Event: The Gala
Involved: Chosen respectable members of the student body and University employees.
When: March 2013.
Sam rested her elbow on the table she and Elena were sitting at, looking at her best friend with a bit of conspiracy in her eyes. "So, how far along with you with the opening planning?" She quizzed, trying to hide the excitement she so obviously felt. Her eyes that were a distinctive shade of green that evening, due to lighting and space, moved over Lena's face, digging for answers. She crossed her legs, covered under a silky silver dress and took a quick glance around the richly decorated room. Elena took a sip of the finest champagne of the evening as she was slightly lost in the atmosphere and surroundings. It was a lovely evening, after many bad ones, and it was finally the time to enjoy themselves a little, with no drama whatsoever. She was snapped back to reality by her best friend sitting opposite of her at the same table and she offered her a warm smile. ''To be perfectly honest, I have three versions of the opening. I know, a tad bit silly, but I just want to make it as perfect as possible. We'll see what fits best.'' Elena nodded before posing a question of her own. ''What about you, missy? Not that I understand architecture very much, but I'm quite sure you're giving your all to the place.'' Sam chuckled, playing with the tall champagne glass she had before her. It was half empty, like most glasses around, and it seemed like there were rivers of champagne flowing through the room that night. It didn't surprise Sam too much, considering who was making a donation to their university and for what cause. After the scandal that broke out about the cyber bullying they've gone through, Princeton had some amends to make and certain behinds to kiss. "You're not going to offer me anything more, are you?" Sam's lips turned into a pout, not at all happy with the answer she was given. She wanted something concrete, and Lena knew that, which is why she has been keeping it all a secret, mostly. "Oh, I'm all in it. So much that I even tried denying Peter sex the other night. Emphasis on the word try because I failed miserably. At avoiding, not at doing it." Sam said with a giggle, sending her friend a mischievous wink. Elena already felt like she was in a very good mood, and the drinks weren't even responsible for it. For the first time in a long time, Elena didn't have a nasty feeling something was about to cloud their happiness and she dared to bask in it. ''No, I'm sorry.'' She followed her friend's giggle. ''It's not that I don't want to... it's just that I want it to be a completely new experience for everyone, even for you.'' Elena nodded with determination but then she raised her eye brow. ''Why deny him sex at all? It's not like we've had it so much that we're sick of it.'' It was the truth, but it still felt kind of funny when it left her mouth so she shrugged. ''Besides, I don't think you're with the person who easily lets go of their needs, if you know what I mean.'' Sam let out a sigh, brushing a few loose strands of hair away from her face. "Fine, have it your way, Clark, but you better know what you're doing." Sam's words may have sounded threatening to a stranger, but they were followed it a big smile that gave away nothing but complete trust in her friend that she would do a great job. "I got caught up in work and didn't feel like stopping." She admitted with a bit of a blush painting her cheeks a deeper shade of red. "And I'm definitely not with a person like that, which is why we eventually did end up having it and instead of cuddles I got to finish my work in a rush of inspiration." Sam shrugged, amused by telling that story to her best friend now, because she not once imagined herself being capable of talking about things so openly. "What about you, Marcus keep you busy in the bedroom?" Elena had the amusingly teasing smile the entire time Sam was speaking. Her heart was full at how things were working out well for Peter and Sam. Two of her bestest friends in a functional relationship? Who would have known, right? With all their differences and everything that has happened in the meantime. Peter, with his conceited attitude and Sam with the ice queen one. They brought something else to each other and it was the best combination Elena has ever had a chance to see. But then Elena made an almost shocked face, although playfulness was definitely there, too. ''What do you mean, Sam? Ohmygod, we're not like that!'' She chuckled at how Sam looked back at her, so she succumbed. ''Okay, okay, yes, we are very busy in all areas.'' She genuinely snorted. ''The other night, we were at his room, and I don't know if I was too loud or whatever, but one of his brothers knocked on the door a couple of times and it ended up in both of us laughing so hard that my walk of shame followed like an hour after, not in the morning.'' Sam would have given her a look over her glasses, if she had them on, when Elena tried to avoid the question and play innocent. As if Sam didn't