The officer escorted Flynn and Marie back to Skylar's home, where she was clinging tight to her infant daughter. Holly had been found at a fire station, and after medical evaluation, had promptly been returned to her mother.
Marie's eyes met her sister's; neither knew just what to say at that moment. In the blink of an eye, the lives of both families were changed, forever, and there was no telling what else fate had in store for them.
"Marie..." a tearful Skylar began. Holly started to call out 'mama' and Skylar attempted to comfort her.
"There is nothing that you can say that will make this right. Not now. Not ever."
"I had no idea...I swear that I had no idea he was capable of anything like this..."
"Oh, you knew," Marie bitterly spat out. "You knew and all this time you've lied. You lied to me, you lied to your son, and for what? To protect that monster you call a husband? Did it ever occur to you that I had a husband to protect, too? Tell me, Skylar, what did Hank do to deserve what happened to him? Your husband's missing, but we both know it's just a matter of time when he's found. What about my husband? He's out there all alone and no one except for Walt knows where he's at. All Hank wanted was justice; what about justice for Hank? Did you ever stop to think about how this would affect anyone but you? No! On the outside you wanted everyone to think you had this picture perfect family trying the best they could to make it in this world. But what were you, really? It was all a lie. Walt never loved you. He only loved himself and to hell with anyone else! You still have a family to protect. You have a wonderful, sensitive son and a beautiful daughter. What do I have? What do I have?"
Skylar nodded tearfully. She knew there really wasn't anything she could say that would even begin to make up for all that Walt had taken from Marie.
She had lost her husband, a long time ago. But Marie was right; she still had her kids. But Marie- what did she have now? For so long Hank had been her world, her protector, her everything. Now what Walt had done had been done, and there was no turning back.
00000
Marie got settled into her hotel room for the night, not sure if she could ever bring herself to go back to the place she called home with her husband. She had known from the beginning that he'd gone into a dangerous profession, but there was something so cruel about his losing his life to one of the people he'd trusted most on earth that she couldn't even begin to wrap her mind around it.
What were his last thoughts? Did he know the end was near? Did he try to call her one last time? Was he afraid, dying god knew where all alone?
This couldn't be real. It just couldn't.
Walt was a liar. Who knew if he was even telling the truth about Hank? Maybe, for some sick reason he knew where Hank was and just decided to lie once again, perhaps to buy him some time on the run.
That was it. Hank was fine, he would be coming home to her. He was probably at home right now waiting for her, wondering where she was at.
She opened the door and told her police escort to take her home. At first he refused, but after seeing how determined she was, he drove her back to the place she'd shared with Hank all those years.
Standing in the doorway, she looked around, praying he would come out from wherever he was hiding. Slowly she took a few steps, examining the place carefully for any trace of her husband.
"Hank?" she called out, meekfully at first, not wanting to believe that any of this was real.
"Hank!" She ran to the bedroom, calling out his name until she grew hoarse.
The garage. He had to be in the garage. So slowly but hopefully she opened the door to the place where Hank spent most of his free time. Beer. Minerals. Boxes upon boxes. He was there; everything in the space screamed out his name. But realization slowly sank in- her husband was never coming home.
Falling to her knees, Marie hit the floor and didn't even care if she got up again. Hank had saved her from herself during some of the most difficult times of her life, and she would never get the chance to thank him for loving her even when she wasn't so lovable.
How she would make it through the night, she had no idea. But for now, she was all alone, and the thought scared her more than anything else in her life ever had.
tbc