December 30th

"This is not... going to happen... again..." Marcus struggles to keep his grip on the driver's throat as they both careen through back roads. His hands are cuffed in front of him, a mistake on the part of his captures. They also left the driver open and unguarded. Marcus was running on fumes, and barely able to stay coherent, but he would not allow them to take him hostage again. The driver was resilient, but Marcus was a trapped animal driven feral from his year of survival.

The driver pressed on, not stopping the van despite his pleas for Marcus to relent. Did this man have a death wish? He kept trying to speak, but was cut off every time Marcus wrenched the chain of his cuffs. Marcus leaned forward, tightening his grip with every inch of movement, and caught a glimpse of the driver's eyes through the ski mask. They were blue, a radiant blue. A feeling of familiarity washed over Marcus, and he loosened his grip on the driver's throat. As he slowly let go, he heard a voice that had been lost to him.

"Let go of me, I'm trying to save your ass!"

Marcus fell back to his knees, and a wave of fatigue and confusion washed over him. "...Alex? Why are you... what..." He slumped over and passed out on the cold floor of the van.


January 1st

His vision was blurry, but he sat up regardless. It had been a couple of months since Marcus had any sort of decent sleep. If he was waking up from anything, it meant that someone had probably taken him again. The room was different though. Once his vision cleared he was able to more completely analyze his surroundings. The room was mostly brick, with the exception of the metal door with two locks keeping it secure. The bed was a small cot, with a decadent blood red-colored comforter and a small fat down pillow. The sheets were an unusually high thread count for something to be found on a cot. It was soft and welcoming, but put Marcus at unease.

Along the walls he saw several crates and boxes stacked in groups. On the far wall was a sink and mirror, and Marcus felt thirsty. Knowing full well what his body was going to do, Marcus stood from his cot anyway. A symphony of pops and creaks echoed from his bones and joints. His body was weary and tired, having lost much of the spring in his step from just a couple of months ago.

The mirror, as it seemed, was a horrible judge of character. The age in his face was highlighted by the sickly fluorescent lighting above the sink. The scars on his face, some fresher than others, told the story of his life better than any words could. Marcus barely recognized himself in the mirror. He was the same man, but... different, somehow. If he wanted to, he could use his Metamorphmagus abilities and hide it all. It was tiring to do so at this moment, and Marcus needed what strength he had to escape from his current captures.

Then he smelled it. "Chili..." The familiar scent of chili, a special recipe made in only one place in London. Marcus relaxed, and sat back down on the cot. He rested his face in his hands, then ran his hands through his hair. It was a greasy mess, and much longer than he was used to. Adorned on his face was a very haggard beard, it too was much longer than he was used to.

"Alex," Marcus said to himself, "How the hell did you find me?"

"Good evening, Boss," Elaine said to Alex as he entered the kitchen area of the Burning Pot.  Elaine was a cheerful blonde young woman who had been working at the tavern for a few years now.  Pretty much sense she had been of the age to be able to work at the place legally.  Her personality was the key reason why Alex had hired her.  She was very caring but at the same time was more than capable of standing up for herself.  A strong independant woman...well as far as muggles go.  Alex had a very unique perspective on that whole dynamic that maybe most wizards didn't.

Alex spent his youth working for his adopted father, James Forrester.  His adopted father was actually the owner of several apartment complexes around Britian, with the bigger complexes being in London.  The biggest and the one that Alex lived at was known as the Forrester Terrace Apartments.  He gained control of his adopted father's assets when the man unexpectedly died to do heart complications.  As far as money and well being was concerned, Alex had no need for it.  He could depart the wizarding world without a care in the world and be comfortably supported just on the annual income of the apartment complexes, even after deducting the need of constant repairs and a complete rebuild of one full facility every four years.  Well, if it was needed, but Alex liked to be prepared if the need arose.

