Chapter 76

Mark called Brooklynn to let her know that he had both girls and was bringing them home safely. He imagined Mickie and John were already on their way again, to get their daughter, not that he blamed them. This idea had been borne out of wanting to save his own kid.

"Besides taking your magic, Mila, what else happened?" He asked quietly, once off the phone.

Milayna remained quiet for a little while and finally broke the silence, wiping her tears away with bruised, bloody knuckles. "His…Familiar…she's the one who kept me in line and…broke me, like he said. He said he couldn't lay a hand on me because of a blood oath he made, but…there were ways around it to get me to cooperate. I fought so hard when he siphoned my magic and it nearly killed me…" If she was to die, she wouldn't go without a fight at least. There was no sexual assault, just physical by his female Familiar, thankfully. "Thank you…I owe you and Claira my life, Mr. Calaway…"

"You're family, darlin'." Mark's tone conveyed that, meaning it.

Every time he had mentioned 'going around', he was shot down because it would violate the blood oath, but Seth was able to do it. Again. Playing on the side of right sucked. It was like being surrounded by giant pussies, who were too busy playing the 'what if' game. Soon enough, they were home and he slung Claira over his shoulder, once out of the vehicle, wrapping an arm around Mila to support her as she began limping towards the house.

Brooklynn was on her feet instantly as soon as Mark walked in with Claira over his shoulder and a limping, hurt Milayna. "Oh god…"

She rushed to the girl, taking over and guided her slowly to the couch, sitting her down. Her hiss did not fall on deaf ears and Brooklynn could only imagine the damage Seth did. The blood oath…how could he hurt her? Then, she thought back to Jennifer, his Familiar, and her blood began boiling at the loophole that asshole used.

"It's okay, Mila, it's alright sweetheart…we're gonna get you fixed up."

"Mom and Dad…"

"They're on their way."

She cracked a painful smile and nodded, leaning back against the couch. "Okay…"

When the girl passed out, Brooklynn, Trish and Beth cleaned her up the best they could and treated her injuries, which were mostly bruises and small lacerations. Once she was done, Brooklynn headed upstairs to check on her own daughter and sat on the bed beside her, stroking her cheek with the back of her hand. Silent tears poured down her cheeks as her daughter breathed in and out evenly, her heartbeat steady. Besides a bruise on the side of her head, she was perfectly fine and healthy, which made the guilt eat away at Brooklynn. Milayna had been hurt because of her family…her daughter…and she could only hope Mickie and John forgave them when all of this was said and done.

"How bad was it?" Melina asked, once Mark trudged into the kitchen. He looked pale beneath that tan of his, his eyes were tired. She bet that hadn't been fun, at all.

"Bad." He watched as she began mixing something at the counter, cocking an eyebrow when what looked like some tequila based drink was set in front of him. "What the hell?"

"Trust me, you'll like it. It's old, and aged perfectly…" She made herself one as well. "How powerful is he?"

"Killing him," Mark took a cautious sip. "is going to be a chore."

Glen and Steve were back in the early morning hours with the bone in hand, both dirty from head to toe. He set the bone down on the kitchen table, which was wrapped up in a cloth. Luckily, bones didn't deteriorate and they were able to find one big enough out of the grave to fashion into a dagger. Trish hugged Steve tightly, having stayed up to make sure he made it back safely. She'd been worried sick about him and Glen, glad both had made it back unscathed and undetected. Mark's charms worked perfectly and they were in and out without any issues.

"Are you okay?" Trish cupped her husband's face in her hands, kissing him as soon as he nodded and rested her forehead against his. "Thank god…"

"I'm always okay, honey. You should know that." Steve chuckled hoarsely, rubbing her back and tried to calm her down the best way he knew how. "Come on, time for a shower and then sleep."

"Did they make it back with Milayna?"

Trish nodded with a tearful frown, quietly explaining Milayna's condition.

"That mother fucker…" Steve hissed angrily, already knowing what kind of 'loophole' he had used because he read his wife's mind.

"That is disgusting and, if Brooklynn finds out you put it on her kitchen table, she will disembowel you." Mark groaned, spotting the wrapped up bone, sneaking a peek, once he had come downstairs. He hadn't slept all that well, he had been on tenterhooks. Hearing the guys coming in… they looked just as disgusting as that bone. "Any problems getting it?"

Steve immediately snatched it off the table with wide eyes, wondering if Brooklynn would actually do that. She WAS with the evilest man in the world…and Steve knew better than to think otherwise. Mark wasn't Mark anymore; he had merged, so both his good and evil sides were one. Sure, he may have acted like Mark, but Steve saw Taker seeping through the cracks more and more the longer he was around. Others in the circle noticed it too, but thankfully, he remained cordial and friendly with a hint of sarcasm mixed in. He was still their friend, their family, but Steve was a lot more cautious around Mark nowadays.

Hell, Glen thought it was great Mark had merged with Taker because the man never looked better and looked to be at peace for the first time in his life.

