[march 16]

Bit by bit and session by session, Marcus's days since the exorcism are getting easier. Without question there are still bad days, ones where he wants to sink into himself and into his drawing, dirtying his hands with charcoal until he feels as if he's managed to get some of the demon out of his soul, and his therapist has suggested he let himself. As long as he doesn't get lost in it, which Marcus suspects would be impossible between Dan and Sabrina, between knowing Kat and Neil will come check on him if they don't hear from him in a few days.

They all keep him honest. It's more than he's ever had before.

What still hurts him the most is knowing he not only failed Tomas to the point where he had become utterly cavalier with his own safety, but knowing, too, that he failed Andy. The kids are safe, he takes heart in that, but he's still killed a man. Nothing will ever change that, and on a Sunday night in March, he finds himself awake long after everyone else has fallen asleep.

With the light turned low in the living room and Trass quiet near his feet, Marcus draws late into the night, and when it finally feels like he can't keep his eyes open any longer, he stumbles to bed with Trass padding along silently by his side. The big wolf settles into the oversized dog bed Marcus had purchased for him and Marcus settles in next to Dan, pressing close to the warmth of him and finally falling asleep with ease.

It's still early when he wakes again, the morning light coming in through the big bedroom windows is still weak and cool, but it isn't the sun that wakes Marcus. It's Trass, nudging his head up onto the bed, whining as he presses his nose against the side of Marcus's face. He grunts and nudges Trass away and the wolf huffs out an annoyed breath even as his tail wags like an excited dog.

"Too early," Marcus mumbles into his pillow, then turns to sling his arm across Dan's waist.