Chapter 49

Mark just sat back, leaning against the wall and listened. These weren't his friends, not really, not outside of Glenn and Steve. Steve's friendship usually tended to end when it came to his wife. It was tempting to toss Mickie through a wall. Getting the hang of his powers, he mentally rolled his eyes. Condescending malarkey from the pompous 'good' Witch, who had done the same crap with his daughter.

"If she's had sex with him, that portal would've been opened by now." Randy didn't even want to know what testing meant. "And it's not… and I need water…" Before he started explaining what he had felt and seen, before the blood thing.

Mickie and Mark would never see eye to eye on things. She was a 'good' Witch and he was all about dark magic. A Warlock with dark magic…there were Warlocks out there that stuck with light magic, but not Mark. There were some that could REVERT from dark to light, but Mickie didn't see that happening at all. She knew Mark was superior with his powers, but she couldn't help ribbing him a little since they couldn't stand each other, to begin with.

"Coming right up." Brooklynn was trying to decide if telling the rest of the circle about Taker's reappearance was the right thing to do.

"So, Taker's back." Glenn made the decision for her. "And he's still an asshole, but he also saved Randy's life."

"He and Mark did actually. They…merged and it was creepy as hell."

All eyes turned to Brooklynn and Mark as she walked back into the room to hand Randy the glass of water. "What's wrong?"

"Undertaker is back?"

"How long has this been going on?" Mickie demanded somewhat irritably.

"I didn't tell them, I swear."

"I did."

"YOU KNEW?" They all shouted at Beth in surprise with wide eyes.

"He's not that bad you guys, you don't understand the situation or what happened last time…" Brooklynn didn't want to go through this again, not after what happened between her and Mark in the backyard. "I confided in Beth because…I had to tell someone what's been going on lately."

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Melina bolted upstairs to the bathroom to vomit.

Mickie was looking green around the gills as well.

"Well… good to know you're still a vomiting bag of self-righteous cow."

Taker had even been polite and asked permission to take over, though… he was a bit on the weak side still. His acidic eyes flashed when all eyes turned on him, dropping down into a chair and just stared back. Mark had bit his tongue at her condescending crap after he had, well They, had saved Randy Orton's life. He wasn't Mark.

"Okay – okay, that's enough both of you." Brooklynn would have to be a mediator between Witch and Warlock, walking over to where Taker sat. She frowned, noticing how weak he was and placed a hand on his shoulder, concern in her eyes. "Are you okay?" Blinking when he pulled her to sit sideways on his lap in front of everyone, she merely rested her head against his shoulder and felt his arms wrap around her. "We can't fight amongst ourselves, not when we have this threat looming over us. Mickie is just messing with you, she doesn't mean anything she says. She knows you're brilliant with your magic."

"Don't take my fun away, Brooklynn." Mickie grinned, winking over at her to show no hard feelings and nodded. "Fine – fine, I'll behave…"

Taker snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Do we have to worry about you fuckin' stabbin' us in the back?" Steve demanded, remembering Taker's last visit with the circle. He had been more intent on screwing up Randy then the problem.

"Too late…" Randy groaned, blinking as he sat upright. "He already has."

"What are you talking about, Randy?"

He had Brooklynn's undivided attention and suddenly, the front door FLEW open as a powerful wind blew around them. Brooklynn landed on the floor with a thud while everyone held onto what they could and Melina was screaming up in the bathroom. The door wouldn't open for her.

"My secret is out, what a shame." Seth stepped through the doorway, his eyes glowing ice blue and clenched his hand together tightly, stopping Mark/Taker from coming towards him. "What he's talking about, Brooklynn Meyers, is your precious husband's involvement in my plan."

"W-WHAT?!"

"MOM!"

"Claira, stay upstairs and lock your door!"

"If you think that'll stop me from having her, think again, Brooklynn. Your daughter was destined to be with me and we both know it." He didn't have enough power to stop the circle AND go upstairs for Claira, so he would have to come back for her at a later date. "When I discovered who my father was, and why I was born in the first place, made, it became my life mission to open the dimension you fucks sent him in and release him. And it's GOING to happen, just…not right away. After all, Claira will know the truth now about me and…she'll need time to adjust and come to terms with her destiny."