know already who she was rooming with for years and who Elena was dating. Both Lena and Marcus had healthy sexual appetites, and Sam didn't buy the innocence for one second. But it made her smile genuinely when Lena went on to relate an anecdote of her own. She took the glass of champagne from the table and brought it to her lips for a small, quick sip, chuckling lightly. "You naughty girl." Sam said with a playful gasp, wiggling her eyebrows at Lena. "But I'm really happy that's the case, because you both deserve someone to be naughty with." She said with a light chuckle, grabbing one of the canapes that were on the plate in front of them quickly and popping it in her mouth discreetly. Peter was in a company of his Alpha friends. They were chatting about that new match that the New York Jets won with a convincing difference over the Georgian Bulldogs. Standing there in his tux with a bunch of people dressed elegantly who drank the free champagne and talked about important stuff was a familiar setting for Peter. Only with a significant difference - this time he felt good about being there. Over the rim of his glass he noticed two of his favorite girls sitting at a table, smiling and talking and he couldn't help but smile himself. ''Excuse me, guys, I will be right back. Or not. But carry on.'' He joked for a second before placing his glass on a waiter's tray, and heading for Sam and Elena's table. Overhearing the fraction of their conversation, he walked behind Sam and placed his ears right up to her ear. ''Who's naughty?'' Sam was a little startled when Peter's breath tickled her ear, his voice filling her mind over the strumming of the quartet playing arrangements of popular music on the stage. Slowly, she tilted her head to the side, a smirk growing on her lips. "No one, perv." She muttered lovingly, leaning in to place her lips against his cheek. "Well, Elena is, she was just telling me all the juicy details about her sexcapades with Marcus." Sam said teasing a little and looking for a reaction. Considering how close Lena and Pete were, it might even be weird for him to hear that. "Where's Marcus, making the obligatory schmoozing rounds?" Peter felt the chills down his spine at Sam's lips brushing against his cheek. It was the simplest gesture, especially for a couple, but every touch with Sam was electric to Peter and he stopped fighting it a long time ago. ''Perv? Ouch, you wound me.'' He placed his hand on his heart, leaning against her chair with the same smile he approached them with. ''You don't say? Do tell, Clarke, it's been a while since you have updated me.'' He was pretty god damn sure Elena wanted to smack him with a club of some sort at that moment, judging by the look on her face and the redness in her cheeks. Absentmindedly rubbing the smooth skin on his chin, Peter shrugged, glancing around the huge room. ''Actually, that's a good question, I have no idea. He was here a moment ago. I think his grandfather was about to arrive, maybe he went to meet him.'' Elena smiled brightly when she saw Peter approaching Sam in secrecy, just to surprise her. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she watched them all goo-goo in a non-gross way at each other and she chuckled discreetly at that... until she was being called out again on her so-called 'sexcapades' with Marcus. Rolling her eyes so as to show annoyance, even though she wasn't nearly as annoyed as she wanted to point out, she sighed. ''Perverts. Both of you. Do you hear me? Both of you.'' She repeated but couldn't help the smile that fought its way through her lips at the way they were smiling at her. But as soon as count Biandratte was brought up, Elena felt her stomach twist. She almost, almost forgot about that. Glancing around the room herself, she spoke again. ''Oh I'm sure he's there somewhere, probably being Marcus, as per usual.'' She let out a nervous chuckle, waving her hand in dismissal as she took another sip of the champagne. Sam couldn't miss the affection on Lena's face at how she and Peter acted around each other, but she also couldn't miss the shadow of worry and fear, even, ghost over her face when Marcus' grandfather was mentioned. None of them had anything good to say about the old man, whether they knew him or not, but Sam knew Lena had even less than Peter or she did. "He has to be around, we just need to locate him." Even as she spoke, Sam scanned the room in search of their friend, but found all the guys in their tuxes to look a lot alike. Subconsciously, her hand moved to seek Peter's, pursing her lips slightly. "Do you wanna go try and find him, maybe?" Peter didn't like the silence that dropped on them as they all made the effort to scan around the room. They were obviously so tight with each other that when one was missing, they were all alerted. Peter, unlike the two girls, probably knew best they weren't worried for nothing. The old count was a handful of troubles and power. But Peter also had one (dis)advantage over the girls; he was, because of the info he had, probably