Brooklynn hadn't come to bed with Mark; she was sleeping next to Claira, watching over her to make sure she was alright, after crying herself to sleep.

Mark was aware Steve was cautious around him and he didn't overly care. One of the benefits of merging was that he had less of a conscience these days, especially for spineless husbands who cowed to everything from their woman. He preferred being on equal terms with his woman and not a second class citizen.

"Lynn is bunking with Claira, Mila hasn't woken up since the women tended to her." John and Mickie would be here within hours. "Coffee?"

"I'm going to borrow your shower first… after I uh, put this in the garage." Luckily, there were two bathrooms in the house, so Steve and Trish took one while Glen went to the other, both really needing to get the dirt and muck off them.

Trish wouldn't leave her husband's side, not after spending countless hours worrying about him. She wanted to shower with him and fall asleep in his arms for a few hours before having to get up to deal with the aftermath of what Claira and Mark had done with Seth.

"Where is she?!" Mickie was frantic as she burst through the front door a little after 10 AM, immediately spotting Milayna on the couch and rushed to her side. "Mila…" She dropped to her knees, taking her bruised hand gently and began sobbing, her mother's heart breaking at the sight of her daughter.

John couldn't believe the damage Seth had done to his daughter, feeling the anger cresting inside of him. "What the fuck? I thought the blood oath stopped him from hurting people!" He couldn't help shouting, gritting his teeth and felt Mickie take his hand with her free one.

"Loophole. The bastard used his Familiar, Jennifer, to do the damage." Randy had touched Milayna, wanting to know for his own peace of mind what exactly happened to her. "No rape or sexual assault of any kind happened, just so you both know."

Mickie shut her eyes, relief flooding through her as she began saying a spell, clutching her daughter's hand over her heart. Soon, the wounds began to slowly heal and her body as well as Milayna's began to glow white.

"Shit!" Randy shielded his eyes, already knowing what Mickie was doing and hoped Mark stayed in the kitchen or else he'd be temporarily blinded.

Mark was busy making coffee and he could feel what Mickie was doing because that amount of light magic seeped into the kitchen. He felt a very weird burning sensation against his bare back and the back of his head, scowling. If any of his hair had just gotten singed, he was going to choke her out. Once the glare faded and he no longer heard the undercurrent hum of her magic, he turned to look out, smiling at the sight of Mila looking healthy and unharmed.

Slowly, her eyes opened as Milayna looked into her mother's face and tears instantly filled her eyes. "Mom?" Her voice was no longer weak and she was completely in the clear, not a scratch on her, thanks to Mickie's magic.

"Yeah sweet girl, it's me. It's Momma…" Mickie murmured, breathing a sigh of relief the spell worked. "Just rest, Mila, I don't want you moving from this couch. I'll get you something to eat, okay?"

"No, you are resting too, baby girl." John lifted Mickie up to place her next to Milayna since the couch was huge. Mark needed large furniture due to his size. "I'll get you both something to eat. Stay put." He ordered, kissing each of their heads and walked into the kitchen to get started on feeding his girls.

Given the hour and not everyone was up yet… surprisingly, all things considered, Mark wasn't about to fire up the kitchen. He also didn't trust John to not blow up the house operating the microwave, at the best of times, however, something about the other man's eyes made him rethink that this morning. Pulling out leftovers from the meals Melina and Brooklynn had been making, Mark set everything out so John could have his pick. He was going to go check on his own woman and daughter.

Twelve hours later, Claira finally woke up and groaned, gaining her mother's attention instantly. "M-Mom…" Her voice was incredibly weak and her throat felt like a desert, making it hard for her to talk to begin with. "W-Water…"

Brooklynn stumbled to her feet, waking out of a dead sleep and managed to make it to the bathroom, filling the glass up. She had slept on and off throughout the 12 hours Claira was out cold, not leaving her side for a second. Mark tried getting her to step outside for fresh air, but she refused to leave her child's side. He finally gave up and left her alone, letting her do what she wanted. Walking out of the bathroom, Brooklynn handed the water to her daughter and watched her slowly sip it, wishing she had powers like Mickie to rejuvenate Claira.

As if reading her mind, Mickie bounced right the Hell into that bedroom, a smile on her face. "Mark's been monitoring you guys with Sonya." She explained, when she got a curious look from them both. Sonya had been pacing the house, waiting for her Mistress to wake up, and had come barking the moment Claira had woken. "All right sweetie, let's get you fixed up." She glanced behind her to make sure Mark wasn't anywhere nearby or his hair was going to wind up getting singed again. That was her bad, not like he hadn't been able to immediately repair it though.

"Wait, that's Sonya…I thought my magic…"

"You didn't lose all of your magic, but it will take time to recover. What I'm about to do will help you, just like Milayna." Mickie grinned, very spritely this morning now that her daughter was out of that monster's grasp. "Just close your eyes, this won't hurt a bit."

