One Man, Two Lives Destroyed
Summary: AU She can think of many reasons to explain to her daughter why her fathers not around – just none of them are the truth. MCxMJ MMxRD JJxOC ADSxTC
Authors Note: So yeah, I'm sorry about not updating for a really long time! Thanks for all the reviews, I really really appreciate them and thanks again! I am so sorry for not updating and I hope that you can forgive me! This chapter made me cry and I will update as soon as possible! I think that I will update soon but play auditions and all that jazz is coming up, so I don't know when I'll be able to update! Don't hate me please!
This story is almost over! It makes me so sad!
Editor and Co-writer: xI'll Cover Youx
Disclaimer: WE DO NOT OWN RENT!
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Chapter 25
Present Day – Normal POV
Natasha folded her hands in her lap and looked at her sister who sat at her side. Grace played with her dark hair and then turned her head and looked at her big sister. "Nati, what are we doing here again?"
"Gracie, I told you this a million times, we're visiting mommy!"
"But what happened to mommy? Why is she here?"
"She's at work silly, where did you think she was?" Natasha questioned and Grace shrugged. She swung her legs back and forth and looked at her mother who was walking through the doorway and into the waiting room.
"Natasha and Grace, what a big surprise!" Maureen lied and hugged her two daughters tightly, "What have you two been up too lately?"
"I just came back from Jens mommy!" Natasha said and laughed as Maureen ran her fingers along her sides, "And I found Mark in our apartment."
Maureen's face turned to stone as she heard Natasha's last part, "Our honey, I forgot to tell you and I'm sorry. Mark is going to be staying with us for awhile… Is that alright you two?" Grace nodded eagerly and then ran towards the window; Natasha lowered her voice and looked at her mother curiously.
"Are you guys back together mom?"
"Mark and I?" Maureen said and sat down next to Natasha. Natasha nodded and Maureen smiled sweetly at her daughter. "Heavens no Nati! I don't think that we would ever end on such terms when he can't even remember who I am." Maureen lied and smiled thickly at her daughter before standing up and hugging her one last time.
"I have to get back to work; Mimi will be here soon to get you two alright?"
Natasha looked around hesitantly, "Alright mom."
--
"Mark?" Maureen called out as she entered the apartment, "Natasha? Gracie?" She walked further into the apartment and looked around. She hadn't been here since last night where she and Mark had… Kissed. It hadn't been her choice really, but she had done it and she couldn't take it back. Mark walked out of the guess bedroom and smiled at Maureen.
"I didn't know that you were coming home so early."
"I thought I should be home for awhile and see how Natasha and Gracie were holding out." Maureen joked and Mark smiled, "Where are they anyways?"
"Oh I don't know… Your friend Mimi came and told me that she was taking the girls over to 'the loft'… I told her that that was alright and that I would tell you. Is that alright Maureen?" Maureen nodded quickly, the words still ringing in her head. "Maureen are you alright?"
"Yes, Mark… I just want to apologize for the way I've been acting, it's so out of line and I don't know how I could possibly of kissed you and I just don't know what to say to you anymore and-"
"Maureen, it's alright, I don't mind. I kinda liked it." Mark said shyly and Maureen smiled slightly. She walked over to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek; she pulled her body back and then walked to her room.
"You're a great friend Mark, I don't care if you ever remember me as long as you're here with me and help me and all that stuff…" Maureen trailed off.
"Yes Maureen, I hope that I can do that too." Maureen smiled sadly and then turned to the direction of her room. She flipped her curly brown hair over her shoulder and then turned her head back in the direction of Mark and wiped the sad smile off of her face. She smiled though her teeth were clenched.
"I'll be back later."
--
Natasha entered the apartment and looked around. She did not understand why her mother hid everything from her. She mostly told her everything except anything that was about Mark. She sighed and walked further into the apartment. She found her father sitting on the couch reading and looking at his video tape.
"Mark?" Natasha questioned and he turned around. He saw his daughter and then he saw another girl. She was younger and she didn't' look a thing like Maureen and Natasha. He decided that this must be Grace.
"Natasha, I didn't' notice that you came home. Sorry, I forgot to tell you I was staying here." Natasha's eyes welled up with tears and she ran to her father. She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and whispered softly,
"I don't care if you can't remember me, I'm just happy that you're home. You're finally home."
--
Maureen and Mark.
Mark and Maureen.
They sat on a bench in the park watching Natasha and Grace run around the park. Maureen sighed and flipped her brown curly hair away from her face. She smiled brightly as Grace came over and sat in her lap. Natasha followed after her. "Mom!"
"Yes Nati, what is it?"
"So every things back to normal isn't it?" Natasha looked over at Mark who nodded happily. He was here to stay for sure even if he couldn't remember a thing about his previous life, all that matter was that he loved these girls and he loved Maureen and everything else would fall into place. He didn't need to remember all those memories of before to know that he was in love with this family and this was his life. This was where he wanted to stay forever. He wanted to wake up to this family and die in this family. He didn't want to go and discover himself anymore and he didn't want to be anywhere else in this world.
"I'm here to say." Mark said and smiled, "I might not remember you and I know that I'll never be as good as your father Mark, but I'm sure that you'll let me try to be as good as him. I just want you to know that if I could do something different I would change the fact of however I lost my memory. You guys know that right?"
Natasha smiled, "Of course Mark, like I said before I'm just glad that you're here with us."
"Thanks Natasha."