"FUCK YOU! You'll never have my daughter! Now, what the hell are you talking about? What do you mean my husband is involved with you?!"

Seth clicked his tongue, shaking his head almost sadly. "It really IS a shame you didn't realize the mistake you made with Undertaker until now, Brooklynn. The poor man had been locked away for so long and he needed a way out. So, I gave it to him, I made him a deal. I visited him in his lockup, with magic of course, and told him I would help him escape his prison, as long as he worked with me to release my father from HIS prison. And he AGREED."

"No…NO!" Tears streamed down Brooklynn's cheeks as her eyes moved from Seth to look up at the man she thought she knew, feeling her heart shatter in her chest. "I-It's not true…tell me it's not true…Bastet…"

"That cat was NOT easy to kill, let me tell you. She fought tooth and nail, but in the end, my magic prevailed. I had no other choice because she was the lock on Undertaker's prison." Seth shrugged, a sick smile crossing his face. "It was so exhilarating watching you be fucked by the man who betrayed you in order to gain his freedom, Brooklynn. How you so WILLINGLY let him have you over and over again, keeping the truth from Mark's half…I got off on it, not gonna lie."

Brooklynn couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and felt her world crashing down all around her, shaking her head repeatedly. "No, this…this can't be…" Taker loved her, didn't he? "So, the marriage proposal to go to Mexico…"

"I HAD to get you out of the house somehow to have alone time with Claira, now didn't I? Though, I didn't expect Taker to do it so soon. Nevertheless, he wanted you completely and thought Mark was a fool for not marrying you a lot sooner than 17 years. What a fool, indeed. You are beautiful, there's no doubt about that. But your daughter is the one I want, I NEED, to free my father from his prison. You were right, Brooklynn, she's special and she's MINE and nobody will take her away from me. I WILL have her…when I'M good and ready." His glowing blue eyes, which was part of his magic, looked towards Randy. "How's that arm, Rando? Smart move with the bay leaves, but you MIGHT wanna watch who you touch from here on out. It could be FATAL for you next time."

"Stay away from her! You won't have her! I don't care what I have to do, I won't let you use her to free that monster!" Brooklynn had to swallow her heartbreak and shock down, clenching her fists tightly at her sides.

"Like I said, I won't take her tonight. I'll let her cool off and disappear for a while and come back when I know she'll be ready to do what needs to be done. Don't worry, Brooklynn, I'm sure you can find someone else to love and who will love you, even with your gift, at your age." Seth cackled wickedly, throwing his head back and slowly backed towards the door. "Undertaker, thank you for helping me and I hope you've enjoyed your freedom while it's lasted." He patted the man's shoulder since he couldn't move and laughed again. "See you all soon." He vanished, the spell he'd cast over everyone lifting.

"MOM!" Claira rushed down the stairs, having heard every word Seth said and clobbered her with a hug, unable to leave her room while his spell was in effect.

Brooklynn held her tightly, not bothering to fight back the tears and buried her face in Claira's neck, feeling her daughter shaking like a leaf.

"You… sided with him?"

"In my defense, I didn't know his plans for Claira, or that he would kill Bastet."

"Not an excuse…" Randy's eyes were narrowed. "How come I couldn't tell you were present?"

"Magic, he used magic." Trish sniffled, eyeing Brooklynn, knowing this couldn't be easy for her. Especially since she had been hiding him from everyone, Mark included.

No, it wasn't easy for her, but Brooklynn was also clear on what she had to do. It was the one thing she thought would never happen. She didn't know if she'd ever have the strength to do this, but…her daughter was more important and her ONLY priority.

