Chapter 71
Dean was not overly amused when he got a lock of his curly hair yanked out followed by a sucking feeling pulling him through the door. "What the flying frick was that?"
"Wards, idiot boy. Do your parents know you're out?" Mark demanded, shutting the door behind them as he ushered Dean into the living room. Why the hell was he out wandering around? His eyes narrowed at Claira and then back to Dean.
Claira was not amused either, folding her arms in front of her chest. "That is an EXCELLENT question, Dad. I'm wondering the same thing. What the hell are you doing here, Dean?" He was supposed to be in his protected home, SAFE, not risking his neck to come see her!
Dean looked sheepish, shoving his hands in the front pockets of his jean shorts and cleared his throat at the three pairs of eyes on him. Brooklynn had also come in from outside. "I wanted to see you. I wanna know why you haven't been able to leave your house and what's going on. Roman's dead and you're all I have left, Claira." He placed his hands on her shoulders, blue eyes pleading with her to understand. "I also came here to ask your parents' permission on something."
"What do you need, Dean?" Brooklynn asked softly, sitting on the armrest of the couch.
"I know there's something big going on here, but Roman's funeral is tomorrow and I really want Claira to go with me. I…need her support, please don't say no."
Brooklynn frowned, knowing her daughter wanted to pay respects and send condolences to the family, but leaving the house was extremely dangerous right now. "I don't think…"
Claira suddenly had an idea. "Why don't you both come with us? We don't know the Reigns' family well, but the Ambrose's will be there and you can protect us that way, Dad. Please?"
"Yeah pops, please?"
Mark folded his arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow down at his daughter. At least she had the sense to look away, a hint of color fusing her cheeks. "Lil Darlin', all those people out back came here because of you. Not happening."
Ouch, Claira thought unhappily, not that he was wrong.
"Why does Claira need protection? Are you worried whoever killed Roman is coming after her?"
"That's…hard to explain. Mark, can I talk to you for a second? You kids stay here." Brooklynn ordered, taking Mark's hand and guided him into the kitchen, pressing her finger to his lips before he could speak. "Hear me out first, okay? Claira is feeling extremely guilty right now for what happened to Roman. You know it and I know it, she's not going into this battle with a clear head and we've GOT to have her clear. Maybe we should go to this funeral and pay our respects. We won't be long, and Mickie is here to protect the house and wards. I know this isn't the best time to do this, but…Dean needs Claira right now. You can curse my bleeding heart if you want, but that boy died because of our daughter, because Seth needed someone to use against her. The LEAST we can do is go say goodbye the proper way and give Claira the closure I know she needs with this." Crossing a spirit over wasn't enough closure sometimes. "Please do this for me, if not for Claira or Dean."
His eyes turned acid, narrowing to slits before finally giving her a curt nod. Emotional. All of them. Bleeding hearts were going to get them killed. If something at that funeral happened, Mark knew well he wouldn't be protecting a ton of people, if push came to shove. He'd be guarding his own family first.
"Tell them and send him home." He felt bad for Dean and Claira, but after what their daughter had done, putting herself and potentially the rest of the world in danger… Mark wasn't feeling overly gracious. "And if I were you, I'd remind her not to tell him about Seth murdering Roman." They did not need another teenager making stupid choices right now.
"And if I were you, I'd remember what YOU did to cause all of this shit in the first place and stop putting all the blame on her." Brooklynn snapped, anger flaring in her eyes at his heartless words and shoved past him, shaking her head in disappointment. "We'll go to the funeral tomorrow. Dean, you can stay for an hour and then you really need to go home. It's late and you can't stay the night. But you two can have an hour together. I'm going to bed, good night you two."
She kissed her daughter's head, hearing her mumble 'night' and headed upstairs with Claira and Dean behind her to go to her room. Shedding her clothes, Brooklynn padded into the bathroom and started the shower sprays, stepping under them a minute later. Things couldn't always be wine and roses with Mark. Rolling his eyes, Mark returned outside, nodding to Claira and Dean. Curse her bleeding heart was apparently a warning, not an invitation. Old him would have gone to kiss her beautiful backside, merged Mark had no fucks to give because there was now a lovely balance. If they wanted to keep waltzing into stupid situations, after not learning from old Mark's issues, he was going to laugh while protecting them.