a lot more worried. Marcus wasn't just any friend to Peter and that much was obvious and even though their relationship was still rocky, it was as good as anyone could have wished for after everything they've been through. Frowning slightly but not wanting to alarm Elena mainly, he nodded. ''Uh, yeah, but you two have fun because that idiot is going to pay up, I told him I couldn't handle both of you on my own.'' He grinned, but his hand lightly squeezed Sam's as if telling her to distract Elena until he finds Marcus. Sam knew Peter's signals by heart now and she could almost say what he was thinking just by the way he was breathing. Right now, he may have looked composed and in complete control over the situation, but the truth was that he was tense and as worried as the two of them suddenly were, if not more. Nodding, Sam chuckled a little, her voice just slightly strained. "We are a handful." Sam agreed and shrugged her shoulders innocently. "Let's go get more champagne and dance, because this song is awesome and I'm not letting this dress go to waste by sitting here all night." Her voice determined, Sam gave Peter another quick kiss on the cheek and walked around the table to take Lena's hand and lead the way. As they moved, she turned around to glance at Peter to see what he was going to do next, but he was already on the move. Marcus ran a hand through his hair, already feeling on the edge of his nerves and the night has barely started. But that was his grandfather and his impeccable skill of driving Marcus up the wall. Every single time, the reasons for the old man's scolding became more ridiculous and right now, Marcus was not believing what he was hearing at all. "Jesus Christ, you've been spying on me the entire year and I'm not supposed to be upset about it?" Marcus rolled his eyes, looking at his grandfather like he would rather throw him out of the window than try and talk to him. "Of course I did, boy. You're not just anyone and I have to make sure you're on your best at all times, which clearly you haven't been at all. My sources tell me you've got involved into a scandal that had nothing to do with you, what on earth were you thinking?" The old man's voice was cold and stern like steel and Marcus rolled his eyes. "I was thinking the girl I love was bullied, just like a close friend of mine. I don't care if that was some kind of a test or something, you're psychotic and I'm not playing any games for you, whatever you think you'll gain from them!" His voice aggravated, Marcus gave a fake smile to a waiter in passing, thinking how they could have chosen a more private spot than a hallway to do this. Peter put his hands casually in his pockets as he went strolling around the room. Or well, as casual as he could have done it. He was tense and suddenly with a lousy feeling in his stomach that was not at all what he needed that night. Smiling at the people passing him, he cleverly avoided their attempts to start a conversation as he appeared in a hurry or already busy with something else that caught his attention. Just as he was about to enter a hallway that led to the saloon, Peter found what he was looking for. Marcus was there, standing with his grandfather and it was a scene Peter had encountered many times before, with the same facial expressions and postures. He chose not to reveal his presence as the hallway emptied and stayed hidden behind the corner, allowing him to hear what they were talking about. A frown etched in his forehead at how the man was talking to Marcus and Peter himself wondered how was he even controlling himself around that man, when he had troubles controlling himself around anyone else. Marcus was surprised when his grandfather laughed, a bitter, humorless laughter, at what his grandson said. His eyebrows furrowed, a dark line above his stormy eyes as he waited for an explanation of the reaction that just came. "You think you have a right to choose, boy?" The old man laughed again. "Let me tell you something, until I'm six feet under this bloody ground, you will do whatever I tell you, or you can say goodbye to the life you've lead and enjoyed for so long." The smile, as humorless as it was, was now gone from the face wrinkled with age and it was replaced with an expression of power, displeasure and stubbornness that even Marcus couldn't match. "What's that supposed to mean?" As he folded his arms across his chest, fingers balled into fists that itched to hit against something, Marcus had a feeling he knew exactly what the old man meant. "Your trust fund, of course, don't play dumb with me. If you dare defy me, Marcus, you will receive not a penny more from me or your parents, and don't forget your father is eye deep in debts to me and can't afford do defy me either." Marcus blinked, trying to call the old man's bluff, but the thing with him was, he never bluffed. His threats were promises and not empty words. "Is that it? You think that money can buy out any sense of moral I have?" Marcus' voice wavered, heavy with emotion and pent up anger