AN: Happy 2021 everyone! Oh god, it took me forever to finish this and give you an update - again. I was pretty busy with work, christmas and that stuff. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Enjoy the new chapter and I'm looking forward to reviews or feedback. :-)

CHAPTER XX
Crossing Lines

"How could you do something like that?" I asked. My question was answered by silence. Marik's hand tightened its grip around the millennium rod and he narrowed his eyes. "This man didn't do anything to harm you but his job. The rod gives you the ability to erase his memory or special parts of it and he gave you all the evidence. There was no reason to take his life, Marik." I continued.

My eyes locked with his intensively while tears built up, but I tried my best to hold them back. I felt betrayed and completely overlooked. Our relationship reached a high point during the last months and we reached the physical peak in the last night we spent together. How could he just not tell me about his plans about the inspector? I knew he would have never told me about the murder if I didn't sneak in to look for him. Why did he want to keep this a secret?

He still didn't comment my question and I became impatient. "So? I'm not worth more than the silent treatment? I've expected more from you - especially after last night." I stood up and crossed my arms in front if my chest while my eyes stared daggers at him.

"Jesara…" He started to speak.

"Oh look… You still have a voice." I said with a snippy undertone.

"Don't interrupt me." He was slightly growling. "Don't argue about things with me you won't understand and I won't argue with you about MY decision in MY organisation."

His words needed a few seconds to sink in. "YOUR organisation, Marik? Did you forget that I'm your number two here besides Odion? At least that is what you always said. And in case you forgot it: I'm your wife too." I answered in a very serious tone and I had a hard time to maintain my composure.

"Yes, chosen by a family and clan I turned my back on." Marik said, obviously before he thought about his words serious impact. They cut sharper than a knife.

"Wow…" I didn't know how to answer this statement. "What a twist… Maybe last night was a mistake." Tears slowly built up in my eyes, but I tried to keep them at bay. 'So this is what he really feels about our relationship?'

"Jesara, you got me wrong. How could last night ever be a mistake?" Marik asked, slowly realising how deeply his words hurt me.

My shoulders tensed. "Maybe because you implied that you're stuck with me now, because of our family? Like a toy that happened to you by accident? Or an unwanted puppy you can't get rid of?" I hissed. "Wasn't that what you meant?"

"Don't twist my every word, Jesara! That's not what I said and I would never think about you like that! I ended his life to keep you save! Or do you prefer to rot in an egyptian jail?" Now Marik started to loose his composure. "Yes, I didn't want to tell you and didn't wake you because I knew you would be overacting! And see, I was right!"

"Great, that means the inspector died because of me!? You really put the blame on me now? There was no reason to kill him in the first place, Marik!" I spat back and put special emphasis on that one word that made me shudder. "I'm not overacting, Marik. I'm just thinking about this like a human being. What you did and how you treated him was cruel. You didn't even give him a chance to make it out alive."

Marik narrowed his lavender eyes at me and clenched his teeth. His icy stare gave me goosebumps. "Listen. Sometimes leadership means to make decisions that we're not proud of." He tried to explain himself - without success.

"But leadership isn't a reason to loose your humanity." I said and shrugged my shoulders. Disappointment was all written across my face. "I got to go. There's no way I can stay inside of this room for a second longer." I then headed for the door of Marik's room to leave, but before I were able to reach the doorknob I felt his hand around my wrist. He held me and pulled me back.

"You won't go anywhere!" He growled with fire in his lavender eyes. The pressure of his hand around my wrist intensified. I stared daggers at him.

"Then what? Will you make another leadership decision if I don't comply your order?" I asked dryly and raised my brow a little arrogantly. Then I pulled my arm out of his grip and slammed the door shut behind me. I slammed it so hard that I thought it would break.

xx

I locked my room's door behind me and crawled up in fetal position on my bed. Tears ran across my face and I didn't know if I was crying because of disappointment or fury. Marik said some deeply hurting things. I started to regret the last night. I felt like Icarus who flew too high and too close to the sun to burn in its glory. Mentally I fell into a deep whole.

It felt like an eternity and I didn't know how long I was lying in my bed, but it didn't matter at all. Suddenly three knocks on my door startled me up. Was it him? Hopefully not.

"No." I said loud enough.

"It's me. Odion. Let me in." His voice was calm like a silky breeze.

I sighed in relief and stood up to open the door for him. "Hi. Come in. Did he… send you?" I asked and locked the door behind him again.

"I've heard it when you slammed the door. Master Marik told me that you had a little argument about the meeting, but he didn't send me. I thought you can need some company." Odion answered and sat down beside me on the bed.

