Chapter 21

"Yeah, it has… we'll have to come back this summer, spend a few weeks here." He said quietly, lacing his fingers through hers when Brooklynn lay back out in her lounge chair. "Hell, we should get a vacation house here on the beach." It was close enough to the border that crime wasn't a big deal. "Maybe even one day bring Claira," Far, far into the future, Mark was quite content having this spot just for them for now. Was that selfish?

"A vacation house here sounds amazing. I wouldn't want to live here full time, but coming here in the summer, or whenever, isn't a bad idea at all. It's the perfect getaway and it's not too far from home either." Brooklynn smiled back at him, the thought making her amber eyes sparkle in the sunlight and squeezed his hand as they both turned to stare out into the ocean. "D.C. and Tennessee are gonna suck compared to this place, but I am looking forward to having the gang back together again."

Vacation house implied vacation, getaways, not permanently staying in the place. Mark shook his head at her, his white teeth glinting in the sunlight because it was a full-fledged smile. "Tennessee ain't so bad, you liked the mountains the last time we went… well, minus the ticks."

She had pitched a fit when she had found ticks on her, not that he blamed her. D.C., however, WOULD suck and he would never understand what possessed Melina to allow herself to be moved there. There was just no way that dick was that good. Mark had to wonder if Brooklynn ever regretted the Texas thing since she hadn't said yay or nay one way or another, just that she wanted to be where he was.

As if reading his mind, Brooklynn thought back to her home in Texas and sighed in contentment, even with the kitchen needing to be redone. "Now Texas…that's a perfect state. No humidity, sunny a lot with occasional downpours, chilly at night to where you can have a bonfire and roast some marshmallows. And even in the fall and winter time, the temperature never drops below 60 degrees." Not in Dallas, anyway. Other parts of Texas did get occasional snow and lower temperatures. "I thought one day I'd want to live by the ocean, but…Texas is perfect and if we ever do move, I want it to be somewhere in Texas. No other state compares to it."

"Glad you see it my way." He chuckled, though… hearing her say what he often thought about his home state, this was definitely the woman for him and he wondered if he should be kicking himself in his own ass for not marrying her sooner. "Brooklynn… you…" Why open that can of worms? "Were you okay with us not being married all these years?"

"I admit, there were times I wondered why you didn't want to marry me or get married. But I figured that was just who you are, and I accepted it. I wanted you, Mark. It didn't matter if I had a ring on my finger or your last name or not. Why do you think I gave up everything after we defeated Nemesis and came to Texas with you? Why do you think I had a baby with you? I came out of my reclusive ways for you." Brooklynn looked down at the ring on her finger, feeling the emotions threatening to erupt out of her because she still didn't understand where this came from. This sudden need to get married on a whim, even though it was a dream come true to finally have Mark's last name. "It always scared me whenever Trish or one of the girls would bring up the fact we weren't married. Because you could leave me at any second and I wouldn't be able to stop you. There was nothing holding you down and there was no…security when it came to our relationship. I was always scared I'd lose you because of ghosts bothering me or you'd simply get bored and leave. I was scared of losing you again, but now I'm not anymore because we're married, and I finally feel 100% secure."

A piece of paper makes her feel secure? Surely she knows better… "I could still leave, you know that, right? Or you could leave me. We'd just have the pain in the ass legalities…" Mark folded his hands behind his head, inhaling contentedly. They were definitely getting a beach house for a vacation place, they'd come during the summer… mmm, yes. Retirement years could be fun. "Nah, too much work." He grunted a second later when Brooklynn plopped her backside right down on his stomach, sitting upright and catching her, adjusting her so she was sitting in his lap. "Not funny?"

"No, not funny at all, jerk." Brooklynn muttered, no malice in her tone and shoved him back playfully, trying to maintain the glare. It wasn't happening. The smirk on his face melted her and she wound up kissing him inside, slapping his chest. "Like you said, it's way more work to leave me now and…I want to be tied to you in every way possible, Mark. I'll never leave you, no matter what happens or what the future holds for us. You're stuck with me, I'm glue, baby. And don't you ever forget that."