"Bastet didn't deserve this." She released Claira, rising to her feet and the amount of anger, hurt, pain, guilt, heartbreak and sadness in her eyes was overwhelming. "I lied for you. I TRUSTED you. I believed every word you said. I kept you hidden and protected you from EVERYONE until you were ready to come out. I was played. I was a fool. And now, I know what I have to do." Taking the ring off her finger, Brooklynn dropped it to the carpeted floor at her husband's feet, the tears not stopping. "You put our DAUGHTER in danger with that…that THING…all for your own self-preservation. You will NEVER love anyone more, not even me or Claira, than yourself. I won't let Seth hurt her. I won't let Seth open that dimension. And as long as I'm with you, there's always that chance because I can't trust you anymore. I choose her. We're done. You have lost me forever and I hope it was worth it. I hope ALL of this was worth it. This marriage was nothing more than a sham, a coverup, a FAKE and a JOKE." She turned to her daughter, seeing the fear in her eyes and cupped her face in her hands. "Go upstairs and pack a bag. We're going to stay at a hotel until I figure out what to do next, okay? Be quick."

"M-Mom…" Claira's bottom lip trembled, not believing what was happening and felt her mother kiss her forehead softly. "O-Okay…" Flying upstairs as fast as she could, she did as she was told for once without argument.

"Brooklynn," Mark had forced his way out, fighting Taker back into his box because Taker was a major fuckup. If he could rip that part of him out, he would. Ignoring the people staring at him, he grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back towards him. "You can't leave, darlin'." Hell, he'd find a way to seal Taker permanently. He had conspired with Demons and let Bastet be murdered, he was going to have a panic attack. "Darlin'…"

"In all fairness to Mark…" Glenn felt bad; Mark looked ready to have a breakdown of his own. "He didn't know… why didn't you tell him Taker was coming out?

Whether you loved him or not, you knew he was dangerous."

"Because she thought she could trust him, she thought he changed and she didn't want to risk losing him again. Taker put it in her head that, if she told Mark, he would destroy Taker and she would end up losing one half of the man she loves." Beth defended, wrapping an arm around Brooklynn's shoulders and stood up for her since nobody else would. Glenn was defending Mark, naturally, due to their close friendship and bond. She understood, but that didn't mean she wouldn't speak up on behalf of Brooklynn, who had confided in her.

"It's because of HIM we got married, not because YOU wanted to do it, Mark. You never wanted to marry me. You were content with going by Texas law, even after everything my family put me through." That was a simple heartbreaking fact. "I wanted your last name for years – YEARS – and it wasn't until Taker showed back up that I finally got it…and it was all because of Seth's plan. It wasn't out of love and devotion – I've given everything to you, I birthed you a beautiful daughter and you couldn't even marry me YOURSELF." She ripped her arm out of his grasp, the tears flowing like two rapid streams down her cheeks. "I made a mistake and I own up to it. I fully accept responsibility for what's happened and for Bastet's death, for lying to you about Taker being back. Even though I kept asking you if you were all right, if you were feeling different, but that's beside the point. That evil mother fucker will USE Claira, if it means him being free again and Seth can now get to him. He has the power to overtake your body again and do whatever he wants. So, until you figure out a way to subdue him or get rid of him, I can't be with you. Figure. It. Out." It was the same thing she told him out in the backyard when she had, once again, defended her love for Undertaker. "I'm sorry, but I'm choosing our daughter over you. When you figure out what to do, how to get rid of him, you let me know and I'll think about coming back. I need time and space to figure things out." Not to mention, keep Claira safe and out of Seth's clutches.

"You and Claira can stay with me." They lived close by, so Mark could at least continue to see his daughter whenever he wanted. "We all just need to take a step back and breathe. This is a lot to take in and emotions are high. Some space might be what you both need to figure everything out." Trish explained, stepping between the Calaway's and gently pushed Brooklynn back. "Go pack a bag and we'll head home for the night. I'll order a pizza or something. Randy, you can come with us, if you want." They didn't need a hotel room, thankfully, or Trish would lose her mind. "Anyone else can too."

"I'm staying with Mark."

"We are too." Mickie felt terrible for the couple, but honestly, she thought Brooklynn was stupid for keeping that secret from Mark.

"I'm staying here too." Melina needed Mickie's magic.

"Actually doll, I think we should go with them. Mark has magic here to ward the house, but they don't have a Witch or Warlock on their side at Trish and Steve's."

"No, we'll ward the house, but we're not staying there. We'll go to the hotel Mark set up for us."

While everyone figured out where they were going, Brooklynn headed upstairs to pack her bag and couldn't stop crying, the betrayal burning deep inside of her.