"If I apologize ag-"
"-just don't"
Paul and David's eyes met and they both shared a knowing look. As Dwayne stared away from them, looking into the mouth of the cave with a troubled and deep frown, Paul closed his mouth with a decisive motion.
There was no point in trying to apologize again and he had been stupid to ask but there had never been such an unpleasant stalemate between them. Sure, they had spats and fights - what family didn't? - but it had never been like this.
Dwayne was genuinely hurt and neither of them knew how to navigate the situation.
"I'm sorry, man" Paul said with a shrug before he paused in the process of retrieving a smoke. He had apologized for trying to apologize for something he had already apologized a million times for. He looked down at the cigarette in his hand and gave a little, "huh..."
As he met David's eyes once more, he said with a little surprise in his tone, "I really am sorry-"
"-is everything a joke to you?" Dwayne asked, turning to face both men, that deep frown still there on his face.
"Paul had an epiphany" David said, his smirk and voice cold.
"I've never felt sorry before" Paul said, lips clamped over his cigarette.
"It's a new feeling for him" David expanded.
Dwayne shook his head and stood.
"Dude, I'm being serious-" Paul protested, stowing his lighter and exhaling a deep breath of smoke.
"Dwayne, come back" David said but the brooding brunette was already at the mouth of the cave.
"Well fuck" Paul said, watching as Dwayne left.
"Well fuck" David repeated slowly.
"What are we gonna do, man?"
David looked at Paul with a raised eyebrow, "flowers?"
"Not gonna cut it, bro"
David sighed and stared into the cave, his eyes focused on the wall. If the wall had been sentient, it would have crumbled under the intense gaze of the icy blonde.
"You hate this" Paul stated, scratching his head, the cigarette clasped between his fingers wobbling a little as he did.
"You don't?"
"No, I do" Paul shrugged, "but you hate it more"
"Dwayne's right, you can't take anything seriously"
"I feel fuckin' bad, man" Paul assured his friend with a shake of his head, "I feel kinda fuckin' rotten if I'm fuckin' honest with you but you know what? Serious or not, I'm glad I'm not in it alone" he stretched out on the sofa, "misery loves company"
"I'm not miserable" David replied, now watching his friend from his spot in the wheelchair.
The usually perky blonde was both incredibly carefree and used to David's demeanor, so he didn't crumble or falter. Instead, he scoffed, "fuck off"
"I'm not miserable, Paul"
"Not fuckin' happy, either"
"Not happy" David agreed, tongue running across his teeth in a thoughtful but equally detached movement.
With a wave of his hands, a sweeping, 'well there we are' motion, Paul let his head drop on the arm of the sofa, having nudged the few pillows to the floor.
"Not happy. That means you hate that you fucked up so bad, ergoooo you're fucking miserable?" Paul suggested.
"Spare me"
"First time, huh?" he watched David, "don't worry, I hear the first time always stings-"
"-no"
"No?"
"Not my first time"
Paul looked a little surprised by the admission and David grinned, "I made you"
Both men shared amused grins.
"So come on, what are we gonna do?" Paul asked, flicking some ash into a homemade ashtray resting dangerously close to the pillows on the floor, "how are we fixing this shit?"
"I think we're beyond apologies" David said dryly and Paul nodded in agreement, "we need to show her we're sorry"
"Are you sorry? For real?"
David raised an eyebrow archly, moving his tongue into his cheek before shrugging lightly, "I'm sorry she's upset"
"Yeah?"
"Of course"
"You don't sound sorry"
"I'm sorry she's upset" David repeated before adding, "I don't want her to be upset, I don't want Dwayne to be in pain but what's done is done. I'm not going to sit here and cry about it"
Paul gave a reasonable nod before asking again, "so what's the plan? How can we show her we're sorry then? And I don't mean to be rude but you're fucking cold as ice, so let's avoid cards, huh? Don't think your detached scrawl will be much comfort to her and I'm shit sure we won't find a card for this in the shop"
"Done?"
Paul nodded and David continued, "I have an idea..."
"Been sitting on it long?"
David shook his head, "no, but I think it's a good one"
"Michael?"
"Hmmm?"
Star wiggled her toes and he smiled, taking the hint.
"Sorry" he grinned at her and resumed the foot massage he didn't quite remember initiating, "it's a good show, huh?"
