A/N- In the midst of the end-of-the-semester madness (three huge final papers, ugh,) and a slight writers-block, your reviews definitely kept me sane and smiley so keep them coming. You're awesome, I love you!

I'll take this opportunity to thank msgalinda, who gave me a lot of necessary info about NYC and Scarsdale! Also, I just find it necessary to tell you that the structure of this fic is gonna be alternate POV's- the odd chapters will be Maureen's, the even chapters will be Mark's.

I would like to dedicate the following chapter to Anthony Rapp's 2-days' visit here in Israel! Yay for us! Sometimes dreams do come true, you see… now I just gotta figure out a way to locate him before he leaves on Thursday :)

And lastly- Rent, the movie. In 9 days. Finally here. This kind of speaks for itself, isn't it?…

Thanks again guys! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

It felt like the longest day, though it was hardly 1PM. She had three long, exhausting meetings that morning already, one after another. There was always plenty to do before New Years. This was the whole purpose of her going to New York, after all. When she wasn't in a meeting, she was on the phone with the San Francisco office, telling them how things were going. Her desk was full of paperwork she had to file, empty coffee mugs and some folders and documents that needed her attention. Looking at all that mess, she couldn't help but think back of Joanne. She always teased her for her never-ending work, for the long hours she used to stay in her office during an important case. It was her second home, if not the first one, at times. Now she understood what it was like for her. Now she regretted not being more patient.

Her office was on the 21st floor, and she stood by the window and looked down at the City. She had a five-minute break before she'd have to leave for a lunch meeting with the staff. From up there, everything looked so tiny, covered with snow. A make-believe city. Toy cabs and toy trees and toy people… it looked like a child's game.

She wondered what Libby was doing. She knew she could trust Robin to take her someplace nice, she just wished she could do it herself. There was so much to do in New York City, especially around Christmas time. She wanted to take her to see a show on Broadway, something that her own parents used to do long ago when she was a child. Maybe she could take couple of days off before they'd have to go back, she thought. Yeah, she definitely had to do that.

The phone on her desk beeped. "Maureen?" her secretary's voice was heard through the speaker.

She moved away from the window and picked up the phone. "Yeah, I'm here."

"I just got a message from Stan that your 4 o'clock meeting has been canceled."

"Okay. Thanks, Lynn."

"No problem."

Her last meeting for the day, canceled. She just stood there for a second, as this piece of good news quickly sank in. She looked at her messed up desk, then at her watch. She could do that tomorrow. She would do that tomorrow. She'd take the afternoon off. She quickly dialed another number, and waited.

"Hello?" said the familiar voice.

"Robin, hey, it's me."

"Oh, hey!"

"Listen, how would you like an afternoon off?"

"Why? What happened?"

"My 4 o'clock thing has been canceled, so I'll be able to get there earlier today. Spend some time with my girl. How is she, by the way?"

"She's great, we just walked in. She's gonna take a nap now. Hey, didn't you want me to come over this evening too?"

"Umm, no, I don't think that will be necessary." Since she haven't heard from Mark yet, and she didn't think she would hear from him, she saw no point in making Robin stay there. She probably had things to do as well.

"You sure? I really don't mind."

"Yeah, I'm sure. Look, I gotta go, I'll be there in an hour or two, okay? Give Libby a kiss for me."

"Sure. See you later then."

"Bye, thanks Robin." She hung up, and took some folders she needed for her next meeting, but didn't leave her office just yet. She picked up her cell phone from her desk and looked at it thoughtfully. It was working just fine. Of course it did, she was just acting silly. If he didn't give her a call until now, he probably wouldn't, and that was that. It made her a little upset. She really wanted to see him again. She thought he did too, right before she left his gallery. That kiss, his invitation… it gave her hope, but she guessed he must have thought better of it. Maybe he just tried to be nice. He didn't want anything to do with her, and she didn't think she should blame him. She hurt him endlessly in the past. He probably didn't want to get into this all over again. But couldn't he notice she was different? Or maybe it wasn't as obvious as she believed?

The lunch meeting ended earlier than she expected, and she hurried back to the hotel. Mark still didn't call, but she tried not to let that bother her, or upset her. She should just forget about it. She just needed a good distraction, something that would stir her thoughts into a totally different direction.

She entered the suite quietly and located Robin immediately. She was asleep on one of the sofas in the small sitting room, with a book open in her lap. She approached her and gently tapped on her shoulder.

"Robin, wake up," she said quietly. The younger woman's eyes fluttered open, and she gazed at her, disoriented.

"Did I fall asleep?" she asked hoarsely.

"Yeah, you did."

"God, that novel does that to me, I swear."

She laughed softly and observed the cover. "Yeah, I'm not a fan of Hardy's either."

"Did you just walk in?" asked Robin, yawning.

"Yeah. Go home, get some rest."

