A/N: I'm looking at the date in which this fic was first posted, and I can hardly believe the long way this fic did. This is the last chapter. If I had doubts about doing a sequel to Only Us, they're all gone now. As always, your support and feedback were absolutely incredible, not to mention your speculations and concern for everything that I made Mark and Mo go through (author's manipulations- grins evilly). Stay tuned for the epilogue, on which I'm still working. As for the following chapter- yes, it's the wedding. I'll take this opportunity to thank Laurel Ducky for letting me know it's possible to have a mixed wedding at the US, and Fae for giving me some details about how weddings go at the States. Please keep in mind that the last time I was at a wedding was a year ago, and that I come from a culture that is probably very different than yours at the States, regarding the way weddings go. I did my best in keeping it realistic, as well as in mixing the Jewish service with elements from the Christian service based on the little I know, what I was told and what I found online, so no flames on that please.

That's it, you guys! It's been amazing, as always! Love you all, and stay alert for the epilogue, it should be up soon as well. And since it's the last chapter… review…?

Thousand sweet kisses,

T.M


Chapter 17

He woke up with no particular reason. Or maybe it was the sun that started its slow ascent in the New York morning sky, its rays streaming into the room, hurting his eyelids. Whatever it was that woke him up, it was completely unwelcoming, as far as he was concerned. He was too comfortable under the warm covers, Maureen's body pressed against his, her scented hair tickling his nostrils every now and again. She was sleeping peacefully; he could tell by the sound of her breathing. He smiled as he shifted slightly to wrap one arm around her waist, holding her even closer. It was a matter of hours, a few more hours, before she'd be his wife. He felt like laughing. It was so surreal.

He nuzzled her neck, feeling her stir as he did. She murmured an incoherent protest and pressed her back closer to his chest, as if to encourage him. "Are you up?" he whispered.

"Hmm…" was her reply. He rolled his eyes. She'd sleep until noon if it was up to her. Well, it actually did sound tempting, going back to sleep, but he was too wide-awake, and way too excited, to do that right now. He felt like a little kid on his birthday. He couldn't just lay still. He had to do something, anything. He'd better check on Libby. Maybe he'd start making breakfast, too. He stretched and gently pulled away from Maureen, who suddenly rolled to her other side to face him, her greenish-brown eyes still fogged from sleep.

"Where are you going?"

He smiled and leaned back down to place a kiss on her forehead. "In case you didn't notice, it's morning."

Maureen glanced at the window, and back at him. "Is it?" she asked, yawning, and sat up.

He laughed as he put his glasses on. "Yeah. So you better get up too; your mom will come to pick you up soon."

"Oh," she said. There was a short pause, and then she gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

"Why?" he echoed, unsure whether or not she meant it. "You're not serious, aren't you?" he asked slowly, trying to figure that out himself.

Maureen stretched and leaned back against the bed-board. "I am. Why is my mom coming to pick me up?"

He looked at her strangely. She was looking at him expectedly, her expression blank, unreadable. She'd better be joking. "She's coming to take you to the hotel to get ready… for our wedding? Remember?"

The look she gave him was hollow, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. For a moment he felt completely helpless. He had no idea how he should react to this. Maybe it was all in his head and she never proposed? Maybe he had the wrong date; maybe he was still asleep, dreaming they were having this conversation; maybe-

A soft hand on his cheek put an end to his frantic assumptions. He raised his eyes to meet Maureen's. They were sparkling with old mischief. "You didn't think I was serious, didn't you?" she asked innocently, and he felt like strangling her for making him so panicked. Instead, he reached out and grabbed her, pulling her closer so that they'd lay facing each other. She exclaimed, obviously caught off-guard.

"That was a wicked thing to do, Maureen Johnson," he said in a low voice which he considered his most threatening one.

Maureen didn't look the least intimidated though. "Wicked is my second name," she replied, and giggled. "You should have seen the look on your face."

"I'm glad you found it funny," he said in that same tone. Now it had the desired affect; her laughter died out at once.