Around the time his daughter, Ciarra, was born was when he acquired the building that would become known as The Burning Pot.  The name of the tavern actually came from a short story written by his deceased wife, Ariella.  Within that story the tavern had been known for two things; its alcohol and its chili cheese fries.  So he made that into reality.  Unfortunately Ariella would die before the Burning Pot became financially successful.  Alex, however, gives a full report of the success of the tavern to Ariella's grave every year on the anniversary of her death in august. 

His life in the wizarding world was something far more complex.  Fortunately he was far from alone on this side of the world.  He wasn't really concerned about that at the moment though.  His main focus was getting some food for his long time partner and closest friend, Marcus Annwyl.  Currently his friend was back in the safe room that occasionally acted as a supply room during the taverns busier season.  Right now it was locked and considered off limits to the regular staff.  It hadn't been long since he had finally recovered Alex.

Alex looked over to Elaine, and finally answered her, "I've had quite a long night.  We expecting a busy night?"

"Is that really all you are going to say?" His other waitress, Caroline came walking up.  This young woman had dark brown hair and often came to Elaine's defense...even if it wasn't necessary.  "Elaine was worried you know."

"I'm sorry," Alex shrugged.  "You worry too much.  Claudia usually stops me from doing the really dangerous stuff."

"I don't trust that woman," Caroline muttered.

"Hey now, Caroline.  It's okay," Elaine eased the tension a bit.  "Can you cover the floor for a bit?"

Caroline exchanged glances before she finally nodded and walked off.  Alex wondered what the whole thing was really about.  Still he had been quite busy as of late.  So perhaps they  were probably just upset about his absence.  It wouldn't be the first time.  Recently he had let his new store manager Nathan Hunter manage the day to day operations, mostly because he was very detailed in his reports.  As a matter of fact it was very similar in detail to how Tamis was. 

"What's wrong, Elaine?  Or is Caroline?  Problems with Mr. Hunter?" Alex asked.

"Just worried about you," Elaine said softly.  "You...haven't been yourself lately."

Alex smiled, it would be like Elaine to notice the differences in his behavior.  She was a smart girl.  If Alex had to put it a certain way...she was like the heart of the Burning Pot.  But his employees were muggles and he couldn't get them involved with the wizarding world.  Although he had a strange feeling that Elaine would probably believe him if he told her about the world of magic. 

"Don't worry, Elaine.  Everything is better now.  I finally was able to find my friend," Alex turned as his cook, John Forest, came over with a bowl of chili and placed it on a tray in front of Alex.

"Alright, I know this isn't you because you asked for a mild chili.  Is your friend back there?" John seemed only half interested.

"That's right," Alex chuckled a bit.  "Elaine, grab me a drink, will you?"

Alex put on some saltine crackers and topped the chili with some cheese and put a spoon and napkin on the tray as well.  Elaine came over and put a pitcher of water on the tray along with a single glass.  Alex looked up at Elaine.

"It's for your friend, he's probably thirsty right?" Elaine smiled.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Alex frowned for a moment though.

Elaine laughed and handed him a bottle and a shot glass.  "Only if you promise not to drink too much."  Her hand was still on the bottle.

"Fine, fine, I promise," Alex chuckled a bit and Elaine let go of the bottle.  "I'm not even sure what this place would be without you."

"Let's hope you never have to find out," Elaine winked before disappearing back towards the customers.

"Heh, some things never change, it seems," Alex shook his head before finally picking up the tray and heading further back into the kitchen which led to the storage area and Alex's office.  He headed off to the right and a few feet down was where the entrance to where Marcus was.  Juggling the tray with the food and drink on one hand he flicked his left wrist and his wand came into his hand.  A specific spell was needed to open the door so really only certain individuals could get inside.  Well at the moment only Alex and Claudia knew the spell, but Marcus would easily remember remember it just thinking back to the old days when they were Auror's. 

He opened the door and came inside. 

"Alex, How the hell did you find me?"