He groaned, drawing it out and slid his shades down his nose, eyeballing her. "Does this mean you're legally obligated to give me your ass whenever I want it?" At her questioning look, and he got it, he got her just about whenever, he grinned and palmed said ass. "That was literal." Her actual backside, whenever he wanted it. When Brooklynn began slapping at him again, he stood up with her in his arms. "Wife, I think you need to cool your jets." A second later, he had them both immersed in the warm, sparkling water though he never let go of her, spinning her in slow, languid circles. "I love you, Brooklynn Calaway."

"You can have me any way you want, when you want and how you want. You should know that by now. And I love you too."

They had done every position known to man and Brooklynn was pretty sure they even invented a few in the 17 years they'd been together. It wasn't boring, everyday sex, that was for sure. Mark kept it spicy and Brooklynn added her own fire to the mix. It wasn't often when Mark wanted sex, Brooklynn denied him. Very rare in fact, though one thing she refused to do was have sex while on her period. That was a no-go for her and she STILL hadn't crossed that line in all the years they'd been together. It would never happen, no matter how much Mark wanted to earn his red wings.

"It feels so good to be called Calaway." The burden of the Meyers name was finally lifted from her and there would be no hyphenating either.

"Anywhere, anytime, no matter what?"

At her nod, Mark smirked and watched as comprehension dawned on Brooklynn's face right before he got a smack upside his head, his deep laughter echoing around them. He had told her time and time again, sex on her period would help with the cramps and all that, but the woman acted like the world was ending when it came to her time of the month and sex. The way he figured, it wasn't going to be any more disgusting than some other things they had done and it was perfectly natural.

"So, that's still a no then, huh?"

"Taking everything literal, I see. You know damn well there's only certain times I won't do anything with you." Menopause would be a beautiful thing when it kicked in because her periods would stop and that would mean she wouldn't feel as though she was bleeding to death once a month anymore. "I love you, but yes, it's still no during THAT time of the month. But you know…I'm not on it right now and you haven't made love to your wife in…almost 3 hours, Mr. Calaway. Whatever will we do about that?" She asked cheekily, laughing at his eye roll and began attacking his strong neck with her lips and tongue.

Tell her we're on our period. What the fuck?

Undertaker was feeling spiteful for some reason. He knew the reason behind the whole period thing. Blood was vital, sacred, primal… magic. He could think of several spells off the top of his head, dark ones, of course, that utilized a female's period blood. Brooklynn would probably not want to hear about that.

Once again, the acid flashed in his eyes for a moment, a second, before returning back to normal. Brooklynn would've been disgusted if she knew what Mark was currently thinking. Using her period blood for a spell? Hell no, that was never going to happen. Luckily, she had no idea what he was thinking because she didn't have the ability to mindread like Steve did. They made love in the ocean, doing it somewhat discreetly before heading off the beach to go get something to eat. Dinner and then back to the suite for their final night. They were leaving in the morning, so Brooklynn wanted to make the best of what was left of their time in Mexico.

"Home sweet home." Brooklynn sighed in contentment, walking through the door around 9 PM and saw Claira sleeping on the couch, smiling softly. This was the last week of school before Spring Break, so she knew the poor girl was being hammered with tests. "She tried waiting up for us. Carry her upstairs to her room and we can get our bags tomorrow."

Claira was asleep before 9; that just seemed weird, though he did wonder if she had stayed up late the night before and just not slept in long enough. Mark gently lifted her up into his arms, smiling as she murmured something about Daddy and carried her up to her room. He used to do this all the time when she had been a little girl, trying so hard to stay up with them, but she was never able to do it. Hearing Brooklynn downstairs, he knew she'd be joining him just as soon as she was done.

"You smell like ocean…" Claira mumbled as she was deposited in her bed.

They really did smell like the ocean, even with a shower before they left, but it wasn't a bad scent either. Brooklynn shut the television off and cleaned up Claira's mess, putting everything in her bookbag. That was until she came across a paper and lifted it to read, sitting down on the couch. It was from her English teacher and they wanted her to take a college writing course the high school provided. Her writing was exceptional, and she had raw talent, just like her mother. Claira wasn't all Mark, she did inherit some traits from Brooklynn, such as writing.