"I was only kidding," she said slowly, hesitantly. He sat up and looked away from her, fighting the urge to burst out laughing. Two could play her game. And it felt kind of nice not to be the victim of it, for a change. He could feel her eyes drilling holes in his back, as if she was trying to read his mind. "Mark?" she asked, somewhat unsure.

He didn't answer. He stifled an amused smirk. Now who was panicked, he thought with growing satisfaction. He tried to guess what her next move would be. He thought he knew, too. Three, two, one… There was a soft rustle as she sat up as well and moved closer to him. He could feel her breath close to his ear.

"Mark," she repeated; her uncertainty seemed to grow. "Baby, I really didn't mean it," she said softly. Her voice was quivering slightly. She sounded nervous, and definitely as if she was about to cry. It broke his heart. He only wanted to get back at her; he didn't want her to cry. He surely didn't want to start their wedding day in this note. "Ma-"

He turned to face her before she could finish uttering his name. A wide grin threatened to crack his face. "I can be wicked too," he stated simply.

She stared at him, but only for a second, before she hit him straight on his chest. "You bastard," she said softly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't you ever do that to me again," she threatened, her tone low, her lips grazing his.

"What will you do if I will?"

She flashed him an evil grin and leaned forward to place a small kiss on his lips. "You-" kiss "Don't-" kiss "Want-" kiss "To know," she pulled away slightly, her gaze locking with his.

Somehow he knew he should take her word on that.


He started making breakfast as Maureen went to wake Libby up. Then the two of them entered the kitchen and helped him finish up. They were fooling around the kitchen, laughing and teasing one another. He couldn't stop smiling. He was feeling so damn wonderful. He wanted this feeling to last forever.

They just sat down to eat as the doorbell rang. He went back to the kitchen to get two more plates as Maureen went over to let her parents in. There were more laughing and joking around the breakfast table, but he ate very little. Looking across from him, he saw that Maureen did, too. Then after a while Maureen and Elizabeth were gone, and Elizabeth said she'd be back later to help Libby get ready, instead of leaving her at the men's mercy. He was grateful for her for doing this. He saw Libby's dress, and he feared something would go wrong if he'd have to help her put it on. Richard seemed to be relieved as well when hearing this.

He returned Maureen's wave as she and her mother left the apartment, and smiled at the thought that the next time they'd meet, they'd be married. Or a step before that.

The rest of the morning went by painfully slow. Libby was incredibly excited and jumpy. She couldn't sit still for a moment, no matter what he and Richard did to try and calm her down. Their attempts to entertain her actually kept him well-distracted from the panic that was slowly building up in him. Then he started feeling it after getting a call from Benny, who said he was on his way. The wedding was two hours away. He was sitting at his study, staring at nothing in particular, and thinking about the way his life changed from end to end ever since Christmas.

He knew he wouldn't regret it. He would be a fool to do that. He loved Maureen for years. Maybe he never stopped loving her, no matter how hard he tried to at times, especially after she walked away so abruptly. He sighed. He was so mad at her back then, as if he believed she'd stay with them forever. He remembered what Collins asked from him on the day he died. Don't give up on her, he said. He was under the affect of so many painkillers at that point, but his words sounded incredibly coherent. But at the time, when Collins' soul joined those of their friends that night, he was so absorbed in the pain of losing another friend, that he thought he'd never be able to keep his promise, that he'd never be able to forgive her for not being there the night they lost Collins. But now, he realized that in a way, he always kept his promise. He never gave up on Maureen, not really. And he never really stopped loving her.

"Mark?" He raised his head. Richard was standing at the doorway, looking at him concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I was just…" his voice trailed off as he suddenly noticed something. Silence was back at the apartment. It sounded so strange, almost wrong. "Where's Libby?"

"Liz finally got here, I'm guessing she's washing her hair or something." They shared a smile. Girls' stuff. "Can I come in?"

"Sure. Come in." He watched Richard as he stepped in and took a seat on the couch.

"I just wanted to tell you how happy my wife and I are about how everything worked out eventually. I wish Maureen would have made this choice long ago. But then again, I guess that if she had, Libby wasn't here." He smiled. Libby brought so much joy into everyone's lives; he couldn't even start imagining his life without her. "We both are very grateful for the way you stood for them several weeks ago. I don't know a lot of people who'd do that, especially with everything you've already been through before with your friends."