Star smiled and sunk back into the fresh and fluffy cushions of the sofa of the little motel room she had rented. The room was good for another week and she still had a fairly thick wad of hundred dollar bills in her purse, money she had collected from the boys but had never spent. When times had been good, they gave her everything she could possibly need - money, food, clothes. She'd had a lot of spending money, a lot of funny money but she had never used it. She'd never needed to. They gave her money but had provided for her on top of that.
Even when the niceties had stopped and their cold war had begun she had fastidiously saved each and every note or coin they gave to her, the amount considerably less than before. But it was fine. She took their money, she accepted their charity and pity, then their cruel jibes and comments.
She took it all.
She could swallow her pride.
She knew how the world ran. She had never once forgotten what life was like on the outside of the world she was part of.
Money was king.
She was going to leave, she was going to escape and live the life she never could before she had been sucked into the horrible world of vampires. She knew that for that, she needed money.
Money and Michael.
Maybe he was her mate? All the hushed conversations about mates and love and things she doubted Dwayne could even feel...maybe they applied to her? Why not? She loved Michael. She knew she did...mate or not, even if stuff like that was true..he was her savior.
"It's great" she told Michael, smiling as his thumb worked at the pads of her feet.
She turned her head towards the TV and smiled.
It was in the past.
She didn't want to think about them anymore.
It was all in the past.
Even now, having left the cave and with no intention of returning she felt like the worst was over. It was so close to being over. She felt emboldened, powerful. David still had to free her from the half curse she was suffering under but she thought he would...if not for her, then for himself and for Dwayne. He had just as much to gain from it as she did and at the end, she would have Michael, Dwayne would have what he wanted and then she would be free.
Truly free.
When she thought about it in those terms, it was so much easier. Michael never spoke about his sister or family, she was away from the monsters she used to consider friends...it was easier.
Her feelings of guilt were almost gone.
It was a sign.
She was meant to be with Michael.
As the TV audience laughed with robotic timing, she looked around the motel room.
With a rueful little quirk of her eyebrow, she thought that perhaps she owed Marko a thanks. It was him, he was the one who inspired her to make the move. The motel wasn't quite a hovel but she wasn't willing to shell out her money for a huge, fancy hotel. It was enough, for now. A clean and bright bathroom, a firm double bed with clean if not uninspired brown, stripey sheets and a small living room with a kitchenette.
They hadn't fucked in a hovel, they had made love in a comfortable motel.
She turned her head once more and observed the man before her.
His jaw twitched a little and she bit her lip through the smile that was beaming over her face. He couldn't hide anything, he was such an open book. She knew that he knew she was watching him, it was written all over his handsome face. He was peering harder at the TV, his jaw was clenched and there was a little twitch every other second or so.
Any second now, his eyes would twitch their way over to her to confirm his suspicions.
She giggled as his eyes met hers before flicking right back to the TV.
"What?" he asked as she giggled harder.
He was looking her now, his hands paused on her feet.
"What?" he asked again, smiling at the laughing girl.
"I knew you'd look" she told him through a few more titters.
"You were staring right at me" he said with a dry smile, turning back to the TV.
Star wiggled her toes and he silently resumed his duties.
"Michael?"
"Star?"
"This is nice, huh?"
"It really is" he said, using his knuckles to dig in the soft skin near her toes, "...I've been thinking a lot..."
"What about?" she asked, the smile fading from her face a little.
It had been a hard lesson but she had learned to always prepare for the worst.
He took a deep breath, "us, I guess"
"Oh?"
"Our future..."
"Future?"
He looked towards her with a smile, "Yeah..my mom's gonna be home soon..tomorrow, I guess? I was thinking..I'm gonna talk to her about maybe not going back to school.."
"You want to drop out?"
Michael shrugged a little and he looked to her for reassurance, "I think that a trade is better for me, you know?"
"A trade?" her smile was soft and Michael relaxed a little, his hands gently holding her feet.
He nodded, "I think a trade is more stable"
"Stable is good"
"You think?"
She nodded, "definitely"
What good was a paper degree really, in the long run? There was nothing in Santa Carla and college was a long, drawn out process. She didn't want that. Their future was now, it was starting...her and Michael.
"There's nothing here, Michael" she told him, looking into his eyes.
He shook his head, "you're here.."
"I'm not tied to Santa Carla" she said, an undercurrent of venom and passion in her tone.
