Chapter 14
Steve appeared, shotgun in hand, aimed at Mark. "Challie, two seconds to explain then I shoot."
"Steve, put that damn gun down." Mark ordered, sounding both amused and exhausted. "If I gotta get up outta this bed and take it from ya, I'm gonna be more medieval then 'Taker ever was."
"Fair enough." Steve put the safety on, lowering the gun. "Welcome back, Calaway."
Chalice smiled as she slowly slipped from her husband's arms and hugged her brother around the neck tightly. "I told you." She whispered before pulling back, sighing when her son came rushing up the stairs with a bat in hand. "Marcus, I don't think you should-" She didn't get a chance to warn him that this wasn't Undertaker anymore.
Marcus got two hits in and hesitated when the evil bastard didn't move to get away, just took the blows. He lowered the bat hesitatingly. "Dad?" He said in an odd voice, wincing when he got a nod. "Er...sorry..."
"Man, his lip is bleedin', nice aim."
Mark felt his lip, knowin he was going to have a wicked bruise, and stated, "Nice shot."
Chalice rushed over to her husband, wincing at the sight of his lip, and pressed a soft kiss to it before hugging him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "He didn't know." She whispered and smiled when he just nodded in understanding before looking back at her son, smiling. "It's over, Marcus. I brought your father back and laid the monster to rest." Her eyes suddenly flew open when she realized one other person was missing and the tears just started pouring. "Mark...Rose...Where is Rose?"
Mark rolled over to pick up the phone, punching in a number. He cleared his throat. "Bring her to Texas." Was all he said, hanging up and making a face.
"I always knew it, it's hard to keep that voice goin' ain't it?"
"You wouldn't believe..." He looked at Chalice. "She'll be here in a few hours darlin'."
"My beautiful white Rose..." She murmured, knowing it would take time to get her daughter to trust her again as the tears just kept flowing. "She hates me. She hates me so much, Mark. She's been brainwashed." She looked back at him and immediately walked over, crawling on his lap where she belonged, and kissed him softly as her head rested on his chest. "We'll figure it out together. We'll find a way to get our daughter back, Mark."
Mark looked ashamed of himself, lowering his head slightly and heaved a sigh. "Marcus..." He glanced at his son. "I'm sorry fer everythin' I put ya through. Fer what I did and..." He swallowed, looking disgusted with himself. "What I had them do."
Marcus shrugged awkwardly, rubbing the side of his face, a healing gash there, not knowing what to say.
"Nothin' therapy won't fix."
"Go to hell, Uncle Steve."
Normally Chalice would've smacked her son for that comment, but after everything their family had been through, she honestly didn't care. "He won't be the one needing therapy..." She trailed off, looking saddened again, and slowly slid off her husband's lap to stare out the window. Her beautiful Rose was only hours away and she couldn't wait to hold her close again, if the little girl allowed her too.
"I'm thinkin' I'm gonna go in."
Steve and Marcus both looked shocked by that one. Mark Calaway was admitting he needed therapy? "Shit, how long till doomsday? I need me a beer...Want one, son?"
"I think there's a case in the garage..." Marcus muttered, leading the way out, not really caring if he was only fourteen years old or not.
Sighing heavily, Chalice walked over and sat down beside her husband, taking his hand in her own. "Let's just take this one step at a time, alright?" She suggested calmly and kissed his lips softly before standing up. "Come on, we need to go get ready to welcome Rosie home." She wasn't leaving the room without him as they walked out of their bedroom together.
Mark hesitated at the doorway. "Lemme change first darlin'." He said, looking down at himself and flinching. He disappeared long enough to pull on a pair of light blue jeans and a blue muscle shirt, his hair pulled back. "Chalice," He pulled her into his arms, kissing her gently. "Thank you, fer not givin' up on me."
She smiled tearfully back at him, caressing his face tenderly with the back of her hand. "It's like I said before, when you love someone unconditionally, nothing is more powerful than that." She kissed him softly, loving what he was wearing, and pulled him downstairs with her, stopping as she stared at the picture of them out back in the rose garden, taking the picture out. "At least he didn't crumple it." She muttered, needing a new frame.