that threatened to burst. "Not just any money, boy, all of your money. No trips, no caprices, no reckless investments into rundown business that are money in the wind. If you decide to disobey, that is." Peter , unlike Marcus, was the guy who had used money to get what he wanted, especially in the past. Money was power, as ugly as it sounded, and Peter was used to being in power. He was having a hard time imagining life without his credit cards, but his trust fund... that was something else, bigger and more important even to someone like Peter. It was a way for them to know they will be taken care of financially for life. Take that out of the equation and the future is instantly uncertain. But Marcus was stubborn and reckless and impulsive in a different way than Peter. His morality was never to be questioned, at least not in Peter's eyes and in comparison to him who was the epitome of a sin. Peter frowned in utter shock - was his grandfather that cruel, is he able to really take away Marcus' safe future? Something was telling Peter this was the case and his insides twisted, he had no idea what to do or whether he could do anything. Marcus shook his head. It was his turn now to laugh that same humorless laughter, a bitter sound that left an even bitter taste in his mouth. He was his grandfather's blood, after all, and as much as he denied it and hated it, they shared more than Marcus ever wanted to have with him. His entire life so far was in his grandfather's hands, he was a puppet on strings pulled by a cruel old man who cared for nothing else in the world than multiplying his fortune. And all his life, Marcus felt chained, constricted, limited in ways no one else could understand. All of which lead to his issues with anger and managing it and momentarily, he was struck with a sudden surge of inspiration, light and hope, with an epiphany that made him feel like he could breathe again. "You know what, I don't want your money. I don't need it. You can take it all and shove it up your ass, you materialistic son of a bitch. And you can forget I ever existed because from this moment on, you're dead to me, like you should have been for the past five years." Every word as liberating as it felt to Marcus was laced with a year of aggravation, frustration and anger that he kept bottled up inside and the result was something he never heard himself say, not even in his wildest dreams. This was a different kind of a blackout and Marcus definitely preferred it. He reached into the inside pocket of his coat and threw his wallet at the bastard he knew as his grandfather. The object fell to the ground making no sound on the carpeted floor. "I hope you die and burn in hell." It wasn't hard to smile grimly as he turned and walked away, his head and heart thumping and the expression of his grandfather forever etched into his mind: that cold, untouchable look with a hint of defeat in the same steel eyes Marcus had. Peter stood there, listening and not believing his own ears. He knew that the old count had everyone wrapped around his finger, his entire family, but Marcus was the one who probably suffered the most because of it. He was the one who needed to carry the weight of his grandfather's fortune in the end, and it was the thing that haunted him for the past several years. But then Peter heard the liberating tinge to Marcus' raging words. He was giving up on trying to satisfy his grandfather and it wasn't the defeat, it was the victory Peter was pretty sure Marcus didn't realize at all. He missed Peter on his way out and Peter failed to move after he saw his friend's back as Marcus walked away; instead Peter knew exactly what he wanted to do. Hands back into his pockets, without the minimum of respect, he walked slowly in front of the old man who was still trying to get the shocking impressions set in. Marcus: The old man mistook young Petrelli for a waited and gave him little attention as he approached him. However, as their eyes finally met, he straightened up, even though the weight of the years was hardly visible in his posture and looked at Peter as if he were a cockroach on his favorite shoe. With his grandfather making a spectacle of himself, the old count had no plans of pretending to like the Petrelli boy. "Mr Petrelli, I assume you've helped yourself to our conversation earlier? What do you want now?" He demanded, rocking on his heels lightly, arms crossed on his back. Peter felt no need to respect this man any longer, now that Marcus had finally sent him straight to hell. However, it was astounding just how the old man kept his posture. His voice was of the same icy cold tone, there wasn't even a hint of regret in it and Peter had no idea what it took to become that way. The condescending look and tone in which he spoke to Peter didn't move him at all and instead, he just gave him the satisfied smile before he spoke. ''You know, I've been around for I believe too many arguments of this kind between Marcus and you. And every single time I ended up wondering why would he even put up