Yay finally! Thanks everyone for the reviews and being so patient. Hope you all enjoy this one. I kind of just threw this one together this evening. I felt bad because I hadn't been able to post since I was out of town and wanted to get going again on this story. Pretty much still exhausted from my trip, so I hope this ch. is ok. And I made this one a longer ch. Actually it was going to be longer, but I got tired.

(Joanne's POV)

I stood outside of our apartment door for about five minutes; just starring at it. My body wouldn't let me move. I wasn't sure what to expect out of Maureen when I went inside. A million scenarios had run through my mind on the way back; most of them ending badly. Maureen was typically very dramatic and drama was the last thing I needed right now from her. Usually Maureen's answer to any problem was to have sex. Part of me could understand why, cause she's damn good at it. But still I didn't need that from her right now; I needed her to….well to be more like Roger right now. Just to listen and talk to me, not expect that after our conversation that we'd being having sex in some random part of our apartment. Not that I ever minded having sex with her, like I said she was damn good at it, but right now just wasn't the time. However, maybe I am underestimating Maureen. I guess there is only one way to find out.

I slowly opened the door to find Maureen sitting at the kitchen table. The apartment was silent and she looked as though she had been crying. When I walked it she looked up at me, didn't move or say a word. I just stood there returning her stare.

I finally took a deep breath a spoke, "so I'm home."

"Yeah, finally." This came out rather snooty and sarcastically. But I guess she did have some right to act this way. I had just told her what had happened and then ran off to spend time and talk to someone else.

"Well….yeah…so…." I was speechless; I really didn't know what to say to her. Granted she had been acting like a bitch earlier, but it wasn't all her fault. She wasn't saying anything and she was still sitting down. I could see the hurt she was feeling inside. And I didn't know what to say or do. I didn't want to completely give into her because it wasn't all my fault that we were having problems right now. So, I just decided that I'd go back to the bedroom and when she wanted to talk she'd come find me.

I made it all the way to the bedroom without even hearing her move. I was putting my things away when she appeared in the doorway. "So you aren't going to talk to me again tonight either?" I couldn't really tell if she was pissed off or concerned; maybe a little bit of both.

"Maureen look, I did want to talk to you…I do want to talk to you."

"Then why aren't you? Joanne you know how bad it hurts me that you don't feel as though you can talk to me about this; that you'd rather talk to Roger?" I could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She genuinely looked hurt.

I went over and sat down on the edge of our bed; my eyes gazing at the floor. "Roger has just been very easy to talk to lately. And," I looked up at her, "he was there, he saw me at the most vulnerable point. So since he's already seen me that vulnerable I feel as though I can talk to him."

"But Joanne, I'm your girlfriend. You should be able to talk to me about anything. I love you and I'm here for you." She came over and sat down beside me on the bed. Her hand was soon rubbing the inside of my thigh.

"That's why Maureen," I jumped up in a huff. She looked rather surprised at my actions. "Roger understands that the last thing I need right now is to be touched like that. I was almost raped and you're trying to have sex with me."

"What's so wrong with that?" She was on her feet screaming right back at me. "I love you and I just want to show you that."

"And by having sex with me is the only way you can show me you love me. What about just listening to me? Talking to me? Or just letting me cry on your shoulder?" I was now crying. I was blowing up at her. Why couldn't she just understand this, that sex doesn't always solve everything. She's a sexual person, I get that, that is one thing I love about her, but I just wish she'd understand there was more to a relationship.

She almost seemed scared now. Her eyes were screaming out in fear and pain. "But Joanne what if that's the only way I can help you? What if I can't help you through this?" Tears were running down her cheeks. Her body was nearly shaking from the outburst of emotion. Her body collapsed to the ground; she leaned over and laid her head on top of the bed. "Joanne, what if I'm not enough?"