At Michael's look, she flushed a little, "...I'm tied to you"
He smiled and ran his hands up to her ankle, moving his body up and towards hers. She settled further into the pillows as he crawled up the length of her body, allowing her legs to open as he nestled his own flush against hers.
"I love you, Star"
Elizabeth rubbed her fingers together aimlessly, ridding them of the rough crumbs coating them. She shuffled in her seat as Marko moved to put another piece of buttered toast on her now empty plate.
The house was silent still but with Marko's presence it no longer felt threatening or ominous. She glanced at the blonde sat opposite her and looked away once more. She owed him a world of thanks and that was a somewhat odd and uncomfortable thought. He was a vampire, he was – even though he didn't have a direct role in the event – part of her terror and yet she was grateful, thankful and happy for his presence. He had somehow managed to turn what had been a horrible, isolating and stomach churning day into a calm and almost reflective night. As soon as they had entered the kitchen he had shut those large and always open doors that connected to the living room, he had firmly shut the door to the conservatory and he had drawn all the curtains. She felt contained and safe in the kitchen because the kitchen itself felt contained and safe; there were no looming open spaces beyond, no expanse of dark night beyond fishbowl windows. Just the kitchen. A small room with paisley curtains, all the lights burning brightly, the smell of untouched coffee and perfectly toasted bread….and there, in the middle of it all, was Marko.
Her friend.
She glanced his way once more and he met her eyes with a little quip of his lips. It was a tentative smile but she found it easy to return.
"Thank you"
He nodded, "you look a little better for eating"
She shrugged and pulled the plate towards her once more, the sound of its rough ceramic underside dragging against the wooden table interrupting the silence.
She felt a little better, that much was true. Her stomach was no longer cramping and rolling and she had taken her hair down from its high and tight bun. She didn't trust that she looked better, still in those torn and slept in leggings, that old and faded sweater and without a scratch of makeup, she felt like a little goblin but inside…she was starting to feel more like herself. At least, her eyes were dry and she could breathe freely. A small step, a small victory but a positive one all the same.
"Do you feel better?" he asked.
She poked at the toast before her and tore off a little piece, looking at it thoughtfully, "yes..if I'm being honest" she told him nervously, "but I feel like..I feel like I shouldn't feel better"
He tilted his head and she continued, "everything was so terrifying and..today was just a continuation of that…you know? And now, with you, here…it doesn't feel like that at all, it feels..God, like you said, like maybe.." she shook her head and trailed off. She was speaking slowly and thoughtfully but all of her words were nonsense despite that, there was no way things were salvageable, it was impossible. She sighed, "…I felt like the world was ending and now, now I don't…you know?"
He nodded and she frowned.
Did he know? Did he really know? She wondered for a moment what his story was and then, again, she frowned. She didn't want to think about that. She didn't want to know his history, his life...she didn't want to consider it – it made everything feel somewhat normal and vampires could never be normal. They couldn't, they just-
"-Liz?"
She met his eyes, the torn piece of toast still pinched between her fingers, the butter slowly coating her fingertips, "..I feel OK now and that scares me" she said, being as honest as she could, "you're a vampire. Dwayne is a vampire. Yesterday with him, I felt safe. Today, I thought the world was just pushing in on me, like I would never smile or laugh again and I was so alone…and now, with you, I feel safe again…that's not OK"
"And that scares you? You're scared because you feel safe after a shitty day?"
"I'm scared because I feel safe with one of the bad guys" she said automatically "vampires? Jesus…" there was no anger, no fight in her voice. She was just stating the facts as she knew them.
Vampires were bad. Every book, every movie. Vampires were the bad guys.
Her isolating, lonely day felt like it was in the past already. It was a strange, strange thing. She'd thought it would never end, everything had been a cloud of fear and confusion and despair and she thought it would be that way forever but now…now she had Marko.
Things were different.
Would she be feeling better if she was sat with Michael or Sammy? With Grandpa or her mom? She didn't think so. It had been an uncomfortable realization but she felt like she had a real friend, an ally in Marko. She wasn't in it alone…she was in it with him...one of the 'bad guys'...
She fidgeted in her seat again, a confusing pit forming in her stomach as she considered her feelings.
Marko was a vampire. Indirect though it was, he was very much a part of the reason for her terror but she was getting so much comfort from him, so much help and stability and it was so painfully confusing.
Marko smiled widely and she frowned, "...what?"
