Hey again all who are reading this. It hasn't been that long, has it? I've been updating Lost and Found, which you all should go and read. I'm a shameless self-promoter, so what? Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed, and I now present to you, CHAPTER FIVE.

The Morning After the Night Before

Mimi woke to the harsh sunlight pouring through her window. Trying to block the stream of light that burned her tired eyes, she attempted sitting up. Big mistake. She felt like she'd been hit by a semi-trailer. So much pain. Falling back on her pillow her un-focussed eyes came to rest on an envelope sitting on her bedside table. Recognising the writing to be Tai's untidy scrawl, she fumbled to get the letter.

Dear Mi,

If you're reading this it means you're still alive, something I was unsure of when I left you last night. I think you had a bit much (please note this understatement of the century), so I'll fill you in on what happened. Me and Joe pulled you up the stairs of your apartment building in the early hours of this morning. Joe had an early meeting so he had to leave. I paid Ami and made sure she got safely to her taxi.

Mimi blinked. Ami… that name sounded familiar… but where from?

In case your hangover has left you in a haze where your brain feels like cotton wool (and I must say I wouldn't be surprised) Ami is the babysitter you employ to mind your son while you are out drinking yourself under the table.

As I was saying, you owe me fifty, but I won't take a cent over twenty-five.

You may notice you are in bed in your pyjamas. This is also my doing. Don't worry, I didn't see anything I hadn't seen when I went on Izzy's work computer to send an e-mail and found all the porn he'd downloaded.

Mimi jumped… Tai got her undressed? That was not a good thing. Especially not when she considered the fact she had been so out of it she hadn't even noticed.

I'm kidding, Mi. Izzy keeps all his porn encrypted… And you actually managed to mostly dress yourself. All I had to do was unzip your dress and unbutton your pyjama top for you. I hung up your dress. You might want to get it dry-cleaned though. I think it got a little muddy when you fell through the bushes outside your building.

I checked in on Jamie. He was fast asleep, looked clean and fed. I don't know if it's relevant, but as I was leaving he murmured "Daddy." He may just have been dreaming, and like I said I'm not sure if that matters to you, I'm simply trying to give you an accurate report of events.

Mimi sighed. Jamie often murmured "Daddy" in his sleep. He was so fixated on getting himself a daddy, so he could be the same as every other kid in his playgroup. He talked about it during the day and dreamed about it at night. It was so sad. She wanted to make him happy, but only one man could fill the shoes of his real father. And that was his real father. And of course, that was never going to happen.

I'm leaving now Mi. I'm going to lock the door from the outside then shove the key back under the door. Hence you should look near your door for your key.

Have a good nights sleep, Mi.

Your always loving (and considerate and just plain wonderful) friend

Tai.

Mimi smiled slightly. Not too much because it made her cheek muscles hurt. Tai always looked out for her. Even when nobody else cared enough, he was there for her with a nice broad shoulder to cry on. Like a big brother or something. She'd never had siblings, and even if she had she suspected they would have shunned her like the rest of her family after her unexpected pregnancy. They gave her financial aid occasionally, and sometimes her mother talked to her over the phone, but that socially unacceptable bastard child had really messed around with her family relations. But she liked to think that a big brother would be as good to her as Tai.

Mimi set his letter down and was slowly moving to get up, so as not to further hurt her throbbing head, when a blur of red and blue entered the room. Her son, dressed in his Spider Man pyjamas, landed with a thud on her bed and crawled over to meet his mother. Snuggling into the hollow where her neck met her shoulder, he gave her a big hug. The kind of hug that only a child can give, because only a child is so openly loving. Mimi hugged him back, mentally correcting herself. There were two people who looked out for her and cared for her.

Jamie pulled away. "How was the party mama?"

Mimi was so full of pride for her son. He was the smartest kid she had ever met. She could tell he was going to rival Izzy's intelligence one day. He could speak very fluently for someone his age. And in both Japanese and English.

"Fine darling. We all had lots of fun"

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Jamie paused, sitting back and examining his mother's face intently as he sucked his left thumb.

"Did you find me a daddy?" he asked eventually, words slightly muffled by his thumb.

Mimi had known this was coming. Every single time she went out she returned to the same question. And the response was always the same.

