Part 5: Planning
"Your father was a demon?" Michael asked. "But your father is Maria's father. That means that Maria's father was a demon." He turned to Maria and looked at her shocked. "You have demon blood in you? Why didn't you tell me?"
Maria wouldn't look him in the eye. "Because I was afraid you'd look at me in fear. And I guess I was right." She looked at him, mistaking his shock for fear or hatred. "You're afraid of me." She turned and started to walk away, but Michael caught her arm.
"I'm not afraid of you baby," he told her softly stroking her hair and kissing her on the forehead. "What I'm afraid of is loosing our children. So what if your father's a demon, I know you're not like that because I've seen what you're really like. You don't have to worry that I'll think anything different of you. I just wish you had told me this before."
"I'm sorry," Maria said closing her eyes and leaning against his chest. "I didn't want you to think that I might be like him. That I might be a killer."
"I would never think that," Michael said. "Unless I saw you kill someone in cold blood, then I'd have to question my thoughts. But I know you Maria; you're my wife, the mother of my children. And that is what we need to focus on at the moment, getting the twins back. So just bury the demonic urges and help find our kids." He said jokingly.
Maria slapped him lightly on the arm and turned back to the others. "Mark must be pretty desperate if he's using demons. They could turn on him at any moment."
"He better keep them away from my children." Michael thought out loud. "Because if there is one scratch on them when we find them, then I'm going to make the demons look calm compared to what I'm going to do."
"I won't let him do anything to our children." Maria said trying to comfort him. "Besides if he does I'll know. Because they're my children I have a link with them and if they get hurt, I'll feel it." She looked around the room, trying to pick up anything that would give her any sort of clue that would lead to her children.
There has to be something here to help me, Maria thought to herself. She felt completely helpless and that was not something she liked. She was used to being in control, always knowing what to do and what was going to happen. But with her children gone it was like Mark had taken a part of her power with him. And in a way he had, her children are what gave her strength. The love that she felt for them fed her power.
"Mark probably knew that,"
"Mark knew what?" Liz asked Maria frowning. Liz could see that Maria was dealing with her own inner conflict and she admired the fact that Maria could keep face when her children had just been taken. I couldn't do that, she thought.
"What?" Maria said looking up. She hadn't realised she had spoken out loud. "Part of my power comes from the love I feel for the twins. Mark probably knows that if he took them then he would take my power. That son of a bitch! Why has he done this?" She started crying again.
"Maria, how much of your power was lost when the twins were taken?" Liz asked thinking.
Maria looked at Liz a bit strangely, and sniffled. "Well, most of them, I can control fire and walk through solid objects, but that's it."
"What about your tolerance against Mark?" Sean asked her. "And your mind control? Do you still have those?"
Maria thought about it for a moment and closed her eyes to take inventory of her powers, if she was still able to do what Sean asked. "My mind control would be limited, I may be able to influence people with weak minds or no shields. And my tolerance against Mark is pretty limited."
Michael frowned at that. "How so?" He was worried that his wife might fall into Mark's trap. He really hated Mark, and it just wasn't because he had taken the twins. Before when they had been taken by the FBI and Maria's father, Mark had tried to make Maria. And now he was trying it again. The man just didn't get that Maria was his, and she would remain that for all time. He would get his twins back and Maria would not go to Mark for any reason. He vowed that he would keep them safe and that was exactly what he was going to do.
"Your father was a demon?" Michael asked. "But your father is Maria's father. That means that Maria's father was a demon." He turned to Maria and looked at her shocked. "You have demon blood in you? Why didn't you tell me?"
Maria wouldn't look him in the eye. "Because I was afraid you'd look at me in fear. And I guess I was right." She looked at him, mistaking his shock for fear or hatred. "You're afraid of me." She turned and started to walk away, but Michael caught her arm.
"I'm not afraid of you baby," he told her softly stroking her hair and kissing her on the forehead. "What I'm afraid of is loosing our children. So what if your father's a demon, I know you're not like that because I've seen what you're really like. You don't have to worry that I'll think anything different of you. I just wish you had told me this before."
"I'm sorry," Maria said closing her eyes and leaning against his chest. "I didn't want you to think that I might be like him. That I might be a killer."
"I would never think that," Michael said. "Unless I saw you kill someone in cold blood, then I'd have to question my thoughts. But I know you Maria; you're my wife, the mother of my children. And that is what we need to focus on at the moment, getting the twins back. So just bury the demonic urges and help find our kids." He said jokingly.
Maria slapped him lightly on the arm and turned back to the others. "Mark must be pretty desperate if he's using demons. They could turn on him at any moment."
"He better keep them away from my children." Michael thought out loud. "Because if there is one scratch on them when we find them, then I'm going to make the demons look calm compared to what I'm going to do."
"I won't let him do anything to our children." Maria said trying to comfort him. "Besides if he does I'll know. Because they're my children I have a link with them and if they get hurt, I'll feel it." She looked around the room, trying to pick up anything that would give her any sort of clue that would lead to her children.
There has to be something here to help me, Maria thought to herself. She felt completely helpless and that was not something she liked. She was used to being in control, always knowing what to do and what was going to happen. But with her children gone it was like Mark had taken a part of her power with him. And in a way he had, her children are what gave her strength. The love that she felt for them fed her power.
"Mark probably knew that,"
"Mark knew what?" Liz asked Maria frowning. Liz could see that Maria was dealing with her own inner conflict and she admired the fact that Maria could keep face when her children had just been taken. I couldn't do that, she thought.
"What?" Maria said looking up. She hadn't realised she had spoken out loud. "Part of my power comes from the love I feel for the twins. Mark probably knows that if he took them then he would take my power. That son of a bitch! Why has he done this?" She started crying again.
"Maria, how much of your power was lost when the twins were taken?" Liz asked thinking.
Maria looked at Liz a bit strangely, and sniffled. "Well, most of them, I can control fire and walk through solid objects, but that's it."
"What about your tolerance against Mark?" Sean asked her. "And your mind control? Do you still have those?"
Maria thought about it for a moment and closed her eyes to take inventory of her powers, if she was still able to do what Sean asked. "My mind control would be limited, I may be able to influence people with weak minds or no shields. And my tolerance against Mark is pretty limited."
Michael frowned at that. "How so?" He was worried that his wife might fall into Mark's trap. He really hated Mark, and it just wasn't because he had taken the twins. Before when they had been taken by the FBI and Maria's father, Mark had tried to make Maria. And now he was trying it again. The man just didn't get that Maria was his, and she would remain that for all time. He would get his twins back and Maria would not go to Mark for any reason. He vowed that he would keep them safe and that was exactly what he was going to do.