I had no idea that this was what she was thinking. How could she ever imagine that she wasn't enough for me? Oh wait, that's right Joanne you have been running off to talk to Roger about all of this. I walked over to her, kneeling in front of her. "Maureen, all I need is for you to be here for me. That's all I need. I just need you. You don't have to be all sexual with me for me to know that you love me."

She looked up at me, her eyes already red and puffy. "Joanne, whatever you need. Just please talk to me about it. And I promise, I'll just listen. The next time we are in any way intimate with each other, will be because you initiated it."

I sat down beside her on the floor. I reached over and wiped a stray tear from her cheek; even that made my body shiver from fear. "Do you really want to know everything that happened?" She didn't speak, she just nodded her head. So, I told her about how I had saw him when I was up at the bar and how I chased him into the park. The tears once again started forming in her eyes. I then told her about me yelling at him and punching him, she laughed. Then I got to the hard part…him throwing me on the ground and then himself. I told her about Angel and how he saved me and about Mark and Roger finding me.

"I'm sorry baby," it was barely understandable through her crying. She stood up and walked over to the window starring out into the cool New York City streets. Her pain quickly turned into anger as she grabbed the nearest thing to her and threw it across the room, "that bastard!"

I quickly ran over to her trying to calm her down. I grabbed her shoulders and starred into her eyes. "It's ok, I'm ok."

"I'm sorry pookie. I should be the one trying to calm you down, not you trying to calm me down." She had a point. She walked over to the bed and laid down. "I'm going to lay down for awhile, is that ok?"

"Yeah, of course. I need to take a shower anyway."

"Can we talk more later? And I promise just talk." She was so caring in her words. I could tell that she truly was concerned about me. Not that I ever doubted that she wasn't ever concerned about me.

"We'll talk." I turned to leave the room. As I turned off the light switch I looked back over at Maureen. She reached over and grabbed my pillow and cuddled up into it. She took a deep breath into the pillow. I think we are going to be ok.

(Maureen's POV)

I'm not really sure how long I had been asleep. But I could hear the shower running so either I didn't sleep long or Joanne had waited awhile before getting in the shower. I laid there for awhile, thinking about Joanne. I am determined to help her. She needs me, so I'm going to be there for her. And in the way I promised. In every relationship I had had before, sex seemed to always fix things. But with Joanne it was different. When I had sex with her it always meant something; there was always those intense emotions. Granted we would have sex after having a fight, but we would talk about the fight too though. That was one of the reasons I knew that my relationship with her was real. Because I was always wanting to have sex with her, yet I still wanted to talk to her about anything. I wanted to know what was going on with her and what she was feeling. She's my pookie and I love her.

I got up and walked to the bathroom. I had to brush my teeth. I knocked on the door, "Joanne, can I come in? I need to brush my teeth." I could hear her laughing in the shower. She knew how anal I could be about my teeth being clean.

"Yeah, it's unlocked."

I walked in and made a conscious effort to head straight to the sink. I could see the reflection of the shower in the mirror. I wanted to so bad go and join her in there, but I wasn't going to. I know that I couldn't and shouldn't, but it was hard to restrain myself. The shower was one of our favorite places in the apartment to mess around in. So obviously standing there in the bathroom while she was in the shower, not being able to get in with her, was hard. So many memories are flooding my mind. My favorite memories though oddly enough are of us just kissing in the shower. I loved kissing her in the shower. Well I loved kissing her when we were anywhere; she was a great kisser. I remember the first time we kissed; it was actually the first time we met.

"Hey Maureen I have to cater this party tonight so we will have to push our plans back till about 12 or so." My friend Katie and I had plans to go out to this new bar in the village. Mark had been so wrapped up with Roger and that camera that I had found myself hanging out with Katie more and more. We had met after one of my protest one night. She worked for a catering company in the city while she was trying to make it as a singer.

"Well how about I just meet you there and we can leave from there is that ok?"

