Out of Focus #SYTYCW15 Top10 Finalist! [COMPLETED]

28| New Direction

Marshall woke to the bright streak of sun, oddly refreshed despite the aches and groans of a body acquired after a handful of hours on the floor. Blankets tucked around him, Eva nowhere in sight, while the girls still slept, Marshall tiptoed out of the room.

Found the door to Eva's en-suite partially ajar, shower running and music streaming from her alarm radio. The sound of her singing along made him smile.

Quietly, he picked through the clothes in his bags, dressed in jeans and sleeveless shirt before heading downstairs to start breakfast. As he reached the bottom, he was greeted with desperate scrabbling of paws on wood of three very excited pups and one spastic LeBron who leapt and bounded and demanded first dibs of his attention

"Hey, boy," Marshall roped LeBron to his back and scratched a wiggling, panting belly. "You been minding the place for me?"

LeBron whined and yipped, licking and biting at his hands and face. Pushing the mass of fur aside with a laugh, he loped across the room in a jog, dogs bounding after him out into the backyard. He set them loose to play and take care of early morning needs.

Stomach growling, Marshall rubbed a hand across his belly. Omelets and yogurt and berries, Eva had said. Payton's request for her special breakfast. Peeking in the fridge, he found the ingredients and set them on the counter, deciding that he could make that fizzy OJ the kids had raved about, and this time toss in some mulled berries for colour and fun.

Phone chirping in his back pocket, Marshall pulled it out and—seeing a series of messages from Danni, opened the most recent.

Don't appreciate radio silence, M. CTV decision imminent. Gervais and Clear already onsite. Where are you?

Frowning at the screen, Marshall wasn't surprised when another of Danni's rapid-fire messages came through seconds later.

Move it, or lose it, buddy. Remember what's on the line.

Setting the phone aside, he went about his prep, chopping up a medley of peppers, shredding cheese and slicing mushrooms so they were wafer thin. All the while puzzling the matter. So the top heads had made a decision, why wasn't he excited about it? Why wasn't his heart racing with the same sort of anticipation it had last night at seeing Eva in that scandalous bit of black lace?

Why was the thought of leaping back on a plane and flying out to Toronto making his belly knot and tangle with all the wrong sort of feelings? Because his heart wasn't in it anymore. If he was honest, it hadn't been since the day Heng's blood had stained the rebel camps mud. And the brief taste of the televised news world couldn't hold a candle to this—waking up next to the woman he loved. Yes, loved.

Completely. And those girls. He wanted them too. He wanted the whole messy, wonderful business of chasing away monsters and whipping up omelettes. Beating eggs in a bowl, a pinch of salt and pepper—Marshall finally knew what he had to do.

First was firing off an email to Mouse, calling off the digging expedition, full payment notwithstanding, and the second...well, the second was going to require at least the courtesy of a phone call.

While butter melted in a skillet, he dialled Danni's number.

"Marshall," she snapped in greeting. "What the fuck?"

"Danni." Pouring in the beaten egg mixture, he sprinkled a generous handful of the chopped veggies, ham and shredded cheese over top. "I'm going to keep this quick, but wanted you to hear it straight from me. I'm out, Dee. All the way out, and all that that implies."

In the following silence he could almost hear the screaming roar of her temper, loud as a foghorn despite her softly uttered response," You're making a huge mistake."