Maureen picked up Grace and smiled, "C'mon you guys, let's go home."
"Alright."
--
Maureen sighed as she brushed back her hair and sat down on her bed. Mark sat on the other side and was watching TV. She didn't mind that he wanted to be with her and see if he could figure out his life, she was just a little un-easy with the idea of them sleeping in the same bed.
"If you're not comfortable with this Maureen, I'll leave." He said and started to get up. Maureen held out her hand and smiled.
"Don't worry Mark, its okay, I'm used to it. I'll be okay." He laid back down and Maureen slipped under the covers. She rested her head on his chest and for awhile they just laid there in the awkwardness.
"I love you." She whispered, "I'm glad that you're home."
"I'll never be like their father or your lover. I don't know why you want me here. I have his body, his eyes, his smile, and everything but his mind is gone. I am nothing like him."
"Don't kid yourself Mark, you're everything like him, he's caring and all that stuff. I can learn to accept that you will never be Mark Cohen ever again, but I just want to know that you'll always be here and you'll make new memories with this family instead of always banging yourself up for not remembering the others."
"Oh god… Maureen, I don't know what to say."
"I just want to know that you're here Mark."
"I'm here, I swear and I hope that I can be just as good as him."
"Don't." She sniffled, "You are him,"
"Maureen, do you really love me even though I am not him?" She sighed as he asked her that questioned. She ran her fingers along the design on his shirt and then shook her head.
"Of course I do, I loved him with all my heart and soul and everything else and I love you just as much. You are different then him but somehow you are the same."
"I know what you mean."
"Don't worry about it Mark, I will always love you." She said and tipped her head up. She kissed him softly and then rested her head back down as she drifted off to sleep. Mark did the same, happy that he was accepted in this family. He was sure that he was wanted here even if he was not their father or her husband or whatever he was before. He was wanted.
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Elsewhere
Mark walked along a straight white path and he opened his eyes to see a bright white light. He walked faster towards it and found himself sitting in a room with somebody he did not recognize with the bright light blinding him. He would never be able to see him, he was sure of that. He shifted in the chair nervously.
"Who are you?"
"You don't know me?" Mark shook his head and the guy laughed slightly. Mark didn't know what he was laughing at, but he was sure that he was probably laughing at him. He wanted to see who this guy was, but he just couldn't.
"What am I doing here?"
"You should know that Mark."
"But I don't, so are you going to tell me?" He wondered about Maureen and what she was doing? Had he left her and was she crying over him? What was Natasha and Grace doing? He didn't mean to leave them and he hadn't wanted too, so what the heck was he doing here? Silence was all that passed over them.
Finally the other guy spoke up, "Mark you are here for a reason and until you think of that reason you will have to remain here."
"Remain here?"
"Yes, remain here."
"But what about my body and Maureen and Natasha and Grace? What will happen at them if I never get to see them again."
"It is afternoon on Earth and they have found your body and everything. You are allowed to look at them once and then you will figure out what you're doing here."
"I can't remember! God why can't anyone understand that? I don't know why I'm here and all I know is that I want to go down there and be with them."
"That is not possible Mark. You have to stay here."
"I don't want to stay here!"
"It is your only choice until you remember."
"I don't want to be here!" Mark grabbed at his head and then shook his head as his whole life flashed before his eyes. He didn't want to be here but suddenly he remember stuff and he was swimming through waters filled with Maureen's tears and Natasha's words and flowers and wedding dresses and video camera and tapes. He was starring at his life and he remember suddenly. But it was still wasn't clear of what he was doing here. He had once chance to look at Earth and figure it out or else his whole life would be destroyed. He closed his eyes and saw him and Maureen on top of a building and then…
Nothing at all.
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New York City
Maureen sat by Mark's bed and cried softly. She hated how she was so weak and how he had been with her one night and the next he was gone. He was back in his coma which the doctors had predicted from the beginning and she hated herself for it. She hated how she had done this to him. Why hadn't she just left him with Kirsten? She didn't know why she did these things to him. She just didn't know. He was probably never coming back and the last thing she had to him was…
'Don't worry Mark, I'll always love you.'
Why couldn't she of said something more important? She didn't know why she hadn't said something that she wouldn't hit herself over the head over again and again, something more romantic and express her feelings for him. She just wanted him to know that she loved him even though he couldn't hear her and maybe he never would. She touched his hand and then shook her head.
"Darling, if you could hear me I would want to say everything that I could never say before. I was so close to just jumping off the edge and never looking back, but Mark… Mark saved me and I want him to come back to me. I want to be with you even if it means being with somebody else. I want to spend the rest of my life with you Mark, I just want to be with you and I want you to be there for Natasha and Grace and everybody. I don't even know what I'll do without you… I guess I have survived it without you, but having you for a little wile showed me that I can't live without you and I don't want too."
She stopped and breathed in deeply.
"Mark, come back to me. Please… I'll do anything to be with you. Natasha and Grace, they just can't live without a father and I don't' want them to have any other father then you. Over the last few weeks, Mark you saved me and I don't want to be so close to the edge and for nobody to save me. I would jump and nobody would be there if you left me now."
She brushed her tears away and grabbed her purse before kissing him lightly on the forehead.
"I'll be back tomorrow, hang in there Mark, I know you'll come back to me… You always do."
End of Chapter 25
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Authors Note: So did you like it? Did it make you cry? Tell me please! Thanks again for reading and I hope that you liked it!
Please review!