Okay, Why didn't anyone review last time?! I thought you guys would be jumping for joy at the last chapter! *sighs* i feel so unloved. . . anyhoo, this takes place a few weeks after Jo and Mark become a couple. You'll see what happens!!

I don't own, I RENT. Except for my characters and storyline, those are mine!

Visiting Home Part 1

"SPEAK!!" *Beep* Jo, Mark, Roger and Mimi looked up from their places around the loft.

"Josie? This is your mother. How are you? I haven't heard from you in a while. Are you still in San Francisco? Where . . .?" Jo picked up the phone.

"Hey Mom," She greeted.

"Oh! Josie! You're back? Is Mark clean?" Margaret asked.

"Yes, Mom, I'm home and Mark is clean . . . we've been doing fine before you ask." Jo laughed.

"Oh, that's good,"

"How's Emma?"

"She misses you. She wonders when her big sister will come and visit . . . which is why I'm calling . . ."

Jo paused, "You want me to come home, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course I want you to come home; not forever, of course, but maybe for a visit?" She asked hopefully.

Jo sighed and looked to her boyfriend. "Can Mark come too?"

"Of course, Baby. Mark's your best friend after all. And Martha might like to see him too." Margaret said.

"Sure," Jo said, "Will this weekend work?"

"That's just perfect, Sweetie." Margaret said, excited.

"Okay, Mark and I will see you on Friday?"

"Friday is perfect. See you then!"

"By Mom,"

"Goodbye Josie," Jo hung up the phone and turned to the other three loft-mates.

"Mark, are you okay with going to my parents' house with me?" Jo asked hopefully.

"Of course," Mark said, smiling. "Are we going to tell them about us?"

"No, duh!" Jo laughed, "Of course we will! Mom's been anticipating it since we first became friends."

"I'm not surprised," Mark also laughed.

"So, you're going home this weekend?" Roger asked.

"Yeah," Jo replied, "That should be fun . . ."

RENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENT

Friday came with no delay. Mark and Jo packed up Jo's truck for the drive to Scarsdale. Everything was ready, they just had to say goodbye.

"Be good, and be careful driving." Mimi said.

"We will," Jo replied, hugging Mimi.

"Don't cuss in front of Emma." Roger warned.

"Don't worry, we won't." Mark laughed.

"Good,"

Mark and Jo said their departing words and finally left for Scarsdale. The drive was long but worth it. The couple talked about everything and nothing. And finally, they arrived at their old neighborhood. Nothing much had changed. Jo pulled into the driveway and out the door ran both of their mothers.

"Oh god . . ." Mark moaned unhappily.

"You'll survive," Jo said, laughing before both got out of the car.

"Oh Josie!" Margaret hugged her daughter. "It's been too long since you last came home! Have you been eating? You're so thin!"

"Mom, I'm fine." Jo rolled her eyes, "I'm at perfect weight for my size."

"Oh, alright . . . Mark! How are you dear?" Margaret turned her attention to Mark while Martha turned her attention to Jo.

"Josie, how are you dear?" Martha Cohen asked.

"I'm good. And you Mrs. Cohen?"

"Oh, call me Martha, dear. You're an adult now; you can call me by my first name." Martha insisted kindly.

"Okay, thank you." Jo smiled.

"Josie!" A little, excited six-year-old bounded into her sister's arms.

"Emma!" Jo twirled around her baby sister, just as excitedly. "How've you been Baby Girl?"

"Good," Emma stated matter-of-factly before climbing down her sister and running to their mom.

"Well, let's go inside, shall we? It's cold out here." Margaret suggested and all went inside where Thomas awaited his eldest.

"Josie!"

"Daddy!" Jo exclaimed, hugging her dad around the neck. She always was a daddy's girl . . . When Jo let go of her dad, he turned to Mark.

"Hey Mark, how ya feeling?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"Great," Mark shook hands with Thomas, "Much better than the last time you saw me, anyway."

"That's great!" Thomas patted Mark on the back.

"Dinner's ready!" Margaret called from the kitchen. Everyone gathered around the dining room table. Mark and Jo made sure to sit next to each other.

Dinner went well. Everyone talked about various subjects. Mark and Jo were asked many questions about life in New York City; and Emma listened quietly, chirping in when necessary.

Finally, dinner was over and Mark and Jo called attention to themselves.

"Um, Mom?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Mark and I have something to say." Jo said almost nervously.

"Alright, what's up?"

Mark and Jo looked at each other before looking back to everyone else.

"Well," Mark started, "A while ago, Jo and I each discovered that we liked each other as more than best friends . . . it took a long time, what with the whole problems and obstacles that we had to get over, but . . ."

"A couple of months ago . . ." Jo continued for Mark and took his hand. "Mark and I became a couple."

Squeals of delight issued from both mothers.

