Chapter 6

~Three Days Later~

The ocean breeze blew through her hair as Chalice stood on the beach a few days later. Her arms wrapped around herself. The tears sliding down her cheeks freely. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a black tank top that was plain. Nothing special on it. Her heart was broken so she didn't feel the need to add anymore color than her jeans. She would never give them up. They were apart of her and always would be.

The waves crashed on the shore lightly, soothing her a little. She finally walked down as she grabbed a rock from the sand, skipping it in the ocean water. She missed Mark tremendously, but she knew that they weren't meant to be. Fate had thrown her a twisted curve ball, but Chalice was determined to move on with her life. She closed her eyes at the thought of what happened three days prior and allowed the tears to fall continuously.

He watched her from a few feet away, having quietly approached her. It had taken him some time to locate this place. Steve's directions weren't entirely helpful, but his private investigator finally nailed her location. He wore black jeans with a black muscle shirt. His hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with a black bandana tied around his head. Black sunglasses hid his bloodshot eyes and the circles beneath them as he finally couldn't wait anymore. "Chalice?" He softly called out, taking a few steps toward her, but kept his distance.

Her entire body instantly tensed when she heard Mark's voice behind her. Her big blue eyes widened in shock and slowly turned around to face him. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, having not stopped crying for the past three days, and hardly slept. "What are you doing here, Mark?" She asked in a cold voice, her eyes steely. No longer holding the same love and admiration she once had for this man standing before her.

His heart broke at the tone of voice she used, wanting to keep just as cool and distant with her. He also knew that wasn't the way to solve things between them though. One of them had to be make the first step. He knew it would have to be him and he inhaled deeply before putting his heart out on the line. "I'm here for you, darlin'. I want you to come home or at least give me a chance to explain myself." He answered, loud enough for her to hear over the waves.

"Why, so I can become your sloppy seconds again?" She spat back at him hatefully, placing her hands on her hips, and could already feel the tears sliding down her cheeks, but she didn't care. She seemed unbothered by them since she'd grown used to feeling pain and misery over the past three days. "Save it, Mark. I can't believe I trusted you. I can't believe I went against my own BROTHER for you and got you two to be friends again. Must feel good, huh? I hope you two are very fuckin' happy together, you selfish prick! You kept something like that from me because you were still in love with her and don't fuckin' deny it because I know its true! If you didn't want to be with her still, you would've told me that day in the hotel room when you two revealed to me about her in the first fucking place!" Chalice wasn't about to listen to his sob story. Not in the mood for it and didn't want to see him. She wanted him gone, far away so her heart could mend again. If that was at all possible at this point.

"Chalice, do you think it was easy for me to even mention that whore? Steve and I spent a YEAR trying to kill each other over that bitch! She isn't exactly something I really care to think about or even fucking mention." Mark said, trying to keep his voice calm and his temper down. "Yes, you're right, I should've told you and you have no idea how much I regret not doing it! I don't love or want Serena. I want you! I love YOU!"

"Why should I believe you? Why should I believe a single word that comes out of your mouth after what I found out? Were you ever planning on telling me, Mark?" She demanded, her eyes full of fire and rage, mixed with love and confusion. It was a swirl of emotions that were intense as she stared back into his black shaded covered eyes.

"No, I wasn't." He answered honestly, removing his shades so she could see into his own eyes. "I never wanted to tell you about Serena. I didn't want you thinking any less of me, especially after everything I put you and your brother through when we first met."

"How could you keep something like that from me, Mark?" Her voice was heartbroken now, full of pain and anguish as she felt her knees give out on her. The look in his eyes was too much for her to take and handle. "Do you have any idea how much it hurt me to actually hear her say that I was your sloppy seconds? After she revealed to me that you two were engaged?" She asked softly, no hatred whatsoever in her tone, just pain. Raw, brutal pain.

"You're nobody's sloppy seconds." Mark said, kneeling down in front of her, resting his hands on his thighs. He wanted to desperately reach out and pull her into his arms, but he wouldn't be able to deal with the rejection if she pushed him away. So he didn't. "I don't know why I kept it from you. All I can say is I know you have every reason not to, but forgive me. I don't want to lose your love, darlin'. I don't want to lose you."

"Is there anything else I need to know, Mark?" She asked suddenly, looking up into his eyes, their bodies mere inches from each other's and held herself up as she slowly rose to her feet. "There's not a love child or another woman out there carrying your baby right? There's not another woman out there who is still married to you, right? You're not MARRIED to anyone else, RIGHT?" She was trying to think of every single possible scenario in her head as she fired those questions back at him, dead serious.

"No, no, no, and Hell no." Mark shot back. "I don't have any love kids floating out there, no girlfriends, no wives, and no women waiting for me. It's just you and only you, Chalice." He said softly, his voice telling her it was the truth, his eyes mirroring it.

"I swear, as god as my witness as I stand before you right here and now, if you ever, and I do mean EVER, keep something from me again that reaches that magnitude, you WILL lose me and never find me." She stated, knowing it wasn't a threat. It was a promise and she'd keep it if he fucked up again. "You have one more chance. Make it last for the rest of our lives if possible." She whispered that last sentence out and finally dropped her arms at her sides, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Mark did what he wanted to do since he'd seen her. He pulled her into his arms, stroking her back, and buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry, darlin'." He whispered, his voice breaking and cracking. "I'll do my best to make this up to you, Chalice. I won't disappoint you again." He kissed the top of her head, refusing to release her, trying to blink back the tears that stung his eyes.

