Marcus paced in the living room, nervous about the night ahead. He glanced at the clock and knew that he had about five more minutes before Abby was as punctual as ever. His suit jacket lay on the back of the couch as he was afraid he would sweat through it. He was already feeling a little clammy.
"Are you okay, Dad?" He turned and found Octavia near the staircase. She walked over and sat down on the couch.
He just nodded, his eyes on the front window, looking for any sign of Abby's car. Octavia put her hand on his arm and said, "It's not like you to get nervous about a date."
"This isn't a normal date," he replied, still staring out the window.
"And Abby's not like the other women you've dated," Octavia commented. Marcus looked at her. "She's actually a match for you. I know you don't want to mess this up."
"You're right," he replied, sitting down on the couch next to her.
Octavia took his hand and said, "Have you told her that you love her?"
He shook his head.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" She asked. He shrugged. "Here's some advice, don't wait too long. She's gorgeous and brilliant."
Marcus smiled. "Thanks, O."
She hugged him as she glanced toward the window. "She's here."
A car pulled into the driveway and they heard the engine cut off. She smiled and stood. She offered him her hands and pulled him up. She picked up his jacket from the couch. Standing on his right side, she helped him into the jacket. She smoothed the lapels and said, "Good luck."
He just smiled and walked toward the door. He could hear Abby's heels on the porch. Before he got to the door, Octavia called, "Just so you know, I'll be staying at Lexa's tonight and Bellamy's camping with Lincoln. So, you'll have the house to yourself." Marcus blushed as there was a knock on the door. Octavia smirked as she hurried up the stairs.
Abby stood there looking magnificent in her blue gown. Marcus had never seen someone look so amazing and he had to remind himself to breathe. Abby smiled at him, looking him up and down. She commented, "We match."
He grinned and said, "I had a little help."
"Clarke?"
"She's a nice kid," he said, taking her hand in his right. She looked at it and noticed that he was no longer wearing his sling. He said, "It's been 5 weeks. As per your instructions, I'm allowed to take it off."
"What the perfect night for it," she said, her eyes flicking down his body and back up quickly. His eyes widened but she had already turned and was heading toward the car again. He hurried after her and beat her to the driver's door. He opened it for her and she said, "Such a gentleman, Marcus."
He smiled, "I try."
She climbed into the car and Marcus made sure that her dress was clear before shutting the door. He walked around to the passenger's side and climbed in, more gracefully than he had been able to with the sling on. She looked over at him and smiled before she backed the car out of the driveway.
Marcus had thought that the gala would take place at the hospital, but they passed the hospital and continued on for another 10 minutes until they reached an expensive hotel. He looked at Abby and asked, "Detour?"
She rolled her eyes and replied, "We have the ballroom here."
He smirked and she swatted at him as she pulled up to the valet. They both got out and Abby handed her keys to the young man. As the car pulled away, Abby took Marcus' hand and asked, "Are you ready?"
He smiled but replied, "Honestly, no."
"I promise that it won't be too bad," she said, smiling. "And, if you play your cards right, I'll make it up to you later."
He didn't quite know how to respond to that and stared at her blankly. She laughed as she pulled him into the hotel's lobby. There was sign directing them to the grand ballroom and they passed other doctors on the way. Abby greeted them but didn't stop to talk. They entered the ballroom and Marcus had never seen something quite like it. There were tables everywhere but it didn't seem like there were many places to sit down. It seemed like people were meant to move from one table to the other and he figured that was the point of the whole evening: to meet and talk to as many people as possible.
Abby whispered, "Don't worry, I know some people who don't feel like schmoozing all night."
He smiled and allowed himself to be steered toward a table in the far corner of the room. Three men and one woman stood around it, with their backs to the rest of the room. They glanced over at the newcomers and smiled in relief. The woman's eyes lit up as they met Marcus' and she quickly muttered something to Abby, who smiled. Marcus thought, She must be Callie.
The others at the table were Nyko Elwood, Alex Lee, and Carl Emerson and none of them seemed overly excited to be at the gala. Callie said, "I'm sorry Marcus, but I must take Abby away from you. Chief Wallace needs her to speak with some vendors."
Abby smiled apologetically to Marcus and let herself be led away by Callie. Marcus turn to the other men left at the table and Nyko handed him a beer. He muttered, "Thanks."
Alex asked, "First time at one of these?"
Marcus nodded and replied, "I thought it would be something different."
"It's just a boring night of talking to people you don't care about," Emerson said, glancing around the ballroom. "It will get interesting later, though, when certain doctors get too drunk."
Marcus raised his eyebrow and asked, "Who is it normally?"
Emerson grinned and said, "Lorelei enjoys her wine." When Marcus looked at him blankly, he elaborated, "Head of hematology. She's not the only one, though. Langston's also a bit sloppy; he's chief of surgery."