"Oh, Josie/Mark!" Each mother exclaimed their child's name and started to bombard them with words.

"That's so wonderful!"

"I knew it'd only be a matter of time!"

"When did you get together?"

"Are you sleeping together?"

"What-?"

"Mom!" Both Mark and Jo shouted, "Calm down." Mark continued.

"Sorry dear, I guess we got carried away . . ." Martha apologized.

Emma giggled at her mother, sister, her sister's boyfriend, and said boyfriend's mother. Thomas laughed with her. Watching everyone jabber was funny. Jo took notice.

"What're you two laughing at?" she asked her sister and her dad.

"We're laughing at you four." Thomas said, "Your mother and Martha are funny enough, but add you and Mark to the mix and it's just plain silly!" Both he and Emma giggled again. Jo laughed along with them.

"Yeah, I guess that is pretty funny . . ." Jo giggled.

So, you never answered any of our questions!" Margaret said.

"Um . . . what were they again?" Mark asked.

"Emma, why don't you go play in your room while the adults talk?" Margaret suggested.

"'Kay," Emma nodded and ran off, upstairs to her room.

"Now then," Everyone turned to Mark and Jo. "How long have you known about your feelings?" Margaret asked.

"Um . . ." Jo thought for a moment. "I've officially known since I found him a few years ago . . . but I think I've always known how I felt; I just didn't do anything about it until recently."

"And you, Mark?"

"I've known since forever." Mark smiled shyly at Jo who smiled back.

"When did you get together?" Martha asked.

"Not too long ago . . . Mark was just finishing up his withdrawal when I told him." Jo said, squeezing Mark's hand.

"How was your withdrawal, Mark?" Martha asked.

"How do you think, Mom?" Mark countered. "I was vomiting and shaking, I got hot and cold flashes, I couldn't keep anything down, I was violent . . . how do you think it went?"

"Shh . . . Mark . . ." Jo cooed gently. "It's over now, remember? You're clean and we're together. That's all that matters." Mark looked down and nodded.

"Yeah, it's over . . ." Mark smiled softly.

"Do you still crave it?" Thomas asked gently.

Mark nodded again, "Everyday . . . just like with any other drug, the want can fade but it never really goes away . . ." Thomas nodded understandingly.

"So . . . Do you two sleep together?" Martha asked, getting back on topic.

"We sleep in the same bed, if that's what you mean."

"You're waiting for marriage?" Martha asked. Jo cringed at the word 'marriage.' Mark took notice and answered quickly.

"No, we're waiting for my HIV results to come back. Besides, Jo and I aren't ready for that big of a commitment." He said.

"Yet," Martha interjected, "Who knows, maybe one day . . ." Margaret touched Martha's shoulder and shook her head. She knew of Jo's fear of commitment and her ideals of never having kids or getting married. Jo had expressed this to her when she was a teenager.

"Martha, Josie's not big on the commitment thing. It's a miracle she actually has a boyfriend in the first place." Margaret said. "Just be happy they have each other right now." Martha nodded.

"It's not anyone in particular that I'm afraid to commit to. It's just the thought of it in general." Jo said.

"We know, Baby Girl." Thomas said, "It's okay."

Jo nodded and changed the subject. "So, tell me what happened that made you decide to have Emma."

Margaret smiled, "Well . . ." she went on to tell the story of how she missed having a child in the house and it was just before her biological clock ran out that she got pregnant with Emma. The pregnancy went well and Emma was born a happy 7 pounds 11 ounces with a full head of dark hair just like her sister had when she was a baby. Then Margaret told the story of how Emma was like Jo in certain ways like her dark hair and her friendly demeanor. Apparently though, Emma was very shy around kids her age; unlike Jo who was always friendly to people her age but only had one friend: Mark. Emma was curious and very openly friendly to adults. Jo remembered how attached Emma had been to Mimi when she woke up in the hospital. Anyway, Emma was also emotionally silent and not dramatic unlike her big sister who was very emotional and dramatic. Jo and Mark were told of Emma's achievements in school and how she never knew about Jo until Jo came out of hiding.

"I'm sorry for that." Jo said, "I didn't want to hide from you, I just . . . had to stay in hiding in order to stay safe. You've got to understand that I couldn't come home for fear of what I would find."

"What did you think you would find?"

"You, not here . . . and me, alone . . ." Jo said.

"Oh, Honey . . ." Margaret sighed. "You'll never be alone. You've got so many friends that take such good care of you . . ."

"I know . . ." Tears were glistening in Jo's eyes as she smiled. "I know . . ."

The conversation ended there. Mark and Jo helped get Emma to bed then went to bed themselves. As Jo was falling asleep, she thought of how happy she was that she had come home.

Okay, there you have this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!!! I FELT SO UNLOVED LAST TIME!!!