A/N: you guys… are amazing! Really. Your amazingness cannot be put into words. Thank you so much for your reviews! Keep them up, they honestly make my day.

Now a technical comment before you go on. Reading through the following couple of chapters, you'll notice that Maureen's parents have different names than those they had in the movie. That's because I didn't really like the way they were portrayed in the movie. They just didn't feel right. Not at all like I would have imagined them. So I made up new parents for Maureen. I hope you'll like them better as well.


Chapter 2

It was raining heavily for hours, ever since the previous night. It was cold and windy and the rain tapped forcefully against the glass of the windows. In such weather, all she felt like doing was snuggling under a blanket with hot chocolate and a good novel, but she couldn't. The apartment was a mess. There were toys scattered everywhere possible, and four days old laundry. Her housekeeper left just the week before for Dallas, something about moving in with her daughter. In such a short notice, she couldn't find anyone else she could trust. She had to pick Libby up from daycare around 1PM, which allowed her to do some cleaning uninterrupted.

Luckily their apartment wasn't big, just enough for the two of them, so she finished fairly quickly. She still had several hours before she'd have to go out and get Libby. She made herself a cup of coffee and dropped herself on the living room couch. Her gaze drifted to the window. It had the most amazing view to the Golden Gate and the beach, but it was raining so hard at the moment, it was almost impossible to notice them.

She'd miss this, she thought sadly. She'd miss the beach and this apartment. Only thinking about packing made her upset. She had to stay in town at least three weeks longer. They still could be back in New York at the beginning of February, if everything would work out as she expected. It's not that she didn't want to go back to New York, because she did, more than anything. But she lived in San Francisco for so long… She remembered that feeling. It was just like that day, when she decided to leave New York. She cried all the way to the West Coast.

She pulled a blanket around her shoulders and leaned back on the couch. As she sipped her coffee, her thoughts drifted to her talk with Mark the previous evening. She would never admit it to him, but those conversations made her kind of upset. Sure, she loved talking to him. Not only because she could tease him endlessly, knowing he could do nothing to get back at her, but also because he had that raspy, sexy voice over the phone, that in her twenties she never imagined she could associate with Mark. So yeah, talking had its own benefits, but it wasn't enough. She wanted him there, with them.

She still wasn't sure how she was going to break everything to her parents. Unless their flight was delayed or canceled because of the weather, they should be landing soon, she knew. They used to visit them in San Francisco every now and again. It was easier for them to come over than for her and Libby to go to Jersey. She got back in touch with them when she decided to start over. When she lived in the Village, it was just easier to cut herself off from them. She had to have that time for herself, with herself, to figure things out. And surprisingly enough, they accepted that. They didn't call daily to ask how she was doing. She always called at least once a week so they wouldn't be worried about her. And then when she left the Village and moved away, she just needed their approval. New Jersey was her first stop. They were there for her whenever she needed them ever since. They supported her when she decided to get divorced, and when she had Libby. They visited more frequently after the baby was born and helped her so much. They adored Libby. It made her laugh at first, to see the way her father, a senior lecturer of history in one of the best colleges in New Jersey, made a complete fool out of himself just because he thought Libby said something that sounded like 'grandpa.' Later, when she was older, they spoilt her rotten whenever they came over, whether by bringing her dozens of presents or by taking her to the park or the zoo. She suspected that their following visit wouldn't be different. And still, she was kind of worried. Ever since they got back, Mark was all Libby talked about. She didn't want her parents to learn the truth from her. She had to tell them exactly what happened before Libby would. She owed them as much. She just hoped they'd be more supportive than Mark's mom. She smiled to herself. Somehow she knew they would.

The phone rang suddenly. She reached for it, leaving her cup on the coffee table. "Hello?"

"Maureen? It's mom."

She leaned back again. "Mom! Hey! Are you here?"

"Yes, we just checked in, I just wanted to let you know that we're okay."

"I thought I was supposed to pick you guys up from the airport."

"Your father and I didn't want you to go out in this weather. It's crazy outside."

"Yeah, I know. How was your flight?"

"Bumpy. Your father is still recovering." She could hear her father protesting somewhere in the room. She smiled. He would never admit how much he hated flying. "We both need a little rest after this flight. How about we'll meet you two for dinner later?"

"Well actually, Mom, I kind of need to talk with you guys alone about something. How about I'll meet you for coffee instead?"

"Talk? Is something the matter?" her mother's tone changed slightly.

"No, no, everything is great. It's just that I need to tell you something and Dad is always distracted when Libby is around."

Her mother laughed. "That's true. Alright, darling. Give us a call and we'll be ready."

A knock came at the door. She raised her head in surprise. She wasn't expecting anyone, and it was hardly noon. "Mom, there's someone at the door. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Alright. We'll see you later."

