A/N: Hey everybody! Something along the lines of this happened to me last week, and I felt I just had to write it down! I hope you all like it. Dedicated to Harry...even if he doesn't know it. x

Enjoy!

Joanne POV

I recognised her the moment I laid eyes on her. Sure, it might've been nine years - nine long, lonely years - since we'd last met, but I recognised her in a heartbeat. It wasn't like she was easy to forget.

I stood on my tiptoes, trying to get a proper look at her before she was swept up in the sea of early morning commuters. She looked different, but the same. I squinted harder.

Her wild, unruly hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, a few of her curls bouncing against her forehead when she walked. She had replaced her tight leather pants with low-slung jeans, which still managed to show off her beautiful (still intact) figure to everyone. She dragged her feet a little more, and her shoulders looked kind of slumped - she was tired, older. But her eyes - her eyes were the same as I remembered - full of sparkle, wit, love, life. Those eyes that had caused me to fall in love with Maureen Johnson in the first place.

I was about to duck my head and walk away - walk out of my ex-fiancé's life for good - when she heard Maureen's loud, wonderful voice call out across the subway station,

"Joanne! Over here!" she waved her arms wildly, knocking a very suprised business man's glasses off of his nose. "Whoops! Sorry, sir, let me get that for you!" she bent down to retrieve the glasses, giving all the occupants of Grand Central Station a view of her lacey black thong.

I groaned. Some things never change.

Maureen handed back the unfortunate man's glasses, waved away all the wolf whistles and cat calls, and strode purposefully over to me. Oh, great. I tried to ignore the wriggling sensation in my stomach at Maureen's approach.

"Joanne!" Maureen threw her arms around me, her ponytail bouncing erratically. I tried to return the hug, but I couldn't seem to make my arms move. I was completely still. Maureen was hugging me. I breathed in her clean, flowery smell, not really daring to believe it. She was so warm and familiar, so -

And then it stopped. Maureen drew back, chewing her lip nervously. I'd made her feel uncomfortable. I looked up at the ceiling (away from Maureen's mesmerising eyes), searching for something to say. What did you say to an ex-girlfriend (scratch that, ex-almost-life-partner) you hadn't seen in nine years?

"So..." I fiddled with the latch on my briefcase. "Uh...how are you?"

"I'm great!" Maureen gushed, the sparkle back in her eyes once more. "Really great. I just got a part in this cool new play at the New York Theatre Workshop. It really speaks to me, you know? The money's not great, but it pays the bills - I have my own apartment now."

My jaw dropped. Maureen Johnson living on her own? Maureen Johnson worrying about things like rent? Maureen Johnson being responsible?

Had I entered an alternate universe, or something?

"...And, of course, I'm co-producing Mark's new movie."

"Oh! He told me about it, it sounds wonderful." I smiled fondly. Of all my old friends, Mark was the only one to really keep contact with me when I'd moved away. Well, Collins had too, until...

I felt my eyes start to sting. No, Joanne, you can't cry now. Just keep talking, and you'll be fine.

"How's Roger?" I asked, cutting Maureen off mid-sentence. I was surprised that she didn't have a dramatic fit and start screaming. I wasn't sure if I prefered this new, mellowed-out version of Maureen at all.

She smiled. "He's still rocking. And little Tommy's getting so big! And," she dropped her voice to a whisper. "And, Mimi told me that she thinks another baby might be on the way!"

"That's wonderful! Tell them congratulations from me!" I forced the enthusiasm into my voice, trying to hide my guilt. I should be at the loft right now, playing with baby Tommy, making baby shower plans with Mimi, sharing stories about the now-passed Angel and Collins with Roger. And, most of all, I should be with Maureen.

No! I scolded myself. I had to stop thinking like this. I'd been hung up on Maureen for the last nine years, while she'd been out in the world, making herself a better person. Where was I? Walled up in some stupid law firm in New Jersey, completely detached from the world.

Maureen took me by surprise, blurting out, "Are you seeing anybody?"

"What? Uh - no! No, I've just been...busy at work, and stuff." And stuff? That's the best you could come up with? I shrieked at myself. Nice going, Joanne.

I cleared my throat. "Are you...I mean, have you been -"

"No!" Maureen said, a little too eagerly. She coughed, trying to regain nonchalance. "Well, I had a thing with Mark a while back, but I haven't really been dating..."

She trailed off as the clock above us let out a large chime. Maureen swore loudly, attracting the attention of a group of young school kids, who started laughing and repeating the word to one another. Their teacher glared at Maureen.

"They gotta learn it somewhere, honey!" Maureen called to her, before looking back at me. "Joanne, I'm really sorry, but I've got to go - I promised Fredi I'd run lines with her. It was great to see you!" she turned and skittered away across the station.

"Bye." I murmured, blinking back the annoying tears that were pricking my eyes. I turned to leave when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Forgot...to...ask." a breathless Maureen panted, her chest heaving dramatically. "How long are you in town?"

"Um..." I faltered, taken aback by her sudden reappearance. "A couple of weeks, I'm working on a trial in Brooklyn."

Maureen beamed at me and produced a slightly battered business card from her pocket. I looked down at it. Maureen Johnson - Actress was printed in big, bold letters underneath her phone number. Maureen pressed it into my hands.

"If you get around to it, give me a call. We should have coffee sometime."

"Yeah. Sometime." I echoed. Maureen flashed me one last smile before rushing away.

I walked out of the station, turning the little card over and over in my hands. I couldn't stop staring at it, like it had some kind of hidden meaning to it. It was just a card, I told myself, nothing more.

Not a promise, not an apology. Just a vague, carefree maybe. A sometime.

But I couldn't help smiling to myself.

After all, that sometime was a time nonetheless.

-End-

A/N: Et voila! What did you think? Please review, it would make my day :)!

-Ellie :D