"I didn't see it as an option. I love them, of course I stood for them."

Richard nodded, and then looked at him seriously. "I know it will probably be a waste of words, but take a good care of them."

"I will, sir. I promise I will." He never meant for something more than he meant for those words.

"Good," said Richard, taking something out of the inner pocket of his tweed jacket. It looked like papers of some sort. He held it out for him, speaking as he did. "This is from Liz and me. We thought that the two of you need some time away from here after everything that happened." He looked at Richard and then at the papers he passed him, and his jaw nearly dropped as he realized what they were. He looked at Richard questionably. "You're leaving for London next week. Maureen's grandparents will expect to meet you while you're there, since they couldn't make it for the wedding. Get some rest, go see a show, visit some museums, and we'll have our little princess to ourselves until you get back."

He stared at the tickets, momentarily in loss of words. For a moment, he wondered how they managed to pull it off. Didn't they have to have his passport or something? Would they be okay with Libby for a whole week? Could Maureen leave work for so long? But then he realized he shouldn't even ponder over all that right now. What he should have done was to thank his new father-in-law. "I don't know what to say."

"Just say you'll take care of them. That's all I need to know."

"I gave you my word. I won't take it back."

Richard smiled. "In that case, congratulations," he said, patting on his back. "And as Liz once told you, welcome to the family."

He didn't have a chance to response, since at that moment there was a knock on the door and Elizabeth peered inside. She was dressed differently from that morning, in a dark green dress that looked beautiful on her. She shook her head in dismay as she noticed them sitting there.

"You're not ready yet! You should get dressed, both of you, or you'll have to give Maureen an explanation as for why we are so late," she said, glaring at her husband. Richard didn't even flinch. He seemed to be used to that. "Where's your best man, Mark?"

"He has just called. He's on his way."

"Alright. You go get dressed then, we don't have much time."

He really wanted to thank her for the tickets, but he realized that he'd have to do this later. In the meantime, he'd better hurry. The worst thing was showing up late to your own wedding. He had just closed the door to the bedroom as the doorbell rang. Must be Benny. Thank God, he thought as he wore his tux hastily. He really needed to see a friendly face.

He could hear steps down the hall before a knock came at the bedroom door, and a voice called, "Naked or not, here I come!"

He rolled his eyes and watched Benny as he let himself into the room. "Always have to make an entry, aren't you?"

"Why of course," said Benny grinning. He was already dressed, his tux fits perfectly. He looked great in it, as if the tux was made especially for him. Knowing Benny, this was probably the case. "Sorry I'm late, I had a late conference at work."

But he was hardly listening to Benny's apologies. His panic was rising, worse than before. He glanced at his watch. "We're gonna be late," he murmured, half to Benny, half to himself. It felt as if there were millions of things they still had to do, and so little time to do them.

"No we won't, we'll be there just on time, don't panic. Breathe, Mark, it's gonna be okay." Then he stopped and did one step back, looking at him from his shoes up, pretty much like that scary Annette did before. Then he shook his head. "Well, you look pretty good, so nothing to worry about. Except maybe your hair," he added thoughtfully.

"I don't care about my hair!" he blurted out, and immediately regretted it. Benny was only trying to help. He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. I won't mean half the things I'm gonna say to you today. I'm just nervous."

"I was worried if you weren't nervous. And that's okay. The world will come to an end when I'll start taking offences from you, Cohen. Now come on, get a grip, Maureen trusts me to make you look good for a change."

He looked at Benny incredulously. "She told you that?"

"She didn't have to," replied Benny, grinning evilly.

"Ha, ha," he said, frowning. He was too distracted to think of a witty backfire to that.

"Now come on, we don't have much time," said Benny, guiding him towards the bathroom to do something about his hair.


