After the movie, Mark collected their empty cups of hot chocolate and headed into the kitchen. Jack pulled his legs up onto the couch, shifting to lean on the arm to watch Mark. He watched him rinse out the cups and get to work making the bottles for the babies' lunch. Jack wondered what was going on in Mark's head. How long would he be mad with him? Checking on the babies, he smiled a little. Barry was sleeping. While Sally was distracted with a brightly colored arch that she could spin the dangling stuff on. Slipping off the couch, he walked to the kitchen and told Mark gently. "Mark... I know things between us are... tense. Please understand that I want to fix that." Mark sighed, leaning back against the counter. Screwing a nipple onto a bottle, he told him in an undertone. "I know. But it's hard to fix something that we can't talk about." Jack licked his lips nervously, asking softly. "Rosemary thinks that we didn't have time to... become a couple before we had kids." Mark turned away from him, muttering out rhetorically in a low tone. "Is that where you went..." Jack flinched at the disappointment in his voice.

Opening the beeping microwave, Mark screwed on the nipple to that one. Still without looking at him, Mark asked a bit sourly. "What did she give you to roofie me this time?" Jack hugged himself, mumbling out a little hurt. "You act like you haven't done it to me... and that hurts." Mark exhaled loudly, slowly turning to face him as he blunted out. "That wasn't my fault. I didn't think it was real. What you did to me... that was on purpose." Jack shrugged weakly, saying meekly. "I just wanted you to touch me like you used too. To look at me the way you used too. Is that so wrong?" Mark shook his head, grumbling out. "I understand that part. It's the part where you put your own desires above our kids that upsets me. Did you even consider that something could have happened to them during that little stunt?" Jack shook his head honestly, his eyes lowering to the floor. Mark picked up both bottles, walking toward him as he said firmly. "Exactly. Her potions come with risks and only add to the problems we already have."

Mark moved around him, heading into the living room as he added over his shoulder. "Now are you going to answer my question? What did she give you this time?" Jack squeezed his own bicep, mumbling out. "Nothing." Mark stopped, turning to face him with serious doubt on his face. Jack turned away from him, mumbling out a little disheartened. "Don't look at me like that..." Mark set the bottles down on the coffee table, starting to walk back over to him as he asked firmly. "Jack. What is it?" Jack avoided his eyes, giving him a simple lifeless shrug. Mark stepped into his line of sight, uttering out bluntly. "Whatever she gave you. Destroy it. We don't need it. It's not healthy for us." Jack finally met Mark's guarded brown eyes, softly retorting. "It may be my only hope to fix whatever is wrong with us." Mark rolled his eyes, tossing his hands up as he snapped out. "Jack, there is NOTHING wrong with us! You only feel like that because-" Mark stopped talking, causing Jack's eyes to narrow on him.

Shaking his head, Mark waved off what he was going to say to replace it casually with. "Jack, just get rid of it." Jack locked eyes with Mark, saying a bit sternly. "See... That right there. That hurts... because it tells me that you are hiding something that you know will be painful for me to hear." Mark shrugged, looking like he wanted to say something, but no words came out of him. Pushing off the counter, Jack straightened up and told him emotionlessly. "You're pushing me away... and I want to know why. You want me to destroy the potion... then tell me what you are hiding from me." Mark rolled his eyes, grumbling out. "I'm not hiding anything. I'm concerned." Jack shrugged, asking curiously. "Why? What did I do?" Mark let out a groan, muttering out as he moved back to the kids. "It's not about what you did. It's about what you are doing..." Jack let that sink in, before retorting in a hurt voice. "What? What am I doing?" Mark picked up the baby bottles, mumbling out under his breath. "I don't want to talk about it. I'm tired of fighting with you all the time."

Jack tried not to cry as he choked out to him bluntly. "Are you cheating on me? In love with someone else?" Mark gave the bottles to the babies, straightening up after to state out defensively. "No! I don't have the time for that crap. Jack, let's just drop this. Let's have a good time together. Then you can go home and go back to doing the things you love. Ok?" Jack stared at Mark for a moment, before saying in a numb voice. "You blame me for taking away the things you love, don't you? Because I made you a father..." Mark stiffened, staring at him but said nothing. Jack sniffled, snatching up his jacket before going to the bedroom. Mark called his name, but he ignored him. Mark rushed up behind him to slip into the bedroom with him. Mark reached for his arms, but Jack swatted his hands away. Backing up against the wall by the bathroom, Jack began to cry as he told him in a heartbroken voice. "You could have talked me into staying... You could have told me that you were stressed and needed my help... but you didn't! So, now everything is MY FAULT?!"

Mark grabbed his wrists to keep him from pushing him away. Putting his hands to his chest, Mark told him in a loving voice. "Jack, I don't blame you. It's complicated... I... I don't know how I feel because I just don't have time to think about it." Jack shoved Mark away from him. As Mark stepped back toward him, Jack slapped his face hard enough that Mark's cheek turned red. Slumping back against the wall, Jack regretted hitting him, but his emotions were all over the place now. Dropping his face into his hands, he cried out. "I'm sorry..." Mark rubbed his cheek, then reached out to cup Jack's jaw. Pressing his forehead to his, Jack mumbled out in a wispy voice. "We're falling apart, Mark... Don't you see? I don't know what else to do... I love you but it's not enough..." Mark sniffled now but told him in a more collected voice. "Maybe you're right... I'm going to call up my mother. I'm sure she'd be thrilled to watch the kids for a bit." Stepping back, Mark reluctantly bowed his head and asked with a heavy sigh. "This potion she gave you... will it help us?"