with you any longer. You have never, not once, in his entire life respected him but you expected the respect from him. You have expected him to be exemplary and obedient and you have never given him anything in return. You keep harassing your entire family with your rules and shit, you keep acting like a God among mortals and for what? Money? Yeah...'' Peter dropped his eyes to the carpet where Marcus' wallet was now. ''That's where it's going to end. Marcus doesn't need you, doesn't need your fuckin' money and the sooner you realize this is not how you deal with people and more, family, the better. Otherwise you're just going to end up like a bad memory and a picture on the wall, which I have no doubt, they will gladly put down and trash somewhere. And you'll die alone. You can look at me as a disrespectful, stupid kid, but I can promise you this will happen, sooner than you think.'' Peter nodded again, with the same smile he had moments before. ''Count Biandratte.'' Peter said and turned around, walking away just like Marcus did, leaving the old man to himself. Sam took two champagne glasses off the tray as a waiter passed them by and she gave one to Lena, gathering up a fistful of her dress to walk more freely, without the fear of tripping over and landing on her face. "How do these designers imagine you're supposed to walk in dresses like this?" Sam complained with an annoyed grunt, looking around the room. Every girl had an extravagant dress, every guy a very elegant tuxedo. But Sam was not used to wearing things like this, no matter how nice the silk felt against her skin and with the worry she had for Marcus added to it, her mood was slowly dropping. "You know he's fine, right? He's probably just mingling with the big shots." Sam said a little unconvincingly. Elena was grateful to how Sam was taking her mind off of Marcus and what was going on. She hated how the liberating feeling of something good happening was completely overshadowed by worry in a matter of seconds. ''You're not. You're supposed to be either sitting or standing and smiling and talking on different gala events. The longest walk is supposed to be from the car and back.'' Elena responded, although her mind was not set on talking about the dresses. ''Right...'' Elena's unconvincing tone now matched Sam's. It was then that she spotted Peter moving their way from the crowd but she couldn't read his face. She bit her lower lip in anticipation. ''Look, there's Pete.'' She muttered to Sam and left her glass on the table. Peter assumed how Elena would be anxious to find out what he had to say, that's why he, although a bit impolitely, ignored everyone around who wanted to stop him and talk to him, without the lame excuses and fake smiles. He just walked passed everyone until he reached Sam and Elena. Their questioning looks told him that he was supposed to speak. ''Uh, he went outside, to get some air I guess.'' He realized he needed to explain this, too, so he continued. ''I overheard his conversation with his grandfather. They argued but this time it was really bad. I don't think they're on good terms anymore. Worse, I don't think they'll be talking anytime soon.'' He said, avoiding to say just how bad it was, not because he thought Elena was supposed to be spared the ugly stuff, he just thought it wasn't really on him to say what he heard, but on Marcus. Sam turned to scan Peter as he approached them, urgency and some kind of hot headedness in his step that she couldn't quite understand yet. There was something there behind what he was saying that she just couldn't put her finger on, it was like he was a swirl of emotions like pride, anger, worry and it made zero sense when she added to it what he just said. "How is that worse? From what I know we should all be celebrating that." A frown of confusion creased Sam's forehead and she looked between Lena and Pete, trying to understand what was going on. If Marcus went out to 'get some air', it probably meant he wanted to talk fists and not words, but it also meant a lot knowing that he wasn't doing it here in front of everyone, the way he usually would have, blinded by his anger. "What happened, Pete, is he alright?" Peter knew he was dealing with the two girls that he couldn't avoid further questions. He didn't even know where to look; it seemed they were searching his eyes because they spoke louder than words, but it was difficult not telling them everything. ''Look, he's upset. I don't think he wants any company right now.'' He said honestly, and that meant Elena, too, that's why he gave her a meaningful glance before he shrugged. ''Just let him cool off.'' Elena was now more than worried, alright. She was frowning the entire time Pete's vague explanations were reaching her, but not sticking with her. She didn't believe it was that unimportant, or that bland, so she shook her head. ''What do you mean he doesn't want any company?'' She knew exactly what it meant, he was boiling with anger, but she had previously told him he was to call her whenever he felt he'd