HI EVERYONE!!! I'm Back again!! Here is the Second part of Jo and Mark's stay at Jo's Parent's house! I hope you all liked it!! THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL TO BITS!!!!

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

Visiting Home Part 2

It was the next morning. Jo and Mark were still at Jo's Parent's house. Jo had woken up at 8:30 which was unusual for her. She wondered vaguely if anything was wrong but immediately brushed it off. Mark was still sleeping when she left her old room. She walked downstairs to find Emma sitting in front of the TV and her mother in the kitchen, cooking. Jo went over to her sister and placed a kiss on her head. Emma looked up and smiled.

"Morning Josie," Emma said softly.

"Good morning Sweetie," Jo said, kneeling and giving her sister a hug. Emma hugged back tightly. Jo let go of her sister after a moment and sat next to Emma in front of the TV.

"Josie?" the six-year-old turned to Jo.

"Yes Emma?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm 29,"

"Oh, how old is Mark?"

"He's also 29," Jo smiled.

"Oh . . . that's cool." Emma thought for a minute. "Where were you for all that time you were gone?"

Jo studied Emma before sighing, "Well . . . when I was 17, I was taken from the street by a man named Ray Gutierrez. He drugged me and tried to kill me but then my friends Tino and Richard saved me. Well, I didn't want to go back home 'cause I saw it as an opportunity to start a new life as Jo Emay. Anyway, I traveled around for 4 years until I met my friends in San Francisco. Then I stayed with them for about 4 or 5 years until I wanted to find Mark. That took me a year and then Ray, the guy who tried to kill me, he kidnapped Mark and made him become addicted to a bad drug called heroin. Well, many months later, we found Mark and I killed Ray out of self-defense. But before I got him, Ray shot me in the abdomen. Obviously I'm still alive to tell the tale but after I got shot, the doctors and police found out that I was actually Josie May instead of Jo Emay. So they called Momma and Daddy and they found out that I was alive."

Emma had listened quietly the entire time, understanding everything. "What happened after that?"

"Well, Mark went through something called withdrawal."

"What's that?"

"Well, when you're trying to get off a bad drug, it had side effects like shivering, throwing up, and getting really hot then really cold . . . Well, Mark was going through that and he ran away because he was in so much pain. We didn't find him until about a month later. We took him to the hospital and then Collins, Mark and mine's friend, made me go back to San Francisco because Mark could get violent during withdrawal. I stayed with my friends there for about a month until I couldn't take it anymore. So I went back home and told Mark that I love him and the rest is history." Jo explained. Emma looked in awe.

"Wow, Josie," Emma said after a few moments, "You and Mark have had a tough life."

"I'll say," Margaret said from the doorway; she had been listening this whole time!

"Momma!" Jo said, startled, "You've been listening?"

Margaret nodded. "I didn't know Mark ran away."

"We know. We didn't want to worry you and Martha."

"But still . . ."

"Mom, we're adults. We took care of Mark."

"Obviously not if he got away from you . . ."

"But we found him . . . he's alive and clean now, isn't he?"

"Thanks to you I am," Mark said, walking down the last of the stairs. "Margaret, if it wasn't for Jo, Roger and the rest of our friends, I would probably not be alive right now . . . they helped me get clean. And even though I ran away, I stayed when they found me." He said. Jo got up off the floor and kissed Mark on the cheek before turning to her mother.

"See, Momma?" Jo said, "He's okay. I'm okay. We're all okay."

Margaret gazed at the couple and sighed contently, "Yes, you're okay." She smiled, "So, who's hungry? I have breakfast ready!" She bustled into the kitchen.

Jo rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Mom . . ." She whined.

"Oh, Josie, you and Mark are so skinny! You need something to fatten you up!" Margaret said, spooning eggs onto three plates.

"Mom, we're fine!" Jo protested, "We're both at a healthy weight!"

"I know. But I still think you're too skinny." Margaret smirked, handing a plate to her two daughters and her eldest daughter's boyfriend before pushing them to the table to eat. They ate quietly, both Mark and Jo enjoying their rare home-cooked meal.

"Hey, Josie?" Emma asked when they had finished their breakfast.

"Yes Emma?" Jo acknowledged her sister.

"When can we come and visit you at your house?" Emma looked to her big sister, ocean blue eyes gazing curiously.

Jo smiled, "Anytime you want to. Just make sure Momma's okay with it and call me to make sure I'm home, okay?"

Emma smiled and nodded, "Okay!"

"Will your roommates be okay with that?" Margaret asked.

"Of course," Mark said, "Mimi loves Emma and Roger loves her too." Mark turned to Emma, "You remember them, don't you?"

Emma nodded. "Uh-huh . . . Mimi was my best friend when Josie was in the hospital."

"Really?" Jo asked.

"Uh-huh, Mimi was really nice to me. She and Roger used to play games with me before Mark had to go home. Then everyone else would play with me . . ." Emma said, "Joanne and Lena would play with me sometimes but mostly they talked with Momma and Daddy."

"Yeah, that sounds like them . . ." Jo said, smirking, "Lena and Joanne aren't the types who would want kids."

"I gathered that," Margaret said, smiling.

"But they were really nice to me . . . Lena had a weird laugh though . . . and Reena and Joanne were always kissing and hugging." Emma said.

Jo's eyes got wide and Mark laughed, "Yeah, that definitely sounds like them." He said.

RENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENTRENT

It was Sunday, Jo and Mark were getting ready to head home to the city. Margaret, Thomas, Emma and Martha were saying goodbye to Mark and Jo. Thomas and Margaret hugged their daughter, giving their love as they said goodbye. Mark was being fussed over by Martha. When the parents were done, Jo and Mark each said goodbye to Emma.

"We'll see you soon?" Jo asked Emma. The six-year-old nodded. "Okay, love you."

"Love you too," Emma hugged her big sister and then hugged Mark goodbye as well.

When all was said and done, Jo and Mark climbed into Jo's truck and left Scarsdale . . . neither of them knowing it would be the last time they would ever see Margaret and Thomas . . .

Oh noes!! What have I done?! *laughs* You'll see what happens next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!! PRETTY PRETTY PLEASE?!