Jack shrugged, but honestly answered. "I have faith that it will... but I don't know. She made it sound like it would help though." Mark backed up, listening outside the open door for a minute. Looking back at him with soft eyes, Mark asked him gently. "What is the risk?" Jack wiped a tear off his face, mumbling out. "Similar to love potion number 9 but it doesn't last as long. She said it wouldn't change us. It just... helps bring us closer again." Mark drummed his fingers on the doorframe, not looking at him as he uneasily said. "That's still a big risk, Jack..." Jack huffed lightly to himself, uttering out. "You wanna spend a couple thousand dollars on marriage counseling? Cause I'm sure the result will be the same if we can't fix this..." Mark chuckled to himself, leaning back against the doorframe with a sigh. Staring off with distant eyes, Mark reluctantly told him. "I guess... I just don't see how it's going to work. The love potion was hell on us last time." Jack blushed a little, saying a little playfully. "True... but you didn't really believe in it then. This time will be different. This time... We'll do it right."

Mark pushed off the wall, slowly walking up to him. Reaching out to take his hands, Mark told him in a deep serious voice. "I still don't believe in it. I believe in us. I loved you before the potion. I don't need it to tell me that I still love you." Jack cupped Mark's face, staring into his eyes as he replied very gently. "The potion got you to admit that you loved me. Or you wouldn't be with me now. You're a stubborn man, Mark... You shield yourself so well that I don't know how else to get you to open up to me." Putting his forehead to Mark's, he told him lovingly. "I'm not doing this because I want you to love me... I want to do this because we need to open up to each other again. We've lost something... and I want to find it before it's too late." Mark brought his lips to Jack's, his hands caressing his face. Jack tilted his head, waiting for their lips to meet... but Sally began to cry. Instantly, Mark pulled away and began walking toward the door. Jack's heart sank. At the door, Mark turned enough to say over his shoulder. "My mother has been planning to come visit me for Christmas. If you want... we can try to go see her. I think we both need a change of scenery."

Mark slipped from the room, leaving Jack to think about it. He didn't like the idea of traveling again. However, the idea of Momiplier helping to ease the tension off Mark was very appealing. If she helped... he could have more time with him. Making up his mind, he made his way out of the room and back into the living room. At the end of the hallway, he stopped short to watch Mark. Mark was kneeling by Sally with a bright smile on his face. He held her little hands and pretended to bite them to make her giggle and squirm. He kissed her and tickled her. It was beautiful and painful to watch. Touching the wall to keep himself from falling over, Jack's heart ached. His father had never done anything like that with him. In fact, he was practically raised by his sister. At least until she got old enough to like boys. Being the youngest child in his family, he had always felt neglected and alone. Forcing himself to walk out toward the couch, he sat down and casually told Mark. "I think we should try going to see your mother. We'll get more snow there... and... I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Mark sat up a little, holding Sally's bottle for her. When their eyes met, Mark told him nicely. "I'm sure she'd love to see you too. After all... You granted her wish. She had been hounding me for grandkids since... Well, since I was old enough to have them." Jack scoffed, laying back across the couch as he mumbled out. "I hope she gives us a different bedroom though..." Mark blinked, saying bluntly. "Why? That's my old room." Jack placed his hands on his stomach, trying not to relive a flashback as he replied softly. "Ya... and I was gutted in it... It's not a very pleasant memory for me." Mark lifted his chin in realization, then crawled over to put his arms on the edge of the couch. Leaning over him, Mark told him sweetly. "That's not how I remember it." Jack narrowed his eyes on Mark. Mark chuckled, placing a hand on one of his over his belly. Jack shook his head, lost in his thoughts. It was easy for Mark to think that was a good memory. For him it was a nightmare that he relived every so often. Mark surprised him with a passionate kiss, jarring him out of his thoughts.

Jack lifted a hand to touch Mark's neck in the hopes of encouraging him for a long kiss. Mark's hand rubbed his belly, prolonging the kiss for as long as he could. When his lips parted from his, he whispered to him. "Maybe we'll make some new memories there." Jack blushed, sitting up a bit to kiss him again. His kiss was cut short though as Mark told him reluctantly. "I have to burp them. Will you help me?" Jack groaned but sat up as he answered. "Ya. Sure." Mark picked up a groggy Barry, removing the empty bottle from his mouth. Jack slipped off the couch, crawling over to Sally. She wiggled and cooed as he picked her up. Cradling her against his shoulder, he started to bounce her gently, while asking Mark curiously. "Would we be driving to your mother's house?" Mark gawked at him, stating out in horror. "God, no! Driving with you pregnant was hard enough... I'm not going to do it with two babies. I'd go insane." Jack blinked, grimly saying. "So, we are going to be one of those people on the plane with crying babies?" Mark smirked, saying a bit guiltily. "I was going to chip in for first class."

Jack gawked at Mark, but Mark quickly told him. "I have the money for it. And I'm stressed enough without being crammed in the back." Jack shrugged, saying bluntly. "It's a short flight though. To pay that much..." Mark chuckled, telling him seriously. "The short flight will feel like hours with these two. Trust me. I don't want to risk them getting hurt. Or struggling to change them. It would just make it easier." Jack shrugged, saying coolly. "Alright. If that is what you want to do." Mark nodded. After burping Barry, he laid him down in a baby rocker and retrieved his phone. Jack walked around the living room with Sally, watching another Christmas movie. He could hear Mark talking on the phone and found himself getting a little excited. He liked the idea of spending his first Christmas with his family. He just had to make sure that it wouldn't be their last together. To Be Continued...