"Do not attack me, I bring tidings of drink and food," Alex said clearly referring to Marcus attacking him when he had rescued him.  Alex used his wand to bring a crate over for Marcus to use as a table and gently placed the food down with an expertise that often came when you owned a business like this.  "As for how I found you...well I'll save that for later.  For now chili and enough water to drown in.  Well maybe."

Alex scooped up the bottle and shot glass, "This...this is for me."  He looked around the room for a moment.  Alex had, of course, told Claudia that he found Marcus.  He wasn't sure if he should tell Moira of have Marcus do so.  Well it was all decisions that could take their time to be made.  It wasn't that far into the day...which now they he thought about it, "Oh yeah.  Happy New Year by the way."

Marcus grabbed the glass and pitcher of water and immediately began downing it's contents. It was nice to have fresh water. He then took a bite of the chili, grateful that it wasn't his Five Alarm version. At that moment, it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten. He crushed the crackers in for added crunch, and continued eating without saying a single word. What could he possibly say? What combination of words would be appropriate to sum up the month he was held hostage, and the following month he spent evading capture? There was a lot to think about, and Marcus had to choose his words carefully.

With the last spoonful of chili gone, Marcus wiped his hands and face with the napkin, then took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. "No one can know what happened." If he let the world know what had become of him in the last two months, it would do nothing but paint a target on his back, and the backs of everyone he considered to be family. An investigation would follow, with Aurors working to uncover the mystery, which would keep them from matters in which they would actually be effective. Marcus didn't even know who had him, and he spent a solid month in their presence.

Of course, he didn't need to tell Alex any of that. They've dealt with enough high-profile incidents to know when to use discretion. This would most certainly be one of those times.

His thoughts soon drifted to the love of his life, Moira Randall. Right before he was abducted, they had been fighting. About what, Marcus can't even remember. The last words he said to her, however, were fresh in his mind. He once again buried his face in his hands, this time out of embarrassment and regret. "Moira," Marcus began. "We had a fight before I was taken." Marcus let out a heavy sigh. "I went for a walk to clear my head, and..." Marcus paused to think of the ramifications. "Bloody hell, Alex... the conclusions that she must have drawn from this. She needs to know what happened. I need to see her."

"Moira, huh?" Alex considered the topic for a moment.  There was no reason to avoid the topic.  He popped open the bottle of whiskey and poured himself a shot and quickly downed it.  "Well, I'm not against the idea.  I think she should know too.  But maybe you want to clean up first.  This is just a safe room, but there is a shower in stuff down the hall if you want."

He poured himself another shot but didn't drink it quite yet.  It wasn't like it would be difficult to get ahold of Moira or anything like that.  Alex was simply worried that Marcus would rush too much and not give himself enough time to recover.  He had already kept things tightly secretive, keeping him in his safe house in the back of the Burning Pot was just one of the precautions he was taken.  If needed he could have his contacts spread some false information on Marcus' activities.  As a matter of fact, as much as the rest of the wizarding world was concerned the ex-Minister of Magic had simply been enjoying peace away from politics. 

Alex let out a sigh after a moment looking over Marcus state of being.  He was certainly begining to look better, having significantly more color in his face than he had even just an hour ago.  Except he was clearly malnutritioned, even with just a couple months going by.  He would definitely need some time to recover.  Finally Alex spoke again, "Look, I told Moira that you went missing.  I didn't give her any details.  So she has no idea where you were...or why you were missing.  So to be honest I'm not sure what she thinks.  Well you know the state of things before you left.  I'm not sure how she took it.  I didn't want to worry her because at the time I only had speculations of what had happened to you.  If it makes you feel better I had Claudia check in on her from time to time, so really she would know better than me."

Fortunately the ones responsible wouldn't be able to really trace Alex's involvement.  Although assuming the culprits did their homework they had probably suspected that Alex would come to his friends aid.  But his activities after leaving the Ministry were relatively unknown.  His network of information had grown significantly and quickly and because of that he had been able to cover a significant amount of ground across the entire globe.  With Claudia's help, making new contacts were a lot easier using a few simple tricks.  Well simple tricks that most men easily fall for.  Some of them were quite amusing actually.

