AN: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hee. So good stuff. It's a new year, and I will not start it with sad things. No, you heard me right: I'm giving you fluff! Hope it helps you have a lovely new year. And guess what? I love MySpace. It's absolutely lovely. Turns out you can listen to lots and lots of artists on it. Who knew? Yeah, so everybody but me. Leave me alone. Well, I am not at a party right now, but I've never been into New Year's Eve. Everybody tries to reinvent themselves with resolutions they'll never do anything about. Why? I like myself just the way I am, and feel no need to pretend to change. Plus, people use it as an excuse to get drunk, which all very well, but I'm still way too tired from all my various illnesses and that damn cough that just won't go away to go get drunk right now. So I'm going to write this chapter, then go watch Kelly Clarkson and Nickleback and whoever else is on while eating massive amounts of Ben and Jerry's. Yay! Anyway, hope you all have a good one. 2006! One request: anyone who likes Harry Potter, please be a dear and go review my story "One Year Left to the Decision: Good or Evil?" No one will (other than socogal, who rocks, by the way) and I'm starting to feel sad. If it sucks, one of you HP fans tell me so I can discontinue it. Otherwise, I'll just post it on both this site and Mugglenet, to see if I can get some kind of feedback. I look back at my reviewing optimism at the beginning of that story and I laugh. Ah, well. While your there, I recommend CAP.L's fic "Notepassing." It's just all these chapters that are notes passed by the Marauder's, and it's AWESOME! And now that I'm done plugging HP ... Last piece of rambling coming up. I saw Chronicles of Narnia, and am surprised to say it wasn't bad at all. I had some nitpicks (spoiler -like once Aslan is stabbed, where did the hole go? He's quite obviously dead, but there's not a mark on him – end spoiler) but the biggest thing was the guy playing the Witch's dwarf was the Oompa Loompa from the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Witch's effect was ruined, because every time I saw that dwarf, the Augustus Gloop song popped in my head. I couldn't help it! Anyway, I'm done babbling at last. Thank you to all you lovely, lovely reviewers. And to the anons:

EmMm – I'm one of a kind! ;D Yup, this is insanely fun to write. Lot's of Mimi love, huh? But she's not in this chapter at all, so there's a break. Hee. Well, now here's a bit of a drama break. And look: chapter up!

Caitlin – I do give Benny love, don't I? There will definitely be more Mimi/Roger – but not now. But, being that they're engaged, I can hardly ignore them, now can I?

Bohogirl – Hee. Really? Tell your boyfriend that it's all my fault, and this sorry face is for him. : ( Dave's voice can be many things, my friend. Not all of them pleasant. You'll see, you'll see.

Disclaimer: HA!

Settle Down

"Benny, talk to me," whined Maureen, flopping down next to him as he set up for the reception.

Benny rolled his eyes at her. "Why aren't you at the wedding, Mo?" He frowned. "Shouldn't you be with Mark?"

Maureen sighed. Benny had nothing in the way of making Mark feel better; he seemed to think Maureen would do it all for him. Not that she wasn't trying. It would just be nice to have some help. "You of all people should know, Benny, that the best thing to do to keep Mark happy is to leave him alone with his camera for a while. Besides," she added sadly, "the wedding was depressing me."

Benny sighed. Maureen could tell she had him now. "Alright, then. What do you want to talk about?"

"You," Maureen told him cheerfully. He raised his eyebrows. "You need a girlfriend." His jaw dropped and she shrugged. "Ok, boyfriend, if you want ..."

"No, it's not ... I'm not ... Maureen, I got divorced a month ago! The paperwork's just got through!" Benny spluttered, indignant.

It was Maureen's turn to roll her eyes. Men. "But you slept in a separate bedroom from your wife for over a year before that," she told him matter-of-factly. She waved off his stuttering with one hand while thinking. Who did she know? She snapped her fingers. "I know! Dave's got a sister!"

Benny held up his hand to stop her. "I've heard. And I've heard. Dave thinks she's 'perfect for me' or something."

Maureen nodded fervently. "She is! Oh my God, Benny, she is! She's this amazing ..."

"I've told Dave, and I'll tell you. I don't want to get involved with anyone right now. Especially a friend's sister. Especially when she has AIDS. I mean, look at what Mark is going through. And he has a point. When all you are gone, I want to be sure that the girl I'm with isn't going to leave me, too." He leaned on his sax case and looked at her seriously. "Please don't press this."