"It's kind of cool" he told her "I've never comforted anyone in my life and here I am, being so comforting that it scares you"
She shook her head, "don't be stupid"
"I'm serious-"
"-Marko..."
He smiled at her, "look, Liz..it's a lot to take in. Don't be hard on yourself, just take it a step at a time. You have all this fake knowledge from movies and books and then you've fallen in love with Dwayne and you like me and the guys-"
She opened her mouth to protest his words but closed it again almost immediately. She didn't have an argument there, she knew that there was nothing she could really, truly argue against. She did like Marko, she liked him a lot and she had felt the same for Paul...and there was no denying her love for Dwayne. Even the feelings of pride she'd felt from David's approval.
It was all there, she felt it.
It was petrifying because she knew that underneath it all, she still did.
"-and it's, you know, it's a lot to reconcile. How can Dwayne be a monster, right? He's always been so good to you..same with me. I get it, I know how confusing it is. It's a lot to process," Marko shrugged, "just...be patient with yourself, OK?"
She shook her head and looked down at the scraps of toast on her plate, "you're good at this"
He waved his hand dismissively and Elizabeth frowned.
"I just made you toast, Liz"
He really didn't see how helpful and comforting he was. Was he being serious before? She gave up and dropped the torn scrap of toast, letting it plop back on her plate.
"You meant that?"
"What?"
"About not being a comforting guy?"
Marko barked a little laugh, his eyes bright, "fuck no!"
The genuine bemusement on his face told her that he wasn't being humble, he was being absolutely genuine in his words and she couldn't fathom it.
She shook her head and he laughed a little again, as if the idea of him being comforting was ridiculous.
"Well, you've been good to me" she told him, pushing the plate away from her, feeling full.
"Because I like you"
She gave him a small smile, "you've never had to...comfort Dwayne or..um.."
"Paul or David?" he supplied and when she nodded, he shrugged, "nah. Never needed to" he tilted his head for a second as if a thought had just occurred to him, "might have to try and comfort Dwayne though"
"Why?"
Then she realized she already knew.
"Because of me, right?"
"No, dummy" Marko said fondly, "because of those two idiots we call brothers"
"...is he OK?"
"He'll be fine" Marko said, though Elizabeth thought there was a mild evasiveness in his words.
"I don't want him to..." she bit her lip a little, "I love him, Marko. I do..I...I don't want him to be upset"
Marko smiled, "you have a good heart, Liz. He'll be fine...you're not gonna uninvite him?"
She shook her head, no.
"Me?"
She shook her head no once more.
"Marko?"
He looked at her and she swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry, "am I...am I safe?"
"One hundred percent"
"My family?"
He nodded, "it's just you, Liz"
"Why?"
"Fate" he said easily and with a small shrug and she thought he didn't truly answer her question. Fate? It felt like a bit of a cop out, a non-answer.
"What does that mean?" she asked him, her voice quiet.
She was starting to feel a little sick again and Marko stood in a fluid and cat like movement, much like Dwayne did when he moved.
"Marko..?"
"Gimmie a sec-" he said, busying himself.
She took a breath and looked away from the toast, waiting for him to answer her. She could give him a second. She saw that he was holding the coffee pot he'd filled earlier and she looked away, closing her eyes briefly.
He was taking care of her still.
He was kind. He was like Dwayne, kind and sweet and loving and she felt lucky.
Lucky?
She took another breath.
She had told herself over and over that she wasn't ready to face anything, she wasn't ready to think about or consider the new world she had been thrust into but she had, she was.
She felt wrong, like she was betraying herself, betraying everything she knew to be right by not being afraid of the man before her and by starting to ask questions...but at the same time it felt right to do so.
"Hey-" Elizabeth jerked her head up to meet Marko's eyes. He was stood next to the sink and holding one of Grandpa's cups, a homemade monstrosity of a mug molded to look like a cat but kind of charming for its flaws. He was looking at her with a hard frown, "-don't do that-"
She blinked at him and his frown softened a little.
"Your hand, Liz, Jesus-" he walked towards her, plopping the mug on the table with a thoughtlessness that that made her blink in confusion again. Some coffee, made pale by milk, spilled over the uneven rim and down onto the table, pooling at its base.
He moved around his chair, past the table and crouched before her, taking her hands in his gloved ones.
"Oh..." she stared down at her hands, watching as he turned them in his.