He shook dozens of hands, and was kissed thousands of times. At least this was how it felt. Their final guest list included 100 people, but it looked like so much more. Tammy was there, and she gave him a huge hug when they met. As if she felt his distress, she was less sarcastic than usual, and somehow managed to distract him from the panic he felt. He managed to say a few words to Oliver as well, but then had to excuse himself when he noticed his sister's arrival. Leaving Oliver standing next to Tammy, he realized too late that he has just missed a golden opportunity to introduce them, but as he looked back he saw them shaking hands. He smiled to himself and walked towards Cindy and Dan. Maureen's mom disappeared a while ago, and since she took Libby with her, he assumed that they went up to see Maureen.

As he was talking to Cindy, the Rabbi walked into the room. He didn't even notice that he stopped in mid-sentence, watching the old man talk to Maureen's father and Benny. Only a gentle tug at his arm made him realize that. He returned his attention back to Cindy and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. You were saying…?"

Cindy returned his smile. "That's okay. It will be over soon."

"Hopefully." He wouldn't be able to handle the stress for much longer.

"I'm really happy it all worked out, Mark," she said, taking his hand. "I know you're going the right thing. I wish mom-"

He shook his head. "Cindy, please don't. Not today. I don't wanna think about it." He hated to admit it, but it did kind of bother him. Up until that day he really didn't give a damn what his mom thought, but as the moment drew closer, he realized that a part of him was still hoping for her approval. That part of him really needed her to be there, to know that she was okay with all that.

Cindy considered his request for a moment, and then nodded. "Okay. Fair enough."

From over her shoulder, he saw Elizabeth and Libby walk in. His eyes met Elizabeth's, and she smiled and guided Libby in his direction. As Libby caught sight of him she ran over to him, and he leaned down to pick her up. "Hey Munchkin. You went up to see Mommy?" Libby nodded. He smiled. "Does she look as beautiful as you do?" he asked, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Yes she does," said Elizabeth, who finally caught up with her granddaughter. Then she seemed to notice Cindy, who was still there.

"Cindy, this is Elizabeth Johnson, Maureen's mother. Elizabeth, that's Cindy, my older sister."

"I knew you two must be related," said Elizabeth warmly, shaking Cindy's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, my dear."

"You too," smiled Cindy.

He watched them talk for a while, and then returned his attention to Libby. He put her down and knelt beside her. A new smile found its way to his lips as he looked at her. She looked so adorable in that dress. Like a doll. "What do you think, Libby? I look okay?"

"Very pretty," she said seriously.

He laughed. "You know how much I love you, right?" Libby nodded. Their eyes met, and although she didn't say anything, he could feel the silent understanding between them. He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"Mark?" He looked up at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. "I think we're ready to begin. I'll send Richard upstairs to get Maureen."

"Okay," he said, standing up. His heart was racing. Soon after Elizabeth left, Benny joined him and Cindy. So far he was sitting at a corner with Allison and their two boys.

"Are we getting started or what?" he asked, saying a quick hi to Cindy and picking up Libby. She giggled, surprised, as he swept her off her feet and into his arms. It was unbelievable. Libby was only five, and already taken under Benny's spell.

"Yeah, Maureen's dad is going up to get her," he said, feeling nervous like never before. "You've got the ring, right?"

Benny froze. He looked as if he wanted to curse, but couldn't because Libby was right there. Then he looked at him guiltily. "Uh… I think it's at my office, on my desk," he said slowly, casting down his eyes.

He went pale and stared at Benny wide-eyed. Oh, he'd better be joking. He'd better be joking; although even as a joke it would be too much after Maureen's trick from that morning. He couldn't take much more of this. How wrong could this day still get? "You left the ring where?"

"I told you I had a late conference, it slipped out of my mind so I must have left it there." He paused, and gave him a sorrowful look. "I'm sorry, man."

"Sorry? Don't tell me you're sorry, Benny, I trusted you with this! I-" his voice trailed off as Benny smirked, and his sorrowful expression quickly shifted into a much more amused one. Then he burst into laughter, to which Cindy soon joined in.

"Relax, Cohen, it's safe in my pocket. Geez, calm down, will ya?"

He shook his head. Why they all enjoyed watching him suffer? Was it Torture Mark Day and nobody told him about it? "That's very mature. I would have said something more but there are little people around here."

"Thank God for small miracles," smiled Benny, putting Libby down.

The Rabbi approached them. "Gentlemen? Shall we start?"