One thing about Mark was he never understood the emotional part of her gift, her and Claira's gift. Claira had helped cross a spirit over that was her friend, her boyfriend's best friend. It wasn't just some random stranger, it was a young man, whose life was cut short because of their daughter's estranged ex. Mark had always been more practical, though now that he was merged, she realized he was slightly colder too. The warmth he once had was long gone and it would take time for her to get used to it. Brooklynn didn't want him kissing her backside; she just wanted him to stop putting all the blame on Claira because it wasn't fair. He had started all of this over a year ago when Undertaker made that deal with the devil's offspring in the first place.
Nope, he felt no guilt whatsoever or anything else related to what Taker had done pre-merger. Nor was Mark taking the blame for Claira's blood oath to let Nemesis free, that was all on her. He loved his daughter, but she knew better. It had taken a while to reconcile those memories as him, from both sides, but that was also one of the many reasons for the merger. He had cut a deal to get out, he hadn't cut a deal to release Nemesis, that was all his daughter, who was determined to repeat the mistakes her parents had recently made.
"What?"
"I can't sleep. It's too damn hot here." Glenn hated Texas, not enough trees or mountains to his liking.
The following day, Brooklynn was up before Mark, who had crawled into bed with her sometime during the night. He didn't touch her, just rolled on his side facing away from her and slept. They hadn't fought since reconciling; maybe they weren't on the same page after all. She sighed, pushing those thoughts in the back of her mind and walked out of the bathroom, wearing black undergarments. Her silver hair was slicked back in a tight neat bun, a few tendrils hanging down the sides of her face. Slipping into her black dress, it was short-sleeved and simple, going to her knees and flared out just a tad.
The wake was from 12-8 PM and tomorrow would be the burial, which Mark made clear they wouldn't be attending. The wake would be enough for Claira to be able to say goodbye. It was going on 2 PM as she fastened silver hoops in her ears and matching bangles on her wrist, not slipping her heels on yet. Her makeup was a thin black liner, foundation, and gloss, nothing over the top. Black slacks and a long-sleeved, gray dress shirt, hair pulled back. That was about all he was doing. Mark knew the Reigns', he doubted they'd care if someone showed up in a potato sack. They were probably still out of their minds with grief.
"Do you want me to change your hair back for this?" He asked, studying her thoughtfully. Silver hair, it was going to attract attention. Was it wrong to think she was beautiful? On the day she was dressing for a funeral?
"No thanks, I like the silver."
Brooklynn didn't care if she did attract attention, honestly. If people wanted to talk about her appearance, so be it. Black didn't suit her anymore. Her hair had been turning silver anyway, so when Mark completely changed it, Brooklynn loved it. She bent down to grab her heels and slipped them on, strapping them up around the ankle while sitting on the bed. As handsome as Mark was, Brooklynn refused to focus on that right now and stood up to head out of the bedroom to check on Claira, tapping on her door.
"You almost ready to go, sweetheart? We need to get moving."
"Be down in a minute, Mom!"
Mark hesitated when he heard an additional voice in Claira's room and pushed the door open. He folded his arms over his chest, watching his daughter try to help Dean Ambrose with a tie. His tie to be exact. He rarely wore the damn thing… and now that he thought about it, those were his clothes… but… smaller. Magic. The little… Witch. He cleared his throat loudly.
"JESUS CHRIST, POPS!" Dean jumped and then regretted it, his face going bright red as that tie started strangling him. He held perfectly still when Mark was suddenly right there, fixing the tie, and he was pretty sure Mark was going to strangle him.
He was considering it, actually. "When did you get here, son?"
Claira was shaking her head no from behind her Dad's back.