be losing control and no one needed that at the gala. Besides, he meant more to her than whatever it was that made him so upset and she needed to talk to him. ''Where is he? Outside?'' Sam knew what would happen, even as Peter spoke. She quickly shook her head, but it was too late and Lena was asking questions, her voice rising and changing with the worry she felt, the emotions that created a turmoil inside of her. "Lena, don't." Sam tried to reason with her, taking hold of her hand and looking for her eyes in hopes she could find something in them to help her stop Lena from storming outside and maybe finding herself hurt or Marcus hurting someone else or something even worse. "Peter would know best what to do, okay. We've all tried getting to him when he's having an episode, it'll just make things worse and he'd hate himself if he hurt you." Sam turned to Peter, looking for backup. Elena looked surprised. Were they actually telling her not to go and see Marcus in the middle of all of this? Maybe they knew better but she knew what she felt in her heart and she didn't really care. Marcus needed someone to be by his side, even when the moments were ugly, and Elena was that person. She looked at Sam as if she couldn't comprehend the words her friend was saying. ''What?'' She simply asked, before she shook her head and looked back at Peter. ''Fine, I'll find him myself.'' She picked up her dress slightly as she shook Sam's hand off, not in an angry manner, she just needed her to let go. She walked by Peter without meeting his eyes and his possibly defensive attitude because it was the last thing she needed. Marcus stood on the balcony, fingers clenching the railing. The momentary relief and sense of victory he had as he left his grandfather standing alone was quickly washed away as the evening breeze cleared his head. What was he thinking? How was he going to survive with zero incomes and a terribly expensive lifestyle? He wasn't thinking and that was the problem, he thought angrily, slamming his open palm against the railing. Right now, he was burning for a cigarette or something to simply preoccupy his mind that had nothing to do with what he just went through. But being alone and staring at the parking lot filled with fancy rides left him with zero distractions and just the recurring thought in his head - he was such an idiot. He paced around, trying to calm himself down, but as he did and took a look inside at the party everyone was so greatly enjoying, the anger just surged back and he couldn't figure out a way to destroy it, not this time. The muffled sound of some dress in the wind and heels stopping at the balcony alerted him that he was no longer alone and Marcus kept his back to whoever it was, closing his eyes. "I need a moment, please." He said through gritted teeth, trying to sound as politely as possible. Elena thought of how to find Marcus, and quickly. It was a huge campus, he could have been anywhere inside, let alone outside. So she chose the balcony, by pure chance, not because she really thought he was there. She thought it would give her the best view to try and find him, since his cell was off for some reason. Spotting a figure standing there alone, at first she didn't even think to pay any attention to the person until he spoke and to her realization, it was Marcus himself. She took a deep breath and suddenly, all of her questions faded away, she had no idea what she wanted to say. She stood there quietly for a few moments, contemplating on whether to really leave him alone like she was told to, but her feet were stuck in the ground. The last time they were dressed like that and in a situation like that, he was upset similarly to this and she wouldn't let him turn away from her. After everything, she was there for him. So she approached him right at the edge and leaned on it, still silent. Marcus listened, waited to hear the sound of footsteps distancing, but for a few moments, nothing happened. Part of him would have probably been annoyed, was the person dumb and didn't understand that he was asking them to leave before throwing them back inside if they thought they could refuse? But he wasn't so much annoyed. Just still disappointed and incredulous at his own stupidity, so he gripped at the railing, leaning over it and taking deep, calming breaths. It was, after all, all he could do. But then, the person did the last thing he wanted them to - they stood next to him, quietly, at least, but there they were. Slowly, Marcus opened his eyes and looked to the side, when he finally recognized the scent in the air, a perfume so sweet and light, like the girl it belonged to. The girl he loved, the girl that promised to be there for him through thick and thin. "El..." He said softly, his eyes finally landing on her bare shoulders, the curve of her neck so open and inviting, but all he could think was that she was safer away from him. "You shouldn't be here." He tried not to sound too harsh and even though his words were trying to push her away, his voice was telling the