He was standing there, under the traditional canopy, waiting. People were looking back at the entrance, as if they didn't want to miss the bride's entry. He listened to the constant humming that was rising from the audience and wondered if they all felt as restless as he did. The sounds of Roger's music filled the air, making him feel safer, as if protected by the soul of his best friend. Elizabeth was standing across from him, and smiled encouragingly as they caught one another's eye. He took a deep breath as he realized that this was it. The point of no return.

Then all of a sudden the humming stopped at once, replacing with a rustling sound as they all rose from their seats. His eyes shot back to the entrance of the room, just as she was walking in, leaning against her father's arm. Soft whispers and gasps of admiration arose from everywhere in the room, accompanying their slow walking towards the canopy.

Breath-taking. If he had to use one word to describe the way she looked, that would definitely be the one. She was thousand times more beautiful than ever before. Tears stung the corners of his eyes. They were finally there. It was actually happening.

Before he knew it, she was there standing next to him. Their eyes met. She smiled, looking as nervous as he felt. Her eyes were sparkling, somehow visible through her veil. He wondered what she was thinking about. Did she like the way he was dressed? Because he suddenly felt that no matter how much time Benny and he spent at that shop that day, he could never compete with her.

The ceremony began, but he couldn't quite remember what it was all about. The Rabbi talked and talked, and cited blessing after blessing. Then he had to sip some wine and pass the cup to Elizabeth, to let Maureen sip from it as well. As the Rabbi asked for the ring he turned to Benny who took it out of his pocket and handed it to him, that smug expression still stuck to his face.

"Maureen, do you take this man to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I do," she said, looking straight at him as she did. Her voice was quiet, a bit shaking even, but there was not a hint of hesitation in it.

The Rabbi turned to look at him. "Mark, do you take this woman to be your lawful wedded wife?"

He opened his mouth to answer when something at the far end of the room suddenly caught his eye. He could feel Maureen's gaze following his as he looked away. He stared at the entrance, where a familiar figure was standing. He thought he was imagining it, but then he knew that he didn't. He also knew this was all he'd see from his mother that day; that she would probably be gone before the reception. But he didn't care. Her being there meant that there was still hope. They could work it out.

He looked back at Maureen and smiled, feeling new confidence. "I do," he said, his doubts all gone. He slipped the ring on her finger, repeating the Rabbi's words as he did.

More blessings, more wine. It felt like it was going to last forever. As he looked away again, momentarily distracted, his mother was no longer standing there, but he didn't care. She was there, even if it was for a moment. That was all that mattered.

He looked fearfully at the glass they placed on the floor, for him to step on. This had to be done right, he told himself nervously. Not being able to break it on the first shot was considered bad luck, Dan told him a while ago. And they had enough of that already so he had to do this right. He took a deep breath, and with a mind clear of thoughts, he stamped on the glass, closing his eyes in silent hope.

The sound of the smashing glass was mixed with other sounds, of clapping and cheering and "Mazel Tov"s that roared from everywhere in the room. An involuntary sigh of relief escaped him. He looked up at Maureen. She looked relieved as well. He saw tears in her eyes, now that the veil was no longer hiding her face from him. "You may kiss the bride," said the Rabbi, as if to remind him, his voice hardly audible because of the roaring crowd. He could feel Benny's hand on his back, pushing him forward slightly. He didn't need further encouragement. He wrapped his arms around Maureen and his lips met hers in a gentle kiss that sealed the ceremony.

She pulled away shortly afterwards, as if embarrassed to do that in front of all those people, whose roaring seemed to grow impossibly louder as they kissed. They were still holding one another as everyone else started leaving their seats, getting up on their feet towards the canopy. He touched her cheek, wiping away the remainders of her tears. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, but he forgot them all. He was lost in the moment, their first moment as a husband and wife.

Maureen looked at him, and something in her eyes indicated that she wanted to tell him something. He leaned forward so he'd be able to hear her in spite of the incredible noise around them. "Love you, Pookie," she said, messing his hair a bit.