The crescent marks she had made earlier were weeping again, the skin once more open on her left palm and now her frown matched his own, "I didn't even feel it..."
"That's-Elizabeth don't ever do that" he said, his voice both hard and sympathetic.
"I didn't realize-" she said softly, truthfully.
"Well realize, OK?" he replied in a small snap.
"Sorry"
He sighed and released her hand, letting it rest palm up on her thigh, "what the hell were you thinking about?"
She watched him kneeling, watched him retrieve a strip of fabric from a cluster he had tied around one of the belt loops on his jeans, "...that I can't believe I'm even considering this"
"Considering what?" he pushed the material tightly into her palm.
"...everything"
He met her eyes and then glanced down at her hand again, maneuvering the fabric into a tight bandage around her hand, "Elizabeth I have all the patience in the world for you, OK? I will support you no matter what-" he looked up at her and she found that she couldn't look away from him, "I'm your brother and I'm here, I'll walk you through it all but I have no tolerance for this, OK?"
He squeezed her unhurt hand gently and she nodded through a small smile.
"I really didn't-"
He shushed her quietly, "don't do it again"
"I won't" she assured him, looking down at her now covered palm, "I'll be more careful"
"Good-"
"-why weren't you there yesterday?" she asked him with a shake of her head.
"Huh?" he looked at her, distracted from her palm by her words.
She shrugged and looked between her protected hand and the man still crouched before her. He could have made such a difference, "you could have helped"
"Well, I'm kind of empathetic"
He said no more, as if he had answered her question fully and completely and needed no further words. If she was meant to understand, she didn't. She shook her head, "meaning?"
"I feel things more than most, that's all" he shrugged a little and slowly let go of her hand, moving to sit on the chair directly beside hers, "not quite telepathy but just as useful. I can read people's emotions, their feelings like a book"
She frowned softly, listening to his words and he continued, "I just got a little overwhelmed by your feelings. That's all it was. You were so happy, your joy was palpable, I needed a change of scenery"
She smiled sadly, a small ghost of a smile at his words.
"Can..can everyone..feel like that?"
He gave a little wiggle of his head, "yes and no...it's a base skill but we have different levels. Mine is the strongest. Paul's never tried particularly hard with it, honestly he just uses his looks more than anything"
She considered his words and found she had to make a conscious effort to still her hands, "...so...in books there's..there's like a..a lure..thing"
He nodded encouragingly.
"..do you have..is that...?"
"That's real"
"Oh"
"My lure is the strongest, goes with the empathy thing"
"Oh..."
"David's the oldest so he's" Marko made a circular gesture, "really well rounded with everything-"
"-Dwayne..is he..can he?"
Marko smiled sympathetically, "yeah, not as good as me but way above Paul"
"...was-"
"-no" Marko shook his head with a decisive and firm shake, "Dwayne has never used his lure on you. Never. Nothing you feel was manipulated by him"
"Thank you"
Again, there was no judgement in his eyes and she was grateful.
Shifting in her seat a little, Elizabeth took a breath, "...if you can..empathize then..why..you said you've never been comforting?"
"Empathize is a loose word, Liz" he said, understanding her question even through its in eloquence, "I can read people. I can read them very well, very clearly and through that, my lure is stronger"
"Marko?" she took another breath, "lure means...?"
"Romantic word for manipulation"
"Right" she looked at his booted feet.
"Too much?"
"A little" she replied, swallowing, "but...I'm thankful for your..your honesty"
He nodded and she looked back down at his boots.
"And like I said, I've never had to be comforting. Before now, there's been nobody I've ever felt inclined to comfort"
She licked her lips, trying to process her thoughts, trying not to think about how easy it was to actually talk with the man before her, trying not to think how much he felt like her brother more than just a friend.
"Why are you more..." she chose her words carefully. Empathetic sounded nicer and that was what she wanted to focus on at that moment, "empathetic than the others?"
She met his eyes with a flickering nervousness and he exhaled, "that's a loaded question"
"Sorry"
He shook his head, "I'm not a psychologist or anything but I think, well, I had kind of a repressed mortal life, I think-"
They both turned to face the closed doors of the kitchen as the doorbell interrupted his words, ringing through the silent house. Marko's angry and immediately protective look had dissipated almost as soon as he had looked at the door and she paused, meeting his eyes.
He smiled at her, giving her a small nod.