Mark rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, accepting the beer Steve handed him. How the hell did you forget about something like this? He had been along for the ride, trying to flinch away from what he'd seen happening around him. He had created the Undertaker to escape reality when his father died and in the end, his creation had overran him, hurting those he loved the most. He wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself.
A few hours later, the doorbell to the Calaway home vibrated throughout the house, causing Chalice to look up from where she was sitting. Mark was talking quietly with her brother while Marcus was watching something on the television. She swallowed hard, knowing exactly who was behind the door, and looked up at her husband. "She won't want to see me first." She whispered tearfully, already knowing this was going to be a long journey to get her old Rosie back.
Mark nodded, walking to answer the door. He muttered something to minion outside of it, giving orders to disband again and scooped his daughter into his arms. He had been able to exert some control when it came to Rosie, fighting desperately to keep the Undertaker from hurting his daughter, especially since he hadn't been able to stop him from hurting Chalice or Marcus. "Hey darlin'."
"Is mommy feeling better?"
"Rosie, we gotta talk, princess." He gently tore the necklace away from her, clenching it in his fist.
Chalice was outside, needing some air so Mark could talk to their daughter, swallowing as the tears spilled down her cheeks. The things she'd said to her sweet baby girl was almost more than she could take. "I'm a horrible mother." She muttered and buried her face in her hands, crying her heart and soul out to the silence. How could she hurt Rosie and say the things she did? One answer. Undertaker.
Mark and Rosie spent over an hour in the den, when they came out, both their faces were tear stained, Mark looking weary and Rosie looking like she'd had an overload.
"Mommy?" Rosie whispered, standing behind Chalice, hesitantly reaching out to place her small hand on her mother's shoulder. "Mommy? I'm sorry."
Chalice heard her voice and felt her little girl's hand before slowly turning around, a smile brightening her face when Rosie jumped into her arms. Chalice started crying hysterically as she held her white Rose close, missing her more than words could say, knowing all was forgiven. "Shhh it's alright, my beautiful white Rose. It's alright sweetheart. Everything is fine now. We'll all be just fine and you didn't do anything wrong." She slowly pulled back to look into her eyes, running her finger down her cheek. "I'm taking you kids out of school and homeschooling you both. I want you here with me, not out there doing God knows what, but you can still see your friends, alright?" She'd already made that decision the moment Undertaker kidnapped her daughter from school.
Rosie arched an eyebrow. "Momma, I haven't set foot in a public school in ages." And it actually showed in her voice, she sounded...different, but still Rosie. "Daddy had me tutored...or...was it that bad man?"
"It was the bad man sweetie. Don't worry, we'll start over and you won't miss a thing." She assured with a smile and kissed her daughter's forehead before standing up. "Come on, let's get you unpacked and into some color eh?" She winked when Rosie giggled and guided her daughter into the house. She was going to burn all of her black and purple clothes and Chalice knew that Mark had already removed the symbol from around Rosie's neck. She was thankful for that.
"Man...Good to have ya back, but fair warnin' ya change again, I'mma shootin'."
"You'll have my blessin'."
They toasted each other.
Steve was sticking around to help, knowing there were going to be hard times on the road to recovery, that and Marcus and him got along better then Marcus did with his parents. The kid was definitely needing some therapy, having hard time coming to grips with the persona thing, the beat down. He watched the girls disappear upstairs. "Women...always thinkin' bout clothes."
~!~
Later on that night, Chalice walked out of her daughter's bedroom, leaving the door open after tucking her in. She'd already said good night to her son and her brother, who made himself a room in their guest bedroom. She didn't mind, it was nice having him around, especially since their family was on a long road to recovery. After she was certain her children were safely in their beds and the windows and doors were sealed tight, Chalice finally made her way into the bedroom, wrapping her arms around herself, wearing a lavender colored nightgown that went to her knees and was spaghetti strapped.
Mark was standing out the window, in pajama pants and a beater. He turned to look at her, smiling at her gently. "If ya don't feel...right, or safe, with me here darlin', I can sleep on the couch." He offered, knowing she would probably have to get used to him all over again, not to mention rebuild their trust.