Future actions, if they mean to pursue the ones responsible, would have to be careful.  And in the meantime...Marcus wouldn't be able to make any big splash in the public eye.  For the most part it would need to appear that he was simply living his life...while at the same time hiding his movements and activities for the ones that would most likely target him again.  Alex couldn't just observe around Marcus to see if anyone took special notice of his best friend.  For one, Marcus wouldn't appreciate it and the second Alex wouldn't do something like that.  Rather he could start investigating some of the men that were involved in the holding of Marcus.  He had been lucky to take some snapshots of the targets.  That would have to wait though.

A thought suddenly came to him.  "Oh right, I have something of yours."  Alex pulled out a familiar object and placed down on the tray in front of Marcus.  It was Marcus' wand.

His wand. The one thing that would have given him an edge during the ordeal. Or rather, the thing they would have snapped in two the first chance they got. It was a blessing and a curse that Marcus had left his wand and holster in the flat when he went on his evening walk that night. Six-on-one isn't good odds no matter who you are, even if one has seen as much combat as Marcus has in his life. He would have still been overpowered by his captures, it would have just been a matter of how many he was going to send to the hospital along the way.

Marcus took the wand from Alex and felt the ivy embossing that began at the top of the curved grip and faded out as it got to the tip of the wand. The weight was instantly familiar to Marcus. Alex was right though, he did need to clean himself up before seeing Moira. He hadn't had a shower in weeks, and Alex must be putting up with one hell of an odor coming in here to talk to him. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Down the hall, past the employee break room, there was a fully stocked restroom with a shower. It was always kept up with just in case Alex was having a long night and needed to refresh himself. Marcus grabbed one of the fluffy white towels and hung it over the bar, then turned on the hot water. He ran his hand through the water, very much enjoying the brief hint of heat that it gave. When he was satisfied with the temperature, he stripped down and hopped in, letting the sudden rush of water take him to a more peaceful place in his head.

He let the hot water fall for several minutes before lathering up. He could have just used a bit of magic to clean himself up, but there's something renewing about a hot shower. It was comforting, in a way that is seldom possible with anything else. It was this point that Marcus noticed the state of his body. He had been eating here and there during his time away, but he was looking noticeably more gaunt than usual. Not as skinny as he was when he was a student at Hogwarts, but definitely unhealthy just the same.

He turned off the water after what seemed like an eternity, dried off, and stepped out of the tub. A flick of his wand un-fogged the mirror, and Marcus got another glimpse of himself in the mirror. Another flick of his wand animated the shaving tools that Alex had left for him. The scissors made quick work of the beard and hair length, followed by the lathering brush and the straight-blade. It only took a few minutes for the tools to do their work, and then they glided gently back down on the counter when they were completed.

"Better," Marcus said to himself in satisfaction. He then used his special ability to hide the multitude of scars on his face. In the blink of an eye, they were gone. Keeping the concentration up so they remained hidden is something that Marcus had gotten used to doing, but hadn't needed to worry about in a couple of months. It would be something that he would almost have to re-learn.

Alex had a couple of Marcus' spare suits and shoes in the nearby closet. Marcus pulled out a black and blue ensemble, omitting the tie and opting instead to unbutton the collar instead. Predictably, it was looser on him than normal, and he had to cinch the belt a little tighter than he was used to doing. He made his way back to the safe room, removing the familiar locks and wards with a simple wave of his wand. "Okay," Marcus began, giving Alex a look that told him he was right. "I'm cleaned up, and I'm dressed. I want to see Moira."

While Marcus disappeared to have his shower, Alex returned the now empty bowl and pitcher to the kitchen.  He had known that his friend would basically eat every last scrap of what he had brought but he wasn't sure if his friend would still be hungry or not.  Well it was best not to eat too much or he would just make himself sick.  It was best to ease his way back into a regular diet.