"I thought that was Dante Wallace," Marcus said.
Emerson shook his head. "Wallace is chief of medicine."
The four of them stood around the table for a while, just chatting. Marcus found that he was actually enjoying himself and was shocked to see that an hour had passed without Abby returning to them. He glanced around the room and found her talking with Chief Wallace, three other doctors, and a woman wearing an expensive ballgown. She looked like she could be an influential sponsor and Marcus understood why she was given an audience with Wallace, Abby, and the others.
"Christ," Nyko muttered suddenly. He nodded toward a man walking toward them. The man was wearing a white tuxedo jacket and had his hair slicked back; he carried a glass of white wine as he swaggered over to them. Nyko put on strained smile and said, "Enjoying yourself, Cage?"
"Hiding out, Nyko?" Cage replied before taking a sip of his wine. He glanced around the table and said, "And with security guards?" Alex and Emerson scowled. Cage turned his attention to Marcus and asked as he raised his class again, "Who are you?"
Marcus replied, "Dr. Griffin's date."
Cage's hand paused its movement and he appraised Marcus over his glass. Marcus didn't appreciate the look he was giving him. Cage set his glass down on the table and said, "You know, Abby was meant to be my date to this thing. She owes me a favor, you see, because some pathetic man got himself hurt by some kid. I take it you're the pathetic man."
Marcus took a step toward Cage, but Nyko and Emerson quickly grabbed him. He winced as Emerson's hand came into contact with his injured shoulder. Cage smirked and said, "I'll take that as confirmation."
"Cage, I would walk away if I were you," Nyko warned as he slowly released Marcus. Emerson did the same when he was sure that Marcus wasn't going to lash out.
Cage smiled and grabbed for his wine again. "Why? I have more of a right to be here than he does. I still don't understand why we're allowed to bring outsiders to these functions. They don't belong and certainly don't contribute anything to the conversation."
"I take it he didn't manage to get a date," Alex muttered to Emerson who laughed. Cage's face darkened and he turned to the two of them. He said, "As a matter of fact, I came here with Lorelei. We're dating."
Emerson scoffed, "Sure you are."
Abby mind drifted as Nia Eisold spoke about her many contributions to Mount Weather. She knew about all of the money that Nia had given the hospital, but that had never mattered to her. She knew Nia better than the others who stood around the table. Nia only cared about money and didn't care for her two children, Roan and Ontari. Abby had seen the children recently as she checked up on Ontari during her post-surgical appointment. Roan had accompanied her despite the two not being close. Nia, however, was completely absent and neither had mentioned their mother.
As Abby glanced around the room, she felt the hair raise up on her arms. Her eyes settled on the table she had left Marcus at. He was still there, but so was Cage. She could almost hear the growl in his voice as he said something to Cage who just laughed. Abby frowned and gently touched Chief Wallace's arm. He leaned down without taking his eyes off of Nia and she whispered, "I think my boyfriend is about to punch your son."
He muttered, "Go."
She excused herself quietly and, when Nia's eyes darkened, Wallace turned her attention back to him by asking her what philanthropic organization she was actively involved with currently. Abby hurried across the ballroom and managed to walk right next to Marcus before he even noticed her. He was fuming and glaring at Cage, who was smirking as he gloated, "You know, I may have come here with Lorelei, but that doesn't mean that I have to leave with her. Maybe I'll go find Abby..."
"You found me, Cage," Abby said, shoving him aside with her shoulder as she passed him.
Cage turned to Abby and said, "Hello to you, too, Abby. May I say that you look gorgeous tonight?"
"No, you may not," she replied as she took Marcus' hand gently in her own. She pulled him toward the exit and listened as he tried to control his ragged breaths. She let the door swing shut behind them and continued a safe distance down the hallway before turning to face him. Her hands were on her hips and she asked, "What the hell was that?"
His chest was still heaving as he replied, "Did you hear what he said?"
She nodded. His mouth fell open as he stared at her incredulously. "And you're okay with that?"
"Of course I'm not, but there isn't much I can do about it," she said quietly, looking away.
Marcus stepped forward and placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look back at him. He said seriously, "Yes, there is. You can let me go in there and show him that it's not okay to talk about you like that."
She smiled halfheartedly. "You have a broken shoulder."
"And he'll have a broken jaw," he growled.
She pulled away from him and muttered, "Don't."
"Abby," he said sharply, ducking to meet her eyes. "Let me go back in there and beat the shit out of him."
"Maybe I shouldn't have brought you," she whispered without thinking. Her hand flew to her mouth the second the words escaped her lips. She looked at him and saw his face darken. She said frantically, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that!"
