Crybaby | Michael Langdon

30 -... is paved with good intentions- 30

The next day Michael was called for a meeting with Cordelia and Myrtle, so he came back to the manor. He greeted Kyle at the door and swiftly climbed the stairs to make a beeline to Cordelia's office, he went over the mission with them as quick as he could so he could leave as soon as possible.

After two painfully long hours he finally emerged out of the office with a tired sigh.

He caught something moving, and his eyes snapped towards the corner of the corridor to find Marie's head poking from behind the wall, her light brown eyes gazing at him. Once their eyes met she gasped and hid behind the wall.

He snorted. "I saw you."

"I wasn't waiting for you!" Her voice rang from behind the wall.

"I never said you were."

Her head poked out again, brows furrowed and lips pouted in deep embarssment.

"I needed to ask Cordelia something."

"Oh yeah?" He raised a brow, doubtful. "Asking her what?"

Her eyes widened as she seemed caught off guard.

"It's... Classified."

He couldn't help the breathy laugh that escaped his lips. "Really?"

She nodded as she feigned seriousness.

He was supposed to be angry at her. Hell, he still was. Yet she just needed to look at him with her big caramel eyes and he was ready to run back to her like a lost puppy.

Spending two nights alone had already been hard enough but he couldn't cave in. He wasn't about to approve her reckless decisions and the way she forced herself to wear rose colored glasses when she gazed at a situation.

After a few seconds of painfully awkward silence Marie came out of her hiding place, scratching at her arm as she avoided his gaze.

"So you're leaving for New York?"

"Yeah. I have to get on that mafia boss's good side."

"How long will you stay?"

"Until I can get him alone to hypnotize him."

She pursed her lips as she felt a pang in her heart.

"Oh."

So he didn't know when he was coming back.

"So did you get your answer about your mom?"

The sadness and defeat swimming in her eyes was enough of an answer, but her stiff nod confirmed it.

He wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be okay, but snippets of the fight flickered in his mind.

She seemed to have a hard time saying the words as her mouth opened and closed a few times. She swallowed thickly and finally chocked out the words.

"It's over. We can't find her."

Right after she had spoken, Michael's body moved on instinct as he engulfed Marie into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his midriff as she clenched her jaw to fight the tears.

"You tried everything you could." He said gently as he stroked the back of her head.

"This is so unfair." She whispered, and he tightened his hold on her, heart squeezing painfully in his chest.

"I know."

He could feel her frustration and defeat through the bond, and it felt like a stab through the heart. He felt guilty, he had promised her he would bring her mother back and he had miserably failed.