"Bye, Mom." She hung up just as another knock was heard. "Just a second!" she called, halfway to the door. She opened it, and her jaw nearly dropped. "Oh my G-" She stopped mid-sentence and just stared at him in amazement. "Mark! I thought you were-" Their conversation from the previous evening echoed back in her ears. Cindy invited me for dinner. That was what he told her yesterday on the phone. "What are you-"

There he was, standing on her doorway dripping water all over the floor. He looked as if he was freezing, but he had this huge grin all over his face. His eyes were shinning, half hidden behind his wet glasses. As she pulled him inside it suddenly hit her. When they were talking the night before he knew he was coming over, and he didn't tell her. She closed the door and turned to face him, giving him an incredulous look. He just shrugged, his grin getting impossibly wider. He still didn't say anything. "You bastard, you tricked me," she said softly, hitting his chest playfully.

"I can leave if you want," he said, reaching for the doorknob.

She grabbed his arm and pinned him against the door. "Don't you dare leaving this apartment," she whispered, moving closer. He leaned down to kiss her just as she was about to stand on tiptoes and do the same. He kissed her slowly, gently, taking his time. Then after what felt like hours they pulled away and just stood there, quiet, just holding one another. His heart was beating against her ear, and it took a while before she realized it was more than that. He was shivering. And then she remembered he was still cold and wet. "Come on, let's get you out of these clothes," she said, taking his hand and leading him down the hall to where her bedroom was.

"Easy girl, I just got here," he joked.

"You just had to fly here on the coldest day in the year, right? This way," she nodded towards her bedroom door, and he followed her in. Then he seemed to remember something and looked over her shoulder back to the hallway.

"Hey, where's my favorite Munchkin?"

"At daycare. I should go and pick her up soon." She watched him as he took off his coat and a small smile made its way to her lips. He was finally there. "I can't believe you didn't tell me yesterday."

He shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you."

She reached for a towel and threw at him. He caught it halfway and dried his hair with it. "Surprise me? I almost got a heart attack. How long can you stay?"

"My flight back is on Monday morning. So… two days?"

"And three nights," she said, smiling slyly. He had nowhere to hide. He was definitely blushing now. He still had most of his wet clothes on. It didn't seem as if he cared that he was shivering violently. He just stood there, looking at her. She walked slowly towards him and reached for the hem of his shirt. He raised his arms, letting her pull it over his head and off. She took the towel he laid on a nearby chair and wrapped it around his shoulders.

"Mo, I'm okay," he said softly.

"You're dripping water all over my bedroom. You're cold. You're not okay. I don't want you to catch pneumonia because of this trip."

"Come here," he took her hand and pulled her closer. He looked at her hand and smiled. She was still wearing his grandmother's ring. "You didn't change your mind?"

She smiled and laid a small kiss on his lips. "I'll never change my mind."


They took her car and went to get Libby. She was always tired and cranky at the end of the day, but the moment she detected Mark sitting in the car, all her tiredness was gone in an instant. When they got back home, it was like they never left New York. He surprised Libby as well and brought Roger with him. She took it to her room, where she told all her other dolls and stuffed animals that Roger came to visit them from New York City.

She showed Mark where everything was in the apartment and got ready for her meeting with her parents. Mark said he didn't mind staying with Libby for couple of hours, and Libby didn't seem to mind. She was too excited being reunited with her favorite teddy bear, so she hardly noticed when her mother left. Also, she didn't know her grandparents were already in town, or she would have refused to stay behind.


The rain stopped by the time she went out to meet her parents at their hotel. They waited for her in the lobby, and she took them to a small café she knew nearby. The waitress took their orders and once she was gone, they both looked at her expectedly.

"Well, we're listening. What all this secrecy is about?" asked her father. His smile didn't hide his concern.

"First of all, promise that you'll let me finish. I'll tell you everything, but it's kind of hard so let me do it my way. Okay?"

The same expression her father had was now reflected in her mother's face. She leaned forward. "Honey, now I'm starting to worry. What happened?"

It was easier than it looked like, really. There were nothing like Mark's mom. She could tell them. She could trust them to understand her. She could count on their support. It would be okay. "I'm getting married."

Her father went pale. "What? Maureen-"

She frowned. "Daddy, you promised."

"Richard, let her speak," her mother whispered furiously. They both looked at her, waiting for an explanation.

She took a deep breath. Here goes. "When we were in New York on Christmas I met an old friend of mine. I…" she laughed nervously, suddenly embarrassed. "We kind of got back together."

"An old friend? Who-" her father started again. Her mother's glare shushed him up immediately. The waitress chose that exact moment to go back with their coffee.

Once the waitress left, she looked at her mother, who added sugar to her coffee. For a moment, she wasn't sure how she was going to take this. She remembered how much her mother loved Mark back then. She only met him couple of times, but she kept mentioning his name even after the two of them broke up. Yet it's been over 10 years. "Don't say anything stupid, okay Mom?" Her mother just nodded, watching her intently. "It's Mark."

