A/N: Thank you to anyone who reviewed. I already have the whole thing written out it's just a matter of typing it up. Filler chapter, but has important facts in it. In my opinion this story is slow, but once it gets started, it gets started. So please bear with me and my slow writing skills.

The couple was in their flat going over papers for adoption. Joanne was at the table coffee mug in her hand and Maureen was microwaving her breakfast. Joanne would pick a file read over it and deciding on whether or not SHE liked them, would ask Maureen her opinion.

"So do we want an international adoption?" Joanne asked Maureen. For the past few days Joanne had been contacting Adoption agencies and collecting files on each child, within an hour distance of course.

"A what?" asked Maureen as she sat down with a bowl of noodles

"Do we want the child to be from another country?" Joanne said holding up a pamphlet with a little Chinese baby on the front.

Maureen thought about it for a minute.

"Nah. People are always going to China to get children. They hand them out like free candy."

"Racist." Joanne mumbled under her breath

"Am not." She countered "I just think that our group is already culturally diverse enough. "Besides no one ever pays attention to the abandoned children in our own country." She said slurping a noodle "Oh, oh." She said picking up a paper "Who's this?"

"No one." Joanne said reaching over the table for the paper

"Hiding a child from me? Tsk tsk Pookie. The kid looks fine." She said glancing over the paper

"I don't know. Read her file." She said picking a file of another more promising child.

"Elsie Crowe." Maureen paused and reread it to make sure she hadn't misread it "Weird name."

"Keep reading."

"Born July 13, 1988, so she's about 13ish. 5'3. Ash blonde hair. Blue eyes. Given up for adoption at three months without reason, no allergies, white, and" she couldn't read the next part

"Yeah. I thought it might make it hard on her."

"Five. I was never bounced but I knew kids who were." She paused "Let's adopt her."

"What? You haven't even heard about half of these other kids." Joanne said motioning to the stack on the table.

"But kids who are bounced are misunderstood. What better place to be understood than here?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I don't know anyone who would have a problem with her. Maybe Roger, but he's always that way." Maureen said

"What about our money situation?"

"The theatre is putting on a production. Auditions are today and I can take up extra hours backstage for spare change."

"I'm making a decent pay; I may have a promotion." Joanne took the file back "Are you sure you want to adopt her?"

"Yeah. The other kids in the homes are all pretty young. No one ever adopts the older kids."

"Okay then." Joanne said "I guess it isn't too bad, she looks nice enough."

"So when can we see her?"

"We can't just jump in; we need to be prepared."

"We have a room. The kid has clothes. What more do we need?"

"I just don't want to jump into this when we don't know that much."

"I was in an agency until I was four. You go in talk to the kid, get to know them; and depending on the kid and the agency you take them right there or wait a few days, then come back."

"Seriously?" Joanne sounded shocked at how easy it seemed

"Yeah. There are some people who foster before they adopt, just because they aren't sure they want a child or not."

"Do you think we should?" said Joanne looking over the papers "You know, foster the child first."

"Yes, I do." Joanne raised an eyebrow at her "Well suppose the kid doesn't like us."

"She will like us. She'll love you. It's hard not to."

"It's hard not to love you. You're perfect." It was meant to be a compliment but came out more as a bitter remark "Sorry." She said seeing the look on Joanne's face "Just the thought of getting a kid is a bit, oiverwhelming."

"I never thought you would find anything overwhelming."

"I don't know. I guess I'm just excited."

"Fine I'll make a date with the agency." She said pulling out her phone. "You're positive? You don't even want to look at the other kids?"

"I think I found the one." She looked at the picture of the child and fingered it

"Okay then." And Joanne dialed the number "Yes hello? Is this the Adoption Resource Center? Yes I'd like to make an appointment. An interview with a child. Okay." Maureen watched intently "Jefferson. Joanne. J-O-A-N-N-E. Sounds great."

"So?" Asked Maureen leaning over the table her eyes sparkling

"We go to meet." She picked up the file "Elsie, next week at three."

"Great." She said with a smile "So where is the place?"

"Newark, New Jersey. It's a thirty minute drive from here."

"Newark? That's where we all grew up: Me, Roger, Mark, and Collins." Maureen bounced up out of her chair "It's gonna be like going home."

"I thought Mark said you lived in Hicksville."

"I did. Until I was eight, and my parents moved; they thought I was getting too rowdy. Figured Newark would calm me down, make me less" she searched for the right word "me."

"And we can all see how that ended up." Joanne said to herself "Well. I have to go to work." She said putting on her overcoat. "Don't you have an audition?" She asked Maureen who was fingering through the fridge

"Oh yeah. I'll see you tonight. I'll be back at seven." She gave her a quick kiss

"Seven? I thought rehearsal ends at four."

"Not when it's audition night. Love you." She said as Joanne went out the door.

Five Days Later

"I'm home." The diva announce

"Kitchen."

"What are you doing?"

"Crunching numbers;" Joanne let out a sigh "if we have another person living with us we're going to be living pretty close to the wire."

"Nothing new." Maureen said sitting down in Joanne's lap

"For us, but the kid has been in the care of the agency for a year."

"Good point." Maureen looked around the room "They posted parts today."

"And?" Joanne looked up at Maureen

"I got a major. I got one of the leads."

"Maureen are you serious? That's wonderful." She kissed her diva

"So you can take my old salary and make it two times bigger." She waggled two fingers in front of Joanne's face like a child

"Two?"

"I know. Three times more, but I need to spend two more hours." Joanne opened her mouth to protest "Practices are at night remember? They're 4-10 well for me anyways. But look at us, everything is working out perfectly."

Joanne smiled at her girlfriend, she hadn't seen her so happy in a long time. "Perfect."

"I know. We're getting our dreams Pookie." Her face close to Joanne's "Once upon a time. Happily ever after. All of our dreams will come true." And kissed her. Forgetting that everything came at a cost.