Chapter Ten: What We Need To Say
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Thirteen Years After Mark Left
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"So remind me why your girlfriend couldn't make it?" Roger asked as the filmmaker joined him on the fire escape of the New York loft.

"She didn't feel up to traveling, and it probably wouldn't be too safe, either, you should know that." Mark smiled as he watched as four year old Alyna Jefferson bossed around the twins inside the living room.

"Um-hmm. And you just left her there?...Mark, that isn't like..." then it hit him, "You're leaving early though aren't you?"

"Yeah, but her brother is with her til then...I'm sorry..."

"Naw, I remember how you were when Mimi was pregnant. I remember how I was...Are you gonna pop the question?"

Mark remained silent for a while trying to find other things to distract him.

"No...not yet. I just can't right now..."

"Mark. She's not going anywhere..."

But Mark just shook his head, he had been having this arguement for a while with himself. No need to have it with Roger, too.

"Look, Mark. Fine, whatever. But...um...there something else...Mimi, well, you know it's not looking too good. But she wants to tell them. She wants to tell them before...before you guys head back to Chicago."

Mark just sat there a few moments. Somewhere in the back of his head he had hoped that it would never come, but here it was. He looked out across the place he had used to live casually taking in all the changes in the last thirteen years before responding.

"Okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, they're your kids."

Roger let out a laugh, "We both know that's not true."

Roger's laugh died out and the two of them sat there in their own silence until Joanne and Maureen dropped off dinner and picked up their daughter.

The two of them headed in and Mark began dispersing the dinner around, and Mimi joined them for a while. She had been growing weaker slowly overtime. She never planned on living a lifetime but looking at the boys, she wished she could.

"Shea, hun, there's a photo album sitting on the floor next the bed, could you get it for me please?"

Roger and Mark wathced her carefully, "Meems...?"

She just smiled and nodded.

As the thirteen year old came back into the living room with the duct tape bound bound in his hands, London moved to where Mimi was sitting.

"What's this?" Shea asked quietly as she opened the book.

"There's something your Dad, Roger and I need to tell you..."

Mimi sat there for a few moments on the toilet, bouncing her knees, and attempting to read the ceiling so that she didn't look at the results in her head before it was time. She had always wanted to be a mother...someday...it had always been someday, but her someday wasn't suppossed to come anymore. She had let go of that dream. She looked at her watch. Time.

She looked down.

...How was she going to tell Roger...'hey, Rog, baby, do you believe in God? Because, guess what hun? We had some hole-y condoms.' Or how about 'Roger! How was the gig? Oh, by the way just in case you were ever wondering...your sperm have good aim, because I'm pregnant.'

"Mimi?"

Speak of the devil.

"Baby?" Mimi's eyes widened before he continued, "You in there?"

She took a deep breath, "Yeah, we're in here."

The door slowly opened and Roger's head popped in, "We're? Having a little party in here?"

"Mimi. And Baby. Both here."

"What?" Roger slid down sitting on the edge of the bath tub, "Wow."

"Wow?"

"I mean...It's just that...well, I've never thought about it before...Us? Parents?"

"Roger..."

"I know."

A few months later Roger sat on the couch staring at the grainy photo in hands, twins. Twins. Two. A hand comes around his neck,

"What are you thinking about?"

He looks up at her and pulls her and her baby bump around to sit next to him, "Were you serious about what you said the other day?"

"An adoption? Yeah, Rog, I was...I want what's best for these guys. And I just don't think it us."

Roger wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "I th-I think you're- you're probably right."

When it was finally time, Roger watched as his boys, the boys, were taken to the other side of the room to be cleaned up. Roger tried not to look, but he heard a small wail and walked over.

"Can I just see them once?"

"Are you sure?"

Roger nodded and went over to them. They were so tiny, small..."Hey, you guys...I-I'm sorry okay? But where ever you go, you'll be better off. And if you try to find us, but you don't...just know...it's okay. And...well," It was hard for the rockstar to say words not put to music or any words that said more than he wanted to give away, "...we love you."

"...I know you guys probably won't understand why we did it, but it doesn't mean we didn't love you okay?" Mimi finished.

Shea looked at her aborsorbing what he had just heard before walking out the door. London's response came as a surprise, looking at the three of them he smiled before following with an, "I'm gonna go find him."

He didn't have to go far to find Shea sitting on the steps staring at the wall.

"You know something funny?" London tried, "When I wathced dad's movies, I always thought you looked a lot like Roger."

Shea's head shot up, "No, Dunn. I look a lot like you."

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Okay I know there might be a few of you not to pleased that Mark has a girlfriend. But to me it makes sense, the boy doesn't want to be alone, it makes sense for him to find someone. But I don't plan on her having a huge role in the story. My main focus here is on the twins and the Mark and Roger friendship and how it channeled through Shea and London.

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Unitl next time, this is me...signing out.