Her mother stared at her in shock. "Mark? The filmmaker? That cute, shy boy you dumped?"

"Yeah, that's the one." An image of a smiling, soaked-to-the-bone Mark standing on her doorway crossed her mind, and she smiled. But how would her parents take it? She glanced at them. They exchanged looks which she couldn't interpret. They said nothing, which made her kind of nervous. She wished she could read their minds.

To her complete astonishment, her father took his wallet out of an inner pocket of his tweed jacket and handed her mother a 20 Dollar bill. Her mother accepted it with a brilliant smile. "Thank you, darling, 12 years later," she said.

She stared at her father, confused. "What are you doing?"

"Never under-estimate the power of maternal instincts, my dear," he said.

She turned her confused gaze to her mother, who placed the bill in her purse and then slowly sipped her coffee, keeping a straight face all the while. "You set a bet on us?" she asked incredulously.

Her mother nodded. "Right after that first night you brought the boy home for dinner. I knew right away. Too bad it took you so long, but I guess it's better late than never."

She smiled. This was easy. She knew she could trust them. "So… I guess that means that you guys are okay with this? Daddy?"

"Well, that all depends," said her father. His expression remained unreadable.

"On what?"

"On how he treats my little princess."

She laughed. She should have known. "He loves Libby. Libby is crazy about him. Don't worry about it, Dad."

"Then you two have my blessing," he smiled. He took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Is he moving here with you?"

"No, actually Libby and I are moving back to New York."

They looked as if they weren't expecting this. "But that means you'll have to give up your job," said her mother, looking confused.

"No, I won't. That's the other thing I needed to tell you. I got promoted. They want me to run the department in New York. I accepted it."

"Maureen, that's great. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Dad."

"When are you moving back?"

"By the end of the month, I hope. Maybe a bit later."

"I can't believe you didn't tell us that before!" said her mother. She still looked a bit shocked and confused, but she took everything pretty well. Pretty much like she expected.

"Would you rather hear all that over the phone? You would have killed me, Mom, I knew better."

Her father burst into a heartily laughter. "She's right, Liz. You would never forgive her."

Her mother shook her head. "Oh, both of you are just-"

"When can I see my little princess?" asked her father, ignoring his wife's protests.

She laughed, and then she thought of the greatest idea. "Why don't you come to dinner tomorrow? Mark and I can cook and-"

"Wait a second, Mark? I thought he lived in New York?"

"He does, but he got here this morning for the weekend."

"In this weather?" her father asked in disbelief.

Her mother shrugged. "Must be true love then," she said with a small smile.


She got back home couple of hours afterwards. The apartment was suspiciously quiet. She locked the door and turned to look at the living room. She couldn't help but smile. Mark was lying on the couch, his eyes closed. A very sleepy Libby was sprawled on his chest, wearing a pink pajama and her Piglet-shaped slippers. There were sheets of paper and about a dozen colorful Crayola's on the coffee table, and some stuffed animals on the floor. It looked as if they were having a good time. Poor Mark, he looked exhausted. First that flight, then the rain and he was finally beaten by a very tiring five-year-old. She slipped out of her coat and shoes and walked towards the couch.

Mark's eyes snapped open as she picked Libby up. He looked disoriented and slightly confused.

"Shh… go to sleep, I'll just get her into bed," she whispered. Right before she disappeared in the hallway she could see him sitting up and stretching his arms above his head. Libby didn't even stir when she tucked her in, kissed her goodnight and left her room. Mark was waiting for her in the hall. "You look tired."

He smiled. "I am. But we had a great time." He touched her cheek, looking into her, a bit concerned. "What's our verdict?"

"I invited them for dinner tomorrow. Wait and see," she said mysteriously.

"Maureen, come on, I'm too tired for those games," he laughed wearily. They stepped into her bedroom.

"Promise you won't laugh, okay?"

"Laugh? Why would I-"

"They set a bet on us," she was trying all her might to say it as seriously as possible, but the more she thought about it, the funnier it became. Apparently, Mark thought it funny himself, for he screwed up his face, trying to hide the smile that crawled on his lips. When that didn't work, he turned his back on her. Suddenly, he found his bag interesting. He was definitely stifling a giggle. She glared at him, putting her hands on her hips. "Mark Cohen, you promised!"

He burst into laughter and turned to look at her. "How much?"

"My father lost 20 Dollars." His laughter grew stronger. She frowned. "Oh, you'll regret that."

"No, I won't," he said, still laughing.

She flashed him a devilish smile, and before he knew it, she dropped him on her bed and climbed on top of him. "Yes, you will," she whispered huskily, leaning down to kiss him.