Chalice shook her head as she walked over, no fear or intimidation whatsoever, and slowly pulled him inside, her eyes never leaving his. "That's what got us into this mess in the first place, Mark." She murmured softly, running her hands up and down his chest. "I was distant from you because of our fighting. I never want to be away from you again. I love you and I trust you completely." She meant every word, knowing it wasn't her husband who did those awful things, it was Undertaker. He was gone now, laid to rest and hopefully for good. "Please don't leave me again." She sniffled, tears burning her blue eyes.
He looked surprised, bending down to kiss away her tears, trailing his lips down her cheeks. "I'd never leave ya darlin', I love you too much to let go." He whispered hoarsely. "I was distancin' myself from ya before cause I could feel him comin' back and I didn't want to hurt ya...guess I fucked that one up."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Mark?" She asked softly, staring deep into his solemn filled eyes, and caressed his face tenderly with her hand. "What was the reason why he returned? It was because of our lack of love right?" She had no doubt in her mind that was it, but wanted to be sure as she raked a hand through her black hair, refusing to ever be without her husband again.
"NO, no, it wasn't that." Mark assured her, catching her hands in his. "I don't know WHY he woke up darlin'. Maybe I was just gettin' too damn comfortable and the bastard was waitin'...no, that sounds like I've got a split personality...I MADE the Undertaker, it was somethin' I adopted for myself when my ol' man died. I immersed myself in it, didn't give a damn who I hurt, so long as I got what I wanted. Member me tellin' you bout my persona all them years ago?"
"Yes I do." She replied softly, not pulling away from him as she sighed deeply. "It had to be because we were fighting constantly though because it was our love that put him to rest again." She argued, knowing in her heart that was the true reasoning behind Mark changing into that monster. "We were doing nothing but fighting, Mark. We weren't making love, we didn't even kiss each other good night for at least six months straight." She stared up into his eyes, afraid he'd disappear again. "It was because of our lack of love for each other and that monster took advantage."
He shook his head, chuckling softly. "I'm not bout to argue with ya, Chalice." He said simply, reaching out to run his fingers through her ebony hair, watching it slip through his hand like spun silk. "I love you. I love our kids, hell, I even love yer bald brother. I won't ever distance myself from ya, darlin'. Just knowin' what could happen..." He actually shivered, a fairly odd sight. "I couldn't live through it again, I wouldn't want any of ya to have too."
She nodded and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his lips softly, caressing the side of his face tenderly with the back of her hand. "Come here." She murmured softly, taking his hand in hers and guided him over to the bed, laying down first. Her arms were outstretched, pure love for him shining in her blue eyes, needing him to heal her. He was the only one who could do it and she wasn't afraid because she knew this was her husband and she wanted him more than anything in the world.
Mark kneeled on the bed, the mattress dipping with his weight and moved so he was beside her, pulling her into his strong arms. He let out a slow sigh, holding her against him, his hands stroking and caressing her back and sides. "I love you." He whispered, pressing his face against her neck, nuzzling the tender flesh and inhaled, expelling another shaky breath. "So much, darlin'..."
She slowly turned so she was facing him, staring into those familiar green eyes, and sighed with relief. "I love you too, Mark." She kissed him and wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting to be anywhere despite everything. She didn't care, nothing else mattered. Mark was back and their family would heal from this in time.
He shifted so he was hovering over her slightly, telling her how mouth he loved her in between kisses and meaning every word that came out of his mouth. He loved her and the kids more then anything in this world or the next and he'd be damned if he lost them again. His hands skimmed her sides, just needing to feel her, comforted by the feel of her body beneath his palms.
They ended up just feeling each other out that night, exploring, but no sex. Chalice knew Mark was incredibly nervous after everything that'd happen and she honestly didn't blame him. She'd be patient, but refused to sleep in separate beds. She wanted to be as close to him as possible, never wanting to let him go again. When they were finally finished for the night, Chalice rolled over and rested her head on his chest. "I love you, Mark." She murmured before the sleep finally claimed her body, knowing she wouldn't be able to say that phrase enough.
He didn't fall asleep right away. Instead he lay propped on his elbow, staring down at her. He traced the contours of her face with a gentle fingertip, brushing the pad of his finger down her nose and full lips, drinking her in. "I love you too darlin'." He whispered, leaning over and pressing a kiss to her temple.