Disclaimer: Still don't own any of these fabulous RENT characters.
Notes: Oh my. Two chapters at once? I know, sometimes I amaze myself. J/K. Although I am easily amused, but that's a whole other story. Again, kindly read and review. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - Moment of Truth
"Okay Maureen, I'll be there. Nine o'clock. Got it. Yes Maureen I'll be on time. Have you ever known me to be late? Yes. Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye."
"What's Mo bitching about this time, Mark?" Roger surprised the hell out of me, sneaking up on me, and I jumped nearly three feet into the air.
"Oh god! Roger don't do that. You could've given me a heart attack."
"Sorry, I thought you saw me come in."
I shook my head. "All I could hear was Maureen yelling about being on time to the sperm bank tomorrow morning."
"Poor baby." Roger said condescendingly, pouting his lip for a more effective banter.
"I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Cute Rog. Very cute. You know how Maureen gets. You've known her as long as I have."
"I know. I'm sorry. Really." He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me close for a sweet kiss.
"Don't think this'll score you any points mister." I glared playfully at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and he kissed me again.
"Is it working yet?"
"Not yet. I think I need more convincing." I smirked and he kissed me again. This time a bit more passionately.
"Anything yet?"
"Well…" He pulled me as tightly to him as possible kissing me even more fervently. His tongue twirling with mine in our mouths. I melted in his arms at that moment.
He grinned in our kiss, knowing he had won, and lifted me up onto his waist. I wrapped my legs around them and he carried me to our bedroom. He laid me gently onto the bed and broke our kiss to take off my pants. Now this is more like it. It's not Maureen.
He made love to me right then and there. Using protection of course. It's the only way. We agreed never to do it otherwise. Especially if we want this child. One of us had to stay healthy.
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(The next morning)
"Roger I've really gotta go. If I'm late I'll never hear the end of it. Do you really want me to have to go through that with Maureen?" He kept trying to get me back into bed as I tried to dress in a hurry.
"Come on Marky. She'll get over it. I mean, how often did you have to put up with her shit, right?"
"That's beside the point Roger. She doesn't care about that. All she'll care about is me showing up late and she'll give me hell about it. So," I leaned down and kissed him quickly. "I'll see you later. Don't be late for work, okay?" I dashed out of the bedroom and grabbed my coat and scarf which were still laying on the couch.
"I won't." I hear him shout to me as I ran out the door.
I hopped into the car Roger and I bought not to long ago with our combined paychecks. It's not the greatest car, but it gets us around. It's an old car too. A 1976 Cadillac Eldorado, rusty orange, and a about a hundred million miles on it. Not really, but close enough. It's a gas guzzler too. But it does get us to where we need to get. I drove down to the sperm bank barely getting there on time.
Standing outside the bank was Maureen, tapping her foot and looking at her watch. "Cutting it close are we?"
"I'm on time aren't I? I never said I'd be early."
She breathed out a exasperated sigh and dragged me by the arm into the building. She exchanged a few words with the receptionist who told us to wait in the waiting room till they called us.
"Are you sure you really want to do this, pookie? I'm only asking because I'm concerned. Are you sure this is what you and Roger should be doing? I mean, he's sick after all, and when he finally, well, dies, then you'll be left alone to raise the baby."
I rolled my eyes at her 'choice' of phrasing about Roger. "Mo, have you forgotten you'll be the baby's mother? I would like to think you'd want some part in this child's life too. Am I wrong in assuming this?"
"Well no, but that's not what I mean. But the way you make it sound, you and Roger will be doing most of the raising. I'll just be there to… feed it?" She shrugged.
I sighed shaking my head. "Mo, you'll be doing much more than just feeding it. You'll be it's mom. You know, the person he or she will go to when both dads' aren't giving in to their 'charms'. It sounds to me like you're the one having second thoughts. Are you Maureen?"
"NO!" She answered hastily, which of course caused me to question it even more, but I just let it go.
"Okay then. So then there's no problems."
Thankfully that was when they called us in. We were lead to a room filled with posters of both male and female genitalia charts plastered on the walls. How lovely.
I was given a cup to fill and told to go to the room through another door. I was also told there were magazines in there to 'help' me along. I came to find that none of those magazines would help me in the least. Straight men mags. Go figure.
I closed my eyes and thought purely of Roger and what we did the previous night. Before I knew it I had filled the cup. I hope this'll be enough. I made my way back to the room where Maureen awaited my arrival. I handed back the cup and now it was Maureen's turn. I was told to go back to the waiting room since my part was finished. Apparently Mo had told them we weren't 'together' so I was no longer necessary.
After what seemed like hours, then again, it probably was, Maureen appeared and we left.
"So was it… weird?" I asked her as if my part wasn't awkward enough.
"Nah, it wasn't so bad. I just hope it took." She seemed so at ease at the moment that I almost wonder if she went through with it.
"That makes two of us Mo. How long before we know for sure?"
"I figure when I start showing, then we'll know for sure." She giggled and I laughed nervously. Not funny Maureen.
"Yeah, I guess so."
I got into my car and drove home immediately. I just wanted to get more work done on my film before I got in trouble. After picking up my camera, I made my way to Central Park.
