Chapter 57

"Oh darlin', I'm not really much one way or the other…" He flashed her a teeth-baring grin, a hint of wickedness flashing in his eyes. "I told you before the odds of it working were good enough for me to take the risk." Why was she crying? Mark shook his head, finally stepping back. "I answered your questions, Lynn, you never answered mine. When are you leaving? Better yet, does Claira know?"

She sighed with a heavy heart, the sadness back once again after feeling a moment of reprieve from the depression she suffered lately. "After her birthday. And no, I haven't told her yet. I will though, just not today. I'm letting her have today and that's why I'm here now, being her Mom for a change." She clasped her hands together, pressing them to her mouth and did everything she could to dry the tears up. "I promise, I will tell her tomorrow. And I'm so happy the merge worked for you." He didn't need her in his life anymore. Mark never did and had flourished without her. Claira would do the same once she left. "You could always read me better than anyone…"

"Just not when it counted." He half-smiled, shaking his head. "Probably a good thing she's got this gap year trip coming up, it'll take her mind off you leavin'."

He was going to spend that year out roaming on his motorcycle because there wasn't much that would take his mind off of it. Roaming, whoring and drinking, he'd have himself a gap year too. Figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

This would probably be the only opportunity she had to set the record straight, finally, with him. "I'm sorry for everything, Mark. I was a bitch and I wasn't fair to you. I should've told you how I felt instead of keeping it all bottled up inside. I should've told you a lot of things and been honest from the beginning…and it took me a while, but I finally realized this is all on me. I was going to write you a letter, you know. Putting all this in it after I left, but…you don't deserve that. You deserve a face to face explanation and apology." Brooklynn meant that wholeheartedly, wiping more tears away from her cheeks that fell. "I shouldn't have lied to you. That was a mistake too. And…just so you know, the reason why I didn't want you to do the merge with Taker is because I didn't want you to die. It didn't matter if it was by my decision or yours. It was never about that. All I ever wanted to do was protect you the same way you've protected me…and I know a big part of you did the merge because of me, because of the ultimatum I gave you. And that was wrong. I shouldn't have been a bitch and given you an ultimatum. I shouldn't have left and shattered our family and I'm sorry for that. From the bottom of my heart, I hope you find happiness because you truly do deserve it." Blowing out a huge, shaky breath, Brooklynn cleared her throat and wiped more tears away. "Anyway, I'm gonna go say goodbye to Claira and head home since I've done my motherly duty today."

Wow. What the fuck? Mark stared down at her, his face blank as he took in everything she had just said. She wasn't wrong, she had been a big bitch, and… so had he. He should have noticed things, asked questions, and he never had. Clearing his throat, he tried searching for the words, to convey everything he needed too because he knew this might be the last time he ever had the chance too.

"Fuck it." He grunted, taking her into his arms and bent down, capturing her lips in a kiss that did say everything he wasn't finding the words for.

Love, sadness, bitterness, sadness, longing, anger, desire, passion, it was all there.

What was happening?! Brooklynn did NOT expect this type of reaction from Mark and had to remember, he wasn't all Mark anymore. There was Taker too. He was merged as one and, luckily, called himself Mark. At first, she was too shocked to move as his lips caressed hers, but she felt EVERYTHING he wanted her to feel. Every bit of it, every emotion, good and bad, was conveyed in this kiss and hesitantly, she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck since he was bent down.

Fresh tears slid down the sides of her face as she poured everything she felt, her entire body trembling against his. Every nerve ending, every fiber, every INCH of her body sparked, and a forest fire raged inside of her. Over a year…it'd been over a year since she'd last had any kind of intimate contact with a man…and it'd been the one currently kissing her. God help her, she missed him and opened her mouth the moment his tongue swiped across her lips, demanding access to her depths.

Claira had both hands over her mouth to keep from squealing as her Dad tightened his hold on her Mom, lifting Brooklynn right off the ground, so her toes just barely touched the grass. She glanced at Dean, who looked both amused and confused along with his parents.