Alex sighed and poured himself one more shot of whiskey before corking the bottle.  Elaine popped into the kitchen fro a moment and smiled when she saw him.  He merely held the bottle out to her, "Here.  Take it before I have anymore."

"Hmm," Elaine inspected the contents...probably remembering exactly how much had been in the bottle before.  "Nice job boss...you really didn't have that much."

"Yeah, yeah, roll out the red carpet and the fireworks," Alex shook his head.  "How much longer you on shift, Elaine?"

"A few hours.  Mandy and Kerry are on shift tonight," Elaine informed him. 

"Ah okay, well if I don't see you later then I'll probably see you tomorrow then," Alex said as he turned to return to the safe room to wait for Marcus.

"You leaving, Alex?" Elaine asked.

"Well...most likely," Alex merely shrugged.  "Later, Elaine."

"See ya, Boss," she said as Alex disappeared down the hall once more.  He didn't have to wait very long for Marcus to return.  And looking much more like his old self.

"I'm cleaned up and I'm dressed.  I want to see Moira."

Alex nodded, "Alright then.  But you should probably stay here and wait for me to come back with Moira.  After all...that group could conceivably be watching her.  No need to take too many risks in your short time that you've been back."  Although to be honest Alex hadn't seen any signs or heard of anyone watching or seeking information about Moira's movements.  Though he was wondering what the best way to have this meeting was.  "It'll probably best if I go get her and bring her back here.  Unless you have a different thought."

As far as Marcus knew, there were very few risks involved with walking in public. Most important to consider, Marcus could change his appearance at-will. Marcus had several identities that he had always used back when they were Aurors, and it would be easy enough to just use one of those. Second, if the abduction was politically motivated, then they more than likely weren't targeting anyone else in his life. If they were, they would have taken someone else by now. Moira would have been a prime target for the last couple of months.

The only matter that concerned Marcus was that he really didn't have a place to live anymore. The flat that he called home was on a per-month basis. Without the rent paid, the owner no doubt sold the place off and auctioned any of his belongings. Hopefully, Alex had gotten to the important stuff before everything got sold, such as his old archives. The three file cabinets that Marcus kept in the basement were filled with information about people of interest, pieces of important legislation, and other assorted sensitive documents.

"No, we can meet here. It's neutral ground, somewhere at least vaguely familiar to the both of us. You go do your thing and I'll just..." Marcus looked at the cot and the pitcher of water. "I'll just sit here and pretend like this isn't the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done."

Her shift had been just wrapping up when she saw Alex approaching.  There was a moment of realization before a knot formed in the base of her stomach...whatever news he had was big.  The past few months been difficult, but she had managed to come to terms with the idea that Marcus had left.  They had fought, it got pretty ugly, and then he went for a walk and simply didn't come back.  She hadn't made life easy after her kidnapping, and there was part of her that had never faulted Marcus for finally having enough.

She had gotten used to visits from Claudia and never getting any facts that truly discounted her fears and insecurities.  Recently she was starting to move on.  Jason Marren had taken an interest in her, and she had allowed herself to enjoy the flirtation.  She tried to ignore the guilt she was feeling as she entered the Burning Pot.  She still didn't have all the facts, and she was a bit terrified by the idea of what she might hear from Marcus.

Still in her uniform, hair in a loose braid, she took a breath before entering the safe room.  She had thought this chapter of her life had come to a close.  The beautiful engagement ring he had given her had been packed away with other mementos from their relationship so as not to remind her of the mess she thought she had made of things.  Getting a handle on her nerves she stepped inside, trying to fight back all of the emotions that were swirling around within her.

"Marcus..." she began, her voice soft.  Whatever words she had tried to plan out on the way to the Burning Pot had died on her lips though, and she felt frozen in place watching him.  Still not truly knowing what had happened to him, she found she wasn't sure what to feel or what to do.  All she could do was remind herself to breathe.