"Yeah sure no problem. Come whenever you want there will be so many people there I'm sure they won't even notice," she chuckled a little a bit. And she was right, most of these high class society parties were just a bunch of people gathered around to have an excuse to get drunk and talk about how much money they had. We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

It was about 10:30 and I was getting tired of just sitting in the loft listening to Mark talk to Roger about April or about getting off the drugs. I decided I'd go ahead and leave. If nothing else maybe I could swing a few free drinks. I went and told Mark I was leaving, I'm not even sure he heard me or would have even cared if he had.

I finally made it to this place. There was a sign out front that said, "Reserved party to congratulate the success of Joanne Jefferson." Another rich bitch showing off her money. I spotted Katie standing and the bar and she waved for me to come in.

"Hey, you're here kinda early?"

"Yeah, sorry. I just couldn't stand being in that loft much longer. So how's the party?" I grabbed a glass of wine and chugged it.

"Same thing as usual. Everyone just standing around talking about their money and getting drunk." We both rolled our eyes.

I grabbed another glass of wine from the table; Katie just laughed. "Hey, I'm going to go sit outside for awhile ok? I'll be back when I need another glass." I had saw this side door which I was guessing led to an alley of some sort. I made my way through the crowd, getting some stares because I looked nothing like these people.

I walked outside realizing I wasn't the only person with this idea. On the steps there sat this lady. She was dressed in this little black dress; her hair braided and pinned back in just the right places. She was a black woman, with dark brown eyes…she looked as bored as I did.

"Care if I sit down?"

She most have not realized that someone had walked outside because she jumped at the question. "Oh no, go ahead."

"I'm Maureen," I politely extended my hand.

"I'm Joanne."

"Wait a minute, like the Joanne this party is for?"

"That would be me." She rolled her eyes and took a swig of her wine.

"Why are you out here then and not inside?"

"I'm just a reason for my parents to have a party. I just got a job here in New York with a law firm, so they decided to celebrate."

"Well that's a pretty big deal for you lawyers isn't it? To work in New York?"

"Well not when the people who run the law firm you got hired at is your parents." We both laughed. She had the cutest laugh and most beautiful smile.

We sat and talked for awhile about quite a variety of things. She actually intrigued me; there was just something about her. She had caught my attention when I first walked out and she had managed to keep it for quite sometime. I found myself flirting with her. Which was totally a weird experience for me because I'd never even thought of flirting with a girl. I appreciated other women's beauty but more than that there was never anything. Joanne was different though somehow. I enjoyed just being there with her and talking to her; and not in the same way as I did my other friends like Katie.

I was telling her a story about something or other and for some reason I reached over and touched her leg. We both became silent when I did. And for some reason I didn't move my hand. I left it there, just looking at her. And she was looking right back.

"Maureen?"

But I didn't let her say much more. I found myself leaning in closer to her. Finally our lips met and our bodies had moved closer to one another's. Her arms were wrapped around my waist; her hands rubbing the small of my back. My arms were around her neck; my hands occasionally running threw her thick dark hair. Our kiss was so passionate, so intense. I'll never forget it. It was nothing like I had ever shared with Mark or anyone before. Something inside of me knew right then, that something was to come of this…and that I wanted there to be.

"Maureen, hello, earth to Maureen" I was snapped back into reality by Joanne screaming from behind the shower curtain; only her face being revealed. "You ok?"

"Yeah," I smiled, "Just remembering something…something about us." She smiled back at me. She actually looked happy.

"Well, can you hand me a towel please?"

I reached over and got her and towel and took over to her. She reached her hand out from behind the curtain and took the towel.

"Thanks"

I turned and walked out of the bathroom to leave to finish getting ready. As I got ready to shut the bathroom door I yelled back to her, "Hey Joanne, just so you know I was remembering about our first kiss."

I shut the door and headed down the hallway. "Hey Maureen," I could hear her yelling from inside the bathroom, "I love you."

So what did you think? Worth the wait? What about the flashback? Ok so please review this one as usual. I'll try to get another ch. posted asap. I'm having some conflict of what I want to do next, so hopefully I'll decide soon. Thanks for reading...and hopefully reviewing!