Roger won't be home till later tonight so I have all day to work. I'm just glad I was able to find a job that allowed me to do what I know I do best. Filming documentaries. Of course, I don't get paid all that much, but it's better than no income at all. And I'm just glad Roger found a job too. Working as a greeter at the local department store. Granted it's the worse job anyone could possibly want, but it's better than no job at all. Especially since he's not exactly the friendliest person, nor did the gig thing work for him. Which is to bad, his band was good. He's thought about going solo, which I still think he should do, but with his job and now a baby hopefully on the way, it's almost impossible.
"Mark?" My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of a familiar voice. I looked up from the camera to see a woman I hadn't seen in over a year.
"Cindy? What are you doing here?" My sister of all people was in Central Park. I looked beyond her and saw her three kids running around playing.
"Well Jim and I decided to take a trip into the city so the kids could see it first hand. We've been all over the city and thought it'd be nice to take a break and have a picnic in the park."
"Well just be careful. I've heard things can happen here, especially after dark."
"Of course. But what are you doing here?"
I looked at my camera and glanced back at her. "Uh, working actually. I've got an assignment due by next week and I still need time to edit it."
"Oh, well wait till I tell mom. She'll be thrilled to hear you've got a job." Cindy smiled at me.
"That's if mom can get passed the whole thing with Roger and me. You remember how she reacted to that last Thanksgiving?"
"How could I forget. The look on her face was priceless when you told her you and Roger were a couple." She laughed remembering the past events. I laughed too.
"Yeah, and dad about died. His only son, 'a fag' as he put it. 'A fairy boy' was the other term." I hadn't realized it at that moment, but I had been filming our conversation. I had completely forgotten to turn off my camera.
"Hey kids, come say hi to your uncle." She ushered the kids over to us and I knelt down to greet them.
"Hey, how are my favourite children?" I hugged them as a group.
In almost perfect unison they responded. "Good."
"Now kids, go tell your father to come say hi to your uncle."
"No Cindy that…"
"Marky, I won't take no for an answer. Jim's always been fond of you, and he even stood up for you to mom and dad. Remember?"
I sighed, knowing she was right, at the same time wishing I could just get out of it. "Yeah I remember." My sister is so much like our mother in so many ways, it's almost frightening. She certainly knew how to lay on a guilt trip.
"Hey Mark, it's been what, over a year now?" Jim grasped my hand firmly giving it a good shake. I felt like my hand would fall off.
"Yeah, since last Thanksgiving. So how have you been? Working hard?" I wasn't really sure what else to say to him.
"More like hardly working." He chuckled heartily and gave me a solid pat on the back. I nearly fell over. I reached up to fix my glasses before they fell off my face.
"Well that's good to hear. Look, I really hate to cut this short Jim, Cindy, but I've really gotta get back to work." I glanced at my camera and that's when I realized it was on. Shit. It's been on this whole time. I just wasted all that film.
"Oh well that's to bad. We were going to ask if you'd like to join us for our picnic." Cindy began trying to make me feel bad.
"Well I've really gotta…"
"Please uncle Mark." All three kids said at once. The pouty looks on their faces was enough to get me to stay. Goodness, like mother like children.
I sighed inwardly. "Okay. I'll stay."
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"That was a wonderful meal Cindy. Thanks for inviting me. I really enjoyed it."
"Did you really Mark?" She stared at me like she was staring into my soul, much the way our mom did to see if I was lying.
"Yes Cindy. Really." I did my best to sound as convincing as possible. After all, it wasn't really that bad.
"Well, okay. I believe you."
"Hey Cindy, I've really do have to get going now. But there's something I want to tell you before I go."
"Sure, what is it?" She gave me her full attention.
"Well you remember when mom went on and on about me never giving her a grandchild?"
"Yeah, I remember that speech. I got it too, even while I was pregnant with David."
"Well… I'm having a baby."
She looked at me strangely for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean, you're having a baby?"
"Well Maureen and I are having a baby."
"I'm confused. I thought you were with Roger."
"I am. But we decided we wanted to start a family and Maureen agreed to be our baby's mother. And since he's… sick, I'll be the biological father."
Her face lit up. "Oh my goodness, that's wonderful news. Congratulations. How far along is she? What's she having?"
"Slow down Cindy. We just inseminated her today. We don't even know if it took."
"Oh. Well that's still great news. Do you want me to tell mom or would you like to tell her?"
"I'd like to hold off on telling her anything until we know for sure okay. You're the first person I've told so don't even tell Jim, okay?"
She nodded and hugged me. "This is so exciting. You'll love being a parent. It's one of the greatest feelings in the world."
"So I've heard. I can't wait either. And I know mom'll be thrilled indeed. But I've really gotta go Cindy. Love you. Remember, don't tell mom yet. I would like to be the one to tell her, okay?" I hugged her goodbye.
"Okay, don't worry so much. I won't tell her."
I left her standing there as I took of running toward my car. I couldn't help but worry. Cindy's always been known to be a blabber-mouth. Ever since we were kids. I surprised myself by telling her in the first place, but I had to tell someone. It really was exciting news.
Notes: So what do you guys really think? Mark and Roger, having a child... with Maureen no less??