He didn't have to say much to Moira.  And while traveling back had been relatively quick...it had still been filled mostly with silence.  He could have explained everything to her but now that Marcus was back it was no longer his place to do so.  And it wasn't until this moment when he actually felt guilty about not explaining what had really been happening.  Should he have done so?  Was he wrong not to tell her?  But Alex was trying to save her from worrying about it...after all Moira had been kidnapped as well shortly before.  So what would happen if she had learned that Marcus had been taken?  What would that have done to her?

Alex had gone in circles in his thoughts until they had arrived back at the Burning Pot.  As he led her back to the safe room where Marcus was waiting he felt himself become very nervous.

"Marcus..."  It was the only word she said and a uncomfortable silence settled in the room for a moment.  Alex decided it was time to make himself scarce.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it then.  I'll be down the hall in my office if you guys need anything.  If you need something to drink or anything just...let me know," Alex gave a nod and then quickly left the room.  There wasn't anything more that he could do.  He had found Marcus...and now he was back.  It was up to Marcus to pick up the peices of his life once more.  Although it looked to him that it might be a long and hard road ahead of him.

Alex excused himself out to go retrieve Moira, leaving Marcus alone once again. The room had quickly fallen deathly quiet, with every sound coming from the dining area a cacophony among the silence. Would she accept him back into her life? How would she handle knowing what had actually happened to him? Would he be forgiven for the things he had said before being abducted? For better or worse, a part of Marcus wanted those questions answered. A part of him didn't care, as long as he got to see her again.

The door creaked open, and Marcus shot straight up from his sitting position. Alex walked through, followed shortly by Moira. How long had it taken him? There were no visible clocks, and Marcus was unaware of the passage of time. "Marcus..." Moira said softly. Her voice was faint, yet so weathered. His heart sank into his stomach, and then immediately lifted itself back up like a roller coaster. Marcus nodded at Alex, a nonverbal thank you.

What could he say? What bandage could he use to fix her broken heart? "Moira..." Marcus began, and then the rest of the words wouldn't come out. He saw that her eyes were starting to well up. Marcus looked down at the floor to regain composure, then met her gaze once again. "Not a day went by where I wasn't thinking about you." Marcus swallowed hard, trying to keep himself in check. "And nothing will ever keep me away again."

Her name echoed from his lips, and she felt her eyes sting with tears.  This was not another dream, this was real.  How many times in the last few months had she encountered a scene like this in her sleep only to wake to an empty room?  However she refused to allow her emotions to overtake her, not yet.  Yes, he was back and he was standing before her, but she was still so confused by what exactly had happened.

"Not a day went by where I wasn't thinking about you.  And nothing will ever keep me away again."

It was a sweet sentiment, but still one that no person in the world could completely guarantee.  She kept the thought to herself though, not feeling it was the appropriate time or place.  The last year had hardened a few more of the soft edges around her heart, made her a little more leery of the words of others.

"Marcus...." she began, trying to keep her voice from shaking, “where have you been exactly?  Alex and Claudia didn’t tell me a thing…just that they were looking for you.  I thought…I mean, that night…that fight we had…”

She trailed off, looking away for a moment.  This was the part that terrified her most, knowing the truth about what had happened to him.  She had doubted her faith in their relationship, in him.  She had written him off and started moving on.  She had started to build a life without him.  If he had been in danger all these months, in need of rescuing, then that meant she had turned her back on someone she had agreed to spend her life with.  She had written him off when he had every intention of sticking with her.  The thought made her stomach churn.

It took everything that Marcus had to not avert his eyes. There was a hardness there he had not seen before, even after she had been kidnapped. It was still very much Moira, but there was something else. Something troubling to Marcus. He wondered, and assumed the truth of the matter, that it was he that did it by not being there. He must have shown what he was thinking on his face, a side effect of Moira being the one person he never had to hide from.