Maureen shrugged, annoyed. "Your loss." She hummed for a minute, then got struck by an idea. "Hey! Do you think your band would let me sing a couple songs?" She was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Maureen, no." Benny shook his head empathetically.

"Oh, come on Benny. I need something to do!" She narrowed her eyes. "Benjamin Eugene Coffin III, either let me sing or watch me get drunk and bother everyone one of the guests here, and when they try to drag me out, I'll tell them you brought me here." She crossed her arms and nodded from emphasis.

The trombone player (whose name was Todd, and whose trombone had masking tape to hold one of his keys in place) leaned over. "Better let her sing, man. Is she bad?"

"I guess she's ok," Benny admitted reluctantly.

Maureen beamed at him. "Thanks, Benny baby!"

Todd grinned as Benny glared. "I guess we better let her then, huh, Eugene?" Benny groaned and left to find a mike. Maureen laughed. Todd looked her over. "And who are you, exactly."

She smiled at him prettily. "I'm Maureen Jefferson." He started to lean closer to her, putting a hand on her knee, and she suddenly stopped smiling. "And I'm taken! Ew! Benny! One of your band dudes just tried to hit on me!" She pulled away and ran to find Benny. Instead, she ran straight into Mark. "Hey, sweetie!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "The wedding's over? How are you?"

"Ok, I think," Mark told her with a wry half-grin. "And yeah, it's over. They'll be here in like fifteen minutes. What were you just yelling?"

Maureen closed her eyes and shuddered in disgust. "Oh my God, Mark. Some asshole from Benny's band just hit on me. What?" she said, seeing Mark's surprised look.

"Um, nothing. Just, well, you used to follow up on that sort of thing, and since you and Joanne were fighting, I just thought that ..." Mark dribbled off at the look on Maureen's face. "You know what? I think I'm going to go find Benny." He practically shot off (which was probably, in honestly, the very best thing for his safety) leaving Maureen seething behind him.

He couldn't actually think that she'd cheat on Joanne! Sure they were fighting now, but she'd never ... Well, ok, she used to, but he should know that she didn't do that now! Joanne did! Didn't she?

And suddenly Maureen could see why they were fighting. Joanne wasn't just avoiding having a kid. She was genuinely worried that Maureen was going to run out on her. If Mark could think it, Joanne certainly could.

Forgetting she was supposed to sing, forgetting she supposed to be helping Mark, forgetting everything but Joanne, Maureen rushed out of the reception hall, hailed a taxi, arrived at Joanne's business building, went up the elevator twelve flights, and ran straight into a meeting.

Ten important looking lawyers turned to look at her expectantly, but she was looking only at one. She strode up to Joanne and dropped to the ground next to her chair.

Joanne looked astonished. "Maureen. What ... what are you ..."

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry," Maureen interrupted. "I didn't know. You really thought I was going to leave you, didn't you?" she asked softly running a hand down Joanne's cheek.

Joanne frowned. "You did leave me."

"For another person, I mean." Maureen was actually fighting tears. She couldn't believe she'd been without Joanne all this time because of something like this. "I thought you didn't want to have a baby with me. I thought you didn't, I don't know, love me enough."

"Baby, no, of course not. I just have a hard time believing you really want this with me," Joanne told her, grabbing her hands and staring straight into her eyes. She seemed equally as tearful as Maureen, which made Maureen feel better.

"Look, we can decide if we want a kid or don't want a kid later," Maureen told her with a watery smile. "I just want to come home."

Joanne just kissed her, which Maureen took to be a yes.

They broke apart just a few moments later as the most important looking lawyer (who at this point was also looking rather embarrassed) asked timidly. "Miss Jefferson?"

Joanne blushed and opened her mouth to say something, but Maureen shook her head. "Sorry. Completely my fault." She wiped her eyes, then grinned. "Bye baby!" she chirped, kissing Joanne quickly on the lips, before practically running out of the office.

Who would've guessed it? she thought in the cab on the way back to the reception.

Maureen Johnson had officially, and finally, settled down.

AN: Wow. That was ... interesting. I am very tired, so again, I'm very nervous. Tell me if it's ok, k? Awesomeness! That's the funnest word ever! It's kinda short, but again, tired! Anyway, gotta go watch the ball drop and stuff. Have a good 2006!