Chapter 56

"I asked her to wait a bit longer, maybe take off in the fall."

Things had been overly quiet on the Nemesis and Seth front for over a year and that was just weird. Mark knew Demons could play the long game like nobody's business, but after that big, dramatic reveal… everything afterward had just sort of fallen flat. Very anticlimactic. Demons were drama makers.

"I think she was planning on Dean going with her." Dean was normal, he hoped… he prayed.

"Good, at least she won't be alone than when she goes."

Brooklynn worried every single day and night about Seth Rollins reappearing and knew it would happen sooner or later. She didn't know when or where, but one day, Seth would come for Claira and Brooklynn could only hope their daughter was ready for the battle. Her magic training had been completed by Mickie, who couldn't make it here today, along with the rest of the circle. Trish and Steve had kept their distance and did their own thing, focused on their own marriage. Hell, every couple within the circle had focused on their own relationships and lives, especially after watching the downfall of a 17-year relationship crumble. There was no life in her eyes, no fire or passion, all of it was poured into the pages of her newest book, which was done and sent off to her trustworthy publisher.

"Think she'd notice if I followed? I could always glamour myself." He chuckled ruefully, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

She'd be able to do what she wanted, including go off on a gap year and explore whatever she wanted too before deciding what she wanted to do with her life. Mark wasn't looking at Brooklynn, he had learned a long time ago it hurt less to just look anywhere but her face. The same went for Brooklynn, she couldn't look at Mark, especially in the eye, without feeling stabs of pain. She didn't want to cry because of him today. She wanted to cry because her daughter, their daughter, was graduating high school and in just a little over a month would be an adult.

"If that's what you want to do."

Why was he talking to her? There was no reason to have a conversation, even if they were forced to sit beside each other during this event. It hurt to even talk to him, to hear his voice…Brooklynn knew once she was in Wyoming, in total seclusion, she would finally be able to heal properly instead of making progress and then faltering.

"It's starting." They both stood along with everyone else as the national anthem was played, followed by the graduates filing out to take their seats.

It was like every memory of Claira was flooding his mind as he watched her through the processional before finally taking a seat. First tooth. First step. First boo-boo. First word. The first day of school. First crush. All of that, just barraging him at once. It was overwhelming. This should have been a happy day, not so bittersweet because, in all those memories, Brooklynn was present. Here she was, standing beside him and she wanted nothing to do with him.

Brooklynn was experiencing the same thing, tears sliding down her cheeks and covered her mouth with her hand, her body shaking with intense emotion. Bittersweet was the word to use because all she wanted was to grab Mark's hand and not feel alone, even for a little while. So many memories flooded through her, their camping trips, Disney World, Disneyland, The Great Canyon, Yogi Bear Park, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Six Flags…there were so many family vacations they'd taken from the time she was 2 until 15.

She sniffled, pulling out a tissue from her purse and dabbed her eyes, doing it all quietly. Everyone took their seat as the ceremony continued and the names were called one by one. When Claira Calaway was announced, both proud parents stood up and screamed for her, along with her friends and Dean. Claira was loved and it did Brooklynn's heart good to see it, to hear it, despite what was going on in her personal life.

Claira turned a little red, especially when she heard her father's baritone from somewhere in the room, shaking her head with a pleased smile. She glanced around, finally spotting both her parents and gave a little wave before walking that stage to take her diploma and shake hands. She had officially graduated from high school. Mark didn't even know what to say, letting his hand drop as she vacated the stage, fingers brushing Brooklynn's for a moment.

That brush sent electricity up her arm, a jolt, as Brooklynn slowly looked up at Mark with a tear-streaked face, wiping her nose with the tissue in her hand and could tell he needed to be comforted as much as her. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it firmly and sat back down as Claira took her seat, folding the tissue before wiping her eyes. This was a lot harder than she thought it'd be, watching their baby girl, their only child, graduate from high school. She swallowed hard, not releasing his hand as they settled on her lap and continued watching the rest of the ceremony. At least for today, her parents could show a united front for their daughter.

Needless to say, by the time the graduation ceremony was over, there were a lot of parents and families swarming, wanting to take pictures. Claira waded through the mess, trying to find her parents, and began grinning when she spotted a large bouquet of assorted flowers in all colors. That was Dean's crazy butt. She accepted them with a smile. He must've had his own folks bring those.

"Have you seen my parents?"

"Uh… still up there, I think they're waiting for it to clear out a bit, babe."

Actually, the high school was dismissing the rows one at a time, so there wasn't a traffic jam of bodies. When it was time for them to stand and leave, Brooklynn released Mark's hand and followed him down the stairs of the bleachers to go find their daughter. The beautiful HUGE bouquet of flowers was the beacon that lead them to where Claira was and Mark took them from her while Brooklynn pulled her in for a bone-crunching hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Claira Beth. I love you so much." She whispered in her daughter's ear since it was somewhat loud and felt Claira cling to her for dear life.

"Mom…" Claira's voice cracked, not ashamed of crying on her mother because it was an extremely emotional day for everyone involved.

While those two cried, Mark made small talk with Dean's parents, who had come to join their son, shaking hands and doing all the socialization that was called upon in these occasions. He had met them several times, Claira had invited them over to the house for cookouts and things like that. He had a feeling she had been testing wards, making sure they were on the up and up.

"Uh, Mr. Calaway, we were wondering if Claira, and you two, would come have a celebration meal with us?" Dean asked, trying not to sound awkward as he ruffled his already unruly hair.

Brooklynn glanced at Mark, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights and before Claira could make an excuse, she merely smiled with a nod. "Sure, of course." She didn't see the surprise on both Claira and Mark's faces and wrapped an arm around her baby girl's shoulders. This was HER day and her parents would both have to swallow their pride in order to get through it. "Hi, I'm Brooklynn, Claira's mother."