"No, sweetheart… but remember, you don't need a daddy. You're special just the way you are."

Jamie frowned, pulling his thumb out of his mouth in order to pout effectively. A teary tantrum was on the horizon.

"Don't wanna be special. Wanna daddy!"

Mimi looked away so that her son wouldn't see the tears in her own eyes. Why couldn't Matt have just stayed around? Everything would have been so much easier if he had. Everyone would have been so much happier if he had.

"It… isn't that simple… but I'm trying. I'm really trying, sweetie. I want you to have a daddy too. I do."

Jamie continued to pout for a few more seconds, then broke into a huge grin. He was satisfied. Crisis averted, captain. For now, at least.

"Okay Mummy… Mummy, can we go to the park today?"

Mimi sighed. All that sunlight. All that noise. Her poor aching head. But this was her son. The greatest joy of her mediocre life. The only thing that seemed to stay steady in her moving world. Her stillpoint. Without him she would have nothing. She couldn't say no to him.

"Sure, sweets. Go get dressed and give me some time to get ready, okay?"

He darted out of her room at great speed. Ever since he first put one foot in front of the other, he had not been one to move slowly. Why walk when you can run? The faster the better. Rashly entering situations without much thought as to the consequences. So very, very like his father.

Mimi dragged herself out of bed. Damn hangover. Why did she let the reunion get to her like that? Why did she let Matt get to her like that? She'd had him buried so deeply in that part of her past that she never thought about, why did he have to be resurrected? She was trying to locate her sunglasses to protect her red, tired eyes when the phone rang. The shrill noise pierced through her head like a bullet, but she grabbed the extension and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked, holding the receiver to her ear with her shoulder and continuing to look for her sunglasses.

"Mimi Tachikawa?" A strangely familiar voice asked from the other end of the line. The voice was low, and just a little uncertain.

"Speaking." Mimi was brisk. If this was yet another telemarketer looking to sell some useless insurance policy or set of steak knives, she was just going to hang up. She didn't have time to listen to their babble.

"Hi… Hi. Mimi, it's me." Mimi didn't reply. She still didn't fully recognise the voice. She knew she knew it, but from where? She didn't think she had heard this voice over the phone for a long time.

"Matt." He added, noticing her pointed silence.

MATT?

Why the Hell was he calling her? Why couldn't he let her be? It was torture, seeing him, talking to him, feeling his presence, when she knew that they could never be together. Why couldn't he let her go back to sweet denial? Living in isolation, in quarantine from any emotions she might have. Here she would be flooded and surely drown in all her feelings. He wasn't helping.

"Matt? What… why… I didn't think you had this number."

Dammit Mimi, pull yourself together! Ice queen, remember. Don't let him in. He just stomps all over your heart, wipes his feet on your soul, then marries your best friend. DON'T LET HIM IN!

"Well… Mimi… you see… last night, you left your purse behind." At least he has the decency to see this as awkward. "And I… well I picked it up for you. I have it here."

"Oh." Was all Mimi could say. This whole situation had her somewhat flustered. What could she do? What was he asking her to do?

"Would you like to come around and pick it up? You could bring Jamie. It's about time he met his dad, don't you think? Sora won't be there." Matt was gaining confidence, probably because Mimi had not once yet yelled, sworn at him or cursed him to the deepest ring of Hades. She had also not hung up, which meant he had a chance. Didn't he?

Mimi sank down onto her bed. He was in. He was well and truly in. And pulling on the strings of her heart. She couldn't fight him any more. It was driving her insane. And he was right. Jamie needed to meet his father one of these days. Better now than in ten years when he would be as bitter about it as she was. And she didn't want that feeling for her son.

Dammit, Matt, how do you have this power over me?

"Yes… alright… what's your new address again?"

He gave it, and Mimi hung up, shaking a little. She called her son in. He was already dressed, in a bright red t-shirt, black pants, and his pair of sneakers. They were of the kind that were made for little kids, and have the velcro instead of laces. He prided himself on dressing himself, like a big boy.

"Jamie, honey, change of plans. How about we go to the park tomorrow? Mummy has to see an old… friend."

Emma's useless facts about nothing in particular

On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year