Sanctuary (Jari)

Marilyn had barely realised that he'd apparated them to her room until the familiar surroundings came into focus, but the witch was still pressed up against her boyfriend, hiding her face in his chest. Were Marilyn capable of crying she'd be in tears by now. Gwen's last comment had not only hit Evan hard, but also the younger witch herself. 'She's not Faith...' Was that what he thought? That she'd break over her love for someone like Faith had? So it was better to pair her off to someone they could control so that would never happen again? Did he think her so weak?

Her inner doubts were interrupted by Jamie's echo-y voice in the form of a lynx patronus, "Are you home okay? Mum told me what happened. I'm sorry, Darling..." the lynx closed its mouth and awaited Marilyns reply so she took a deep breath, simply saying "Yes." and nothing else. Satisfied, it vanished again. But the interaction had shaken her up out of her reverie and reminded her of whom she was pressed against and what he'd risked to defend her.

"Jake..." she whispered, looking up at him with wide eyes, "I'm so- I'm so sorry, I didn't think he'd- He could have- You-" Nothing was making sense, she was simply still too shaken to formulate a single reply.

"None of it was your fault. I'm fine."
Marilyn didn't respond, because she couldn't actually form any thoughts. For the first time in a long time, Marilyn was in shock. Limp and utterly in her mind, blank, letting him undo her dress and closing her eyes as he removed it, slipping one of his tshirts on her instead. When he went to undress himself her hands moved as if on autopilot, removing her necklace, earrings, ring and the other bracelet she'd been wearing, leaving Louis' gift snugly on for comfort.

Then she resumed her more limp position, all the time over staring blankly at the wall, only really registering that Jake had helped her get changed when he slipped off her heels, moving her head to look at him instead of the blank wall and allowing him to pull her closer. "I'm sorry for disrespecting your grandfather, Mari. I just... hate it when people... you're perfect just the way you are, you know?"The witch simply scooted up a bit to press her lips to his, just kissing him. "Don't apologize for anything. I don't want you to. It's not your fault, either. This is all way above us." she murmured softly, cuddling close, "I know I'm safe with you." she added, wrapping one arm around him, "I know I'll always be safe with you."

And for the first time, she didn't argue that she wasn't perfect, because honestly, by now she was getting to the point where Marilyn was starting to stop caring about what she looked like in regards to the scarring. She was not her scars.

Marilyn didn't contradict Jake, just let him comfort her for the time being, let everything settle down. "We'll be fine." she whispered, just before he kissed her, "I know what I want." She pressed her lips back against his and snuggled close. If she closed her eyes she could pretend that none of it had happened. That the world consisted of her bedroom, Jake holding her in bed, and nothing else. No one else.

Sleep, from exhaustion, soon claimed the witch, who was safely laid between Jake and Jagger. And though no nightmares came the stress wouldn't let her sleep normally and she awoke just before the sun came up, before Jake, and spent a few moments just watching him. 'Enjoying the view' as Jake sometimes called it when he watched her. Mari didn't want to wake him just yet, and so the witch opted to simply press her lips against his shoulder and pull his arm around her waist, spooning until he woke up on his own.

They'd face the world later, but no matter when, they would face it together.