"After our fight, I went for a walk." Marcus paused to take a deep breath. He closed his eyes, visualizing what the news would do to her. He visibly flinched, knowing that in every reality, this would not be received well. "These six guys came out from nowhere, most likely some kind of veil." Marcus was still locked to her gaze, but it was clear his mind was recalling the last night he saw her.

"I left my wand in the flat. Didn't think I'd need it." Marcus' jaw clenched, holding back a torrent of emotion. "They ambushed me, I didn't have enough time to react. When I came to, I was in a room with nothing more than a dirty mattress. They had a field up, preventing what little wandless magic that I knew. The men were speaking a language I didn't understand. Russian, from the sound of it. I was held captive for about a month, I think. I never saw a clock or calendar, so I could never be too sure. Sometimes they would take me to another room for interrogation. Some days..."

Marcus held his tongue. She didn't need to know details. Not because he didn't trust her, but for the same reason why Moira never went into details when she had been kidnapped. If he knew the extent of her capture, he would have... been less diplomatic about the situation. So he cut his sentence off, hoping she wouldn't press further. "I spent the next month after that trying to make my way back to London. I couldn't risk showing my true identity. I didn't know who took me, and I couldn't risk it if it had been politically-motivated. Or even one of the other Ministries."

"I had stolen a passport, taken an identity, and made my way to the airport. They found me again, took me through the service areas to a van waiting in the back. If I had been at a hundred percent, it wouldn't have been so easy the second time." Marcus clenched his jaw gritted his teeth, angry that he allowed himself to become the victim a second time. "Alex was waiting for me in the driver's seat, and he took me the rest of the way back here to London. He saved my life."

It was perhaps in the moment that she saw Alex approaching at the hospital that Moira had known deep down that she had been so terribly wrong.  As Marcus spoke it was all confirmed, every fear that had entered her mind on the short trip to the Burning Pot.  Yes, they had fought that night, but she had never once thought him the sort of man that would just leave without a word...that was until she had given into weakness and insecurity.

She had been far from innocent the night of the argument.  She had her share of regrets over the things she had said to him before he went for that walk.  If there hadn't been so many other times that she felt like she had said all the wrong things...things that she didn't mean but were spoke in the heat of the moment, then perhaps she wouldn't be believed that he had simply left her quite so easily.  Maybe the voice of doubt that had echoed through her mind in the days that followed wouldn't have won.  She couldn't go back and change that though, and instead she listened, trying to will away the ache in her chest as she realized just how wrong she had been for the last few months.

"Alex was waiting for me in the driver's seat, and he took me the rest of the way back here to London. He saved my life."

She would wrestle with the conflict she felt over Alex’s actions another day.  At the moment she was thankful to him that he had not given up on finding Marcus and she chose to hold on to that for the time being.  The feelings of anger and resentment that he had never provided her with any information that might disprove her false assumptions could be buried for now.  She was relatively certain he had acted in a way that he thought would keep her safe, but he had also taken away her ability to make the proper decision regarding her life.  Alex had left her feeling like an outside instead of the woman who agreed to share her life with his best friend.

“That night, when you disappeared...” she began, trying to find the right words, “I thought you had just left.  I’m not so blind that I can’t look back and see the things I did to cause the arguments...I got to a point where I was so disgusted with myself...with my inability to just get myself back to a healthy frame of mind after everything that happened...I thought that perhaps I had finally pushed too hard.”

She took an unconscious step towards him as she continued, “I shouldn’t have doubted you, but I wasn’t given even the slightest bit of proof that my fears weren’t reality.  I’m sorry...this is not the welcome home you deserve after everything you went through.”

Her mind was filled with nothing but confusion.  Just when she thought she had her life put back together, there was an unexpected twist.  She knew she still loved him, those feelings had not gone away no matter how much she had wished they would during the months he was gone.  There were things she had done though in an attempt to reclaim her life and no longer be a slave to all that had gone wrong in the last year instead of waiting for him to be found.