I let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Little argument… that's probably the understatement of the year."

He sighed and rubbed his bald head. "Don't you want to tell me your side of the story?"

"There's no side of the story. Marik crossed a red line. End of the story." I explained dryly. My hands formed into fists and my knuckled went white. Mentally I was still raging although I really tried not to show it.

"Jesara, my job is to obey and to serve but not to tell my personal opinion about Master Marik's decisions. That doesn't mean that I'm completely content with his actions in that case." Odion tried to choose his words wisely. "I do understand that you don't agree Marik's style of solving the police problem. But you should know that he just did that to keep you save."

I bit my bottom lip until it became red. "That's the same shit Marik tried to tell me… that I'm the reason why a man lost his life. We don't even know much about him. He was someone's son, maybe a father, a brother, a husband… How would you feel when someone you really care about vanishes from the earth's surface… without a very good reason? Keeping me save isn't a good reason for me since there were alternatives."

"You question his humanity and you feel betrayed since he did that behind your back." Odion summarised and I nodded.

"Do you remember his duel with Carter to test the Winged Dragon of Ra and what happened to him? Marik did care more about his freaking floor tiles than about his servants serious burns. He didn't give a shit that he almost killed him with the card. And I bet Marik didn't look after him since the incident. I'm afraid that he's loosing himself more and more to his megalomaniac plan and all the hate that's burning inside of him. You know that I feel deeply for him and that our relationship got pretty serious over the last months. But somehow… the closer I get to him the more of his good heart gets buried. Marik said some pretty hurtful things earlier - that's bugging me too." I poured out my heart to Odion, who listened so patiently and gave my soul a little bit of peace.

He let out a heavy sigh. "Of course I remember his duel with Carter… That's what I'm afraid of since a few months too. But I'm a servant, not an advisor. What did he say that hurt you?"

I felt some tears coming up again. "He said something like that he was stuck with me and I was the best he was able to get thanks to his family rites. It was like a punch in my face… especially after last night when we…" I paused for a second to search for the right words to paraphrase it. "…did it." My face turned bright red.

Odion's brows went up and he stared at me with big olive eyes. "Oh. I see." He was surprised about that breaking news - obviously. "Well… I agree with you that this was the worst possible moment to drop words like that."

"You don't say." I shrugged again with a little bit of sarcasm in my undertone.

"I'm sure that he didn't mean it like that. Master Marik often overshoots the mark when he's raging and forgets about the feelings of the ones who are closest to him, because he's too focused on his goal. I've learned to deal with it and don't let it get close to me. But I'm not the one who is emotionally involved with him…or sleeping with him." He explained with dry humour and it made me giggle.

"Praise the gods you're not!" I chuckled.

Odion smiled at me. "I'm happy that I was able to make you smile again. The only advise I can give you is to learn not to hear everything he says. I know that's hard, but you shouldn't take all his words to heart. For this case I think it's best just to wait and see if he approaches you to apologise. If Master Marik feels the same for you - and I know he does - he will come sooner or later. You are the only one who can learn him a lesson about his behaviour, because you are something like his counterbalance. You know what I mean?"

I nodded and shot him a thankful smile. "I understand. Thank you, Odion. You really saved me from having a mental breakdown."

"That's what I'm here for." He smiled. "Have you eaten something since you got up?" Odion asked after he heard my stomach growling.

"No… I'm starving. But I'm afraid to run into him on the way to the kitchen." I looked at him with big hungry eyes.

"I get you some comfort food." He blinked at me with his bright olive eyes and got up from the bed. "I'll be right back." With that said he left my room and closed the door behind him.

I was thankful that Odion came to look after me. He really comforted me and I felt better now. Odion always had good advise and I wished Marik would listen to them more often. Maybe things wouldn't escalate that quickly.

I let myself fall back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. I wondered how long it would take for Marik to come and apologise, but this would mean he had to swallow his pride for a moment. I knew how hard that was for him. It was hard for him to realise that he made a mistake.

About half an hour went by until it knocked on my door again and Odion walked in with a big plate in his hands. The lovely odour of molten cheese filled my nostrils. Pizza!

"Oh Ra, you really know what good comfort food means, Odion." I praised him when he put down the plate beside me on the bed.

"I call it the drama pizza." Odion blinked and grinned at me. "Enjoy. I have some things to do. I'll come back later to get the plate and see how you are doing."

"Thank you. You are my lifesaver." I said and shot him a mother gentle smile before he left again.

Now it was only me and drama pizza waiting for an apology.