"I will, I will, I'm going," she said while slipping into her shoes. "Libby's asleep in your room." Even though the suite had another small bedroom, Libby refused to sleep there alone. For several nights now, they shared a bed in the bigger room. She had no problem with that. There were times when it made her feel safer, to know that her little girl was right there with her. So it didn't surprise her that she was there right now.

Soon Robin was gone and the suite was quiet again. She went to the window and looked down at the city, just as she did hours ago in her office. The sounds from the street were nearly inaudible, but if she stood quiet enough she could still hear them… cars' horns, people's chatter, music from that shop or another…

A rustle from behind her shook her from her reverie. She turned to face her very sleepy daughter, who was standing in the middle of the room, clutching an old-looking teddy bear.

She smiled. "Hey, Munchkin. No hug for your mommy?"

Libby walked towards her and hugged her legs. She laughed softly and picked the girl up. "No work today, mommy?"

"Not until tomorrow. And you know what we'll do? We're gonna do some more Christmas shopping, what do you think?" They already bought a small fake tree, since they couldn't bring a real one into the hotel. They spent their first night there decorating it. It looked almost as nice as the tree they had for the last couple of years in their apartment in San Francisco. It was better than nothing.

Libby's eyes were shining with anticipation. "We go now?"

"In a bit. I'll change and we'll get you dressed up and then we'll go. Okay?"

"Can Roger come too?" she asked, motioning the teddy bear. Roger. Of all the names in the world, Libby had to choose this one to name her teddy bear. She remembered the first time she heard her calling it that, almost a year back, when she had got it for her birthday. She asked her why. Libby just shrugged and said that this was its name.

"Maybe some other time, sweetheart," she said quietly, thinking about the Roger she used to know. He died last Christmas. It was still too painful to take in. But she didn't want to sink into memories all over again. She had to focus on the present, on her daughter. No matter how difficult it was. "Come on."

They wandered through the streets for a while and eventually got into Bloomingdale's just as the snow resumed. They stood in the lobby of the huge department store, laughing and shaking the snowflakes off their coats. She took Libby's hand in hers as they moved from floor to floor, continuing their shopping.

Her cell phone rang just as they got to the children's department.

"Libby, wait a second, I have to answer this," she said. "Stay where I can see you, okay, sweetie?" Libby nodded, and she answered the call. Someone from the office… she couldn't quite heat him, there was too much noise all around her. She moved away absent-mindedly from where she was standing, thinking it might improve the reception, but to no avail. Eventually she hung up and turned to her right, to where she had left Libby a moment ago, only to discover that the girl was gone.

Instant panic was washing all over her. A cold feeling was quickly creeping into her veins, making her heart quicken its pace, as she looked frantically around her. Where did she go? She was here a second ago!

She was about to turn to someone for help, when she suddenly noticed a red glimpse of Libby's coat. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Thank God! Libby was standing there, near half a dozen shelves full of dolls and stuffed animals, talking to someone who stood with his back to her. She approached the girl quickly, her panic quickly replaced with a deeper sense of fear. What was she doing? She knew perfectly well that she wasn't supposed to speak with people she didn't know, especially men!

"Libby, thank God, there you are!" she called, already halfway there, but still quite far. "What did I tell you about talking to stra-"

The man her daughter was talking to turned to face her. She stopped dead on her tracks when she realized she knew him. Shit. "Mark," she whispered as soon as her gaze met his. By his expression, she could tell he had already put two and two together. He figured it out. She laughed nervously, momentarily in lose of words. "We must stop meeting like this." Then her panic came rushing back, and she looked at Libby. "Munchkin, are you okay?" she asked. The girl was obviously fine, for she was smiling brightly. She nodded.

"We were just talking," said Mark. She raised her eyes to face him. This was more than just coincidence. It was simply impossible! She still found it hard to believe she met him the previous days by complete accident after so many years, but now… "You okay?" he asked hesitantly.

"A bit shaky, thanks for this little one. I'll be fine in a minute."

"Look, I was about to call you later today…" his voice trailed off. He looked away. The sound of his voice told her that he didn't mean it. Okay, maybe he did, but he still looked so unsure. He probably hadn't yet decided whether he should.

"No, that's fine, I understand," she assured him, but couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. Did he just say that because he happened to meet her there? Or did he really mean to call her later?

"It's just… work and all, you know? I kind of lost a sense of time."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." It was awkward. Most likely that he felt that way too. What happened? They used to be friends, they used to be lovers, for God's sake! She didn't want it to end up that way. It was bad enough they didn't see each other for the past ten years. She didn't want to lose him again. How could she fix this? "Well, I understand that you two already met?" she asked eventually, looking down again at Libby, who nodded. "Libby, this is Mark. He's an old friend of mine." She locked her gaze with his as she said that, then returned her attention to the little girl. "Come on, be nice, say hi."

"Hi," whispered Libby, clutching her mother's coat.