He glared at her and said, "I get it. I'm sorry I tried to stick up for you."
He turned but she caught his hand. He glowered at her, but she held him firmly. "I'm sorry I said that, Marcus."
Abby felt a lump form in her throat and her eyes burned as she blinked furiously to keep the tears at bay. His face softened suddenly and he whispered, "Come here." He gently pulled her head to his chest and rested his atop it. Abby wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face into his chest. She could feel that he was still humming with rage, but knew that it wasn't directed at her. He was gentle with her and stroked her hair lightly with his left hand. She knew he wanted nothing more than to go back into the ballroom and tear Cage apart. But, he was restraining for her.
She pulled away from him after a few minutes and he looked down at her, his face torn between anger and concern. She whispered, "Let's just go, okay?"
He nodded and she quickly took out her phone to type a message to Callie, asking her to explain to Chief Wallace why she suddenly had to leave. He took her hand and led her out to the valet. Abby's phone rang just as the car pulled up. Marcus took the keys from her as she answered it. He opened the passenger's door for her and she climbed in. He walked around to the driver's side and started the car. Abby was talking quietly to who he assumed was Callie. He tried not to listen in as he steered the car away from the hotel.
They drove in silence after Abby hung up. She didn't tell him what they had talked about and he didn't ask. He felt increasingly guilty as they drove further away from the hotel. He knew he should have been able to keep his cool, but Cage had a way of crawling under his skin. He found himself becoming angry again and had to fight to control his emotions as he pulled into his driveway. He found that he couldn't look at Abby, so he turned the car off and handed her the keys. He muttered, "I'm sorry about tonight."
He got out of the car and walked up to the porch. He expected to hear her call after him or at least get out of the car to enter the driver's side, but the silence was deafening. He pulled out the keys to his front door and had just unlocked it when he heard her. The car door closed and he heard the beep as she locked the car. He opened the door to his home as she walked up behind him. She followed him inside and locked the door behind them. She set her keys down next to his in the dish by the front door. Marcus still couldn't look at her, so he walked over to the couch and sat down, his head falling against the back cushion.
Abby sighed and kicked off her heels before walking over to him. She sat next to him and placed her hand on his cheek. She said, "I'm glad that you came tonight."
He looked at her under his lashes. "Why?"
"You stuck up for me, I couldn't ask for anything more," she said, smiling. "I'm sorry that I was angry, it was a heat of the moment thing. Please don't hold it against me."
The corner of his mouth twitched up, but he said nothing. He closed his eyes again and She took his hand and sat there with him for a while. She whispered, "Do you want me to leave?" He shook his head. "Do you want a beer?"
He nodded and she left him briefly to grab some alcohol. When she sat down next to him again, she handed him a beer. He opened his eyes and sat up. He raised the glass to his lips as she whispered, "Do you want me to stay tonight?"
The beer bottle almost slipped out of his grip. He looked at her and said, "Not if you don't want to."
She smiled at him over her beer and said, "I want to."
She took a long pull of her beer and he did the same, his eyes on her as he did so. They drank in silence until their beers were empty and she took his from him. She set both bottles on the coffee table and stood up. She offered him her hand and pulled him to his feet. He watched her as she walked off toward the stairs. Suddenly, all of the anger and guilt from the night's events drifted away and he felt nervous again. She mounted the stairs and looked back at him, an expectant look on her face. He swallowed and walked slowly after her.
He entered his bedroom and found the door to the adjoining bathroom ajar. He could see strands of curly hair falling down one after the other as her hands worked to remove the pins from her hair. He shut the bedroom door before shrugging his jacket off and hanging it up in the closet. He was taking his bowtie off when she walked out of the bathroom, her hair a mass of loose curls. He smiled at her as he set the bowtie down on his dresser. She walked over to him and led him gently to the bed. She whispered, "Thank you for standing up for me tonight." He looked away, feeling guilty again, but she caught his chin and forced him to look at her. Her eyes were intense as she said, "Don't do that. You did nothing wrong."
She looked at him for a second longer before climbing onto his lap and leaning them down. Her lips met his hungrily and he responded in kind. She was careful not to put any weight on his shoulder, but he wasn't. As their kiss deepened, he flipped them over and pressed himself against her as his hands explored her body. She hadn't expected this from him, not when every intimate moment thus far had been so reserved in comparison. But, it was exciting to see this side of him. His hands slid under her and he pulled down the zipper of her dress. She helped him take it off, but left her bra and underwear on.
"Your turn," she ordered. He grinned as he stood up and unbuttoned his waistcoat. She watched him hungrily as he moved onto his shirt then his pants. He moved to join her again but she held up a hand. She motioned to his boxers and he slipped them off quickly. She looked at him for a moment before beckoning him to join her again.