"Is it...?" she couldn't help the note of hopefulness that crept into her voice.
He smiled and nodded again, softly jerking his head towards the closed doors of the kitchen.
At his silent invitation, she stood and walked towards them, opening one with ease. In the darkness of the house, the empty and cold living room and staircase were barely visible but with Marko's presence behind her and the warmth of the kitchen light she felt safe.
Nothing could hurt her with him there and, as she turned to look at the door a hopeful flutter made itself known in her poor stomach.
She knew that nothing would hurt her out there, either.
She walked down the dark space towards the front door, not pausing in her movements and not thinking as she twisted the handle, tugging it open.
Her lips quivered as she stared at Dwayne.
He met her eyes with a relieved look of his own and when he spoke, his voice was hesitant, soft with emotion she fully understood, "hey, baby-"
She threw herself over the threshold of the door and into his arms, her body thudding against his in a jarring way. He took a step back as her body met his, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.
"You didn't leave a note" she said, burying her face up and into his neck, "you weren't there and it was like you never had been there-"
She didn't know where her flood of words had come from but she found that she couldn't control herself.
He kissed her head, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"
"It..Dwayne, I felt like-"
"-I'm so sorry"
She clutched at his chest.
"I was so lost"
"I'm here"
She closed her eyes at his words and took a deep breath, inhaling his scent, his smell.
"I'm sorry I left you" he said, his voice deep and sincere, "I-"
He frowned and she looked up at him, unsure as his words suddenly stopped.
"What?"
His hand found her bandaged one and he moved to hold it softly.
"What's this?"
She felt a small blush creep on her cheeks and she closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed at herself, feeling stupid at her actions after Marko's lecture.
"Oh, it's nothing-"
"-why is Marko here?"
There was a sudden, hard protectiveness in his voice and she froze in his arms.
His hand tightened minutely around hers and she looked up at him, watching as fury began to dance over his face, watching as he peered into the dark house.
"How did you know?"
"I can smell him"
Dwayne's voice was tight.
Smell him?
"Dwayne?"
She hated to see his face scarred with such a tremendous, anger filled scowl, "I'm OK, I'm happy he's here, he helped me-"
"-helped you?"
His face softened a little and she nodded, moving her free hand to run up over his chest, neck and into his hair.
She loved him so much.
"Yes" she dropped her head against his chest once more, curling her injured hand around his, "he's been..he's been amazing, Dwayne"
He said nothing.
"...are you angry?" She looked up again and searched his face, watching him tentatively as he shook his head.
He exhaled gently as he looked down at her, focusing all his attention on her, "no..no" he assured her, "I'm just not feeling very well disposed to my brothers at the moment"
She looked away from him with a little nod and his fingers met her chin, moving her to face him once more, "I'm sorry.."
He kissed her, "you have no reason to apologize"
She shrugged lightly.
"I should have been here to protect you-"
Elizabeth shook her head gently, choosing her words carefully, "...I'm glad it was him..he feels kind of...impartial?"
Dwayne looked a little pained and Elizabeth hurried, "I love you, I-I need you..." she met his eyes. It was the first time she had admitted that she needed Dwayne, even to herself and the seriousness of the situation made her pause.
"I need you, Dwayne"
She thought of her conversation with Marko, the frank way he had answered her questions and she swallowed.
"...please be patient with me?"
Before he could question her, she took a step back, taking his hand in hers and pulling him into the house. He closed the door, letting it swing shut with a quick hook of his foot and then he allowed her to lead him, a hopeful but somewhat disbelieving look dashing across his face. She looked away from him and pulled him with ease towards the warm light of the kitchen.
She could barely believe it herself.
It didn't bear thinking about.
It had felt right to ask the few questions she had and after a day of torment, a day of going around and around in circles, of steadfastly refusing to even consider anything, of refusing to think about vampires, of the supernatural, of the life she found herself entangled in...
She'd found comfort and relief in Marko's words and in his truth.
She knew that she would find more in Dwayne's.
It didn't bear thinking about...and so she wouldn't.
She was going to do what felt right, even if it had felt wrong before.
A/N: thank you all so, so much for the reviews. I've had a busy week but knowing that you are so supportive of this story genuinely spurred me to sit down and focus on it despite all the other things happening. Thanks - as always - to my favorite sisters! And a big thank you to crimsonsky for a very kind review, it made my day.