Brooklynn decided to give them some privacy, after kissing Claira's forehead and went downstairs to grab something to eat, her stomach gurgling painfully. She hadn't eaten much in the past 24 hours due to everything that happened. Mark was in the kitchen, staying the hell away from Mickie and her light magic as Brooklynn walked inside, cracking a small smile at him when his eyes met hers.

"Mickie is helping Claira, so I figured I'd come make us something to eat. Did everyone eat?"

"Yes…. Glen, Trish and Steve are all asleep. They ate when they got back and then were up for a fair few hours." She had slept quite a long time. He had expected Claira too, having her magic drained would do that, but… he hadn't been expecting Brooklynn to do so as well. "Darlin', sit down." Mark ordered with a slight grin. "Want a meal or something light, Lynn?" He felt like he had been in this kitchen for hours, which wasn't true. Mark had also been out in the garage with John and Randy, working on fashioning that bone into a dagger.

"Something light is fine. Mark, you don't have to…" He pressed a finger to her lips before she could finish the statement and sighed softly, leaning her chin on her hand. "I'm sorry if I snapped on you while Claira was out. You know I love you, right? I just…I couldn't leave her side, not until I knew she was okay." Brooklynn hadn't slept the entire 12 hours. It was on and off, too worried to get at least 8 hours of sleep completely. "I just can't wait for this shit to be over with, so we can finally get on with our lives and be happy again…"

"Same." He was hoping that day was coming, the countdown was on for sure. "Even with Claira's magic drained severely, we still have a damn good game plan."

Mark was foreseeing some trouble with it, though. Finding Amelia's bones had been a stroke of luck and a bit of a downer at the same time. Now they WOULD have to find a way to take out Seth, once the terms of the blood oath had been fulfilled. Seth plus Nemesis… maybe he could make two daggers.

Brooklynn took two bites out of her salad and started crying, burying her face in her hands, hating how much pain everyone was in. All because of Seth and Nemesis. That poor boy had been corrupted by his father and now they had to kill him. There was no choice anymore.

"Why does it always have to end up being us? Why is it constantly our responsibility to save the world and protect the balance? I don't…I don't wanna do it anymore. I just want to live the rest of my life happily with you and Claira." As soon as Mark dropped to his knee in front of her, Brooklynn tossed her arms around him and clung for dear life, burying her face in his neck.

"Darlin', it's always going to be us," Very likely, their child as well. It would not surprise him at all if, down the road, others like Claira and Milayna popped up, banding together, much like they had done. "We have the ability to stop this sort of thing, and that's rare, Lynn." Gently, he pulled her face out of his neck, cradling her chin in his hands, green eyes searching her face intently. "Once this is over, we'll do it, we'll live without this." As much as her ability would let her anyway.

"I was an idiot, Mark. I was such an idiot for walking away, for not trusting you, for letting my fear overtake everything else. For lying to you and not being honest with you about how I felt. I created the problems we had because I couldn't open my mouth and tell you the truth. I lost you for over a year because of my stupidity and stubbornness. I lost a year with our daughter too. And it took me over a year to finally get my head out of my ass and tell you I still love you. We've only been back together for 2 weeks and…it's not enough for me." Her voice broke as her hands clutched his bare chest and slid up to grip his shoulders, memorizing every contour of his body to sear it to her memory. "I swore to you I would be honest with you from here on out, so here's how I'm really feeling. My greatest fear in life is losing you again. I can't lose you…not when I just got you back. And I'm scared that's exactly what's going to happen…because if this plan doesn't work with the bone dagger, we're fucked and we're dead."

When they had learned what Claira had done, this deal of hers, the possibilities had all gone through his head. There was a very big chance they would be forced to kill their own daughter to save everyone else. Well, now that was a non-issue, it was just them all surviving.

"We'll make it, Lynn." He soothed, figuring once this was all over, they'd be able to actually have more than a few stolen moments to try sorting things out. "We're going to send them both packing, and then go hide on that beach in Mexico."

The deadline, the full moon, was 2 days away. If they were dying, Brooklynn would waste another minute. Life was too short and they're lives could all end if this plan failed. Capturing his mouth in hers, Brooklynn poured every ounce of feeling into it, holding his face in her soft hands.

"Take me somewhere we can be alone."

A house full of people or not, Brooklynn didn't care and clung to him as he proceeded to take her outside near the roses. Nobody would come out here since it was late and almost everyone was sleeping already. Mark sat down, letting her guide him to lie back in the grass and the smell of the roses infiltrated her senses. Removing her top, Brooklynn leaned over to capture his mouth again, her jean shorts rubbing against his skintight jeans. Making love outside by the roses was the perfect way to get their mind off things and Mark put up a sound barrier, so nobody would come running at Brooklynn's screams.

Maybe if they did by chance wind up dying, they could be laid to rest out here, beneath the roses. Using magic, he and Claira had wound them up an arbor, enhancing their natural bloom. Just enough to ward off potential diseases so they would always grow healthy. Nobody would hear or see them and, once his clothes were off, he returned the favor, divesting Brooklynn of hers.