"Maybe we should quit spying." Denise suggested, clearing her throat with an amused grin. All she knew was that they were divorced. Mark was decent people and she hadn't formed an opinion of Brooklynn yet because this was their first time meeting each other.

Chuckling under his breath, Dean guided Claira away from the sliding glass door. "No spying, Claire Bear." He chided gently. He really hoped she didn't get her hopes up, just in case.

Someone had to break the kiss because, eventually, they would run out of oxygen and collapse on the grass. Nobody wanted to see that, especially a man of Mark's size and stature. Brooklynn couldn't pull away though. Mark had always been an addiction – a sweet addiction and it'd been over a year since she felt his lips against hers. She had to remind herself this was Claira and Dean's graduation party and kissing her ex-husband wasn't exactly the best form of conduct. Battling with herself internally, Brooklynn gripped his upper arms since he drew her up against him and barely had enough strength to break the kiss. Her ragged breathing, swollen lips and molten golden eyes were surefire signs she had thoroughly enjoyed what just happened.

"W-What are we doing?" She rasped out, trying to catch her breath and couldn't pull away from those now smoldering forest green eyes of his. "Mark…"

"We're havin' a moment, Lynn darlin'." He chuckled, his voice coming out raspy and harsh from lack of oxygen and a few other issues that were springing forward. His head inclined towards hers, his lips brushing the corner of her mouth before he ran his nose up along her cheekbone and to her ear. "Come home, Brooklynn," Mark whispered, his eyes shut as he breathed her in. "Please."

"J-Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"You still want me after everything I've done? All the mistakes I made? I destroyed our family, Mark! I hurt you in every way possible! I-I'm no good for you! I'm-" Another kiss silenced her and Brooklynn melted against him, soft moans spilling from her mouth as her head began filling in a thick passion haze. "P-Please…"

"Come home."

"I-I hurt you…"

"I know."

"W-We still have issues…"

"We'll work through them."

"We're divorced…"

"Divorced couples get back together all the time."

This man was out of his mind. Mark had lost his mind to want to actually get back together with her after everything she'd put him through. "I don't…want to hurt you again, Mark. Don't you get it? That's why I've stayed away because I don't want to hurt you again or push you or prod you. You've flourished without me…and I don't wanna ruin your life again…" That's all Brooklynn did was ruin lives.

"Darlin'… haven't you learned a damn thing?" Mark asked, exasperation and amusement both lacing his tone. "We suck at communicating, and you're a goddamn writer!" Which was hilarious, actually. "Lynn, I know there's a lot I should've picked up on, or asked, and you know there's a lot you should have said. At our age, if we can't learn from that, we're fucked. We're royally fucked, darlin', because you know as well as I do, we're IT for each other."

"No, I should've accepted what we had because it wasn't broken or bad. I shouldn't have been such a needy bitch about everything. We were perfectly fine, mostly, until Bastet died…until Seth Rollins came into our lives and fucked everything up, including siding with Taker." Brooklynn reached up to stroke his face with her hand, tears glittering in her eyes and breathed him in as much as he did her. "I don't know why I needed some kind of validation or why I was so scared of losing you. It was stupid and I was stupid for not being satisfied when we had a damn near perfect life. I don't need anything else except you and Claira. You two mean everything to me and I swear I'll never forget that again. If I do, you have my permission to knock some damn sense into me." This year had given her clarity and opened her eyes to what really mattered, what was really important and what she truly wanted in life. "Will Claira be alright with me coming home?"

"She's been watching us all this time, I bet she's already planning a party or somethin'." Mark snorted, shaking his head as he stepped back away from her. "So, is that a yes, Lynn? You're comin' home?" When she nodded, he grinned and held out his arms, watching as the thin scars where tattoos had been refilled.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Claira fist pumped the air, laughing as her Dad began laughing. "Yes!"