He smiled, but before he could respond to that, they were separated again as dozens of people came over to congratulate them. More hugs, and patting on his back, and kisses. He looked up above people's heads, trying to find Maureen, but she was similarly occupied, and people didn't seem willing to let neither one of them go. He finally managed to escape them as they all walked into the next room, where the reception was about to take place. He found a peaceful corner behind some fake plants, close to the elevators.

"Cohen! Get your ass over here and give me a hug!" He frowned jokingly at Tammy's demand and waited for her to approach him before he did as she asked. "Congratulations, Mark," she said softly, in a rare moment of seriousness, tears clearly visible in the corners of her eyes.

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, Tammy. When I go back from London, we'll have to discuss some stuff about the gallery. I think we should make some changes so I could spend some time at home and you could have a life."

"Sure. Don't worry about it though while you're there. I'm used for getting ditched in that gallery, I'll take a good care of it while you're away."

"I think I'll feel less guilty this time," he said, smiling slyly. "I've seen you talking to Oliver before."

"Yeah, he introduced himself, since you walked away so suddenly," she said shortly, obviously not willing to give anything away.

He looked at her expectedly, waiting for her to say something anyway. "And…?"

"And… what?" she asked innocently.

He laughed. "Oh, come on, Horowitz, I deserve to know!"

Tammy shrugged. "As far as I know, it wasn't me you just married."

"Jealous, are you?" he asked teasingly.

"Not a bit. But my conscious is clear, I tried to warn her."

"Luckily, she didn't listen to you."

"Hmm," she smirked, giving him a look as if she knew something he didn't. "We'll see, boy."

Two arms encircled his waist all of a sudden, and he looked back in surprise. "Excuse me, have you seen my husband?" asked Maureen, smiling sweetly at him as she uttered that last word.

"I'll leave you two alone. See you inside," said Tammy smiling.

"When she throws the bouquet I want you at the front row!" he called after her. She turned to give him a nasty look before she disappeared inside the small ballroom. He smiled to himself and turned his attention back to Maureen. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "Hi."

"Hi," she echoed, straightening a wrinkle on his jacket.

"I'll risk sounding cliché, but I have to say it. You look absolutely beautiful."

She smiled, somewhat shyly. "Thank you. Is this Benny's doing, this suit and all?"

"Benny and Annette," he replied. He liked the way she screwed her face when he mentioned Annette's name. She didn't say anything about it though. She took something off her finger and looked up at him.

"I've got something for you," she said, taking his right hand. He watched her as she slipped a ring on his finger. They chose them together eventually, because he didn't want to risk buying something she wouldn't like. His own ring was a simple golden band, and she insisted on keeping it. Now he realized why. He looked back at her, his happy gaze meeting hers. "It's not official until we both wear them," she said simply.

"And now it is?"

Maureen nodded, lacing her fingers with his. "Now it is. You may kiss the bride. Again," she added, giggling.

He pulled her closer for a lingering kiss. Then he slowly pulled away, his forehead pressed against hers. They stood like that in silence for a moment. The music resumed inside the ballroom, and its sounds filled the air, even in that secluded corner they were standing at. Maybe they'd finally have a chance to have that dance he still owned her. Only this time, he knew, it wouldn't be the Tango. Oh no. This time it's gonna be a different kind of dance.

He smiled, offering her his arm. "Ready to go inside, Mrs. Cohen?" It rolled on his tongue, new and unfamiliar. God, it sounded so weird.

"Actually, I'd rather have you for myself, upstairs if it was up to me," she said, smiling seductively. "But yeah, I guess we gotta go in there," she said reluctantly, taking his arm. Then she seemed to think of something, for she looked up at him, grinning evilly. "I'm sure that if we sneak out when everyone's drunk enough, they'll hardly notice we're gone."

He burst out laughing. "Let's get them drunk then," he said, guiding her towards the entrance of the ballroom.

I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love

Now I know you can rent it

A new lease you are, my love,

On life

All my life

I've longed to discover something as true as this is.

So with a thousand sweet kisses

When you're cold and you're lonely

With a thousand sweet kisses

You've got one nickel only

With a thousand sweet kisses

When you're worn-out and tired

With a thousand sweet kisses

When your heart has expired…

Oh, lover, I'll cover you

Oh, lover, I'll cover you.

Fin.