exact opposite of that, begging her never to leave his side. Elena wondered if it was wise to look him in the eyes. She couldn't have known what kind of a reaction that would provoke and even though she's been through quite a lot with him, she had a feeling they were still just getting to know each other, and that their relationship was only now beginning to develop. But the softness and control in his voice when he spoke to her revealed that her presence wasn't triggering his aggressiveness, but it wasn't helping either. So she met his gaze. ''I know.'' And it was the truth, but despite that information, she wasn't moving from her spot. She was aware that it would be in vain trying to tell him she'd be there through thick and thin; he already knew that. She wasn't going to tell him things were going to work out, because she couldn't have possibly guessed that. But she had the genuine soothing look on her face, the one that wasn't saying that she felt sorry for him, nor it was encouraging, it was simply soothing. ''Hey, Marc?'' She asked, not really knowing what was she going to say. It was just to get him to look at her again, because she felt his gaze always managed to disrupt something inside of her, it didn't matter if it was good or bad. It was like an explosion of butterflies in her stomach every single time and she selfishly loved the feeling. Elena wasn't smiling nor frowning, it was like a feeling of being blessed to have someone like him next to her, with all their flaws. He was upset and seconds from losing it, but she wasn't afraid. And the next thing that came from her mouth was the most honest thing she has ever said, only this one time without any fear or doubt or distress, which was even paradoxical in a situation they were in. ''I love you.'' Marcus was grateful that there was no compassion or pity in her eyes as they held his gaze. El wasn't feeling sorry for him, nor was she completely understanding because she didn't know exactly what he was going through. But she was there, kind, graceful, beautiful like never before and it helped ease some of his nerves, just knowing that he wasn't a monster and that there was someone in this world who wasn't afraid of him losing it because they believed he could get a grip on himself. The furious thudding of his heart slowed down to a moderate pace and he tried to drain all the comfort he needed from simply having her there beside him. Silence spoke louder than words and even if they didn't touch or do anything, Marcus somehow knew it was going to be okay. When El called his name, seeking his attention, he slowly lifted his gaze from the railing, meeting hers again. Right then, he couldn't remember whether she ever said it before or if he had said it back, it didn't even matter. His heart took off, a pace so different from the enraged one he felt for so long and he clenched his jaws, his fists, fighting every single urge inside of him that caught fire instantly. But it was a battle lost in advance and without thinking any more, Marcus took her by the forearms and turned her around so that she was facing him, his lips crashing onto hers, demanding, possessive, angry and above all loving. The squeeze of his hands around her arms turned into something more gentle as his arms looped around her waist, pulling her closer and holding her tightly, his lips hungrily mapping out every inch of hers to mark the moment of his own complete surrender. Elena has never felt better than in the moment she said that, let it out of her system. The words vanished in the air, for a second she wasn't even sure Marcus heard her. But acknowledging it by saying it out loud, hear herself saying those words, it meant everything to Elena. It was real, it was palpable, it was there and then. She kissed those lips a hundred times so it seemed, and those lips kissed all of her, but she found herself dying to get a taste again, for it not to be just another kiss. She was already craving for that raging passion Marcus had in him, for something so manly and strong and furious inside that was only triggering her own fire to emerge. She passionately loved every bit of his existence, just looking at him made her feel things she wasn't aware a girl could ever feel for a guy. And when he pulled her in and sucked her into the oblivion she felt whenever he held her, she made no attempt to stop him, she simply gave in. She responded to his hungry kiss with the same desire, that had no sexual context. This was simply two people craving each other's being, life, and everything they had in them. It didn't matter that he didn't say anything, it was what she loved most about Marcus; his actions spoke much louder and that was a lot more important to Elena. I love you -- her mind screamed on the inside again as she forgot how to breathe, completely lost in the kiss and the way his arms held her. They were shielded from the outside world as it seemed, in the midst of alarms and classy dresses and suits and music. All of it, shrank into a fiery kiss that consumed them both.
