stared at him and shoved him roughly once she managed to get up off the hard floor. "Happy Birthday, asshole. Don't piss a pregnant woman off."

"Yeah," Collins chuckled. "She already almost broke Mark's nose. Next thing you know, she'll come after your ass in the middle of the night."

. xxx .

October 13th

12:30 AM

Roger grinned up at Jen as she re-entered their bedroom, closing the door only halfway. She looked so exhausted, but in the dim light, she still managed to look beautiful. He admired her carefully, not wanting to get caught staring, but at the same time, wondering what he reaction would be if he did.

A week and a half after Ryan's birth, Jen had managed to squeeze in a half-hour a day at the local gym with her old membership, along with taking up Pilates with Maureen, who seemed willing to try anything that would keep her 'fat ass' in shape for the remainder of her pregnancy. Jen was surprised she hadn't gained that much with Ryan—only twenty-five pounds, compared to the near forty she put on with Abby. Although the pounds had come off more quickly the first time around, Jen found herself almost able to fit into her old size two jeans. Almost. She still had a little ways to go. She even had Roger slip her old bellybutton ring back in, surprised to find that the hole hadn't closed up as she thought it would have.

"Did he give you a hard time?" Roger questioned with a yawn, breaking the silence as she crawled into bed next to him.

She shook her head softly and rested it against Roger's bare chest. "No. He was just hungry."

His fingers entangled themselves in her light brown hair and he closed his eyes briefly. "I told you so."

"How does it feel to be old?" Jen laughed, teasing him. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

"Old," he smirked at her, planting a kiss on the tip of her nose. "But yeah. I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

"Good. I'm glad." She shivered slightly and tucked the blankets under her chin. "What are you thinking about?"

Roger frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "Are you really happy here?"

Jen sat up slightly, propping herself up on her elbow. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Are you happy here, in New York, with me."

"How can you ask me that," she answered angrily. "You know what the answer is to that."

Roger scoffed and sat up, resting against the backboard of the bed. "You don't deserve this. You deserve better."

"Stop it, Roger."

"It's true!" he half shouted, half whispered. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up Ryan, because they'd have a hell of a time getting him back to sleep. "I'll be dead in five years and you'd have put yourself through all this hell for nothing. Come on, Jen. You still have a chance. You can find yourself someone who can really take care of you forty, fifty years from now."

"How can you say that to me?"

"Because it's the truth. I'm no good. I'm not going anywhere! I'm never going to make it big or be able to provide for you like you know you want me to. The gigs are only going to last me so long, Jen. And then the doctor's bills are going to become more and more expensive. The hospital stays will become longer and longer. I'll be fucking slipping away and I'll leave you alone with our two kids before you're thirty-five years old. You really want to be a widow, Jen? Walk away while you still have a chance."

"What do you want, Roger?"

"What?" He was so angry that the question completely took him by surprise.

"Do you want me to walk away? Do you want to go back out to LA? Tell me what you want." She had gotten out of bed and was busying herself with folding some of Ryan's laundry.

"I want, damn. I want to move out of this fucking city. I want to live near the Pacific Ocean. I want our demo to hit big out on the West Coast. I want Abby and Ryan to get a good education and grow up somewhere that they don't have to be scared to walk down the street. I want to marry you."

Jen smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. "What?"

"I said I want to marry you!"

She stared at him. "Why?"

He jumped out of the bed and pulled her into the living room. "Because!"

"How much have you had to drink tonight?" Jen laughed as he twirled her around the room.

"Enough to slightly impair my judgment, but I know what I'm talking about. I can't promise you fifty years. I can't even promise you tomorrow. But I can promise you right now, because I love you. I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, knowing that I let you get away a second time. Promise me you won't go away again and I'll promise you that I'll stay right by your side. Marry me, Jennifer Walsh. I wanna marry you!"

Jen glanced down at him. At some point in his speech he had gotten down on his knees and placed his hands on her hips. "You're drunk."

Mark and Maureen shuffled out of the spare bedroom, where they had spent the night. "What are you arguing about?" he questioned, pulling Maureen against him.

"Yeah Romeo, I was trying to get my beauty sleep, which is very hard, considering the kid wants to kick the crap out of me in the middle of the night," Maureen complained with a wide yawn.

Roger pulled Jen over to the two large windows and opened one of them. "I'm gonna marry her!" he shouted out of one of them.

"That's great, buddy! Shut the fuck up!"

Maureen stifled a giggle and sat down on the couch, curling up next to Mark. "Please Jen, put the boy out of his misery. He's making an ass out of himself."

Jen threw her head back and laughed. Roger was now dancing around the apartment. Mark was just staring at him, laughing so hard that tears were practically welling up in his eyes.

"Yes!" she shouted. "Yes, Roger Michael Davis, I will marry you! I'm gonna marry you!"

He stopped and let out a whoop as he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around. "You're gonna marry me!"

"I'm gonna marry you!" she shouted, squirming out of his grip and jogging towards the window. "I'm gonna marry him!" she yelled out the window into the street.

"Ah Christ, congratulations lady!"

Roger ran over and gathered her up in his arms, kissing her passionately. "Good."

"I'm gonna be a best man!" Mark shouted, mocking Roger and Jen as he grabbed Maureen off of the couch. "Guess what, Mo?"

"We're gonna get married too!" she squealed, laughing hard as Mark kissed her cheek and hugged her from behind.

"Ha ha," Roger rolled his eyes. "You two are a riot act."

"That's why they're our best friends," Jen reminded him as he carried her to the bedroom. "I'm surprised Abby and Ryan didn't wake up with all the noise you're making."

Mark yawned and started leading Maureen back to the bedroom. "Goodnight, all."

"Goodnight, Mr. and Mrs. Davis," Maureen giggled. "Keep the noise down. Thin walls."

"Right," Roger smirked. He kicked the door gently shut and laid Jen on the bed, gently lying on top of her. "I think this is a cause for celebration."

"As long as it's a quiet one," she smiled up at him, running her fingers through his hair. "I love you, Roger."

"I love you too, baby." He started trailing kisses down her neck and shoulders as he pulled her tank top over her head. "I'll always love you."

. xxx .

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