Maybe Claira would wind up becoming a bestseller like her mother, though it was a very competitive field. Brooklynn was in a dilemma, not sure if she should bring this up to Claira or wait and see if the teenager brought it up first. Maybe that would be the better way to go, otherwise, it would look like Brooklynn was snooping, which wasn't true. Sighing softly, she finished stuffing everything back into the bookbag and zipped it up to set on the couch before heading upstairs for some much-needed sleep with her husband.

He had already turned down the covers for them, after tucking Claira in and was in the process of removing his clothing, his boots already tucked between the dresser and the door. "You got a look on your face, darlin'." He pointed out amusedly. They had just walked through the door and already she had that look. It was a contemplative. "What's on your mind?" Gloves, bandana, shades and wallet now on the dresser top, his shirt was next to go. Mark stopped, watching as she began absentmindedly shedding her own clothing and smirked because his luscious wife had a beautiful, line-free tan.

"I hate how well you can read me sometimes." She muttered good-naturedly, shooting him a playful glare when he began chuckling at her and tossed her jeans at him she took off. "I was putting Claira's things away in her bookbag and…I came across a letter from her English teacher. They…want her to take a college writing course the high school offers because she's an exceptional writer with a lot of talent." Her tank top went next followed by pulling on a midnight blue nightshirt that went to her knees. "She could be a writer like me…it's surreal." Not to mention, she was extremely proud of her their daughter since she already had an A average.

"Didn't she say she wasn't trying to do the pre-college thing already?"

He was sure the conversation had come up at some point. They had wanted her to do some testing for the advanced courses, pre-college, and Claira had said no. She was a great student, very smart, but she also studied like crazy. Mark could only imagine what would happen if she added that other stress; it would make her more vulnerable to her powers and ability. Claira did not like seeing spirits, so sleep was a necessity when it came to her. Granted, when she was little, she'd had some gruesome experiences, so he didn't blame her.

"I'd wait and see what she does, darlin'. Maybe she'll be the next Meyers bestselling author."

"I'm not mentioning it to her. If she wants to do it, great, but if not, it's her choice and I respect that. I was just thinking back to when I was her age and it was sort of déjà vu for me because I took a college writing course my junior and senior year."

Brooklynn walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth with Mark joining a few seconds later. She took the hairband out of her hair, letting the black waves cascade down her back and pulled it around her wrist, brushing her hair out. The ring caught her eye as Brooklynn smiled down at it, moving her finger a little to make the stone glitter under the lights. Married, she was finally married to Mark and would do everything in her power not to screw it up.

"She is her mother's daughter, though I don't know if we can expect any supernatural stories out of her."

Brooklynn was, or had been, an awesome writer years ago, but… she had stopped. Sometimes, Mark would ask her about it and she'd give him some reason or answer on why. Maybe after settling down and, for the most part, stopping playing ghost whisperers, the urge to write had dissipated. Or maybe, that had been her way of combating her loneliness because Brooklynn had been alone for quite some time.

"Probably not, no."

It was a combination of combating loneliness and settling down. Becoming a mother was a whole new experience and Brooklynn had to choose between taking care of Claira or writing. When she wrote, she was consumed with it entirely and that simply wasn't an option being a mother. Not to mention, she didn't want to ignore Mark either because of her fear of losing him to someone else or boredom.

"Whatever she decides, I support her, even if it's a great opportunity. Maybe that's not what her passion is in life. Maybe she has other goals in mind besides writing." Snuggling against him, Brooklynn had never felt so content and felt Mark brush his lips against her forehead, a soft smile spreading across her face as her eyes drifted shut.

Soon enough, Mark was asleep too and he was bright eyed and bushy tailed, opening his eyes and inhaled deeply. If he would have been able to see himself, he would have seen hazy emerald lighten, turning to something sickly and poisonous as his pupils dilated in the darkness. Bit by bit, he was regaining strength, though he had to continue being cautious, lest his counterpart realized something was wrong and took precautions to seal him again.