"She's a little shy," she apologized. Mark smiled but said nothing. She wished she could know what was on his mind. His expression was unreadable. Someone was pulling the edge of her coat, gently yet persistently, putting at end to her attempts to decipher his expression. She looked down at Libby, who stood patiently and waited for her mother to notice her. "Yes, Libby?"

"Mommy, I want this." It was then when she noticed an enormous Piglet that her daughter now picked up from the floor. She could hardly get a hold on it. She turned her amused gaze from Libby to the doll and to Libby again, who looked at her with anticipation.

"I'll tell you what. Go over there and get a smaller one, and I promise we'll get it. Okay, baby?"

"Okay!" called Libby excitedly, already halfway to the shelves again. She watched her for a moment, and turned to face Mark again.

"She's beautiful," he said quietly, looking at Libby.

She smiled, feeling her heart melt. There were times when she was so proud of that little girl; it was usually over those smallest, meaningless things, the simplest compliment made her heart swell with emotion. "Thank you."

"How old is she?"

"She'll be five in two months." She paused and looked at him honestly. "I should have told you yesterday."

"Why didn't you?" Although his voice carried an unmistakable notion of seriousness, he didn't sound as if he was mad at her for hiding it from him. Actually, he sounded kind of curious.

"I'm not sure. I was just afraid of your reaction, I suppose." She smiled. "I should have known better."

He hesitated, and glanced at her carefully. "Is it… just the two of you?"

She knew what he wanted to know. She nodded. "Yes. Only us." Libby's return saved them from another awkward silence. She had two dolls now; smaller ones, and she held them for her to see, smiling proudly. "What you've got there, Munchkin?"

"Mommy, can we get Pooh, too?" Libby pleaded.

She glanced at Mark and caught him smiling. Just like Libby, he too was waiting for her reply. She looked at Libby again. She couldn't resist her, not when she gave her that heart-melting look. "Well, I don't know, Libby. Should we buy both?"

"Pleaaaase?" asked the girl, pouting.

"Now, I wonder who taught her to do that," said Mark laughing.

She shot him a glare, but couldn't hide her smile. "Sure, baby. We'll get both. But only because it's Christmas."

"So how about that dinner tonight?" asked Mark all of a sudden.

She gave him a surprised look. Just like the first time he had offered this, it came out kind of unexpectedly again. She already told Robin not to come back to the hotel that night. She planned on taking Libby to Radio City Music Hall later. It was so close to their hotel anyway. She didn't have the heart to call Robin and tell her there had been change in her plans. What if Robin had other plans already? And she promised Libby they'd spend the rest of the day together…

She looked at Mark sorrowfully. "I'm afraid we'll have to reschedule. I've already given Libby's babysitter the night off."

"I didn't mean to leave Libby out of it. I mean, I thought she could come with us. That is, if she wants to." Before she knew it, he was kneeling next to Libby, so that he was at the same eye level as her. "What do you say, Libby? You wanna go to dinner with us?" he asked softly. Libby nodded and hid behind her again. Mark stood up and smiled at her. "See? It's settled then."

"You're irresistible, aren't you?" she asked teasingly, in her former Drama Queen tone, though her heart was racing. What had just happened?

He blushed slightly and lowered his head, accidentally glancing at his watch. "I have to go back to work… I'll meet you later. Is 7 too late for her?"

"I guess we can make an exception, under the circumstances," she smiled. "We're staying in Hilton. Meet us there?"

He raised an eyebrow, but kept any comment he might have had to himself. "Sure. I'll be there a bit sooner, if I can."

"Okay. See you later then."

"Later," he smiled, a bit more comfortable, it seemed. Then he looked down at Libby, who was watching him curiously all this time, standing behind her mother. "It was nice to meet you, Libby," he said formally, making the girl giggle. Her initial shyness started to slowly disappear.

"Bye!" she said smiling, clutching her two new dolls. Mark returned her smile and turned to leave.

"We'd better go back if we want to go out to dinner later," she said, half to Libby and half to herself.

As they finally left the store, Libby talked endlessly about how Mark helped her getting the doll she wanted. She seemed to have liked him a lot, and how could she not? How could anyone not love Mark?

She smiled as she listened to her daughter's story. Sure, it was so like Mark to do such a thing, to save a damsel in distress, no matter that this specific damsel was hardly five years old. She was happy to know that at least in this aspect, he hadn't changed as much. Although she wasn't expecting this meeting so soon, she was relieved that Libby liked him so much. She wasn't really sure why, she just did. And Mark was obviously taken by her little girl, which made her feel happy as well. He seemed to know just the way to talk to her, which surprised her, because she knew he didn't have kids of his own. Whether he had it from watching his nephews or that it simply came naturally, she couldn't quite tell. He would make a great dad someday, she thought smiling. Suddenly, she couldn't wait until their next meeting, only couple of hours away.