The woman looked surprised, not recalling Claira mentioning her mother and smiled back at her. "Denise Ambrose." She shook Brooklynn's hand and smiled up at her husband adoringly. "This is my husband, Liam. It's nice to finally meet you." Their children had been dating for over a year and this was the first time they had met each other.

"You too." Brooklynn shook Liam's hand as well, being completely cordial.

"Mom…" What happened to her desolate mother she'd known for the past year and a half? "Are you feeling alright?"

"Never better, sweetheart. So, where is this meal taking place?"

"Our home, just follow us. Everything is already ready, we just have to go chow down."

"Come on Claire Bear, you can ride with me." Dean winked, using his special nickname for her and guided her away, leaving Brooklynn standing there with Mark.

"I think my Mom is on drugs or something."

Dean had met/seen Brooklynn a handful of times and, based on what he knew and had seen, he was inclined to agree. She had been getting thinner, more ragged, while her ex-husband seemed to be thriving. "Didn't she file for the divorce?" Why was she the one so haggard? Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

"Yeah, let's not talk about it."

"You want to ride with me, or follow?" Mark asked after a moment, looking down at Brooklynn.

"No, that's okay. I have my own car and don't want to have to come back to get it later." It wasn't a good idea to be in close proximity to this man. Brooklynn had already grabbed his hand out and shouldn't have done it. "What is their address, so I can put it on my GPS?" She nodded, programming it into her phone and nodded when it was telling her the directions. "Thanks, I'll see you there." She walked away and headed to her car, not looking back at a very perplexed Mark watching her.

Twenty minutes later, she pulled up in front of a huge white house that looked like a small mansion and parked, Mark arriving a minute after her. She walked up to the front door and knocked, walking inside after being greeted. Denise wasn't kidding, there was a slew of food to choose from and Brooklynn actually had an appetite for a change. Denise told her to dig in, so she made a plate and sat down at the table where Claira and Dean were with their own food.

"Thanks for coming."

It was no surprise when Mark sat across from them next to Claira, keeping his distance from Brooklynn as she began eating.

Something was up with Brooklynn. She was making an effort to be human today. He had a feeling she would be disappearing soon; he had been wondering why she hadn't bothered by now, but… same reason as him. Claira. Shit… less than 2 years ago, they had been laying on a beach in Mexico, discussing vacation houses and traveling again, after this day, and now… he shook his head, banishing those thoughts. She'd probably thought that had been Taker too.

Mexico hadn't been thought of in quite a while. The sham wedding, thanks to Undertaker. Honestly, Brooklynn didn't know how to tell between Mark and Taker back then because Taker could play Mark very well. Hell, he could've been the one she actually married instead of Mark and not even realized it. Then again, their wedding night had been soft and loving, which wasn't Taker's style. The vacations Mark wanted to take and traveling…he could do it now because he no longer had her pushing and prodding him, making him miserable. She finished eating and went to get a piece of cake, not realizing Mark followed her, taking her arm to guide her outside into the backyard for some privacy.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?"

Mark studied her face intently, taking in every new line, every new silver hair… and then finally her eyes. "When are you leaving, Lynn?" He asked quietly, raising an eyebrow when she gave him a look he wasn't even about to begin trying to describe. "You're leavin', darlin', I can tell." He had, at one time, known her better than anyone and he knew the signs.

How many times in the past had she slipped off? It was just her way, just her.

Claira had no idea what her parents were talking about, but the fact that they were talking was a good sign. She didn't expect them to get back together, not after their sudden divorce and everything that she now knew had happened. However, at least talking… it was a start to maybe them at least managing to be friends again.

Lying to him had been part of the reason they were in this predicament in the first place and…Brooklynn raised a slow brow back at him, blinking. Did he just…? His eyes were emeralds…and he called her Lynn…and darlin'. It wasn't Mark, but it wasn't Taker either. There was only one explanation. So much relief coursed through her veins, it almost made her weak in the knees.

"Oh my god…" She stumbled back, her mouth wide open and had to stop herself from touching him to make sure this wasn't a dream. No, he couldn't enter her dreams, thanks to the spell Mickie cast on her through the phone over a year ago. "You did it…you did the merge, didn't you?" It wasn't even a question. She knew this man better than ANYONE, both of them, and their little quirks nobody else caught onto, she did. "When? Do you feel okay?" It couldn't have been easy to merge with Undertaker, no way in hell, but at least he was alive.

"Did it… a month or so after the divorce," He admitted gruffly. "Claira needed me yet, and I was getting damn tired of having to find new ways to keep Taker away."

Mark had tried getting her to give her blood, it would have ensured that whatever aspects she wanted from each man, those would have been pulled in the merge. As it was… he was his preferred blend. He wasn't evil for the sake of being evil, but he had absolutely no problem in sending someone to the beyond if they asked for it.

"She never told you." Which was… somehow not surprising. Mother and daughter loved each other fiercely, but with Brooklynn's retreat into herself, everything seemed to suffer a bit.

"You're alive…it worked. It worked. It worked and you're here, you're alive."

Tears flowed down her cheeks as her hand covered her mouth, so many different emotions coursing through her at once. Brooklynn shook her head, pinching herself to make sure this was reality and looked up at the sky, closing her eyes. He was alive, the merge worked, and Taker was…this was about as close to a redemption as he would get after what he did to both Claira and Bastet. Never mind what he did to Brooklynn, that didn't matter as long as he was subdued forever, or as long as Mark lived.

"No, no she didn't tell me probably because of what happened. I'm just glad it worked and you're you…mostly." Though, it was weird being called Lynn instead of Brooklynn. "Damn…" She wiped her tears away with her thumbs, sniffling gently and clasped her hands in front of her.