Chalice melted into his arms, giving into her heart that was screaming at her to hold him tightly, and felt it break at his voice. "Let's just forget about this and move on, Mark. Please, I just want to get married and I don't care how we do it. I don't care, I really don't. We can elope and call Steve, if he even still wants to do it, but I don't want ANYTHING else going wrong!" She started crying, breaking completely down in his arms, and had to grip his shoulders to keep from collapsing.

"Calm down, darlin'. Calm down." Mark soothed, rubbing her back, knowing this had taken a lot out of her. Him as well. "You're going to make yourself sick if you don't calm down, Chalice." He waited a few minutes until she had finally settled down somewhat. "We can elope, not a problem. And you know Steve is going to want to come along. If he misses giving you away, he'd probably go on a rampage."

"He probably hates me after the horrible things I said to him about his best friend." She replied, cracking a small smile up at Mark, who had his eyebrows furrowed together. "I went and visited him after leaving you with that bitch and punched him in the nose and asked him if he was happy for breaking my heart. He defended you tooth and nail, called you his best friend, and proceeded to basically tell me that I was making a huge mistake by walking away from you. I told him that if he loved me, he wouldn't stick up for you and that he'd be on my side, which was selfish on my part. I was so angry and confused. I didn't mean what I said." She started crying again after explaining what happened between her and Steve, clinging to her fiancé for dear life as she coughed out more, groaning. 'Damn it, what's wrong with me?' She thought, shaking herself mentally.

Mark always hated to see her cry and this was no exception. His heart contracted painfully, feeling her hot tears beating down on him, soaking his shirt. "Steve ain't mad at you, darlin'. He's worried that you'll never forgive him." Mark coughed, the conversation he'd had with her brother prior flooding his mind. "Do you want to see him?"

"Yes, I want to see my brother. There's something I need to tell him as well as you." She replied softly, hugging him around the neck tightly, and sniffled a little more. She just hoped her brother didn't hate her or Mark for what she was about to reveal to him and felt herself tremble at the mere thought.

~!~

Steve was standing in the doorway when Mark and Chalice pulled in the driveway several hours later, a grin on his face. He strode out to greet them, pulling his baby sister into a bear hug. "I'm glad ya pulled yer head outta yer ass." He teased, kissing her cheek before pressing his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes that were identical to his. "Still mad at me, Challie girl?"

"No, I'm not mad at you anymore." She whispered back at him softly and took a deep, shaky breath, allowing him to escort her and Mark into his house. She raked a hand through her hair, on edge, and chewed her thumbnail as she wondered how she was going to tell them. Steve was going to blow a gasket and probably take half of the state of Texas with him after this was all said and done. As for Mark, she honestly never talked to him about this and it scared her because she didn't want him walking away from her.

Mark and Steve both seen the look on her face, both taking note of her chewing her thumbnail. Something she did only when she was nervous. Steve guided her to the couch and set her down, dropping next to her while Mark sat in the chair beside the couch, leaning forward to touch her knee. "Challie, what's wrong?" Steve finally asked after a few moments of silence between them.

"Nothing, I need to make dinner for both of you tonight." She announced suddenly, standing up from the couch, and walked into the kitchen, nodding at her plan. She started dragging out pots and pans and preheated the oven while dragging out some food she'd found in her brother's fridge. "Just watch a game or something. Dinner will be ready soon." She called back to them, chewing her thumbnail again, and prayed this went well.

"She's lyin'." Mark whispered, his voice low and confident.

Steve nodded in agreement, reaching for the remote and turned the television on. He flicked it to a channel with some kind of game on it, not really interested in it, just wanting Chalice to think they were listening to what she told them. "I know. What do ya think is goin' on?" He asked his best friend, his blue eyes filling with concern for his sister.

"I don't know." Mark said softly, stroking his chin thoughtfully, and leaned back into the chair, wondering what was bothering her after all the shit they'd already been through in the past almost four days.

After preparing a meal, Chalice closed her eyes tightly shut, taking a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart, and cleared her throat. She carried out two plates, handing one to the other, and bit her bottom lip as she stood before them. On the plates were baby carrots, baby ribs, baby peas, and baby cut cornbread as she raked a hand through her hair. "Don't eat yet. Just stare at the menu for tonight carefully." She instructed nervously.

"What the Hell is this?" Steve asked curiously, trying to figure out whatever it is she wanted them to know, shooting Mark a puzzled look.

Mark was studying his plate intently, finally setting it on the stand next to him, arching an eyebrow at her. "Chalice? We're not that old. You don't need to serve us itty bitty pieces, darlin'." He informed her gently, not wanting to upset her, but he could gobble this meal she'd prepared for them in two seconds.

"Mark, just focus on the damned plate harder!" Chalice snapped, wrapping her arms around herself, and started pacing back and forth in front of them. "There IS a point behind why I'm serving you itty bitty pieces of food tonight in SMALL portions." She emphasized that word small diligently, never stopping her pacing. Mark turned in the chair to stare at his plate as ordered by the love of his life.

"Because you think Mark is an ancient geezer who needs his vittles mashed so he don't hurt his poor teeth?" Steve suggested with a smirk on his face while Mark shot him a glare for his troubles.

Chalice growled, smacking her brother upside his bald head, and pointed to his plate. "Focus!" She ordered in a shout, her voice trembling and shaky, trying to hide it, but it wasn't happening. Her hormones were going insane right now and had been lately as she started pacing again.

"I AM focusin'!" Steve growled back, rubbing his head where she'd smacked him. "Damn woman, go take a chill pill!" He stared down at his plate sullenly, still not understanding what he was looking for.