Well… no, he wasn't going to be a chickenshit and lie because then he'd never have Mark's respect back. "I um, never left." Dean groaned when the knot was dangerously tight suddenly.
Growling, Mark walked out of the room and decided they'd deal with this later, AFTER the wake.
"CLAIRA BETH CALAWAY!"
No, they would NOT deal with this later! Mark had very smarmily informed her what their daughter and Dean had done, which went against her wishes. Brooklynn stalked up the stairs past Mark and threw open her daughter's door, hardened gold eyes staring at her daughter and Dean, who REFUSED to meet her eyes.
"So, this is the thanks I get for sticking up for you?! I TOLD YOU ONE HOUR! I told you he wasn't allowed to stay the night here!"
"But…"
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH RIGHT NOW, YOUNG LADY!"
Claira swallowed hard, immediately clamping her mouth shut and couldn't remember ever seeing her mother THIS angry in her life.
"I stuck up for you! I went against your father's wishes and this is how you repay me?! You are GROUNDED! We're going to this wake and then you will not be seeing Dean for a MONTH!" Providing they survived what she caused in the first place! "I can't believe you, Claira! This is beyond disrespectful and you should've known better, Dean."
"Y-Yes ma'am…"
"The two of you get downstairs NOW. We're leaving NOW, we're staying ONE hour like I told the two of you, and then you're coming back home, Claira Beth!"
Brooklynn had to walk out of the room after blowing her stack and blew out a very large breath, gritting her teeth to the point of gnashing. Never again would she go against Mark's wishes to help her daughter. Claira had burnt THAT bridge and it would take a while to regain her trust. Dean and Claira both trudged down the stairs with their heads lowered, not daring to hold hands for fear of her mother going off again.
"Out. The. Door. NOW." Brooklynn pointed to the front door, watching them practically scurry by and stalked after them, the anger radiating off her in waves.
NOBODY said a WORD, not even Mark.
He didn't have to. That was probably one of the best things to happen with the merging for him. Taker had been calculating and logical while Mark had thought more with his heart. He had the ability to focus on the facts, be rational, logical and cold about them. If it was bad, the emotional thing kept him from doing irrational, dangerous things. He followed them all out the door, inwardly rolling his eyes. Of all the days to do this… this was not the day.
"Mom, I'm sorry."
Silence.
"Mom, I'm sorry!"
Silence.
"Mom, it's really obnoxious to give me the silent treatment! We didn't do anything except talk and go to sleep!"
Silence.
Claira knew better than to ask for her father's help and bit her bottom lip, knowing having Dean stay over had been a mistake.
Once they arrived at the funeral home, Brooklynn stepped out before anyone else and waited for Mark and Claira before walking inside. She didn't care if Claira's feelings were hurt right now, so were hers. First the Seth incident with the blood oath and now blatantly defying her parents by letting her boyfriend sleep over in THEIR house! Brooklynn would play Mom here at the wake, but once they were home, she wanted NOTHING to do with Claira for a while.
Brooklynn hadn't been back home very long and already Claira was pushing buttons. He figured this should probably be the time to be lenient, but after what she had done, knowing better… on top of being a sort of grown ass woman… Claira knew better. This wasn't the time for her to be thinking imprudent. They had enough on their plate without her openly breaking house rules. Mark took over, looping his arm through Brooklynn's, Dean and Claira falling behind them. He spotted the Ambrose's ahead in the line to speak with the Reigns' and moved his little family to the end of it, inhaling.
Later that night, Brooklynn would apologize to him for snapping when Claira had zero respect for anything that was said or ordered. She'd always had a problem with authority, her parents included. For now, all Brooklynn could do was squeeze his arm gently to let him know she wasn't angry with him anymore. She shouldn't have been angry with him in the first place. The Ambrose's walked away with Dean in tow and Dean's mother did NOT look happy. Neither did his father. Their boy had snuck out apparently to come to see Claira – damn kids. Brooklynn paid her respects to the Reigns family, shaking their hand since she didn't know them well enough for hugs and went on her way to say her goodbyes to Roman.