“I’ve started to rebuild my life...and that meant doing it without you,” she said softly, looking down, not able to look at him as she spoke the words.  “I thought I had lost you...I never stopped caring about you, but I had to move forward.  I was such an idiot...I don’t know if I will ever forgive myself for that.”

Taking a shaky breath she forced herself to look up at him again and added, “Seeing you again wasn’t something I planned on...I allowed myself to hope for it at first, but it got too painful as time went on.  Now that you’re here...now that I know the truth...” She trailed off for a moment trying to keep her emotions in check and then said, “I feel as if I betrayed your faith in me and in us...”

Moira had a lot to say, and Marcus listened to every single word. It pained him to do so, her words dripped with regret and anger. For Marcus, and herself, and what had happened. He could have pointed out her irrationality at assuming that Marcus had just left. He could have pointed out that there was no welcoming that could have been any better, all things considered. He could have even mentioned that it was not necessary to ask for forgiveness, especially for the emotions she had wrestled with in the past couple of months.

We he couldn't abide by, was her feelings of betrayal. That word carried a strong connotation with Marcus, and he would not allow the woman he loves to feel any inkling of it. "What?!" Marcus' reaction came out louder than he had expected. Luckily, his own feelings of what she said were masked by the volume. At least, he had hoped so. "You didn't betray anything or anyone, Moira. We had a fight, you went to go cool your head, I went to go do the same. You came back, I didn't."

"Anyone else in the exact same situation would think the same thing, and if they don't believe that then they are kidding themselves." Marcus was doing everything he could to make sure he didn't come off as confrontational. He was losing control of his emotions though, trying less and less to keep them in check. Something he often found himself doing when around Moira. "The only thing you did was the only thing anyone could do... you tried to move on. I don't blame you for that, Moira. I don't blame you for anything."

It was at that moment that he realized that there may not be a happy ending to this reunion. Marcus wasn't stupid enough to believe that everything would be patched up and he'd be able to go home with her. His hope was for, at least, a reconciliation. The thought that it might be over between them was too much for Marcus, and his heart dropped into his stomach once again. He was speechless. There was literally nothing he could say to make that feeling go away.

He unconsciously made a step towards Moira, searching his brain for something to say. "I..." Marcus began before the words dropped from his lips and faded into nothingness. He steeled himself, and forced himself to continue. "I'm not going to let you drag yourself down like that, and you know you're not going to let yourself either. We're stronger than this, Moira." Marcus took another unconscious step forward, and was beginning to come off the hinges. He checked himself, and took a deep breath.

"It kills me to see you like this, Moira." He paused, thinking about what his last words may have been if he knew he was going to be taken that night. "I'm sorry."

It would take time for her to find some peace with what happened, to forgive herself for everything she felt she had done wrong.  His conviction that she had done what anyone would in her position was reassuring, but it was still hard to come to terms with the fact that the truth was so far from the fiction her mind had created.  She couldn't have been expected to live her life holding on to a memory, but now that she had the facts there were things she regretted doing in the last few months.

The distance between them was slowly growing smaller, in an almost cautious manner.  They were both trying to keep their emotions from taking control, both fighting to maintain their composure.  Her mind was still such a jumble, and she was so unsure what to do next or what it would mean in regards to them.

I'm sorry.

The apology caught her a bit off guard and she had to look away as she blinked back the tears she refused to let fall.  She would not collapse into a mess of emotions in front of him and she willed herself to remain strong.  No matter what she felt - regret, angry, sadness - she wouldn't break down again...not when she had spent so long putting the pieces back together.  Finally she looked back at him, and took the final steps to close the distance between them until she was just an arms length from him.

"I know..." she said softly, reaching out a tentative hand to caress his cheek.  "With all that's happened...I just wish this one thing could have been easy for us.  I..."  She paused for a moment to choose her words and then offered, "I don't want to lose you again, but it's going to take some time...to figure all this out."