This time, Brooklynn caught what was happening and stepped forward, frowning at the scars on his arms that were slowly disappearing. Was it part of the merging? "Mark, what's happening to your arms?" She asked, trying to keep the fear and hesitance out of her voice, looking up into his smiling face. Why was he smiling? "Is this part of the merging process? Did I do something?"

Claira noticed what was happening to her father and decided to calm her mother down before she had a panic attack over nothing. "Mom, when Dad merged with Undertaker, he had special magical binds on his arms that were removed. They were…linked to you…your relationship, more specifically."

"I-I don't understand…" Perplexity filled her eyes as the refilling finished on his arms and he stepped toward her again. "What do you mean they were linked to me and our relationship?"

"Tell her, Dad. Don't make the same mistake twice."

"Claira, take a hike." Mark didn't need his kid here giving him pointers when he had JUST LITERALLY said virtually the same thing about communication and all that. When she didn't, he waved a hand. To everyone else, it probably looked like she was just walking stiffly. He was making her leave.

"Dad, not cool!"

"Anyway," He waited until she was back in the house, rolling his eyes. "I told you, I was committed magically to you, darlin'. These…" Mark began tracing the familiar lines. "Grew, as it were, during our relationship, binding me to you. When we had Claira…" He pointed. "This one came on… and it just kept branching. I was tied to you, and to her. In ways I wouldn't know how to begin to describe…" He smiled slightly. "But, I will try."

When Mark said he was Bound to her, he really meant it. She thought he'd been speaking metaphorically, but here was the proof before her very eyes. Brooklynn wanted him tied to her in all ways, bound to her, and he was all along without her realizing it. How could she not notice these growing on his skin? Was she really that blind?

"You don't have to." Her hands slid down his arms to rest right over the fading scars, squeezing gently. "I love you. I never stopped, and I never will." Reaching up on her tiptoes, Brooklynn hugged him tightly around the neck. "I'm so sorry…" She didn't know anything about these magical binds he had during their 17-year relationship, including one that was special for Claira.

"Well, Lynn," Mark's face was buried in the crook of her neck. "We screwed up. Nobody knows me better, and nobody knows you better… so how'd we mess this up so badly?" He felt her head pulling away and reached out to grasp the back of her neck, bending down to brush his lips against hers again. "We can do it over, darlin'."

"Stop spying, Claira!" Dean was going to bust a rib, laughing at her, she couldn't stop trying to eavesdrop.

"Starting over sounds perfect." She smiled for the first time in over a year genuinely, stroking his face with her hand and felt his forehead rest against hers. "I need to go to the apartment and grab some clothes. Come with me. We can talk more, and we'll have privacy since our daughter refuses to stop spying on us."

"Mom!"

Brooklynn's eyes never left his, his hand still on the back of her neck to keep her close and rubbed their noses together gently. "What do you say, Deadman?" She smirked, it'd been a while since she called him that and the flash of acid in his eyes before turning back to emerald green lit her body on fire all over again.

"Sounds good. Claira, since you're snooping, you want me to leave the truck?" Since she hadn't driven today.

"I'll get her home, Mr. Calaway." Dean was snooping too, mostly because his girlfriend was being very girly and he was trying to keep her from running out there again.

"I'll follow you, Lynn." Maybe he'd convince her to just load everything up. Probably not… but, she wasn't leaving and that was a start.

"Don't fuck this up again, Brooklynn. You love him, and he loves you. No more doubts, no more second-guessing, no more fighting and arguing about stupid shit." She gave herself a pep-talk on the way to the apartment, still trying to learn how to breathe again from the man's touch and kisses.

Would it ever get old? Would he always steal her breath away like that? Would their passion burn eternally for each other? Hell, it had for the past year, that much was obvious…since she left and broke his heart.

"I love him. Fuck, why am I so nervous?" Pulling up to the apartment building, Brooklynn cut the ignition to her car and stepped out, jumping when Mark appeared right beside her. "Okay, you know I'm not getting any younger, right? You're gonna give me a heart attack doing that one of these days." She nudged him playfully and unlocked the door to her apartment, which was on the lower level.